Chapter I – A Hero is Born
Part 2 – The Daily City
"I'm late!" he exclaimed. He tried to rush into the building of the Daily City but with all the people going in and out of the building, this was a herculean task. He was breathing heavily and his fingers were being crushed in the rhythmic grip of his other hand. His mother and father had told him not to have stress when meeting Danny Adison, Editor-in-Chief of the Daily City and, hopefully, his new boss. But he couldn't help it.
A ringing sound notified him that the elevator had arrived. He walked in and pressed the button to get him to the sixth floor. When the elevator reached the sixth floor, he rushed to Danny's office and knocked the door.
"Who is it?!" he barked.
"It…Its me," the young man said. "I mean, it's Adam Wells."
Danny opened the door and welcome Adam in. He was a young man in his late twenties, tall, thin and wearing thick black rimmed glasses and a black suit. Danny, on the other hand, was in his fifties, with grey hair and wearing a blue shirt and black trousers. The fact that he looked tough and strict made Adam even more stressful. Adam put up an awkward smile and said, "I…I am….here for…for…the interview. For the job."
"I see…" Danny said. "I've read the email you send me with the articles you had written for the Torch of Mirstone. You have a good prose and it seems that you have great potential."
Hearing this, Adam allowed himself to relax a bit and smiled. "Does this mean I am hired?"
Danny sighed. "Sorry, kid. You do have potential, but not enough experience. This is the Daily City we are talking about, the greatest newspaper in the entire world. We sell more than all of White City’s' newspapers combined and our website is visited by millions daily."
"But experience is not everything!" Adam protested. "Give me a chance to prove myself and I will."
Danny thought about it for a moment. "You do have passion. I like that in a reporter. Well… bring me a story and prove me wrong!"
"So… I am hired?" a smiling Adam asked.
"Yes. But if you do not bring me a good story really soon, you will leave as fast as you were hired."
"I understand," Adam said. As he walked out of the office, he bumped into a young woman. "I am sorry," he quickly apologized.
"Watch where you are going," she said. "Are you blind?"
Adam was about to apologize again when he saw that woman. She had tall frame and slender body. Her hair was straight black, her eyes dark. Adam could find no words to describe her beauty.
"Are you deaf too?" she asked.
"I…Sorry... I've…me…I…"
Before he could finish his sentence, Danny interrupted him. "He is Adam Wells, our newest reporter."
He then said to Adam, "And she is Jessica Wing, the best reporter of the Daily City."
"Nice to meet you!" Adam said and offered to shake hands but Jessica ignored him. Instead she handed some papers to Danny. "This is the story about the serial killer," she said.
Danny read the first page and smiled. "Once again, an excellent work.”
“My next story will be about this Harry fellow.”
“Most excellent! Hey, Adam, you could learn a thing or two from Jessica. If you read her stories, you will understand why she is the best reporter of our newspaper."
Adam simply smiled.
As he and Jessica walked out of Danny’s office, he approached her. “Hey… I…”
“Don’t be so afraid; I am not going to bite you.”
“Of course you won’t. That would be silly, wouldn’t be? I-”
Jessica sighed.
“I mean I am glad to meet you and I look forward to working with you. Can you give me some advice? I am a newbie here.”
“I can help you, I guess… A beggar in an alley has been talking about an ‘electrical man’. You could talk to him.”
“Really? Investigating the ravings of a madman?”
“That’s how I became such a star here; by researching what others though was crazy, by believing the impossible. That’s why I do not simply report news; I discover them.”
“Why don’t you investigate this case then…”
“I would but I already have a story to investigate.”
“About that Harry guy?”
“Yes,” Jessica replied as she sighed. “It is a complicated case.”
“Want to tell me more about it? I will be looking into that beggar’s story, so do not worry me stealing your story.”
Jessica humphed. “As if you could… Harry Johnson is a professor of criminology and private investigator. Harry was a celebrity before going missing; he was solving one case after the other. He returned to White City only five weeks ago.”
“Where he was before?”
