The Mind Engine

The Criminal Man

Chapter 3
We are responsible.

"What the heck, Arthur?" The man in police uniform aggressively questioned Arthur in the interrogation room. It was dimly lit.
Alex and James were watching from the glass.
"Why James? How can you even tell the public that the mayor is dead? See what Mr.Whitzlock has to deal with..." Alex asked in a tense manner. His concern was clear. There was no way to take back this statement. The media would screw the Scotland Yard up. If somehow, the mayor was to return then it was over for the Scotland Yard. Both ways were dead.
"You won't understand now. But when the time comes, Scotland Yard will thank us."
The door of the interrogation room opened. Arthur walked out of the room and straight to both.
"I can deal with this, but James, whatever hypothesis or theory you have in your mind must be correct, it has to correct. I believe in your intellect." Arthur warned. It was clearly a warning.
It has to be true.....
The following hour was dreadful for both police and the media channels. Every media outlet was airing the same news.....
"Noah Forester, the current Mayor of London is reportedly dead confirmed by the London Metropolitan Police department. No further information is shared" shouted the host of every media out there.
Looking through all the channels, Arthur, who was driving both the young men back to home thought and said something.
"Mrs.Forester has remained quiet since the announcement."
"She has to. If she says anything, she will troubled. Given my theory is right, and she is a part of it, you can outright expect she and her kids to disappear." James replied. Alex was in awe. Arthur looked back in silence.
"Should we guard her house?" Arthur asked. James thought for a second, even if it meant looking through the car window in expressionless face and replied.
"Probably not. I cannot imagine what might happen if it comes to that, but I exactly know the next thing that can happen." James responded. Arthur was listening to him, and Alex didn't knew why he did so. Why would an experienced, old and respected police man listen to a cold 24 year old youngster?
Arthur left them home and they entered the house. There was a mail in their mail box. It was from the same institute Alex used to work on. A warning letter. Alex was really, really upset. This is the first time that he was warned, and so early into his career, it was not a good sign. James didn't care much. Both of them have to go to their workplace tomorrow. Alex turned on the TV in regret, and tuned into the news channel. Something was wrong. Every channel was tuned into same thing, even the cartoon channel. A radiostatic was interrupting the signal.
"James, what's up with the Television?" Alex cried out.
"Uhh, what?" James came out of his room, with headphones on. He was listening to a book.
"The Criminal Man - Cesare Lombroso"
"Television. It's static." Alex said. He was tired. No energy to check anything.
"Wait and check. I am not a magician who can fix a static TV" James replied. His reply was offensive, even though it had no emotions in it.
"Hey! You were the one who forcibly took me to the crime scene! And now I am tired and you are not even ready to help. I know that you know how to fix this!" Alex shouted in anger. Justified.
"I really don't know. If it persists, then I'll check with the electrician" James replied. His reply was still emotionless, but calming.
Alex took a deep breath and stood up, but then the signal returned. It was a crappy footage. Alex and James were equally confused. The static noise was still coming. A man, almost invisible was slowly becoming visible. He was unrecognisable due to his black clothing, he wore a black mask, came to the screen. He was tied up to a chair. About five seconds later, another man walked in, behind him. He had a bloody noise in his hand. The static noise cleared up. The man standing behind theman tied up spoke up.
"Hello, dear citizen of London. You might have incorrectly believed your police that mayor was dead. No he is not." The man stands still for a moment, and then removes the blac mask on the tied up man. The next thing Alex saw was unbelievable. It was Noah Forester. Unconscious. The man held a knife below his throat. The crappy footage didn't show anything except then the two man. They could be in a cellar, or could be in a room.
"I politely ask the police to stop. I know the person behind this, who started this rumour, but if anyone tries to do anything stupid now, the mayor will be dead." Said the man. He removes the knife off the throat, and then starts to walk straight towards athe camera.
"Here, we will play a game. This message will reach exactly to the man it needs to reach. Find this place. Of course, you won't find the mayor here, neither me, but as a reward, I will let you see me. The clues are hidden in the video itself. Rewind it, decrypt it, whatever. But, remember, we are responsible. Your time limit of 72 hours, or 3 days....starts now." The man creepily said. James' phone suddenly began to rang. It jumpscared Alex.
"Arthur." James responded. He picked up the call.
"James, tell me you are seeing this."
"Why did you call me from your normal phone?" James asked. He knew that police would be tapping into his phone.
"Don't worry. I made sure that my phone is untrackable for the moment." Arthur remarked. James believed him for a moment.
"Yes, I am seeing this, and I am also expecting that the entire city is also seeing this." James replied. He was correct. Every television network was hijacked and the same footage was airing.
"For first 30 minutes, the entire TV was static. But then it suddenly turned on." Arthur replied. "The work here is chaotic. It seems as if the man who aired this was waiting for someone to connect to their specific channel."
"Yeah. I know." James replied. A moment of tension was embodying in James' mind. The mysterious kidnapper knew him.
"Now listen carefully. I don't have much time. You must decipher the clue in the video. I know you can. Once you do that, come to police station straight away. If the mysterious man knows you, your current location would be dangerous." Arthur explained.
"Yes. I will report to you as soon as I solve it." Said James, and put down the phone. Alex was confused.
"What? You said to Arthur that Mayor was dead, but this man knew and said that mayor was not dead, while also showing Mr.Forester in his captivity. He also claims to know who spread this humour. For the London, it was Arthur, right? So we are safe?" Alex whimpered. He was scared.
"Turn off all the devices in the home. Each one after a succession of 2 hours. I believe we are not safe." James responded. Alex ran to his laptop to turn it off. Meanwhile, James was looking at the footage in the TV, blankly staring at the footage.
Predictable. Everything as planned.
James looked down on his mobile, to see a line in the book 'Criminal Man'

"The criminal is an anomaly, a man of complex psychological makeup, embodying at once the primitive and the abnormal, driven by forces that remain largely hidden from common understanding."

Cesare Lombroso was correct indeed. The psychological makeup the Criminal Man, was slowly appearing out. But for James, it will be nothing more than a game of chess, a board to be navigated. As he coldly stared into the TV static, he now knew the entire planning, and he also knew what was about to happen next. It's time to anticipate and win.