The Party Murder

Chapter 3

The quilt was still intact. The murderer had only delivered one blow, and it was a very exact one. However, I still skimmed my eyes over it to see anything else. However, apart from the letter, I could see nothing else. I looked around at my assistant, who's face was pale. I gave her a look, one she is familiar with now, that means "pull yourself together, you cannot be weak now." I spoke in a tone harsher than it should have been and said,

"Pull yourself together! Take these gloves and bag them." She took a second to snap back into reality but when she finally did, her work was impeccable. She ran into the hall and came back a few minutes later, with some brown paper bags. I dropped the gloves in and wrapped it up, sticking it down with some of that new masking tape. I spared another glance at Tia, and as I did, I saw something, out the corner of my eye. I couldn't believe that I had been so oblivious to one of the most important things. If I were always this unaware, I would have never shut a case in my life. It had obviously been carefully placed. This killer was mocking me. I have seen lots of murders, yet never have I ever seen such a bold one. It made me sick to my stomach but even so you must admire their braveness, even if it is horrible. The gleam on its surface was disrupted by the dried and crusted blood. It seemed like it was a professional knife, and definitely wasn't from Tia's own house.

I looked back to Alexi, and motioned for her to take the surgical knife, we had just found our murder weapon. Next to me, Dr Nathan coughed. I looked up at him, and he began speaking in a shaky voice, which progressively got more and more confident as he rambled about the specifics of the death.

"Well, uh, you see Mister, I assume that she, um, died between twelve and two-thirty this morning, give or take half an hour. She was stabbed in the neck, and they sliced her carotid artery. She would've bled out in around five minutes... He muscles would have been clearly slit through and the incision was quite precise. This person obviously knew already about the artery and has had experience with a knife. I doubt she would have woken up, she's been prescribed sleeping pills, and so she probably wouldn't have even felt it. She's completely gone. Her lips are blue, and the rigor mortis has set in is almost done, so you can tell she's been dead a while. And, luckily, she hasn't started to decompose or smell. However, sir, I think it's important everyone gets out and goes down for breakfast, it is a traumatic situation..." I nodded, my eyebrows furrowed in thought, yes, he was right. I needed a chance to actually observe the crime scene, and I couldn't have these people ruining the place. They had already wasted enough time. I looked at them and asked them to leave. However, before they all did, a man, the one from earlier, the one who got the gloves, shook his head, each time he did, it got quicker and more frantic. His tears flew around the room with high velocity. I asked him to calm down, but nothing I could say could get him to shut up. I could tell he was going through a range of emotions, but I didn't have the time to deal with them. He gritted his teeth to stop himself from choking out sobs.

"Sir, me and Tia were soulmates. All my heart and all my soul went into making her happy. If you don't find the... the person who did this," he paused for breath, obviously trying to not swear in front of ladies, "if you don't find the one responsible, I will. And no person or cop will be able to stop me, I swear. I know you have an oath or something, but I don't. Eye for an eye, I say. I want to speak to her one more time, but because of this sick... person, I never will. Never again will I be able to say I love her. I know you were friends with her... so you must understand what I'm saying. Just... hurry and solve this damn case!" every word he spoke hit me, like a slap in the face. However, I didn't have chance to say anything, as he stormed out of the room with the Lolila.

Three suspects. Three... very few. I could solve this quickly. Process of elimination. However, the less suspects might sound good at first, but then you realise that means there's less witnesses. And soon a simple case became a daunting one. I wanted a drink. I didn't want to remember this day. I wanted to wake up again and see her laughing with me over something trivial. I pushed the thoughts out of my mind. I didn't need to think of things that will never happen. I would start by doing an in-depth look at the crime scene, then interview the suspects, then finally start getting alibis and motives, before making whoever did this pay.