1.
Rachel
“Dispatch 2118. We found her. She’s dead.”
Rachel Sequeira’s car had broken down on Tuesday but just before she could call a mechanic, someone on the deserted road of Hugby street was kind enough…to help?
2.
Rachel
“I got the job!!!” Rachel Sequeira, the 32-year-old mother of two [her son and dog], shouted out with joy to Chris, her husband, over the phone. She was now officially manager of the Scranton Branch of Bloom magazine, only the biggest magazine in all of P.A! They both beamed with joy as Rachel said, “When I come home today, treats on me.” and hung up. Rachel was over the moon. Though, sadly she never made it home.
3.
Liam
Liam and Rachel were best friends in high school, though they grew apart over the years. While Rachel settled down with a family and successful job, Liam’s life was in a shattered shape – no family, no job, no friends.
And just a few days after Rachel’s death, his life too was brought to an abrupt end. A murder…
4.
Liam
Liam was a mentally strong man who never gave up on anything. He believed that there would always be an end to the problems you are facing, you just have to be patient. Liam was quite smart and never made a move that would hurt him in the long run. Even though it is true he was facing depression he was not the kind to give up. His death was a murder, a clue, a hidden message had to be there, we just have to find it…
5.
Rachel
Rachel lived at Ruby Street and led a comfortable life. The day she died was a happy day for her. The job she currently had was not well suited for her expertise. The interview was swift and left her ecstatic, with the hope to start a new chapter in her life. Before she was to come home, she decided to make a quick stop at the local bakery. The old bakery has been well known for many decades and has legendary chocolate and blueberry muffins. Her son, Nathan, loved the muffins and she wanted to get them for him. However, to get there, she would have to first drive past the creepy Hugby street, full of dark alleyways and broken street lights. Hardly anyone has ever been visible there. It has tinted trees and when the cold October wind passed through them they made a howling sound as though mourning in pain. It is a disturbing sight that leaves you feeling vulnerable. It was while she was driving there that her car broke down. She got out to make a call to the mechanic but someone stumbled past and volunteered to help. Stumbled or had they been waiting for her? Waiting for the right time…
6.
Rachel
Rachels family waited to welcome and congratulate her. Soon, after waiting for much time they decided to give her a call and another one and another but no answer. After several tries, they finally decided to give the local police a call. After trying hard to locate her from their base, they suggested that they should launch an investigation. Deeply worried, Chris agreed, hoping that the matter wouldn’t get further out of hand. It did…
7.
Liam
Liam was headed to an early-opening shop in his car. Dawn had broken out only a while back, so the road was left desolate. Suddenly his car stopped and so did his heart.
Liam had no family, so he had no one to worry for him. Soon after, when an old woman was walking her dog, she came across his body, she let out a shriek as her heart skipped a beat. She frantically called the police.
8.
Liam
“He…Hel…Hello?” the old woman was in tatters, stumbling over her words as she dialled the emergency number on her phone. Liam’s lifeless face stared her in the eye, a sight of pure horror. His blood sprayed the ground, still dripping from his head like a leaky faucet. Shattered glass spread dotted the ground, but the windows of his car were still intact. By the time the police came through, a crowd had gathered around the dead man. The sound of sirens wailing in the distance flooded the place. The woman was interrogated but was in much shock, unable to answer. What had happened to poor Liam? What had he done to deserve such a fate?
9.
Rachel
Footsteps hurried along the sidewalk and a hooded man stepped out of the shadows. Rachel stood on the other side of the street, trying to contact the mechanic. The man walked slowly towards her, his hands reached into his pocket, he pulled out a knife and hid it behind his back. Rachel saw the peculiar man, who pointed to an unattached wire and in a deep voice said “You should connect that wire onto the engine.” “Oh,” Rachel stifled an uncomfortable laugh and quickly started to attach the wire, eager to get out of there. The man walked closer and extended a shaking hand. The next thing – a knife dripping with blood. He pulled it away and stepped back into the shadows, leaving Rachel’s body as a pile of mass on the floor.
10.
Rachel
When the search parties finally located her body, Chris was called to bid farewell to his unfortunate wife. He was in shambles, filled with dismay upon seeing the bloody sight. Chris knew it was a murder. His sadness soon turned into rage as he summoned the inspector to find the one who killed Rachel. Poor Nathan was left motherless and Chris was now a widower. The perfect life they had built for themselves, the dreams they had, all had come crashing down as waves of reality sank into Chris, leaving him in a state of grave depression.
11.
