“Where is Ryan?” Jake ignored him.
“Who?”
Jake kicked him again and sat down. With that, he put the gun on his head.
“Where is he?”
“I… I don’t know,”
“You’re not going to tell this way,” Jake said and got up. “By now, your mother would be in our custody. I’m sure she knows everything.” Jake said and pulled out his phone.
“Oh… please don’t hurt her,” Simon said.
“Her?” Jake asked with a faint smile. “Who told you I'm going to hurt her? You’re the one who is going to be hurt. I want her to listen to your last words.” Jake said and pretended to dial a number. With that, he pointed the gun at Simon.
“Is she there?” he asked, “Oh great. Bring her near the phone.”
With that, he looked at Simon, who had begun to shiver with fear.
“Hey… Martha,” Jake said and pointed the gun at Simon. “I’m with Simon… Yes, at his house. He is not co-operating. But, we don’t need the both of you. One is enough for us. So, you tell me where Ryan is or else I’ll send Simon to hell.”
Jake looked at Simon, who had gone silent. “Okay… so you have left me with no choice.”
With that, Jake walked a few steps back and aimed the gun at Simon’s head. “Goodbye,” he said and fired a shot that grazed past Simon’s shoulder. Simon gave a loud cry.
“You’re alive,” Jake said while pointing at the blood oozing out of Simon’s shoulder. “Did you notice the pattern? How the gunshots are getting closer and closer. The next one is going to hit right between your eyes. Let me take the aim.”
With that, he walked closer and kept the gun on Simon’s forehead.
“He isn’t here,” Simon cried as Jake walked back after taking the aim.
“Give me the address. I don’t have much time,” Jake said.
“I’ll tell everything. Can you take the gun away… please,” Simon pleaded.
Donald was still in his world oblivious to what was happening around him.
“I have rented an old warehouse five miles down south. It’s near the point where the road bifurcates after crossing Wellington Club,” Simon said.
“I hope you haven’t harmed him, or no one will come to know what happened to you,” Jake warned.
“How could I?” Simon said. “He wasn’t the one whom I needed. He was there to lure you into our trap.”
“Oh, my bad… forgot about that,” Jake smirked. “How did that work out for you?”
Simon didn’t say anything. Jake tapped on his shoulder. “Time to go.”
Simon got up reluctantly. Jake placed the gun on Simon’s back and pushed him.
“What’s happening?” Donald asked surprising them.
“And, he is back,” Jake said. “You got your answers?”
“Where did everyone go?” Donald asked while looking around.
“Come, he’ll tell you everything,” Jake said and pushed Simon again who started to walk.
Donald looked around one more time and joined them.
“Where are we going?” Simon asked.
“Someplace where I can get the signal,” Jake said while flashing his phone.
“What?” Simon asked with wide eyes. “You called my…”
Jake interjected. “That was just to make you talk. I don’t even know if your mother is in custody or not. But, don’t worry, she would be pretty soon.”
“What’s happening?” Donald asked again.
“What did you give him?” Jake asked.
“It’s a Mediterranean herb that has a hallucinating effect,” Simon replied.
“And, it gets out of the system in how many minutes?” Jake asked.
“Its effect starts in fifteen to twenty minutes and stays for another twenty to twenty-five minutes,” Simon said as they reached the front of the house.
“It was in the water you gave me,” Donald said and got hold of Simon’s arm. “Why did you do this to me?”
“We have plenty of time to discuss this. Let me get Ryan out first,” Jake said and called Kiara.
“Give me the good news,” she said anxiously.
“Time to use that backup unit. I have sent you the address,” Jake said with a smile.
There were no words from the other end. “Hey! You there?” Jake asked.
“Yeah… just trying to absorb the news,” Kiara replied.
“I know… even I can’t tell how relieved I am… but, we still have to get him out of there,” Jake said.
“Yes… yes,” Kiara responded at once. “I’ll call Carlson right away.”
“Great,” Jake said. “Did you get Martha?”
“Yes… she is here. But, she hasn’t said anything yet.”
“Don’t worry. Simon... her son has confessed,” Jake said. “You get Ryan. I’ll bring him in for questioning.”
“Great,” Kiara replied. “Bye.”
“Bye,” Jake said and disconnected.
“Please… I don’t want my family to know about this,” Simon pleaded. “My mother and I are responsible for everything. Don’t pull them into this.”
“I don’t have to. I suppose they already have some idea,” Jake said and pointed at the open door.
“What is this?” Simon’s wife asked as she walked to them.
“Oh… honey… they are….”
“It’ll be all over the media tomorrow. Do you want them to know about it that way?” Jake asked.
Simon shook his head and looked at his wife. He tried, but couldn’t say anything.
“You’re scaring me now,” she said in a low voice.
“Let’s go inside,” Jake proposed.
Simon nodded and walked to the house. Donald came near Jake. “Is he going to confess?”
“Oh… he has already confessed,” Jake said, “Where were you? Oh… talking to the ‘extra-terrestrials’”
“That was your plan all along… to bring me here and get me intoxicated again,” Donald said ruefully. “And, I thought you were helping me find the answers.”
