[https://i.imgur.com/Y6msmYv.jpg]
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When school ends and Deshya is ready to go home, having solved the riddle of the letter sent to her, the girl with the long fox tail is called by a boy she doesn't know: 'Michaël Elrick', a pupil in the same class as Maruno Uffite. He asks her to help him with the kidnapping of his little brother, 'Byron Elrick', who is barely 8 months old. What's more, he was abducted from his own room late at night, at 01:35 in the morning. After some hesitation, Deshya agrees to help Michael and accompanies him to his home, where they meet the police officers handling the case: Gatito Oveja, Deshya's father, and Sammy Graton, a detective she knows well. She learns the details of the investigation from the two of them, sitting on a sofa in the Elrick’s household, the family in the same room as them. Next, Deshya is taken by Sammy into the parents' bedroom to observe the video captured by the surveillance camera in Byron's room. The images are in infrared, and the culprit can be seen entering the room with almost no noise, before snatching the baby away without showing the slightest hint of identification. However, something is bothering Deshya. She watches the video again and quickly understands the feeling: the culprit is seen limping weakly and discreetly as he carries the baby. Deshya points this out to Sammy, who wonders what it could mean. They now know two things about the kidnapper: he's someone close to the Elrick family who also knows where the key is hidden, as well as someone who has a reason to limp. The list of suspects is thus reduced, but they still have no names. What's more, no blackmail letters or ransom demands have been sent to the family or the police, making the situation more complicated than expected. Deshya rises from the desk chair, wondering who might be responsible. The clock strikes 5 p.m. and the case continues.
CHAPTER 29
⎾The Disparition of Byron Elrick ; The Search⏌
- Maybe by learning more about the potential suspects, we'll get an idea of why he limped?" tells Sammy.
- It's very likely," admits Deshya.
Before leaving the room, Deshya takes one last look at the computer.
- There's also a moment when the culprit seems to be slowly tilting his head back... Was he checking something, in that darkness...?" she wonders.
They both leave the parents' room and descend the stairs together. They arrive in the living room, where another policeman is chatting with Gatito. Deshya recognizes him: he's the one who helped her with the Miro Blushark murder case. She greets him and he smiles.
- Deshya! Are you here too?" he asks.
She quickly explains the situation and the man listens attentively. Sammy asks Gatito if the family has offered a list of suspects, but Gatito says he'll talk about it when Deshya is focused. Michaël gets up from the sofa and hastily approaches Deshya.
- You've discovered the culprit or a clue?!" he asks with worried, hopeful eyes.
Deshya stops mid-sentence and turns to the dark-haired boy. His hand firmly grasps his own garment, a kind of polar sweatshirt on his body. Deshya is saddened by his worried expression and can't afford to lie to him.
- Nothing yet.
Michael's smile gradually disappears and he finally sighs. His mother tells him to come close to her and his father taps his foot on the floor. Gatito approaches the other policeman, Sammy and Deshya, a small notebook in his hand. He addresses the three in front of him without yet putting his nose in the pages of the notebook.
- We have four potential suspects," he tells them.
- Only four?
- It's not much, so much the better..." admits Sammy.
Gatito nods.
- They didn't tell many people where the key was, and some of them live far away and don't visit often. Given that the house has been rebuilt on the first floor and a few rooms, as well as Byron's room, which is new and not in the same place as before, there are only these four people who could have committed the kidnapping," he explains.
- I'm already amazed that someone can tell you where your house key is like that..." says Deshya. I'd be too afraid of being robbed.
- Some people are quicker to trust others than others. They are far from wealthy and have only told people they know very well and would have no reason to wish them ill. They're a pretty modest family and friendly to everyone, so there's no reason to wish them ill.
- But it could be this kindness and almost naivety that is the cause of this kidnapping…
Sammy, Gatito and Deshya turn to the policeman who has just spoken. He notices the many eyes on him and bows politely.
- An-Anyways, I'm leaving.
