Twisted Cases

Thursday, the 5th of May.

08:31am

“And here are the autopsy reports on Miss Pamela Neil.” Aiden announced, setting the file on the desk and pulling a chair closer as he did so.

Tia looked a bit worn out, she and Aiden had come to the office a little earlier than normal because they wanted to dive fully into this investigation. Neither of them ever liked to have their cases turn cold, but the two cups of coffee on the desk in front of Tia had already turned cold. She wrapped a hand around the cup and when she did not feel the heat any more, she shifted the cup to the far corner of the desk.

She yawned.

“Tired already?” Aiden asked out of concern. Tia looked at him and smiled, shaking her head slowly while picking up the file. “When last did you have a decent sleep?” He asked again.

“The same year I became a detective.” She replied and they both chuckled. “Now, let us see what we have got here.”

“So we know she had a very deep cut in her neck which severed the jugular vein.” Aiden explained, pointing to a picture of the victim where the cut in her vein was very visible. “Plus there was no sign of struggle, no red lines on her wrists or ankle to show that she had been tied up prior to her death and she was not taped on her mouth either.”

“Victim’s probable cause of death; bleeding out and brain damage.” Tia read out from the file. “She died from the cut on her neck.”

“According to autopsy, yes. But there is something else, look.” He trailed a finger on the page down to where it was stated: HEAVY DOSES OF STRYCHNINE POISONING FOUND IN VICTIM’S STOMACH CONTENT.

“She was poisoned.”

“And that was before the cut on her neck, looks like it is a paralyzing drug and very lethal too.” Aiden added.

“Looks like we have to find out more about this strychnine drug.” Tia said and pushed the file to the side, tapping away on the computer system on her desk.

Aiden picked up the file and stroked his chin as he thought out loud. “But why cut the vein if there was already a lethal poison in her system?”

“Ah ha! Got it, strychnine.” She leaned in closer to the computer’s screen. “This is very lethal, very toxic to humans and can even be absorbed into the body through every means.”

“Every means?” He put down the file and shifted closer to the computer.

“Yes, it is a white, odourless and bitter powder so it can be absorbed through inhaling, swallowing or through the eyes or mouth. Actually paralyses the muscles and nerves while the victim will be painfully aware of everything.”

“Okay, I do not like this killer, he is just too…”

“Mr. Shaw?” Aiden was cut off by a young lab technician who had just poked his head into the office and had called his name. He turned in the seat and looked at the young man.

“Yes?”

He stepped into the office, stretching a piece of printed paper over to Aiden. “Mr. Williams said to hand this over to you. It is more DNA report on the victim and the crime scene.”

“Ah yes.” Aiden collected the paper. “Thank you.”

While Tia tried to learn more about the strychnine drug, Aiden went through the information in the paper in his hands. His expression changed immediately and his brows came together tightly in a frown, he narrowed his eyes at what he was reading. This should not be, but it is. Or is it really?

“Tia?” He called for her attention and she turned away from the computer screen to face Aiden. He handed her the piece of paper. “This just came in from the lab.”

Tia collected the paper and went through it, a frown also came upon her face. “Another DNA sample?”

“Check whom it belonged to.” Aiden told her.

Tia checked. “Clarissa Jan.” She looked up to Aiden with a questioning look. “But is that not…?”

“The victim murder case that Detective Bernard and Peter had been working on. Miss Clarissa Jan.” He finished her sentence.

“But then how could her DNA sample have ended up in a recent murder?”

Miss Clarissa Jan had been a thirty year old white female who had gone missing for weeks prior to when they had found her body on the twenty first of March, on a Monday evening, at around 05:31 pm. The incident had been reported through a 911 call placed by Mr. Robert Lance who had been fishing in the Hudson river when he had fished out the body. That had been two months back and the case had grown cold because there had been no lead or anything which they could use to follow up on the investigation, and now, it had resurfaced again in a murder two months after. This just did not add up as it did not make any sense.

“Same killer?” Aiden suggested.

“Possible.” Tia agreed. “Very possible. But the question now is why?”

If it was the same person who had killed Clarissa and had also killed Pamela, why plant a DNA sample of the last victim in the crime scene of the recent one? A signature mark maybe?

“I think this case just got a little more complicated.” Aiden said and sighed, reclining back on the chair.

Tia chuckled. “Only a little?”

“Yeah okay, a whole lot.”

“We will need to find a connection between the two victims somehow, maybe then that could help us in solving at least some confusing parts of this case. And if it is the same killer, makes it all the more interesting.” Tia suggested.

“I like the way you think.” Aiden agreed. “I will get the Clarissa Jan’s reports from Detective Bernard.”

“Looks like we will now have to solve an old case.”

Aiden chuckled and stood. “The interesting life of a detective.”

*  *  *  *  *

12:30am

The Rain coffee shop not only provided their customers with the best coffee and the tastiest of snacks, but also a lovely view of the street and the serenity of the environment. It was an ideal place for a date, a casual business meeting, a small birthday celebration or a quiet place to relax and let out your thoughts, which was one of the many reasons why Tia loved to come here occasionally.

