BURN THE TRUTH

Episode Three

Velda shifted to the exact spot where she had shortly picked up the tube. Being located, she looked in the direction of the victim's hotel and then back to her standing before she seized a step forward analyzing the surface of the two feet wall. Gently she swipes her palm on the surface before her, for a while she stood trying to figure out the assassin's viewpoint, and eventually, she turned to Louisa moving away from her position.

"This had been where the shooter had shot from," Velda informed her gesturing back at the zone "The exact niche the cub was retained was his left knee's position" She mentioned slightly demonstrating "And then, the second foot placed here, supporting the left one, and the rifle positioned on the surface and click-" She evoked a sound with her fingers.

Her hands rested on both sides of her waist as she sighed "The building has several surveillance cameras detected on our way up, at the least we should be capable of getting something from them" Velda alluded.

"Call the SCI and request them to come to examine the scene, let's learn if any hint might arise. In the meantime, I will go inspect the surveillance footage"

Shortly, she thrust her way down the path to the building's caretaker while Louisa followed a few stretches back on a talk with their headquarters. They were granted entry to the control room after she had stated her name, department, and the incident she was investigating. "Hey wait. Excuse me, can you please go back a little?" Velda requested the guy running the computer. She leaned forward to properly take notice of the slight loop she had observed.

"Yeah, sure" the man responded, eyes fixed on the screen.

"Wait. Pause it there"

"What are you scouring for, Captain?" Louisa asked as the screen had zero activity, entirely a vacant hallway.

"Can you rewind to the last footage from the other hallway? Yeah, that one" She pointed when the man zoomed the video. "The elevator" She put in.

"You got what you were looking for, detective?" The caretaker asked plainly.

"I reckon that the cameras were all hacked, so there's nothing here to look at," She notified the lady. "Thank you for your time ma'am" She simply said and parted.

Eventually, she slumped behind her steering wheel and Louisa onto the passenger seat before the younger spoke "What went on back there?" She asked fixing her seatbelt.

"All the footage overseeing the root our suspect might have taken were looped, all aviate the time the suspect might have taken the root. Our shooter isn't working alone. It came off that the entire building camera was hijacked" She roared the engine, turning the steering as she pulled off the parking line.

****

Velda's gaze was stuck to her wristwatch as she continuously reviewed the time as though counting the ticks while waiting for her little girl who had hurried up the stairs to grab her pointe for her ballet class. She couldn't help but stare at the stairs path before her gaze aimlessly drew back to her wristwatch. A few moments ago, it was the other way round, with the little diva in the car waiting while nagging about her instructor, how the tables turned as she had later on only thought of her shoes. Despite the delay, a smile tugged its way onto Velda's lips just by remembering how her little diva had jolted out of the car and scampered up the cobbled pathway leading to the front door when she realized she wasn't with her ballet shoe.

Once again, she gazes to the stairs and then momentarily at her watch, in the main time it was seven forty-eight and there was no method by which Velda would be able to make it to the ballet facility before eight, they were both bonded to be late, well perhaps mostly Velda since Clyde has been ringing her line endlessly for the past few minutes.

"Asteria, baby, we are so late. Come down before Mrs Zora roast me like summer barbecue" She called out before the tiny noises emanating from the little one's sole wafted through the space as she made get way to the top of the stairs. She was neatly dressed in her white-footed tights, black tank leotard and a cardigan over it. Hair in a neat sleek bun, she actively wiggled the shoes in the air for Velda to glimpse and the single mother couldn't hold the smile that grazed across her face. A few moments before the little one was all moody and nagging, and now all delighted, she could be sudden sunrise at any moment.

"There you are, was worried I would have to come up there, you know you will be scolded, right?" Her little giggling drifted down the path as she head down the stairs.

"Mum, you don't have to worry, Mrs Zora is in no way gonna eat you," She said moving past Velda and out of the house, limping towards the car. Saturdays are always energetic, one can just feel it, though it's the weekend, it's almost as busy as Monday to Velda, just energetic for different reasons.

"Well not to you, she wouldn't." She pulled open the backseat door "Your seatbelt" Velda reminded her before she shut the door and then ushered herself to the other flank of the car. She soon pulled out of the driveway and onto the street.

Asteria hummed a nursery rhyme looking out the window before her eyes trained on the ice cream van which was fully customized in hot pink parked quite ahead of them. "Mum, would you buy an ice cream van one day?" she asked a bit unsure of the question herself while fiddling with the edge of her cardigan.

