"May I come in Sir?" somebody knocked at the entrance of Office door.
Michael looked up from his files to see who It was at this time. It was already 8 pm &
office hours were over. He was working late.
The frustration from his face changed into a bright smile when he saw his own brother
Arun standing at the door.
"Arun, since when do you need my permission to enter? Come in." Michael said.
"I have to.You are such a famous detective.& now You are even coming on tv regularly." Arun explained to him.
"Stop being a jerk already. It's because of A high profile case of a murder of the famous
Actress." Michael replied in a low voice.
"So how's the investigation going on?"
"No clue, Bro. You are the smartest person I have ever known. If any one can solve this,
it's you. Don't worry. You will crack it soon." Arun motivated him by looking at his tense
face.
"Thank you. Why are you here by the way? Is there anything that you need?"
"No, I came to give good news. I have cracked a deal which I was working on for a few
months. & by this deal, my business profits will go double in a few time." Arun explained
with excitement which was clearly visible on his face.
"Ohh, Congratulations brother. I am very proud of you." Michael felt really happy. Arun
really worked hard for this deal. So he got proper reward finally.
"So I am finally planning to chill now. Do you want to come for a movie & dinner?" Arun
asked Michael.
"No, I have to solve this case soon. because this is a very high profile case, Too much
pressure is coming from everywhere." Michael was anxious while saying.
"You will.Don't worry. Don't take too much pressure. So can I go for dinner?" Arun
asked.
"Why are you asking for my permission? You can go anywhere.You are an adult."
Michael asked with a surprise.
"Ya, I can. But I have to ask permission from the Boss of my Girlfriend before taking her
out for dinner." Arun said with a smile.
"Ohh, Now I got it. So you were not going to take me anyway. I should have never
allowed my assistant to date my brother. Take her.go now before it's late." Michael was
happy for him.
They laughed & Arun went out after saying goodbye....
******************
Today was the day. Michael came home tired in the afternoon & laid on the couch. He
had finally solved the high profile case which was a mystery for everyone. He was so
relieved. He switched on the TV. The news about the murderer & story was going all
over the news channels. He saw the time. It was 4 pm. He didn't know when he dozed
off due to less sleep in the last few nights.
His eyes opened suddenly. He saw the clock. It was past 7. Arun was sitting on the
chair & watching the news. The same news still was going on the TV. Seeing Michael
up from Couch, he stood up & hugged him.
" I told you na. You did it,bro. Congratulations to you. You are the Best." Arun said
emotionally.
"Ya, I am so relieved now. It was a very tense situation. But It was the most challenging
case for me." Michael said.
"Let's go to the party tonight then. We have to celebrate your success,brother." Arun
was already excited.
"I am too tired bro. I promise you we will go to a party on sunday. I will treat you
wherever you want. I need a proper sleep after these many days & I have to get up early tomorrow to meet a client." Michael said in a tired voice.
"Are you sure na? where ever I want. Remember it. Now take a rest. I am pretty excited about sunday. Finally we will be able to spend some bro time after a long gap." Arun said.
Michael smiled & nooded. He was excited too.
"I am going out for dinner. I guess we will meet tomorrow evening only as you will leave
the house in the early morning." Arun said while waving a good bye.
Michael said a goodbye. Little did he know that this was the last talk between them.
He won't be able to see him alive again....
Chapter 2 : The Case of Sarah’s Murder
“Have you heard it?” Emily asked as she saw Michael entering the office just now.
“It’s all over the news. Sarah Carter, The famous actress was murdered half an hour
ago.” She continued after looking at the question mark on the face of Michael.
Michael felt bad after hearing that news. Although he didn’t like to watch movies, he
heard a lot of praises about Sarah’s acting. He went inside his office & sat on his chair.
After an Hour, A man came into his office. He was wearing a branded suite & looked
like a quite rich businessman. He hurriedly got inside without asking for Michael’s
permission.
“Hi detective, I am Steve Anderson. I have heard a lot about you. You must have heard
about the murder of Sarah Carter. Police have arrested My brother Ricky. I know my
brother very well. He can’t do such a crime. I want you to investigate this case please.”
The man said anxiously.
Michael remembered this guy. He saw his photos on many magazine’s cover pages.
“The youngest Billionaire Businessman” tag was used for him. He was way different
than other rich guys, way more polite, soft spoken & simple in nature. Right now he was
in a panic mode.
“Please sit Mr.Anderson. Tell me exactly in detail.” Michael asked in a calm & polite
voice.
“Ya sure. Ricky had been dating Sarah for the last 6 months. They were serious about
their relationship. He was with her last night. That’s all I know. Police officers said that
He was caught with the murder weapon & her blood on his hand. All he kept saying was
I didn’t kill Sarah. I loved her. I didn’t kill her. But police arrested him.”
Steve became emotional while saying this. He looked pretty tense right now. He also
knew that his brother was in deep trouble. He desperately wanted him to come out of
this mess. He came to Michael as he heard quite a lot about him. Michael was the only
one who could find the real murderer & save his brother.
“Ok...go home now. I will start my investigation now.” Michael said while consoling him.
“I have arranged everything for you. You have access to every place. Nobody will stop
you from your investigation. If you need any help, just give me a call.” Steve gave his
visiting card & left. He was relieved now.
“First we have to start from the crime scene.” Michael said to Emily after briefing her
about the meeting of his with Steve. They left for Sarah’s house.
*********************
“Hello Detective, I have been informed by higher authorities that you will also investigate this case. They told me to assist you if you need any help. Let me tell you what we know till now.” Mr.Ron, one of the police officers, welcomed them to Sarah’s house.
“Ya, We have to solve this case as soon as possible as it is a very high profile case.”
Michael said while shaking hands with Mr.Ron.