“In Tibet; ten years ago his plane crushed and he apparently found himself stranded on Tibet. He said that he was saved by some Buddhist monks.”
“Where is the mystery in that?”
“Why would he spend ten years of his life living with some monks? Why didn’t he try to contact the outside world earlier? Also, he is pretty elusive and has not given a clear answer to any of the questions asked to him about his stay in Tibet. Not to say that when he came to the city, he was closed in a psychiatric clinic.”
“I can understand the guy; he is probably traumatized by all this.”
“Ah please! This kind of cold-hearted, calculative person isn’t the sentimental kind that would be traumatized. He is hiding something. But worry not; I shall find out his secret!”
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Harry and Darren walked into the shopping mall where Johanna Stern worked. The ceiling was domed high and made of the most beautiful glass. The place was overcrowded. Harry resented all this crowd; he preferred quiet. Darren, on the other hand, couldn't stop checking out several stores, much to the annoyance of Harry. It had been a long time since he had last gone to a shopping mall.
"Come on!" Harry shouted. "We do not have all day!"
"Since we are here, why not see if there is anything to buy?" Darren asked. "This place has everything!"
"We are here investigating a murder, not for shopping."
Harry walked forward as fast as he could, leading the way. Darren followed closely behind. They were heading to the workplace of Johanna. They walked into a store selling athletic shoes. A young female employee approached them with a smile on her face and said, "Welcome. How can I help you?"
"Firstly, I can tell that your smile is a forced one, though I do not blame you. I too wouldn't be too happy if I had to work here every day," Harry said. "Secondly, my name is Harry Johnson and he is my... associate Dr. Darren Smith. We are with the Homicide Division of the White City Police Department and are investigating the murder of Johanna Stern. We know she worked here."
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The woman's face became ashen white and she was reduced to tears. "Poor Johanna..."
Darren sighed. "I will cry too!"
"Why?" Harry wondered.
"I can't help it. I am a sympathetic crier." Darren’s eyes became glazed with a glassy layer of tears.
"Oh come on! We have work to do!" Harry protested. He then turned to the woman and asked, "You knew Miss Stern? Also, care to tell us what is your name?"
"My name is Mary Mulligan. Yes, I did know Johanna. We are- I mean we were friends..."
"Do you know why anyone would want to hurt her?"
"No. I do not think anyone had any reason to harm her."
Harry thought for a moment before asking the next question; "Do you think she may have upset anyone? Did she have any troubles you know of?"
Mary paused for a moment. She looked to the right and touched her face for a few seconds before replying. "No... I cannot think of anything. She was a nice person; people liked her."
"You are lying!" Harry exclaimed. "Not about people liking Miss Stern or that you believe that she was a nice person. You are lying about her not having any troubles."
"You can tell that just by looking at her?" Darren asked.
"Yes. She looked to the right for a moment. When right handed people lie, they look to the right; this allows them to access their imagination and invent an answer. I can tell from her hands that Miss Mulligan here is a right handed person. Also, she touched her face. A chemical reaction causes people's faces to itch when they lie."
"That is so cool!" Darren said. "Horatio is right. It is as if I am starring in Psych or the Mentalist. You are Shawn and I am Gus! Or you are Jane and I am... Rigsby!"
Harry sighed. "I don't know who all those guys are, but I am pretty sure that they have nothing to do with our current investigation. Can you please focus on the issue at hand?"
He then asked Mary, "So, in what kind of trouble was Miss Stern in?"
Mary hesitated for a moment before replying. "Johanna was a nice girl but... she cheated a lot on her boyfriend. Once, her boyfriend had found out and they had a fight. He hit her. They eventually got back together and she promised not to cheat again on him."
"But she did!" Harry said, interrupting her. "So, you believe that her boyfriend may have been angry enough to murder her?"
"Well, he did get violent with her once..."
"Why didn't you tell us about all this before?" Darren asked. "This information could be crucial in solving the case."
"I didn't want people to know about Johanna's affairs. I was afraid of how people would judge her."