She sat in a booth by the corner opposite Aiden with a lovely view of the busy street through the glass walls that lined the entire left side of the shop to the double doors. There were comfortable spaces between each booth and the other tables, giving each one a little bit of privacy, leaving the open tables around the centre. This was her favourite spot in the coffee shop because from here she could see clearly the busy intersection, it helped to keep her senses at alert but right now, she really did not need her senses to be at an alert, she needed her brain to be clear but still busy, she needed her thoughts arranged and she needed her frustration gone.

“Still thinking about it?” Aiden asked, taking a sip of his still hot coffee.

“How can I not keep thinking about it? Are you not? This is even more complicated than any case I have worked on before.” She complained.

“I also can not stop thinking about it, this sudden twist in the case could change the course of our investigation.”

She sighed tiredly. “Hopefully this twist stirs us in the right direction and not into another endless circle. What if Pamela’s case ends up just as Clarissa’s had did?”

“In Clarissa’s case, they did not have a lead suspect. In Pamela’s case, we do.” Aiden pointed out.

Tia’s eye brow came up questioningly. “Stacey Rohn?”

“Exactly.”

She sighed again and brought her cup up to her lips, drinking a little and setting it down. “I am not convinced that she is the one. It seems all too easy. And I am not used to ‘all too easy’.”

Aiden chuckled. “I also have the same feeling about her but what can we do? Following the law involves us keeping her as a potential suspect, her DNA sample was after all found at the crime scene and we can not just ignore that.”

“Yes, I know that.” Tia replied, holding the warm cup between her palms and rolling it in between.

“Well I have to go now, have to go home to wifey.” He winked at Tia who chuckled lightly. Looking at the time on his wrist watch, he asked. “How long have we been here?”

Tia shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know, an hour I guess?”

“Only an hour? Sure? Because the time says it is seven minutes past two.”

“Give or take, one hour.” She replied.

“I will settle the check.” Aiden told her while standing up, ready to leave.

She looked up at him with tired eyes and nodded. “Alright, thank you.”

“You take care of your self now Tia, and do not over work yourself.” He placed a hand over hers and smiled reassuringly at her. “We got this.”

“We got this.” She repeated but without much conviction. “Take care Aiden.”

She watched him through the window, after he had gone out of the shop, he stood by the side walk and hailed for a taxi, it did not take long before he got one, disappearing into the back seat before the taxi took off. She sighed and kept on staring outside, Aiden said not to think too much but some times she could not control the way her brain works, and now was one of those sometimes. She needed something to distract her, something to take her mind off things for a while. She decided to call her mother, she picked on the third ring.

“Hey mum.”

“Tia darling, surprised that you would call me by this time of the day. Are you okay dear?”

The shop was almost empty of customers by this time of the day, usually because most of them were at work and maybe because no body liked to drink hot coffee in the afternoon so the work was minimal and the staffs had resorted to casual chatter, but Chester was occupied. He stood behind the counter, arms crossed over his chest and his attention keenly on the lady in the booth by the far corner, totally immersed by the uninteresting scenery outside. She looked disturbed and tired and worn out and he could not help but be curious as to what might be making her feel so. Although he could not hear what she was saying, he heard her sigh loudly and place her head on the table while she talked to some one on her phone on the other end of the call.

Tia sighed and placed her head on the table. “I am okay mum, just needed a little distraction from work.”

“You sound stressed.”

“I am stressed mum, this case I am working on has got me worked up seriously. It is confusing.” Tia said, drawing invisible circles on the table.

“You are still the best at what you do love, just give it time, did you not start working on this same case just this past Monday?”

“Yes… but…”

“Shush now. Good things take time.”

Tia chuckled and nodded. “Okay mum, is Zara home yet?”

“Hmm… no, not yet. But soon. Will you be coming home today?”

“Yes mum, I will.”

“When?”

“Now that is what I am not sure about, but soon maybe.”

“Alright love, I have to go now. I will see you later then?”

“Yes mum, bye.” She disconnected the call and lifted her head up to see that a fresh cup of coffee had been placed on her table. She looked around her to call a worker that she had not ordered for another cup when she noticed the sticky note attached to the cup. She picked up the cup and read what it said;

“Cheer up. You are awesome. This cup is on the house.”

She smiled and looked around the shop, trying to spot who had dropped the cup with the sweet message when she spotted a rather dashing young man, standing behind the counter and smiling at her, giving her a thumbs up. She blushed harder and mouthed a “thank you” then looked away, out the window, still blushing hard. She slowly looked back at him discreetly only to see that he was still looking at her and smiling, she immediately looked away and brought the cup to her lips.

Chester made his way around the counter and came to stand by the booth where Tia sat, waving to get her attention. He smiled.

“Hello.” He greeted, gesturing to the empty seat opposite her for permission to sit and she nodded slightly, placing her cup back on the table. She flipped her hair to the side and smiled at him. Okay maybe this day would not be so terrible after all.

02:13pm