He turns on his heels and hurries out of the house. Deshya smiles at him, because she likes him, but Gatito sighs.
- Why is he here?" asks Sammy.
- He came to give me a report on the surroundings, but they haven't found anything yet," the policeman explained.
- So there are no outside leads?
He shakes his head, playing with the notebook still in his hand.
- Nothing was left behind. Not a tire mark. Not a footprint. They keep searching, even for fingerprints, but the culprit was holding the baby in his hands, so with or without gloves, we shouldn't find anything either way.
- Anyway, we've got to find out who's guilty among the four suspects, so..." thinks Sammy out loud.
Gatito agrees and looks at his notebook carefully.
- Here are the names they gave me. The first is called 'Léo Serron', he's a 41-year-old bachelor who lives by himself a few minutes from here. He's been a friend of Sally's for a few years and they know each other very well and she told him where the key was in case he wanted to borrow books from their personal library.
- Their library...?" asks Sammy.
- The Elricks love to read and have a huge library on the second floor, at the very end of the corridor. Since Leo loves to read, but wants to save as much money as possible, he sometimes borrows books here and reads them at home. He never forgets to return them, and he adores Michaël and Elrick, so he'd have no reason to hold a grudge against them.
- Could it be for money?
As soon as Deshya asks this question, she lowers her head and squints.
- No, wait... If that were the case, there would have been a ransom. I didn't say anything…
- Anyway, although he saves a lot, he's far from poor. He invests heavily in his sport and just likes to waste as little as possible. If he can borrow books here for free, why go out and buy them? Sally also explained that Leo buys books on his own when Sally or Gammy don't have what he wants.
Deshya ponders, but in this description, nothing can make this 'Leo' a prime suspect. She listens carefully to the rest.
- The second person is a 27-year-old woman called 'Mishra Joyti'. They don't see each other as often as with the others, but she's a good friend of Michael and Byron's parents. Like Leo, she lives alone and her parents live a few houses away, but they're not sure what their relationship is. She works in a supermarket in Izambar, the town above, but doesn't seem to be short of money.
- Why does she know where the key is?" asks Sammy.
- I was getting to that. Since she lives alone and can have paranoid phases, the Elrick family allows her to sleep in the guest room if she needs to. They told her where the key was if she arrived late enough, so she wouldn't have to get up for her. However, this is very rare and Mishra sleeps quite early, from what they told me.
- I see…
- The third person is a 30-year-old man by the name of 'Anthony Guetteur'. He still lives with his parents, but pays them rent. He works mainly from home, remotely, and is an artist. He asked for the key to their house a little over a year ago, so he could sometimes surprise them with gifts or drawings for the children. When Sally gave birth, he worked on a large drawing and waited for her to return with her baby, waiting a few weeks after her stay in the hospital, to prepare a little party for them on the sly. This summer, he even drew the family together on a picnic basket and left it on the living room table, with lots of various goodies inside. He adores Byron and Michael and is one of their best friends.
- He seems to be very nice..." remarks Deshya.
Gatito puts his notebook away while talking about the latest suspect.
- For the fourth, it's 'Tommy Sabbot', a 25-year-old man who has his own little popularity within badminton. He plays for a national team and hopes to compete in the world championships in the next few years, but he also works on the side as a part-time waiter in a bar in Tetazo. He is the son of a very close friend of Gammy's, who sadly died of liver cancer a few years ago. They keep in touch with Tommy, who sometimes comes to train at their place, since their son loves badminton. The only time he knows the hidden location of the key is when he comes to play with Michael and the parents aren't around.
- Why does he need to know where the key is for that...? He can ring the doorbell and Michael will open it for him, right?
Deshya asks her in surprise.
Sammy asks the same question and Gatito confesses that he asked them when they were talking together.
- Michaël is often in his room with the music loud in his ears, so he doesn't always hear when someone's at the door. Even though his parents have told him to be careful, Tommy often shows up unannounced, and since they trust him so much…
- I... see…
Deshya looks at the sofa where the three members of the Elrick family are chatting. So far, there's nothing to place any of the four suspects above the others on the list, so they're going to have to find out who the culprit is by talking to them. She comes up with the idea, but Sammy is quicker.
