The Killer Boss

Chapter 5

Chapter Five:

There’s something off with Scarlet Monroe’s parents.

—

IT WAS TIME to interview the father of the victim.

As soon as the man took a seat, it was evident how affected and stressed he appeared to be about the current situation. Edward noticed the redness of his eyes, the puffiness sitting on his face, and how he was fidgeting his hands on his lap—a clear sign that he is anxious… or maybe he was hiding something.

Hiding what exactly? What even is there to hide? And why does a poor girl have to suffer for that? All of these questions were popping inside his head and Edward needed to find out for sure.

Just as Edward was taking his time observing the man in front of him, he could definitely sense that what he’s showing wasn’t entirely true—presumably an act. Unlike Sylvia Monroe, her husband didn’t look as expensive as his wife. He was wearing a white polo shirt, a black slacks, black leather shoes, and the only jewelry he was wearing was a seemingly expensive silver watch attached to his left wrist—which is a total contrast from Sylvia.

Before Edward could even start the interview, the man was the one who immediately opened the conversation. “I-Is this a-all true?” The man’s voice was croaky and hoarse, appearing like he’s having a hard time talking. It was probably due to the endless crying and sobbing after learning what happened to his daughter. “I s-still can’t believe t-that my d-daughter is r-really… dead,” he wailed, his hands trembling, his chin shaking due to crying, and tears began flowing out of his eyes. What Edward noticed was that the tone of the man’s voice did match his facial expressions. So it was hard for Edward to pinpoint what was truly off with his actions.

Releasing a deep sigh, the lead detective answered. “I’m sorry, Mr. Monroe,” his voice was apologetic and is now pretty much sentimental, the same with the man in front of him. He may seem suspicious but Edward definitely knew what it felt like to grieve for someone and it is a very sensitive topic for him.

“N-NO! My d-daughter…” he sobbed, mourning for the loss of his child. Tears streamed down her cheeks like a river, and he didn’t have the heart to wipe them away as he wallowed into the depth of his breaking heart. Both of his hands were shaking on top of the cold metal desk then he tipped his head downwards—allowing all tears to leak without hindrance.

Edward sat there silently, watching Scarlet’s father lament over his deceased daughter. The lead detective let him be as the sobs and wails continued echoing inside the four-walled room. Aware that his colleague’s were watching through the observation room, Edward felt like he was overstepping his boundaries as he witnessed the man through an agonizing phase in his life. Without having much left to do, Edward just had to look away—not focusing his eyes on the man in front of him and instead—then stared at the black wall that was surrounding both of them. He just couldn’t keep his stares for a longer period of time on the man knowing that he wasn’t in his best shape to even exchange glances with him.

When he knew that there was no stopping Mr. Monroe, Edward swallowed the lump forming inside his throat, averted his gaze back onto the man, then uttered, “I’m aware how hard this is for you, Mr. Monroe. My deepest condolences for the loss of your daughter. If there’s any information you could relay to us in correlation with the… death of your daughter, it is much appreciated. So please, don’t hesitate to tell us anything,” he muttered with utmost sincerity, so soft that it could be mistaken as a whisper. Fortunately for Edward, the man in front of him was able to hear every word that slipped out of his mouth.

The man reached for his handkerchief inside his slacks then wiped the flowing tears flowing down his cheeks and down to his chin. Just with these actions, Edward instantly noticed the difference between the couple. Sylvia was the one who was keeping herself poised and proper, maybe because her husband is already in the depth of the pit of sadness due to the mere fact that they lost their daughter in such a sorrowful way.

Maybe, just maybe, Sylvia was staying strong for her family.

The man cleared his throat before speaking, trying to shake off the croak in his voice but as he talked, it remained the same. “Scarlet is such a good kid. She was independent and smart,” he said, a hint of sorrow was evident in his voice. Something that Edward can’t seem to cast away as he’d been engulfed with the same heartache Mr. Monroe was going through.

Losing an important person in one’s life can never amount to any form of grief that a person can ever experience in a lifetime.

