Desperate Roar

"…Crime rates have increased for the past few weeks in Emir City, specifically in a place called Black's Trench. Emir City Police Department feared that they might be a new criminal on the loose…"

~An excerpt from The Tribune on 3rd of April 2018

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"... A witness claims that he saw a man walking around the bridge with a female colleague. Weeks later, that same woman was found dead and naked under the same bridge as per the witness claims. The killer's profile was not yet identified…"

~An excerpt from The Daily Archives on 4th of August 2018

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"… Emir Police Department's Chief officer Moss promised the people of the small city to find and punish the killer that heartlessly killing people and leaving them to die on the cold hard ground under that bridge…"

~An excerpt from The Horizon on 27th of October 2018

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"What are you reading at, Detective?" A voice asked from a corner, making the young detective startle in surprise. Major looked on his left and saw Mr. Sage carrying bloomed roses around his waist. It baffles Major how did Mr. Sage recognize him from the back.

"Mr. Sage," he exclaimed. He stands up immediately and fixed himself. "You scared me," he said. The florist chuckles then opens up his shop and asked the detective to enter. "What are you doing out there, Detective?" The florist asked again.

"Our chief asks us to guard Astera because of what happened to the owner," he replies. "Oh, I forgot to send my condolences to her family," the florist said as he rummages for his phone and sends his regards to her family.

Moments later, the detective receives a message from the Forensic team about the DNA samples that they gathered on the scene. When he opened the message, he was shocked by what he read. He immediately went to Detective Lilibush's car leaving the florist baffled then radioed the detective.

"Detective. This is Major and I have just received the Forensic team. According to them, our victim is not Ms. Sorrel but it is someone else," he said. He calls for the others on patrol, and told them what he had found. A moment later, Detective Lilibush responded, "I know because Ms. Sorrel was found dead under a bridge by a grandmother. She still wearing her party dress. Call for backups and get in here."

Major is more than baffled by the series of events happening right now. He went to the driver's seat and went to the bridge where Ms. Sorrel's body is.

He immediately got out of the car and walked his way down to the bridge, following him is the forensic team. He bowed to Detective Lilibush and the detective bowed first. "Who found her, Detective?" Major asked.

"That old lady," he replied. Major looked at the fragile lady and asked the detective if he could interview her. The detective gave him the nod and he went over. "Hello. I am Major, a detective. Can I ask you a few questions, Ma'am?" He said while showing the old lady his badge.

"Hello, detective," she replied. "Hi, can I ask how did you find the body?" The detective started. "I just found her lying there in the corner when I went down the bridge. I thought it was a mannequin at first but when I went for a closer look. It turns out to be a person," she explains.

The detective nods and asked her another question. "Where are you last night?" He asked. "I am with my grandson at our apartment," she replied. "What are you doing at the apartment?" The detective asked once again. "I am cooking dinner and he is writing his own songs. He aspires to be a singer-songwriter," she answered, her tone is a bit plausible for someone who is trying to lie about their whereabouts.

The detective was not sure if he believes her or not so he asked her, "Do you have anyone besides your grandson to prove your innocence?"

The grandmother is baffled by his question and she was not able to give him an answer, but instead, she asked, "What do you mean, detective? Do you think that I killed the lady? How can a grandmother like me do that?"

The detective kept a straight face and ask for someone who could prove her innocence when a voice caught his attention. A bit younger than him but deeper and serious.

"Grandma. Grandma," the voice yells from a distance. "Alexys," she yells back. The guy went down the bridge to his grandma's arms and hugged her tightly.

"I've been looking all over for you. I heard something about Ms. Sorrel being dead from Mr. Crantylle, is it true?" He asked. His grandma nods at him and Major clears his throat. "Who are you?" Major asked, keeping a straight face as he stares at this fine young man in front of him. The young man nods in his direction as he introduced himself to Major.

The man looked at him and answered, "I am Alexys, her grandson. Who are you?" He asked back, leaving Major baffled with the sudden deepness in his voice. He never thought it could get deeper than before. "Detective Major," he replied showing his badge to him, the stranger eyed him before nodding to him again.

"Nice to meet you, what do you want from my grandmother?" He asked, looking at the detective suspiciously. "I am just asking her a couple of questions like where is she at the night of the murder and what is she doing that night," Major explains, clearing any lumps in his throat. He never expects to feel like this under the eyes of a stranger. He feels naked.

"Okay, so is she free to go now? Did she answer everything now?" The man asked again. Major nods at him, but before they go, he asked the man if where he is last night and what did he do? He is certain that the man is not normal. There is this gut feeling that he had that made him want to run away from him.

The man eyed him before answering, "I am with my grandma at our apartment. She is cooking dinner and I was writing my song," The detective nods his head and the two went away. The detective still eyes both of them as they walked away from the crime scene.

Major went back to Detective Lilibush and told him that the grandma is clear but he is a bit suspicious about her grandson. Lilibush looked at him and asked, "What do you mean?"

"I don't know, Sir. I just have this gut feeling of he is not who he shows. As if my gut was trying to tell me to run away and forget his face. Lilibush chuckles and says, "Maybe you are just stressed by these series of events, kid. I know you are new to this but this is what happens all the time.

There is a murder that turns cold because of a lack of evidence or murder with no specific killer or a simple crime with many possible suspects. It's like a cycle." Major just nods but his gut feeling remains.

What could the man hides for someone like Major will have to run away from?

The thought makes him ask more questions rather than giving him answers. The man makes him more anxious rather than safe in this suburban neighborhood in Emir City. Major wonders if moving here is the best option that he had. The image of the grandson with his deep voice would be part of his nightmare for years to come. He never felt such danger before but after meeting him, he knows that there is still something that Alexys hides and he wants to know what it was.