- Why don't we talk to the four suspects? If one of them has an alibi, we can take them off the list.
Gatito ponders his proposal, lowering his gaze. Deshya waits for an answer from him, all the while asking what the kidnapper's goal is. If it's not for money, or any other blackmail, what is his purpose? What is he trying to do? These are the questions she wants answered…
- Taking a little 8-month-old child... It's not human. Whoever did this... I want... I'm going to…
She clenches a fist and starts to grit her teeth, but her father's voice brings her back down to earth. She turns to him and Sammy questions her with his eyes.
- Are you feeling good?
- Yes, sorry…
- Perfect, nya.
He smiles at her and Deshya giggles: his habit of saying 'nya' is as strange as it is cute.
- We're going to question the four suspects, do you want to come with us?" asks her father, addressing Deshya.
- Ah, wait!
Gatito stops at the first step and turns to his daughter.
- What if I went alone?" she suggests.
- Alone?
- Yes! They won't doubt that I'm on the case, will they? You're known to a lot of people here, so maybe they'll get suspicious if they see the police coming.
- Sammy can go with you, so…
Sammy shakes his head.
- Maybe my head isn't as well known as yours, but if I go with her, it can look a little suspicious. If she takes care of questioning the suspects quickly and then comes back and tells us what she found, I can focus on the video again or find a clue nearby. There are still a few neighbors I want to question.
- But my daughter isn't so unknown... If suspects have read the papers, they might know it's her.
- I think we'll be okay. I don't think just going to one of their houses is going to make us understand who the culprit is, anyway.
Gatito rubs his chin.
- It's true that we can't really enter their house without proof... We might get lucky and find the culprit on the first try, but if not…
He thought aloud for a few moments before turning his gaze to his daughter.
- I'm counting on you to find out who did it, Deshya.
She smiled at him.
- Sure, Dad!
- I'll stay with the family. I'll stay with the family and see if they have anything else to tell us. It's not impossible that they'll receive a ransom call or send them a photo of their son.
- I'm going to ask some people in the neighborhood, a little further away, if they've seen anything.
The police detective leaves without saying goodbye to the other two, and Gatito asks Deshya to follow him. She accepts and arrives at the Elrick family's side.
- Excuse me, could my daughter know exactly where your four friends live? She'll go and see for herself if they have alibis or if she could hear a baby in their house.
The parents show their surprise at their expression, but eventually nod together and make a note of the addresses in the policeman's notebook. Michaël gets up from the sofa and approaches Deshya.
- I hope you find the culprit!
- I'll do my best.
Michaël smiled at her, wet, beaming eyes gazing with joy and hope at the girl his age in front of him.
- Thank you…
- It's mainly the police you have to thank. I'm only helping," Deshya tells him.
- I thank you all, then!
He takes her in his arms, squeezing her tightly. Deshya freezes, surprised by this sudden reaction, but eventually pats him on the back with a smile. Michael dries his eyes and thanks Deshya again before turning to the other policeman.
- Thank you, thank you…
- Michaël!" shouted his father.
Gatito waves his hand, gesturing that he doesn't mind.
- There's nothing to worry about. We'll find him, your brother. We will.
Gatito gently strokes his hair and lets him return to his parents, still seated on the leather sofa. He turns on his heels and passes Deshya without stopping, but slips something into her hands. She observes what she has just received and smiles. This is the notebook with the four addresses of the suspects. She reads quickly and notices that the houses are all within a few minutes of this street. She won't have too far to walk, so she can afford to do it on foot. Deshya tucks the notebook away in the right-hand pocket of her sweater before glancing sharply at the Elrick family. They're all worried about Byron, so she can't take her time: she has to find out who the culprit is as quickly as possible and give them back their child, including Michael's brother. With this in mind, she runs down the corridor and hurries out of the house. She skips a few steps and accelerates down the street. She's going to pay a visit to each suspect in the same order as her father pronounced their first name, as written in this notebook.
