The Perfect Crime

Chapter 17: ONE STEP AHEAD

Isn't it so sad that so often it takes facing death to appreciate life and each other fully. ~Esther Earl
★

Detective Archer Finn could already tell that he was late to the party. Media vans and police cruisers had gotten to his grandmother's house before him. They had taken it upon themselves to block the entire road to the extent that it was almost impenetrable.

Consequently, Archer parked his car a block away, killed the headlights and walked the rest of the distance to his grandmother's house. Emilia, Gabriel, Alea and Callie walked quietly besides him. All their faces held sullen expressions. None of them were expecting good news. The killer, presumably Matthias, had not left any survivors in his wake. It was not wrong of them to expect the worst.

They shimmied their way passed haphazardly parked cars and finally reached the palatial cottage in which his grandmother lived. If the circumstances had been different, Archer would have stopped to admire the cottage in all it's splendor. The cottage was nothing less than endearing. It resembled the witch's cottage that was made out of pastries from the Hansel and Gretel story. Archer wondered how much money his family really had stashed away. He made a mental note to ask Abigail once all this was over.

As they got closer to the cottage, the frenzied media personnel, who were being kept to one side of the road by a group of surly looking police men,  began to roar questions at them. Most of which, were directed at Archer.

"Detective Archer Finn, can you tell the public why you are no longer the primary investigator in the Harleigh Amari case?" A plump looking woman in an ill fitting suit shoved a microphone in his face.

Archer knew that she was asking not because she cared about informing the good citizens of America. But because she already knew why and she wanted to get his reaction on camera.

Another journalist, who probably thought that she was the shit because of her beady eyes, voluptuous breasts and tan skin, fought through the crowd and when she reached the front asked. "Detective Archer Finn, we have been reliably informed that you are divorcing your wife. Why is that?"

Archer was used to the media's antics by now. Their main aim was getting under your skin so that you would make a scene infront of the camera and then voila, they would have their next big story. Ignoring them was the only way to get them off your back. Otherwise, you would end up on camera saying things you didn't mean to say or doing things you never dreamt of doing. Like hitting a perky journalist over the head with their own camera. And then your career would be over. Not like he had one anyway. He was pretty much unemployed at the moment.

Archer turned to go but the same reporter pressed on, "Are you leaving your model of a wife for this thing?" She all but sneered at Emilia.

Archer was seething with rage. Who was she to talk about Emilia like that? He was going to make that woman swallow her words. No, not her words. He was going to make her swallow her camera. And then he would ruin her career. Archer flinched when Emilia caressed his balled up fists.

"It's not worth it." Emilia soothed. She half dragged him to the cottage. Archer had never been more grateful to have Emilia in his life. She was the ice and he was the fire in the relationship. They worked better as partners than enemies.

The police man, who was guarding the doorway to the cottage, blocked their entrance with his stocky body. He folded his heavily tattooed arms over his chest.

"You are not authorized to be here." He bellowed. Emilia was silently praying to God for a miracle right now because Archer was going to pummel the man to a pulp.

Fortunately, Rukelle came to the rescue.

"They are with me." Rukelle ordered and the man let them through. Archer was not beyond smirking at the guard before entering the cottage.