Michael- The Punished
After I put Daisy to sleep, later that night, I decided to go through the details of Ms. Hart's murder. Inside her case file, I examined the pictures that were taken at the crime scene. I stared long and hard at the black rose that was positioned so neatly next to a pool of blood.
The FBI talked to several of the other residents in the apartment. Apparently, Ms. Hart came back from work as usual at around 8:30 p.m and went into her apartment. The residents said they didn't hear anything out of the ordinary. In the morning at 7:45, Bailey's landlord stopped by her place to ask about rent, since she was late last time.
When Bailey didn't answer, the landlord decided to try again later that night, thinking she was already at work. At 10, when he heard news from Ms. Hart's friends and neighbors that she never showed up to work, he unlocked her door using a spare key and found her dead in the living room. Her body was found at approximately 10:12 p.m.
The residents said that they didn't see anyone coming in or out of Bailey's apartment all night or the day before, but they couldn't be too sure. Most of them stayed inside, or were at work.
The killer couldn't have gotten inside the apartment from the window. Someone would've seen them. It's likely that the killer was already in the apartment the night prior to her death. It also appeared that Bailey might've known her killer. There were few signs of struggle.
We questioned her family and friends, but it didn't seem like any of them were holding any grudges against her.
So... who killed Bailey Hart? And why?
I had my own suspicions, but without any proof and witnesses, I couldn't be too sure that my accusations were the truth. Ugh, this was all so confusing. I rubbed my temples, a headache forming. After a few more minutes of looking through the case file, I eventually dozed off.
*********************************************
I was sitting at my desk, working when my boss, John Pierce approached me. Another man was following close behind him.
"Michael, do you have a second?"
I immediately stood up.
"Yeah, of course."
"I wanted to introduce you to Mr. Kashan Mansoor." John said, gesturing to the other man standing next to him. The man gave me a warm smile and extended his hand. I shook it.
"I'm Michael Wood." I said. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise." He said.
"This was the agent I was telling you about the other day." John said. "I think the two of you will make a great team."
"What do you mean?" I asked, confused. Kashan seemed equally perplexed.
"There's a big case that the FBI was tasked to investigate." John said. "And I want you both to lead it. Together."
*********************************************
I opened my eyes to find that I was not in my bedroom, nor was I in my house at all.
I opened my eyes to find myself standing outside the FBI's headquarters. It's very late at night and the lights in the building were all off.
I was still dressed in the same business-wear that I wore when I attended the party earlier that night. I was surprised to see that I was wearing shoes.
I rubbed my face and looked around. There was no one in sight. No one to see my sleepwalking episode. I sighed.
I thought that long after his death, it would stop. Perhaps I was just stressed out over Ms. Hart's murder and her possible connection to Kashan.
Shaking my head, removing my analysis, I immediately walked home, back to safety, still disturbed over the episode, and the memory that came along with it.
YOU ARE READING
Mandate
Misteri / Thriller"Everyone has a story to tell," He finally starts. "A wise person once told me that. He used to say, 'Son, everyone you meet in life has a story to tell. People will always describe themselves as heroes, but it's the things they do that will determi...