- Looks like Leo lives pretty close to here. I'd better get there first…
She fervently hopes that the culprit will drop his guard and that she'll manage to uncover the truth quickly.
She arrived in front of Leo's house after a few minutes' run. He lives on a street she knows well, but she doesn't remember this particular house. It's simple and doesn't give off anything special, but she doesn't think it's ugly or rubbish either. In fact, she quite likes it. Some of the windows are open, but there's no sound from inside. There are no stairs leading up to the porch, just a simple stone path through the grass that could use some work. She arrived at the front door and knocked. Five short seconds pass and a man with brown hair opens the door without removing the lock. He looks at the girl in the dark sweater.
- Good evening!" she says with a smile.
- Good... evening?
The man seems surprised by her visit. The young teenager places both hands behind her back and brings out her cute side.
- You are 'Léo Serron', aren't you?
- That's me... Do we know each other?
- Hm, hm, not really.
The man notices that her sweater has fox ears, as well as pink markings in the shape of inverted fangs on her cheeks. Although she's cute, he can't help but find her clothes and appearance a little strange. He hesitates to
close the door without asking any questions or getting any answers, but the girl speaks directly to him.
- Say, say! I wanted to ask you something!
- What then...?
- Last night I thought I saw you on the next street... I was sleeping at a friend's, but we went to sleep quite late, so we played outside a bit and enjoyed the night, but we heard a biiiig noise and went to look and I think I saw you.
- Huh?
She nods.
- He had a physique similar to yours... He seemed to want to leave as soon as possible. It was around 1:30 a.m... I think?
- Huh? I didn't do it.
He frowns and closes the door, which worries Deshya: would she have exaggerated her cuteness and scared off the suspect? What's more, she begins to doubt his manner, but a metallic noise sounds and the man opens the door fully before showing the girl the truth:
- I was sleeping soundly at home, and what's more, my left hand hurts so much that I'm staying home to rest!
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- His hand hurts...?
Deshya noticed that the man was rather large, and his clothes didn't hide his muscles. Short chestnut hair and dark, aggressive brown eyes, as well as a long, large bandage around his left hand. Deshya tilts her head and looks up, kind of thinking.
- But why?
- Huh? What do you really want from me?
He holds his arm, squinting one eye.
- That was two days ago, I was just fooling around in the kitchen... Come on, move!
He closes the door violently behind him and Deshya takes a step back with an annoyed expression. The man's behavior and tone might put her in a bad mood if she didn't have better things to do, but on the other hand, she can understand: she's come to ask him questions while lying, so he has every reason to be annoyed. So she decided to turn on her heels and run towards the second house, Mishra's. From the window of Leo's living room, he watches the girl go, squinting.
Deshya soon arrives at the second house, just five minutes away from Léo's. This one is just as normal and beautiful, although a little smaller. This one is just as normal and beautiful, if a little smaller. The garage is closed and the garden inaccessible from the front, but unlike the other man's house, two small steps must be climbed to reach the porch. Deshya arrives at the door and knocks without waiting, looking for a new excuse to introduce herself.
- Yes ?
A woman opens the door and looks intently at the girl on her porch. Both are more or less the same height, although 11 years apart. Her hair is a similar color to Léo's, but her blue eyes are quite different.
- Good evening, are you Mishra Joyti?
- Yes, that's me... What's wrong?
Deshya immediately notices the woman's lack of energy. She looks tired and exhausted, her eyes threatening to stay closed and force the woman to sleep.
- I was... I was in a bar last night and at about 1:30 I thought I saw you leave the same bar. I only saw you from the back, but a friend told me it was you!" explains Deshya. I noticed you dropped a coin on your way out, so I wanted to give it back to you…
- Me? It wasn't me.
Deshya puts both hands in her vest with a bewildered look on her face.
