by Faizal Rahim
“We are investigating a case of missing person and that’s all you need to know. Unless you want to suffer a broken nose from my Detective, bring to us the footages from the past two to three weeks.” Rossi stared at the manager again. The manager wanting no trouble hurriedly walked over to his desk to work on the footage.
“Are you alright?” Rossi asked Shirley. Shirley clearly was disturbed by something.
“He might be here for all we know. Lurking in the dark corners and choosing his next victim. All we can do is stand here and watch helplessly. We don’t even have a clue as to how he looks.”
“We are doing everything we can Shirley. The process might seem meticulous and slow but that’s the proper way to do it. No shortcuts going to bring us closer to the suspect.”
“I have uploaded the footages. You can come and have a look.” The manager called Rossi and Shirley over to this desktop.
“Forward the footage till 3rd August. That’s the date we are looking at.” Rossi turned to Shirley and said, “Just hope Michelle can be spotted here.”
The footage was running for an hour now. So far all they ever got were of people entering or exiting the back door. Occasionally there was footage of couples making out in front of the back door. None of them matched the descriptions of Michelle. A few minutes later, in the footage, Rossi and Shirley saw a young girl exiting by the back door. She seemed to be drunk and was having a hard time standing on her feet. She was holding onto the walls for support. The girl had brunette hair and was slim built. She seemed to be almost six feet tall.
“This girl fits the description given by Michelle’s mother. I think we might be looking at Michelle.” Shirley’s pulse was starting to race. There was a glitter of hope in her eyes that this could be a valuable lead.
Rossi didn’t respond to Shirley. He continued to watch the footage.
“We can send the footage to our surveillance department. They can identify the person for us with their expertise.” Shirley was getting more confident that the person she and Rossi were looking at was indeed Michelle.
As Rossi and Shirley were watching the video, together with the manager, they noticed that the young girl in the footage was talking to someone. She seemed to be laughing and her body language showed that she was flirting with someone. They could not see who the young girl was talking to as the person was out of range. All eyes were clearly locked at the desktop monitor. Then, they all saw the man at the same time. The man seemed tall and well built. He was wearing a cap which covered his face from being seen. He was wearing a sweater and jeans. He stood there for a few minutes talking to the young girl. The young girl moved closer to the man and soon the man was touching the young girl all over. The girl clearly seemed to be in heat. The man and the young girl were slowly going out of view from the footage when the girl dropped her handbag. The man bends down to pick up the bag. As he bends down, a word could be vaguely seen printed on the back of his sweater. Shirley was trying to guess the word when Rossi beat her to it.
“I think it is Adidas. It definitely looks like the word Adidas.” Rossi was narrowing his eyes to get a better view of the word.
When Shirley heard the word from Rossi, she felt that everything around her has frozen. Only the word kept on echoing into Shirley’s ears. Her vision was blurred. Her mind was forcefully taking her back to a memory of hers not long ago. She saw the memory and immediately knew what it was. Her vision cleared as soon as they got blurred. She looked at Rossi and grabbed his shirt. Rossi turned around and stared at Shirley.
“I think I know the guy!”
CHAPTER TWENTY
SHIRLEY GRABBED ROSSI’S SHIRT AND pulled him towards the window. Rossi had no clue to what Shirley was doing. Shirley still holding onto Rossi’s shirt was looking frantically at the first floor and second floor of the nightclub. It took her eyes a few seconds to adjust to the darkly lit levels. Shirley scanned the entire second floor but did not see what she wanted. Her eyes immediately went to the first floor and started scanning the ground. Rossi was still patiently waiting for Shirley to tell him what was going on. The manager just stood near the desk and said nothing.
Then at one corner of the first floor, close to the exit sign, Shirley saw a young girl leaning against a man and dancing closely with him. The man was wearing a cap and a sweater.
“There he is!” Shirley pointed him to Rossi
The man was proud of his new catch. The young girl was perfect for him. Of all the girls so far, she fits the closest. The man thought to himself. He was already getting excited just at the thought of what he was going to do to the girl later on. He had been watching her ever since she came in. She had come to the club with a guy but after thirty minutes, the guy left her after an argument broke up between them. The girl was definitely upset and was drinking her sorrow away. When she was about to head to the toilet, he took his chance and approached the girl. It just took him merely ten minutes of flirting and a shot of vodka to get the girl attracted to him. He was careful in his plan. He didn’t want to push too hard as he didn’t want to spoil his chances. Slowly the girl started getting physical with him. He brought her to the dance floor and danced his way to the front door exit with the girl. He was almost at the exit, when he had an urge to look up at the third floor. When he looked up, he instantly saw a lady pointing at him. Beside the lady, a guy was also watching him. He immediately recognized the two of them. Shit!
Rossi and Shirley saw the man looking up at them. Rossi dashed for the door and Shirley followed. They took their revolver out from their holsters and were running for the lift.
The man did not panic. He was just running his plan through his mind to see what the best possible outcome was. He was still deciding whether to bring along the girl. Will she be a hindrance? She’s the closest fit, I just can’t lose her. The girl was still dancing away oblivious to the world around her. The man smiled to himself and looked at the girl with lusty eyes. She comes with me.
