FicStorm's The Chase

Chapter Twenty Two

07:35

They pounded on the escalators throwing caution to the wind with Essy taking the lead. The gunmen would have to get through him to get to her.

“Are they going to shoot us?” Essy asked as she got off the escalator and continued running.

“I don’t know, just keep running.” Richard said. People tried to make way for them and some others stood still watching in wonder. He wondered why nobody saw the guns their chasers held. The answer was clear; they were professionals. And just like how they hadn’t used their guns in the club the previous night, they were probably not going to use it in a subway for the same reason. But Richard was wrong. They were not just professionals. They were desperate as well.

The first shot rang aloud and for a split second there was silence, but only for a split second. The next moment there was pandemonium. People were screaming and running. Richard saw it as an advantage.

“Quick, Essy, join the people running for the exit up ahead. Push anyone if you have to. They’d not shoot unless they get a perfect aim.”

“They just fired their guns.” Essy shouted back.

“Not at us.”

“Everybody get down!” A voice bellowed as another shot rang out. Nobody complied. It was as if nobody even heard.

“This feels like subway surf.” Essy said and Richard nearly laughed. He would have laughed if he didn’t look back to see that the twins were gaining on them. They had holstered their guns and were running side by side now shoving people out of their way. They seemed to have realized that using their guns was a bad move.

“Run, Essy, run.” Richard bellowed.

“What? Do you think I’m the flash? This bag is a big load and I got a broken nose.” Essy said out of breath. Richard slowed down so she could maintain the lead. He could have carried her on his shoulder, but she was faster than most girls he knew and he had to give her that. The exit was closer now and Richard was thankful that the entryway was very wide for it the opposite was the case, getting out would have been very difficult. He saw Essy disappear through the doorway amongst others and in a few seconds, he was out too. She was already getting into the backseat of a taxi cab. He hurried to join her and slammed the door shut.

“Fly!” Richard yelled at the driver and he complied immediately.

Essy and Richard looked through the rear windshield and saw the twin goons run out of the terminus. The two men were looking left and right wondering where their quarry had gone to.

“God! I don’t want to ever do that again in my life.” Essy gushed out in one breath and began touching her nose gently while staring into the rearview mirror.

“Never.” Richard said in agreement.

***

08:16

The pathologist was fifty two years old Joshua Ogunmadewa. He wasn’t the best in the department, but he was good and he was the only one available. He adjusted his glasses as he knelt down to get a good look at the body. He pointed out the ligature marks around the victim’s neck and described, in his best way, to Detective Chase and Benjamin the possible way the culprit would have sneaked up behind the unsuspecting victim and tried to strangle him with a thin wire. He went on further to tell them how the victim had pulled himself free, probably because he was a match for his assailant. Detective Chase agreed to that. One look at the doctor and anyone would have guessed that the man was quite an athlete. The crime scene was still a mess; the body hadn’t been moved yet and the scene was swarming with more men in uniform and other crime scene experts dusting and searching for fingerprints and other sources of DNA. Everyone was busy with something.

“He definitely attempted fighting back.” Dr. Joshua said pointing at the bruises on the victim’s knuckles with his gloved hand. “These irritations on the fists mean he must have delivered several punches to something hard. I’m guessing maybe our culprit would have a swollen face.”

Detective Chase was already getting impatient. He cast a glance at his partner, Benjamin, who was taking down what the pathologist said on a notepad.

“Time of death.” Chase blurted out the part he was waiting for. He knew the body was still going to be transported to the morgue for further examination and that the report sent straight to him as the Detective in charge of the case.

Dr. Joshua frowned. He didn’t like being interrupted in times like this, but he took one look at the body and then swept his eyes around the room taking in the blood.

“Give or take, approximately five hours ago.” He said with a shrug. Detective Chase checked his watch and counted back the time from twenty five minutes past eight.

“Quite close to the same time Dr. Boyle was killed. That’s a pattern.” Benjamin said doing the maths too.

“Quite.” Detective Chase said absent mindedly. He was wondering if the doctor was actually killed because he was going to ‘talk’ as Linda had said or if it was really a pattern.

Benjamin was about to speak when a loud voice came from the doorway.

“Special Agent Preston here from the Federal Anti Corruption Operations. I need to speak with whoever is in charge here.”

Everybody at the crime scene turned towards the doorway to see who it was. The agent was flashing his badge with the golden insignia of justice. His face looked like they had known no smile in a couple of years or one might have thought that he was born angry. His neat suit and pair of shiny black shoes showed that he wasn’t just there to have fun. Beside him was a female. She wasn’t dressed in a suit like the man; she looked less formal in her white shirt on blue denim trousers and the custom black jacket used by the FAC-Ops. Detective Chase thought she would have fit perfectly well behind a counter at the bank if she had a smile on her face.

“That’s me.” Detective Chase said and the male agent walked up to him. His gaze locked on Chase and no one else.

“Detective Chase. Homicide.” Chase said stretching out his hand. Agent Preston took it, but the shake was neither friendly nor warm. It was rather brief.

“Over there is Agent Rachel.” Preston said pointing at the female with the jacket who remained standing at the doorway sweeping her eyes around the scene and taking everything in. It definitely wasn’t her first time.

“She and I would be taking over this case from here. It’s now a FAC-Ops problem.” The agent continued. “And we’d be glad if you can cooperate with us by handing over everything you’ve got so far and leave the rest for us.”

Chase locked gaze with the agent. Neither of them taking eyes off the other. This was what he hated most; a case being snatched out of his hands.

“I don’t understand, why?”

“What part do you not understand?”

“I don’t understand how this is a FAC-Ops problem.”

“This has become a matter of national security as this is the second murder in connection with Zyberdine laboratories. Two murders and a kidnapping all linked to what Zyberdine was working on prior to the abduction of a Dr. Agbetunde.” Preston paused and continued. “I see no reason why I should be explaining this to you knowing how you and your people are very slow at processing information.”

Chase felt his teeth grinding together as his anger welled up. All activities had come to a stand still and he could feel all the stares being shot at him as they awaited a retort.

“Look here, Princeton…”

“It’s Preston.” The agent corrected with a scowl.

“Yes. Princeton. You don’t just take over a case…”

“If you’re about to mention documents and warrants, I’d advice you forward your questions to the Department of National Security or look up the new charter drafted yesterday. You might also want to have a chat with your commander who’d be calling any moment from now.”

At that same moment, Benjamin’s phone began to ring. He reached for it in the inner pocket of his suit jacket and picked the call. All eyes turned to him except that of Agent Preston and Detective Chase. The two stared at each other as tough they were in a boxing ring waiting for the starting bell.

“Hello…yes, sir…yes, sir…okay, sir.” Benjamin spoke into the phone and then he stretched the phone out to Chase mouthing the word ‘chief’. Chase collected the phone and glued it to his ear without taking his eyes off the agent.

“Detective Chase speaking…yes, sir… I don’t.” After listening for a long moment, he said, “Alright, sir…” The call ended and Chase gave the phone back to Benjamin. His eyes were on Preston, but his next words were directed at Benjamin and the other crime scene experts.

“We’re off the case.”

“I thought so.” Preston said putting on his disposable latex gloves.