BURN THE TRUTH

Episode Twenty

The sound of the telephone was suddenly heard. Velda blinked, realizing how long she had held her breath. Devyn pried slightly, separating himself a little at the same time from Velda before she swiftly moved to the phone. She quickly stared back at Devyn before grabbing the telephone, a few quick nods before she dropped the call and hastily reached for her jacket.

Velda gently cleared her burning throat "There's been a case" she announced in an emotionless tone grabbing her cell phone from the desk. Indeed, altering the atmosphere.

"What?" Devyn asked.

Velda shuffled her hair and then plucked a potion behind her ear. Her eyes forget the ray they once depicted. "I got a call that there's been a case"

"I shall have my leave then. Don't leave my message unanswered, detective" Devyn said with his naturally authoritative tone. Though he remained still and so did Velda. As if she was waiting for Devyn to tell her something. Or perhaps make a gesture. And that's exactly what the grey-eyed man did.

"The door, please" He demanded with a slight gesture.

Velda was a bit jerked awake by those words. Quickly she moved to unlock the door wearing a fixed feeble smile. Devyn gave a last look before exiting the office leaving Velda to finally glimpse the air to breathe.

Velda highlighted from her car, her face appearing absent from what was being said to her by Louisa as she narrowed her gaze confusedly at the building before them. It was a building she identified. Velda was about to surge into the apartment when a victim was being pulled out of the house on a stretcher.

She hurriedly thrust to the stretcher once the realization hits her "Captain. Captain, it's me Velda, what happened?"

Anxious, eyes roaming, scanning and awaiting any split word that may escape his lip.

"Don't take the case"

That was the sole sentence he conveyed to her, or likely a hint. But she had got to know more. To know why he was submerged in much blood and who was behind it, but eventually, she gave up, letting them propel the anguished man to the near ambulance. Velda stood helplessly and obscured, her eyes traversing from the ambulance back to the house before she ultimately deduced to go in.

Velda's heart immediately sank the moment her eyes rested on the inhuman deed that was executed in the place. The amount of blood dispersed around the zone was enough to terrify even a Psychopath. By the dining table lay the beloved wife of the senior detective and by the fluffy centre mat was their six years son in his own pool of blood.

Never had Velda's eyes witnessed such a dreadful act...

In fact, she was unable to conjure or even go as far as elucidating what might have happened before the family were done with their breakfast. Clyde soon turned on earning his way to Velda after he finalized his interview with the officer on duty.

"What did you find?" Velda asked. "Any information from the captain before he was taken away?" She added.

"He said no word to anyone and didn't utter any response to any question. The wife there seems to be deceased about an hour plus. She has several ocular penetrating injuries and the murder weapons were found on the scene, though it appeared that she had a force trauma to the head, presumed to be caused by a baseball bat which belongs to the husband. The son a few minutes earlier, a bullet to the heart, and the firearm found on the scene also belongs to the husband, who somehow appeared to have also wanted to end his life by stabbing the kitchen knife to his chest, though still managed to miss his heart"

Clyde hissed and peeked around the room "I'm yet to understand what the hell went on here"

"No. No, no, that wasn't it" Velda mumbled.

"What do you mean no?"

"Someone else was here. The chair by the wall" Velda motioned "Oddly it faces directly at the scene. Someone was there watching, Clyde. And that person was the one who shut the lad" Her eyes travelled to the dining table "Only two plates were used before the incident, which obviously belongs to the captain and his son. The wife was yet to join, though appears she was attacked upon entering the space, which justifies the blood stains by the floor of the staircase" She turned to Clyde "Where are the murder weapons?"

"Carter already left with them"

"Every weapon used belonged to the captain, this only means that the captain did it himself or the killers wish to frame him for the death of his family. And all this seems to be pointing at the case he was working on"

"That's one hell of a deduction there, Captain" Clyde hinted with a smirk

"It could only mean that-"

"We will be taking over this case, detectives"

"And who are you?" Velda turned to the two men that had just walked into the scene.

"We're from the captain's command, and this case is under our supervision, you should round up your crew and leave every piece of evidence to us"

Velda wasn't pleased to say the least, considering their bad their timing is in a case such as this. But at the end "Every evidence we got will be sent to you, detectives" She informed "Call off the others" Velda ordered Clyde and slide through, heading for the door.

"What was that for, captain? You had the right to hold the case, why give it away just like that?"

If it was left to Clyde, he was confident enough that his captain was going to deny them of their request. "Captain" He called again as Velda paid no response to his question.

"You heard them, Clyde. They want to investigate the case as it's connected to their captain" Velda told him before swooping through the crowd of reporters.

"But still-"

"That will be all for now, detective," Velda told him dismissively unlocking her car. "Return to the office once you finish with the team" And then she slumped into the driver's seat leaving Clyde to only nod in response.

Velda pulled out of the corner before she turned the radio on. Her eyes trained on the reporters and refocused on the road ahead. Though news from the radio continued "...the entrance of the national police hospital. One of the victims of this grotesque crime was found at the scene alive and his being transported here. The public is raising concerns over the crime committed..."

"Hello Carter" Velda said placing the phone against her ear. "Have you examined the weapons?"

"Not yet, Captain. I'm about to seal them back and forward them to the other team"

"Listen to me, Carter. Run all the tests you need to without tampering with any of the evidence, be quick not to draw any suspicion and keep this private"

"Yes captain"

After hanging up on the other line, Velda took a U-turn and started steering to the hospital where her one-time captain was declared to be operated on.

Velda walked to the counter and was told the patient was currently undergoing surgery. She had thought of so by the time she chose to come to the hospital, though Velda nonetheless required to see the captain once he was out. There were things she ought to figure out about the case and only the captain could provide those retorts. After some brief phone calls, she settled by the waiting room.

Velda moved to wait by the door to a room alongside an officer that was stationed by the time Captain Leek was moved to the room after his surgery. Every corner of the corridor felt Velda's sole upon them as she continued to move to and fro along the corridor as though she was counting her steps.

She dipped her hand into her trouser's back pocket once her cell phone began to vibrate her ass muscles. "Yes?" She breathed pressing the phone to her ear.

"Something isn't right here, Captain. The prints, blood and weapons I examined both at the scene and here pointed to Captain Leek as the perpetrator"

The officer by the door signalled Velda to give notice of the captain. "He's awake, detective" The officer informed and Velda immediately ended her call and slide into the room.

"How are you doing, Captain?" Velda muttered dragging a chair by the corner.

"What are you doing here, Velda?"

"I came to see you, captain"

"I told you not to take the case, why are you this stubborn?" Leek hissed.

"I didn't, I didn't take the case. I'm only here to see you. I want to know who did this, tell me, captain" Velda told him sincerely. She had got to obtain some valuable information before the other unit arrives.

"Don't get involved. Stay away from the case" Leek told her dismissively.

"Do you know all the evidence on the crime scene and the weapons points to you as your wife and kid murderer? Everything. Not even a trace of any external suspect. I combed the case, but not as you may wish. Let me help you, I will make it solo, in any moment from now, some detectives are going to barge in here and accuse you of being your families murderer"

Leek had oriented her, he was a fair man and she knew how much he adored his family. There has to be something she could do to alleviate him of the emotional agony he was straining to lock in, there ought to be.

"This is connected to the case I was working on. It involves an organization that deals in murders, kidnappings, tax evasion, assault and battery, bribery, and embezzlement! There are over ten cases against them. If I had been able to show my evidence in court and had the witness properly stand trial, they would at least have gotten— You need to leave the case Velda. These people would do anything to cover up for their criminal acts. They will come for your loved ones, they will come for Asteria and you, and another you love"