- Eeeh? But I'm sure it was you.
- It's not possible... I didn’t sleep well… for a few weeks, but I fall asleep very early. By 9pm, I was already asleep. I only wake up because of nightmares and noises in the neighborhood, since I'm a light and restless sleeper, but I'd never go to a bar that late... Maybe it's a woman who looks like me?
Deshya gently puffs out both cheeks.
- But her beauty was similar to yours... It really wasn't you?
Mishra smiles at the girl and calmly strokes the top of her head.
- It wasn't me, I'm sorry. I hope you find the person who owns this piece.
She closes the door after giving Deshya a final wave, and the latter jumps down the two steps with an air of dissatisfaction.
- As Michael's parents said, she sleeps early... They told me about paranoid phases, but she just said she was a light sleeper. Well, that could be because we don't know each other, so…
She didn't hear a single child's noise, but she did notice something interesting: her driver's license in the pocket of her coat, hanging right behind her. Admittedly, she couldn't get a good look at it, but she was certain that it was a driver's license: in short, like Leo, she can drive. She's sure it's an important part of this investigation.
Fifteen minutes later, she arrives at the home of 'Anthony Guetteur', the artist who still lives with his parents. The house is much larger, but has no neighbors. She can see a shed in their large garden which she can easily access from the front: just walk along the walls to the left or right and she'll get there. She hears barking in the background, but since there's no fence around the house, she's convinced the dog is leashed around a post or in some other way that he can't get away. However, she finds it strange that there are no gates... Aren't they afraid of thieves, or that the dog will leave of his own accord if he's not properly tied up? She thinks no more about it and, before ringing the bell, notices the two cars parked in front of the house. One is a Jeep with a slightly worn coachwork, while the other car is a simple Mercedes with few qualities. It's old and unlikely to reach high speeds. She presses the doorbell and waits for someone to come and open it. Deshya hears the sound of the handle and goes to greet Anthony, but to her surprise, it's an older man, probably in his fifties, who opens the door.
- What's the matter, girl?
- A-Ah, could I speak to Anthony, please?
- Anthony? Is this man talking to a girl as young as you...?
The man stoops low and gazes gently at the girl.
- You know, a young girl like you shouldn't be talking to a man almost twice your age…
- A-Ah?
- If he says strange things to you, then—
- W-Wait, I'm not talking... with him…
The man — whom Deshya assumes is Anthony Guetteur's father — blinks in surprise.
- So what do you want with him?
- I wanted to ask where he was at 1:30, since a friend spotted him on a street not far from here and thought he was a bit suspicious, but she's too scared to come, ahah....
She's not entirely convinced of this excuse, but she assumes it will suffice. The older man touches his chin and thinks.
- 1:30 in the morning...?" he asks.
She nods.
- I don't think it's him, then," he replied.
- Why is that?
- My son has been ill for a few days and can't stop coughing, especially when he's doing physical tasks. He stays in his room drawing or walks the dog for a few minutes, but the doctor told him to rest at home without contaminating anyone. He chats a lot online and sleeps very late, which isn't perfect for his health, but he doesn't listen to me.
- Does he cough that much?
- Sometimes we fear for him. He seems to be doing a little better, but his coughs are more greasy.
Deshya lets out a long 'Eeeh' before thanking the man in front of her.
- I don't think it's him, then! I'll tell my friend, thanks!
- It better not be him. He already brought us back a girl ten years younger three years ago..." the man let out as he closed the door.
Deshya stands frozen in front of the entrance.
- Three years old? He was 27 and the girl... Uh.