"Ice cream van you mean? Why? do you want ice cream?" Velda asked her lightheartedly while focused on the path ahead of her.

"No, I have class and you said Mrs Zora would roast you. But you can buy an ice cream van and we have ice cream whenever we want" Velda glanced at her and slightly cracked up.

"That's not how it works, your highness," She remarked beaming at her words, kids indeed bear a peculiar way of thinking, they only deem the positivity part, what would become of the seller if everyone retained an ice cream van? well, except that isn't theirs to address.

****

“Why am I here, Detective Dashiell?" Came off Mr Adam's question the beat Velda strolled into the interrogation room and settled across from him.

“Your wife didn't commit suicide, Mr Adam, she was murdered" She brought up firmly observing the man’s reaction.

“What?" His gaze grew alert as he took in Velda’s utterance.

“Unfortunately yes, she was" She slowly nodded in confirmation.

He was a bit put to the edge by the sudden declaration, irritation pricked up at him as he raised a question “And have you found the murderer?” Velda shook negatively and his irritation instantly flared up “Come on, why waste time? You should be out there solving a homicide not interrogating the victim's husband over and over"

Housing an empty expression “That's what we are doing, trying to identify the murderer" Velda articulated positioning her lower arms on the desk.

“Are you suspecting me?" He narrowly gazed at her a bit shocked and then dragged his eyes at Clyde who was located behind Velda.

“Are you a suspect, Mr Adam?" Velda retorted, her right brow slightly inflated in a searching manner.

Mr Adam stared back and forth at the two detectives and a subtle puff eluded from him, slightly he shook his head in grievance “This is ridiculous. Why would I kill my wife?"

“You answer to that. People sometimes kill people with whom they're in love, why some do marry without love. The heart's mysterious, don't you think so Mr Adam" She tilted her head a bit wearing a turned-up lip "Now you got this straight, let's have a serious chat, shall we?" Velda enunciated and leaned back into her seat with a straight gaze at the man. The interrogation went on and on, yet held no useful information.

“Where were you at 1 am on September 24, Mr Adam?" Velda questioned for the sixth time.

“I'm beginning to wonder why you had brought me in, Detective Dashiell, if you just keep asking the same few questions. Do you think I'm a record player?" He asked leaning forward, both hands folded across his chest. "You got no evidence, no proof that will make you suspect me as my wife's killer, so why delay the investigation by holding me in here for almost an hour? I think I now need my lawyer, detective" Velda monitored him for a few seconds before she leaned forward.

“If you insist, Mr Adam" She let out before retiring from the room and so Clyde followed “Get him his damn lawyer," She spoke once Clyde stepped out.

“You seemed slightly infuriated about this case?" Clyde remarked.

“That's because the case is beginning to take a bit longer than it should. And again, it seems like Carter isn't done analyzing what I had asked of him, and on the other hand, the suspect is proven innocent. I'm positive he isn't telling the truth about his whereabouts yesterday, that's for sure" She tapped gently on Clyde's right shoulder and then strode across "I think I need a coffee now" She sounded off midway through the alley before Clyde retired back to the interrogation room.

It had been almost twenty minutes before Velda returned to the room. On reaching the desk, she positioned two pistols on the desk, reach sealed in transparent bags, and that did get quite a fascinating reaction from Mr Adam. Velda again position herself across, tapping gently on the desk "Let's have an interesting chat just the two of us, shall we? Or perhaps you still insist on waiting for your lawyer?" She leaned back gazing at the man who was on the verge of uttering though ended up not speaking out. "That's what I thought. I'm sorry I don't have much time, so I do like to speed things up. You needed proof and here they are, aren't you pleased, Mr Adam?"

Waiting for Mr Adam’s reply her gaze instantly moved to the door as it unexpectedly opened and Carter walked his way to Velda. He placed a file in front of Velda and briefly whispered solely to her ear and then departed.

"Well," Velda said collectively once Carter was gone. "Here are all the evidence you wished for" She made clear bringing out a few pictures from the file, setting them on the desk before gently pushing them towards Mr Adam.

“You returned from your business trip a day before your stated arrival and lodged in Bluehill's hotel at exactly 3 pm. You got off the hotel and fetched a taxi at 12:38 am only to arrive at your residence 20 minutes later. Probably had an argument with your wife about her affair, that, which you found out through the hidden camera you placed in her bedroom" She pointed out placing the small electronic object on the desk "... found in your office alongside the AMT Hardballer pistol which harboured the exact same bullet which was pulled out of your wife. The pistol uses different ammunition, which clarifies everything"