The Libran Investigator (part IV)

I arrived at the Mapleleaf starving, almost eight o'clock at night. I found Beth in the hall. She was just arriving as well.

"Meg! I'm beat! How are you?"

"Good... As far as possible. How was there?"

"The job? It was chaos! We waited for Howard's final word the whole time. We couldn't make any progress... And we had to keep flushing out boring people who wanted an intervie... I mean... Not you, of course."

I agreed with a bad giggle.

"And what are we gonna do next?"

"We are going to Jim's, of course. They wouldn't let me enter today because I was on my working shift. But if our suspicion that something is being hidden is correct, it must be hiding there, because that's where they didn't let anyone in. I think we should go tomorrow. You're not going to work all day tomorrow, are you?"

"Tomorrow I can go by the morning."

"Then as soon as you're awake we arrange via message."

"Ok."

She opened the doorknob of her apartment. I decided to tell her what the secretary told me right there.

"Beth, wanna know what I discovered?"

"What?"

"The SAD thinks the cases are one! McMiller's and Sanford's."

"But it's obvious it's only one. I mean... Unless it was really a running over, but that's impossible."

"I know, but besides that... They mentioned another name. A guy named Cooper."

"Cooper?"

"You guys of the DEA have any idea what this is about? I mean... Besides those two cases? Do you have anything else related to Jim's death?"

"Well... We haven't even been able to start yet... Because of all Silverbay's bureaucracy... But you're right, it's interesting. If we're gonna do this on our own... One of us better check Jim's house and the other... That McMiller's house. How about we both do it at the same time? Tomorrow morning? Each do a piece. The sooner the better so there's no time for them to take any evidence. I mean... If they really are hiding something."

"Sure. Perfect."

I think, as a cop, I'd better go to Jim's house because it looks more dangerous. They aren't closing the scene at Marshmoore, so you could take a look there. But turn that place upside down, Meg. Turn everything over!

"You got it. What about that other name?"

"I'm gonna find this Cooper guy tomorrow when I'm working, because I have the data available. I'm gonna make up a pretext... If they say it's a related case it must be something that happened which's in the files."

"Ok then. We talk to each other tomorrow."

"We do! Bye!"

Now I was feeling like a private detective. Working together with a cop like that. It was an exciting feeling.

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The next day, as agreed, I woke up early and went to Marshmoore to see if I could get a house to rent. Marshmoore was a neighborhood near the center. The house where McMiller's murder happened was in an alley on the second floor of a small building. It actually happened in front of the building, not inside. Of course I didn't really want to rent the house, I was very happy with my nice light red apartment in Mapleleaf, thank you very much.

But I was gonna give this excuse to the landlord to let me in. The landlord of the apartment in front of where Gerald McMiller's murder occurred.

Once I was inside it was nine in the morning. I woke up early, got ready and took the bus to Marshmoore, which took a while. But I'll tell you: Beth woke up even earlier. When I left home her car was no longer there.

"Suit yourself." The landlord recommended, as he stopped by the door. He was a short, almost bald guy with a stylish black mustache. I'm glad he wasn't one of those guys who hanged out with me advertising everything, he'd think it was weird if he saw me moving around the things that caught my attention. And I needed to do that if I really wanted to 'turn everything over' like Beth mentioned.

As expected, everything had been taken away: the furniture, the bed, the appliances... All that was left were the lamps and a little table in the kitchen.

The apartment itself wasn't much, we got in by the livinr room, which was long but narrow. That alone was already kind of weird. There were two entrances other than the kitchen, each giving to a room of smaller size. I think the tenant would decide whether it was a room or a studio, whichever was better. The kitchen was tiled and had a structure for sink, gas and a washing machine. The place had one bathroom and that was it. Nothing was too impressive.

One of the two rooms with a connection to the living room, that room/studio that I said before, had a window that led to the condominium parking lot, which was on the inside of the block. That is, it was not on the street, but inside the condominium. That window caught my attention. And that studio had caught my attention, too. Like there was something strange there.

