Sorry. Not Sorry

Pure murder. That’s what it was. Or at least that was what he wanted to believe. He had pathetically pleaded his brain to believe that for the past weekend.

Inspector Scott Wilson sat, his feet on his desk, staring blankly at the ceiling. There was a missing tile to the left of the burning lamp. It had been on for three days now and he was rather worried it might shatter from the pressure. Still, it was nothing compared to what amount of stress that pompous old cow of a Hermione had dumped on him he thought darkly. “Do your magic then” she said as she glided out of the room. Ever since Harry Potter came out a year ago she had started to become unbearable. 

He thought about what lay ahead of him. “One week. That’s it. Before the trial. Or else.” Scott should have liked to snap “or else what?” But he bit back his tongue. He mustn’t get his senior provoked now, not after his predecessor had been discharged on the matter of this very case. 

The case was baffling there was no denying it, but it was one to be solved. Beams of sunlight danced around the room and flooded the buzzing streets, but the Tuesday afternoon was still grimly shadowy. To think that a full on murder case had happened right in the police station, well near it anyway. But say they caught the culprit, what would they do? Reward him? Punish him? I mean to kill a serial killer in jail, about to be executed the very next week, is completely messed up. As this train of thoughts ran through his mind, a sharp knock at the door made him start. He hurriedly sat up properly, arranged his papers on the mahogany desk and with a professional tone he allowed the knocker to come in.

“Any news?” He asked desperately, losing any pride he had left about not depending on his juniors.

“Well we’ve got some kind of a lead, that’s what old Hanson believes anyway, off his rocker I say-“ the young detective cut off abruptly. She flipped her loose curls behind her as her eyes darted towards him nervously. He didn’t seem to have heard though, his eyes were closed, brow furrowed in such a disturbing expression she would have thought him dead had he been not been pacing the room in visible agitation. 

“Does Constable know about this?”

“No sir, didn’t flipping care did he, when I told him, she mimicked his lofty voice,”‘Oh Hanson has gone nutty all right the case have has nothing to do with Trafalgar Square, it took place here in Westminister’”

Scott’s expression seemed to clear up, but when he spoke it was with the same sharp irritated tone. “So he isn’t going to investigate then?”

“Nope, positive, he seemed to think the very idea was ridiculous”

“Well Jane, I am going to have to take you with me”

“With you? Where? You don’t mean-‘

But he wasn’t listening. “We will go straight to Trafalgar Square and take Hanson with us too I suppose-“

“But sir!-“

“My decision is final”

“-no sir! Hanson says Wood’s in Ireland now”

“Wood!” He said startled, “who’s Wood?”

“David Wood, killer of serial killer Charlie Todd. Oh dear, that didn’t come out too right did it?”

No it didn’t, Scott thought. “Where’s the proof it was this Wood?, its not just one of Hanson’s nutcase ideas?”

She looked shocked. “ I mean it’s not that much of a mystery, he wrote ‘revenge’ along with his name on the cell wall with blood didn’t he?” She said with an air of explaining that the sky was blue to a two year old.

“What! Nobody tells me this! All I get is a pompous cow of a magician tell me to do magic and a Constable to give me deadlines. More like dead facts.” He drew a breath. He looked over at Jane. She was standing there, her eyes wide, her mouth slightly open and her arms hanging loosely by her side. She shook herself awake. 

“Sorry” said Scott, not looking at her. She sighed.

“Well, I don’t blame you, but you’d better hurry, you’ve go 36 hours to track him down you know, and God have mercy on the jury, what they will do I don’t know.” She said speaking more to herself than to him.

3 hours later, a restless Scott and a enthusiastic Jane arrived in Northern Ireland. On the journey, he had felt confident, now, he just felt stupid. How was he going to look for a single damned man in a entire country.

“Oh don’t worry, we’ll find him” she said reading his thoughts practically jumping with excitement.

“Oh, of course, it shouldn’t take more than half an hour to search an entire country we’ve never been in before.”

She shook her head exasperated. “We won’t be looking for him on foot”

“On cab then?” He said sarcastically his mouth in a sneer.

“No silly, we will be going to the airports and seaports and see who’s come into the country recently”

Scott was nettled. That was obvious. Had he really thought they would look for him like they were playing hide and seek. And to be silly by a junior, he wondered glumly whether he had any dignity left.

“We are here”

 “Great” he huffed 

“Sir-“ started the airport manager

“We need to see reports of everyone who flew in this week”

“What! Sir I really must say.. a warrant-“ . His voice faltered under the glare Scott gave him.

