The truth was out. But no where was safe.
Not the police station. Not the detectives office. Not even a local pub. They didn't want to risk the details of the truth being leaked, any way any how. Not to mention, the walls have ears and eyes. So they really couldn't get the truth off their chest without potential repercussions.
They couldn't even discuss it over the phone or else they be tapped. As paranoid as that sounded, they can't leave anything to chance.
Fortunately, there was still one place in the station that could offer them absolute privacy.
"Shameful, most shameful. Suspect or not, a little house warming gift would have been thoughtful."
Martial Kim didn't want to pout. Only children would do that when they couldn't get their way. He was a grown man, a knight errant, and a hero of the people (before he got thrown in this world of course). However, no one can blame him when his cell was invaded by a forensic chemist, detective, and officer. The space was enough for a family of two, not four. And they were sitting in his only cot! The audacity!
"I take it you figured out who the real killer is," the young master spoke up with a wry tone.
Prof. Stone went "Sssssh. This may be the corner of the world, we don't want our voices echoing in the halls. This is serious."
"Oh I have no doubt of that. The answer is written all over your faces. Such gloomy calligraphy I might add."
Detective Fraulein was rubbing her temples at this point. She felt like she was going to pass out. "I can't believe it. All this time, the Belt Rapist was him."
Martial Kim tried to relax, sitting on the cold hard floor with not a cushion for him to use. "Let me guess. The killer is not only a member of the constabulary, but of high rank? Ah, that look of shock in your eyes says it all.
"The Chief Commissioner."
"The who?" The young master raised an eyebrow at the foreign word.
Prof. Stone rubbed at his chin as he said, "Essentially, he is the highest ranking officer in this area. Practically, their boss of their boss," and jabbed his thumb to his neighbours.
--- Essentially, a court magistrate of some sort? Hmm. This all makes sense: how the women would be easily coaxed with a sense of false security and how any investigation into the killings prove fruitless. Someone with that level of authority can easily remove key records or traces of evidence without anyone being the wiser. And no constable in their right mind would ever suspect their senior officer of such calibre. Such a dastardly tactic!
Knowing he would add fuel to the fires of frustration, Martial Kim chose to say, "No wonder you are inches away from bashing your heads across the wall."
Detective Fraulein felt like she was about to throw up, and she skipped out on breakfast and lunch entirely, "D.N.A. we found on the cigarette butt matches his. Not to mention, his name is among the list of competitors in the race gun, so he would likely own the key chain. Both of them means – the Chief Commissioner was at the scene of the crime at some point... I still feel, this is impossible.”
“When you eliminate all that is impossible, whatever remains—“
“Is the truth,” Prof. Stone finished with a raised of an eyebrow, “No matter how impossible. Isn’t that right, Kim?”
“Indeed.” The young master couldn’t nod of approval, “It seems that level of deductive reasoning still exists here. At least, that saves me a paragraph of explanation. Now, think of it fellow investigators: if the Chief Commissioner passed by the crime scene to help out, surely he would have mentioned it. But if my guess is right, officers of such high rank usually spends his battlefield in the office – and let others to fight his wars out in the dirt and mud. Am I right?”
Officer Roland stared, “...He’s got a point, ma’am.”
“Shush it officer!” Detective Fraulein snapped back.
Martial Kim played around with the chains bound to his hands and wrist, as if knitting with them with his fingers. “The evidence speaks for itself. Surely enough for a swift arrest. Yet, you are all sulking in my cell as if you are bringing your daily woes to my tavern. What is the hesitation?”
Prof. Stone sucked in the stale air through his teeth. "The evidence can say he was there, but it cannot tell us exactly he was the one who killed the woman in the mountains. There is nothing precise to say: he is the Belt Rapist. The best we can get out of it all, is a slap on his wrist for visiting a crime scene without a proper report. Like you said – an officer of his rank can surely side step that sort of bullet.”
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--- Bullet? Did he meant an arrow? Curious term.
“And let's not forget Kim, we do not have an eye witness to claim it was him who physically murdered the victim."
"Now, I feel wounded."
Detective Fraulein snapped, "Who is the Judge going to believe, a decorated officer with more than 30 years of service under his belt – or a guy who beat up 20+ officers?"
