CHAPTER 4:-
A week had passed after the explosion incident at the residence of late Dr Richard which made the headlines for the local news. The detective however, had been in the hospital for nearly two weeks, spending his day recuperating from his injuries, which puts the meeting he was scheduled to have in two weeks time with the Leader of the Foundation Alliance on hold.
About five days in after the detective was admitted into the hospital, one of his superiors from the investigations departments, spared a day from their busy work schedule to pay him a visit in his private hospital ward. And he goes by the name Mr Reagan Armai or as the detective usually calls him... 'Reags'. A gentleman, age 30, whose quite graceful in approach to things, a smooth talker as well. Always fully absorbed in his work and never compromises a day of work. A polar opposite to the detective who tries to evade work every chance he gets but fails. And he also loves to tease the detective at every opportunity he gets.
[...OUTSIDE THE DETECTIVE'S PRIVATE WARD...]
[*Door opens*]
[*Several footsteps could be heard approaching the hospital bed where the detective lays down as his lost in thought*]
"I heard about the explosion that happened at Dr Richard's place some days ago and heard you were admitted to this hospital, so I spared the time to come check up on you... So how are you feeling?....Detective Silvers!"
— Mr Reagan asked as he was approaching the hospital bed where the detective was kept.
"Somebody, quick!!! call a doctor, I think am starting to see ghosts now."
— the detective jokingly yells out in panic.
"It's been ages since we've seen each other and that's your first reaction to seeing me!!?... And after I went through all that trouble just to be here, just to know how you're faring, and you couldn't at least pretend to be excited to see me!!.... Ouch!!"
— Mr Reagan says with a subtle look of disappointment on his face.
"Wait.... So your saying Reagan the workaholic machine 2.0, decided on his own, to quit a day of work just to see little old detective Silvers at the hospital!!!?...hmmm.... [*Touches his chin*] ..... So it's true..... that fall really did do a number on me. Must have hit my head real hard then." —[the detective said, as he wonders to himself]
"Would you give it a rest , I came here because I heard you got into a huge accident and I rushed in to check up on you. But from where am standing you seem to be doing quite better than myself actually.... for someone who survived an explosion and fell from the second floor of a residential building. I wonder...."
[Reagan looks at him all suspicious...]
"Whaaaaaaaa!!!...you mean meeeee!!?... Are you saying, that i; a detective of my calibre, am deliberately keeping myself here at the hospital for as long as I can, just to avoid any potential work from the investigations department, is that what your saying!!? So you think I'd stoop so low as to fa— [*gets interrupted*]
"Yes!!.....Yes, as a matter fact you would stoop so low. [Reagan cuts in with a reply]
[The detective gave a fake shocked expression on his face after Reagan's quick and unfiltered reply]
".....Fair enough.... But cut me some slacks would ya!!... I was this close to dying you know!! And thanks to the doctor I'm actually feeling a whole lot better now.... So no....I wasn't trying to evade work this time around" —[the detective narrated]
"That's good to hear, and speaking of the doctor, I spoke to him earlier before stopping here to check up on you. He says your recovery from the injuries you sustain from the fall and the explosion was nothing short of a miracle, he claimed that the fractured ribs you sustained from the fall healed abnormally quickly compared to the average person, that in all his years as a medical practitioner he had never seen anything like it" —[Reagan narrated]
"Is that so!!!!.... Well I guess am just that tough to kill then [*he laughs*]
"The doctor also says due to your abnormal recovery that you could even be discharged today..." —[Reagan says]
"Ohh wow really!!?.... That's.... Nice I guess...but uhmm... You see...." —[the detective nervously tries to explain]
" ...But somebody had the doctor write a recommendation for a two-month leave of absence in their medical report. And I wonder who it was?....." —[Reagan asked rethorically, expecting a reaction from the detective]
"Two months should be enough time to overcome the trauma of almost being blown to bits!!!. C'mon Reagan, have some conscience" —[the detective explains]
[*Reagan gave a deep sigh*]
" What am I going to do with you!!?..." —[Reagan asked looking utterly defeated]
[*The mood switches...*]
"Hey!!.... Reags!!...."
"....Yeah!!?..... It's about the Dr Richard's case.... Isn't it? —[Reagan replies]
"... Yeah!!!.... I have a really bad feeling about all of this. Everything up until this point still makes no sense to me" —[Silvers said]
"Really!!?....how so?..." —[Reagan asked as his curiosity peaked]
"Prior to when the explosion happen, I encountered a mysterious man along the way, he had this very strong and indescribable presence about him and said something about a fire somewhere and the fire service being on its way, right before he vanished....."
"....And not long after that, an explosion happened right on the second floor. It isn't a coincidence, and what's even stranger, was the journal I discovered to belong to Dr Richard and at the last page I saw a message directed to me, and it was the exact same message the mysterious man said to me verbatim before he disappeared. The journal was pretty old in itself and it's contents were written during the time Dr Richard was still alive. And am very sure it wasn't tampered with by anyone because I would know if it was."
