Sixty One

CHAPTER 61

New York City police station.

Now Nicholas sat in his room with Noel. The two young detectives are like the envelope and the glue that cannot be separated these days. Plus, their age difference of only two years makes them quite balanced in communication. Nicholas is a leader who is able to help everyone, while Noel is an obedient and loyal partner. He is a loyal dog to a generous and warm-hearted owner. They were like a complete pair when it came to work.

But the two of them in Nicholas's office that afternoon were not there to chat between men. Rather, it was to investigate the murders that had occurred over the past week.

"So what did you find out?" Nicholas leaned his back against the chair. While Noel began to take out his journal from his pants pocket. Noel was busy going through the personal notes he had written on the sheets of paper. "I heard you guys have already checked the theater."

Noel nodded quickly. "But we didn't find anything suspicious there, Detective. We checked the main door, the main stage, and all the rooms. Even in the victim's locker, we only found a change of clothes and a black jacket. She didn't bring anything that could be used as a motive or alibi."

Nicholas furrowed his brow. "Does that jacket belong to her? Did you confirm it?"

"Yes. The witness named Pete said that the victim did wear the jacket when she came to the theater center that day. The jacket we found in the victim's locker was also confirmed by Pete, he said it with confidence," Noel replied. He then turned the page of his journal. With so many things to remember, Noel decided to just read his notes in front of Nicholas. "Meanwhile, the building owner himself didn't really know the victim because he lived in Japan and only got information about the event from the building manager. I think it's too far to link the victim's relationship with the building owner since he hasn't been back to New York for a long time."

The detective with light brown eyes rubbed his chin. He looked thoughtful, before throwing another question at Noel. "What about the stocking? Did you find it? I think the missing victim's stocking could be the piece that completes our curiosity."

But again Nicholas had to swallow his disappointment. "I don't think there's anything there, other than its proximity to the murder scene." Noel shook his head in despair. "Other than that, there's nothing we can find."

And in that instant, Alicia's words flashed through Nicholas' brain. "Did you check the hospital?"

But Noel lowered his head. He stared at the floor beneath his feet with a worried look.

"What's wrong, Noel? Did you find anything there?" asked Nicholas again, making sure.

But afterward, Noel only looked up and gave his superior a bad-feeling look. "We found no history of her activities there. Even the hospital confirmed that they never had a nurse named Natalie Heele." Noel scratched the nape of his neck awkwardly. "It looks like the victim lied about her job to the people around her."

Noel's guess just now might be right, but it could also be wrong. This case really was more complicated than Nicholas had previously thought.

He finally took a deep breath and decided, "Alright, you can go back. I will check the victim's relatives more deeply and look at the murder scene once more," Nicholas said. "I don't want to miss a single speck of the trail the perpetrator left for me."

"Yes, detective." Then Noel walked away from the young detective's room.

Next Nicholas began to think about where he should start. But again his mind was stuck. And it was Alicia's name that kept bothering him.

Then as if the goddess of fortuna was on his side, the tall man's cell phone suddenly rang. And when he checked the call, Alicia's name was there.

"Hello, Alicia?"

"Yes... I was just about to go to that place again to double check. Y-you what?!" Nicholas widened his eyeballs in disbelief as he listened to Alicia. "Really?"

"Oh, yes, yes. I'll meet you there. Bye."

***

"Alicia," greeted Nicholas.

Nicholas had just arrived near the Town Square building, in a small alley that was determined to be the crime scene of a premeditated murder a few days ago.

Alicia, meanwhile, was already standing there in a denim jumpsuit and black inner. She turned around when she heard Nicholas calling her name.

"I'm glad you want to help me," Nicholas said. He tried to say it as calmly as possible so that Alicia wouldn't know how Nicholas was feeling.

"Well... I'm honestly only going to help until you get some solid evidence," Alicia explained. "After that, I'll stop and you take care of the rest. I'm doing all this to check whether this case is related to Amanda or not, you know, she... disappeared."

Nicholas snorted with amusement. "Interesting offer."

Then the two of them entered a small alley that was protected by a police line at the front. Their eyes immediately flashed to observe the surroundings. Although in the end there was nothing unusual there.

Then Alicia lowered her gaze, observing the asphalt beneath her feet. "I think the perpetrator dragged his victim into the alley." As soon as Nicholas turned his head, Alicia immediately pointed out the streaks of asphalt that seemed to leave someone's shoe prints there. "They met from outside the alley."

"Maybe the victim was followed from outside the theater," Nicholas guessed. "Or... maybe the culprit was an audience member inside the theater itself."

Alicia looked at Nicholas seriously now. "Maybe you're right. Want to check the surveillance cameras now?"

After nodding in agreement, the two of them walked out of the small alley to enter the theater. And they were both greeted by a stocky man dressed in all black who suddenly stopped them in their tracks. "You can't go in. The show doesn't start until six," he informed them. By any estimation, the man was probably between forty and fifty years old. "I'll take you out."