Enchantress

Mesmerized...

Weeaw…weeaw…weeeaw…weaww… The sirens of the police cars blared sending a shiver down the spine of anyone who was standing by the road. They seemed to be in hot pursuit of something.

No less than five cars came to a screeching halt in front of the lavish Hotel, La Plante. The door of the car in the front of the line opened and a tall man clad in uniform stepped out of the car.

The uniform emphasized his well-toned body. His sharp jawline with his hazel-brown eyes made him look like a model out of a fashion magazine but the stern aura that surrounded him gave off dangerous vibes.

“Lucas, accompany me. The others will wait in stand by mode.” He commanded into his transmitter.

Then he walked briskly into the hotel. Another man in uniform got out of the other side of the car and trotted in, catching up with Ryan by the time he reached the reception.

Ryan took out his Id and flashed it at the receptionist. Then he asked with a stoic expression, “Where did the murder take place?”

“Sir… in room number 505…” The girl replied, fumbling with the master card as she handed it to Ryan.

She was extremely nervous but who could blame her? It wasn’t every day, you got entangled in murders.

Ryan took the card scrutinizing the receptionist as if trying to dissect her body to find out if she was hiding something.

“Shall we go, sir?” Lucas said, drawing his attention to the task at hand.

The receptionist threw a grateful glance at Lucas as they moved along.

“Sir, the officers are here..” She said ringing up the manager.

Her face turned pale when something was said on the other side.

“But…sir… you told me I could leave once the cops are here….” She was begging her manager when the phone went dead. Now she would have to deal with them alone.

She let out a deep sigh and sat down in her place resigning herself to her fate.

***

The lift stopped on the fifth floor and the cops stepped out of it. The corridors were decorated with the rarest of paintings and flowers.

Ryan looked around carefully, hoping to get a clue. Something shiny caught his eye. He took out a pair of gloves from his packet and wore it.

Then, he bent down to pick up the shiny object.

“This looks like one of those pendants that have pictures inside,” Lucas commented gazing at the locket in Ryan’s hand.

“Hmm…” He replied as he pried open the heart-shaped pendant.

As expected there were two pictures on either side of the locket. They looked like a couple…

Lucas took out his phone and clicked the picture of the girl and did a reverse image search on google.

Lucas let out a sigh of disappointment when he checked out the profile of the girl.

“It is just the girl whose fiancé has been murdered. She must have dropped it on the way to the hotel room.

Ryan put the locket in a zip-lock pouch and they proceeded to walk towards room number 505.

Ryan halted for a few minutes outside the door, taking in the conditions of the exterior. Lucas clicked pictures of the entrance from different angles.

Then, Ryan slid the master card into the slot and pushed open the door. It swung open soundlessly courtesy of excellent maintenance.

A man in night-dress was sprawled across the floor in a spread-eagle position. His face was kissing the floor. So, only the back view could be seen.

There was a bar of soap in his hand and his head was still wet. Ryan wondered how he had died?

He took the phone from Lucas and clicked the picture of the body from various angles. He walked around the body looking for signs of struggle. There were none.

Lucas took a chalk and drew a line around the body while Ryan commanded into his transmitter, “Send a stretcher and two cops to room number 505. We need to take the body away for an autopsy.”

He then turned the body carefully. He still had a smile plastered on his face. It was like he was smiling at something when he died.

“This is very strange… I can’t figure out how he died. There are no marks of struggle rather he looks like he was smiling before he died…” Looking at the body with a bewildered expression.

“Hmmm… his body doesn’t show any signs of being poisoned either.”

“I wonder if he was murdered at all. It is possible that he just died or maybe he killed himself..” Lucas wondered trying to look for any signs that he was murdered.

“He would never kill himself..” A sweet but grief-stricken voice sounded in the room startling both of them.

They got so caught up in observing the dead body that they didn’t notice the girl huddled in a corner.

Ryan’s heart skipped a beat when his eyes met the electric blue ones. He sucked in a breath involuntarily. He had never seen so deep and beautiful eyes.

He felt an intense urge to hold and console her. He shook his head and tried to focus but her plump, red lips held him captive.

“How do you know that for sure?” Lucas’ sharp voice snapped him out of his trance.

He berated himself for getting distracted and resolved to focus on his job but all he did was ogle at her.

He was absolutely mesmerized by her beauty. Her long copper tresses that fell in soft waves up to her shoulders were slightly messy. Her eyes were large, doe-like. His fingers itched to wipe off the large tattoo on her cheek that was smooth as marble.

“Sir…”

“Sir…”

“Sir… Are you alright?” Lucas’ anxious voice brought him back to reality.

“Ummm… sorry… I got distracted..” Ryan said, a bit flustered.

Lucas stared at him like he had grown horns. Ryan never got distracted while working. The chances that he would utter the word ‘sorry’ was rarer.