Perhaps if I had narrated the story and gruesome demise of the second victim, this whole situation might have been easier to comprehend. And how I was able to map the location of the second artefact, which was essential in proving that my theory about a potential serial killer on the loose was not a theory after all.
Jason, the delivery guy who was wrongfully sent to prison for the death of one Mr. Haartie, was inevitably released after a series of court proceedings that took a total of three weeks to conclude.
A humble fellow, did not even sue the police station for the wrongful imprisonment, defamation and even harassment, even after the time he unfairly served, time that wasn't his, paying for the sins of a sick sadist. The media wasn't well-informed as to why Jason was released, only being told the usual "we had the wrong man". Naturally the media did not buy into this story, so they conducted their own journalistic investigations. Furthermore, Jason pleaded with authorities and media outlets to stay away from him as he did not want to be disturbed. Personally, I wanted to respect his wishes, but a part of me deeply wanted to solve this crippling case, and what better way to do it than pseudo-interviewing the man who was framed? I did not like the prospect of using a man to get to my objective, but it was for the greater good.
We were all heavily instructed to leave Jason and his family alone as they yearned for peace, I for one, did not heed this warning from the station commander himself. Quite reckless on my part.
Anyway, during my lunch time, I snuck out of there and went searching for Jason myself. Well, I did not 'sneak out' per se as I walked out of there ever so casually. It was during my lunch break after all, however, I did not let anyone know where I was headed to, not even my close pal, Gary. The idea was to quickly converse with Jason and be back before lunch was over.
Unfortunately, this did not play out as expected, because when I got to his residence, there was no one there. I proceeded to use my police 'privileges' to break into his home, and to my surprise, there wasn't any furniture in sight! This led me to believe he had made a runner, and planted a seed of doubt that made me question my judgement. "Could this mean he really was guilty afterall?", I said to myself in disbelief. I have always prided myself with the cognitive ability of properly dissecting and analyzing a situation, and never had I been this far off the margin. I honestly could not believe that I had made such a huge blunder. I had to get to the bottom of this, once and for all.
I searched the whole house to for clues as to where the family might have went, but after a tiresome forty-five minutes of intense searching, I did not find anything. The house was but an empty hall, just an unoccupied space enveloped by walls of concrete and a roof. It was as if they took everything, including those useless items that could often be found lying all over the house. Objects that bore no sentimental value whatsoever, but they took them, as of trying to cover up any traces of their existence.
And how on earth did they manage to pack up, choose a destination and wipe the entire house clean in just a span of two days after Jason's release? Something didn't quite sit well with me about this entire situation. Even the most reviewed moving company in Great Narrow takes at least four days to move the amount of furniture and essentials that seemed to have been present in this particular house, so how did they manage all that?
I kept pondering about this whole issue, but I just couldn't bring myself to a reasonable explanation for all of this.
I later got a call from the station. Gary, my partner, kept asking about my whereabouts.
In the heat of the moment, I had to think of a quick, but efficient lie because, frankly, I wasn't even supposed to be in this place in the first place. I thought about telling him I was off sick, but my constantly overthinking mind subsequently thought of numerous ways of how that plan could backfire with devastating results. "I'm following a possible lead", I said, hoping to put his worries at ease. I reckoned it was the perfect excuse because if he thought I was out, actually doing my job during lunch hours, he would be pleased. We seemed to reach an understanding when he dropped the call.
Immediately after, a thought came across my mind, I panicked. I thought about whether he would wonder why I did not inform them at the station because I left knowing exactly where I was headed. I did not want to be reprimanded by the station commander, no one at the station wants that. Probably the worst thing that could happen to anyone in the police force.
I eventually put my worries aside and realized that I was just being ridiculously paranoid, as usual.
Maybe it was the blunt I hit on my way here. Yes, I was that guy, blowing smoke during work hours, but that's not the issue, focus!
After my brief encounter with Gary, I thought of a scenario that did not seem as far fetched as I first thought. I had been thinking about this ever since I got here, I don't know why I dismissed it. What if the police department had offered to relocate Jason's family as a way to 'mend relations'. A fancy way of bribing them so as to not sue the entire station? Of course, the family would want to get as far away from the media as possible, and the police figured they had hit the jackpot by assisting them to move. Now I wanted to have a little chat with Jason so bad, so I tried by all means to track him down.
Just as I was about to exit the house, I had a strange feeling, but I couldn't tell what that feeling was, so I dismissed it, figured my mind was playing tricks on me. I had been working tirelessly all day;I assumed it was just mental fatigue or whatever.
I got into the first cab I saw and went to my place. As soon as I got there, I reached for my laptop, and ran a facial recognition software across the whole country in search of Jason. I had previously installed this illegal copy of the application in my personal computer as a souvenir for when I left the force. It was my first time using it on my own personal laptop, so I had to take all necessary precautions before using it. This was required as it relays a signal to nearby police stations when you use it. This kind of technology is not for public consumption, and as such, should not even exist outside the walls of any police station. Just copying it was a crime that could see me facing up to three years in prison, and actually using was a higher and far worse criminal offence.
Regardless, I bypassed all the aforementioned preliminary safety precautions that were preinstalled to make sure it wasn't used by just anyone.
About twenty minutes later, I got a 95% match in the region of Ca'tuh County. Luckily, this was a place I knew very well as I grew 'round those parts.
As a kid, we moved a lot due to my father's political influence and constant promotions.
Without any hesitation, I packed all necessary equipment and took the hour-long drive to Ca'tuh County.
Ah yes! The nostalgia.
At least a whole decade had passed since I last saw this place, so I wasn't really surprised that so much had changed.
I followed the GPS coordinates to where Jason was last seen, and it led me to a part of the county where there was only one house in particular that dished out all the stereotypes for a safehouse. It was out in the woods, so this was obviously it.
I went straight to the door, it was getting darker; gradually approaching night time, so I knocked as delicately as I could to avoid spooking whoever was in the house.
Jason, being the calm guy he was, opened the door for me. I thought that was rather naïve of him, but was glad I didn't have to resort to 'other' means to get into the premises.
"Oh my God, it's you! Please, come in.", exclaimed Jason when he saw my face.
I was really surprised by his reaction, but what followed was even more surprising.
Apparently I was the one who suggested this whole idea to him about moving all the way here.
"It's true! You offered a compelling argument that the real killer framed me for a reason, and now that I got released, he would come for me".
I knew not how to feel about this whole situation. Firstly, I had no memory of what Jason was talking about, and secondly, even if what he was saying was true, what evidence was there to back up his claims? This all sounded like I played myself for real this time.
Moreover, as we were talking, his wife came in from the other room and displayed an emotion that felt as though she was ecstatic to see me. I managed to give out a carefully improvised smile to her amidst all the awkwardness.
She went back from whence she came and returned to the common room carrying a letter, addressed to me. She said that when they first got to this place, they found the letter, laying neatly on the already made bed, with my name written on it.
"It's getting dark, you should stay for the night", Jason said. I really appreciated the gesture, but I needed time to process today. I stood up, and as I was ready to leave, I saw the back of the envelope in which the letter was in written as follows: "Only read this letter when the time is right, otherwise people WILL suffer".
Well, sh*t!