The Things Only He Knows

Chapter Three

    "Miss Morris...I want to help you...but you shot her," he exhaled as he face-palmed. He was Inspector Robinson from the MPD, a married man in his late thirties with a ten-year-old daughter and a four-year-old son. He loved his family so much that he wore a locket with their picture in it....big mistake.
     "She had a knife hidden in her purse, she took it out on the spectators so I had to do something! I only scratched her arm a little! What matters is...is she the murderer?"
    He inhaled deeply, and let out a sigh.
    "Yes...the blood on the axe and the stroller matched that of the victim. We also found some of her skin under the victim's fingernails..she was scratched."
    "Wow...it really was her...but, what about the red-capped-guy?"
     "We found him...the hair the victim of the bookstore was holding onto belongs to the man we found."
     "So..the Phantom killer wasn't one person this whole time?"
    "It would seems so at first glance...but.."
     "But what?!"
      "Someone anonymously sent us the location of the red-capped-guy...so, we think those two might've been framed...or maybe betrayed by their partners or boss...I mean...it's hard to think they'd have anything in common. We think they're part of a bigger mafia."
    "I don't buy that...more importantly, don't you have their confessions?"
     "We don't."
      "So...they still deny it? They'll hire attorneys, maybe? Let 'em! I'll catch them every single time!"
      "They are dead!"
      "What?!" She whispered as her eyes widened, "How? When?!"
      "The red-capped-guy was dead by the time we arrived at the location; the forensics stated the time of death was during twenty-four hours before the discovery of the corpse. As for the woman, she used that knife you spoke of with her other hand to slay herself. She committed suicide."
     "What?! How did I not know about this before now?"
     "There was no chance, now, was there?"
     "Inspector Robinson, I've taken on the Phantom cases, and I will do everything in my power and get all the help I need to get the real culprit...one who will confess!"
      "So, you too think they're not the true perpetrators?"
      "No, I think they were mentally unstable...just like any other criminal out there in this insane world."
  
 
      "Wow! So, he was right! This is real!" Exclaimed Theodore.
      "Yeah, I suppose," Layla exhaled.
      "What's wrong?"
      "Let's say the Phantom killer, the real one, is still out there... doesn't that mean more people are going to die no matter how many culprits we catch..."
     "That's.."
     "Mr. Archiviste, your dreams have the power to warn you of a crime before it happens, you know the place and the culprit, and we know the time by experience...these people that kill, and the victims too, they all have nothing in common. Thirty different murders that have nothing in common except for the time of murder..and you, Mr. Archiviste. That's why...I think you could help stop these crimes...tell me, did you see anything yesterday?"
    "Yeah, I did. I was in a house, I guess. There was a living room, and I went in, went out, like usual."
     "What did it look like? The living room? Did you see the outside of the house?"
      "No, I was inside the whole time. The living room was pretty empty; it only had a couch, two chairs, and a large, rectangular coffee table. All the pieces of furniture were painted umbre brown, and they were wooden."
     "You remember quite a lot this time!" Theodore commented happily.
     "When I woke up at three a.m., I jotted down all the details and then went back to sleep."
       "Bravo, Mr. Archiviste, bravo!!" Theodore clapped his hands and Layla smiled at them.
     "Now then, who did you see?" Asked Theodore.
      "I saw...I saw a young boy.."
      "A young boy? Like a teen?" Layla asked.
      "No...much younger...like, ten" maybe?" He scratched the back of his head.
     "The murderer is a ten-year-old?" Asked Theodore, his eyebrow raised.
     "Hmm...are you sure he wasn't just short?" Asked Layla.
      "No...I don't think so. He was wearing a salopette..and..pink shoes."
       "Pink shoes?"
       "Oh, one more thing! There was a window! I could see a sign outside that read...um..Robert, I think?"
       "Robert?"
       "Okay, that's a good sign! But...the victim is probably dead by now.."
       "Any new cases in the MPD?"
       "No...it seems they don't know about this murder just yet...that's bad, the Phantom killer might've felt that he's being traced when his partners, or maybe pawns, got caught. A house with a sign that says Robert outside, huh." Layla sighed.
     "Something like Robert, I guess, hehe...oh, but...you don't think the culprit really is that kid, do you?"
     "I sure hope not..." Layla exhaled.
     "Well...I have an appointment now, we'll talk later!" Layla picked up her bag and headed for the door, only to be stopped by Theodore.
     "Hold up, where are you going?"
     "None of your business!" She stamped on his toes with all her might making him groan in pain.
     "Is it something related?" Archie asked.
     "I have a meeting with the cop who caught the woman..well, the one who saw her kill herself...I have some things I need to ask her, but before that, I'll need to visit that abandoned factory."
      "That abandoned factory?"
      "The one the red-capped-guy was found chopped up in."
     "Wooo, scary!" Theodore teased.
     "Anyway, gotta a lotta errands to run, catch you later!"
     "Alligator!" Theodore waved, then turned around to face Archie, "should we follow her?"
    "Follow her?"
    "Don't you want to know more about the Phantom killer?"
     "Well..."
     "C'mon! We've got nothing to lose!"
      "Why don't we look into the dream I had yesterday instead?"
     "Oh, that won't do!" Theodore frowned.
      "But...I think it's best if we divided the work, plus it'll save time!"
      Theodore sighed in defeat; he seemed somewhat disappointed, but smirked to himself.
     "Very well! Let's get going then!" He cried as he entangled their arms together and headed out.

