Innocent Until Proven Guilty

Chapter 5: The Detective

“DAMN, that woman!” Illinois’ gravel and husky voice surfaced with his teeth gritting, showing the temper he has for that woman who stole his wallet. However, realizing his situation have him decided not to bother chasing after her, after all, that wallet only contained with a few cards including the identification one.

There’s no way he could use his credit cards either, as he will be traced down with it once he does. Good thing, he brought an ample cash with him that he could spend for being a runaway, and probably until he proves his innocence.

Meanwhile, the old bulky man continued chasing and looking for her.

“Was she lying…?” Illinois murmured pertaining to the crime that the woman said. She seemed definitely scared of it. But considering now that he was stolen by the very woman, he couldn’t help but to think that that must be also a part of her scheme.

“Well, it won’t hurt to just check it out.” And then he strode off to the area which the woman pointed at, and where the white car is. He immediately examined the car with his keen eyes, while the light from his phone illuminated the area he opted to check. His knuckles knocked on the tinted window in hopes for someone to respond.

“She said she saw it…” his brows sank, and questions started to stack up on his mind. “But the window is tinted, how?” he paced around the car, carefully observing each side of it.

“The area is secluded enough… very convenient for a crime…” he murmured and halted right beside the driver’s seat. Evening cold wind flew past to him. While his eyes traveled to the slightly opened door, making his brows furrow. Slowly, his fingers covered with a hanky touched the edge of the opened door, to reveal what does this car contain inside.

But before he could even open them widely, a force from inside pushed the car to open by itself. His mouth gaped open while his feet stood frozen to the ground. What met his eyes woke up the urge inside him. His hand gripped tightly on his phone when the light illuminated a head covered with its own blood that is barely hanging on the neck while laying down on the seat.

“I didn’t see this coming…” he whispered as his eyes met the eyes of the dead head. He was told that the victim was stabbed, and so he mostly expected a stab on the abdomen, just like the cases he had encountered before.

But no… as he checked the corpse, it was the neck that has been slain many times.

“This kind of seem done with madness…” he muttered as he looked closely to the torn neck unstoppably oozing out with blood as the flesh peek out from the skin. “Too brutal, unless this man is a psychopath.” He talked as though with another person, which is known to be a habit of his since then.

And now, his unenergized consciousness were brought to the peak of motivation as he feels the push to proceed further with the case. However, he halted upon considering he wasn’t prepared for this; he didn’t have the tools to begin with the investigation. He doesn’t have a pair of gloves with him. But his eagerness came up with another way to find trails and pieces.

“That woman said it was done by a man in a suit… That mysterious eye masked dude seems really suspicious as well, knowing how rural this area is… So, what was he doing here?” his eyes squinted into slits as he was reminded by that man he fought with. “I have to get a hold of him—” he cut his words short when a realization dawned on him.

He closed his eyes earnestly upon remembering his situation right now. He let out a sigh, and still continued searching and forming deductions. After all, his situation doesn’t go on his way to do such. He’s just cut out with connections.

A few moments later on, he spoke once again. “Perhaps the culprit rode together with the victim. Considering how secluded this area is, no man in a suit would appear out of nowhere just to kill.” His face lightened up upon hit by eureka.

“The culprit and the victim knew each other!” his heart was racing in ecstasy that is triggered by his partial perspective on this crime. The very feeling that he hadn’t felt for days, which he kind of missed. This is why he loved being detective, he could feel the adrenaline rush and pulsating nerves in eagerness to uncover the truth behind a case.

As he looked further the inside, his eyes were welcomed with a pool of blood barely drained in the seat, he took a photo of it, including the corpse. To his puzzlement, nothing out of the ordinary surfaced inside the car—neither in the backseat and bunker—especially the very thing he expected the most. The weapon used.

The car just contained with things that most likely couldn’t help to find trails; open radio, a few clothes, magazines, and mini picture frame and a silver necklace hanging together with the keychain.

His eyes furrowed when something caught his attention. Upon trying not to leave his trace, he captured the picture frame instead of stepping up to have a closer look. His eyes squinted when a familiar person met his eyes through the phone. A photo of family.

“Former Inspector Philips…” he averted his gaze to the dead body. And he could see that the corpse is now nowhere similar to the photo, because of the blood covering the face.

I.N.W.

“WHAT?!” Inspector Isaac blurted out upon receiving a ridiculous news from his comrade. It was seven in the evening, and they just came back from the search of Illinois, but they ended up finding nothing. Thus, they opted to call it a day, however, a news from his team had it delayed.

“Yes, sir… It seemed like Illinois went here to retrieve his phone.” Philip said, looking down, feeling guilty of the circumstances that their station is facing. If it weren’t for his recklessness, this couldn’t have happened.

“I checked the footage…” Sam went out from the corner where security room is at, and headed toward their direction. “And yes, Illinois took his chance to get here when no one was around.”

Inspector Isaac shook his hair to vent his frustration. “That damn kid!” his heavy breath blew to the air. “What about the necklace?” he returned his head to Philip.

“It remained untouched, sir.”

Isaac let out a heavy sigh and garnered his remaining calmness to stay sane in this case. “Alright, our main objective is finding Illinois’ trace. Let’s part ways to save time. Kyle and Kean, both of you stay here and search tracks of Illinois—either by his phone, cards, or by any means.” The inspector ordered in a quick manner.

He then clapped his hands soundly to catch their attentions. “Hurry!”

“Just a minute…” Kyle muttered. His squinted eyes glued to the monitor, same as Kean. He made a few taps on the monitor. But he was eventually interrupted when Kean suddenly stood out, dragging the chair backward.

“Inspector, one of his credit cards was used!” just as Isaac and the others were about to step out to begin the search, Kean’s announcement had his foot hang on the surface.

They immediately paced towards his direction and had their eyes aimed at the monitor where a pulsating red dot was shown on the location map. The place was indicated along with the red dot, and Isaac couldn’t help but to furrow his brows at it.

That place is known to be dangerous and a home of crimes.

“Good job, Kean.” Isaac gently slapped his back and strode out of the station to follow the location.

Kean dragged the chair back and leaned on his hands by the head. He took a peek of Kyle’s monitor and snickered. “Haven’t found him yet?” But Kyle paid no attention to him, making him raise one end of his lips.

“I found it, but lost the track instantly.” He spoke after a few seconds.

The keys and clicks of the mouse served as the ice breaker between them, the very thing that only made sounds inside the station. The silence amidst the sounds, though, was eventually erupted when a sudden ring of the telephone drowned the keys, surfacing it inside.

Kean initiated to come after the telephone while Kyle remained undisturbed by it. “Hello? This is the police station. How may I help you?” he had his back leaned on the wall while the wire from the telephone was stretched near to his ear.

To his confusion, though, the other line only responded with heavy breathes. “Hello? If this is a prank, we can locate you and have you arrested—”

“A… A dead body… haaah…” the voice of a man spoke.