Crowbar

Lunatics at large...

"The evolution of a case and its resolution, let me start with a little tip: a problem, well understood, is half solved. This here is a basic rule, not just for solving crimes, but for any problem conceivable." These were detective Peter Harrison's opening remarks as he began his lecture. In attendance were some budding college graduates who were being briefed on how a detective works and how a case is solved and resolved by this peculiar bald and tall, 51 year old, Scotsman.

Just then Jimmy knocked on the open door of the auditorium. "Do you have a moment detective?" he asked. Peter nodded, excused the audience and walked to the door. Jimmy told him what Alex had said the day before, and also made it clear that the detective wished not to be disturbed or called during the next 2 weeks, as he was on vacation.

"Spending time with family, eh?" said Peter, "Well I won't disturb him. Don't you worry, lad." He smiled and turned around to move back inside. Jimmy had just moved a couple of feet from the room when he heard the detective calling. As he walked back Peter said, "Give the news to Sally as well, will ya old sport? And ask her what she thinks."

Jimmy, cursing Peter under his breath all the way from the ground to the third floor, made his way, eventually, to detective Sally Brian's office where he found reprieve in the form of some heart-warming hospitality. The detective was having a cup of tea in her quiet room and offered him some as well. He politely declined. The air conditioning up and running, curtains falling on the window with just enough space for one to see the light of a beautiful day, and the fragrance, the soothing aroma of Sally's room, famous among one and all in the department, gave young Jimmy a sense of calmness. Settling down on a chair in front of the table, he thought, is it just me or is this not the standard issue office chair? Way too comfortable to be one!

"Well I don't think Alex took a good look at that file," claimed Sally, settling the cup down on a coaster and then twisting it to the point where the handle was now facing Jimmy.

"No, he was in a little hurry," Jimmy replied, scratching the back of his bowed head.

"What do you think?" she asked. "You've been working with him since he started here. How long has it been? More than 5 years now, isn't it? And you clearly have acquired some of his remarkable reasoning and deductive skills. Do you think it's just some lunatics?"

"Well, madam, the evidence suggests so. I mean we found prints and even darn DNA samples that further prove it. But then again, a mad-man wouldn't wear a mask. And if somehow I buy the prints, there's no way that even a lunatic would leave his blood on a crime scene where there wasn't even much of a struggle. If I didn't know any better I'd say someone is trying to trick us. But definitely you and Detective Harrison will be better judges of it than me."

"Gut feeling, huh?"

Jimmy thought for a moment then shrugged his shoulders and, with a nod, said, "I guess you can call it that... yeah..."

"Not as confident as Alex, or as irritating for that matter, but just as swell. I'll talk to Peter myself. Thanks for the intel Jimmy."

Jimmy thought, she just said that she'll talk to Peter herself, which means I'm free to go! And rushed off home.

The next day, detectives Peter Harrison and Sally Brian, after exchanging thoughts and notes, for several hours, met with the Chief.

"Sir, we have looked into the case you gave us. We've done some research and have some news for you," said Sally, as she and Peter entered the Chief's office.

"Well let's hear it then," exclaimed the Chief, "And have a seat. Make yourselves comfy."

After settling down, Peter told the chief, "Well as you may already know, the police department has found prints and DNA samples of many escapees from the lunatic asylum, 11 to be exact, at a series of similar crime scenes where a masked man barges into a house in the dark of the night, or appears in a dark alleyway, and beats the living day lights out of a person, or beats them to death, all with just a crowbar. The masked man states he is there to do justice and tells the person, and anyone around them, that his name is to be feared by all wrong doers. Possibly the asylum has been givin' too many comic books to its residents."

"Did the masked man give a name?"

"Four victims say that he called himself Crowbar, two went full mental with serious injuries to the head which made them completely forget the crime scene, while five were beaten so badly that they died on the scene!"

"Oh, and two of those four say that they fired at the guy from point blank range, but the bullets did not harm him," Sally added. "So we don't really know how believable the victims are either."

Roy further enquired, "You said asylum escapees, care to explain?"

Sally explained, "All 11, now with their identities confirmed, are escapees from our lunatic asylum sir, and I feel it is necessary to add that they escaped the asylum in rather peculiar circumstances."

"A nerve wrecking anaesthetic, usually used to sedate rabid animals, was released through the ventilation leavin' the guards unconscious," explained Peter, upon the chief's query of the circumstances. "As for the new video feed which was installed a month earlier, well the cameras somehow were turned off while all this happened. Enough evidence was recovered from the place, though, to know about the gas, but no-one knows of how the feed was lost. The only logical explanation is a system error."

"Well," Roy leaned forward and smiled. "Alex would love to hear that now wouldn't he."

"But that's not all. Sally just uncovered some more information which I believe takes the case to a whole new level."

"What information?"

Sally said, "Ah... all the evidence for this case was stored together in one safe box. But, I got a chance to chat with officers from our precinct about the case, and a couple of them said that other people had complained of similar intrusions as well. They said that the precinct has received calls within the same time frame of 4 days, and people have reported similar occurrences. All this, of course, was not filed under this 'Crowbar' case, if you will, instead somebody piled it up with the break-ins, for some odd reason. Maybe because on some occasions the masked man broke into people's homes."

"What do you mean similar occurrences? What exactly did they report?"

"15 people have reached out, some saying that a masked man broke into their house at night, while others saying that he dragged them into a dark alley way, punched or kicked them down on the ground, said the same things as Crowbar, you know the whole 'look at this crowbar and tell me what you see', and then just ran away!"

"Oh and another thing," Peter quickly said. "The profile that these 15 gave of the attacker is all over the place! Some say he had black hair and a thick voice while some describe him as a short brown skinned man, while others still say he had a girlish voice. So, as of now, we can't really pinpoint anythin'."

This information now made the simple case of a few lunatics into a perplexing mystery. After listening to Sally's explanation the Chief's face had already gone blank and with Peter's last comment he started looking extremely worried. In fact at the point, all three of them were absolutely clueless as to what should be the next course of action.

Roy finally broke the silence. "Listen up!" he said. "To clear the confusion, I want you guys to do two things. First, visit these 15 people and their crime scenes. I know, there won't be much evidence left to find by now, but it wouldn't hurt to try. Gather as much as you can. See if you can find any prints or something of the kind; try to get a profile of the attacker somehow, and get to the bottom of this mess. Secondly, I would suggest bringing the lunatics in as well. That too will help us in determining the situation and weather these 'lunatics' have anything to do with this. If the attacks continue after the arrests have been made, that will be the end of that. And Peter, also make sure that security set-ups and systems at asylums, prisons and police precincts alike, be updated and fixed. I don't want another chaotic situation like this."

And so it was decided. The next day, police was to crack down upon the 11 escapees and arrest them on charges of violence and murder. But the plan was already in motion. And they had no way of knowing that someone was waiting... someone was listening, he was watching, observing, and smiling. His plan was now in motion...