She feels a chill down her spine and shakes her head before leaving. At the time, she hopes he's the culprit, simply because of what she's heard... However, this man seems the least likely to be the culprit, given what she's just learned. Still, she can't rule him out as a suspect, especially if his love for younger girls could be more serious than she realizes…
She finally arrives at the last house and notices on her phone that it's nearly 6.10pm. It's the furthest house from the Elricks', though only about 15 minutes away. This time, it's the sporty man who is the son of a friend who died a few years ago. She catches her breath and knocks on the door, hoping he's home. In the meantime, she observes the beautiful garage just to her left. The house itself proves a certain wealth, and its beauty is hard to deny. She can't see the garden from where she's standing, but she bets it's pretty big. The windows are almost covered with an inner curtain, probably so no one can peek inside and take photos without permission: after all, he may be a future badminton player for the whole country. Even without that title, she checked his name online and confirmed what her father told her: he owns his place in the community. He has several pages dedicated to him alone, as well as Twatter accounts that talk about him incessantly. Deshya has no doubt that eccentric fans could come here and take pictures from afar, and without any permission.
- Oh?
The girl notices that the curtain in the lower room, just to her right, has just moved. Just then, the door makes a few strange noises before a woman with long black hair appears.
- Who are ya?
Aggressive in tone and almost gothic in physique, his expression almost frightens Deshya, who takes a step back. His question is full of animosity and his gaze pierces Deshya. Deshya loses even her words.
- I-I wanted to talk to Tommy…
- Huh, another fan? Nah, we can't stand people like ya. Leave my darling alone!
- So he's got a girlfriend?" thought Deshya.
The woman is about to close the door fiercely when Deshya asks her to wait.
- Would ya like an autograph, lil’ fox? Wait, I saw ya on TV…
Deshya scratches the back of her head and the woman opens her mouth wide.
- Ah! It was ya who solved the murder of the two old farts on the bus?! I even saw that ya helped save people from a train that was about to explode! So stylish!
The woman is much taller than Deshya and so stoops before her with a playful expression. What's more, her eyes sparkle with a childlike curiosity that doesn't quite match the woman's physique.
- Do ya wanna tell me how ya did it, please, please?" she asks.
- I can explain if you want, but can I just know something?
- Tell me everythin’!
- Do you know where Tommy was, around 1:30 in the morning?
The woman squeezes both cheeks with her thumb and part of her index finger with the same hand and looks up, thinking.
- Hmmm... We're usually asleep by 2:30, but last night I was at a friend's house until 3am. I don't know where he was, but I sent him a message around 1.40am," explains the woman.
- What did he say?
- Normally, he'd be practicing a bit of badminton or going for a walk at night, as he likes to run when ya can see the stars, but as he injured his leg a few weeks ago, he has to be careful. He told me he was at home watching 'Great Star Academy', but that's not necessarily his style, so I was surprised... It's maybe I'm the one who managed to infect him, that would make me soooo happy.
She tosses her long black hair around with glee, showing off her many earrings that are normally hidden behind her dark locks. Deshya stares at the ground, squinting.
- He's got a sore leg and was watching a series that's not his genre... It's very suspicious, but if he can't do anything all evening because of a sore leg, maybe he was bored and waiting for his girlfriend to come home while watching something random? Hm…
She blinks and looks up slowly, noticing that the woman is staring at her with a big smile.
- Or... Yes?
- Do you want to tell me about the train affair?! I want to know!!!
- A-Ah?! Uh…
She wants to tell him she doesn't have time to talk about it today, but the woman pierces her with another dark look.
- Whaaaaa?! Ya're not goin’ to refuse, are ya?!
- I-I'd be delighted, ahah....
- Great! Come on, come on!!!
The woman gets up hastily and pushes Deshya to go home.
- Please don't let it last long…
- Took you long enough.
Gatito stares at his daughter disgruntledly, Sammy right next to him telling him to calm down. The policeman doesn't care for his words and Deshya apologizes again.
- Tommy's wife forced me to tell her what happened on the train... I couldn't help it.
- She's his girlfriend, not his wife," admits Michaël.
Deshya turns to the boy in his pajamas and proposes: she immediately understands that he has just washed.
- Ah, I see.
- Have you seen all the suspects?" asks Deshya's father. I hope so, as it's almost 8pm.
