The Fire That Raged Beneath

Chapter 3: Jeremy Miller

Superintendent Jeremy Miller had probably seen more criminal cases land upon his desk than he'd seen hot dinners. A police officer since he was nineteen, murders were now a daily part of his life, and though he felt for every victim, they rarely affected him personally. But Harry Anderson's case was different.

Jeremy sat at his untidy desk, his head in his hands. His bushy grey eyebrows frowned down below the thick black frames of his glasses. Occasionally his head would droop, and he'd let out a snore or two, before snapping his head back up and continuing to stare at the scattered papers on the desk in front of him. The flickering lamp cast shadows around the dim room, dancing eerily, inviting him to join them. Still, he gazed intently at the documents before him. When he realized that staring at a bunch of papers would not solve a murder, he stood up, turned off the light and went home.

Jeremy had a daughter, a nine-year old named Samantha. Harry was two years younger than her, and he couldn't imagine what the boy's mother must be going through. On the 21st of January he first received word of the murder, the day after it was committed. A thorough investigation followed, starting with a detailed examination of the crime scene. It had been a while since Jeremy had seen such an intelligent killer. No clues or fingerprints were left behind.

The first day that he'd been at the crime scene was the day that he first met Christopher and his mother. Beth had mousy brown hair that fell limply around her shoulders and grey bags under her eyes from lack of sleep. Jeremy had looked at her with a feeling of understanding; he knew what it felt like to lack sleep - strange, that for a moment there, he thought about sleep, in the middle of a case like this. Her eyes looked blank and empty, and occasionally questions would need to be repeated because she was gazing vacantly into the distance. Her voice was raspy and hoarse from crying. Her hands were constantly fidgeting, and she was anxious to get the investigation over as soon as possible.

Christopher was a polite, though shy, boy. He sat on his mother's lap while the police asked her questions, playing with a toy plane, his head resting gently on her chest. He had brown hair exactly like his brother's, but the rest of his face was the exact image of his mother. He wore a shirt with an image of the Power Rangers and crinkled jeans, and his hair was messily combed to the side. He didn't say a word, not once.

***

The police knew that the killer had entered the premises through the window in Harry's room, which would have been unlocked. He must have attacked the boy quickly and silently, because a toy train was still in the child's hand when he died, and Harry hadn't yelled, just let out a strangled cry as he was killed. This indicated that he hadn't tried to run or escape. Nothing had been seen by anyone but Harry's brother. When the police questioned them about the murder, neighbours reported to not have heard a thing, and still, a week after it was committed, the police had no suspects. For a while there, it seemed like they never would. All possible killers had alibis, and no progress was being made. It wasn't long until the story was flooding the newspapers and television, making front-page news. The story was news interstate and, eventually, worldwide. It seemed that the whole country wanted to know who killed Harry Anderson, and so far, it seemed that (apart from the media speculation) no-one would ever find out for sure.

Not being able to solve a crime was something that Jeremy was not used to, and it was taking its toll on him. What was left of his hair had fallen out, and wrinkles spread across his face. All the extra work not only affected him physically, but mentally as well. He began to doubt himself, and wondered whether he was the right person to manage the crime. The years went by in a blur, and any lead the police had was quickly snuffed out almost as soon as it was discovered. The story became less and less frequent in the news, and in time, it was no longer heard of. The file on Harry Anderson eventually got lost among the newer crimes and became an unsolved cold case, but it was always eminent in Jeremy's mind. He never forgot about the child who was taken in such a cruel and appalling way, and vowed to do all he could to find out who stole the life of such a beautiful little boy. And he did.