“I think we will crack it soon. It seems like a very obvious case. The head servant found
the body when she came to the house in the morning. She always had a key to the
house as the victim used to be outside of the house for many days for shooting. When
she came inside,she couldn’t find her anywhere. So she went to the bedroom. She saw the victim's body lying on the bed half naked in a pool of blood & Rocky was sitting
beside her with a knife held in his hand. She called the Police. We arrested Rocky.” Mr.Ron explained the whole situation.
“How was the injury?” Michael asked.
“There were five stabs on her back & she was lying on her stomach. There were
multiple bruises on her back too. On the first look, it seems like she had been raped &
murdered. Postmortem report will come by tomorrow.” Ron said.
“Another major thing that I missed, the house was locked from inside. There were no
forced entries, no broken windows, no robbery. There were only two of them present in the house for the whole night.” He continued.
Michael was surprised. It indeed looked like an open & shut case as the police officers
were thinking or someone wanted them to believe it like that only. It was a challenge for
him. Michael loved tough cases. He had to get deeper now.
After 2 days of investigations, Michael was sitting in his office. They didn’t find much. It
was nearly a perfect murder. He took a paper & started writing what he was able to find
until now.
● Young Actress died. Time of death was around 4 am.
● Autopsy suggested that there was no sign of rape but she was involved in sex that night probably with his boyfriend,Ricky.
● House got security cameras everywhere around & footage showed that the head
servant left the house at 11 pm last night after everyone including the cook, the
driver & the gardener. There were only Sarah & Ricky present. There was no
entry or exit till the morning when the head servant came back to find her dead.
● From bruises & multiple stab wounds, It looked like a case of revenge.
Michael had to talk to everyone to find out the truth. Police had concluded their part.
They were satisfied that Ricky was the real murderer. Their initial theory was that she
rejected sleeping with him, so he became angry & raped her & killed her. But after
autopsy report ruled out Rape theory, They thought He must killed her either for money
or to get rid of her as she must be pressuring him for marriage. Why Pressuring?
Because She was 3 months pregnant………
Michael had to find out. Was Ricky the real killer????????
Chapter 3 : The interrogation
Michael summoned everyone to Sarah’s house. He asked all of them to sit in the living
room & went in the kitchen to sit on a chair at the dining table. He knew that the killer
was one of these people only. As no outer person could have breached such a high
tech security of the house.
First Rickey had been called. He saw 2 police officers, The Commissioner & Michael
were all sitting there. He was brought in handcuffs. He was asked to sit.
“So Ricky, Tell me your story.” Michael said.
“Sir, Sarah & me were deeply in love with each other for 6 months. We were planning to
get married soon After completing her last shoot as We found out that Sarah was
pregnant. We were so happy.
That night initially we had plans to go out but we got into a fight. It was not a big
fight.After all servants left, I managed to calm her down & we decided to chill at the
house only. Now, as she had a bad habit of taking drugs, after taking 2-3 glasses of
whiskey she took out a pill from her purse & put it in her mouth. I was just having my 1st
peg of whiskey when suddenly she pulled me towards her & kissed me passionately. At
the heat of the moment, I opened my mouth & she shifted her pill in my mouth. She
made me swallow it. It was my first time with drugs. We made love in bed & slept there
only.
Suddenly, I woke up. Seemed like many hours had passed. I was still sleepy. I shifted
my hand over her back & caressed it. It felt too wet. I opened my eyes slowly & saw my
hand was red. It was blood. I jumped off my bed in fear & looked at her. She was lying
dead. I noticed that there was a knife in my other hand. Before I could understand
anything or react, Suddenly The head servant entered the bedroom & she saw me like
that. I don’t remember anything about the night. But I know one thing for sure that I
couldn’t have killed Sarah who had my child in her belly.” He was broken. He started
crying. One officer started consoling him & took him away.
Michael was sure now. This guy was innocent. There was no logical motive for him to kill her so brutally. He called for the head servant.
“She was like a daughter to me. I was with her for 5 years. That night when I was about
to leave, I heard them shouting on each other. It didn’t happen before. But it was none of my business to interfere. So I checked everything & Left for the hospital where my husband was admitted for his hernia surgery.”
“Are you sure that nobody else was inside the house when you left that night?” Michael
asked to find something.
“I am damn sure,Sir. All other Servants Left before me. It was a daily routine. I always
used to leave the house last after checking everything & locking the door.” She was
very confident.
They let her go. After 10 minutes of cross checking, They got confirmation that She was
at the hospital only for the whole night. CCTV footage of the hospital confirmed the
same.
Michael called the gardener next.
“I left the house at 8 pm only, Sir. I don’t know anything else. I was at home all night with my wife. My wife & our son can confirm that.” He was right too. They confirmed his
presence at his home.
The driver & the cook called next. The driver was in his early forties. He also said that
he was at his home the whole night. But he didn’t have anyone in his house that could
confirm his presence.
The cook was a very young 22 year old man. He joined this group only three months
before. He had an alibi in the form of his mother who confirmed that.
“Donald came at 10 pm,at usual time. We ate together & he went to sleep in his room. I
woke him in the morning at 6 am.” She said confidently. The CCTV footage near his
house also confirmed the same.
Three hours went in this interrogation process.
“I think We all know now that It is crystal clear. Nobody else could have killed Sarah
except Ricky. I should officially announce it.” The commissioner said in a firm tone.
All agreed to that except Michael. He was still not convinced. Something was missing that they couldn’t see right now. Most Suspects have alibi & proofs that they were at other place at the time of murder exept The Driver. But what motive did he have? & How did he come & enter the house? Michael asked The commissioner to give him two days.
“I will make an official announcement after 2 days that Ricky is the killer, If you can’t find
any proof that can convince us otherwise.” The commissioner said & left the place.
All stood up & started to go separate ways. Michael was about to go when he felt
something while standing from his chair. He looked under the table & he saw a new
thing. He smiled & was more encouraged now to find the real murderer………..