Rossi and Shirley were in the lift. Both of them could barely bear the slowness of the lift. Rossi was cursing the lift under his breathe. Shirley kept on pressing the Level 1 button repeatedly. Rossi checked his revolver and looked at Shirley. He gave her eye contact as if to ask if she was ready. Shirley understanding what Rossi had in his mind, nodded her head firmly. The lift door finally opened.
He knew there were only two doors for entry and exit; one at the back alley leading to the basement and one at the entrance. He had to decide fast which one he wanted to go for. His car was parked at the back alley leading to the back door. He knew for sure that the two detectives will enter the dance floor to search for him first. Always begin the hunt from the point last sighted. If he went out through the back door, he has a chance of bumping into the two of them at the basement. If he went out through the front door, he might catch the attention of the bouncers.
“Did you drive?” He asked the girl.
“What baby?” The girl could not hear him due to the loud music.
“I asked if whether you drove.” He kept his eyes at the exits and the dance floor, trying to see if anyone was approaching him in the dark.
“No baby. My boyfriend drove me here. You told me you have a car?” The girl sounded disappointed.
Sensing her disappointment, he told the girl “Of course I have a car. I just wanted to know if you drove. If you had a car, I need to call someone to drive it back to my place.” Don’t screw it up now. You’re almost there. Damn those detectives. He told himself.
The girl seemed relived and came closer to him, “Hmmm baby, I got no car to drive but I can ride you back home.” She kissed him on his lips. He kissed her back without closing his eyes. As he was kissing her, he caught sight of the detectives.
Rossi and Shirley entered the first floor. The place was still darkly lit and the music was so loud that the floor actually vibrated. Rossi and Shi
rley pushed through the crowd trying to catch sight of the man. They just hoped that the man was still inside the building. Rossi and Shirley combed through the first floor while keeping eye contact with one another. It was so dark and loud that the patrons did not even notice the two of them holding their revolvers. The patrons just went on with whatever they were doing.
“Shirley! Over here!” Rossi called out to Shirley and started walking towards the front door exit hurriedly.
Shirley saw the man kissing the girl near the exit sign. She still could not identify his face as it was covered by his cap. Shirley quickly followed behind Rossi. As Shirley and Rossi were approaching the man, they saw him retrieve something from his pocket. Shirley and Rossi could not aim their revolvers at the man as it was too crowded and they didn’t want the patrons to start a stampede in panic.
He saw the two detectives approaching him fast. He knew he had to wait for the right moment. Not too fast, not too long but just at the precise moment. As they were nearing him, he retrieved his lighter from his pocket. He noticed that the two of them did not raise their revolvers at him. He grew in confidence. He flicked his lighter and held the fire. He picked up a glass of wine and directed the fire from his lighter to the wine. The wine immediately got hold of the fire and the glass of wine transformed into a glass of fire. He threw the glass of fire at the bar counter and there was a brightly lit explosion.
The explosion was loud. The bar counter was totally raging with fire. Everyone was screaming and running around in panic. Rossi and Shirley could not see the man in the chaos. People was just pushing and shoving at each other trying to escape from the fire. Everyone was trying to head for the front exit.
Rossi and Shirley were trying their best to get the crowd out of the way but they were unsuccessful. The damage had been done. Rossi and Shirley were trying to see if the man was leaving the nightclub together with the panic ridden crowd but he was nowhere to be seen. Shirley looked at Rossi and shook her head. Rossi did not acknowledge her; he seemed to be pondering on something. As Shirley walked towards Rossi, Rossi looked at her and said, “The back door!”
The plan worked brilliantly. He was so arrogant and proud of himself. He was laughing out loud at how he managed to fool the detectives and get away with it. Best of all, he still had the girl with him. After he had thrown the glass of fire onto the bar counter and it had caused an explosion, he grabbed the girl by her hair and banged her head hard against the wall. The force to the head knocked the girl out cold. He carried the girl on his shoulders. He ran towards the basement knowing very well that everyone will be heading for the front door exit as it was the nearest escape route. He knew for sure that the two detectives will also expect him to take cover with the crowd and so they will be focusing on the crowd. Just as he planned, things fell in his favour. He ran down to the basement and went up the stairs leading to the back alley. He reached for his Mitsubishi and placed the girl inside his car boot. He went to the front and started the car engine. The car engine roared to life. He sat on the driver seat and closed his car door when the back door of the night club swung open.
Rossi kicked the back door and it swung open. Rossi and Shirley ran out to the back alley and saw the Mitsubishi. As the car windows were tinted, both of them could not identify the man inside the car. The tyres of the car screeched and smoke was coming out from the tyres. The engine roared loudly and the car started to move. Shirley aimed and fired at the car tyre but missed due to the smoke generated. Rossi and Shirley were left standing as they saw the car speed off in front of their eyes.
