Mending the enemy

Chapter 2

File after file, I read through the information from both the wife and the husband.

Ivy Gregor. 45. A manager at a corporate business. Lives in an apartment with her husband. No kids. Just the two of them for the last 2 years since they got married.

Ivan Gregor. 46. A co-owner of a mechanical shop with his friend, Lester, and works as a writer part-time.

The rest of the information got blurry when I couldn't keep my eyes off my chest. It didn’t feel painful now as it did the first moments I got shot but I’d be lying to say it doesn’t hurt anymore. The pain is still there, just lingering and I can’t stop it until I find the bastard who did this to me.

The killer’s still on the loose and we can’t reach out to the husband, who is the prime suspect. Where could he be?

“Ryan, any updates from our victim’s friends and family?” I ask, approaching my desk.

“Nothing much from their side. They said they were a happy couple. But get this, one of her co-workers overheard them recently that they once had an argument about the wife’s late-night shifts but they resolved it eventually.” He sighed before continuing, “But the truth is, her co-worker said the wife never stayed up late at work.”

“A wife lying to her husband.” I spoke. Usually, it's the other way around.

Then, Benson appeared and handed me a phone and a printed screenshot of a conversation. “The victim’s phone. Just found it about half an hour ago, a few miles from the crime scene.”

“What’d you find?” I grabbed them and read through the recent calls and conversations.

“Last text was last night from her husband. The last call was from a guy named Lester just a few minutes before she was murdered.” explains Benson.

The call lasted about 5 seconds. Odd. Then the contents of the messages don’t seem to have any suspicious indications that lead to murder.

But as I connected the dots, I came to a conclusion.

“She’s having an affair,” I spoke. “She deleted some of her conversation with Lester. The time between their messages is not constant." I explained as I scroll through the messages.

“Are you sure?” Benson asks.

“Well, it can possibly explain the late nights,” said Ryan. “But we can’t say for sure about the affair.”

“Yes. Not quite, but…” I hurriedly grab the files I was reading a while ago and skim through them until I see the husband’s profile.

“Lester’s the husband’s friend. They have a business together downtown. The 5 second-call might be the trigger to her death.” I explained.

“Did you interview this guy?” I ask Ryan.

“Uh- well no. You said to interview the victim’s family and friends.”

“I said to interview– You know what. Let’s just head to this Lester guy’s house, which is in fact a few miles away from the gas station where the victim’s credit card was given. Call the units near the area again and instruct them to go to these two locations.” I promptly said. “He has to be at either Lester’s house or the mechanical shop.”

After I said that, they all immediately took action.

“Hope we won’t find a second crime scene if it’s too late.” I said after I put on my leather jacket.

“Hey, where are we going? What did I miss?” asks Chase who suddenly appears beside me as I walk away from the desk.

“To catch a suspect.” I said after we both got in the elevator.

“Woah. Who? I just went to the restroom. What did you find out?”

“Just one typical motive for murder.” I said while the elevator closed.

We arrived at Lester’s house after receiving a call from Ryan that both Lester and Ivan aren’t at work.

Chase and I got out of the car and went towards the front door. Knocking, I called, “State City Police. Is anyone home?”

No answer. “This is the police. Open up!” I knocked again.

Chase steps on the side and looks through the window. He tries to look through the small spaces from the curtains and a shock on his face made me anxious about the situation.

“Step back.” He said.

“Wait.” I tried rotating the doorknob and it opened. “See, there’s no need to kick it down.”

With my gun ready in my hand, I opened the door and saw a body lying a few meters away in the kitchen area.

“It’s Lester.” I spoke.

Carefully, I raised my gun straight and looked around the place. Searching the premise, Chase called out clear and he went to the unconscious body, with blood around his stomach and on the floor.

After checking his pulse, Chase looks at me and shakes his head. He checks on the wound and it’s a clear cut. A knife.

“Damnit.” I cursed.

Then, I heard a soft thud upstairs and Chase and I shared a look.

I immediately went upstairs but warily stayed careful of any surprise attack. Reaching upstairs, I looked through the open rooms and I heard water dripping.

Then, I saw a leg laid on the ground and it caught my eye as I saw a glimpse at the bathroom.

Fully opening the door, I see Ivan Gregor sitting on the floor with his arms on the tub but the water’s turned red and I realized he had slit his wrist, with the knife in his hand.

“No, no, no. Ivan. Ivan!” I hurriedly went to him and grabbed the knife and put it away. I turned his body away from the tub.

I grabbed my radio and requested an ambulance. I gave them the address and told them to dispatch a unity right away. I checked up on Ivan again as his eyes were still open.

I took the hanging towel and placed them on his wound applying pressure. I know it’s too late, but it’s just hard to watch a man die in front of me.

He still has his breath and looks at me. “I… loved… her.”

Then, he lost consciousness and before I knew it, his breath stopped.

Damnit!

I heard footsteps coming and Chase saw me kneeling in front of the body. I sensed his presence although he stood there silently. Then, I hear him approaching. He turned off the water faucet that was still running and felt his sight on me and the dead body.

I know it’s hard, but being a detective requires the strength to move on and get past this. I stood up and glanced at the body once more before leaving.

“You, ok?” he asks.

“Yeah,” I said with little emotion. “Can’t really avoid this situation sometimes. People make the wrong choices in the end.”

Although what I said could justify the result, I know it wouldn't completely appease my guilt for not trying hard enough to solve this quickly.

After we both got out of the house, more police arrived and took over the crime scene.

We settled and discussed the situation with them before me and Chase headed back to the station.

“You need to change.” Chase said in the car.

“Just drive.” I looked away to the window and contemplated my first day at work after 3 months.

It was hell, but it’s a good thing for me as I’m used to it all. People taking lives.

As I looked upfront, my thoughts ran towards the night I got shot.

I remember the time I got out of my car and how my world suddenly faded with a piercing shot through my chest.

My hand subconsciously places its palm on the area on my chest that got shot while I remember the pain that I felt that day and the weeks after that.

“Hey,” called out Chase.

I looked at him as he took a glance at me then back on the road.

“You’re alright?”

I looked up front with a determined gaze. “I will be, once I’ll catch the damn shooter.”