-Oh, bloody hell! -I shouted, running to the window.
When I looked down from the window, the runaway was gone. And the terrible downpour had already ended.
-What's going on here? - Ashley came into the room.
-The neighbour we're talking to slammed the door in our face and ran out the window.
-That's great. Do you know his name?
-He gave a name, Gianluigi Danieli, but I think it's fake. He was so nervous when he was answering questions. And he lied about hearing shouting, the rooms are well soundproofed, you wouldn't hear shouting.
-We need to find out from the manager what passport he used to stay at the hotel. But even if it's not a real passport, we still remember his face, so we'll put out an official wanted notice.
-When the manager stops throwing tantrums and offering bribes, although I doubt the latter. When she calms down at least, we'll ask her about the passport of this tenant and information about him in general.
-Good. And now let's go and question the other neighbours. -I suggested
-Let's go.
We left the room of the guy who escaped and knocked on room 34. A girl in her 20s opened the door and she agreed to testify. As it turned out, the murdered Signora Fabbri was not a sociable person, looked down on everyone and most importantly went out every Friday and came back very late. Just like the previously murdered Signor Salvione. After we interviewed a few more neighbours and got some information about the murdered woman, we went back to the murder scene and spent another 40 minutes there. Afterwards, Ashley left to find the manager (we hoped the manager had calmed down by now). When Ashley came back, she told us that the guy had shown his passport to Gianluigi Danieli when he checked in and also gave us his passport details. We'll run his passport through the database when we get to the station. But I'm 100% sure it's a fake passport.
-Rose, your phone's ringing. -Alice said, handing me my phone, which was on the bedside table.
-Who else is there? -I said, picking up my phone.
And looking at the screen of the phone I saw what I least wanted to see. An unknown number. I walked out of the room into the corridor and answered the phone.
-Hello...Okay. -I said the last word and ended the call.
He called, of course, my biggest nightmare. He called and 'asked' me to leave the hotel. I didn't say anything to my colleagues, and went down to the ground floor and out onto the street. I walked through the crowd of reporters like a ghost. And as I rounded the corner, I saw him. Brown hair, brown eyes and that nasty smile. If I could just blink and he'd disappear, that'd be nice. Why did I come out? Because there's no point in hiding, if I didn't come out now, he'd just follow me somewhere else. He'd never leave me alone, he'd never stop following me, and he'd never stop poisoning my life. I slowly walked up to him.
-Good morning Rosie. - I can't stand the sound of that voice.
-Damn you. -said I, turning my gaze to him.
-Would you like to go somewhere with me tonight? -first of all, he ignored my words, and second of all, it wasn't a suggestion at all.
-You know, I'd like you to go somewhere, like hell.
-That's cruel. But you might want to think about it. -said he and took me roughly under the elbow.
-Now all I'm thinking about is how the bullet fired from the gun in my pocket will make a hole in your skull. -said I, clutching the Beretta 92 inside my pocket in my hand.
-You can't. -said he, with the darkness in his eyes.
-Oh, believe me, I can. -I said with a smile.
-And you're going to go to jail for someone like me?
-No, my dear, I'm not going to jail. Firstly, I'm supposed to get a medal for killing you. And secondly, you're threatening me, and I'm only defending myself. - I spoke slowly.
-Am I threatening you? -he asked, looking me in the eye.
-What did you just do? That camera on the house caught you grabbing my elbow. And given that you're also wanted by the police. -he let go of me and walked away with a smirk.
-I'll be back. -he said as he walked away.
-I have a feeling of deja vu. Like you've said that before. -I said it back to him.
I walked back to the hotel. On the way, I kept thinking, 'What if he'd never come into my life?' Then my life would have been so much better, so much more happy and...free. Then I wouldn't have to change phone numbers, I wouldn't have to change locks so often under the pretext of 'Lost my keys' even though I didn't lose them. I wouldn't have to live with a perpetual sense of persecution. But in reality, to my great disappointment, things turned out differently. I reached the entrance and entered the hotel. The journalists were no longer there, strange. They usually stick to the end, if there is an opportunity to find out information they won't give up. I went up to the fourth floor and went to room 32.
-Rose, we've been looking all over for you. Where did you disappear to? -said my sister, approaching me.
-I was feeling stuffy, so I went outside for some fresh air.
-I see. Well, I don't think there's anything else to do here, so let's pack up and go to the police station.
My colleagues and I packed up all our equipment and tools and left the hotel and went straight to Via Statilia 30 to the police station. Ashley, Alice and I took my car, while Dante and Silvio took Dante's car to the police station. Once we reached the police station, I parked my car in the service car park and Alice, Ashley, and I hurried into the building. We went up the stairs to the 2nd floor and walked down the corridor to the lab (we had to leave the evidence there). Then we went to the inspectors' office. After 10 minutes, Dante and Silvio entered the office.
-So what's our plan of action? -Silvio asked.
-Now we're going to interrogate these fanatics. They'll tell us where and what time their meeting will be. And then we will go to their meeting, the main thing is to apprehend Linswand. He's our target. -Ashley said.