Chapter 4 : The Real Killer
Today was the last day. Emily was stressed. They didn’t find out anything new as far as
she knew. Michael didn’t come to the office this morning. Where did he go? She thought. Her thoughts were interrupted suddenly by a vibrating phone. She saw that It was Michael.
“Hello Michael, Where have you been? You haven’t forgotten right?... that we were
supposed to meet the commissioner today.” Emily said in a tense tone.
“I know. Listen, Call everyone including Steve at Sarah’s house. I will reach there
directly.” Michael ordered.
“Have you found any new leads yet?” Emily asked as Michael sounded more confident.
“Lead? No, I have found the real murderer. I will tell you when I reach there.” He replied.
“OK.” Emily hung up the call & started calling everyone & informing them to come to
Sarah's house.
***************
After half an Hour, everyone was sitting in the living room of Sarah’s house. 3 Officers
with handcuffed Ricky, His brother Steve, The Commissioner, The head servant, The
Gardener, The Driver & The Cook, all were looking curiously towards Emily. Emily also
didn’t know anything yet so she just told them to wait for Michael.
Suddenly the doorbell rang. Emily opened the door. She was surprised. Michael was
standing in front of her all dirty in mud. He entered inside without saying anything.
“Hello everyone, I know I am a little bit smelly & looking disgusting but bear with me as
we have way more important discussions that need more attention than this."
“So do you have any proof or not?” The commissioner said curiously.
“Sir, It was almost a perfect murder. Even at a time I was willing to accept that Ricky
was the real killer.”
Ricky & Steve’s faces became tense. They both knew that Ricky didn’t kill Sarah.
Reading their expression, Michael continued.
“Don’t judge yet. Listen to the whole story. I too started believing but after investigating
further Few points changed my mind that even led me to the real murderer.”
“So Ricky is not a Murderer? What are you saying? Then who killed Sarah?” The
commissioner wanted to know now. How could he got wrong?
“No Sir, He is innocent.” Michael said with a smile while looking at a person who’s
smiling expression changed to fear just now.
Ricky & Steve felt relieved. But before celebrating they wanted to know who did it
actually. Michael continued.
“ He almost got away this time. It was the best planning one could imagine but he lost
control which led him to making 1 or 2 mistakes.
● Point 1: She was brutally murdered. He gave her few bruises to let us think like it
was rape. But he made a mistake there. Ricky couldn’t kill her like that as she
was his lover.
● Point 2: The Rain. The Rain was the biggest villain for him. As because of the
rain only he left that clue that helped me solve the whole case.
● Point 3: I read once that If you don’t want to reveal yourself to everyone & don’t
want to be caught on camera, You have to lower yourself a bit.
Nobody understood anything yet……...
You guys guess it till I come back. I will bring back the murderer. Emily, Lock the door
after I leave. I will be back in half an hour.” Michael said. He saw that who became
nervous earlier was now relieved, maybe he thought that he escaped again. Michael
smiled & left.
All were surprised. Where did he go? All the people were here. Did that mean that the
murderer was an outside man? Whom will he bring him? Emily thought. Nobody was able to find out who the real murderer was. They had no choice now other than to just wait for Michael to come & reveal the killer.
After about half an hour, All eyes were at the door waiting for the doorbell to ring, But
they were extremely shocked to hear Michael’s voice from another direction who just came outside from the kitchen.
“Have you guessed it or not yet?” Michael asked.
“What the hell? Where did you come from? What’s going on here?” The commissioner
asked. All the people were equally surprised including Emily.
“Donald The Cook can explain better, Sir. After all, He is the real killer.” Michael
smiled while looking at him.
“Wh..at..? N..oo, H..He is lying. I was not here that night. I was at my home that whole
night. My mom already told you. I have a strong alibi.” Donald said nervously.
“You are right. Your mom really thought you were just sleeping inside your room only.
But the Rain spoiled your perfect plan.” Michael looked at the Commissioner &
continued.
“Sir, I was about to get convinced on the interrogation day itself, but as I was about to
get up from my chair at the dining table, I saw faint muddy footprints at the corner of the
table. We didn’t allow anyone to come here after the murder. So I understood that The
footprints were from that night only. After everyone left, I moved the table completely,
removed the carpet which was underneath. I found that the Middle rectangle wooden
part was looking different than others. It looked like someone drilled & fitted with screws afterwards. So I broke that & further down it led me to a tunnel. I followed it & the tunnel went straight to another house. It was sealed there from above. By now I knew who it was. It took me 15 minutes to reach there. I knew that The Cook,Donald was the only
one who lived that close to this house.
All other people lived far from here. To further confirm it Just before half an hour back I
went to his house from here leaving you all guys back here. In his room, It didn’t take
much time to find the same rectangular wooden part. I broke & found that it was the exit. I came from that tunnel back here. I will leave rest to you now,Donald.”
“Yes,I killed her. I accept it. I loved her so much. I learned to cook only for her. L joined
here only to get close to her. But when I saw her with this Ricky, I decided to propose to
her directly. When I did, she insulted & laughed over me. I was so angry. ‘If you can’t become mine, I won’t let you go to any other hands.’ & I killed her. I have no regrets.”
“You will once We treat you well in the jail. Take the bastard away.” The commissioner
ordered his officers. They handcuffed him & took him away. The commissioner thanked
Michael for his help & went to officially announce the real killer’s name.
Steve gave him a check of 1 million dollars. Before Michael could say that it was way
more than his original fees, Steve hugged him tight.
“Thank you so much. You saved both the brother’s life today. If anything would happen
to Ricky, I would not be able to live,too. If you need any help in future, just give me a
call. I will always be there to help.” Steve said emotionally. They both thanked Michael &
left.
While Michael was heading towards his home, He was so proud of himself & so relieved
by solving this case. He would be able to relax a bit & spend some quality time with his
brother…………………….
