The Devil’s Advocate

Noah has been having a hard time since he lost his job as a pharmacist. Blame the economy, his friends say, it is not your fault as we all know how hard you work, and how good you are. Noah just gives a bitter smile. “Bad economy” is an easy scapegoat, and a rather comforting blanket to hide from one’s own failure.

These days Noah tried to keep his head up by structuring his day into different sessions: he job hunts in the morning, then reads or exercises in the afternoon; and some of the time he even attempts making dinner for himself, something he previously thought as an annoying chore.

One sunny morning, while he was burying his head in cover letter writing, he sensed a flicker of movement outside his window. Determined not to lose his concentration, he ignored it. Few seconds later, he heard a gentle knock on the window. He looked up, and there It was, a little visitor in the form of a black cat sitting on his exterior window sill, looking in. 

It was not unusual to have cats passing by his windows, but Noah has never seen this one before. The black cat is of medium built, with shinny fur in the colour of smooth melted tar, and a pair of slanting emerald green eyes. There is something regal about the way he carries himself. And one could easily tell it was a “he” because of his masculine feline face, one that resembles a black panther.

“Well, hello there.” Noah smiled at the black cat. The black cat nodded, and opened his mouth, “Well good day to you too, sir. If you would be so kind as to follow me, for I have an urgent matter that would require your assistance.” Noah was stunned. A cat who talks, and one that talks in such a formal manner! Am I hallucinating? Am I sleep deprived? Am I getting insane?

“Sir, do not worry, you are perfectly healthy and sane. I should have apologized for my untimely greeting. But how should a cat introduce himself without startling a human by using a human way of communication?” If the black cat was wearing a hat, at this point he would have taken it off like a gentleman, to show that he comes as a friend, not a foe.

“I guess you are probably right. I would not have known how to approach a human if I were in your, eh, shoes......I guess?” Noah was still in a mild shock, uncertain as to whether he should address the black cat as if he was a cat, or a man.

“Thank you for your kind understanding, Mr. Noah. I was told that you are a very considerate gentleman and I am glad that it is true. Now, would you humour me and spare thirty minutes and let me show you something? Then you can decide on your own accord whether you would like to lend me a helpful hand.” Heavens, the black cat even knows my name! Noah thought while listening to the cat. He is not only extraordinary, but now it starts to get under his skin, what exactly is this human-like cat!?

“Pardon me for my bad manner, for I should have introduced myself at the outset. My name is Lucas, a freelance private contractor. I am currently hired by Mr. Manny to investigate the death of his son’s girlfriend. I could use your expertise in identifying the cause of death.” This bizarre turn of event just left Noah speechless. Manny is the wealthiest man in the neighbourhood, the owner of the biggest orchard in the country. A man of his status would have any resources at his disposal. Instead, he hires a cat, and the matter involves a death of his son’s famous girlfriend, who is, or was, a Victoria Secret’s model, that even Noah, who usually has a lot of self-restraints, cannot help but steal a few glances whenever the couple walked past. What in god’s name is going on? How can he possibly help if what the cat says are true?

As if sensing Noah’s suspicion and hesitation, Lucas closed his half-opened mouth, and decided to use another method of communication: telegraphy. He projected the tragic image of the poor girl’s corpse into Noah’s mind, sparkling it along with some findings from his own investigations: the time of death as determined by his acute sense of smell should be between 12am last night to 6am this morning; the cause of death cannot be gauged yet - while there are no visible external wounds, there is a certain smell that Lucas has never come across, one that smells pleasant but lethal.

After receiving the image and information, Noah said out loud, “That seems like poisoning by a certain chemical substance. Although I have never witnessed it, I am pretty sure because…um, I have read about it in a science journal. I guess I could offer my two cents, but I am by no means an expert in toxicology.”

“Thank you, Mr. Noah, for your offer of help. Your expertise is undoubtedly valuable for this case. Now would you please follow me, the crime scene is just around the corner.” Lucas gave a cat-like meow, jumped off the window sill, and ran across the road. Curiosity always trumped suspicion, that is Noah’s nature, and that is how he decided to grab his coat and run after the black cat named Lucas.

