Suspect Number One

Wednesday, the 4th of May.

01:02pm

“Tia!” Aiden called out excitedly as he was stepping into the office, frantically waving something in the air. Tia lifted her head up from all the paper works on her desk and turned in her seat to see him coming towards her and waving a brown envelope in his hand. She smiled a little, glad for the distraction and little break, reclining in her seat and watching him.

“You have good news? Because that is your look of ‘I have good news Tia’, so please tell me you have something.”

Aiden beamed and grabbed a chair, wheeling it closer to Tia, he looked at her straight in the eye and said. “I have good news.”

“Good!” Tia exhaled. “Now, lay it on me, what is the good news?”

Aiden slapped the brown envelope on her desk. “This!”

Tia quickly grabbed the envelope and tore it open, studying the paper in it. It was a DNA test result and what she read in it also excited her. She smiled widely at Aiden. “Really?!”

“Stacey Rohn, twenty nine year old, white female. Her DNA sample was found around the crime scene of Pamela Neil. Looks like we may have a lead after all.”

“Oh this is a break through Aiden!” Tia squealed excitedly.

“Well… we may not want to rule her out yet. She is not a criminal until she…”

“...until she is proven guilty by the court of law.” Tia finished his sentence for him. “Yeah, yeah, I know all that Aiden, but still, she is our first suspect because her DNA was found at the crime scene.”

“But it is strange though.” Aiden spoke, stroking his chin like he was in deep thoughts.

Tia leaned in closer. “What is strange?”

“Her DNA samples were found in the crime scene alright, a few strands of hair, but they were mostly everywhere.”

“Every where? How do you mean?” Tia asked, getting lost in Aiden’s confusion.

“You know… every where, like it was sprinkled and there was no other DNA samples found on the victim’s body.”

“We got ourselves a suspect Aiden.” Tia said, patting his arm. “Let us go do what is required.”

01:30pm

Skyline travelling agency’s building was the fanciest on this street and it was the most prominent as it stood out from the others with its glass walls and windows that lined the whole front of the building from top to bottom, and the complexity of the magnificent structure was hard to ignore when walking by. But it was not the complex structure that gave Skyline its popularity, it was the hand holding the reins, the one known as Grand father, Mr. Colin Hunt.

Every one knew of Skyline and of the businesses they carried out, so locating Stacey Rohn’s work place was easy and quite a shocker as well, that their very first murder suspect would be associated with Skyline. Tia and Aiden had driven in Aiden’s car in order not to raise any unnecessary attentions because this was still an investigation and they needed to remain off the radar of the killer if they were to get him, or in any case, if they were to get her. They stepped down from the car and walked into the building.

Inside the building, the ground floor was very spacious and almost half of the space was left open. On one side, where the walls had been replaced with glass only transparent from the inside and a mirror from the outside, were seats with tables. Tia figured that that must be the waiting area. The space between that and the receptionist desk was wide enough to keep a distance between who ever was waiting and the receptionist and just behind the receptionist area was another storey with a stair case connecting the ground floor to that. The interior design of the building was just as spectacular as the outside.

Tia and Aiden walked up to the receptionist who was busy on the phone and politely signaled for them to give her one minute. Tia smiled and they waited for her to be done with the call.

“Hello.” She greeted. “Sorry for keeping you waiting. How may I help you?”

“Yes, I am looking for a Stacey Rohn?” Tia said calmly.

The girl raised a questioning eye brow at them. “Miss Stacey Rohn?”

Tia nodded.

“May I know why you are looking for her. We do not just give away information concerning any of our staff without necessity.”

“Yes, of course.” Tia replied and pulled out her detective shield badge, holding it up against the receptionist’s face. “Tia Sparrow, NYPD detective.”

The receptionist mouthed an “ohh” and briefly glanced over at Aiden, who stood watchfully behind Tia, both hands on his hips, looking around the place like he was looking for someone.

Tia watched the girl pick up the phone and punch in a few numbers, bringing it to her ear and listen to it ring for a short while before the call was connected.

“Miss Stacey? There are two detectives at the front desk wanting to see you.” She said and listened before nodding. “Yes ma’am.” Then she dropped the phone and faced Tia. “Miss Stacey would be down in a minute, please have your seats.”

“Thank you.” Tia said and both she and Aiden walked away from the desk to sit in one of the many seats which lined the glass walls on one side.

Aiden, by nature, took careful notice of every one that passed by him and every one that walked in and out of this space without making it obvious that he was doing so. Tia noticed that and thought that he was maybe uncomfortable, she reached out a hand and grabbed his. Aiden turned to face her.

“Relax.” she told him and smiled.

“I can not help it.” He chuckled. “It is in my nature to take note of every thing surrounding me, it is just the life of a detective.”

