“Where he killed her,” Burke said. “But why? And how did you get her phone? I thought it was missing.”
“I found it,” She said with a proud smile. “I had been thinking over this case for a long time. It didn’t make much sense. It was clear that this wasn’t a serial killing but a deliberate strike against the Mayor’s daughter. Why would anyone do that? To either get to the mayor or because they had some personal beef with her. If she was killed as a message to the Mayor, the murder wouldn’t be disguised. It would be clear and exact. No, this was someone going after her personally. And then I put myself in the mind of a young girl and thought about it. No matter how careful, all young girls keep some record of their lover, a diary or, nowadays, something on their phone. I knew the key was finding her phone, but it was never found with the body. Now, girls her age never leave things out where they can easily be read or procured. They mostly have someplace secret. I had another chat with Laila, and she mentioned that Kaila had two phones.”
“The one she used for everyday things,” Burke said. “And the one she used for her secret things. Like talking to her lover or talking to her drug dealer.”
“I am sure the murderer got rid of her phone because he was hiding all the evidence that could link her to him,” Robin said. “But I bet he didn’t know she had two phones. I searched her room again, and this time I managed to locate it. I gave it to IT, and we finally have the evidence we need.”
“This is good,” Burke said. “This is very good. We have the evidence we need. We have evidence that he was dating her and that he met her on the night of the murder.”
“We need to go after him,” Robin said. “We need to report this to the Captain and start investigating him. Bring him in for an interrogation, see what his alibi is and whether we can break it down.” Robin said.
Burke looked uncomfortable, and Andrews scuffled his feet awkwardly.
“What?” she asked.
“We can’t go after him,” Burke said. “He is too powerful. If we do anything, he is going to have our jobs.”
“I don’t believe this,” Robin whispered. “Really? You are going to act like this?”
“Robin, I know you are happy that we have so much evidence against Danvers,” he said. “But that’s not necessarily a good thing. If we do anything about this, it puts a target on our back.”
“What are you talking about? You can’t let someone like him dictate justice.” She was starting to feel furious now. “We need to interrogate him! We need to start an official investigation–.”
“No, we can’t,” Burke said. “He is too well connected. He will just get us in trouble.”
“So, you are not going to go after him just because you are scared?” Robin asked, getting angry. “Five years ago, he killed Kyle’s wife, and no one dared to stand up to him, and most likely a few days ago, he killed someone else. God knows how many other people he has killed. And, justice will not be served because there were people like you, too afraid to say or do anything!”
“Robin, wait!” he shouted, but Robin ignored him and stormed off. It didn’t matter if anyone else joined her or not. She was going to have her answers, one way or another.
__
“I don’t understand why you are here,” he said, with a sneer on his face.
Robin looked at Danvers, observing him. He looked rather handsome in his fine suit and devilish good looks. Money and fame suited him, and she could see how he managed to charm women so well.
“We are here because you were positively identified by Mrs. Cartwright, the landowner of the building, where you hired the taxi driver,” Robin said.
He threw his head back and laughed loudly, and Robin raised an eyebrow, wondering what was so funny.
“So now it’s a crime to go visit a friend?” he asked, his eyes sparkling with something evil.
“No, but that man was found dead a few days later,” She said. “Can I ask what your business was with that man?”
He shrugged, still looking at them with that know-it-all smile.
“Mr. Danvers,” she said. “The man you interacted with was known for discreet transportation. People hired him when they wanted to get around the city without being noticed. It was a rather unique profession. Did you hire this man for any of your needs?”
“Why would I hire him? I have all the money in the world,” he said. “What do I need to hide?”
“Can you tell us where you were on the night the murder occurred?” Robin asked, starting to feel angry at this cocky man. Here he was, without a care in the world, while Kyle was still suffering because of his actions.
“How would I know? I don’t remember. I am a rather busy man,” he said.
“I think you do know,” Robin whispered. “Just like you knew where you were five years ago, on the night that Rose Grange was killed.”
His face darkened, and he glared at her.
“I am not saying another word without my lawyer,” he said, standing up. “Now, I suggest you leave.”
Robin was shown out of there, and before she could make way to her car, her phone rang.
“Robin, it’s Burke,” The voice said on the other side. “The Captain wants to see you.”
Chapter Seventeen
“I just got a call, Detective Matthews,” the Captain said, pacing around his office. “Mr. Danvers called, telling me about one of my Detectives who was going around accusing him of murder.”
“I have evidence,” she said. “I have a witness who is willing to testify that she saw him enter the building to meet the taxi driver. I have his conversations where he was texting the Mayor’s daughter and was in a relationship with her. There is enough evidence to at least warrant an investigation.”
“I decide when there is enough evidence,” he snarled. “I decide when we interrogate a criminal. And I decide when we go after a man as powerful as Danvers! I thought I made myself clear, Detective Matthews. If you step even a toe out of line, I will have you by your throat. Understand?”
“Sir, with all due respect,” she said. “I did nothing wrong. That man is a criminal, and now I have evidence that could prove it.”
