Rise Of The Dusk - Part 2

Back in the interrogation room at the precinct, Natz takes Roger to probe in for any clue on the murder. So Roger, tell me what led you to the crime scene and did you find anyone suspiciously moving around the area by that time of day? You see detective, I was setting up the camera waiting for the sight of the birds to flow in. But, all that caught my attention was the strange act of the Cooper’s hawk at a distance and it was all strange only because they do not mostly turn up flying close to the grounds. Out of curiosity I trailed to the spot only to find the body of the girl lying there. My instinct then was nothing but to call the 911 as the sight of her dizzied me. Okay, so by the time you entered the park did you find something atypical? I would say it as a negative detective. Wait!!! Actually there was something eerie this morning. Usually, one of the guards at the gate hamper’s me from entering the park every time I drop by, but not today or was missing today. So why do you feel it odd? It is because once I spied upon him having an affair with his wife’s friend. Since then he had become estranged and furious upon me. As a personal vengeance he humiliates me in front of other photographers and ruins my reputation among the bird watchers community every time I turn up at the park. So this morning I expected a similar greeting, but much to my surprise he was nowhere around to be seen. So does this bizarre occurrence of him give a catch to the murder detective? (With a curious tone) We shall look to it further while you do not move out of the city until the case is closed. And before you leave do we have a name of the guard? Yes of course, it is Damon, Damon Foster. Natz dials in Jade’s number and passes on the information about Damon and moves out of the room.

Listing out the points about the murder on her white board, she was greeted by Mr. Roy, the captain of the 13^th precinct. Good morning Natasha. Been out of the academy much early than I see you every day? Yes captain, there had been a murder reported this morning. Leena, 21, undergrad at Manhattan College, no attempt of robbery or sexual assault, body been dumped into the woods of Van Cortlandt park, no gun shots or stab wounds found on the body, pointing her finger towards the board where she had listed it out all. Jade and Christina are out canvasing the area and gathering reports. I had to interrogate Roger, the guy who found the body first and who reported it to the uniforms. So far the cause of death is unknown, while Dr. Windy is running down the autopsy. Once the ME reports turn up on the table, maybe we can conclude on the cause of death and thereby narrow down to the list of suspects. Fine Natz, find this son of a b**** soon before he takes the streets of New York, piling up with more bodies. And do report the murder to her family. Yes sir we are already in search for the next of her kin and we shall keep you reported on the progress. Thank you Natz. Half past an hour trying to find the victim’s close circle, Natasha ends up with no luck in the system. Feeling little exhausted, she heads over to the pantry and picks up a nice cup of cappuccino, in order to trigger her grey cells and hence to dig deep into the case. As she sips her hot coffee, “Hey Natz!!!” (Came out Christina’s voice right from her desk). Oh Christi, do not disappoint me by saying that you had no catch too (as approaching her desk still sipping the coffee). Actually Natz to be honest I just got a grab on the victim’s background and nothing more related to her murder. Well at least something to cheer up, fine tell me what you have got. Checked out at her college and our victim Leena was into Peace Studies, the brightest of the batch, no reports of misconduct or drug abuse, goes away with a clean chit till date. Not even one at the college had seen her in conflict with fellow students. Running down on her financials too, no suspicious transactions found, no pending dues or credit over limit till date turned out. All looks clear and I even found that she had paid for the dinner at the restaurant the previous night using her credit card just before the murder. The time says here as 9.10 pm. Good, so we have to narrow down on where our victim was in between 9.10 and 11 pm. Anyways I have uniforms canvassing the restaurant. May be they could provide us with something valuable. Hey Christi, why don’t you run a check for the list of all missing people filed over the city and try to fetch her family details from the college. I hardly found a result in our system against her. Got it Natz (says Christi and moves towards her desk). 

As the clock ticked away, it was around noon, when the uniforms were finally back. They headed straight towards Natasha’s desk, only to find her in front of the investigation board, trying to pick out a tip out of the available reports. Detective we have something for you (and the Sergeant continues to talk). Our victim was at the restaurant yesterday night with this guy (handing out a photograph taken out of one of the restaurant’s CCTV camera). The owner seems to recognize the duo as they were one of the loyal customers around the place. So, officer did the owner indicate any signs of argument or depressed behavior between them, either yesterday or in the past few days? No, detective they were one of the most loved couple who turned out there and no such incident was ever witnessed by the owner or anyone over there. Says our victim had a very big heart towards humanity. Any detail about when they left yesterday or like did someone meet them over? The owner remembers seeing them leave around 9.20 pm and it was just the two of them. Ahaaa!! Which mean the guy was with Leena either at the time of murder or somewhere close to that. Thank you Sergeant, I shall take forward from here. Adrian (Natz gives out a loud call), get me the details of this guy in the picture.