… and Edward Conrad can attest to that claim. For he’d been there before.

George Monroe continued on speaking about his daughter and although that it isn’t much necessary for the investigation, Edward let him know that it was probably the old man’s way of venting out his emotions and as a way of mourning.

As the man was done with his words, Edward could only nod at him. In a way of acknowledging his anguish. Same with Sylvia, Edward showed Goerge a picture of Scarlet’s bruises. “Does this seem familiar to you, Mr. Monroe?” he asked, quite calmly to his liking.

George eyed the photos for a brief second before responding. “No, Detective Edward. I don’t have any idea how she got those bruises.” His jaw ticked as his mourning face transformed into a furious one.

As a detective, Edward had always taken extra notice of how one person behaved during the interviews. Any small changes in tone, body language, or expression, could pertain to something psychologically.

He’s well aware of that.

“Do you have enemies, Mr. Monroe?” Detective Edward sliced off the quietness that had consumed the room. Questioning the man with a much more controversial inquiry.

The old man peered at him, astounded by the sudden burst of words. He’d only stopped crying a few moments ago, and this is how the detective shows sympathy?

Edward detected the man’s discomfort so he muttered an apology. “I’m deeply sorry for your loss, Mr. Monroe. But as a detective, it’s only right of me to ask such questions,” he imposed it on him, clearly indicating his position inside the small investigation room.

George Monroe might be a businessman but right at this moment, Edward is a detective and he has the right to authority.

Despite the gravelly tone, George answered. “When you’re in the business industry, Detective Edward, there are a lot of people who’d envy you.” Mr. Monroe announced, calmly. “The people in the same industry would consider each other as a rival. Everyone wants to be at the top. You’ll always have a lot of enemies, Detective Conrad.” The old man was deep in his thoughts, remembering each and everyone of those who’d always wanted to drag him down. And yet look at him now, he’s the owner of a rising small supermarket in Creek City.

Who knows where he can be as more time passes by?

George Monroe’s dream is to be one of the most influential people in Creek City, he wanted his family business to bloom in a way that could feed off his future family.

And he knew that he is now close to achieving that life-long dream.

“Did it occur to you that maybe one of those enemies did this to your daughter?” That very sentence had raised a speculation in both of their heads. Ever since Detective Michelle mentioned that Scarlet’s parents are big in the business industry, he came to a conclusion that maybe someone had this planned all along against George Monroe.

It’s a possibility but it can’t just be clearly ruled out. There's a considerable chance that this said speculation could turn out to be true. If only George would be cooperative enough to spill some information about his rivals. Moreover, if any of them have revenge as the motive of the crime. Having Scarlet as a collateral instead of George himself.

“I don’t think that any of them would resort to the means of violence in order to step on me. I know because I’m not someone that would do such a monstrous thing.” George objected to Edward's opinion. Simply disregarding the thought that might hold an importance with regards to the death of her own daughter.

Edward peered over the old man intently, it was as if he was reading what was going through his mind but as he knew, that would not give him any information that George or Sylvia that they didn’t disclose to the detectives.

Conflicted with George’s words, Edward decided to uphold his silence as they were plainly disagreeing with one another. Bickering over a sensible idea wouldn’t do them any good, especially on Detective Edward’s part. He knew that despite the old man’s words, he could still prove him wrong.

He can still investigate on his own.

And when that time comes, George Monroe will be mistaken.

.

.

.

EVERYONE IN THE room was silent.

Moments after the interrogation ended and the Monroe couple left the precinct; Edward and his team huddled inside one of the offices in the station. All were simply burned out and tired as the fatigue continued to consume their bodies. They’d been working all day long for several days already and even though they have new possible leads, they couldn’t seem to shake off the thought that everything was taking a toll on them. By far, this had been the roughest case that they’ve encountered as there was mostly zero to none violence in Creek City.

It all seemed fresh and new to them.

This whole new case isn’t only testing their analyzation skills, but as well as their physical well being. One of which they’d foreseen even before they’d all decided to become sleuths.