“Enough!” he shouted. “I will not be spoken back to. This is not how things work around here, Detective. I expect to receive regular reports, especially before you go after a man like Danvers!”
“Wow,” Robin said. “I didn’t think you would be more afraid of him than you would be of the Mayor. How will he feel when he finds out you let his daughter’s murderer go to save your ass?”
“That’s it,” he said. “You are off this case.”
“What?” Robin said, outraged.
“One more mistake,” he said, “and I will have you off this task force, Understood? Internal Affairs still has you under investigation, and don’t you forget that!”
Robin barely managed to control her temper and got up from her seat. She bowed sarcastically to the Captain and walked off, slamming the door shut behind her.
“What did he say?” Burke asked the moment she exited the office.
“He took me off the case,” she said with a sigh.
“Look, Robin,” he said. “Danvers is too big of a fish for us to fry. There are times you must admit defeat, and I am afraid this is one of those times. I wish we could do something, but the Captain has asked us to pin the murder on the taxi driver and state his death as a suicide. I am afraid there is nothing I can do. He thinks of this as a closed case.”
“I think I am just going to go home,” Robin said, lying through her teeth. Her eyes were on Kyle and the dark look on his face right now. She walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, noticing his clenched hands.
“Kyle,” she said softly. “I am sorry. I really tried.”
“I know,” he said.
“Don’t do anything drastic,” she said.
Kyle turned to look at her, his burning into hers.
“What if I told you that I could never live with myself if I
let this go?” he asked. “What if I told you that there was either his death or mine? I either kill him or kill myself because I can’t continue living while that monster is alive. I can’t believe I failed my Rose, and now another girl suffered the same fate.”
“I know how hard this is for you, Kyle,” she said softly. “But there is nothing more that can be done. I tried. I got the evidence–.”
“I know,” he said. “You have always been there for me, Robin. Thank you.”
Robin had never felt more helpless in her life. Not only had she not captured the Executioner, but another killer was also escaping her hands. She felt powerless, unable to defend the people who needed her. Unable to bring justice to those who had suffered at the hands of these criminals. She had become a Detective because she had always been attracted to the idea of helping others and ensuring there was justice. And now, she couldn’t do it anymore. There were too many obstacles. She was already dealing with her failure by not capturing the Executioner. Robin was hell-bent on getting the affected families justice. Now she had to accept that she failed all the girls that suffered at the hands of Danvers.
She sighed and walked toward the door, feeling mentally and emotionally exhausted. Robin didn’t know what to do anymore. But what she did know was that she wasn’t going to go down without a fight. No, she was going to keep fighting on. She was going to find a way to catch both criminals, even if it meant following methods that weren’t conventional.
“Someone ruin your mood, Detective?” Lory’s voice echoed from the back.
“Look, I don’t have time for you,” she said.
“I need to talk to you, Matthews,” he said. “I believe you. I think Danvers is all kinds of dirty, and I am pretty sure he has a part in this. I know you are going to go after him. I want to join you.”
“You must be crazy if you think I will trust you,” she said.
“I know you and I started off on a bad foot,” he said. “I know I have been anything but nice to you. But I am serious when I talk about this. Whether you trust me or not is up to you, but my offer stands.”
“The day I trust you,” Robin said,“is the day I put my pants on my head and dance the waltz!”
Lory burst out laughing and said, “You really do have a wit that I haven’t seen before. You are alright, Matthews.”
He walked off, and Robin shook her head.
“Well, miracles do happen,” she said to herself before walking off.
Chapter Eighteen
Robin pulled away from the curtain and looked down at the street. A shiver ran down her spine as she saw the man standing there. A dark silhouette looking at the house, silent and unmoving. Someone was out there keeping tabs, watching the house every minute of the night. The man disappeared every night before dawn, and Robin had had enough. She turned around and opened the front door, the gun ready in her hand.
She crept through the night, determined to finally apprehend the man. Fortunately, he wasn’t facing the front door; otherwise, he would see her coming. She slowly crept up behind the man and placed her hand on his shoulder, her gun ready. The man whipped around, and Robin froze, unable to believe what she was seeing.
“Gary Dane?” she whispered.
He stood in front of her, as clear as day, a smile on his face.
“I didn’t think you would find out about me,” he said. “I didn’t think you had the guts to come out here and find me, but I was wrong.”
“What are you doing here?” Robin said, pointing the gun at him. “Who sent you?”
“Why would anyone send me?” he asked. “Maybe I am here on my own. Maybe I just want revenge. After all, aren’t you the one who led to my ruin?”
“I led to your ruin?” she asked.
“Of course,” he said. “You are the reason the Captain is dead. It was you I was trying to shoot. I always knew you were good for nothing, always making trouble. Everyone thought you were a genius, but you were nothing but a waste of time. There was nothing special about you. The Captain loved and pampered you, and he chose you over me when it came to the Butcher case. I have hated you since then. I was the better Detective, the best on the entire force! And then you ruined everything! You should have died, not the Captain!”