Around mid-noon Jade finally turns up at the precinct. Phwee!!! It had been such a bad day riding around the crowded streets to find Damon. Ha ha, so got any luck finally Jade? Nope, he claims not seeing anyone entering the park after 11 as it is usually closed for public by 9 pm. However he seemed little agitated when I questioned him. Hmm!!! Something is shady here. And do you think he might know something which he is trying to cover it up from us. Yes I do Natz. You should have checked his face when I interrogated. Well then send out uniforms to bring him in. Adrian (Natz gives out another loud call) where is the report about the guy in the photo? Natz, your voice cracks me down. Give me two minutes as I have almost assembled the details. Come on buddy, you do not take so long to pull out the details of hot chicks around the city and now just to find a guy, it takes you hours huh? I just can’t believe what a lazy ass you are. Yo Natz, I am almost there and don’t lose your cool. Hey, I sense you fancy Adrian, don’t you? (Christi turns up at Natz desk with a naughty expression on her face). Shit, what makes you think so? It is that all the day you keep calling out his name and the whole precinct can see that. What!!! Me hitting upon him; go to hell Christi (giving out a wicked smile). It is just that this idiot is too busy with those huge bosom chicks that he hangs out with and that he hardly bestows his time for the investigation. It just irks me and you don’t bug me even more by saying that your results turned out negative too. I am worried that we have not spotted a connection yet and that we are in square one still. Chill out buddy, I have some news for you. Our victim is a resident of Moncton in the New Brunswick province of Canada. I have sent out a word to her family and they might be arriving here by mid-morning tomorrow. Also I found out a missing report filed by a person called Greg, an hour back at the 32^nd Precinct, across the 135^th street North of Manhattan. As Christi was about to continue with her report, Adrian finally appeared with a pile of reports. Placing them all in front of Natz at her desk, he started making a mess out of it trying to pull out the report that she had asked for, often knocking down items from her desk. With every minute passing by Natasha was getting furious over his actions and it was not long before that she could blow him off, he finally retrieved the one. Here you go beautiful, the report that you asked for. However I should caution you that the guy in the picture is not of your kind. I could see his preferences were mostly narrowed on to brunets as his records clearly endorse it. Thank you for the word of caution as I shall find out what is he headed towards and you better move your ass out of here before I blast you. Yo detective chill out, I am pretty sure someday you would ride over me (with a wicked smile Adrian walks off). Oh Natz, someday you are gone be over him!!! (In a childish mocking tone) Wow, it gives me an impression of how nice it is to visualize the act (Christi laughing out loud).

Natz opens the file and just to be startled looking at the information in it. Christina, settle down and look who we have here, as she passed on the file to her.  Meanwhile Christi’s booming laugh was enough to bring down the whole precinct, which even enticed Captain Roy to check on the ladies if they were normal. Christi looks at it and reads out loud. Greg Hampton, single 25, enrolled with the City College, New York. Charged once for a minor assault with a student at the college, forcing her to come under the influence of drugs. Overall a bad conduct at the college, as filed in here. So, our guy is not only interested upon brunets, as per Adrian’s word, but also fancies drugs. Natz walks off from the desk, turns around her investigation board and lets out a stern glance towards Greg’s picture. Jade; get him here as soon as possible. But I still doubt why did he file a missing report with the precinct when he had such a dark history? May be just to drift off the suspicion away from him and to prove him being the nice guy. You may be right Christi (said Jade, as he set off to grab him for interrogation). Anyway he might shed out something useful, so let’s grab him. As Jade heads for the elevator, uniforms bring in Damon which Natz notices and gestures to take him straight into the interrogation room. Natz returns to her desk, picks up certain reports and heads straight towards the room. As she does, she calls out, “Hey Christina, back me up”.

