Suspects: murder case

Chapter Four

Chapter Four

  The room was silent for a moment like someone just died. John's eyes met with Jake's in a glance, they sighed, observing Susan who is now frustrated and obviously not about the case. She bows her head, suspending it on her hands clutched together on the table.

John walked up to her table sitting on its edge, he pats her back, "take it easy okay? What's this about?"

 Susan raised her head looking worked up, "I just can't..." she paused, calling herself back to order, "... it's nothing, let us continue."

 John confirmed with himself that there was more to the phone call she received earlier and would be sure Jake knows something about it.

After another round of silence and weird looks, Jake broke the ice.

 "Okay," he beamed at her, sucking his teeth, "from what we have here," he says, turning on his phone to show them the autopsy reports and the close shot pictures of the corpse. "Mr Abby did not just bleed to death, he was stabbed with a short, thick knife."

 "Interesting," John said, stroking his chin.

 "Now, look closely," Jake zoomed in, "the first stab was around his abdomen from the back. And judging from the cuts and bruises, this knife is not the normal kitchen knife," he hands over his phone to them, "take a look at the stabbed area, what do you think?"

 "I would say a butcher's knife." John squints his eyes.

 "Yes. Maybe you are right! A butcher's knife with a pointed tip, right?" Jake rests his hands on Susan's table, "take a closer look at the cuts, the first point of stab, the numerous strikes at a single area, the scattered bruises at his back, and yes..." he zoomed in again with the phone in Susan's hand, "...nail marks at the neck, what do you see?"

 For a moment, John and Susan could not wrap their heads around it. They racked their brains real hard, puzzled by what they saw.

 "Oh God!" Susan whispered, covering her mouth in shock at the animosity of the killer.

 "The zig zag patterns of the cuts looks like that of a bread knife, but the thickness? Impossible!" John said confidently.

 "Who would kill with a bread knife?" Susan asked, still confused about what is going on.

 "Really? I know a guy who murdered his friend with a dead scissors."

 "Guys!" Jake called their attention, "from the forensic reports, we discovered the first stab to about 5mm deep, which was just a graze compared to the multiple stabs beneath the stomach which is close to 10mm deep."

 "Monster!" Susan said clenching her teeth, clutching her fists, like she had seen the killer and was ready to beat the pulp out of whosoever it was.

 "No one can survive such... at least for someone like him," John said emphatically.

Jake made a tut tut sound, shaking his finger, "you're wrong. Infact, he survived... at the moment."

 "What do you mean?"

 "Mr Abby died of three things: his inability to control his drinking - if he turns out to be an addicted drinker-

 "I don't think so," John opposed.

 "We can't be sure," said Susan.

 "- IF is the word I used. Alcohol smelled badly on his shirt.

 "The second is the excess loss of blood from his body. The multiple strikes ruptured his active kidney so bad if he managed to survive, he would be on a stabilizer for a year and half." 

 "Wait a minute, ACTIVE?" John inquired.

 "Like I said IF he turns out to be the addicted drinker we deduced, his right kidney no longer functions well for close to seven years."

 "The third?" Susan asked.

 "In his struggle for life with the killer, it could have been said that he had a firm grip on whosoever wants to kill him, such that the killer wants to break free at all cost scratching and reaching for life," Jake opens up his phone again, "the killer must have been lucky enough to push Mr Abby to the wall, off to the bed's edge, then to the floor, resulting in the cracking of his skull and overflow of blood into the brain," he sighed, looking at John and Susan intently, "I must say, waiver did this is really evil."

 "That explains the nail marks," John thought aloud.

 "Yeah, makes perfect sense, isn't it?"

 "Can we have the DNA samples on his body?" Susan asked.

 "Of course, we're already working on it and all things going perfect it should be ready in the next 48 hours minimum."

 "We don't have that much time!" John bellowed.

 "Dude, we are not looking for a child's parenthood or something," Jake went on, "we are doing a crosscheck of every fingerprint on him that is not his neither will it belong to any of his guests. So yes! It is a complex exercise."  

"Thank you Jake. Is there any way you can speed things up?" Susan said.

 " I can't give my word, but if God be on our side a minimum of 48 hours should do the trick and possibly get our killer."

 "Thanks once again Jake."

 "Thanks man." John gave him a handshake, then a one sided hug.

 "Anytime guys," Jake looks at his wristwatch, "see you later. I will have to go back to work."

 "Yes! Please and thank you for the motivation earlier." Susan grinned at him, and he grinned back wider.

Inspector Susan and Inspector John went back into the investigation room where the met three other inspectors. At the center of the board was Abby’s picture surrounded by Stella’s, Adamu’s, Daniel’s and Nkoli's pictures respectively. A red line connected them all to Abby at the middle, and a blank paper. Pictures of possible weapons used was also pinned to the board: a butcher's knife, a bread knife, a scissors, and surprisingly a razor blade.

 The room was cold and dark with only one fluorescent bulb hanging downwards.

 "Gentlemen and lady," the Captain of the Bureau said, standing from his seat, "here we have the faces of our possible suspects: his family and someone unknown, what are your thoughts?"