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
DAMN THOSE TWO DETECTIVES! THEY almost spoilt my plans. I guess I need to venture to other places. They are sniffing too close to my catches. Nah, I don’t think I need to change my plans. I’m just too smart for them. Right under their noses, I got away and I still have that bitch.
He was talking out loud to himself, driving through the street, thinking of his next plan. He knew the detectives would have already alerted the Patrol Units and his Mitsubishi will be under the radar. He knew he had to get rid of his car fast but he also knew that there was no point in rushing. He didn’t want to alert anyone on the road by speeding. He kept to the speed limit and was driving around like any other car on the road.
Just a few metres away, he saw an ambulance and patrol cars parked at the side of the road. There seems to be an accident. He knew he cannot afford to pass the accident as the patrolmen will identify his car. Fuck! Think! Think! Think! He slowed down his car until it came to a standstill. He took off his cap and his sweater. He threw his cap and sweater into the passenger side compartment and locked it up. He was looking at the accident. The patrolmen were busy handling the case but he knew he will be in danger if one of the patrolmen spotted him parking his car at the side of the road. He had to act fast without raising suspicion. The girl was still in his car boot. There was no way he could retrieve her from the boot with all the ongoing traffic. He cannot abandon his car as it will be filled with his fingerprints and all kinds of other forensic evidence which will lead to him if his car was found by the detectives. He cannot start an explosion now as it will only welcome the patrolmen to him like magnets.
He was tapping his fingers on his forehead. Think! Think! Think!
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
“YES, A MITSUBISHI WITH TINTED windows. Suspect was last seen wearing a cap and a sweater with Adidas printed at the back. Suspect has a girl, believed to be in her late teens or early twenties, with him.” Shirley was alerting all Patrol Units. Rossi was driving through the streets particularly paying close attention to back alleys and small roads.
“What did Head Invest say?” Shirley asked Rossi.
“Papers to be submitted tomorrow before nine…” Rossi answered Shirley while still keeping his eyes on the road.
“That’s ridiculous. I thought we already explained to him…”
“Some one needs to take the blame right. Definitely not him, so it’s us.”
“It’s not as if we are not going to take responsibilities. All I am asking is a little support from him. Is that too hard for him?”
“The man’s going to retire in a year’s time Shirley. He wouldn’t want any black marks on his final year of service. He has better things to worry about.”
“Like what?”
“Pension…”
Shirley had to laugh after hearing that from Rossi. She didn’t know if Rossi meant that sarcasm or he unknowingly said that.
“What now?”
“We go back to Aisha. Let her view the footage from the nightclub before we hand it over to Gabriel and team.” Rossi replied Shirley.
“Yeah, hopefully Gabby can muster a digital face for the suspect based on his appearance.”
“Unlikely. We could not see his face even though we were just few steps away from him. That guy completely hid his face well. Even enlarging his image from the footage would have slim chances. Nevertheless, I am sending the footage to Gabriel based on the slim chances.”
“I just hope the Patrol Units can spot the Mitsubishi.”
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
THINK! THINK! THINK! WHAT WOULD the two of them have said? What would the Patrolmen be looking out for? They last saw me inside the nightclub with the girl and then . . . wait a minute! I didn’t know it will be this simple. Well then what am I waiting for?
He was smiling to himself confidently. He put himself into the two Detectives’ shoes and he came up with an answer he hoped will be the key to his escape. He unwound down all four windows of his Mitsubishi. They definitely would have mentioned my tinted windows so that’s down. I have already taken off my cap and my sweater so that’s down too. They would have also mentioned about the girl being with me. Well she isn’t exactly with me right now, is she?
He slowly pressed the accelerator and got his car moving forward. He still
wanted to be cautious and did not want to raise any suspicion. He moved closer to the accident and looked at the Patrolmen attending to the case. One of the Patrolmen noticed the Mitsubishi and came towards it, with his hands raised. Stay calm, he told himself.
“Yes sir, how can I help you?” The Patrolman looked into the Mitsubishi and saw him.
“Is everything alright Officer? Anyone injured?” He pretended to be of concern.
“No sir. Everything is fine. We are handling it fine. You can be on your way sir.” The Patrolman disliked nosy people especially when he had to attend to something important. The Patrolman hoped that the man will go on his way without any further questions.
“Alright then, I will be on my way. I just wanted to see if I could be of any help over here.” He waved at the Patrolman, who in turn waved at him back. He picked up speed and left the location. He looked through his rear-view mirror and saw the Patrolman and his colleagues moving further and further away from his vision. That was easy. Piece of cake.
He parked his car in front of his residence at Lagoon Villa. His residence was a two-storey property which he inherited from his grandfather. The property was surrounded by thick vegetation made up of bushes and grasses. He had grown them to be thick on purpose so that he will not be noticed by his fellow residents. The closest residence next to him was about three hundred metres away. It was occupied by an old lady who lived all by herself. Though he knew she was not a threat to his activities, he didn’t want to take chances. He didn’t want to leave anything to chance. A few hundred metres away from his residence was the beach. Since he didn’t want anyone from the beach to look over his residence, he built a concrete wall as high as his residence to keep onlookers out of sight.