“You’re going to get the answers,” Jake replied as they entered the house. “I wanted to see how the ‘eight Suns’ looked. I’m not that impressed, though. You were talking to a light bulb.”
“You’re mean,” Donald said and walked away from him.
“Will someone tell me what’s happening? And, why do you have that gun pointed at my husband?” Simon’s wife asked looking alternately between Jake and Simon.
“Mrs. Jones, you remember I came in the day looking for my partner,” Jake asked.
“Yes,”
“Turns out I was right. Your husband has in fact kidnaped him,”
“What? That’s ridiculous,” she said and looked at Simon, “Honey, you told them…” she stopped in between as Simon started sobbing. “I can’t believe it. WHY?” she shouted.
“Why don’t we all sit-down?” Jake proposed. “I’m as curious as you are and, believe me, this is a good thing for you and your kids that we got hold of him.”
Jake pointed at the chair and waited for her to settle down. He turned to Simon whose face had turned pale by now.
“Shall we?” Jake said.
Simon looked at his wife. “I have loved you and the kids more than anyone in my life.”
“She knows that,” Jake prodded. “Why did you kill those innocent people?”
“What?” Simon’s wife asked with surprise.
“Lady… let him speak,” Donald interjected before Jake could’ve said anything.
Simon pressed her hand. “Don’t worry. Everything will be okay. Whatever I did was done with the will of God.”
“Don’t drag Him in this, you scum?” Donald shouted.
Jake looked at him angrily. “No one gets to say anything till he is finished. Is that understood?”
Donald raised his arms in defense.
“Very well… tell us everything from the start.”
Simon nodded. “I come from a very
religious family. My father was in the army. He saw people suffering everywhere around the world. They hadn’t committed any sin, but they had to face poverty, disease, war; and there was no end to it. As time passed, his whole belief system was questioned by what he saw… he wanted the answers, but there were none. He kept meeting people who had lost everything, but they hadn’t lost the will to live, and that gave him strength.
But, there were others who begged for their misery to end, but no one helped them.
During one of the missions, a mortar shell took away his legs. He was discharged from the duty and was sent back home. He became a part of the sufferings that he had seen inflicted on others. He decided that he would help anyone who had lost the will to live. He will free them from their sufferings.”
“And, how many sufferers have you freed till now?” Jake asked.
“We could’ve helped many more if we hadn’t failed the first time,” Simon said while looking at Donald.
“You are disappointed that you couldn’t…. murder more people,” his wife shouted and got up. “You are a murderer… what am I going to tell the kids?”
“You tell them the truth,” Simon said without remorse. “They are the ones who have to take it forward when I’m not around.”
“I can’t even talk to you,” she said, “Take him away.” With that, she left the room.
“Yes, we will… we have the whole back-story… we have the hallucinogen... what have we missed – the murder weapon. Right?” Jake said.
“It’s at my mother’s house,” Simon said.
“So, we have covered everything, then,” Jake said.
“Not everything,” Donald said, “Why did he attack me? I didn’t want to be freed from anything.”
“Oh, yes,” Jake said and looked at Simon.
“That was a mistake. I leased this house six months after you had left. Another guy lived here during those six months. He had lost everything in the stock market and had a stroke that had further put him under debt. I checked with the people living nearby for his name. The house is secluded, and no one exactly knew who had lived here. One of the locals gave me your name and…”
“And, you attacked me and ruined my life,” Donald said in disbelief.
“I was lucky that I got the right name before my mother could’ve freed you from this life,” Simon said.
“You were lucky?” Donald said shaking his head, “You won’t even find a place in hell.”
With that, he walked to the door.
“Time to go,” Jake said and took hold of Simon’s arm.
“You’re going to be punished for your sins,” Simon said.
“Yes… it’s me who is going to be punished,” Jake said and pushed him towards the door.
As they were about to step out, Jake heard footsteps from the first floor.
“Let’s go,” Simon said. “I… I don’t want the kids to wake up.”
“They are already awake,” his wife said. “I don’t want to tell them any made-up stories about their father. They have to see it for themselves.”
“Don’t do it,” Simon pleaded, but it was too late. The kids had come down.
“What’s happening, mom?” Simon’s son asked.
“Your father did something very wrong. Now, he’ll be punished for that. You’re never going to see him again,” she said without any emotions.
Simon’s daughter ran to him. “Daddy, don’t go.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Simon replied.
“Don’t give them any false hopes,” she shouted and took their daughter away from Simon. “I want them to remember this night for their whole life and understand that what you did won’t even get you a place in hell.”
“One last word and then we are leaving,” Jake said.
“I have nothing to say,” Simon said.
“Very well, then,” Jake said and paused as he remembered something. He took out the chocolates from his jacket pocket that he had taken from Bob.
The little girl ran to him and snatched one of the chocolate.
“I have one more if you could answer one question for me,” Jake said. “Will you?”
“Yes,” she said.
“Did you really see the young boy talking to someone?”
“No… Daddy told me to say that if cops came here,” she said and snatched the other chocolate. With that, she ran to her mother.
