“As I was saying, you looked for people who were down on their luck and had nothing left in their lives. Since, Donald was your first victim; I suppose your father died around the same time.”
Jake looked at Simon, who reluctantly nodded.
“You had moved to the house where Donald used to live. However, another tenant lived there before you shifted. You confused Donald for him and planned to attack him. On his way to Arizona, Donald had stopped at a cafe. I suppose you slipped the hallucinogen in his coffee there.”
Martha nodded, “I followed him for ten miles and when he got down at the cafe I…”
“You stupid old…” Donald fumed, but Jake gestured him to control his emotions.
“Donald not only got saved, but he also became a media sensation overnight. That wasn’t what you wanted. You wanted to do your work without any limelight. So, you went silent for some years. Also, I suppose, you two were finding it difficult to work from two places so far from each other.”
Martha didn’t respond. Simon also ignored Jake.
“I’m right, then,” Jake said, “When Martha moved to New York, you got together and started looking for new victims. James Reed was an easy target as he sat beside you. He fit the profile too. He had no family, had lost all his money etcetera; right?”
“He didn’t want to live. He told me multiple times that he had lost the will to live,” Martha said.
“Yeah, forgot about that,” Jake said.
“So far this looks pretty straightforward. Doesn’t it?” Jake asked, but there was no response. “The interesting twist came when we started investigating the case. I met Donald who thought it to be a chance to get the answers he always wanted. He fooled us into believing that he was behind it so that we would follow him, and he would make us investigate the points that he thinks we overlooked the first time. Everything was going as per plan, but one thing derailed it; I crossed paths with you.” Jake said and looked at Martha. “When we were investigating James Reed’s murder; we checked his phone call data record, but we missed the calls made from his desk phone. Martha, on the other hand, saw me checking James’s desk and thought I was going to check his desk phone call records. It looked pretty obvious to her, but, she gave me more credit that I deserve. I had never thought that far.”
“What?” Martha asked with surprise.
“It wasn’t on my mind until tonight, and you know how I got the idea of checking the phone data?” Jake asked. Martha looked at him with confusion. “I asked Trevor’s wife whether she knew you well. She told me that she had talked to you a few times whenever you called Trevor from the office. And, Trevor told me that you always called from your desk phone and then…”
“And, then you checked James’s office phone record,” Martha said with disbelief.
“That wasn’t the only mistake you made,” Jake said with a smile. “The biggest mistake was to waste time on speculating my next steps when you should’ve focused on your plan.”
“I told you not to get paranoid,” Simon said ruefully.
“What does he mean?” Donald asked with confusion. Carlson too looked at Kiara, who had no clue what Jake was saying.
“She knew we’ll come to her office during the investigation, but she had never expected that I would question her. When she saw me at James’s desk, she got nervous and instead of staying quiet, she told me everything that she knew about James. She thought by doing so I’ll think of her as an old lady who was extra sentimental about James’s death, and I won’t suspect her,”
“But, you did suspect her?” Donald asked.
“No, I didn’t, and that’s the biggest mistake she made,” Jake said surprising Martha, “I did think of her as a sentimental lady and forgot about her. She, on the other end, thought that I had found something suspicious about her. She called her son and told him everything. He told her to stay calm, but she didn’t want to take any risk. Finally, he had to succumb to her pressure, and that’s when they planned to get rid of me.”
“What?” Carlson asked Kiara, who nodded. “You guys never tell me anything.”
“They reached out to you and played the same game with you again. They told you to lure me to your old house and in return they offered to let you live. You followed their command without even knowing the connection between your old house and Simon,” Jake explained.
“I don’t understand,” Donald said, “If they planned it after you visited her office, then how come James Reed left the message for me three days before your visit,”
“Because, they never left any message for you. The hallucinogen made you recall your worst fear, and that’s why you heard what James had said,” Jake said.
Donald’s face turned pale, “That’s why I saw the other three victims, and all of them kept saying the same thing.”
“And, that’s why you kept hearing what I told you today before going inside his house,” Jake said.
“Oh… you told me that thing about life and living on purpose,” Donald understood what Jake meant.
“Actually, it was all part of my plan. I took you there not to help you with the answers, but to check how they were making people see things,” Jake said and looked at the interrogation mirror.
“The next part is for me. Isn’t it?” Carlson asked.
“He’s just trying to explain why he took Donald with him,” Kiara reasoned.
Carlson shook his head and looked at Jake.
“During the investigation, I had seen a few things that had confused me. First, you had the exact scars like the other three victims and then Simon’s daughter told how she had seen Ryan speaking to someone who wasn’t even there. I knew if I went there alone, he’ll try the same thing with me and even if I went with other agents, the same thing may happen. I knew there was some hallucinogen involved. I just wasn't sure it was a liquid or gas. I wanted to see everything with my eyes, and I used you for that purpose.” Jake explained.
“You bastard,” Donald shouted and grabbed Jake’s collar. “He could’ve killed me.”
“Calm down,” Jake said while pushing him away, “You got all your answers. Right?”