Michael was sitting in his chair, worried into the thoughts. He was one of the most
famous detectives of this country. exactly a month back, His brother Arun had commited
suicide at their home. Police closed the case soon as all the evidences were pointing
towards suicide. even they found out a suicide note there which was written with red ink
in his own handwriting.
He still remembered each word he read from that suicide note.
"My Dear brother Michael & My love Emily, I am really sorry to leave you both so
suddenly. I don't want to live anymore. I was not able to become what you always
wanted me to become. It's all over for me. I wish you both a great future &
success. Emily, I hope you will find a better man than me. Hope you both
understand.
Good bye.
Yours & yours only, Arun."
"My brother can't commit suicide. I knew him pretty well. He was so excited for Sunday
for a party." He thought to himself.
He turned in that office chair of his, swinging it round to notice there his assistant Emily
was standing there at the door.
"May I come in?" She asked. Michael nodded with a fake smile.
As far as Everyone knew, Michael hadn't smiled since that horrible day. He always
seemed to be in thoughts since then.
"I am sorry to say this. It's not like I didn't care for Arun but we have to get over that. He
is no more. I know you suspect that he was murdered, but police have checked with
every angle including his postmortem report. All proved that it was a suicide." Emily
said. she didn't want to see Michael like this.
"You can't understand my feelings. He was not your brother. He was mine. I spent my
whole life with him." Michael said out loud.
"I know He was not my brother. but i knew him very well. He was my boyfriend. I too
know that he was the strongest person among us. He couldn't have taken such an
extreme step at all. but the fact is that he did it. We can't read what goes on in another
person's mind. Maybe he didn't want to share everything with us. Please accept that."
Tears were flowing from Emily's eyes. Michael, her boss & brother of her dead boyfriend kept bringing the horrible memories back in her mind everyday.
Arun was a cheerful guy by nature. He used to enjoy his life fullest. He was not a brother Of Michael by blood but they grew together in an Orphanage since childhood & became more than brothers. They have shared everything since then. No matter how much big problems came in their life, they always talked to each other about that & found a way to negotiate that.
Arun met Emily in Michael's office for the first time 3 months back. They felt instantly
connected & started dating each other in just a few days after their first meet. All things
were going good in their life. Arun's business & love life was great & Michael was at his
peak of his career as a detective.
And Suddenly...
Arun was found hung at home 1 month back.
Both Michael & Emily were sure about one thing that Arun was not at all suicidal, not
even a slightest.
Then how did that happen???????
Chapter 6 : The Diary Writer
Carefully she turned the diary into her hands. It was the time that she had to tell her
story. Maybe no one would ever read this, but she needed to write down what actually
happened with her. She had to deal with so many emotions that used to continuously
float in her mind. She opened her diary & began writing with her favourite red ink pen...
"I was just eighteen years old when it happened. When I felt the real taste of it actually.
My name is Sophie Taylor & I was living in Arizona city with my uncle. My parents died
when I was just four year old. My uncle adopted me since then, he helped me with my
school fees & all other expenses of my daily routine. He had a bad habit of drinking
alcohol. He used to come late from bars with a drunken face & vomited clothes. He was
not himself for the last four years especially. His business was starting to face big
losses & John's death occurred at that time only. He thought it was all his fault."
"Tonight was different than before. Today my uncle came back drunk with his other
drunk friend. They sat in the living room & started talking & smiling. I gave them water &
stood there in a corner. After 15 minutes or so, suddenly they started talking in slow
voice. I couldn't hear what they were talking about. But after a while I saw my uncle got
angry & they started fighting with each other. His friend was a giant 6'4 of height &
muscular one. My uncle was not even close to him. He took control in a few seconds &
threw my uncle on the floor. He got on top of him & strangled his neck until My uncle's
body stopped moving. He was lying still. I understood later that they were talking about
ME.
But It was too late now. My uncle was probably dead. He always wanted me to leave
home, build my own life & not have to try & survive under him. Now i wanted to go out
badly but I didn't have a choice.
His friend came near me.
"You don't want to leave this place, Right Sweetheart?" He said & ran his hand over my
cheeks.
"Come here,beautiful. Show your new uncle that you can love him."
"No..." I stepped backwards, afraid as he opened his arms for me to go inside of them.
He advanced, scaring me more now.
"Honey, You should not be afraid of me. Now come." He was desperate now.
"No." I. said out screaming in a shaky voice.
He slapped me hard on my cheeks with his large hands.
"Wrong answer, love.." His hands were all over my body. He was trying hard to get
inside of my clothes now. I was not going to sleep with this man,not at all. He was twice
my age who had just killed my Uncle. He continued...
"You saw what happened to John outside in real life. you can't leave this house. You
are not ready yet. Think, you will just end up like him."
I did see John left me behind with a suicide note. But It was not the outer world's fault. It
was My uncle's fault. But how did this loser bring John's name on his tongue? I was
furious now. I decided that I had to do something. It was a now or never situation for me.
I pulled my hand back slightly, held whatever came in my hand & smacked it right on his
head. It was a flower holder made of steel. I gave multiple blows until he fell on the floor.
He screamed even at his last breath. Blood was all over my face,hands & on floor
everywhere. He was dead.
I went near my uncle who to my relief was breathing now. He was just unconscious. I
didn’t need to worry about him. He would be alright soon. I didn't know why but I was
feeling good. It was due to some unknown great power, which I maybe got from killing
that bastard. Power which was already felt addictive to me.
then I grabbed the pen & wrote a suicide note in the name of my uncle's friend.
Next day morning, My uncle woke up to find that not only had he lost his voice but his
best friend was lying in a pool of blood,dead & his second adopted child was gone."
I closed my diary.... I was too tired after so much writing....
Chapter 7 : The Guessing Game
It had been two months since Arun died. Police didn't want to open that case again at all as It was an open & shut case to them.