Liam
Liam drove off through the dim-lit streets and upon reaching the shop, stepped out of his car, only to be greeted by a man in a black cloak, his face covered by a hood. That’s when the man extended his hand, and the rest is history.
12.
Liam
In his last moments, Liam’s thudding heartbeats rang in his ears. He was shivering as he remembered his life. Seeing it go by in a flash, he let out a sigh and faded away.
13.
The Investigation
There has been another murder!
Sirens rang, and red lights flashed. Policemen flooded the station and a dozen reports needed to be written. Investigations had to start right away.
Robert Tanner, a young man famous for his skills in the field of mystery, was called. His detective work won him a lot of recognition, and there was great hope for him to solve the mystery.
However, he called in sick, and waves of disappointment flooded the police force as they realized they’d have to settle for someone else.
So Jim Betterman, infamous for his behaviour but known for his detective skills, was summoned.
Betterman had worked for the local detective agency for seven years before deciding to go solo. It was upon going solo that he accomplished his most famous mysteries. His most notable case was the Field of the Dead – 10 deaths in one week. The case closed, and Betterman came out triumphant. Now was another chance for him to shine.
14.
The Investigation
Betterman came by Chris’ house the following day. However, the visit was in a state of chaos. It was high afternoon, but Chris was still in bed. Poor Nathan had to call out of school and stay at home.
So, Jim’s visit was of no avail.
Next, he tried to connect with the people who had last seen Liam, but it turned out that he hadn’t stepped out of his house for days.
Another dead end.
So, Jim decided he would have to start someplace else.
Upon taking permission from the police force, he travelled to the crime scenes.
15.
The Investigation
Shattered glass was painted in blood, and Rachel’s face was the source of the hammering. Her body lay thrust into the windshield, sinking into the remaining glass. Betterman’s assistants, sent by the police force, scanned any possible places in trace of fingerprints. They collected samples of the ruins in tiny zip-lock bags, insuring minimum harm to the scene.
While one of the assistants was collecting a sample, he noticed something. A small ornament-like piece was lying on the ground. The peculiar object comprised a tiger’s head, its stripes dark as coal, extending onto a dragon’s body, with fiery yellow scales along its side.
He sealed it in a zip lock back and ran to the lab to study it further.
16.
The ornament
Soon, he reached the lab and got the figure checked for fingerprints.
They found prints on the piece! They quickly began to scan the ornament but reached a dead-end when they couldn’t find a trace. He asked the assistants to keep working on trying to find a source. It was then that one of the lab testers exclaimed that the piece was a replica of a painting she had seen sprayed on the walls of a nearby alley. Perhaps they would find something there.
In a rush of eagerness and excitement, with the help of the lab tester, Jim fled the laboratory to trace the alley. After walking for a few minutes, something spray-painted on a nearby wall caught their attention. It was a painting of the ornament, but it was more than just that! There hidden in plain sight and camouflaged within the eye of the tiger head, was a doorknob, a few feet of the ground. They carefully advanced towards it, waves of anticipation flooding their minds. That’s when Betterman swiftly turned and asked the lab tester to head back. He was going solo.
But he had counted his chickens before they hatched as he grasped the knob and turned it vigorously, its deafening rattles ringing in his ears. The door was locked.
Jim sighed. His attempts had been of no use. So, he started heading home. But right then he heard a clicking sound, startled he turned, there, from a dark room was emerging a shadow. Quickly he turned on the old recorder attached to his pocket. The shadow was a hooded face, and it swiftly snatched Betterman hostage.
17.
The Face Behind the Hood
The man lifted his hood and Jim was left in disbelief. The man knew it was fatal for him to be left exposed. So, he apologized to Jim as he extended a shivering hand, a knife in its clutches. Poor Jim could not escape fast enough and that was the end of his story.
18.
Years later
Years later, researchers excavated a rusted recorder, cushioned upon a mossy layer, in a bombed alleyway. Looking into the matter, they were able to play a long lost recording. There, in shivering and cracking voices was taking place a conversation. “I called in sick that day,” said a rough voice. It continued, “But I wasn’t. I was simply scared, scared of what I had become. There’s so much regret but it’s too late now”, the voice whispered. “I killed them, it’s true, I took out my anger on innocent people. It’s not been the first time. Most of my cases have been framed by me. I am so sorry. So sorry for what I am about to do.” With that, a shrilling sound of a knife thrust into mass was heard, and the recording was over. The researchers were left horrified.
The recording took place 20 years ago, the night before a fatal bombing, where two dead bodies were found – Jim Betterman and Robert Tanner.