"... Still.....I don't know how to explain it but... Something really bad gonna happen very soon in this country my guts says so" —[the detective forebodes]
"You've never struck me as the superstitious type, you're usually more logically sound than most people I've come across and yet..... This case seems to have you this worked up. From what I understand, this is just a simple case of homicide. Mr Richard probably was robbed and killed by thugs and his parcel stolen!!! No use over thinking it." —[Reagan responds]
"But the money in his wallets and other valuables he had on him were still intact.... How do you explain that!!?..... How do you explain the explosion that happened at his place of residence.... Surely it's no coincidence right!!?". —[The detective asked with a stern look on his face]
"... right!!! ..... But no matter which way you choose to see it. it's still a case of homicide and my job and your job as detective is to bring the criminals to book. We happen to have a lead on the suspects responsible for the murder of Dr Richard...."
[The detective face glowed with excitement]
"Now that's what am talking about!!!! Soon this case would be as good as closed, so tell me...." —[the detective stoked to hear more]
[Reagan pulls out what appears to be a neatly folded piece of paper from his pocket....]
[....Unfolds it and hands it to the detective]
"It's a still image captured from a security camera, it was taken as they fled from the scene of the crime. They are a group of six, As you can see we can't quite make out what their identities are. We're working round the clock gathering any intel we can find on the six of them." —[Reagan stated]
"They appear to be a bunch of teenagers. It's a bit strange... If the security camera was able to fully capture those kids leaving the alley at this range, then that would mean.... The security camera was mounted at a relatively close distance; close enough to have a clear shot of the suspects exiting the alley". —[the detective deduced]
"So what you're saying is.....?" —[Reagan responds]
"..... Am saying, I had a team of officers inspect the area thoroughly for security cameras with any footage on what happen that night including any potential suspects, but we couldn't find anything useful, several buildings were searched and most of the security cameras found during the search weren't mounted close by, so there weren't any meaningful footage that could tell us anything. But this still image you acquired suggests the security camera was mounted at an angle and position perfect enough to capture the suspects exiting the alley. I know for one, that the officers incharge of the search would never have missed a security camera sitting at a very obvious location" —[the detective narrated]
"Am curious to know where you got a lead like this!!?". —[the detective asked from a place of concern]
" Yes...I was just about getting there.... You see..... this still image was sent to us by an anonymous person that claimed to want to assist the investigations department in bringing to justice the people who murdered Dr Richards". —[Reagan replied]
[The detective became baffled by Reagan's reply]
"Wait..... You're saying you got this lead from an anonymous!!!? Wasn't it an anonymous that called the police to inform them of a robbery that took place at that notorious alleyway. And once the police arrived it was discovered to be both a robbery and a homicide and the victim was Dr Rich—..."
[*Pauses for a moment]
"... Wait a sec...."
[*Takes a look at the still image*]
[Then everything clicks]
"Hey Reags, come take a look at this..."
[Reagan leans in closer for a better look]
".....take a look at the time the suspects exited the alley." —[said the detective as he points to a section of the still image]
"..... It's 9:55pm!!!?...." —[Reagan responded]
"Exactly!!.... And shortly after, the police arrived at the scene at exactly around 10pm. Now notice there's a five minutes difference in the time the police took to arrive at the scene and the suspects took to leave the scene!!....." —[the detective explains]
"You're right. The five minute difference would only suggests that they left as soon as they heard the sounds of sirens coming from the police vehicle but then that would mean....." —[Reagan finally realises]
"..... Exactly what your thinking. The anonymous call came to the police prior to the robbery and the homicide taking place. It may seem like a bit of a stretch, but I think the police were told about a robbery at an alleyway in advance, prior to the robbery ever happening, which would supposedly take the police more than half an hour to get to the scene of the crime. If it's simply just a robbery that led to a homicide especially at a notorious alley such as that. Wouldn't it be in their best interests to quickly grab what they came for and swiftly dispatch the victim?....