But They knew Michael very well. He was known for his dedication to his work amongst
all. He was not going to sit behind & relax only. So, despite getting lack of support from
Government authorities, He decided to do the investigation on his own. He wanted to
check every possible angle before accepting that the case was suicide only. He was
powerful enough that he knows many people on higher posts. So he was successful in
reopening the case of his brother. The police didn't mind it at all as they did not have to
do anything. Michael wanted to do it on his own. He knew there was one person who
could always help him in the investigation. It was his brother's girlfriend & his own
assistant "Emily." She was the only one other than him who knew more about Arun's
recent activities.
Michael was a brilliant minded guy. He was a topper in his university. His mind works
way differently than others. He had solved many mysterious cases & made his name as
"Perfect detective." Arun was not much interested in study, but he was a creative &
street smart guy. He set up his whole business on his own qualities. He was a more
charming & friendly type than Michael, which had helped his cause. Arun was the only
one that Michael always cared for.
Emily thought when Michael asked her for her help in working this case with him. "Was
he investigating this case since the beginning or did he just want to start now? Had he
found any suspect? Am I on his suspect list too?" She had so many questions running
in her mind.
Emily sat down, folding her hands behind her back & twisting her engagement ring
around & around on her finger as Michael sat & started searching something on the
internet.
She was proposed by Arun on her birthday just fifteen days before this all happened.
She accepted gladly & they decided to make an official announcement soon. but all
things went down soon as he was no more now.
Emily's eyes glued on the computer screen.
"Recent Suicides" Michael searched these terms on google & exploring results.
"You really think you can solve this? Is there anything at all to solve here?" Emily said in
confusion.
She went more near to his ear & said again.
"Michael, You saw the note yourself in his own handwriting. There is nothing to prove
here."
Michael raised his eyebrow & stared at her for a few seconds.
"Why would Arun commit suicide,Emily? What was his motive? He had everything that
he ever dreamt off." He said in an angry tone.
"But....Well...The note said...." Emily was hesitant. He indeed had a valid point.
"The note said a lot of things, Emily & I have doubts in his note. He would never cheat
you, he loved you & just got engaged to you. His business was indeed doing really well
nowadays. Plus If He had any problem with money, he knew he could come to me at
any time. And..."
Michael paused for a few seconds. Emily wanted to hear the point quickly. she was
eagerly listening.
"And He never used a red pen in his whole life,Emily. because...because He used to be
bullied by guys in childhood by applying red ink on their hands & scaring him as that
was blood & they would suck his blood too. He used to cry a lot & even woke up
suddenly at night with bad dreams. He decided that he would never use red ink. He
promised this to his mom when he was 5 just before his mom died. So he could not
have used it now." Michael said in a much softer tone now.
"Michael, If you are having doubts of his suicide, do you have any suspects? I knew
Arun very well. He never had any enemy. then why would anyone want to kill him? even
after knowing that their chances of getting caught will be so high as his brother is such
a good detective."
Michael just gestured a big No & continued his research.
" See this." He finally spoke after 5 minutes.
"Well, Seven suicides that didn't make any
sense with the victim's lives at that time had
occured in the last 3 years in this city." Michael started looking for all those people.
Emily went out as she couldn't watch it at all. Will Michael really be going to try & find
the murderer? When would he see that the suicide note made more sense?" She
thought to herself.
Michael came out to join her, with a cup of tea in his hand.
"We have to find out the truth, Emily. We have to try at least. I can't let him go without a
fight. I am not a quitter." he looked so broken up from inside, exactly opposite of his
usual normal self.
Emily couldn't do anything except accepting his wishes for investigating this case.
She would definitely help him to look into this for Arun............
Chapter 8 : The Diary writer
Sophie scratched her pen on paper.... Ink got emptied. Last time she had written a long
note. she thought to herself. She refilled her pen with red ink. She thought about why
she continued doing that. Her hand reached out automatically to the red diary which
was underneath the bed of hers. She couldn't talk to anybody about her secrets but she
could write it in her personal diary.....
"After that incident, I took the bus in the early morning after changing my t-shirt &
cleaning my hands & face that night. I reached Phoenix city in 3 hours. I sat at the bus
stand only & started thinking about where should I go now? What should I do? Morning
sun rays were falling over my face but I was too busy in my thoughts to neglect that. I
was interrupted by a shadow which blocked the sun rays from coming onto my face. I
looked around & saw him.
"Sophie Taylor, Is that you? Your uncle is out of his mind." It was my uncle's work boss,
who had multiple businesses & happened to see me from the opposite side, when he
came out from his office building.
"I am so screwed now." I cursed myself for staying here for such a long time. David
Hughes was smiling at me. He looked genuinely happy by finding me here out of
nowhere.
"Let's go to my office for a drink. I am going back to Arizona. I will drop you." He didn't
wait for my reply. He dragged me into his office.
"Did you hear it? Your uncle woke up in the early morning only to find his best friend
dead next to him on the floor. It's creepy, isn't it? The last thing he remembers is being
strangled by someone. He can't speak at the moment. He was shifted to the hospital for
the treatment purpose." He said while giving me a cup of coffee.
"No, I was at a relative's place for 2 days. I was about to go home." I lied & gave a
surprised look as if I was completely unaware of what happened there. He sat on his
chair. I was just standing opposite him.
It was quite a big office which was very clean & fresh. But I was still seeing the whole
incident of yesterday night & It felt like I was in the same room full of blood. My face
became sweaty in that air conditioned office & My hands were trembling. David noticed
that & said:
"Is everything ok? Are you feeling good na?"
"Nothing. I am alright, Mr.hughes." It's all I could say at that time. in my back of mind i
was saying that it was none of his business.
"Anyway, your uncle's friend was killed by some object which is missing. I had only that
much update. We will only be able to know more once we reach there. but It seems like
a case of revenge to me based on how cruelly he was killed." David started Guessing.
He was thinking & suddenly He noticed something. He stood & came near me. He knelt down in front of me & without saying anything touched my dark coloured skirt's material & His face turned pale.