I wonder why they took the furniture out of there. They'd usually leave some for the tenant, wouldn't they?

"She's all demobilized, isn't she?" I asked vaguely, realizing the owner was nearby.

"Yea... Some things happened, so we had to take them out..."

"What kind of things?"

"Yea... You know... There was a police check... There..." He got lost in the words.

"It doesn't have anything to do with that murder case last week, does it?" I asked with my most genuine trivial interest as a curious girl.

"So you heard about that too, mistress? Yes... It was one of those cases. A suspicious guy ended up staying here. You're not the type to mind that stuff, are you?"

"No, not really... It's the kind of thing that could happen anywhere, right?"

"You're right. But it's true I'm having trouble renting this here now because of it. My God... What a struggle."

"That's why you're gonna make a nice price for me, huh?" I winked. He didn't react.

If only the place were A LOT cheaper than Mapleleaf... I might even think about renting it for real... Although it was far from everything. And the condo was claustrophobic and dark. On second thought, I'd only pick if it was less than half the price. So no... Impossible. He'd never charge that little. Anyway, I was just there to really investigate. And I wasn't even sure what I wanted to investigate.

I noticed a blood stain on the wall. As soon as I got closer to see it, the owner apologized again:

"Belongs to the boy who rented. We couldn't clean at all."

"The suspect?"

"Yea."

"The culprit?"

"Huh?"

"The suspect was considered the culprit, no?"

"That I don't know. I didn't follow the news along, if you know what I mean."

I figured I'd better stop asking that kind of question or he'd realize I wasn't there to rent at all.

It was hard to guess the landlord's nationality, but he seemed like the kind of guy who'd want to take advantage of everything. And he seemed sharp for that kind of thing. The kind of thing that involved money. I don't think he'd want to make it any cheaper for anyone for anything. At most he was just gonna say he was doing it cheaper while charging the same price.

'If this bloodstain is on the window wall, that means...' I thought to myself.

I went to the window and opened it. It took a while to respond. After reaching a certain point the glass vibrated and swayed horizontally. I was afraid it would fall and that I would have to pay another one. I let go of the glass.

"Yea... I was thinking of switching that..." The little man with the black whiskers apologized. He knew it. I wasn't judging him for hiding it, but I was thinking, if he was aware of the window state, it's because that was caused by something. Could it be that on the day of the murder the man charged guilty, the two-foot-tall fugitive who came out in the paper (forgot his name) tried to run away through there?

In between the little space I had managed to open of the window I hung my neck out and looked in the direction of the parking lot. I couldn't help noticing there was a piece of iron thrown in the ground. It wasn't in the corner, leaning against the wall... It wasn't... It was in plain sight. Almost like it was an item to be caught. You know... These computer-game items, they're right in the middle of the scenario.

'That iron...'

"A strange guy was playing with that just now and left it there. It's weird because he's not from around here. He was there until just a while ago. I thought he came to see an apartment too, but..."

Are you implying that in addition to the apartment being claustrophobic, your neighborhood also acts suspiciously? Now that I'm not leaving Mapleleaf, sir. Not even for half the price!

"A strange guy? What do you mean with 'a strange guy?" I asked.

"Yea... I've never seen him around. He was pretty fat. Really fat! And he was kind of weird, you know... Because of the weight... Then he was playing with that iron in his hand. I think he must've some kind of mental problem, I don't know. He just came inside like that... I don't know how he got through the gatehouse..."

'Jabes...?'

But what would Jabes be doing there?

I went down to the parking lot and he was actually there. He told me about the little tool. I'm not transcribng what happened on my encounter with Jabes. I'm afraid of Jabes. He's too strange. I hate to say this about anyone, but he does have something about him that makes me uncomfortable. I feel like he has some negative energy coming from him.

But I'll tell you what, I found a clue. Actually, Jabes's the one who found it. And when it was lunchtime I went straight to Beth's to tell her the result of my adventure.

