The Suspect

Jessica gulped. She was now standing beside Hebrew who sat on a chair across the only table present in the investigation room. Winchester sat on the other side, facing him.

'Hebrew has an inhumane nature while interrogating criminals and witnesses.'

Winchester's conversation with her that night echoed in Jessica's mind...

'If he ever finds out that someone's lying then he might do whatever it takes to make that person speak.'

Hebrew stared at Winchester, who looked way too confident than he was earlier. Hebrew started the tape recorder.

Keeping both his hands on the table, finger intertwined, Hebrew spoke up, "It's 29 November 1950. I, detective Flynn Hebrew and assistant detective Jessica Lennon, are investigating one suspect of the murder case of Ms Martha, Abigail and Samantha, Mr Winchester."

Winchester frowned as he heard the accusations, but remained silent. He knew he would come out clearly, anyway.

"Mr Winchester, we'll just ask you some simple questions and you may answer them honestly." He nodded, "Sure I'll do."

"So...first with some light questions, can you tell us how come you within a second appeared at the crime scene of the recent murder near Ewer street?"

Winchester scoffed, "Well...I'd told you already I was patrolling there."

"And what if I say patrolling wasn't the word you used, and you were not even wearing your uniform." Hebrew leaned in.

"And what if I ask how come you were also there when the murder happened?" Winchester leaned in, too.

"It's you who's being investigated, not me, and I was there following my clues, that's it!"

"What clues, Mr Flynn Hebrew?" Winchester questioned.

"You're no one I'm supposed to report." He replied.

Jessica could see the rage burning inside Hebrew. She had to interrupt now.

"So!" And she did, making Hebrew flinch.

"You're saying you were patrolling there wearing no uniform, but don't you think it's out of your rules. Wear your uniform while patrolling."

"I had some problems that day and so...I wasn't able to." He replied quickly.

Nothing seemed satisfying with what he said, but Jessica and Hebrew preferred to carry on.

"We've heard from a witness that you were the last person Ms Martha met before getting missing and then eventually being murdered. How will you come out clearly from this?"

Winchester cleared his throat and sat back in his chair.

"Meeting someone named Martha? I precisely don't remember. Do you know what I did that day when she went missing?"

"You were there...wait. Let me make you listen to this."

Hebrew put his hand in his pocket and took out a tape. He inserted it in the other tape recorder placed on the other side of the table.

"I wasn't able to see the face of the man, but I remember him wearing a biscuit coloured shirt…a black overcoat...and a scarf."'

Jessica looked at Hebrew, who never spared a glance at her all this time.

'This man wasn't really drunk that night!' Jessica concluded silently.

'He recorded everything that woman said?'

Winchester gulped. This wasn't something he was expecting.

"This...proves nothing."

Hebrew scoffed, "You really think I've faked this recording?"

He laughed and laid back in the chair, shaking his head. Roaming his hand on his face, he sat upright again.

"Come on, Simon!" He frustratedly took his name.

Winchester froze at his place. And so did Jessica. Her eyes widened as she looked at Hebrew.

He had never called him out by his name.

"You really think you can accuse me of the same things again and again and I'll let it go?"

He settled his elbow on the arm of the chair.

"You are ambidextrous, aren't you?"

Winchester nodded, hesitantly.

"The three murders that were reported consecutively this month, here are the observations they did on it."

He threw the file towards him; it landed on the table.

"The report says, the murderer has done the murders in the same way, which precisely concludes that the murderer is one person, but they assume the hand used is the right one in the first murder while the left in the other two."

Winchester gulped again. "Everyone knows you were not at home when these murders took place," he whispered intimidatingly.

"Then where were you exactly, Mr Simon Winchester!" He leaned gradually while speaking.

Jessica stared at Hebrew. This was a piece of information he had never shared with her. How did he know Winchester was not at home when these murders took place? How much more he knew than this? These questions ran through Jessica's mind.

"Ms Agatha...she went to your house when the first murder took place, on 5 November."

"She wanted to give you, your umbrella back. But you were absent."

Winchester's eyes avoided contact with Hebrew's. They were looking at everything other than Hebrew and Jessica.

"Next murder, exactly eight days after the first one, 13 November. Your neighbour on the left, from France, Mr Aubert. He had seen you leave exactly at 9:30 pm from your house when he was going out for dinner with his family. He saw you wearing the same scarf which has been described by this lady on the recorder you wore before committing the first murder."

"And do you know exactly how much time does it take to reach Ewer street from your house? Half an hour. And you know when did the murder took place, around an hour ago when someone finally found it. Which was 11 pm."

"And the last murder, on 20th November. I, Flynn Hebrew, saw you on the crime scene when I was investigating for the earlier murders. Isn't it too coincidental, Head cop Simon Winchester?"

Jessica blinked. He didn't even stutter or mumble while stating all these facts. He was just so confident and intimidating right now. There was dead silence in the investigation room. Only the light bulb which glowed just above their head made a buzzing sound.

Hebrew cleared his throat, and Winchester looked at him. Relaxing back in his seat, he folded his arms and further added,

"If you think am faking my abilities, I might bring all these people to the investigation room, in ten minutes."

Jessica looked at Winchester, sweat beads forming on his head.

"Now that we have everything out on the table, the only thing needed is your confession and that...I guess you won't ever give."

Hebrew looked at Jessica, "So...Ms Lennon!"

She glanced at him. "Huh?"

"Let's report to the crime branch head, Mr Robert Stone. Shall we?"

"Huh?!..."