Suddenly, the door to the office opened and in walked...Olivia.
-What?
-We have a murder.I called you this morning, you said, 'I'll be right there,' and you didn't come.
-I had a special circumstance. My cat died this morning.
-You said you had a dog. -I said, I don't understand.
-All right, I didn't have a cat. And it's none of your damn business why I'm late.
-It's crazy. -said Ashley, sighing heavily.
-So I'll call and have those two fanatics brought in for questioning. -Dante picked up his phone from the table and dialled the number.
-Hello...We need to arrange an interrogation of Adriano Trentino and Federico Abruzzo...Yes...Okay.
Dante dropped the call and put his phone back on the table.
-The interrogation starts in 20 minutes. -said Dante.
During the twenty minutes we waited for the interrogation to begin, we discussed the murders. We discussed several things during the discussion. We surmised that this sect had a mandatory meeting every Friday. This would explain the fact that the two now murdered sect leaders went out every Friday and came back very late. We also talked about the guy who ran away, Silvio ran his passport through the database and it turned out to be a fake passport. Silvio also ran the passport of the murdered woman through the database (just in case) and it turned out to be fake too. When we finished talking, all of us except Olivia (she said that she would not go to the interrogation for some 'very important' reason) left the office and went to the interrogation room.
-Good day to you brothers and sisters. -Federico Abruzzo said in a calm voice as my colleagues and I entered the interrogation room.
-We're not your brothers and sisters, stop calling us that. - Ashley said, but the sectarians did not react to her words.
-So let's get to the interrogation. We know that you were planning to hold a meeting today. Where and at what time?
-You must be mistaken, we're not supposed to have a meeting today.
-Lies. -I said and Signor Trentino looked at me as if to say, 'Do you speak of truth and lies?'.
Those fanatics knew about him, of course they knew about him. I just wish I knew how they knew so much about me and him. I just hope they don't say anything about him in the interrogation.
-I warn you, if you lie in interrogation, your prison sentence will increase.-said Silvio.
-Okay, we'll say, today at 8 o'clock, at this address. -said Abruzzo and took a pen and paper from his desk and wrote down the address.
-What's that building there? -Dante asked.
-An abandoned house.
-I mean, if it's a trap...
-It's not a trap, we're actually having a meeting there tonight.
It's risky to take these fanatics at their word, but we have no other choice. We finished the interrogation and left the interrogation room with our colleagues. Me and Ali went to the lab, and Ashley Silvio and Dante went to the inspectors' office.
-So what do we have in there? -I asked, picking up the reports on the examinations that Alice had ordered.
-These are the examinations on the Lorenzi case. -said Alice as she approached me.
-We'll have to take them to the archives. -I put the documents back on the desk and went to the safe where the evidence was kept.
-Any errands to run?
-Did you ask Janine to do the autopsy?
-Certainly, how could I have forgotten about the autopsy. -said Alice.
-You go to Jeanine, I want to take another look at the rings we found at the two crime scenes. - I said, opening the safe.
When I opened the safe, I was stunned, the rings were missing. When I arrived at the police station, I had put the ring I had found today in the safe, and the one from the first crime scene was also there. And now they're gone, only I knew the password to the safe. No one else could open it but me.
-Alice, please tell me that you somehow miraculously found out the password and took the rings to the archives. Even though you were with me the whole time. -I said with hope in my voice, turning to my colleague.
-No, what happened? Did they disappear?
-Yes, they were stolen. -said I exhaled.
-What should we do now?
-Well, firstly, calm down, and secondly, we have to find the burglar.Okay, what the hell is that?
-What is it? -Alice came up to me.
-Some paper in the safe, it wasn't here before. -I said and took the small paper in my hands.
-Some kind of sign.
-I think I know what it is. -I think I know what it is. Let's go to our inspectors, I think they can confirm my guess.
We left the lab and went to the inspectors' office.
-Ashley, do you have any idea what this sign is? - I asked as I walked into the office, followed by Alice.
-It's the sign of the 'Path to Truth' sect. -said my sister.
-I knew it, I found it in the safe instead of the two rings.
-What?It's great, it's perfect. One of those sectarians stole our main evidence.
-Maybe they need those rings for some kind of ritual at the meeting tonight.
-It's possible, but I'm more worried about who did it and how they did it. There was no sign of forced entry on the safe.
-Yeah, well, they had to open the safe, and to do that, they had to get the password somehow. Wait, there are video cameras in the lab, let's watch the footage and find out what's going on.
-There are video cameras in the lab, but we've had a notice in the corridor for about three days now. It says that due to a system error, the cameras in the lab and on our floor have been temporarily switched off.
-Okay, well, we can take fingerprints.
-We can, but I don't think whoever stole the rings is stupid enough to steal evidence without wearing gloves.
-That's terrible. All right, let's just think about the operation tonight, and we'll deal with the rings later. And if the rings are really needed by these fanatics for some ritual, then tonight at the meeting of this sect we will find the rings.
After we discussed the stolen evidence, we began to discuss how we could apprehend Linswand tonight.