“Are you accusing me sir, of fraud?” He said his voice ringing with every syllable.

“I- no- really,.. “ 

“Well good. Where are the records then?” He said in a commanding voice. Jane was staring at him dumbfounded.

“In my office” he mumbled weakly, defeated.

“Lead the way sir” Jane said cheerily. Scott had opened his mouth, but Jane had fixed him with a stern look. The manager had looked as he should like to call the police on them.

They followed him silently, and stayed eerily quiet as opened the files. Jane jumped in to the seat with such enthusiasm she rolled away. Brushing the hair impatiently out of her brown eyes, she scanned the list of thousands that had been recorded. 

“Look!” Said Scott. She followed his finger and saw that he was pointing at a certain Robert Trenton. He had a red mark beside his name. He had no certification so he had not permitted into the country. He was currently residing in a hotel located in the airport. Jane looked up at him. Was he the one? Or was he merely an innocent citizen? They could not bust into the hotel. It would terrify him if he was not to blame. There was only one option...

The phone was ringing. They waited. It was answered by a sharp husky voice. It was Scott who answered the man on the phone, as Jane heard the one sided conversation.

“Hello, is this Mr. Robert Trenton?”

...

“No this is not housekeeping”

...

“This is Scotland Yard”

...

“Yes, we are investigating the Charlie Todd case”

...

“No? Alright, goodbye”

Scott looked at them with a triumphant face, but his grin faltered. Jane looked livid. Scott thumped the phone down. She looked as though she would have liked to thump him too. 

“What?” He said defensively

“You told him! You idiot! Now he will have scampered!”

‘What- I- don’t call me an-“

“Oh I will call you what I like Scott Wilson!” Her cheeks were pink, her eyes sparkling and her lips thin, something Scott had learned in his years of training as temper. He took a step back cautiously. 

She flew towards the door, and Scott, soaking in what she said, was soon at her heels. They saw a man running out of the hotel, a briefcase clutched in his hand. Racing, Jane screamed for a passerby or security to grab him. Slipping on the polished ceramic tiles, she fell at his feet and clutched his ankles wildly. He fell on his face swearing hoarsely. If he had gone, he would have been impossible to find in the millions of waiting passengers.

An hour later, they were in an Irish interrogation room. 

“I will remind you that anything you say may be used against you” said an Irish sergeant.

“I will speak, but I want you to listen clearly and judge silently” he told the room at large. They all silently nodded.

“Two years back, I had a sister. She was all that was left for me from my family. She had been living with my parents but they died 5 years ago, when she was three. I loved her. She was all I had. And she loved me too. She was always the little sunshine of my lonely apartment. That day, I had dropped her off at school. She kissed me on the cheek, and skipped into the playground. There was nobody there except the old nurse. She was very kindly, and let her come in early as I had to leave early for work. That day, she skipped in and as I made to turn around, I saw a black figure, it was a silhouette, it was very early in the morning, I assumed he was a parent or teacher. I knew it was a bloke. As I opened my car door, and just sat I heard I blood curling scream. It was her! My little Lily! I rushed out and ran into the school. And then I saw him. Knife raised, he plunged it into her heart before my very eyes. I was frozen with shock. She hit the ground. I looked at this figure, my blood pounding in my ears. I wanted to tear him apart. Then as the sun was rising, I saw his face. It was him. Charlie Todd. I took her and cried over her. I found a small notebook in her pocket, it was her diary. She talked about how I was like her mama and dad. I came home after the funeral. It was a blur. I couldn’t believe it. How was it that I would never see her again. She wouldn’t tell me she loved me. I wouldn’t see her smile. I lost every thing. I cried over the little drawings. My heart ached, I wanted her to come back and tell me this was a bad dream. I was alone.” Tears were pouring down his face, and Jane was rocking silently her face in her hands.

“That’s when I knew I must avenge her. My Lily. I would find him. I searched everywhere for him. I couldn’t find him. Until you arrested him. I told my story to a security in the police station, and he felt for me. He said he didn’t have much life left and he could tell I wanted him killed myself. He let me in. He died a day later from a stroke. But I avenged her and that’s what mattered to me. His face when he saw me. It was white. He was scared. Oh how I enjoyed that moment. When I showed him my knife he threw himself at me. He was going to strangle me to death. But I killed him first. And I made sure every one knew. I wrote revenge on top of his body. And that is my story” 

“Scott, you know, I am really relieved this is work for the jury.”

He grinned “ yeah”

One week later, he was charged with 15 years of imprisonment. He looked up at the jury and said “I am sorry for causing you this trouble. But I am not sorry for getting rid of him