Proofreader/Editor: Itane
***
“-We have to see her state first but seeing how she’s still alive, there is some chance. Did you say you are a detective?”
“Ah, yes yes. I’m Jude. Call me when she becomes stable. The number is….. here. She is the criminal in a case. If she asks for a weird thing when she wakes up, don’t ever give it to her.”
“Huh? C-criminal? Isn’t it better for you to take her along then?”
A paramedic who came in hastily, looked at him a little bit scared. Jude smiled and shrugged his shoulders.
“I still have some things to do. I’ll clean up this mess and then go. I already called the station, so another detective will come. You don’t have to worry about it, good work.”
“Yes, Okay…”
He answered a little bit awkwardly. The paramedics went in the ambulance where they put fainted Mrs. Sarkozy and closed the door. Jude stared at the vehicle leaving with black smoke and looked at the residents who came out because of the fuss. Their faces looked like they held no malice, but had question, wariness, and light fear mixed in their expressions.
Marsha who was standing the closest hesitantly approached Jude.
“Uh, detective? What happened? Why was Mrs. Sarkozy….. Did she get sick all of a sudden?”
Jude stared at Marsha quietly for a short time. This is a truth that she needed to know anyway. The fact that her once closest neighbor killed her husband and killed your father-in-law and your niece. And the most troublesome thing was that she had no ill intention at all. The impulse like an addicting to a drug, she will not understand it at all. And if I finish talking about the corpses in the basement freezer, she will probably cry and deny the fact. Her conscience will shatter.
But before that happens, there is one thing I have to ask.
“Ma’am, I have a question.”
“Huh? Okay, what….?”
“Did you hire a part-time in your house? Like walking your dog.”
“Ah, yes. You mean Albert? It was Jane’s or father-in-law’s job to walk the dog, but after what happened, everyone was in panic….. There was a traveling student, so I asked him. He asked me because he was staying at a small inn, but he ran out of money.”
“So, you hired him right after hearing that?”
“Huh? Yes. He looked very responsible and talked really quietly and calmly. I had a feeling that he was like a college assistant instructor. He did his job really well, and he talked with the kids sometimes. Not only he walked the dog, he also helped out with house chores. Like using physical power…. He helped me with decorating the garden. He usually worked in the morning or lunch, why do you ask?”
“……No….. Mm. How did he look like?”
“His look? His hair was light brown and were his eyes blue? Or grey? And wore a pair of pretty thick framed glasses. He also wore clothes very neatly.”
“Does he still come out for a part-time?”
She still had questioning look and shook her head. She looked at him like she doesn’t understand why he was asking that question.
“No. He said he’ll work only up to today and leave to travel again. He suddenly told me that today after work. It’s too bad, but I said okay. I can’t stop him from leaving.”
“……is that so. When did he leave?”
“It’s been a few hours.”
Jude nodded his head with no expression. Behind the door, Marsha’s son Luke came out. He was holding something. Marsha and Jude looked at him curiously, and the boy with brown hair ran to Jude. With a little red face, the boy gave Jude something that he was holding. It was a white envelope.
“…..Uh….. What is this, um…. Was it Luke?”
“Yes. Albert told me to give this to a blonde detective if he comes back again. After finishing his work today, he gave this to me and left.”
“Ah, okay.”
Jude opened the blank envelope and opened the paper inside. Looking at a writing that he’s used to, Jude quietly sighed.
Did it end well?
It was better than last time. I wasn’t that bored watching them. The fun conflict and appearance happened in that lady’s inside wasn’t that boring. Though it ended up like this in the end, it was going to happen in the future. She might wanted this too.
I did write I found something interesting while traveling, but I didn’t know you would be in charge of this case. I was happy to see you, seriously. For a smooth travel, we didn’t have time to talk to each other. It’s too bad, but I guess we’ll have to postpone that. Stay healthy.
-Alvin Johns.
***
-…..That time, how could I not know….. how could I not know.
When she woke, Jude went to the hospital. She stared at the ceiling and talked to Jude slowly.
When I told my story to that elaborate young man, the eyes that he had that time…... wasn’t a pity or fear, it was like a child saw some interesting book in a book store…. Yes, how could I not know…..
She said it up to that and closed her mouth and didn’t say anything. Her closed eye lashes were trembling.
Murder of two Rice family member, attempted murder of a police officer, attempted murder of Marsha Rice. Mrs. Sarkozy soon got taken in to the station right after she came out from the hospital. Mrs. Rochester got released, and they said that after the Rice family got a big shock from the neighbor who had a secret side of her for a long time, they prepared to move.
“Jude?”
“Mmmm?”
“Nothing really happened, right?
A leisure time in a while, Jude who was focusing on spinning a pen three times in a row on his desk looked at his partner who just got discharge from the hospital. Looking at his suspicious face, his sensitive sense that appears sometimes, is working.
“Of course. Why?”
“No, well…. Never mind if you’re okay.”
Sorry, Tim. Jude apologized inside and touched the letter that he put inside of his pocket. Tim is little too serious sometimes, so if he finds this out, he’ll definitely be in a dilemma. He won’t be able to do anything even if he knows, so Jude didn’t want to tell that a serial killer simply changed his glasses and hair.
When a troublesome sender stepped in, and was after Jude’s life again. Jude regularly received a few more letters from him.
“-I don’t want to.”
A little bald middle aged man thought he heard it wrong.
“What? What did you just say, Jude?”
“I told you I don’t want to.”
“What do you mean you don’t want to!? Did I hear it wrong? I said those bastards who habitually rob liquor stores fled to Miami! I will buy you the plane ticket so cooperate with that place before those guys do something else!”
“I told you no.”
“Why are you like this suddenly? Did you have a heatstroke? Why are you being so stubborn?”
“Anyway I don’t want to. You can send other detectives. I would rather do overtime here.”
“Other detectives? Do you think there’s other detective who’s free right now? Since Tim went on a vacation, you should at least go! Or what it is, why are you like this?”
“……I don’t like planes.”
Crack, a blue vein popped out of the middle-age man’s forehead. The chief who closed his eyes and his fists trembling opened his eyes suddenly and screamed. People who were watching turned away right away because of his scream.
“You are saying that as an excuse?! Don’t say something stupid and leave!”
“I’m serious! Why won’t you believe me? I just told you my weakest point, but how can you act so coldly? Chief, don’t do this to me, I’m not kidding. I really don’t like being in a high place! Like, you know you feel nausea and feel like throwing up? Yes? Like you suddenly shiver and feel like going out breaking a window! Think about it, chief. What do you think the media will say if a New York officer throw up in a plane?”
“Yes, you said it well. What do you think media will say if the situation gets worse, and the New York police didn’t send a detective, and the criminals act more in triumph? Huh? How can you compare you throwing up in a plane and that? Do you understand? If you get it, pack your stuff!”
“Chief, please, yes? Don’t you think poorly of me running around until now? I will rather do more of other people’s work at once. I saw the end of my life seven years ago after I rode a plane!”
“Haha, why would I think poorly of you? You saw the end of your life? That’s a good experience, see it once more. Since you saw it seven years ago, you might not see it this time.”
“Chieffffffff-“
“It’s not cute! Go fast!”
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Jude on a plane~
Continue to Part 14
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