~~Carson's POV~~
"Daniil Smirnov?" My teammate re-echoed the name on the name card I pinned to our investigation board.
On the board were landmarks connecting the deceaseds' houses through possible routes, Chicago's general map, the deceaseds' photos and personal information, time intervals between their deaths, and lastly a reenactment of Ashley's painting. Everything on it was linked using red lines cutting across different points. For any investigation board to be complete, there had to be suspects pinned on it too. But ours was lacking any. Until today that is.
The only reason I didn't make a fuss about it before was because I was being considerate of Ashley's condition. But I think I just might have gotten a name on the suspect list. The guy I met at the Chilli department store looked like the live adaptation of Ashley's portrait painting. Yes, their eye colors were distinct but for now, I was merely following my hunch as a detective. I didn't intend to dive in needlessly for I still had some research to do.
Getting home that day, I held up Ashley's painting while picturing his face. It could be a mere coincidence that we ran into him that day but what if it wasn't? The deceased victims were both students of IUC. And in both cases, there was a friend left traumatized. It could not have been something left to chance but a well-hatched plan. If the cases were similar to a fault, it only meant the said killer had to keep a close watch on them for a few days like in Ashley's case. Of course, it could have been anyone but in all, someone who stayed closer would be a more plausible guess.
The Chilli department store was still an upcoming brand with nothing much attached to its name but the luxury that screamed from his accessories was not on the same level. He exuded the aura of one who dealt with more designer products. And besides, he left empty-handed. He hadn't come to get anything. So why was he there at the same time as Ashley? Going by her theory, he must have known we were coming and got there beforehand. Thinking back, the look Ashley had showed how edgy she was around him. Something just didn't sit right about this guy. Still, all of these could be my imagination running wild but now wasn't the time to leave it up to chance.
"I will get every information I can through Ashley. Knox, you run a thorough background check on the said guy. Sawyer, look into his alibis on the said days. And Griffin gather all the CCTV cameras in secret paths connecting the two locations," I as the team leader dispersed our duties actively, gesturing to them each time I mentioned their names.
I explained everything to my teammates and got them moving. Now there was a suspect on board, the investigation would most likely take a different course. There was extra work for me to do. I didn't intend to tell Ashley about this just yet because I would have her on guard for nothing if all this ended up being false. I was going to obtain all the needed information from her discreetly.
"As soon as you're done running a background check, do well to inform me." I had told Knox.
Meanwhile, I looked up the infamous Smirnov household on the internet. I was going to compare Knox's findings with mine to confirm if he was indeed a member of their family.
From what I surfed, the Smirnovs looked pretty okay except that was all for show. It was a Russian conglomerate empire ventured into several lines of business. The founder and chairman, Mr. Vladimir Smirnov, was a philanthropist whose acts of kindness in the form of donations cut across the whole world, extending the boundaries of Europe and not just Russia alone.
Going from one SERP to another, so far I came to realize all the articles concerning this family were mainly praising them for their altruism. Several pictures of them taking pictures with beneficiaries flooded the internet.
I peeked over my monitor to check on Knox but he was still busy. I heaved a sigh and then returned to fiddling with the mouse's scroll wheel scrolling up the homepage casually to while away time.
I paused when I came across a subheading that read: "List of beneficiaries since the year 2021." And of course, I clicked to see. The list comprised of Universities, orphanages, hospitals, health centers, high schools….
"They must have tons of cash," I mused aloud, scanning through before clicking the first listed item – 'Universities.'
"Columbia University…Loyola University Chicago… Chicago State University…Illinois… The in…," I paused my mumbles on getting to the fifth name on the list.
It was 'The International University of Chicago.'
I leaned backward with folded arms and just stared at the screen. The schools were enumerated in descending order considering the level of support they received so far. It baffled me that majorly universities in Chicago occupied the 2nd through 6th places. "Is it just a coincidence?" I whispered to myself resting an elbow on the other hand with my knuckles folded beneath my chin.
I heaved a sigh with my imagination already going vicious. 'Relax Carson. You wouldn't be able to forgive yourself if all these are mere coincidence,' I told myself.
"Mr. Carson." A familiar voice snapped me out of my thoughts, causing me to raise my head. It was Knox. He was done, I presumed.
"Here you go." He handed me sheets of paper held together with a paper clip. "Daniil Smirnov. Son of the Russian empire headed by Mr. Vladimir Smirnov. He came to the States on the 10th of July and is now a Chicagoan resident. Currently, he resides in the outskirts of Chicago and was transferred to the International University of Chicago, in his 3rd level of studies." he briefed while I glanced through.
"Oh… thanks."
10th of July.
That was few a days before Makayla's death. He came into the States; more like cast aside?
Transferred schools. And in his three hundred level. Why? What made it necessary for him to leave?
At the very least it was confirmed. The infamous Smirnov. But there were still questions left unanswered. It's not out of the ordinary to want to school elsewhere considering the wealth amassed by the Smirnovs. But he could've studied in Chicago from the beginning instead he only came down here after two full years. The circumstances surrounding his leaving were certainly not ordinary. It seemed more like he was compelled to leave. Why? Did he intentionally choose to be here? Could there be more reasons why he's left home? Could it be that he put their flawless image in jeopardy?
My scanning eyes paused on getting to the base of the paper bearing his house address.
**"123 Oak Street
Naperville, IL 60563
USA"**
I took my phone out and took photos of the webpage. Now there was work to do. I was going to gather as many leads as possible for this case. Having a suspect sure felt different. It felt like we were finally heading somewhere after many months. I needed more than just basic information about this guy so I needed to dig in further. I was going to pay him a visit. But first, Ashley would have to tell me all she knew about him.
How though?
I still didn't want her to know yet. It had to be in the most natural way but Ashley was way too perceptive for that. There was hardly any way to ward off any misgivings when I eventually started asking numerous questions about the said guy. If only I could source from elsewhere.
I pondered.
'What to do? What to do? What to… 'NGOs.' I straightened up when it suddenly crossed my mind that they were also listed as one of the beneficiaries. Ashley's mom also owned an NGO. Even though Elle NGO wasn't yet global, the chance that it could appear on the list wasn't zeroed as the said benefactors appeared to have developed a special liking to the U.S., Chicago precisely.
Hurriedly, I clicked the 'back' arrow button on the top left corner of the page to access the initial page having the original list. Scrolling down I spotted 'NGOs' and quickly clicked on it and began skimming through.
My lips curved into a smug smile when my eyes fell on the tenth name itemized. "Elle N.G.O."