Kiara looked at Carlson, who didn’t know how to respond. She smiled and looked back at Jake.
“I guess that’s the gist of how everything happened,” Jake said and looked alternately between Martha and Simon, “We’ve plenty of time to get all the details from you.”
With that, he got up. “I guess my job is done here.”
“Don’t leave me with them,” Donald pleaded.
“Don’t worry,” Jake said, “We’re keeping an eye on them. It’s not like your house, where anyone can enter without permission and slip the hallucinogen in the water.”
“What?” Donald asked and realized what Jake meant. “Oh my God… he could’ve killed me.”
Jake nodded and walked to the door. He stopped as he was about to step out. He turned to Donald.
“I have a question for you,” he said.
“What question?” Donald asked.
“What are those idols? You can tell now,”
“They aren’t idols,” Donald said sheepishly, “It’s an herbal medicine that I used to add to my food.”
“For what?” Jake asked, “Man, it gave such a foul smell.”
“It’s an anti – impotence drug,” Donald said in a low voice.
Everyone looked at him with surprise.
“Why do you even need that?” Jake asked.
“Actually... I…” Donald was about to say something, but Jake raised his hands.
“I really don’t want to hear that,” he said and came out.
“That was some investigation,” Kiara said and patted on his shoulder.
“Yeah… where’s Carlson?” Jake asked.
“He left a minute back,” Kiara said.
“Did he say something? Do I get to keep my job?” Jake asked with a smile.
“He left without saying anything,” Kiara said.
“I ho
pe that means he has forgiven me,” Jake speculated.
“Difficult to tell what’s going on in his mind,” Kiara said and paused, “I had another question, though.”
“Yeah, sure,” Jake said while looking at the interrogation room. Martha and Simon were staring at the wall while Donald looked at them with scare-filled eyes.
“They had planned everything, still they made such a big mistake of using a phone registered under her name and that too from their hide-out,” Kiara said.
“I too thought about it that way initially. But, it was actually a part of their plan,” Jake said.
“What plan?” Kiara asked.
“Remember, I told you they thought I was smarter than them. Martha felt that I was on her trail. They knew if I was following Martha, then it was a matter of time that I found out about her other number that Simon was using So, instead of hiding it, they thought of showing it to me. Simon started calling on Ryan’s number at the same time when he used Donald in making us believe there was a connection between the murders and his old house. The plan was that if I come to know that Ryan was getting calls from the same house, I’ll suspect Ryan was up-to-something and I’ll investigate it alone. They wanted to lure me to the house alone and kidnap me instead of Ryan and in all probability; they would’ve killed me too.”
“I don’t know how to respond to that. They’re evil,” she said.
“They are. When I saw Ryan’s number in Martha’s call details, it confused me too. For a moment, I thought Ryan was also a part of the whole conspiracy. But, then I noticed the duration of those calls. They were missed calls – Ryan never picked any of them. I understood their whole plan, and that’s why I took Donald with me. I knew he would attack Donald, and that would tell me everything about their trickery.”
“Wow! It was one twisted case,” Kiara exclaimed.
“It was, and I won’t be surprised if it’s even more brutal than what we’re thinking right now. Once we get the weapon and the back stories of how they lured the other two victims and how Simon killed each one of them; it’s going to be one heck of a gory story.”
“I’m getting chills just thinking about him murdering those innocent people.”
“I’m happy we saved a few of their potential victims, though. There will be definitely a list at his house,” Jake said.
“Yeah,” Kiara said and smiled. “You must be relieved now.”
“Oh, man… Can’t even express the relief in words,”
“So, what’s the plan now?” Kiara asked.
“I’ll talk to Ryan. He has gone through so much in the last two days. I’ve to convince him that it was mere trickery and nothing else,” Jake said and took a deep breath. “He’s a nice kid, and I hope he comes out of the trauma as soon as possible.”
Kiara nodded. “You should go now.”
“Yeah,” Jake said and left.
Kiara looked at him for a moment and then towards the interrogation room. There was no guilt written on the faces of Martha or Simon. Kiara shook her head in disgust and left.
Kiara knew Jake was going to take time. She left the office thinking about her case, and as she drove past the main gate, she noticed Jeff, Robert, and Jason going inside the division. She glanced at her watch and then at her phone.
She parked the car on the side of the road and picked her phone. She scrolled down to Jake’s number, and as she was about to call him, she changed her mind. She put the phone back in her bag and started the car.
It took her forty- five minutes to reach her apartment, but it seemed like an eternity. She called Jake as soon as she stepped out. Jake took a few moments to respond, adding to her anxiety.
“Are you busy?” she asked.
“Not at all,” Jake replied.
“Then what took you so long to pick the damn phone,” she shouted.
“Whoa! What have I done to deserve that?” he asked.
Kiara took a deep breath, “Sorry…got a little carried away.”
“A little,”
“Anyhow, how’s Ryan?” she asked.
“He is doing well,” Jake said, “You called to ask about him?”
“Of course, not,” Kiara said, “I wanted to ask you something else.”