- I was able to learn more about all four, but it's Anthony's father who spoke to me and then Tommy's wife, since I didn't see them directly…
- Neither Anthony nor Tommy? Why not?" asks Sammy.
- I think Anthony was in his room, while Tommy probably didn't answer because he must have lots of fans coming to see him, so his girlfriend opens the door for him. I was able to check part of his alibi when I was at his house, but unfortunately it proved useless…
- What are you talking about?
Deshya takes out her phone, unlocks it and shows her father the screen. Sammy leans in and watches with intrigue.
- Last night's schedule...?
- His girlfriend told me that at 1:40 he told her on the phone that he was watching 'Great Star Academy', but it didn't come on last night. When she went to ask him what that meant, she came back to tell me that he'd explained to her that he was watching programs they'd recorded during the week and that he wanted to see one of the singers' terrible performance again.
- I heard that in the program for the last day of August, a singer started singing off-key right from the beginning of her song, which was catastrophic... She's the laughing stock of the internet, for the moment," recalls Sammy.
- I've seen a lot of memes on it!" admits Michaël.
- So his alibi is shaky?" asks Gatito, addressing his daughter.
She replies that this is the case, but explains to the two policemen everything she has learned.
- For 'Léo Serron', the man who loves to read, he was asleep at home and his left hand hurts too much to do much.
Sammy writes it down in his little notebook.
- For 'Mishra Joyti', the early sleeper, she told me she fell asleep around 9pm and even though she had insomnia, she didn't move from her house. She seemed really tired.
- …
- Secondly, for 'Anthony Guetteur', he's been ill for some time and coughs a lot, so he stays in his room all the time. I don't know if he's been out, so I don't have his alibi... And finally, for 'Tommy Sabbot', he was at home watching TV and sent a message to his girlfriend at around 1.40am. I was able to see the message and it wasn't a fake, so I can confirm that he really did send it at that time.
- In short, none of them has an alibi?
- None of them.
This greatly annoys Gatito: the situation remains unchanged. They still have four suspects on their hands, and from what his daughter tells him, it's impossible to discover the culprit in this way. Nor can they enter someone's house simply by checking, and if they have to follow procedure, they're going to take some time checking all four houses. What's more, there's nothing to say that Byron Elrick is in any of their homes: he may be held somewhere else, by an accomplice for example.
- From what I've seen, all four of them have licenses and cars," says Deshya.
- So they could have used their car to get here... Going to their car and then checking the camera to see if one of them is visible there seems to be the best solution," suggests Sammy.
- Hopefully we'll see something..." says Gatito.
Deshya feels a strange discomfort. There's something there that's a clue to finding the culprit, but she can't quite put her finger on it. She's convinced, but this feeling alone isn't enough: she has to find the answer herself.
- In the video, the only movements that can give a clue to who is the culprit is that he knows the room well, probably protected the baby in a blanket, didn't wake him up, a little upward movement of the head and a slight limp after picking Byron up…
When she thinks about it, all four suspects have an ailment, and any one of them can explain the limp at the end of the video. She turns to Sammy.
- Can I watch the video again? I have a feeling I'll find something," she asks.
- No worries.
Deshya thanks him and hurries up the stairs. Sammy looks at the inspector beside him and talks to him for a few moments before going out. With all that Deshya has said, he tells himself that it's impossible to find the culprit with these words alone... They're going to have to act somehow. He observes the house opposite, the one whose neighbor had been gone all day, but notices something that catches his eye: the man's car is now parked at his place. He tumbles down the outside steps and asks a policeman how long the car has been there.
- He arrived barely ten minutes ago, I'd say," replies the man.
- Great, thanks!
Sammy runs to the neighbor's house across the street, hope returning to his heart. Although it's possible that he didn't observe anything or was simply sleeping, he prefers to think of himself as an important witness. Perhaps he saw or heard something, which could give them a viable lead to the culprit.
With this hope in mind, Sammy heads for the neighbor's house, while Deshya thinks it over, gritting her teeth as she watches the video intently.