“I am arresting you,” Robin said softly. “For the murder of Captain Roy. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided to you by the state. Do you understand these rights as I have read them to you?”
“Don’t–,” he snickered. “Don’t tell me my rights! I am not going to let you take me!”
Robin grabbed him suddenly, but he was fast and managed to twist his way out of her grip. He started to run away, and Robin followed him, running as fast as she could.
“Gary, stop, or I will shoot!” she shouted.
“Then shoot me!” he shouted. “Because I will never surrender.”
Robin cursed to herself, trying to aim for his kneecap, but he was running fast, and she didn’t want to miss the shot. Worse, she didn’t want to end up accidentally killing him.
“This is your fault, Robin,” he sneered. “You are too soft.”
“Just give up, Gary!” she shouted as he turned into a dark alleyway. She followed him in and then cursed to herself. He had disappeared.
__
“Wow, it sounds like you had quite an interesting couple of days,” Dr. Rosemond said. “How does this all make you feel?”
“I don’t know how to explain,” Robin said. “I feel so much, you know. I feel so angry and so powerless at the same time. I can see Kyle suffering, but there is little I can do to help. I want to go after Danvers so badly. I know there is little chance that I can have him arrested, but there is a chance.”
“But if you fail, you risk ruining your career, don’t you?” he asked.
“Of course, but I can’t let that stop me,” she said. “I already failed to catch the Executioner. I don’t know where he is. He’s more than likely planning his next move. It’s almost as if he has gone into hibernation. I don’t understand what is going on. But now there is another monster out there killing people. I can’t let him escape my hands as well.”
“Have you considered your options?” he asked. “What can you possibly do to go after Danvers now?”
“Nothing,” she said. “What can I do? The Captain already closed the case. The taxi driver acts as the scapegoat.”
“But if you have evidence proving the entire case,” he said.
“That’s the thing; I have evidence enough to arrest a normal person, but not enough to arrest Danvers apparently,” she said. “I need to figure out why he killed her. I know he was dating her, and I am certain he sent the taxi to pick her up and take her somewhere discreet. The two of them had a rendezvous, and then something happened that triggered him to kill her. He gave her a chemical that would depress her nervous system, and once she was out, he probably used a gun to finish her off. The ballistics from the taxi driver and the Mayor’s daughter match. It’s the motive I can’t figure out!”
“In that case, you should look at people who do have a motive,” he said. “You seem to be fixated on the idea of Danvers because you are prejudiced against him. Does the fact that he could be Rose’s killer affect you so much?”
“I can’t help it,” she said. “I can see how it is affecting Kyle. He is trying to hold out, but he is suffering a lot. He can’t even do anything about it. He can’t even go after the man that killed his wife. And now he has to deal with the guilt that Kaila was murdered because he failed to catch Danvers five years ago.”
Robin stopped here, not continuing the rest of her thought. She didn’t tell him that if she could, she would kill Danvers in the blink of an eye. If her morals didn’t stop her, she would have killed him. No matter what.
Chapter Nineteen
Robin could hear the words repeating in the back of
her mind.
“In that case, you should look into people who do have a motive.”
Was he right? Was she too prejudiced against Danvers? Could it be that they were dating? Was it be possible that he wasn’t the murderer? She cast her mind back, thinking about it. Who had the motive? Who could have done this?
And at that moment, an answer echoed in her mind.
Could it be? Could she have finally found the killer? As the thought burned at the back of her mind, she ran over to her desk and pulled a file out. She looked at her, and her eye caught a small detail that instantly put a smile on her face.
She stood up and ran outside, a small idea brewing in her head. If she was right, then she finally found her killer.
__
“I know who our killer is,” she said, marching into the precinct. Her afternoon had been very fruitful, and she was sure she finally had the answers.
“What do you mean?” the Captain barked. “I thought I took you off the case.”
“Just let me talk, Captain,” Robin said. “I know who killed her. It was Adrian.”
“The ex-boyfriend?” Burke asked.
“Exactly,” Robin said. “He did it because he was jealous and angry at how Kaila was treating him. They had been dating before she met Danvers, and then her attention changed toward him. Adrian was furious about what happened. He was jealous, angry, and hurt. I spent all evening questioning Adrian’s family servants, and I got their statements. They all admit that they heard them fighting numerous times. Kaila would come for a visit, and every time they would fight. Adrian would threaten to kill her multiple times if she left him, and each time she would tell him to leave her alone.”
Everyone was looking at her with rapt attention as she continued, “Elle, one of the maids, told me that she overheard a conversation between them where he gave her an ultimatum. He told her he would kill her if she doesn’t break it off with Danvers, and she refused. Adrian’s father owns a dye factory, and o-toluidine is a common compound in dyes. It was easy for him to obtain it. He had some idea about its effects, and he made his plans. That night the taxi driver took her to somewhere discreet, but little did she know, the taxi driver was paid by Adrian to double-cross Danvers and take her someplace else. I looked into the taxi driver’s accounts, and I found huge amounts of money had been transferred to him by Adrian.”
Past Unveiling Page 6