What did I missed?

Everyone warned Joseph about the continuous threats he receiving recently. But he didn’t cared a bit. He always say, “Only people who could hide from the whole world could kill him.”

He never thinks about his enemies. He went to his cabin like every weekend. Sometimes for pleasure, Joseph would pay some musicians to come to cabin and play melodious music.

 This time, David, a professional violinist, Joseph hired for his own entertainment.

  David sat in the hall, preparing his violin. Joseph came into room when his maid June told to Joseph about the Violinist.

 David started with a melodious and relaxing music. Joseph sat in a chair near fire. Meanwhile his maid making tea in kitchen.

The music so good that anyone who listens to it will forget about themselves. When June is pouring tea in the cups, a loud sound reached her ears that made her tremble and lose the grip on tea mug and it fallen on ground breaking into pieces and the tea eventually spread all over the floor. It was bullet sounds. The maid ran into the hall. Musician David hidden behind the table, feeling shocked.The window is broken so that a person could escape through it. June scared when she saw Joseph was dead and his body is bleeding from the bullet shots.

  Detective Thomas reached the crime scene along with some cops. They collected blood samples on the floor. June and David were still in shock and sat in a corner.

 Thomas approached them with a pencil and small book taken from his pocket. “So Ms.June. You called us when you saw Joseph dead body without waiting a minute.Is that correct?”

“Yes sir. I did scared when I saw the blood.”

 June explained him everything she saw.

  Thomas faced towards David who is still in shock.

 “So Mr. David, would you care to explain, what happened here?” asked Thomas.

 “I saw a man broke into home by breaking window glass. He was tall strong and wearing a mask. He wore leather gloves and carried a gun pointing towards Joseph. He shot him multiple times on the body and ran away. I hid myself when he broke into home.” answered David.

 “Can you tell more about this man?”

“I don’t remember much. I can only recollect that he is tall, wore a mask, strong and leather gloves.”

“You already said these things.” Thomas looked at David for five seconds expecting some more details. But David couldn’t help himself from acting normal, since he is still scared.

 “Leather gloves..” June said with astonishment in her face.

Thomas turned towards June. “What you know about leather gloves?”

 “It’ssss.. It is Robert.” she replied.

“Who is Robert?” Thomas asked, looking with much increased curiosity looks.

“The dead Robert..”she almost fainted for a second.

“The dead Robert… Who is this dead Robert?” asked Thomas with more curiosity.

June sat in a cushion. She drank a glass full of water. She looked around the room. Everyone are staring at her to listen what she is about to say.

She took a hanky and softly rubbed on her face to clean sweat. The room is hot enough for everybody to sweat.

She finally spoke, “It happened three years ago. A man named Robert came to this very same cabin to meet Joseph. He argued that his father and Robert’s father is the one man and he deserves the half of his property. But Robert didn’t cared. He clearly stated that not even a penny from his father’s property would be given to him. Robert left the cabin after a full day argument. But he didn’t left the village. He made an small home with wooden logs on the mountain and lived in it for one year.”

 “What happened after one year? Did he left the village?” asked Thomas.

“What happened to him is the horrible of the horrible. When few kids went to play behind the mountain, found a evil foul smell coming from his home. They went to see what happened to him. It looked like devil himself reached the earth to do it. Robert found dead. But that’s not what surprised the village. It’s the way his dead body was found surprised them. Vultures surrounded his home, but none of it, touched him. Crows bring the meat to his home, after he is dead, like someone is going to eat. Dogs and wolves reached his home every night for shelter. And the snakes…”

“What about the snakes?” asked Thomas.

“Snakes talk to him. It was rumored that he learned parseltongue and black magic and invited devil to his home and offered his very own soul and life so that his revenge would be taken by devil.”

 “Sounds like a folk tale. Did you witnessed what you said about Robert.”

“I didn’t. I heard it from the peasants.Villagers were scared to see such a terrible creatures on the mountain, they burnt his dead body. I heard that he still comes back to his home alive on every new moon day and talks to snake in parseltongue.”