"Miss," Harry said, "I am pretty sure that Miss Stern would much rather if you aided us find her murderer rather than shutting up so a few people wouldn't gossip about her. Finding a killer is more important."
Mary nodded in agreement.
"Can you tell us the name of her boyfriend?" Darren asked.
"Gary. Gary Jackson."
"Gary Jackson?" Darren repeated.
"Yes. Do you know him?"
"I went to medical school with a guy named Gary Jackson. If he is that Gary Jackson, then he may indeed be our killer."
"What makes you say that?" Harry asked.
"Back in medical school, there was gossip that this Gary beat up his girlfriend because he thought she cheated on him."
"Well, then we should pay a visit to Gary."
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Adam was in an alley, talking to a beggar. He was an old man, his face dirty. He was stinking as he had not bathed in ages. Adam sighed. He really hoped that Jessica was right about this.
“So, Mr. Malcom I presume?”
“Indeed! That’s who I am!” the beggar exclaimed.
“What exactly did you see?”
“An ‘electric man’! I kid you not, kid!”
Adam tried not to laugh. “So, tell me more about this… man?”
“He walked in the alley. I initially did not give him much attention but suddenly I saw sparks on his hands. He let out a roar and he suddenly electrocuted a wooden box. I believe he was testing his powers.”
“Hold on a moment… You tell me that you saw a guy who can throw lightning from his hands?”
“Yup! I know it sounds crazy but it’s true. I saw it with my very own eyes. Something is very off in this city…”
“Thank you.”
Adam walked away. ‘That guy must have been drunk or he has psychological problems,’ he thought. ‘But… if this is somehow true, it will make my career. Jessica told me to investigate the impossible. I will do just that!’
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Harry and Darren took a taxi to the address where Gary was living. His house was a square grey building, with narrow windows. Harry rushed to the front door and ringed the bell. Darren was visibly less excited. He walked right behind, feeling somewhat uncomfortable with questioning a suspected killer.
"Shouldn't we call the police?" Darren asked. "If this guy is the killer, he may try to kills us if we confront him."
"We are with the police, remember?" Harry replied. "Also, we do not have time to waste. The faster we solve the case, the better. I must be the one to solve the case!"
Harry ringed again the bell but there was no response. "He must not be inside!" he remarked. "That is even better. We can break in and see if there are any clues as to whether he is our murderer or not."
Darren laughed in disbelief before realizing that Harry was serious about this. "You must be kidding, right? I am not going to break into the house of a suspected murderer. I do not want to end up dead."
"Just a few moments ago you were excited about how 'cool' my job is. Now you chicken out?"
"Look, I am a doctor. I am not a detective. Hell, I only met you today."
Harry sighed. "Fine. I will do this on my own. You can leave."
As he was about to leave, Darren's phone ringed. He picked it up. It was Horatio calling him.
"Hey, dude, how was the apartment you were going to look?" Horatio asked.
"Fine. My roommate too seems fine. A bit eccentric-"
"I am not eccentric!" Harry protested. "I am merely a genius. Common people find geniuses eccentric because their intellectual inferiority does not allow them to understand them."
"Is that the cool detective you were talking about?" Horatio asked.
"Yes..." Darren replied and sighed. "I was following him in his investigation of a murder but now I am leaving. This guy wants to break into the house of a suspected murderer. Can you believe him?"
"Dude, that sounds awesome! It's like a movie. If you are not going with him, I will. Tell him to wait for me and give me the address."
"What? You've got to be kidding me! You want to put your life at risk because you want to feel like a movie hero?"
"See? Other people would love to be able to accompany me," Harry said, "but you want to miss this opportunity to live a real adventure. Fine! Return back to your boring, mundane life."
Darren thought about it for a moment. "Will call you later," he said to Horatio. "I know I will regret this but I will be coming with you. For this one time only though."
"Excellent!" Harry exclaimed. "Now, shall we try to get this door to open?"