.... It took the police more than half an hour to get to the scene, at the time of the anonymous call, that's more than enough time for the suspects to have fled the scene a long time ago, but the evidence here says they fled barely five minutes later just before the arrival of the police". —[the detective deduced]
[Inner monologue]—
"Was everything planned from the very beginning!? By the anonymous caller maybe?.... But for that type of plan to work it would require intricate timing and preparations to accommodate different variables and uncertainties.... just like the explosion that happen at Dr Richard's residence, it was perfectly timed to allow me read the very last page of that journal before the explosion set off. The timing was a little 'too' perfect which seems impossible. I doubt it to be just a coincidence and if so, what's their end goal here.". —[the detective thought to himself]
"So you think everything was planned right from the start!!? —[Reagan asked]
"I believe so. It's the only logical explanation i have for now!!" —[the detective replies]
"Is it possible that the mafia has something to do with all of this?...I mean it's seems logical since they obviously control this city or even perhaps almost the entire country" —[Reagan added]
"You mean 'The Red Valley Syndicate'!? The ones known as 'The Iron Altar'!? I highly doubt it, the investigations department fully understands how they operate, and besides... Why would they go through the trouble of planning something that intricate when they simply have nothing substantial to gain from it. The government usually turns a blind eye on most of their activities since they hold so much power, attacking them head on would destabilise the entire country. So I see no reason why they would create such an elaborate plan just to take out Dr Richard and grab some couple of text." —[the detective responded]
"I see!!.... Maybe your right but we also can't rule out the possibility, after all it's the mafia we're talking about here. Am sure they have some intel." —[Reagan added]
"Yeah I guess your right!!... Say.... Have you by any chance tried tracing the call made by the anonymous caller" —[the detective asked]
"Now that you've mentioned it.... We did try once but we couldn't get the exact location, but we were able to narrow it down to a specific area not very far away from where the crime was committed. Unfortunately we still weren't able to do much in the end it's a pretty large area and the anonymous caller hasn't yet made another call." —[Reagan replied]
"Can you recall any sort of landmarks within that area.... Something you remember... Anything at all... Buildings?, sites?, streets?.... Anything...." —[the detective enquired]
"... Well yes I do remember some buildings like The Federal Depositary, there's also the popular national park, hmm let's see.... There's the Villion Hotel, a few clinics and I think there used to be a well known Foster home around that area aswell. It's a pretty large area, I really don't think we can find anything on the anonymous caller,
...detective silvers.... huh!!...Silvers!!? ... Hey Silvers are you listening?..."
[*Silvers continues to stare at the still image*]
"Hey Reags!!.... Remember when I said the suspects looked like a bunch of teenagers.....?" —[the detective asked]
"Yes I recall.... why?" —[Reagan replied]
"..... Well since they are our prime suspects, then let's assume they all had no parents where would they likely find themselves?" —[detective silvers asked]
"Hmmm... Let's see, perhaps the streets!!?....no!!?.... Perhaps a place where kids with no parents are raised..... like an orphanage or....."
[The detective nods at Reagan]
" ...a foster home" —[Reagan realizes]
"But how does this have anything to do with the anonymous caller" —[Reagan asked]
"It doesn't....but what if it's our only shot at finding these six suspects, from my end it's purely a guess" —[detective silvers speculated]
" What do you mean 'our only shot' you just came up with the thought on a fly and you expect me to roll with it and besides... Most of what you've said is on a 'what if' basis, and you want us to investigate the foster home purely on speculations" —[Reagan responds, slamming his hands on his head in disappointment]
"Well do you have any better leads on the whereabouts of the six suspects? If not... Then investigating the foster home should be a breeze. Since I'll soon be off duty for two months. I'll leave that task to you and the investigations department. Though if turns out to be a waste of time then at the very least we've cleared some lingering doubts about the place" —[the detective added]
"You mean your lingering doubts!! [Sighs]..... I suppose I can spare a day out of my busy schedule to inspect the foster home." —[Reagan says]
[Reagan stares at his watch for a moment]
"Ahh.....It's almost getting late I'll have to be going soon, I guess we spoke for so long I lost track of time [*smiles*] —[Reagan said]
" Ohh right..... I forgot you only came to say hi, guess we couldn't help it huh!! It's been a while since we've spoke for this long, seeing that your always busy and all —[Silvers says as he smiled back]
"Yeah well, what can I say, gotta slave ones self to keep the career going, heard that quote from a really lazy fellow" —[Reagan jests]
"And that lazy fellow seems to be one of the top detectives around ain't that ironic haha" —[the detective claps back]
"Ohh please, quit flattering yourself...."
[Reagan starts heading out]
"..... I'll be heading out now, don't forget to take care of yourself and don't be reckless, ohh and don't be lazy either. Say...did your wife pay you a visit!!?" —[Reagan asked]
"Ohh she paid me a visit alright!!! She gave me an earful after she heard about the explosion incident , and she was really scary too, I couldn't tell which was more dangerous she or the explosion [he laughs]. But you know... She's usually very reserved and graceful and on top of that.... shes the epitome of beauty in my world, words can't express how much I love her. —[the detective says as he was lost in his words]
" Ehem!!! [*Coughs *cough]." —[Reagan exclaimed]
"Oops I guess I was rambling again sorry —[Silvers says as he nervously laughs].
"Ohh It's fine.... Am quite happy to hear it, take care of yourself." —[Reagan say as he walks up the door about to take his leave].
"Hey Reags!!!... Thanks.... For coming to visit me at the hospital, honestly, I truly appreciate it" ,—[silvers says]
[A moment passed]
"Of course...what are friends for...." —[said reagan as he opens the door to leave]
"Ohh... I almost forgot... I've rescheduled your meeting with the leader of the Foundation alliance. You'll be meeting in two months, so prepare, and your welcome" —[Reagan stated] *walks out the door*
"B...b....bu.....but wait!!!.... You can't.....the doctor's report says I shou—"
[Reagan slams the door before silvers could finish speaking]
"I can't believe he did that to me, and we just had such a heart-warming moment just a second ago. [*he sighs*]