“How does he relate to the leather gloves?”

“He wore them the first time, I saw him. He wore them when he found dead. When those kids found his dead body, one kid liked those gloves and tried to take them. He pulled them so hard and tried so long. But they didn’t left his hand. His gloves took too long to burn, when his dead body was set on fire.”

 “Today is a new moon….” said David. He is frightened and worried.

 “He took his revenge, he might leave the Earth tonight.” said June.

“How can you be so sure?” asked Thomas.

“Because, the last time I saw him alive, he said to Joseph that he’ll leave Earth either by getting what he deserves or after killing him.”

 “Well. I’ll check his home once. To know whether Robert is for real?” said Thomas.

Thomas left the cabin along with cops. By the time he reached Robert’s home, it was dark and about to be night. Like he heard, there were animals in the home. Thomas came near home. But when he about to reach the door, he heard a howl of wolves. He turned back. There are wolves behind him looking with anger and hunger. The cops took the guns in their hands. A wolf jumped on one of the cop. He lost his gun on the field. He thrown the wolf away and started running. Other cops including Thomas ran in different directions. Thomas entered forest. It was real dark in there. He hidden in bushes and waited until all the wolves gone. He scared and tired. He didn’t dared enough to go back there. He started walking back to home. He never believed in black magic. What he saw with his own eyes cannot be explained. He was puzzled. Why did the animals surrounded his home? What exact one point that he missed? Is Robert’s story true? With all these questions in his brain, he couldn’t go home.

Thomas decided to go to Joseph’s cabin, to see where he went wrong. When he reached cabin it was late night and no one is at the crime scene. He recreated everything in his mind. He imagined himself and everyone from the previous investigation. He remembered everything, June said. Robert came here two years ago, bud didn’t attacked him. After three years Joseph is dead and Robert is not alive to get arrested. If everything is a folk tale, what is explanation for animals in his home. Why would animals leave the forest and live in his home. Everything June said is unbelievable but other explanation is still not found yet. He remembered David’s though he believed there would be nothing found from his story too. A man entered the house by breaking window glass and shot Joseph with his gun and ran away. Why didn’t animals came to cabin to kill Joseph.

 Thomas lost in his thoughts. He looked at the floor. He looked at the window and deeply involved in his own world and suddenly he shouted, “Oh shit!!!” “How did I missed it?”

He ran to the police station and asked the cops to find June and David as soon as possible.

 They searched for an hour. Thomas got the information, that they are in railway station.

He reached there as soon as possible. He found both of them sitting on a bench with luggage. He ran to catch them. When June saw Thomas chasing them and she began to run too. David tried the same, but Thomas shot David on the leg.

 June saw the gun in Thomas hand and stopped.

 Thomas arrested both of them.

 June and Thomas are now in a investigation room.

 “I’m tired of the show. Would you mind explaining me , why you killed Joseph?”

“I did intend to kill him. I planned it all long ago. Joseph killed Robert so that he didn’t have to share his property with him. When I heard the peasants rumors, I got the idea of murdering Joseph and then rub it on Robert. But when I was making tea today earlier, I heard a bullet sound. It was David. He killed Joseph. He turned gun against me, when he saw me. But I offered him money to leave me and we both agreed with my plan.”

“Why did David killed him and why did you intended to kill him?”

“We both got offers from unknown people. We know it was from his enemies in business. But we don’t know who they are.”

“Why did the animals living in Robert’s home?”

“The meat was not bought by crows. I go there weekly once to throw meat in the home. Every time, animals reach his home and make noise, the more and more these peasants believe in Robert’s rumors.”

“Well. Let me take rest for today. We’ll continue tomorrow.” said Thomas and about to leave the room.

“But how did you know?” asked June.

Thomas turned back. Approached the table and said, “Well. There is a part of me that believed in your story and that’s how I missed a small clue. You planned everything perfectly. Just one mistake. When David said, a person broke the window from outside, the glassed should fall inside mostly. But the glass pieces fallen outside like they are broken by something from inside. I regret my inattentiveness.”