Chereads / Unfazed Detective James / Chapter 4 - Your welcome

Chapter 4 - Your welcome

Merry's eyes were in shock, glaring at him. "You are kidding me?" she muttered, glancing back at the menu in disbelief 

Before Merry could respond, James casually waved at the waiter and ordered for her, picking one of the pricier dishes. Merry shot him a glare. "If you don't pay for this I swear I'll kill you with my bare hands" she snapped.

"Alright, I'll pay chill," said James with a grin 

A few minutes later

"btw our next location is Y-12 numbered house located near that victim's house," said James watching the waiter getting the dish

Merry raised an eyebrow, pausing as the waiter placed their dishes in front of them. "So, you did know who the killer is," she said, picking up her fork.

James as he took a bite of his meal. "Still not 100% sure but I got a pretty good idea who the killer is," he replied confidently.

Merry glanced at him with a mix of skepticism and amusement. "You're impossible," she muttered, taking a bite of her own dish, trying to mask her curiosity as they continued eating.

They finally finished their meal, and James casually got up and started walking toward the door. Merry, panicking, quickly rushed after him, her heart racing. "Are you out of your mind?" she hissed, catching up to him. "If they catch us leaving without paying, they'll make a huge scene!"

"I doubt that," James said, opening the door.

"Why?!" Merry hurried in front of him, blocking his path and leaving him no way to leave.

James gave her a sideways glance, pushing her gently aside. "Because it's my restaurant," he replied, walking out as Merry stood frozen in shock, trying to process what he had just said.

Once they returned to the Mercedes, the two of them headed in the direction of the Y-12 line house, which was situated close to the victim's home.

"Why are you even working with us, you should enjoy your life already," said Merry looking out the window 

"my father told me to work here, I am just following his orders," asked James giving a small side glance at merry 

"Since when did you become good with morals?" she said with a grin

They at long last arrived at the house of the lady who reported the death of Derek, the house was kind of the same as Derek's since most of the neighbourhood was the same there.

they stood outside, while Merry rang the bell, and a middle-aged woman opened the door, merry showed her badge saying "We are from the FDA and we would like to talk to you about the death of Mr. Derek, I hope you cooperate"

She opened the door "Get in, please!" she said in a nervous tone

getting in the house, they both got seated, and the women got tea for both of them, merry asked "What was your relation with Mr Derek?" Picking up the cup 

"We both were good friends, we met one year, and he was sitting under a tree at a nearby park, after that day we started to talk often, he was a good guy," she said her voice filled with sadness 

"Are you married?" Asked James looking that she had no wedding ring on her hand

"Yes, I am, I have got one boy too, he's upstairs sleeping" she replied 

"Ah, I see," James nodded, glancing at her hand once more "Do you mind if I take a quick look around the house? Just to get a better idea of the layout."

She hesitated for a second but then shrugged. "Alright, go ahead. Just don't wake the boy, please."

"Don't worry, " James said as he turned, already scanning the hallway with his thoughts connecting everything 'she is married however she is not wearing the wedding ring meaning she doesn't have good relations with her husband, seeing all these family photos they both looked quite happy together, one of the photo doesn't seem very old which means they got into bad terms recently, with Mr Derek probably being the reason for it' James went upstairs to look into her room 'couple of new lipsticks scattered near the makeup kit, perfume' looking the other side of the room he noticed 'stylish dress and heels neatly placed beside it'

[James conclusion]

[ Derek and Fenna started to develop an affair since Fenna was already having bad relations with her husband. They both were about to have a date at Derek house at the night of his murder, and the wine in Derek's fridge and the setup of Fenna confirmed it, however before they could progress further Mr miles finds out about this ongoing affair, out of pure hatred and jealousy he killed Derek and ran off ]

 

he got back near Merry who was still doing general Q&A with Fenna, while merry was talking to her James interpreted and asked "Where is your husband right now?" 

"He hasn't been home for about a whole week, he's on a business trip with some partners" she replied 

James, looking at her facial expression 'she is clearly lying, body language tells she is very nervous and tense. His mind flashed back to some pictures before in the hallway there was a location near this area which I saw a few houses back, their second property. he is there hiding'

Without missing a beat, James turned to Merry. "We're done here," he said quietly. They left the house and headed back to the car.

Once inside, Merry glanced at him curiously. "So, what's the deal?"

James started the engine and replied, "Her husband's the killer. I noticed a second property in one of the photos inside. That's where he's hiding right now." 

He leaned back, stretching his arms. "My job's done, I found the killer. The rest is up to the police. I'm heading home."

Merry's staring at James. "Are you serious? It's our job to take care of this until the end. We're not done just because you figured it out."

James scoffed, clearly not in the mood for an argument. "I'm a detective, Merry, not a cop. The police can take it from here."

Merry crossed her arms defiantly. "If you won't finish the job, I will. Drop me off at the killer's location. I can handle it myself."

Frustrated, James glared at her for a moment, then sighed. "Fine," he muttered, gripping the wheel tighter. Without another word, he drove to the second property, pulling up to the front.

"There. Go play hero," he said sarcastically, as Merry opened the door and stormed out with a gun in her hands

She carefully drafted the exterior, her eyes darting from window to window, finding an unlocked door and slipped inside.

James stared at the house with his car parked outside thinking 'Should I also…nah, she can handle this' A sudden flash of the early encounter with the manager in that expensive watch shop popped up in his head where Merry was held captive, making him rethink 'maybe just maybe I don't want people with green eyes to disappear' and rushed straight to the house 

Now both Merry and James were inside searching for the killer, As they approached a narrow hallway, James's eyes caught something unusual in a mirror hanging on the wall. His heart skipped a beat-the killer, crouched behind a door, gripping a knife tightly, ready to pounce. James's gaze shifted quickly;

Merry was heading straight into his path, unaware of the danger lurking behind the door.

Without a second thought, James acted. He reached out, grabbing Merry's arm and pulling her into a nearby room just before she stepped into the killer's reach. She stumbled slightly, surprised by James's sudden move.

"What the hell…" Merry started to protest, but James quickly placed a hand over her mouth.

In that instant, the killer, realizing he had been spotted, bolted from behind the door.

But before he could make it far, James reacted quickly, kicking out his leg from the doorway, tripping the killer with sudden force. The man crashed to the ground, the knife slipping from his hand and skidding across the floor. Without wasting a second, James lunged forward, grabbing the killer and pinning him down. With swift precision, he handcuffed him, securing his wrists before the man had any chance to recover.

The police arrived swiftly, taking the killer into custody and escorting him to the FDA for interrogation. James and Merry stood outside the house, watching the scene unfold as officers cleared the area. The tension between them was palpable.

"You didn't have to pull me into that room like that!" Merry snapped, her arms crossed, glaring at James.

James raised an eyebrow, "I saved you from walking right into the guy with a knife. You're welcome, by the way."

Merry rolled her eyes, stepping closer. "I had the situation under control! You think you're the only one who can handle these things?"

James smirked, leaning against the car. "If by 'under control' you mean about to get stabbed, then sure, you had it covered."

Merry's frustration grew, and she opened her mouth to argue further, but she paused, catching herself.

Her face softened slightly, and after a brief, awkward silence, she looked down at her shoes. "Fine," she muttered, her voice quieter now. "Thanks... for, you know... saving me." Her face turned red, and she quickly glanced away, embarrassed by the admission. James grinned, noticing her sudden shyness. "Your welcome" he replied, clearly enjoying her flustered expression.