      Layla reached the location of the factory that the inspector had described to her. She took off her baby blue helmet and got off her baby blue fisba. She was dressed in black leather pants, a fushia sweater and violet boots, along with a white coat with beige fur. She entered the factory with her pass, saw the place where the body was found, inspected every spec of dust, but nothing turned up. The factory was devoid of anything interesting or relatively worthy. Off to the next destination..

      "Hello! Ms. Jordan?" Layla said as she knocked on the door, "Hello?"
     She waited for a little bit, lightly kicking the floor and humming, then knocked for the fifth time, she was quite persistent, but no one answered. She was about to leave when she heard the sound of footsteps and the unlocking of the many, many locks on the door. She leaned in to hear better when the sounds stopped without the door opening, then before she could realize it, the door opened, sending her falling down as the door pulled inwards, and she kissed the floor. She lifted her head to see brown sandals tapping on the floor. She lifted her head a little higher and saw a face frowning down at her.
    "Hello, indeed, Miss Morris...I didn't know showers were unallowed?"
     "I'm sorry! Really sorry! Did I drag you out? Yes, you're in your robe," she pointed at the white bathrobe, "I'm sorry! I just..I had something important I needed to ask.."
     Ms. Jordan creased her eyebrows even more, if that was possible, and sighed, "very well, come in. I'll change and get us some tea."
     "No, no, that's alright! I'll just ask you something and be o--"
    "I like to drink tea after showering and I don't like people watching me eat or drink, so, you'll either drink tea with me, or you'll leave immediately."
    "Right...then, green tea, please."
    "I drink it red!" She shouted causing Layla to stumble back a bit.
   

      "So, I wanted to ask you, did you notice anything strange about Ms. Oliver before she...umm.."
     "Took her own life? Besides the homicide and the suicide, no, not really. But here's what we learned about her. She was mentally unstable."
     "Mentally unstable?"
     "Yes, drink your tea," she ordered as she lifted her own cup to her mouth and sipped, "apparently, she was pregnant, and her husband died two months after she found out she was pregnant. She was attacked by a burglar and had her stomach stabbed, causing the baby, and the last she's had of her husband, to die before it was even born. She's been unstable since then, so it makes sense she'd do crazy things. The woman she killed was her best friend...how pity."
    "Right...thank you for that! I'll take my leave, now!"
     "Your tea!"
      "Yup!" She got up and gulped down her tea in one go, slightly burning her tongue.
   "She did say something," she said as they stood at the door.
    "She did?"
    "She said...'he told me to do this' or something like that." That statement made Layla's eyes widen. She had just ascertained that there really was...a Phantom killer after all.

To be continued.