I stood there, in disbelief. I was in a frozen state for roughly ten minutes, not moving a single muscle.
Deep within my temple of thought, I could not bear the fact that I had asked for help from a murderer. I was so blinded by this man's 'generosity' that I failed to do due diligence and question this stranger's true intentions. I guess I was simply blinded by the saying that "beggars can't be choosers", so much so that I didn't mind who he was and why would he help a complete stranger, me, off the streets at night.
I took one look at the food he bought, that I had taken takeaways of and instinctively threw them in the garbage disposal bin in my front yard. I went into my apartment and without even taking my clothes off, I got onto the bed, and all I could think of was that fateful encounter. What a situation I had entangled myself in!
Fast forward the next morning. I woke up a few minutes late, and this was when I realized this case was starting to affect my personal life. I thought about it long and hard - I was going to ask the station commander to take me off the case. I knew I was one of the few people who have a chance at cracking this mystery, but my personal well-being came first.
"How selfish!", a voice echoed and bounced off the walls of the room I was in while preparing myself for work. I knew I was alone, but still, I asked:
"Who's there?",
Unsurprisingly, no one replied. Maybe this case is taking a toll on me than I had previously thought. I was adamant at quitting the case, and no ghostly voice was going to stop me!
For the first time since working for the GNPD, I took a cab to work because I was late. I sat in the back of the car, and not once did the driver try to engage me on some small talk. I really appreciated that, for it meant I'll get more time to be within myself, and deal with my thoughts.
We reached the junction and just beyond that was my destination. I paid the cab driver, even going as far as tipping him for not trying to meddle in my business. Sometimes all we want is a little bit of peace and quiet!
I walked in the station and endured something I had never before. Being late meant that everyone would see you taking the walk of shame from the door all the way to your office corner, and my corner was on the far end of the building. This meant that everyone who was present at that moment would see me. I felt everyone gaze deep into my soul and wondering how come I was this late when I used to always brag about being punctual.
"It's better to be in time than on time". Those were my words, but I guess all that would go out the window, along with my pride.
I went to Gary and he did not even question why I was late today. Turns out my anxiety was just lying to me; a terrible attempt by my own head to plant seeds of doubt deep within my psyche. I could not believe it had gone this far.
I went to Gary's office and asked him for advice on whether or not I should hand over the case to someone else. I also let him know about how it had started to affect my mental health.
"Look, man. I've had my fair share of mental problems over the years. My oldest kid was diagnosed with acute schizophrenia when he was fourteen. I know how it feels even though I was only indirectly affected... So, if you feel like that's what's best for you, go for it".
What he said to me stuck in my head for some time, and I decided to tell him about my close encounter with a potential suspect yesterday. I had initially planned to not tell anyone, but after listening to his whole speech about mental health, I realized it would only weigh heavy on my mind and inevitably be my downfall.
After telling him, I could see from the look on his face that he did not like the fact that I didn't tell him from the minute I walked into the station, and worse, that I nearly kept it to myself by quitting the case.
"ARE YOU INSANE!?", he shouted at me with a menacing look in his eyes. The other officers looked at us
You could swear he was the embodiment of wrath; anger personified! That was very stupid of me, now that I think about it clearly.
"Look, I'm sorry. I'll make things right and won't quit the case anymore."
"Damn right you ain't quitting! And one more thing; You need to let Lieutenant Davis know about this. It's a major lead.".
I guess it was only fair.
I thought about calling an emergency police meeting in the department's common room, and letting them all know of what transpired the previous night. I decided against this, and instead went, along with Gary, to the lieutenant's office and told him.
His wrath was on the same scale as Gary's, but with a slightly higher magnitude. It was at this point that I realized just how bad I had faulted.
Gary managed to calm him down, just as I had anticipated. I knew it would be best to bring someone else with me into the lieutenant's office, lest I feel the might of his wrath alone.
As soon as the dust settled, we proceeded to discuss a way forward.
An hour later, a sketch artist was brought in and I was to describe the man I was with the previous night. Well, seeing as how he wasn't at all suspicious, I did not take a good look at him. I only remember minor details about the guy. Nonetheless, I listed all those details I did store in my head, like his ethnicity, accent, height, possible age and so on.
"He was a light-skinned individual with a height just above mine, possibly 1.6 meters tall; He looked as though he was in his late thirtie, early forties and has a strong-build; He had one of those European accents which you could not tell apart even though they come from different countries. If I recall properly, I think he had a grotesque scar over his left eye...".
I went on and on, describing the man. And damn! Perhaps I did take a good look at him than I had initially thought.
A few narrations later, the sketch artist came back with the finished portrayal of the suspect. I took one glance at the portrait and I knew I had seen that face before; I was him! Man, and here I was doubting the mad skills of these underrated sketch artists.
The picture was made public, but only within the police community. We figured the public wasn't ready to know that we had a serial killer on the loose. We certainly did not want to ignite a country-wide panic. Every police agency in the country was handed a picture of the man, with the hopes of eventually catching him.
For the first time ever dealing with this case, we felt like we were finally one step ahead. For a while, I had began to doubt the competence of us as law enforcers of GNPD.
Oh, we did our jobs alright, but it just wasn't enough to put an end to all of this!
We were intensively eager to catch this guy, and this marked the first time in thirty six years that all the police departments and other law enforcement agencies in Fah'Ria worked hand-in-hand since this countries first ever dispute.
But enough about that, we were finally doing something great. Yes, the killer was still out there, but at least we had a solid lead this time, and that brought us a step closer.