Rue
The bell chimed when I opened the door of the forensic laboratory. When I entered, I saw Evan all alone in the room, reviewing a document with his glasses on. He didn’t even lift his gaze to know who entered, yet he asked in a sour voice, “What are you doing here, Rue?”
While navigating my eyes at the laboratory equipment, I replied, “I’m here for the results.”
With his eyebrows furrowed, he looked at me and said, “I don’t have them yet. Also, I can just send them to your email. What are you really here for?”
“As a standard procedure, I need to talk to the victim’s wife…” I trailed off, hoping to get his full attention. Then, I saw him sigh before taking off his glasses and putting the document down the table.
“I’m busy, Rue. If you want me to talk to her in your stead, I don’t have the time to do that kind of thing again. Also, it’s not a part of my job as the head of the forensic department to do that for you.”
“Come on, Evan,” I whined. “We’ve known each other ever since we’re studying in Great Summit University. You know that I can’t talk to people! Come with me and talk to her for me, okay?”
“No,” he retorted. “Ask someone else.”
Then, he turned his back on me before extending his hand to grab the document that he put down earlier. But even before he could actually pick it up, I grabbed his arm and blurted out, “I’ll treat you to dinner!”
He raised an eyebrow while looking at me with disbelief. He murmured, “I can’t believe you…”
I tightened my grasp on his arm and begged him, “Come with me, please! I need you!”
Suddenly, he bursted out laughing.
“Fine, fine,” he said. “I’ll come with you. You didn’t have to beg like that.”
“Thank you! You’re the best!” I exclaimed with joy. “I’ll treat you to your favorite fine dining restaurant then. Let’s get some steak.”
“When are we going to talk to the wife then?”
I giggled. “We’ll go now.”
#
According to Chief Montana, the victim lived in a humble suburban home in the Bay Area with his family before he died. Before Evan and I arrived at the address, he parked his black SUV in a nearby parking lot before we got out of his vehicle. Standing at their doorstep, I rang the doorbell to inform the people inside of our presence. Then, a petite woman who looked to be in her early 30s opened the door. It’s Natalia Chris-Addams, the victim’s wife.
“Good morning, Ma’am,” Evan greeted her politely. “I’m Evan Barlowe. I’m the head of the forensic department of the Bay Area Law Enforcement Agency. I’m with Rue Vargaz, a detective inspector. We’re here to bring you some news about your husband.”
“If it’s about my husband, then I’m sure it’s going to be a long one,” she responded, her voice sounding plummy. “Come in.”
We accepted her invitation and entered. Then, she made us sit on the sofa in the living room, from where we could see three children– all girls– eating their breakfast in the dining room next to the kitchen.
“Coffee or tea?” Mrs. Addams asked us.
Both Evan and I replied with, “No, thank you.”
Hearing that we don’t want anything, she just sat down on the sofa chair next to us and asked, “So… what happened to my husband?”
Evan took a deep breath before saying, “Mrs. Addams, your husband was found dead–”
“He’s dead?!” She exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hand.
“Yes, he was found dead in an alley. We’re very sorry–”
“Oh my god!” She exclaimed again, crying this time.
Evan looked at me, asking me to help him calm the lady down.
This time, I was the one who took a deep breath before saying, “We know that this is a hard time–”
“How did the bastard die?”
“Huh?” Evan and I both uttered with surprise and confusion.
Evan was so confused that he started stuttering, “H-he was killed.”
“Was it a long and painful death?”
I answered, “No. His throat was cut so deeply, he immediately died.”
“Hmp,” she grunted. “He should’ve suffered more.”
Evan and I looked at each other. The confusion is very evident in our faces.
However, our confusion faded into concern when Mrs. Addams confessed, “He beat me.”
She stood up and took off her jacket. My mouth gaped open when I saw the bruises and wounds all over her body.
“He didn’t hit my face because he wanted me to stay pretty. Instead, he broke my body.”
I quickly stood up to help her put her jacket on again and whispered, “We’re very sorry.”
“Thank you,” she whispered back, her eyes revealing nothing but resilience. “It would be better to hear that from him, but the asshole is dead.”
“About his body…” Evan trailed off.
“Do whatever you want with his body: donate his body to science, feed it to the dogs, or whatever. I don’t care. Just don’t deliver that garbage over here for me and my children to see.”
Evan stood up as well, saying, “We understand.”
“Am I a suspect now?” she asked. “I can’t be. I’m with my children all day and night yesterday.”
“No, Ma’am,” I responded, assuring her. “You don’t match the suspect’s identification at all. We’re looking for a tall one. Besides, you have an alibi.”
She let out a deep breath of relief. “Thank goodness! I can’t afford to be a suspect. My children need me. I need to take care of them.”
“Once we catch the killer, do you still want us to inform you, Ma’am?” asked Evan.
She shook her head with a gentle smile. “No need.”
Evan also responded with a smile. “Then, we’ll be going now.”
“But, once you catch the killer, thank him or her for me.”
I was caught off guard with her request. However, Evan replied, still smiling, “We’ll do that.”
#
After talking to Mrs. Addams and a day at work, I fulfilled my promise to Evan and treated him in his favorite fine dining restaurant.
I stared at Evan as he elegantly slices his steak and puts it in his mouth, while I savagely cleave mine to swallow big bites.
“You should slow down, you know?” Evan commented, his eyes are still on his steak.
“I’m hungry,” I said before swallowing a big portion again.
I saw him smirk before he started saying, “You’re always hungry.”
“I always get hungry whenever I think, and I’m always thinking, so I’m always hungry.”
A hearty laughter escaped his lips. “You’re really something…”
His comment made me smile unconsciously. I said, “You know what?”
He stopped eating for a moment and replied, “What?”
“I think you’re really something too.”
A curious glint sparkled in his eyes as he titled his head. “In what way?”
“You don’t always look at me, yet I feel like you’re always watching out for me.”
He gave me a smile and thoughtful gaze. “Is that so?”
“Yes,” I replied before putting a slice of steak in my mouth to chew again.
“By the way, Rue, what do you think of the killer?” Evan suddenly asked.
“Based on the evidence in the crime scene, the killer is an artist– a painter, to be exact. He or she is also pretty tall and seems to be clean when it comes to killing.”
“Oh?” He raised an eyebrow. “Then, why do you think he killed that man?”
“He left a message on the wall of the crime scene. He wants to be noticed.”
“No one’s noticing his art, so he resorted to crime?”
I nodded. “That’s what Chief Montana and I think. And, given what we learned about the Addams earlier, I think he’s trying to be some kind of vigilante too.”
“So… you’re assuming a serial killer on the loose now?”
“That’s right.”
“You’re going to be busy.”
I chuckled. “I will surely be.”
