The Mind Engine

Mayor Is Dead?

Chapter 2
The Investigation

Arthur was sitting right beside the driver, looking at some documents. In the back seat were sitting James and Alex. Alex was still confused. James was looking outside the window, admiring the ugliness of the street they were driving through.
"James-"
"Just take this day off. We are here to investigate the Mayor's abduction."
"But why-"
"Think of it as a debt repayment."
"Why-"
"Why you? I just thought that it would be much better to have a fellow genius with me. The more the intellect, the more the patterns."
Alex knew the ability of James to predict everything. He was in his mind, creating some mind blowing theories about what might have happened.
"How much time until we arrive at the destination, Mr.Whitzlock?" Alex asked Arthur, who was reading some sort of documents. He looked at the main glass of the car, and then replied after a brief pause.
"About 20 minutes. It's quite far away from the main city. Maybe 10 minutes if we are lucky to not find much traffic."
Alex was now looking outside the window. He was trying to calm his exploding mind, questions arising, answers appearing and then disappearing the next moment. Alex could not even imagine what is going inside James' mind, which think like this for every second, each minute, every hour.
James was thinking something. There was some event which was upcoming and which might have relation to abduction. The elections. Was he kidnapped to erase competition? No. Likely not. Third party involved? Likely but not a based assumption. What if he.....?
"James, can you for just a second explain to me why we are doing this?"
James didn't respond. He was still looking outside the window.
"James!" Alex shouted. James answered him.
"I will explain it to you as soon as we come back home."
"You better do." Alex replied in somewhat anger. His anger was justified. His friend had just made him take an unexpected holiday and he was now going to some crime scene, with a man he don't even know.  He let a sigh of exhaustion. James heard that.
Alex is now tensed. But I should not. Let's focus on what we have on hand.....
"We are here, gentlemen."
As soon as Alex got out of the car, he started estimating the dimension of the mansion. He knew James was one step further, who might have even accurately calculated the surface area and volume of the air in the entire mansion. But as expected, James was not doing that. Through his cold eyes, he was looking at the crowd around him. 
"Arthur, excellent. No extra police. How many forensic investigators are there?" James was still looking around. He was trying to create an image of the exits, entrances and any other detail that might be relevant. Once he has enough on hand, he can start working on how did he got kidnapped.
"No more than six" Arthur replied. He was looking at files of all the servants, maid and service providers relevant to the mayor. None of them had any suspicious background.
"Well, we are still not able to find a single clue in the last three days." Arthur murmurred to James, who was walking beside him. "But we do believe that the crime took place inside the mansion, by the statements of Mrs.Forester, Mayor's wife."
"What were her statement?" Alex asked to Arthur. Arthur started searching for a paper in the bundle he got in his hands, and handed a piece of paper to Alex.
"This is highly confidential, Alex. You might not want to reveal it to anyone except the people present here unless you want to get into serious trouble." Arthur added. Alex gulped and though t of the consequences they might face if anything goes wrong.
"Don't worry. Scotland Yard does not have power to cause a trouble to us." James coldly taunted at Arthur's threat. The relationship between them was something like scissors. One blade cannot cut precisely without the help of other, yet they work together, even though they are opposite. The history between these two might be interesting with an evening cup of tea.
After taking a round of the exteriors of the mansion, they entered inside, where forensic investigators were looking for any clue, and on the main couch sat a middle aged woman, with darkened eyes and an obvious disappointed gaze towards the floor. There were two children beside her too, one boy, about twelve, and a girl about fifteen.
James immediately kneeled down on the floor. A peculiar yet unnoticed black spot was on the wooden floor. When you see it, it appeared more noticeable, yet you can't look at it if you are not careful. James asked for a glove and wore them, and then touched the spot. Some of the black substance got on his hand. It was fresh.
"Propofol in lipid emulsion. I see" James stood up again.
"Propofol? Isn't it an anesthesia?" Alex looked at the spot.
"It is, but it is not black under normal condition." James argued. He could now see multiple same spots everywhere. No sign of blood. Someone must have used to prevent any sort of pain. But why? Was someone hurt here, or was there an operation. James could not figure it out. The dopamine release in his brain was not visible in his face. He looked at the total windows in the room, 18, 4 on wall left to him, 4 to his right, 5 walls upstairs and 5 on the wall in front of him, yet no traces of forced entries or exits.
James was now starting to think that it might be a servant or maid that might have first found a right opportunity, when Mayor was alone, used anesthesia on him....? This doens't make any sense
It is useless to make any kind of assumptions now, James thought.
He looked on to further, noticing every aspect of the main hall. It was large, very large, about 100 feet long, 60 feet wide. The light was bright. There were stairs in front of you if you were to enter through main door. About 7 rooms on the above floors. James can tell the mansion of two storey with an attic the second he saw the house from outside.
Alex was confused. Why the hell would anyone use an anesthesia in a kidnapping?
James was not able to create any scenario now, maybe talking to Mrs.Forester would help.
James approached her, with Alex following behind. He sat down on the couch facing opposite to that of her.  James was not here to show any sympathy with the incident. He was here to investigate, so right off the bat he started questioning her.
"What time did this incident happen?" James asked without any remorse. He knew the next words would be 'Why do you people keep asking me same questions? Just go away!'
"I have told everything to that officer. Please don't question us again and again." Mrs.Forester said in a slight rageful moment. Atleast it was similar.
"I am sorry Mrs.Forester, but you have to tell the things by your own point of view, so hat it remains pure." Alex was shivering while saying this sentence. Giving sympathy and feelings of regret deliberately in speech tone was not easy.
"I am doing it for the final time" Mrs.Forester way of describing the story might reveal it all. If she describes it too detailed, then something is fishy, if she doesn't then one of the hypothesis is James' mind is correct.
"Sunday night at around 11 PM, me and my kids were sleeping. Noah usually sleeps late night. All servants were out of duty. Suddenly, I heard what sounded to me like a train going through you in an instant, a high pitched loud noise, but not any louder. A series of noises were made then, which seemed like dragging something off the floor. No screams, no talking, nothing. When I came to check, Noah was not there. I tried to call his phone, it was switched off. Then after about an hour or two, I called off the police" Mrs.Forester was over with her side of the story. Her kids were looking a bit unhappy too.
James stood up. He went to Arthur, asking if there were any media outside.
"Yes there is. But why?" Arthur responded in confusion and suprise. What James told him next, was unbelievable series of words. Alex came to both of them, when Arthur left.
"What do you tell him?"
"Come outside and see." James replied. They both went outside and Arthur went in front of the cameraman, reporters who were all asking the same question.
"What happened to Noah Forester?"
Arthur took a deep breath and told everyone.
Mayor Noah Forester is dead.
Alex could not believe his own ears. Mayor was dead? How? How did James reach to conclusion?
Alex looked towards James, who was staring him coldly.
"James! What is this? How?!" Alex shouted to James.
"We have some really important work to do." James replied.
The last hour has changed the definition of 'unexpected' for Alex.