Harry pulled a bobby pin from his pocket. He pulled it open and striped off the knobs. He then bend the tip in the lock to make a pick. He folded the other end onto itself to make a handle. Sherlock then grabbed a second bobby pin from his pocket and bend it in half to make a lever. He quickly inserted the second bobby pin into the bottom part of the lock. He then used the pins to pick the lock.
"Simple, isn't it?" he asked.
Darren gaped in amazement. "Wow, now those are some good lock picking skills."
"Thank you for your compliment but we should get going. We do not want to wait until Mr. Jackson arrives, do we?"
The inside of the house was untidy. There were a few baskets with dirty clothes. In the brown couch in the center of the room there were traces of food and beer cans. There was also a stench of garbage.
"My God!" Darren exclaimed. "This place is in a mess."
Harry ignored Darren and went ahead to examine the other rooms of the house. In a few minutes, he returned to the main hall where Darren was waiting for him.
"I think we can be pretty sure that Mr. Jackson did not kill Miss Stern."
"How do you know that?"
"Look at this place!" Harry said as he pointed at the messy room. "I can tell that the food and the beer cans were here from yesterday. Mr. Jackson most likely spent his time here, eating and drinking. Also the untidiness of his house speaks volumes about his character. This man is someone who might be violent but is most certainly not a careful or patient planner nor does he seem like a bright guy, if I judge by the lack of any books in this house and his habits, which seem to be confined only to eating and drinking. It doesn't seem he is doing some other, more productive, activity in his spare time."
"You are right. He did drop out of the medical school in his first year,” Darren said. "I was surprised he even got into the school in the first place."
"The murderer tried to throw off the police by making it look like it was a burglary gone wrong. He also made sure to not leave any traces behind. The murderer is a smart, organized person. Mr. Jackson can thus be eliminated from our pool of suspects."
"You think I ain't smart?!" a man angrily asked.
Harry and Darren turned around to see a tall muscular young man wearing blue shirt and jeans. "What the hell are you doing in my house?!" he shouted.
"He sure is fit for a guy eating junk food all the time..." Darren whispered. He then put up a smile. "Hey, Gary! It's me, Darren. Darren Smith. Don't you remember me from the first year in medical school?"
"No!" Gary said. "But I do know that you will remember me for a long time after I beat you up!"
"Hold on!" Harry said. "I am Harry Johnson. I and Dr. Smith are with the Homicide Division of the White City Police Department. We are investigating into the murder of Johanna Stern."
"Good riddance!" Gary exclaimed. "I just found out that this bitch was again cheating on me."
"Man, don't you have any compassion at all?" Darren asked.
Harry whispered, "Do you really want to enrage this guy? He may not be our murderer, but he sure is violent..."
"Do you have warrant to search my property?"
"Well..."
Before Harry could finish his sentence, Gary punched him on the face. Harry fell on the ground; his nose had been broken and was bleeding. Darren was screaming like a little girl and trying to make his way out of the house when Gary grabbed him by his shirt and punched him on the chest.
"If you ever, ever trespass my property again, I will beat you unconscious!"
"Don't worry..." Harry said after taking a deep breath. "We shall not bother you again. Have a nice day."
He and Darren then rushed out of the house as fast as they could.
"Hey, can't you charge him with attacking an officer of the law?" Darren asked. "I mean, you are not a police officer but you are working with the police as a consultant."
"Do you really want us to mention to Captain Gorman that we broke into the house of an innocent man and searched it without a warrant?"
"I guess not..."
"Well, we will have to call the Captain and ask him about how his questioning of Miss Stern's family went. He must have also prepared the list with all known associates of Miss Stern. We shall then go speak to Miss Mulligan again. Since she knew about the deceased's affairs, she must know who her last lovers were. The murderer may be one of them. "
"What makes you think I will continue following you around?"
"The fact that you haven't left yet," Harry replied. "If you really wanted to leave, you would have done so already. You may like to think that you prefer a quiet, mundane life but in fact you desire adventure. You want to be a hero like the ones starring in the TV shows you watch."
Darren sighed. "Damn, you sure know how to read people..."