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Beth was making pancakes, with bacon and sausage.

"Are you going all in and enjoy lunch here as well?"

"If it's not too much... I think I'll grab abite, Beth. May I? It's gonna take me so long to make something for myself now... And it's already kind of late..."

"It's no trouble at all! Make yourself at home!"

Once During lunch I started:

"Do you know who I found in the apartment of the suspect in McMiller's death? Jabes!"

"Jabes?"

"Him! Your coworker! He was there. What was he doing there?"

"I don't know...? I didn't even know he had left the post!"

"Ah..."

"Surely he must've been doing the same as you." Beth seemed unconcerned as she ate her stuffed pancake almost voraciously. At least she looked a lot better today than she did yesterday.

"...As us," I corrected, "Do you think the other members of your team are going to try and find something on their own as well?"

"You bet your ass they are! The DEA won't give up. Not 'that' people. You know Dan? He said he was gonna try to arrange a visit with the one who was found guilty of the first crime... The tenant of the apartment you were. He happens to have a name: Jeffrey Sprohic."

"Jeffrey Sprohic... Dan's getting a visit? What's he gonna ask? He was considered guilty that day, but now that the second crime has happened, what's gonna happen to him?"

"Dan is gonna 'try' an interview..." She stressed, "I don't know if he's really going to make it. We'll have to wait to answer those questions."

Beth must have thought I looked like a child. Getting overly excited like that about any little thing. But it was my first time as a detective.

But I had one thing to be excited about: Jabes' lead!

"You know what me and Jabes found?"

"What?"

"Guess! ♥"

"I won't be able to guess, Meg! What is it?" She put another pancake on her plate.

"A clue!! You know how the report was that they found blood belonging to Jeffrey Sprohic in the apartment window, which sealed the case, right? And in fact, I found blood when I went to check the apartment."

"Ah, yeah?"

"In the parking lot of the same condo, there was a small piece of iron that could be used as a crowbar or something. It could've opened the window from the outside."

"A crowbar...?"

"And there was blood on it too."

"Where was it?"

"In the parking lot I said! The window that Jeffrey Sprohic jumped out to escape the police... It lead to the parking lot. But there was also this iron. And it was down there."

"That's weird..."

"Isn't it? And he wouldn't have had to use a crowbar to open his own window from inside."

"What'd you do with the iron?"

"Err... Jabes took it. Actually, Jabes was the one who found it. He said he was gonna take it to Forensics to examine the blood."

"Jabes? So this means... You guys are working together now?"

"Wow! No! It's just that I don't have any contacts to send for analysis... I mean, I have you, but... Taking it to you would be the same as delivering it to Jabes because you both work in the same place, you know..."

"You did good. You didn't tell him I was also investigating on my own, did you?"

"No... I pretended it was just me. That's why I gave it to him. If I'd kept it withme, he'd think someone else was on it..."

"Great! If everyone finds out I'm investigating on my own, there's gonna be a stir at work. Anyway..." She finished her pancake and got another two: one salty and one sweet. She was really exaggerating, "we're gonna have to be on the lookout for this lead. What about Jabes? Did he say anything to you?"

He just went there to investigate the apartment at the same time as me. A coincidence - And unfortunate... - As expected he told me to stay away because it was too dangerous.

It's the same he'd say to Beth.

"And it is, Meg. If we're caught up with a serial killer... Those kind of people don't like very much that people find out their identity, you know..."

"I know, but..."

"Anyway," Beth suddenly finished eating, so much food was still on the plate yet she pushed it forward, which I'd never do. I hate leaving food on the plate. "And you know what I found out?"

"What?"

"A fantastic 'nothing!' There was nothing interesting about Jim's house. I even felt bad 'poking around' in his stuff like that. If there was anything important to be considered... It must've taken it all to forensics. There's nothing left there now."

"And did it give the impression they took something important from there?"

"Surprisingly no, Meg...? There was nothing to indicate that something was dragged or obviously taken out of place. I'm an investigator, so I'd get these things... But I don't think they must have found anything worthy either."