On the contrary, Edward was the only one who seemed to be uplifted after the interrogation ended. There’s no hint of fatigue resting on his face. Instead, Suarez even noticed the way his face seemed to glow at this late hour.

“What do you have in mind, Ed?” Suarez inquired as he broke the silence that filled the room, being mindful of his superiors’ action, he couldn’t help but to ask.

Edward smiled as he was out of his trance. “Didn’t you notice the one mistake Sylvia made during the interview?” The smile playing along his lips stayed even after he finished his question. He just can't seem to conceal the excitement that had been in his mind the moment that Sylvia made that certain error.

They all looked at one another, confused at the sudden question that their superior indulged with. Everyone was waiting for a response, even Edward who thought that others quickly noticed it earlier. Much to his dismay, everyone just appeared to be clueless of what he was talking about. He pondered onto the notion that everyone might just be too exhausted that the inaccuracy slipped their minds.

When no one answered, he reached over his digital recorder that was inside his pocket and replayed the tape for his colleagues to hear. Sylvia’s voice echoed through the room, everyone was silent and was listening intently to her recorded voice as she spoke, “Scarlet is a very naughty girl, she mostly gets into fights.” As the recording stopped, the sleuths looked at one another, still confused as ever. Edward released a sigh at his colleagues' reaction.

Therefore, Edward concluded that all of them must be too tired to tie all the pieces together.

“Does this not ring a bell to any of you?” The lead detective queried, a hint of eagerness in his voice as he awaits for a response.

“Uhh, no sir.” Michelle uttered, and Suarez also shook his head in disapprovement. Meanwhile, Rona and Wilson both looked confused.

“Maybe this could help you remember.” Edward chimed, cheerfully. He pressed another button on the recorder and this time his voice is the one they’re hearing. “Has Scarlet ever had an enemy? Someone who would do this to her?”

Sylvia’s voice echoed through the room as her words replayed. “She’d never mentioned anyone regarding that. Scarlet isn’t fond of arguments and fights. She’d rather stay silent when there are things bothering her.” The way his colleague’s eyes widened in shock was enough for him to release another set of smirk that was settling on his lips.

“Her statement is inconsistent!” Suarez yelled, energized by the newfound information that they had noticed.

Edward chuckled. “I knew there was something so off about her when I had interviewed her,” he stated, certain as ever.

It might not be profound to others, but Edward deemed it different. Probably due to the fact that he’d been interrogating different kinds of people with different kinds of personalities, having that as a basis—it’d become easy to tell whether a person is telling the truth or is hiding something.

Rona nodded in his direction, agreeing with the lead detective’s statement. “Yes, that I’ve noticed as well, Sir. Her face being void of any emotions was really skeptical. I could almost feel the chills and the goosebumps just by looking at her with that facial expression,” she said her input, making Edward aware that he wasn’t the only one that thought about it.

“I also think that George Monroe was hiding something,” Suarez interrupted, also voicing out his opinion. In which Edward delightfully nodded at him. “I do feel like he was putting on a show earlier, acting as if he’s mournful about what had happened to his daughter… like it’s all for show. So we would drop all of the doubt that we had in him. But that only gave him more attention to himself,” he added, telling them his deductions.

If a normal person was an audience to their conversation, they’d instantly think that they’re nothing but jumping into conclusions. Much more, being too doubtful of anyone purely based on instincts. However, they’ve been in this job long enough to say that this is the field they excelled in.

Good thing that Edward wasn’t the only one who thought about it, both of them just seemed so… odd. Their personalities and the way they portrayed themselves in front of the detectives is definitely disturbing.

“I agree, I was purposely pushing both of them earlier, waiting for them to snap at me but to no avail, I was left wanting for more.” The lead detective admitted, curling both of his hands into a ball.

Edward knew that as a detective, he can psychologically pressure the suspected criminals whenever they interrogate them. Sylvia and George Monroe weren’t the alleged perpetrators but they were suspicious and that’s enough for Edward to question them in that manner.

