FicStorm's The Chase

Chapter Three

08:31

Paul's heart skipped a beat when he saw the uniformed man and the two detectives outside Richard's house. He couldn't think straight for Richard was his best friend. He killed the engine of his Honda Accord Crosstour and ran out of the car up to the detective. His hair bounced as he ran. He had styled the hair as dreadlock and packed it in a perfect bun. Donned in a black short sleeved shirt with the collar button loose so that the white T-shirt he wore underneath was visible, his pencil jeans matched perfectly. So also did the black sneakers he wore. He was only twenty years old and he was lanky.

"What happened here?" Paul asked.

"Who are you?" One of the detectives asked sizing up Paul. Paul could tell that one detective was more experienced than the other. Not only because of the size, but because of the looks and the imaginary aura he saw around him. It was the younger and seemingly less experienced one that had replied his question with a question.

"I'm Henry Paul Junior. I need to know what happened."

"This is a crime scene, young man." The young detective said as if Paul needed to be told. Paul sized him up. The detective appeared to be only a few years older than he was yet he had referred to him as 'young man'

"Meaning you can't be here." The police officer said placing a hand on Paul's shoulder.

"This house belongs to my friend and I need to know if he's alright." Paul said ignoring the police officer and the younger detective. He directed his question at the bigger detective who just staring at him. Paul broke the gaze when something caught his attention. It was the door knob. "Oh my God! Is that blood?

"Okay, young man. I'd like you to wait while we go in and check if everything's alright. Are you okay with that?" The bigger detective said softly.

Paul nodded.

"Good!" Detective Chase said with a smile then he whispered into Femi's ear "Watch him closely."

Femi gave a slight nod. Chase tapped his shoulder then looked at Benjamin.

"Shall we?" Benjamin said gesturing to the door.

"Without replying, Chase gently used his gloved hands to pull the door knob. Careful not to tamper with the bloodied fingerprints, he opened the door wide and entered. Benjamin followed and didn’t bother to close the door behind him.

Chase inhaled deeply. "This place smells nice or what do you think?" Chase turned back when he got no reply and saw that Benjamin was not with him. He raised an eyebrow and shrugged. Then he took a look around the living room. It was neat and in good order. He had barely taken in the whole view of the room when Benjamin called out to him.

"Bedroom! I've found something!"

"Coming! Chase called back and followed the direction of the voice. In a second he found himself in the bedroom of his dreams. It was very spacious, there was only one bed in the room but he was sure four more beds could fit in perfectly. The only bed in the room was made neatly. Chase couldn’t boast of the same. Not when he was younger and not even now when he was all grown up. There were always a few dirty clothes on his bed and his bedspread had always been his pillow.

Benjamin picked up a cloth from the floor using his thumb and his index finger as if the cloth was something really filthy which it wasn't except for the thick blood stains on it.

"I think our killer was here. He definitely dropped this in a rush. The blood still seems fresh." Said Benjamin. "This house is just a few blocks from the murder scene."

"There'd surely be a lot of DNA evidence on that." Chase said. "Who did that boy say this house belongs to?"

"His friend." Benjamin replied.

***

Dr. Ezekiel sat on the floor of his prison. He had a bed but cared less about it. He was just forty three but anyone who saw him at that moment might have thought he was way above sixty. His beard was overgrown; his hair too was overgrown and rough. His clothes were tattered and his nails needed to be manicured. If he was to be described in one word, 'wild' would do perfectly.

The sound of footfalls rattled him.

"You really should be eating!" A voice said with a very foreign accent. Ezekiel looked up. The bars would have allowed him to see who was talking but the person seemed to enjoy staying in the shadows.

"You haven't touched your breakfast."

"Why do you care?" Ezekiel asked without bothering to look at the non-appealing meal which still rested in its saucer close to the bars of his cell.

"I guess you have no idea but I can be really persuasive."

"You will pay for this!"

"Oh, will I?" The captor said and slowly he stepped out of the shadows. His face came into full view as the light reflected on his face.

Ezekiel winced. The face he saw was hideous. The man was definitely not a Nigerian. Maybe not even an African for his skin was way lighter than any he had seen around. But it looked like the left side of his face was burnt and the affected eye was an appalling sight. A wicked grin stretched across his face that made him look more sinister.