“You say it like I am not a detective myself.” She smirked at him and he laughed lightly and looked away.

“I am calm Tia. I will remain calm.”

*  *  *  *  *

01:40pm

Stacey was not down in a minute, seven full minutes had passed before Tia and Aiden spotted her stepping out of the elevator, dressed in a straight black skirt which grabbed her tightly by the hips and waist, and a light blue shirt was loosely tucked into that. She looked a little bit worn out and her hair was, Tia could guess, not as smooth as it had been in the morning when she had come to work. She did look tired.

“Sorry for keeping you waiting for so long officers.” She apologized as she got to them. Tia and Aiden both stood up, putting on their best serious detective faces.

“Miss Stacey Rohn?” Aiden called and Stacey faced him with a half smile.

“Yes, that is me. Any thing the problem officers?”

“Do you mind coming with us to the station? We just have a few questions to ask you.” Aiden said.

“A few questions? I have to come to the station for just a few questions. Is it any thing  serious?”

“It is not something we can discuss openly.”

“Then come to my office, I…”

“Miss Stacey Rohn.” Tia called in a domineering voice but without raising her voice to attract unwanted attention. “Please, we could also use force but we much rather prefer not to.”

Stacey paused and looked at Tia, then she breathed in. “Alright officers. Let me just call in that I would be stepping out for a while. Can I?”

“That is allowed.” Aiden replied her and she excused her self from their midst, walking up to the receptionist’s table.

There was a sudden change in the atmosphere and most of the people who had casually been walking freely down stairs began hurrying in their steps and they began talking and whispering in hush tones and Tia could notice that the ladies were busy adjusting their outfits and hair. She turned to Aiden who looked just as surprised as she did.

“Is he really coming down here?” She heard one of the ladies say and was prompted to ask her who was coming down stairs that would make every one be on alert and make the ladies blush too, but before she could, the elevator door went ‘ding’ and the atmosphere chilled once more.

Tia watched as a man, dressed in a dark blue suit stepped out of the elevator alone, wearing a nose mask and looking as serious as any one ever could. She took notice of his sharp features and calculated steps, one hand shoved into his pocket and the other, dangling by his side. He kept his gaze low and his attention straight ahead towards the exit door. As he walked by them, going for the exit, Tia caught a powerful whiff of his cologne. She could not help but admire the man and his responsible bad boy looks.

“Who is that?” She did not realize that she had said that out loud until a lady beside her replied her question.

“That is Chester Hunt. The one who just returned today after a long time of staying away. Is he not the dreamiest?” The lady blushed.

Tia looked at the girl acting like a cartoon and nodded slowly, then without answering her, she looked to Aiden and Stacey who had just walked up to them. “Shall we?”

*  *  *  *  *

02:18pm

“How well can you say that you know Miss Pamela Neil?” The officer asked Stacey again and she sighed exasperatedly. They had been here for almost half an hour now and the questions they had been asking her were just repeated questions they had been asking her since she had sat in this chair. They had been going back and forth with the questions and the answers and Stacey was already growing tired of it.

“For the one hundredth time, Pam is my work colleague, we do not exactly work in the same place but I have met her a couple of times.” She answered, trying to remain calm.

“You do not work in the same place but she is your work colleague?”

“Yes. She works at the hotel and I work where ever grand father goes, mostly at the travel agency.”

“Grand father who?”

Stacey sighed. “Mr. Colin Hunt, chairman of Skyline groups. Have you not heard of him?”

“Whether we have heard of him or not or who the hell he is means nothing in here. You will answer what ever questions we ask you.”

“And I have been doing so for almost half an hour now! What is it?! tell me exactly what it is?”

Tia walked up to the officer interrogating Stacey and placed a hand on his shoulder, nodding at him and telling him to go, which he did reluctantly then she sat in the chair across from Stacey, placing both her hands on the table between them.

“When was the last time you went to South Cove Park?” Tia asked her calmly.

“I hardly ever have the time to go to parks. I rarely do, why?”

“Miss Pamela’s body was recently found, half buried in a secluded area of South Cove Park.” She said.

Stacey eyes widened and she brought a hand up, placing it over her open mouth. “What?!”

“And a sample of your DNA was found around the crime scene.”

“What?!” Stacey was alarmed. “But… but how is that even possible? I have not been to that park… or any other parks in like… years?”

“Your location as at the time she must have been killed tallies with what you told us and so does your proof, but we still can not rule you out as a suspect.” She told her.

“A suspect?! but I did not…” Stacey started to protest but Tia cut her off.

“We will let you go now, but until we conclude with the investigations, you can not leave the city. We will be watching you closely Miss Stacey.”