Chapter 33: Homeless Donnie Simons

I woke up early in the morning. Opening my eyes, I felt around for my phone and pressed it to check the time. The screen displayed 6:46.

Getting out of bed, I headed towards the bathroom and noticed Samuel lying on the couch. He had fallen asleep recently, maybe just ten minutes ago, judging by his sleeping position.

I walked past him as quietly as possible and went to take a shower and brush my teeth. When I returned, I saw that Samuel had woken up.

"Good morning," I said.

He looked at me and greeted me in return.

"Yes, good morning," he replied.

"It's still too early to go out for breakfast, but I can offer you some coffee for now," I said.

"I won't say no to that," he said.

While I was making coffee, I asked him, "Did you find anything overnight?"

"I didn't find anything new, mostly just contemplating theories," he said.

"Which one of them is closest to being plausible?" I asked.

"Closer to reality seems to be the theory with Riley from the occult club," he said. "His theory with the necklace and ritual he performs fits our case too well."

"Your people are still following him, right?" I asked.

"Yes, but only through an AI that tracks his movements. We don't have access to any other means yet because we don't have an order for it," he replied.

"Do you have any leads on his accomplice?" I inquired.

"Since you don't know the details yet, I'll inform you first," he said, unlocking his tablet. "From the recordings of the cameras, we were able to learn that Sheppard indirectly killed Riley's wife."

"We also found out that he is the one who attends the Protestant church. Most likely, the death of his wife became a catalyst for him," Samuel continued.

"What about the accomplice?" I asked.

"I think it's still just one person. And most likely, it's Sheppard," he said.

"Why? We thought he had an assistant in every city based on the way the murders were committed," I said.

"Yes, I thought so too at first. But the data obtained from the AI indicates that Sheppard, like Riley, traveled to these cities and stayed there for several months, coinciding with the period of the murders in those places," he explained.

"Yes, it's becoming more believable. Especially since one time is a coincidence, two times is a pattern, three times is a law. They are acquainted with each other. They went to the same cities. Sheppard spent time in those cities. We just need to find the fourth factor that would give us the opportunity to obtain an order for him," I said.

"If it weren't for the time spent in the city, I could have been skeptical about this theory. As you said, we just need to find that fourth factor," Samuel said.

"Therefore, you're counting on a homeless person who rents a drone to find them?" I asked.

"Yes, he should lead us to one of them. The main thing is to obtain a certificate. With it, we can legally monitor both of them," Samuel summarized.

After that, I asked about other theories they had thought out the night before. As we discussed the reality of other theories based on our experience and indirect evidence, the time for restaurants to open arrived. Samuel and I gathered and headed to the nearest diner for breakfast.

While waiting for the food to be prepared, I decided to call Rose's son, Jack, again. I left the establishment and called him. After half a minute of the call, he finally answered.

"Hello," I heard a sad voice on the other end of the line.

"Hello, my name is James. My father is a friend of your mother, Rose. I'm calling to ask how Rose is and if it's possible to visit her?" I asked him.

Jack was silent, or maybe the phone lost signal, so I repeated everything again, and I got a response.

"Mom... She fell into a coma yesterday. I... doubt you can visit her. Even me... they don't let me see her," I heard not only sadness but even crying in his voice.

I couldn't find the words and thought of what to say to him, how to support him. For me, Rose was like an aunt. I used to visit her every evening at the restaurant for dinner. My father and I shared a large steak. And afterward, we lied to our mother about where we were.

The memories that flooded me influenced my words.

"I believe your mother will recover. Many people in our city only have positive feelings for her. I, like many who know her, will pray for her recovery," I said.

I stood there talking with him for some time until Samuel came out of the diner and called me to eat. By the time I approached the table, the food was already laid out. It was a typical breakfast for this town, even for the whole country.

As I ate, I couldn't get the conversation with Jack out of my head. I felt that the changes that were happening affected not only me but also everything around me. The Rose restaurant was a place where I used to have dinner with my father, and as I grew up, I celebrated my successes there.

I tried to eat breakfast quickly, but it felt like I was forcing it down. With determination, I managed to finish eating, and together with Samuel, we set off to find the homeless man we were looking for.

The homeless man we were looking for was named Donnie Simons. Through the cameras and with the help of Samuel's colleagues, we managed to find him after 10 minutes of searching. He was in a place where dealers usually hang out.

We arrived at the location and started looking for him among the scattered people on the street. About 7-8 people were lying next to each other. Perhaps they were under the influence of substances, so we approached them carefully.

Since I didn't know Donnie's face, I asked Samuel to show me his photo from the cameras. Samuel opened his notebook and showed me a sketch. I underestimated his drawing skills. Thanks to his sketch, we found Donnie literally in seconds. He was lying between two not very tidy or, correctly speaking, dirty people because of their clothing.

I put on gloves and lifted him. He started to wake up as soon as I put him on his feet. He tried to run away, but my grip only allowed him to jerk, and I brought him back to us.

"Don't run away. We just want to talk to you," I said.

"Yes, if you answer our questions, we will even pay you," Samuel said. I looked at him questioningly.

The homeless man, or rather Donnie, quickly understood that he could earn some money, so he calmed down and asked, "Yes, how can I help you?"