"Is this Blood? Yes, It is definitely. Did you have something to do with this murder? ohh,
that's why you were running away from Arizona,right?" He looked up at my face.
I got panicked. I ran towards the door but David took big steps & reached the door
before me & locked it. He took out his phone & started typing. I instantly took advantage
of this situation, grabbed the fruit knife from the table & before he can react, Slit his
throat. His body went still, but not before two messages were already sent from his
phone.
"Sophie is the killer"...
were the words, It was sent to two different people. I deleted both the whatsapp
messages instantly & kept the phone with me. They didn’t see the message before I
deleted it. But I couldn't take any chances.
They didn't know what they got into just now
& were about to become the next victims of mine. Words for David's suicide note were
already running in my mind eager to come on to a paper.
A hand did its work by returning the red diary back to its place underneath my bed.....
Chapter 9 : The Investigation
"Ding Dong..."
The doorbell rang loud in the silence of the street. Emily was staring at the paint of all
the houses here. It was a weird combination of colours. She was still wishing that
Michael had not dragged her into this mess.
"Are you sure that this is a good idea?" Emily asked for the tenth time already & the
tenth answer came out "I am sure."
Why do they use such colours for doors? Just when she was staring at the door, Emily
came to her senses back when the dark black door opened.
A beautiful young lady in her twenties came out. Michael came forward & asked her.
"Excuse me madam, Is this the house of Mrs.David hughes?" The lady narrowed her
eyes in a suspicious manner. She had a point. Why should she trust them?
"Ya, Until recently Mrs.hughes lived here, but not anymore." She replied.
She was about to cry. Michael being courageous placed his hand around her, supported her & took her inside. If I would be at his place, I would have run away by now.
"So Why don't you talk us through what happened here?" Michael asked while giving
her a glass of water which was on the table.
Emily went behind & picked a bottle of whiskey from the cabinet & poured into a glass.
as she was about to take her first sip, she saw Michael was staring at her. She put away
the glass instantly. Michael's eyes narrowed as he often did when analyzing or finding
something.
"My name is Lora williams & I am from Georgia. I was living there with my mother. I
came here when I was just fourteen years old for my future study & work. Mrs.Hughes
were always kind to me, even though..." She stopped as if she said it too much. she
skipped that part & said:
"David commited suicide one day. I don't know why because He had a wife & daughter
and He loved them so much."
Michael & Emily exchanged glances before he asked Lora to excuse him for a second.
He dragged Emily in the other room.
As soon as they entered the other room, Emily asked: "How can our research go wrong? Did David have a daughter that we didn't know about?"
"Yes, but there is something else here. Lora is the daughter that she speaks of I guess."
Emily stared at Michael. How did he find that conclusion?
Seeing confusion on Emily's face, Michael continued explaining: "It makes sense.
- First the amount of sorrow she feels for him,
- Second, how she told about her mother but nothing about her father.
- Third, how she came here at such a young age.
- & the most important point number four is that How she talks about Mrs.Hughes being
so kind to her even though... What is even though here? let me tell you. Even though
her husband had an affair & Lora was the product of it. I can't be more certain."
His arguments were so spot on that Emily was completely speechless. Indeed he was a
brilliant detective. That's why people called him the best. They came back to the room
where Lora was sitting.
"Is everything ok?" Lora asked.
They nodded & she continued her story further.
"Mrs.Hughes & me, we were grieving for.....
"For your father....Yes, go ahead now." Michael completed her sentence. Lora
confirmed that with a yes.
"And after a while, just as she was finally moving on, everything was going back to
normal, .... she commited suicide as well."
Michael straightened up. Emily was furious.
so much killing or dying. She tried not to believe all this stuff that Michael was trying to put in her head.
"It doesn't make any sense." Lara continued. "I think that someone's killing them &
leaving a note. Also the neighbour told the police that she heard some people shouting
just before the death."
"Yes." Michael said thoughtfully. "A note to distract away attention." He jumped from his
seat. A new idea came within him.
"Thank you so much Miss Lora Williams for giving us time. we will meet you soon
again." Michael started to leave.
"My pleasure." she replied.
Just as they were about to leave, She called out.
"But please, If you find the murderer...make them pay for killing my parents."....
"Could she be one of the suspects? She seemed to be showing too much emotion. Was she faking it? I felt something weird there." Emily asked in the car.
"What's the motive you are thinking?" Michael asked with a smile.
"Maybe their money, such a big house & now she can stay here with her own mother."
Emily described her point of view.
"No way..... She was really loving here. She liked them..If she was after their money &
property, she could have just done this a few years back only.. Why would she wait till
this date? And If she was a murderer, she would have run away from here after selling
everything." Arun said while clearing her mind.
"So what should we do now?" Emily asked.
"Just watch it. I have an idea." Michael said with one of his mysterious smiles.
He drove the car away.......
Chapter 10 : The Diary Writer
I came to my house & sat. Memories started filling my mind again. I had to bring out that
red diary again & started writing with my favourite red pen again.
"I am Sophie taylor as you know. I have to write what happened after David's death.
Although It took me weeks to find his house, getting into the house was very simple for
me. The owner was selling it most probably because it reminded her of her late husband a lot. I went there as a potential buyer. I was the first one who took interest in buying that house by the way she treated me.
Early in the morning I arrived outside the house. It was such a big house. Well, I didn't
like the combination of colours at all, but why would I care about that? I wondered why
David chose this house. He could have afford anywhere but by the area & the appearance of the house, It seemed that It was quite costly.
"Hi....I am Catherine Black. I am looking to buy this house." I said while standing outside at the door.
Mrs.Hughes looked extremely messy in her appearance. She looked different. As I saw
her picture in David's phone, She was looking quite young & attractive in the photo. but
in reality she was looking much older probably due to grey hairs & few wrinkles on her
face.
