Chapter 7 (pt-2)

It was the forbidden area of City X. Most of the citizens just pass by. There is a rumor for this place. It is said that there was a construction accident killing a group of fifteen people with the falls. There was an accident every other day in this construction. They could not complete the work at all. The people started to talk about the place. They say it is cursed since the original owners of the land were kicked and tortured, and even some were killed in the process of land grabbing. The accidents made everyone scared; no one was ready to work. The developers finished the construction with the help of the mechanical robots and even went so far as to compensate the family of the dead, but there was still no one ready to enter this place as a tenant.

In the end, this place had to be closed down. White buildings were now stained with green moss and yellowish acid rain marks. This was a closed place until the city finds a solution to this. However, there was no improvement. Alex watches as he takes the cigar from his mouth and takes in some puffs to release them in the night air.

“This place has a corruption all around as well as rumors of curses, and this man is brave enough to come to this place. This has to be some kind of blackmail for sure.” He raises his head to look at the building. The construction company that helped create this one, was it again?” He put the cigar in the middle of his index and middle fingers, watching the screeners finish their work.

Alex came out in the night to get more ideas about the murder. Most of the data is taken; however, sometimes the area of the crime brings out the characteristics of the criminal. An empty crime scene without the distraction can reveal tiny clues they miss out on in the initial search. Jamie knew about this habit of Detective Alex. He was only surprised with the reporter, not the detective. Jamie scratched the back of his head.

“From the neighbors’, we could only get that the construction company was a private one and was closed down as soon as the loss on this project started.” Alex nodded as he understood.

“Get Samantha to get information on this building well. I have a feeling the neighborhood needs to be inspected on a deeper level for this case.” Jamie nodded his head.

“Yes, sir.” Jamie moved away, talking to his com.

Alex squinted, his nose a bit wrinkled, "The use of technology again. This virus…."

He grumbled only for his ears to hear. The screening process continued as the clicking noise of the device filled the place. Alex tilted back looking at the night sky stained with the lights from the yellow street lamp. The dim light did not make much difference; the sky was just as dark as the cold surrounded him. Alex yearned for summer in this city. He blamed the skyscrapers blocking the sunlight.

His mind went for the clouds as he watched the surroundings. Two or three heads peeked from the corner of the building beside the empty one. Alex tilted his head and leaned forward to check who these heads belonged to. He leaned forward a bit and fixed his hat before walking to the young kids peeking through the corner of the pillar. Alex took a deep breath and relaxed his voice before approaching the kids in the woolen beanie and hoodie on their heads. The color of their cloth was dark with ash marks on their face.

They were homeless children, probably orphans. These kids would only be daring enough to peek close to the police. Alex knew they would not talk until they were bribed. He took out a bit of cash and waved it in front of the kids.

“I can give you money, or I can take you to eat; you choose.” The tallest and most probably the eldest of the children came forward pushed the others behind him and took the cash.

“These will last longer than the food you feed.” Alex nodded but stayed standing, towering over them. Even the tallest one reached only up to his hips. Alex did not wish to show any pity; he established clearly between them that he was the stronger one.

“Alright, you got your cash; now give me the details here.” Alex almost commanded them.

“What information do you need, sir?” It was the eldest one talking.

“I mean everything; I am confident you saw something here, and therefore you guys were peeking behind the pillar, curious.” Alex dosed the cigar and put the remaining in his pocket. The young one watched the others first, then licked his lips before replying.

“Sir is not going to put us in trouble, will he? We do not wish to be in front of the camera.” He warned the detective back.

Alex chuckled. “It is only for me to hear; your statement will be unofficial, but it will be essential for the police.”

He leaned forward a bit, keeping his eyes directed at the boy. “Now it is up to you to decide. If you wish to continue getting cash like this for further information, I ask from you, or will I choose someone else's kid?”

His words made the kid think for a bit. A young kid at the back poked him. “Take it from Keith; we can get more money like this.”

The boy named Keith was silent for a while, thinking of his options with the detective. “Very well, I will share what we saw.”

Alex smirked with the victory. It is not easy to get people who can provide information as he claimed. It was just something he made up to trigger the kid, and luckily it worked well. The boy Keith can be his informant for this area for a long time, too young. The younger they are, the easier it is for them to move undetected. Keith motioned the others to move back as he made a look around, careful not to let anyone notice him or anyone. “It was dark, but we noticed a man with a mask and wearing all red standing before the fallen body with a knife in his hand.”

The boy pointed at the exact place the body was. “Are you confident it was a man?”

Alex tilted his head, looking at this expression to understand if he is lying. Keith, on the other hand, jerked his shoulder. “I share what I saw; it was a tall person with a body covered in a red cape. That looked like a man, especially the way he walked. I never saw a female walk this straight.” Alex nodded to show he understood. “What else did you see?”

“The man had a white, eerie-looking mask. He threw it on the ground. I thought we would see his face, but there was no face underneath; it was black.” Keith replied as he put his hands inside the pockets.

They had layers of cloth on their body to protect from the cold. “Did you just see him standing beside the dead? You didn’t see anything before?”

He poked Keith again. Keith shook his head. “That masked man surely killed him. He was watching the body carefully. He even sat looking at his face; all the while he was holding the knife in his hand.”

The young boy shivered and blinked his eyes. “There was something very sinister around him. He was signing something with his hands as if casting a spell.”

“Come on now, there can’t be such a thing as black magic.” Alex chuckled. Keith shook his head.

“Sir, I am confident there is some kind of sinister magic. I heard a voice talking back, and it was not the man with the mask.” Alex frowned, trying to interrupt him to give his interpretation of the situation.

However, the kid continued without giving Alex any chance. “That voice was not from any machine; it was someone he was talking to, looking straight as if he was staring at the face and continued to make hand gestures.”