"They shouldn't... It was Jim, after all. If we're dealing with a maniac, there's no reason why he... I mean... They do pick their victims at random, don't they?"

"Yeah... You're probably right..."

Beth stood silent for a moment, and then recounted her findings:

"But even though I didn't find anything there, I hear there's something weird going on... And I think it's related. I mean... It has to be related!"

"Really? What?"

Beth stared me with a teasing expression, given my exaggerated enthusiasm.

"Well... You're gonna find it as weird as I do... You know Dan? The one who works with me?"

I nodded afirmatively and categorically.

"He said there are rumors that there's a werewolf attacking the city."

It was so sudden I laughed and spit pancake on the table... And on Beth.

"My God! Wow, Beth! I'm sorry!"

"It's okay... Let me get a cloth. No. You don't have to get up, I got this." She got up and went to the sink.

It wasn't exactly my brightest moment, but it had taken me so by surprise. I was expecting something serious... I didn't know what to say.

"Anyway... You heard that right," she shrugged, "that's what Dan said: a werewolf. Of course, he was also naturally skeptical about it. But it matches the account of four people already. Two say they were attacked by a werewolf on Monday and Tuesday nights respectively and the other two, though not attacked, are theoretically eyewitnesses..."

"And do you think... You know... That bite..."

I didn't want to bring the scene we saw yesterday to the table, but it was inevitable.

"That's why I say... Whatever's going on... It has to be related."

I sorta lost my hunger after I mentioned the bite...

"But then we have to investigate that too! Who's in charge of this werewolf case? It's not you, is it? There are no drugs involved... Or are there?"

" 'Who's in charge of the case' you say? Guess."

"The SAD..." She didn't even need to say.

Were they trying to get in charge of all the cases related to Jim's death precisely because they wanted to hide something they knew about? If they wanted to do something on the sly, by now they were making the whole thing very explicit.

Beth got up, so I went after her.

"You can have some more, Meg. You eat too little."

"I... Am fine, thanks."

"I have to go back to the DEA. Since I was out all morning I'll make up for it with an extra hour at lunchtime."

"Don't say... I'm going too. But then...? What's our next step?"

"Our next step... is waiting for the analysis, right? It's the only lead we got, so let's focus on that. As for the werewolf case, we'll have to leave it until later, when they've progressed on it. It would be bad to keep pressuring the same department about two cases that are technically different."

"You're right."

"I put on my beige coat I had left on top of the chair when I entered Beth's warm apartment."

"Shouldn't we try to contact the culprit of the first crime as well? Jeffrey Sprohic?"

"Why?"

"I mean... If the serial killer is still acting, then he's been arrested wrongfully, right?"

"To a certain extent. He's the one who stole the jewels, that's unquestionable, so he's not a good guy. I think we'll leave that to Dan. It'd be weird if every DEA agent showed up there asking a bunch of questions and they all went more or less on the same line."

"Yeah. You're right."

"Let's wait and gather information. After that we'll conclude something."

"Okay. Well... I'll be going too, then."

"See you soon, Meg. I'm gonna go to my room and get ready; when you leave pull the door over."

"Ok. Thanks for the bite."

I went out and walked about five feet to my house: the apartment next door.

I was tired. Tired on one hand, but agitated on the other. Agitated in the sense that I wanted to know the truth right away. The truth about the blood on the piece of iron. The truth about Jeffrey Sprohic. The truth about the werewolf case. The truth about Jim's death.

Was the werewolf the way the serial killer who caused both deaths dressed, and was he a madman who believed he was a wolf and bit people? How horrible...

Or were these rumors invented by the SAD itself because they want to cover up something they know about Jim and don't want to reveal? They've been acting very suspiciously since the beginning. At least since the jewelry robbery last week.

With the whole thing on my mind, I went to my room and for a moment or two - or three - I laid in bed. I tried a mixture of resting and calming my head.

Then I remembered I still had to work that afternoon, too.