After a few minutes of jogging, the pair of human and cat arrived at a dark alleyway. As Noah’s eyes adjusted to the darkness, he detected a shape at the end of the alleyway that resembles a female lying on her side. It was the exact same tragic image of the lingerie model that Lucas has projected into his mind earlier. Noah froze at his first sight of a corpse. Lucas meowed at Noah, and prompted him to get closer to the corpse. “It was a really bad idea for me to be here Lucas, why don’t we call the police.” Noah fumbled in his pocket for his phone, which to his dismay was not there.

“I beg your pardon sir. Please bear in mind that this is a private investigation. And would you please excuse me, I am acting like a forgetful old cat today, I should have informed you that a handsome reward awaits after your service has been dispensed.” Lucas projected an image of Noah’s bank statement, with a sizable amount being deposited into the very account. It is an amount that would not only pay off Noah’s student debts, and the surplus of which would be sufficient to fund the cycling trip of his dream around Europe. Giving a heavy sigh, Noah surrendered and followed the black cat deeper into the alleyway.

The poor girl had a name, Nancy. Her pale face with her eyes and mouth wide opened was eerie, but it still could not hide her beauty and youth. As Lucas said, there appeared to be no obvious wounds, as the girl’s miniskirt and crop top have revealed most of her body, which looked flawless without any signs of violence. There was no blood either. Upon closer inspection, Noah noticed the purple-coloured veins that are faintly visible on her hands, her neck and her forehead. But the most peculiar sensation is the smell. Not the foul smell of decay one would expect from a corpse, but the complete opposite – the smell that surrounds Nancy is the kind of smell that would fill one’s nostrils at a perfume counter or a florist.

“Smell of red roses. I did not detect it this morning when I first came here by myself.” Lucas’ whiskers moved up and down as his nostrils were inflating. Then he looked up to Noah, “What do you reckon, Mr. Noah, could you confirm that armourexic is the cause of death from your observation?”

Noah nodded, “Yes, that would likely be the case because only armourexic would turn the red blood cells into a violet colour, and the floral smell is the dead giveaway because it is the only toxin in the world that would turn from odourless to floral after reacting with carbon-based substance.”

“That was exactly what I thought. Thank you for your expert conclusion, Mr. Noah. Now I could write up my investigation report with your endorsement. May I send you a copy by the end of this week for your signature?” Lucas looked up to Noah for the second time since they arrived at the alleyway.

“Um, I am not quite comfortable to sign anything to be honest, Lucas.” In fact, Noah was quite troubled, as if the world is slowly spinning, and then it gains speed as his nostrils were being assaulted by the scent of red roses, which was getting heavier by the minute. A sinister smell that is strangely alluring and intoxicating, and one that is regretfully and unmistakably familiar to Noah.

“I do not mean to intrude your reverie, Mr. Noah. But I was well aware of the project that you commissioned in the lab you set up in the second bedroom, the very birthplace of armourexic.” Noah had a sinking feeling in his stomach. The cat is bluffing, Noah comforted himself, I have never told anyone about this, and the invention has been kept in the safe in my basement since last month……

“Mr. Noah, you are looking very pale. Be calm, and in fact, be satisfied that you have actually done a marvelous job at contributing to the maintenance of the world order.” Getting no responses from Noah, Lucas continued, “You see, I was the plumber who came to repair the broken pipe in your basement last Saturday. I owed you a sincere apology in extracting armourexic at my own liberty. But I reckon the payment you are going to receive should suffice to compensate for your inconvenience.”

“What? What are you? How dare you came into my house, and even have the audacity to admitting it without any shame? I should really have called the police in the first place.” Noah started to back away from the deep end of the alleyway. He simply could not think straight now, he ought to get back home, lock his door and think about his next step.

Lucas tiptoed slowly towards Noah as he was backing away, as if Noah was a ticking timebomb that needed defusing. “Mr. Noah, please do think twice. Involving the police would incriminate you. I know that you are an aspiring scientist. Your ambition might have been dampened by trivial matters such as getting a well-paid job, staying away from office politics, etc. But your love to Julia is nothing but noble and pure. A great love that inspires you to concoct such elegant yet lethal weapon of destruction. Please allow me to offer my humble opinion. Julia is not a decent human being, she cheats on you numerous times, she steals from you, and worst of all, she already had this malicious plan of manipulation formed in her pretty head since the very first day she laid eyes on you. Your plan to poison her is perfectly justifiable.” 