"...Point taken."
The detective went on, near mumbling, "Either we find another eye witness account – with a clean record – to testify, or we need to find something crucial to convince the judge and jury he's the one who killed the woman in the mountain; as well as the previous two victims."
Officer Roland shrugged his shoulder, "And the first two murders were clean of anything. Nothing we could use to our advantage."
"Then what?" Martial Kim gritted his teeth with a raised voice, "You are to sit on your hands and let this villain walk about in broad daylight, like a free bird? Did it not occur to you, you are under the command of a man who is breaking everything you believe in justice? Rape and murder, unhindered. And probably feels smug about it all?"
Detective Fraulein ended up growling like a dog with hackles up, “You don’t think I feel disgust in all of this!? What, you believe I would turn a blind eye just because he’s my boss. Screw that! Those three women suffered in every imaginable way possible and I want nothing more than the killer to get a taste of his own medicine! I just didn’t expect, it’s the very man who controls over hundreds of police officers in this town! One bad move, and everything is shot to hell! Do you understand that!?”
Prof. Stone hushed everyone with a finger and tried to maintain the peaceful conversation in a whisper, "That's why we're here, trying to think of anything – right?. Like we said, the killer is most likely the Chief Commissioner – he could easily hear our talking through other officers and detectives. We can't chance him getting wind of us knowing. And it would help a lot if you both can keep to a 15 cm voice.”
The young master wanted to argue, but the man had a point. So he sucked in his pride and swallowed his frustrations, "Could you not just interrogate him and force the truth out of him?"
The forensic chemist chortled, "This isn't exactly the medieval times. What, you want us to brand him with a hot poker, or rub salt in his fresh wounds, until he confesses?"
"This killer is no better than a beast. He should deserve such treatment."
Detective Fraulein scoffed, "Knock it off, both of you. You're making us all sound like damn Neanderthals! This is modern society, with a modern law, and a modern system. The last thing I want to deal with, is getting sued by the Chief Commissioner's lawyer – nay, an army of attorneys....Aaaaaaagh, this is the worst!"
Prof. Stone leaned his head back to try and think of something, letting Detective Fraulein scratch at her head with great ferocity. Boy that's going to leave a mark, the forensic chemist thought to himself, especially with her long nails...
"Detective, don't move." Prof. Stone grabbed the detective by the head and brushed some of her hair aside.
"S-Stone! Wh-what the hell! G-get off!"
"Officer Roland," Prof. Stone struggled, "Can you give me a hand and hold the detective still."
After an awkward altercation, Prof. Stone closely examined the detective's scalp in between her hair. It was only when he realized how beet red the detective was, did he pull back and let her go.
"Wh-what the hell Stone!?" she gasped.
"Scratches!” Prof. Stone blurted out. “Of course. The coroner mentioned the third victim has some skin samples under her finger nails. At first, I tried to compare it through general criminal database and got nothing. But now that we have both the cigarette butt and the Chief Commissioner’s D.N.A., I can do a comparison!”
Detective Fraulein’s face fell, and she smacked her face, “God dammit, of course! She would have scratched her attacker in self defence! Meaning if the skin cells under her finger nail matches the Chief Commissioner—”
Officer Roland added, “Then he’s definitely the murderer of the woman in the mountains!”
Eeeey. High gives all around. Come on!...Until Officer Roland’s shoulders sagged.
“Still,” He went on “That may charge him for the one murder. How do we connect him to victim one and two? Being how he’s been this careful the whole time, it’s likely we’re not going to get a confession out of him even if we have him dead to rights!”
“I have an idea.”
“I have an idea.”
The small cell reverberated with an uncanny echo. A twin-like resonance that sent shivers down the spines of the detective and officer. The words were so precisely synchronized that they felt otherworldly, almost unnatural. As their gaze snapped to Martial Kim and Professor Stone, they saw the two speaking in perfect unison. Hell even the grins on their lips look like a reflection of a mirror.
"You first."
"You first."
"I insist."
"I insist."
"Well."
"Well."
"It involves you."
"It involves you."
"Stone, Kim! Both of you knock it off damn it! Your twin act is creepy as hell!"
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