03 Mystery Solved

"If you're messing with me, I swear I'll strangle you with my bare hands," Ashley added.

"We'll get to the revelation shortly, doll," Doyle replied. "What about the paycheck?"

Ashley fished into her purse and removed a paper bag. Doyle extended his hand to relieve her of it, but she held back and shook her head.

"I've brought your three thousand dollars, Harry. I'll give it away, but first, you must tell me what you discovered."

Doyle shrugged. "Fine. I'll do you one better. I will show you what I unearthed."

The dashing detective opened his Prius' back door and invited Ashley in. Once they were inside and the tinted windows were up, he booted up a laptop and placed the mouse pointer on a video file.

"This will not be easy, doll," he warned. "I'm going to play it, but you can stop watching anytime if it is too much for you."

"Why are you being so ominous? Who is the culprit?"

"See for yourself."

Doyle clicked play. The video looked like it was taken from a CCTV security camera. Three masked figures stood inside an empty, abandoned garage. Two other men entered the garage through an overhead door. One of them had a person mounted on his shoulder.

"This footage was recovered from an abandoned garage in Alpine Hills. It took me years to hunt this down."

Ashley raised an eyebrow. "Alpine Hills? That's where Palmer estate is!"

"Keep watching," Doyle instructed.

The man carrying the body approached the three waiting figures and deposited the load on the floor. Ashley tried to make out the abducted person's face. 

"Oh, my God! That's-"

"Arthur Palmer, your father, yes!" Doyle completed her sentence. 

One of the masked figures produced a handkerchief and a black bottle. He poured the contents onto the cloth and doused Arthur's face. The man returned to consciousness momentarily. He opened his eyes and began to struggle.

"Oh, my God! He's awake!" Ashley exclaimed.

Then, the masked figure pulled out a serrated knife and began stabbing the body repeatedly. 

"No!" Ashley wailed, covering her mouth in shock. In the video, Arthur was helpless as holes were punched into his guts and chest. He died within minutes, sputtering blood. The red liquid spewed out onto the floor, forming a puddle.

Tears rolled down Ashley's cheeks. "That's why the police never found Dad's body!" she wailed. "He was abducted and murdered!"

Ashley suddenly felt cold. She wrapped her arms around herself to prevent her body from shaking. Doyle raised an arm to comfort her, but then he changed his mind and paused the video.

"Are you sure you can watch further? We can directly take it to the police."

"I'm okay… Let me watch all of it…" Ashley murmured, her lips quivering. Her fear somewhat subsided after Arthur died, and his body became motionless. Now, she wanted to know who the murderer was.

After committing the brutalities, the masked figure had watched Arthur die slowly and painfully, occasionally clapping his hands in enjoyment. After a few minutes, he turned to leave, removing the mask on the way. Ashley squinted at the video, and then her eyes widened. She could recognize the murderer! 

It was Scarlet! Scarlet Palmer! Her stepsister!

The world seemed to collapse around Ashley. Her stomach lurched, and she felt queasy. She got out of the car and threw up into a bush. 

"Fuck! What the fuck! Scarlet did this?!"

"But why?! It can't be real. It's a mistake, Harry!"

"I know this is a lot to digest, doll," Doyle told her. "But I have a flash drive full of W******p chats in which Scarlet had elaborate discussions with her goons to kill Arthur Palmer."

"But it does not make sense!" the young woman exclaimed. "Scarlet loved Dad! Why would she…?"

Doyle nodded. "I can't speak as to her motives yet. If I were to guess, it would be because she wanted to take over his company. Anyway, the evidence is damning and enough for a conviction. Should I make the call to the cops?"

Ashley's mind raced, and she eyed the detective without emotion. "No, not yet, Harry. Do you have a backup of the video and the data?"

"Of course I do."

"Send me the video via email and delete everything. If this information is leaked to competitors of Palmer Industries, the entire company will topple within hours. The court reinstated me as Chairman today, and I need to preserve Dad's legacy."

The detective protested at first but finally did as requested. Ashley handed Doyle his payment and hailed an Uber.

"I will hold on to the data till midnight just in case you change your mind!" Doyle called after her, but Ashley was barely listening. Her eyes were on the approaching taxi.

"Take me to Palmer Estate," she told the driver.

On her way, Ashley texted Jake. 

[Ashley: The court has reinstated me as Chairperson of Palmer Industries. My revenge has begun.]

[Jake: It's a temporary order. Scarlet and I will make sure the verdict is overturned.]

[Ashley: Did you know Scarlet killed my father? Do you want to be in business with a criminal like her? Do you wish to join her in prison?]

[Jake: What nonsense is this? Do you have any proof?]

[Ashley: I have evidence! Come to Dad's place if you want to know the truth!]