“I’m done with my share of cases this month. I’ve no energy left to work on any evil plan of yours,”
“Would you at least hear me out?” Kiara asked firmly.
“Sorry... go ahead,” Jake said.
“Ryan was in Carlson’s room. Right?”
“Yes,”
“I saw Jeff and Robert going inside the division. Did they meet Carlson?”
“Yes, they came with Jason,” Jake said.
“What did they discuss?” Kiara asked.
“I’m not sure. Carlson stepped out as soon as he saw them. I was inside with Ryan. I couldn’t hear the full discussion. I just overheard Carlson telling them to bring some suspects for a discussion tomorrow morning. Again, I’m not entirely sure.”
Kiara smiled, “That’s more than enough for me.”
“You’re still chasing your case. Aren’t you?” Jake asked.
“How couldn’t I?” Kiara said. “You know me better than anyone.”
“Should I be scared?” Jake asked.
“Are you coming to the office tomorrow?” Kiara asked.
“No… Carlson has given me a day off,” Jake said with pride.
“Then you don’t have to be scared,” Kiara replied.
“Lucky me,” Jake said and paused, “You left before I could’ve thanked you for your help.”
“Don’t worry about that. You paid for that in advance,” Kiara said.
“How?”
“I didn’t help you for free,” Kiara said, “When Carlson asked me to help you, I got something in return.”
“What’s that?”
“He allowed me to sit through the investigation provided I don’t make any noise,” Kiara said.
“But, you’ll make a noise?” Jake asked.
“I hope I don’t have to,” Kiara replied. “I just want to make sure the guilty gets punished,”
“Good luck with that,” Jake said, “Just don’t disturb me tomorrow.”
“You’re an ass, Jake Carter,”
“Not hearing those words for the first time,” Jake said, “Oh... my ride is here. I’m unavailable for the next 12 hours. Good Night.”
“Where are you going?”
“Don’t want to tell,” Jake said, “Bye.”
“Bye,” Kiara said. “I hope I can also party tomorrow,” she said to herself and disconnected.
Kiara got up early next morning; still she was the last one to reach the division. Carlson was standing outside the interrogation room.
“So, you got my message?” Carlson asked as Kiara joined.
“Your message? Of course, I got it,” she said and looked at her phone that had a message from Carlson. “How would I know about the interrogation, otherwise?” She said and looked at the interrogation room. “Chris, Eva, and Niklas – you got all three of them,” Kiara said with a smile, “So, what are we waiting for? We have three suspects, and we have three officers questioning them. What could go wrong?”
“We’re waiting for their lawyer,” Carlson replied and looked at her, “And, what’s with the tone? You have a problem with Jeff and Robert?”
“Actually, I’m not talking about them,” she said, “You didn’t let me inside the interrogation room until my third case, and Jason is questioning them within two months of joining.”
“Well, he earned it,” Carlson said, “He’s the one who has solved the case. Jeff and Robert were just beating around the bush. I had even made up my mind to bring you back to the case.”
Kiara looked at him with surprise.
“Then, yesterday they cracked it, all thanks to Jason,” Carlson said, “You know, Jeff and Robert didn’t take him to the field. If anyone else had been in his position, he would’ve complained to me. But, Jason used it
as an opportunity and took Bob’s help to find out the actual deal between Chris and Jannik.”
“He did?” Kiara asked.
“Not only that, he even found out that Eva was growing close to Niklas. Would you believe?”
“I couldn’t have possibly imagined that,” Kiara replied.
“He even went a step ahead and checked all the interactions between Eva and her estranged husband to see if he had anything to do with Jannik or Niklas,” Carlson said and looked into Kiara’s eyes, “You still think he doesn’t deserve to sit there. In fact, Jeff and Robert are there to support him. He is heading the interrogation.”
“Wow! That is incredible,” Kiara said, “Did he tell how he got these… three ideas?”
Carlson looked at her, “You won’t like the answer,”
“Why?” Kiara asked with raised brow.
“Well, he observed these things while he was working with you,” Carlson said.
“Oh, really,” Kiara said while feigning a smile. “So, he is the one who found out everything without involving anyone else. That’s brilliant.”
“Yeah,” Carlson said while nodding.
“Hi, I’m Steve Miller,” a voice came from behind drawing Kiara and Carlson’s attention.
“You must be the lawyer,” Carlson said, “They’re waiting for you.”
Steve nodded, “I hope you’ve analyzed everything before calling my clients for questioning. If I see that it’s one of your witch hunting operations, I’m going to make life difficult for you.”
“We’ll see,” Carlson said, “Why don’t you join them?”
Steve stared at Carlson and then walked to the interrogation room.
“What happened to you?” Carlson asked looking at Kiara’s surprised face.
“That’s their lawyer…Eva’s ex-husband is her lawyer?” she asked with disbelief.
“What are you saying?” Carlson asked, “That’s only her lawyer. Her husband lives in Australia. They haven’t been in contact since they separated – at least our investigation says that. See, this is what I’m talking about -a keen sense of observation,” he said and pointed at Jason.
Davenport Mysteries 04-Loose Ends Page 21