“You are a scumbag,” Jake said and pushed Simon out of the house. His wife closed the door as soon as they stepped out. Simon looked back at the house longingly, but he knew he had lost everything.
As soon as they reached the car, Jake pushed him inside and cuffed him to the seat. He dialed Kiara’s number and what he heard made him close his eyes in happiness.
“How is he?” he asked.
“He is in a shock,” Kiara replied. “But, he’ll be fine once you’re here.”
“Me?”
“He is asking for you the whole time,” Kiara said.
“We’ll be there in half an hour,” Jake said and looked at Simon, who was staring at the road. “Did Martha tell anything?”
“She believes we’re lying about her son’s confession,” Kiara said.
“Okay. Let her be in disbelief for another half an hour,” Jake said. “Bye.”
“Bye.”
“Why are you standing outside?” Jake asked Donald as he kept the phone inside the jacket pocket.
“Are you mad? I can’t sit with him,” Donald said.
“He can’t move. He is cuffed to the seat, man,” Jake said and shook his head, “Okay; you can sit with me in the front.”
Donald got inside the car at once. Jake walked to the driver side.
“I hope you’ve all your answers now?” Jake asked as he got inside.
“Not all of them,” Donald said, “I can understand about the hallucinogen. But, what about the things that I heard? How can anyone else know them, but me?”
“Here’s a clue – I told you something about a thin line between life and living when you went inside. Did you hear that?”
Donald looked at him with wide eyes. “Repeatedly… everyone was saying those exact words.”
“Great… he’ll explain everything to you when you two share the same cell,” Jake said as he started the car.
“WHAT?” Donald shouted.
“Just kidding,” Jake said as they entered the road.
“You are as cruel as him,” Donald cried. Jake looked at him and gave a chuckle.
Kiara and Carlson were waiting outside the interrogation room as Jake entered the division building.
“Get hold of them,” Carlson gestured the two officers standing beside him.
“Take them to the interrogation room,” Jake said as the officers took hold of Simon and Donald. “And, cuff this one to the table,” he said looking at Simon.
“Don’t leave me with them,” Donald pleaded as he saw Martha sitting inside the interrogation room.
“Don’t worry. I’ll join you in a minute,” Jake said, “And, you need your answers. Remember?”
“Please,” Donald requested one more time.
“Take them,” Jake said to the officer and walked to Kiara and Carlson.
Carlson waited for Simon and Donald to enter the interrogation room and then came closer to Jake.
“This time you’ve absolutely crossed the line. You took the suspect outside our premises without permission. And, I don’t think there could be any valid reason for it,” he said and looked into Jake’s eyes. “I’m going to report this to the top… It’s going to be your last case working under me.”
Kiara had seen Carlson shouting at them whenever they had gone against his orders, but she had never heard those words from him. That scared her more than his anger. She knew Jake was in a big trouble. She just hoped that Jake would apologize immediately to contain the damage.
“Where is Ryan?” Jake asked ignoring Carlson’s words.
Carlson shook his head in disappo
intment and looked away.
“What are you doing?” Kiara whispered to him.
“Where is he?” Jake asked again. Kiara closed her eyes for a second.
“He’s in Carlson’s office,” she said.
“How does he look?” Jake asked.
“He is fine,” Carlson interrupted, “Can you finish your charade?” he asked pointing at the interrogation room.
“As you say,” Jake smirked and left.
“If he thinks I’m going to let this slip, he’s fooling himself,” Carlson said to Kiara as Jake entered the interrogation room.
“But, sir… he rescued Ryan,” Kiara reasoned, but it angered Carlson even more.
“There are better ways to deal with such situations… ways where you don’t have to break the law,” Carlson said, and as Kiara was about to say something, he stared at her. “Don’t make it worse for him.”
Kiara nodded and stepped away from him.
Jake pulled a chair opposite to the three suspects.
“So, Martha… had a chat with your son?” he asked.
“You’re going to pay for your sins,” she retorted.
Jake looked at the interrogation mirror. “I know that,” he said angering Carlson further. By now, even Kiara was on Carlson’s side. Jake had pushed his luck too much.
Jake looked at Donald. “Did they tell anything?”
Donald shook his head. He was too scared to even look at them.
“Okay… so, I’ll tell everything as it happened,” he said and turned to Simon. “Please, fill in wherever you think I’ve missed some point.”
Carlson and Kiara walked closer to the interrogation mirror.
“When your father died, he took a pledge from the two of you – he wanted you to help the people who had given up on their lives but didn’t have the courage to end it,” Jake said, but Martha cut him short.
“He was doing what was necessary,” she said.
“Yeah… necessary,” Jake smirked, “If it was such a great thing to do, why didn’t you let them reach out to you and ask for your help in committing suicide. Why did you scout for such people and kill them without letting them know what was happening to them?”
“Because, they didn’t have the courage to take the leap of faith. We made them believe in it,” Simon retorted.
“By hallucinating them?” Jake shouted and then took a deep breath. “I’m really tired of all of this drama. So, no interruptions now.”
Davenport Mysteries 04-Loose Ends Page 20