As soon as they were done writing the reports, Edward felt the fatigue engulfing his body, as well as the migraine that lingered even after arriving at his house. He managed to massage his throbbing temple while he turned the knob on the front door.

The sound of a commercial playing on the television was the first thing that he’d heard. He took off his trench coat and neatly placed it on the rack by the side of the door. He tiptoed gently, afraid that he might wake somebody up considering how late it was. Edward gawked at his wristwatch, it was almost three in the morning.

Walking towards the living room where the turned on television was, he was quite shocked when he saw his wife on the sofa, staring at him with a wide smile on her face. Despite the tiredness seeping through her eyes and the wrinkles that were evident in her beautiful face, Edward couldn’t deny the fact that this gorgeous woman is her wife.

He sauntered towards Chelsea who had her arms wide open, implying that she wanted to hug the man. Edward delightfully did so with a huge smile and buried his face on her neck.

There was something about this gesture that always comforted him.

“I was waiting for you.” Chelsea’s voice was soft and calm, it soothed Edward’s emotions for a while. He felt as though all the worries in his mind had vanished just by being with his precious wife.

Moments like this, reminded him that he loves his life and is grateful for his wife.

Edward backed away from her neck and faced her, “You should’ve not bothered, hon. You know that I will arrive late.”

“You don’t have to feel bad, I was the one who wanted to wait for you,” she offered a small smile at her husband. Indicating that she basically doesn’t mind staying up late for her husband. Noticing the fatigue, she dared to ask. “So, how was work? Is there any progress?”

“Fortunately there was. But we don’t need to talk about it this late in the night—or, morning.” Edward released a dejected sigh.

Chelsea could only laugh at his words. She knew that as much as possible, when Edward is in their home; there shall be no talk about the cases he investigates. He wanted to put a barrier between managing the cases at work and not thinking about them when he arrived home.

Edward doesn’t want his work to be in his way especially when he is at their abode. He shouldn’t be thinking about it even the tiniest bit. That is one rule that he had set before and had perfectly abided for years.

“Are you hungry? Do you want me to cook you some food?” Knowing her defeat, Chelsea inquired as she caressed Edward’s hair.

His husband shook his head and was staring intently on Chelsea’s eyes then on her lips. Already aware of what her husband wanted, a familiar warmth enveloped her body. Inching closer to his wife, she closed her eyes as Edward pressed a kiss on her lips, eliciting a soft moan from the woman. Chelsea felt as if time had stopped the moment their lips had touched.

Edward smirked at her wife’s reaction, igniting a course of emotions running through his veins. Chelsea’s heart pounded inside her chest and her body felt weaker as his husband deepened the kiss. His lips parted as their tongue gracefully welcomed one another. She could feel Edward’s left hand caressing the side of her waist and the right hand on the back of her neck, supporting it as the kiss intensified.

Few more seconds passed and all of a sudden, Edward’s hands reached for Chelsea’s breasts and cupped it as he softly placed kisses on them knowing that his wife wasn’t wearing any bra. Her n*****s perked, showing that Chelsea is now aroused. Edward liked what he was seeing so he sucked on her right n****e through her shirt while he continued on caressing her left breast.

They’d immediately parted when they heard soft cries. The married couple looked at one another and released a laugh. Edward planted a soft meaningful kiss on Chelsea’s forehead, stood up, and supported her wife to do the same.

Edward was the one who hurriedly stride towards the room, the soft cries were louder now. The very sight of his daughter crying in the crib while looking at them softened his tough interior. He quickly grabbed her as he swayed the baby in his arms.

“My poor baby Emily had woken up, huh?” he cooed as he had kissed Emily’s cheeks and her soft cries were now replaced with giggles.

By the door, Chelsea had a contented smile etched on her face just by seeing her husband and her daughter playing at such late in the morning.

Edward looked over to his wife while baby Emily was still in his hold and ushered her to come close, in which she had followed suit, Edward carefully passed her daughter to his wife and engulfed them in a big tight hug. He planted a soft kiss on both of their faces. This is something that Edward couldn’t trade for the whole world.

This is where his heart resides.