It was seven in the evening when I reached home. I lazily threw my shoes towards the rack and moved to my bedroom. All the interrogating had me totally fatigued. I sat down on my bed and stretched my back. Damn, that felt good.
I checked my landline phone; no one had called. I picked up the receiver and dialed Serena's home. She was the editor for all of my novels and I had recently sent her a finished manuscript for another one. I had to ask her what she thought of it.
Three rings and I was greeted by a recording: "Hello, you have reached Serena's residence. I'm out to my cousin's right now. If it's really important, you may leave a message after the beep. And if it's Peter, I received your email but there was no document attached."
I frowned. Not attached? I took out my mobile and immediately checked the email. She was right, there was no attachment in the email I'd sent her. Shaking my head, I picked up the phone and dialed her personal number.
"Hey Peter. I assume this is about the email," she said as soon as she picked up.
"Hey Serena ... yeah uh ... I kind of forgot to attach the manuscript," I answered.
"Typical. I tried calling you but your mobile was switched off."
"I was busy."
"Off with Adrian again at a crime scene I assume?"
"Well, yeah."
"I still don't understand why murders fascinate you so much. I know Adrian doesn't mean you any harm but I don't think you should get involved in such things. One of these days, you're going to get yourself killed."
"Adrian only wanted my help."
"He wanted your help? He's a bloody detective and a good one at that too! This is like me making you edit manuscripts for me. Can't he solve the case on his own?"
I walked to the kitchen and to the refrigerator. "Not this one. This one's driving all of us nuts," I said while opening the fridge door to see what leftovers I had inside. "The murder occurred inside a locked room, twenty stories high. No way in or out but a door and a window. No one left the room according to the eye-witnesses and there's no ledge or fire escape to leave out the window. What do you think?"
"Trying to make me curious will not change my opinion on the fact that you should not get involved."
Serena was ever so blunt. She was scary too, at times.
"Alright, alright. So, I will send you the email again - this time with the manuscript attached. Tell me what you think of it."
"I can't possibly read an entire manuscript of a novel – Sean! Get back here right now! Where are you running with that kite? Sean!"
Sean was her little four year old cousin. That kid was always hyperactive.
I could hear Serena grunting. "Give … me … that kite … you little …" From what I could surmise, she was probably engaged in a tug-o-war with Sean right now.
"Ow!" she screamed.
"What happened now?" I asked, amusement clear in my voice.
"I was pulling the kite from Sean" – yup, as I suspected – "and he yanked it so hard that I cut my finger on the string. Damn brat. I will hang him upside down one of these days."
"Oh come on, he's just a kid. Put some antiseptic on the cut. I'm sure it's not that big anyways."
"Not big my ass."
"Anyways, sending you the manuscript now and goodnight."
Serena wished me back and starting hollering at her cousin. I terminated the call and put my mobile down.
I clapped my hands twice and the lights turned off. I'd installed the clapper last week and boy, was I thankful I'd done that. Without changing, I threw myself down on my bed. The next thing I knew, it was morning.
...
I could not go meet Adrian the next day as I had to attend a conference at NASA that day. The whole thing lasted about four hours. When it was over, I was sweating from the heat inside the hall. The coolers had failed a week ago and repairs had yet not been finished. NASA's management system was growing sloppier by the day.
My mobile rang in my pocket. I expected to see Adrian's name on the screen but instead it was Antei.
"Hey man, 'sup?"
"Just left from a conference. Nothing special. You?"
"Nothing special here either. I was just chilling with a bottle of beer and watching the DVD that I'd bought yesterday."
"The one about the assassin?"
"Yup. Pretty damn good. You should watch it too. The whole plot will make your head go round. Oh yeah, I called to tell you that Michael won't be with us at the Black Swan this Friday."
"He won't? Why?"
"He says he'll be at the E3 conference. He's one of the chief guests. Says he was invited to announce the new game called Legion of Gods."
Michael was a hardcore gamer and quite famous and well respected in the gaming industry. So it was not surprising that he'd been invited.
"By the way," Antei continued, "Heard from Adrian about the new case you two are on. Quite a conundrum eh?"
"That doesn't even begin to describe it. We don't even know what cut the victim's neck and how." The moment I said that, I felt something peculiar about it. Now, why would my own sentence strike me as strange? Not exactly strange but as if I'd just dropped a hint to myself but did not know what it was.
"Well, wish I could help. I will help if the case lasts until I get back to town."
"From the looks of it, I think it will."
"Can't wait to get back either way. The inauguration of the building is tomorrow so I'll be back by the day after. That's on … Wednesday. See ya' then chap!"
"Bye."
I put my mobile back in my pocket and proceeded to the parking lot. As I made my way through the rows of cars, I replayed my own sentence back in my head.
'We don't even know what cut the victim's neck and how.'
Something was nagging me. Something. From my conversation last night with Serena. But it was a perfectly normal conversation sans the part where she was screaming at her cousin. What would it have to do with the murder?
What was it about that conversation?
Something. Something important…
I'd just reached my car when it suddenly hit me. Suddenly, I knew how Drake Hallow had been killed. Or at least, I thought that was how he had been killed. I would have to consult Adrian first and see how he took in my theory.
I fished in my pocket for my mobile and hurriedly dialed Adrian's number as soon as I had it out.
"Hello?" Adrian answered groggily. He had been sleeping, that sloth.
"I think I know how Drake was killed," I blurted out.
"Uh … wait, what?"
It took a moment for what I'd said to sink in.
"I think I know how the murder was carried out," I said slowly.
I could hear shuffling noises from the other side. Adrian must have sat upright on his bed.
"Okay, enlighten me," he said skeptically.
"We know the murder was not carried out by a conventional weapon, right? Well then, how does a string sound for an unconventional weapon? Not a regular thread but a strong string, perhaps a guitar one or a piano string. Maybe even a nylon string. Wrap it around a person's neck–"
"And apply a sudden large force. The string slices neatly through the neck." Adrian gasped as he understood. "And Drake died near a window–"
"Which can mean the murderer tied something heavy at the other end of the string and threw it down the window. The victim was dragged by the weight to the window from which point body became immobile as it had hit the wall. But the weight persisted and the string sliced through his neck to follow the weight downwards through the window."
"The window needs to be slid vertically to open or close. Loop the string around a stick and place it so that it holds the window up and when the weight tugs at it at the same moment Drake hits the window, the stick comes loose and the window slams down shut at the same moment blood erupts from Drake's severed neck."
"The string lashing out so quickly would not leave a blood trail. So there's no trace of any blood on the other side of the window."
"But the force exerted by the string would cut a bit into the wooden sill and leave marks. Damn Peter, you're a genius."
"Actually, I wouldn't have figured it out if Serena hadn't cut her finger on a piece of string yesterday."
"Uh ... okay ... tell her I said thanks. I'll be heading over to that place and confirm if the theory is true. I wager a hundred bucks it is. Will you come?"
"I can't Adrian. Not tonight. I have a presentation to finish. So, tomorrow evening maybe?"
"Okay then chap," Adrian answered and hung up.
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