Noah almost reached the main street, but he decided to stop and look straight into Lucas’ eyes. He has never admitted to himself that Julia has been using him and then discarding him like a tool. The unspoken truth hurts. Then, a calmness creeped up his spine. “But I have only made one dose. Now that it has been used, I do not have the courage to put her to sleep anymore.”

Lucas jumped gracefully onto a stack of empty crates near Noah, so that he can look at Noah at eye level. “If you would allow me to show you one more place, which I believe would bring you peace and closure.”

Not even waiting for Noah’s response, Lucas performed another cat-like maneuver by reaching the pipes on the exteriors of the left building abutting the alleyway, and walking along the horizontal pipes which lead to the rear of a restaurant. Operating on an autopilot mode, Noah followed.

Poor young Nancy, whose veins were tainted an otherworldly purple just a moment ago, has returned to her natural state – pale and frail, like a wilted rosebud. The violet colour has all but dissipated, alongside with the sickly scent of rose. The cause of her death would deem to be “Undetermined” on the coroner’s report released the week after.

When they arrived at the restaurant, with Lucas on top of the shop window’s cantilever and Noah standing in front of large window, Noah recognized Mr. Manny’ son, Michael. He looked utterly devastated. An attractive blonde lady was sitting by Michael’ side, with her hands gently on his hands, a gesture of kindness and comfort.  

“Look, Mr. Noah. At this moment, Mr. Michael has not been informed of the decease of Ms. Nancy. Yet. However, knowing his father, he knows that the love of his life has been snatched from him, like a ragdoll, just because she rejected his invitation to spend a night with him. Michael knows what his father is capable of. This nice lady right by his side is Ms. Annie, who would one day go on to become Mrs. Michael. Ms. Annie’s father is the founder of the pharmaceutical conglomerate, BetaMed. After reading my investigation report, Mr. Manny would later share the dark secret of Ms. Nancy’s death with Ms. Annie. And the rest would be history. A deadly weapon of a humble origin - all you need is a rosebud, and the chemical catalyst you devised that can be extracted by reverse engineering. You see, this marriage would not only bring wealth to the two families, but power. So much power that even governments and militants could not resist but acquire such elegant and subtle weapon.”

Noah’s head kept spinning. He had heard everything Lucas told him, but he simply could not understand any of it. The unravel of his darkest secret, the confirmation of Julia’s betrayal, and this crazy black cat’s grandiose prophecy exhausted him. “I don’t understand any of it, Lucas. Why don’t you just leave me alone, I already have enough on my plate. I would do anything to be left out of this.”

Seeing how Noah’s shoulder slumped, Lucas saw his opening to place his final piece of chess. “Much obliged, Mr. Noah. Please kindly endorse my investigation report, so that my employer, Mr. Manny, could convince his son that poor Ms Nancy died a highly unusual death. I would then promise you, on all my nine lives, that your name would be kept out of it. And of course, the promised reward would be swiftly deposited into your bank account.” Noah nodded. He simply wanted to go home. His wants and courage to put Julia to sleep has totally vanished. It turns out that he is not born a murderer, but simply, a coward with no fights in him once rattled.

After Lucas bid farewell to Noah, he broke into a run. Not something he would usually do, as it would roughen his well-groomed paws. However, he was more than eager to report to his boss about the early completion of his task.

Upon arriving at the Manny Mansion, Mr. Manny with a glass of whiskey in hand, motioned for Lucas to come on in. Lucas, the elegant black cat, transformed himself into a slim man with sleek black hair and emerald green eyes, took the flight of stairs, entered the mansion, and shut the heavy oak door behind him.

“My master, the task you assigned to me has been duly executed.” Lucas reported with a little bow. “Very well done, Lucas, very well done. You are always my favourite disciple. We shall now proceed to stage one of the biochemical war.” Taking a sip from his whisky, Mr. Manny, or otherwise known as Lucifer to his pool of private contractors, spread the dark wings on his back, and broke into a heartfelt grin.