Noire: Detective of L.A.

Noire: Detective of L.A. Part 8

Noire: Detective of L.A.

Chapter 3: The Driver's Seat, Part 2

Noire pulled up to the Black's residence. It seemed like a nice home. It had a front and back yard, looked sturdily built. It pained him to bring such terrible news to a wife. "I guess we better introduce ourselves. You take care of this, Noire. I'm no good at this shoulder-to-cry-on stuff." Jackson explained.

Noire walked up the house's stone steps. He took a minute to ready himself to break the news to Mrs. Black. He took a deep breath, and knocked.

"Just a minute!" a woman's voice called.

The door opened and there stood a middle-aged woman, with a timid look on her face. "Can I help you?..."

Noire cleared his throat. "LAPD, Mrs. Black. May we come in? We have some bad news and we would rather discuss this in private."

Mrs. Black's face grew worried. "I'm Margaret Black. We can discuss this in the living room. Please come in."

Noire stepped into the living room. The interior was nicely decorated and it seemed cozy. He sat on the couch opposite of Mrs. Black. "Your husband drives a blue Lincoln, Mrs. Black?"

"Yes, that's correct."

Noire breathed heavily through his nose. "The car's been found abandoned, and I'm afraid there are signs of foul play."

"I knew something was wrong when he didn't come home!" Mrs. Black wailed.

Noire stayed quiet for a moment. He wasn't sure if he should tell the poor woman anymore. Jackson nudged him, urging him to go on.

"We believe he may have been injured. We found a pipe on the scene with blood on it."

She covered her face with her hands. "Oh no, my poor Adrian!..."

"Ma'am, I know this is difficult for you to hear, but does the name 'Insta-Heat' mean anything to you?"

Mrs. Black wiped her eyes. "Yes, it does... We just had a new water heater installed..."

"Whereabouts, Mrs. Black?"

"Just outside the kitchen window, on the side if the house..."

"Okay ma'am. I'd like you to try and stay calm and remember everything you can about last night. My partner and I are going to have a look around. When you're ready, we'll have some questions for you. Is that okay?"

"Of course, Officer... Anything to secure my husband's safety..."

Noire stood up from the couch. "C'mon Jackson. Let's have a look around." ordered Noire.

"Alright. Have a good look around, partner. There's gotta be something here for us to go on".

Noire walked into the dining room first. Jackson looked around, admiring the fine china. Noire rolled his eyes, and looked at the table. "Uneaten dinner and a pack of matches? I guess Adrian never came home last night. Where did the matches come from?" He picked up the small cardboard tab, and read the logo on it. "Cavanaugh's Bar." Noire read aloud. "Maybe Adrian is a patron?" He put the matches back down and walked towards the kitchen.

The kitchen was small, but spacious. It had a refrigerator and a stove, along with some cabinets. Noire noticed a slip of paper taped to the refrigerator door. It was a receipt for the Insta-Heat installation. "This was installed recently." Noire remarked. "Not two days ago."

"Hey Noire! Come here!" called Jackson.

"What is it Jackson?"

"Look here. Separate bedrooms. Little odd, don't you think?"