"STOP RIGHT THERE!"
"Go!" Vic said as both of them ran through the crowded streets of Brooklyn and into one of the dark alleyways.
Both of them hid behind a large dumpster, rats roaming around everywhere. Greeting them with their tiny squeaks. The stench of sewers and land filth can be smelled in every inch of the alley, making it unbearable to be in.
"Are they gone?" Jake asked while he was panting and catching his breath. "I don't know," Vic said as he peered out. Jake wiped his forehead with the back of his hand and tried to regain his composure. Both heard footsteps approaching.
They grew closer to where they are now. They stayed silent and still, trying to stay hidden. Hearing muffled voices that quickly turned to clear voices and yelling inches away from where they were.
"Where are they?" exclaimed one of the police officers to his partner. "I lost them" one of the police officers said while catching his breath and panting. "Dammit!" Said one of the police officers looking pissed at his partner.
"Get up man, let's look over there. They couldn't have gotten that far"
"Okay, sir."
They both run off down the other ally. Jake and Vic step out of their hiding spot and walk away towards the library.
March 17, 1994. "Detective, Dan Rechiard" said Dan while showing his badge, barging into the room. With many police officers looking his way. Silence filled the room.
"How can we help you?" One police officer asked him with a warm smile on his face.
"We would like to talk to Franchesca Louise" he added, putting his badge away. "How may I help?" Chess asked as she laid the files down on the table. "I heard you're close to this man" Dan said as his partner showed her the picture of Vic.
Chess didn't say a word and nodded at him, following them both to the interrogation room. "Have a seat" Dan said, pulling out the chair for her, looking around both of them, these two will be trouble, she thought to herself as she sat down on the chair.
"This will be over very quickly, as long as you cooperate with us," Dan said, smiling. Chess didn't say a word and nodded in response.
"This is Viktor Vanci," Dan said, placing a picture of Vic on the table. "This is William Santos and Mary Santos, Mr. William's daughter," Dan said, placing their pictures on the table. Chess stared at the pictures on the table and looked back at Dan with a serious face, not breaking eye contact with him. Dan continued wiping sweat from his face.
"Vanci was supposed to be in a meeting with Mr. William, last night at 6:30pm but Mr. William never showed up. '' Dan said while pointing his index finger at Mr. William's picture. Chess looked at it silently, looking back at Dan. "Mr. William was murdered at 5:30pm, thirty minutes before the appointment" he continued.
"Mr. Vanci arrived at Café de Sala, at 5:35pm, after the murder," he added, leaning back in his chair, looking at Chess with serious eyes.
"What does this have to do with me?" Chess asked him, crossing her arms and leaning on the chair. "You see, the Café was five minutes away from Mr. William's house," he added.
"And Vanci arrived exactly five minutes after the murder, and upon our investigation, Vanci talked to you." He said, now leaning close to Chess, his eyes focusing only on her.
"What we want to know is what Mr. Vanci talked to you about?"
"We were talking about-"
RING!
"Sorry this is mine" Dan said as he picked up his phone from his pocket, answering.
"Hello?"
"What?... Yes… okay… thank you."
"Looks like our chat is cut short, Ms. Louise," Dan said, putting his phone back in his pocket, getting up from his seat, and fixing his coat. "Don't go anywhere, Ms. Louise, we will keep in touch with you." Dan added and bid Chess farewell as he and his partner exited the room.
Chess stayed in the room and smiled, confirming her thoughts that they're in trouble. She giggled as she exited the room.
Mannington Morgue. "What do we have here?" Dan asked, as he stepped inside one of the morgue rooms.
"Brice Mither, Brooklyn police officer, killed with a magnum 45-caliber, straight bullet in the head, with one shot."
He asked, "One shot?" as he examined the corpse. "This looks like it was done by a professional" he said to them pointing at the bullet hole. "I'm sure of it," he continued. "This isn't an amateur's work." He stepped back and surveyed the body in more detail.
"Police reported his wallet and phone were stolen."
"stolen? Is that all that was stolen?"
"Well, no, his watch is still intact with him."
"That's odd," Peter said. "Usually thieves don't leave valuable items like a watch behind. It must have been an unusual theft." he added, smirking.
"I see thank you, come on man"
"It wasn't a robbery that went wrong, right?" Peter said, following Dan through the morgue halls and looking around at the corpses lined up in the hallway. "No, if it was a robbery, the robber would take everything that could be sold for money," Dan said, lighting his cigarette as they walked out of the building. "This was a cold-blooded killing," he added, smoking his cigarette.
"So what was the motive?" Peter asked, walking beside Dan, looking at him, wanting an answer from him to fill his curiosity.
"That is what we are paid to find out," Dan answered, opening up his car and stepping in, shutting the car door. "How did you know that?" Peter asked, getting Dan's car in the passenger seat.
"The victim has some bruises on his neck, his right shoulder and had a puncture wound that might have been caused by a tiny pipe or an edge of a sharp glass" Dan added, both of them rode off the road of the 99th streets of Brookly. "Glass?" Peter asked, frowning his brows, as he scratched his head. As the car passes by, he turns his eyes back to the road and observes people and buildings passing by.
"His head has an impact wound that is covered by his brown hair," Dan said, keeping his eyes on the road, not giving much attention to Peter.
"So, his head was smashed against the wall a couple of times?"
"Not exactly, if my guess is correct he was pinned to the wall first trying to resist the perpetrator"
"But he lost his balance, then tried to hit the person but couldn't?"
"He got shot in the head?" Peter added.
Dan looked at him with a smile on his face, as if he was satisfied with Peter's interpretation of the story.
RING!
Answering his phone, he replied, "Richard"
"Okay, we will be right there."
Peter and Dan got out of the car and walked through the Mermoryhills, passing many gravestones and crunching leaves as they walked on the pavement. Leaves sway as the wind passes by the rich and lovely trees of the place. "Detective Dan Rechiard," Dan said, showing his badge and walking inside the church. Looking around the crummy place, it looked like it had been abandoned for many years.
"Excuse me, detectives" one of the police officers spoke to them as both examined the place. "What is this?" Peter asked him as he put his hand in his pocket. "You both got to see this" he said as he led them out of the old church to the tree lined woods out of the graveyard. Into a tiny cliff where one gravestone stood on the green grass of the cliff. "When we searched the area, we came upon this" he said to them, showing them the cliff.
"The grave was dug up" Peter said, looking down at the ground where soil and green grass are mixed together as one. "Freshly" Dan said, looking back at the police with a serious look on his face. "When was this dug up?" Dan asked him, turning his eyes back to the grave. "Around yesterday" he answered.
"Maria E. Santos" he mumbled to himself, his eyes widening as he put the piece together in his mind.
"Viktor Vanci".