Mrs.Hughes welcomed me inside with a warm smile. There was also a young lady in her twenties present in the house. First I thought of her as a maid, but she was just heading out while saying that she would buy some groceries for the house. She didn't notice me. But I saw her. She must be her daughter I thought. Mrs.Hughes was smiling while showing me the house which made me sure that she was moving on finally from her husband's death.
It was really a beautiful house from inside. Spacious rooms, great shower facility & a
family time room & peace. All that I ever dreamt for. But why was I thinking like that? I
left all those thoughts out of my mind. we finally sat in the living room. Mrs.Hughes
brought two glasses of wine & offered to me.
It was almost three months since David died. I was sure that she didn't see his message
before I deleted it. Otherwise she would have gone to the police by now. But I couldn't
take any chances. & that's why I was here.
It was so easy for me this time. I poured the poison which I brought with me into her
wine glass. I waited for a few minutes. She died just in front of me. I carefully put the
poison bottle in her cabinet to look like she owed it. I took her phone,erased everything
& put it back in her pocket. I wrote a suicide note & was gone in just 10 minutes. It was
short & simple.
I came out on the road walking & I saw that girl was going back towards home. I smiled...
I knew there was only one more perdon left to deal with now…..."
My eyes felt so heavy. I was too tired to write now. So I closed the diary & put it back
under my bed & didn't even realize when I got dozed off this time……..
Chapter 11 : The Clue of A Murder
Today was Sunday. As It was an off day, Emily was just lying on her couch watching TV
& relaxing. She had nothing to do other than that at sunday morning time. She had
plans to stay & chill out at home only for the whole day without anyone's disturbance.
Just as she was thinking about her plans, she was suddenly surprised when the doorbell rang. She waited & didn't open as she wanted to let them go whoever they might. She didn't want to get disturb. However, The doorbell rang multiple times continuously. she had no other option but to open the door now. She was even more surprised to see the person. It was Michael standing out there with his black coat & blank expression as usual. Without saying or asking anything, He just came inside & sat.
Emily was embarrassed. She was wearing a pretty short pant which was revealing her
bare thighs. She had put on a striped sleeveless T-Shirt which was revealing her
cleavage too much. She first ran inside her bedroom & changed to much comfortable
clothes.
She went to the kitchen next & made tea for both of them. She held both mugs in her
hands & came outside. She put them on a table in front & sat on the couch comfortably.
She took a sip from her mug & looked curiously at Michael.
Emily knew she was a coward by nature & she really was nervous right now by seeing
Michael in her house. but everyone becomes nervous when their boss comes to visit
them personally,Isn't it?
Michael sighed- A long sad sigh that gave Emily the insight into what he was thinking.
"This is about Arun,isn't It?" Emily said. His broken face confirmed her suspicions.
It had already been a month since Michael started this investigation & as far as Emily
knew, He didn't find anything yet. He had to believe now that It was a suicide after all.
"I am closing this case." These were his last words yesterday before she left his office.
But then why did he come here today to meet her in her house? What is in his mind
now?
"I just can't help thinking about how I have failed him,Emily. I couldn't get him the justice
that he deserved. Our prime suspects were Jacob,one of his rivals in his business &
Lora. But Jacob was not in the city for 2 days that time, which I have already confirmed
by watching many CCTV footage of our city & that city,too. Lora can't murder her own
parents & she didn't have any motive against Arun."
Michael placed his head into his hands. Tears were rolling down his cheek.
"Why can't I solve this stupid case?" He shifted back again to his original position. He
was thinking hard. Seeing him so much upset, Emily took action.
"Come on Michael, It's not all bad. Let's write down what we already know. You will
figure out the answer soon I think." Emily kept her voice to best to give him motivation as she took out a pen & paper from the desk & gave it to him.
"Thanks." Michael said, wiping out his eyes. He drew a circle & started staring at it
continuously. He must be in his thoughts again. Emily thought He got a new idea by
seeing his enlightened face. He started writing & within a minute the page got almost
full. He again went back in his thoughts.
" I need some rest. Can I sleep in your room for a little while, Emily?" Michael asked as
His head was aching due to continuous thinking.
*Ya sure, Never mind." Emily replied.
Michael stood up, put the paper in his pocket & went in her bedroom for some sleep.
Emily started cleaning the house. After about half an hour, Michael came back & sat on
the couch.
"Are you feeling good now?" Emily asked him.
"Ya, I am better now." Michael pulled out paper from his pocket, Took the pen from the
table & wrote something. Paper seemed to be full now. He put away the pen. He sat
back.
Emily came towards him & took the paper from the table & began to read.
"Case against Emily Roberts for the murder of Arun Roy, Mr.David Hughes &
Mrs.Hughes." Emily stared at Michael.
A shocked expression came on Emily's face.
However, He just pointed to the paper as if advising her to read it further. She started
reading.
"Point 1: Trying to stop me from investigating this case.
Point 2: Knowing where the drinks cabinet was in the Hughes home.
Point 3: Using the same ink pen & gave me the same one too just now which was
used in writing every suicide note.
Point 4: The most important point that I just added now was "The Red Diary."
"What?" She was completely shocked.
Michael pulled out the red diary from the pocket of his coat. He just found it under her
bed in her bedroom. He went there just to check for any proof, not for a sleep. He
opened it. It was full of neat red writing. All her three names were written on the cover,
The real name as well as the other two fake names she used till now.
"Sophie Taylor, Catherine Black & Emily Roberts."
The book was opened on one page..... Arun's Page.
Michael, with a breaking voice, read out loud the tale of his brother's death which was
written by Emily's flowing hand...........
Chapter 12 : The Diary Writer
I was sitting at my home & was looking at my photo in David's phone which I snatched
from him at that time. He took my photo before sending a text to two people.
I was so young back then. Now only one person had left to kill. This had taken months
now. I was lost in memories when suddenly I got a call from Arun. He was waiting for
me downstairs. I quickly put both my & David's mobile in my purse & left.
