How I killed my mother

Part II: The Investigation

Everyone seemed to be at a frenzy.

Every single one of them thought this had been the end. End of Errum Hassan. Thu judge would sentence her to life long imprisonment, or at least a number of years jail time, and everyone could go back to their normal lives forgetting about the girl who killed her mother.

But instead, Errum had emerged out of the courtroom, free as a bird. No matter how much people were skeptical, there was simply not enough evidence to hold her guilty.

The judge had to release her on not having enough evidence to retain her and on suspicions regarding the involvement of a third party and foul play. The investigation was reopened, in order to find the true story behind the murder of Saara Hassan.

A nationwide stir had taken place by now. The very simple open and shut murder case did not seem so simple now. True crime podcasts, talk shows, news articles- everywhere this was the talk of the town. Errum's pictures were pasted on the front page, her piercing obsidian eyes looking with despise at the unwanted journalists outside the courtroom. Beside that, the picture of a smiling Saara Hassan lay side by side.

People now had all sorts of theories on this. Errum Hassan, the nation's cold blooded villain from day one, was now a puzzle to be solved. Nobody could figure out what was on her mind, what her obsidian eyes had to give away. Whether Errum was the evil or good in the story was another question. But what baffled people the most was how Saara Hassan hid the ugliest of truths in her prettiest of smiles.

***

The detectives at Scotland Yard were now busier than ever. It was already a shame that a false evidence had been provided to the court under their careful watch. On top of that, they had chosen the path of least resistance and held the 17 y/o daughter on account, based on a DNA fingerprint with loophole and a diary she did not write, probably on their way to unintentionally incriminating an innocent life in the process.

If she wasn't obsessed with this case already before, the mind baffling trial made Eyzah devote hours of her day to the case. She started to see Harry less and less, but was glad that he understood. He understood that what she always wanted to prove to the world was now standing at her doorsteps, just a little more nudge and it would be clear. Errum Hassan did not kill her mother. Someone else did. And she was going to prove it. This was the opportunity of a lifetime.

The witnesses were interrogated again. The neighbors, classmates, teachers, Saara's friends. A hunt started for the unnamed lover of Saara's. The house was searched again. But nothing new came to the surface. It was the same old story again and again. Working overtime, cups after cups of coffee, chewing the back of their pens and running place to place chasing leads did not work miracles. All the leads led to a dead end. Not a single new suspect was found, and the investigation came to a halt, leaving all the detectives in shame.

Was this going to be another one of those unsolved cases people made documentaries and podcasts about?

While these questions swam in their heads, Eyzah went through the whole case, once again, pointing all the involvements of the persons in the case in her murder board. Just then a new tactic hit her. What if she started with the unanswered questions first?

So she wrote it all down.

•Who was Saara's mystery lover?

•Who could have written the diary?

•Why did Errum hit Kevin in the head?

She hovered her pen over the last question for a bit. Errum had hurt Kevin in the week of the murder. Which means it could have close ties with the case.

Last time Eyzah interviewed Adam, he revealed nothing much, and stuck to the story of him leaving Errum because she hit his friend like the psychopath she was.

But something here doesn't add up.

After interrogating the classmates she had found out that Errum and Adam had been distant after valentine's day and while they stayed apart, after 2-3 days, Errum hit Kevin, while coming at Adam, probably because he left her after that day.

Does that mean, Adam Phills was lying?

And why hadn't Kevin filled a complaint against Errum after such a big fiasco?

Last time Eyzah had been unable to question Kevin because of his physical instability just a week after the incident. He was still hospitalized, but probably in a state of answering. It was worth a try.

***

Eyzah parked her car in the basement at the hospital, and quickly made her way to the elevator, when her phone rang.

"Detective Malik."

"Hey Eyzah, Jakey boy here. I've got some gooooddd news,"

"When- When will you learn to talk like a mature detective instead of a 5 y/o?"

"When my mental age will turn into an adult. Which, by the way, is 7 right now. It's accurate, since I checked it by choosing colors on Brightside videos,"

Amidst all that stress, Eyzah chuckled. Even though she despised that man, his dorkish behavior made her feel lighter.

"What have you got?"

"Though I said it was good news, it's also a part bad news- I mean, it shows negligence on our last investigation."

Eyzah sighed and walked out as the elevator reached the floor.

"What's new? I can't believe I gave all my energy to this case and still there were so many things we did wrong. Nevermind that, we need to do this right this time. What is it?"

"We checked a 10 mile radius of the crime scene, again, but clearly more thoroughly this time. While on the search our team found a house, a little secluded from the others, and looked like nobody lived there for a while. But guess what? It had a CCTV camera! Though it does not have access to the crime scene, which was probably why some dumb witted intern didn't find it important to inform us, but we can at least have a lead now, hopefully."

"That's great! Did you retrieve the footage?"

"Erm.... That's probably another reason why nobody told us about that camera. As deserted as the house looks, the man living there, is also deserted. He's like the Boo Radley of their neighborhood. Barely anyone ever sees him. A paranoid, grumpy old man he is. I've tried talked to him but all he does is peep from behind the curtain and let's out an angry growl. I have no idea how to get that man to open up. But at least there's one reassurance. The Cam has to be working, for he's dead afraid of intruders."

"I see. Don't worry, I'll go see him. He has to open up, this is the only promising lead we've got. Before that, I've got some unfinished business. I'll see you there, at 5."

Eyzah hung up and faced Kevin's mother, an angry frown across her face.

A/N: I personally LOVE detective works, investigation and all that. So this part is gonna be fun for me to write. What do you think will Eyzah and team discover chasing these leads?

Also, Errum walked free!! Here's a piece of cake to celebrate 🍰

Please vote 🌟 and comment 🃏