Michael was a busy man. He was so much work oriented guy. & He never had any time
for others. How to get close to him if he didn't have a social life? Well, but his brother
surely had quite a Life. It was easy for me to get close to him. And through him I could
get to Michael, the last man whom David sent a message to at that time.
But things didn't go as planned for the first time. During the weeks of getting to know
Arun, I started to fall in love with him. Unexpectedly & suddenly, I found that we were engaged. I was quite happy with this engagement. It helped heal my hole that had been created by the death of John, my brother. the hole that had sucked all the emotion out
of me. My heart started to live again. I saw a future with Arun despite the fact that I never thought my life was worth living.
After I got in the car that night, We had so much fun the whole night. It was one of the
most amazing nights for me. We danced, drank, painted walls with spray colours &
drove through the city. It was already 5 am in the morning. We both were tired. So Arun
took me to his home & We slept in his room till late.
At 11 am, I woke up. I was still in a sleepy mood but decided against it & went for a
nice bath. When he woke up, he didn't see me there. What Arun accidently found was a
phone from my purse which was lying flat on his side table. He knew this was not her phone. He curiously opened it & was shocked by seeing the wallpaper. It was Mr.David's photo. He knew him as he saw him with Michael. Why was a dead man's phone doing in her purse? He curiously explored the phone. He found a photo of my young self which made his mind full of doubts. He opened whatsapp.
He was again shocked. Last message was sent by him to Michael, his brother. but the
message was deleted. Below that, the second conversation was with Mrs.Hughes.
Message was sent at the same time to her too & also deleted. After checking his own
phone, he realized that the chat was from the day David died. Arun was expert in the
field. It didn't take him more than five minutes to find the message from backup.
"Sophie Taylor is the killer."
Who was Sophie Taylor? He started exploring my purse & soon found my original identity card that mentioned my real name "Sophie Taylor." He understood everything now. His girlfriend had killed both husband & wife and probably many more people.
Meanwhile, Unaware of this, I came out of the bathroom only to see him standing with a
phone & my cards on the bed. I got it that he knew everything now. All my secret
identities, motives & true character was revealed once & for all. My boyfriend started to walk towards the door. to inform the police about my crimes, About how cruel I was.
He never could have made to that door. I loved Arun, loved him so much, but My secret
identity was something that I could never risk. It linked me to many memories & too many crimes. I grabbed the bedsheet. It was enough for me to stop his breaths.
Arun's suicide was hardest to fake, I kept crying while hanging him & even at the time of writing the suicide note. My teardrops spoiled two suicide notes by spreading the ink & I had to began writing on other new paper again...... ... ....
Chapter 13 : The Final Note
Emily was crying... It was too hard for even Two Police officers who were trying to
console her.
Eric Snowman, The previous assistant of Michael, who turned Detective now just came
inside & saw her crying. He was called by police there.
He started to explore each corner of the house. Planning to question Emily later, He
entered inside the bedroom.
" Michael was hanged by a ceiling fan in the middle of the room."
Nobody brought the body down still as per order by their superiors. Eric insisted that He
wanted to see the crime scene as it was. He nodded now & asked them to bring the body down. One police officer came towards him & handed him a letter which was a suicide note of Michael. It was written in red ink. Eric started reading it.
"To all the Authorities that will going to come here & find me hanging,
I am sorry. The primary affection for my brother that I showed to you these last
few months had been a coward act & I am ashamed of it. Perhaps that was why I
decided that this life is not worth living for me. I have something to admit, in my
final writing & I will start with Arun first.
My brother was a good man. Better than me of course. He had fun, he knew how to party, but more than that He was a people's guy. He understood all emotions, knew how to comfort almost everyone & he was pretty special in that way. His unique personality was a gift to those who knew him, but I misused it. I was
jealous of it. I killed him because I envied him. How could he find such peace in his life, & he even found the hottest girl as a life partner, but I didn't get a single date. It was an accident which turned to his death. But there is no excuse now, no reason to feel less ashamed.
I came to Emily's house today to meet her but seeing her in such short & sexy clothes, I couldn't control myself anymore, wanted to make her mine. When she slapped me & ran away from the house, I realized all the things, How horrible of a person I was till now?
To dear Emily & the police, I hope you all are glad that I have solved the case, I only hope that other people don't follow my footsteps & end up like me with guilt.
Save yourself & wish for me a good afterlife.
Yours, Michael "The perfect detective".
Tears dropped from Eric's eyes. He was a mentor to him. Today who he achieved was
all because of this guy. He loved Michael so much. He couldn't believe it. Michael wasn't the type of guy that commit suicide. But what other option did he have then believing this? It was indeed Michael's handwriting. He came out after wiping his face & asked Emily about where she was at the time of death.
"I was so scared after he came over me & I slapped him that I left my own house in
anger. After spending an hour in a coffee shop near my house, I came back to talk to
him & It was too late. I found him hanging in the bedroom." Emily said while crying loud.
After 2 days, when police closed the case as it was an open & shut case of suicide, Eric
Snowman was still in the dialemma that whether he should have invastigate this case
into detail with angle of murder or just accept that it was a suicide. He knew & had a gut
feeling....Michael can't do this.. There was no way that it's even a possibility.....
At her house Emily felt that she wrapped her case finally now. She picked up & stared
at her red diary for a few minutes. A devil smile appeared on her face. The Diary was
packed into her suitcase & it was also ready to travel with Emily aka Sophie for the
beginning of a whole new life...................
The end.....
Not everybody would be satisfied with the end, but the idea of the story came in my
mind because of the character Emily. The whole story was centered around her
character. There was no other ending I could think of other than this……….
Thank you so much in advance for reading the novel up to this point…. Hope I will see
you again…. Thank you to all the readers..
Based on reviews I will come up with the Next part of Story..So do review to let me know how my work was. Thank you..