Soon the interrogation begins and things do not turn up healthy as the conversation builds up. Damon seemed to lose his cool every time that Natz tries to make up a connection with the murder. Look Mr. Damon, just because you get furious to my questions will not actually help you turn up against the murder. And I should warn you that if you continue to take away this session in the same manner, then I have to charge you for the murder of Leena as you were on duty that night and with your past charge sheet of assaulting women many a time gives you the right opportunity with her on that night too. Summing up all these will get converted into an easy life term jail sentence or even a death penalty. Christi gave a broad smile and a big nod to which Damon got perturbed. No no!!! Don’t do that. I shall provide with all that you want to know but please don’t harm me. Well that settles our matter. So tell us where were you between 11 pm and 1 am yesterday? Damon hesitated a bit and said I was in rounds across the perimeter of the grounds. As you are aware it is a pretty huge area to cover and so we split up regions among us on duty and take cover of our assigned spots. Ok, as per our records the entrance to the park which is very close to the lake has your name on the guard list duty. So tell me yesterday did you find any one sneaking into the park after the regular closing time? Hmm, I am sure there was no one littering around the park post-closing hours. Any other possibility of coming into the park apart from the main entrance? No, I know the park like the back of my palm. If there was one, then we would have sealed it highly but so far I do not remember of any loop holes. Ok and Damon if you were assigned the guard duty, then as per your duty schedule, you ought to be there till 9 this morning (she riffles some papers to show him his duty sheet). But evidence close to us has committed in reporting your absence of duty during your out time. Can you explain your absence? See detective, public visiting the park, who know me are sporadic and so you cannot just go by their claim. May be your claim is true, but I think Roger is an odd man out of that sporadic crowd which you mention, if I am not wrong, as you are much familiar with him, am I not? On hearing Roger’s name, Damon banged the table heavily out of aggression, making the papers on the table rise few feet in the air. So it is that f***** because of whom I am being framed of a murder charge. I am gone kill that bastard. Settle down now and tell me where you were this morning? Ok look detective you got to believe me. Yes I left the park much early than the schedule since I was seriously ill. It was the ham which Tariq gave me yesterday during the guard time that took me off from the work and I had been staying all the day at home, or to be more specific at the restroom until when the cops came knocking on my door this afternoon. Hmm, that does not make up a convincing story to cover up a murder and go hiding in your own lair. Does it convince you Natz? (Question’s Christi) Well no. I am calling in the uniforms to get him locked up. All these words were enough to make him fall on his knees. Detective, I am not lying. You can even check my medical appointment and the medicines that I had purchased. I left off much early from my guard post only to hit the doctor’s clinic, as the pain was getting miserable and unbearable. You can even check on my alibi anytime please. Chill out Damon, there is lot more to come on the way. You better save up your energy now, in case you are convicted of the crime then you got to shed them during your term in jail (Christi collates the paper as she says it and prepares to leave behind Natz). Wait detective, before you leave can I say one more thing. This might sound of accusing, but the truth is that you better check out on Roger even more closely. I do not know what information he gave regarding me, but here is something that I shall provide of him. He would never turn up at the park when I was on duty. And even if he does some day, then it usually ends up in a brawl. Why is it so Mr. Damon? This son of a b**** sneaks into the park not just to shoot pictures of the birds. Rather he turns up on couples, picturing some of their intimate moments at the park and later extorting exorbitant amount against those evidence. There was couple of reports made with us by the public but solid evidence failed in every time that he was charged and so we had to let him go free. And since it was I who had charged him the most, he went to the extreme of forging a picture of mine and thereby making my wife believe I was in a relationship with another, leading to her split up with me. Thank you Mr. Damon, we shall look at it meanwhile you don’t leave the city till the case is closed. Yes I shall and can anyone show me the way to the restroom. I need it very badly.

Once outside the room, Christi’s stops Natasha midway and asks, do you believe in his story? Well not exactly until his alibi turns out true. No, not that part but the one about Roger. In regards to that let us check out what the Photographer has hid from us before. Summon in Roger to be here by tomorrow morning while you go through his records. As the conversation builds up, a phone rings at a distance. Natasha heads towards her desk to pick it up, gives a small nod and disengages the call. Grabbing her coat and the car key she headed towards the elevator and called aloud, “Christina come with me; Windy has got something for us”. Sensing the seriousness in her tone, Christi dumps the file at her desk and rushes towards the elevator just in time the elevator closed. Half an hour drive through the crowded streets of New York took them to the lab where the autopsy was performed. Dr. Windy was just having a bite out of her sub when they both entered the lab. With a sub in one hand and a dead body right next to her, Christina could not assimilate the scene. Sensing her discomfort, Dr. Windy gave out a humorous statement, “How many get the chance of hosting a lunch even with the big shots of the state? I do”. Am I not lucky (giving out a loud laugh)? These words were enough to ruin Christi’s mood as she detested Windy’s humor sense. So Dr. Windy, what have you got for us? Apart from sharing the lunch with a dead body (came in Christi’s voice from behind Natz). No not at all Christi. I summoned you here because I wanted to show you something that I missed during the initial probing of the body at the park. As you know our victim neither received a gunshot nor a stab, the reason for her murder irked me for long. So running down quite a test revealed me with the presence of arsenic mixed in her blood. What Arsenic!!! (Christina was shocked hearing it). Regaining her sense instantly, she was puzzled as to how such a radioactive substance could have been mixed with a civilian blood and that too who had no connection in the past or present dealing with one? Observing their puzzled look Dr. Windy brought them close to the dead body. Lifting the head a little and turning it slightly to the left, she pointed her finger towards a small hole on the back of her neck. Lowering the head gently, she said, it was injected right at the tip of spinal cord that holds the cluster of blood vessels, running right till the tip of the toe, which circulated the substance instantly throughout the body. Natasha was examining each and every aspect of the body finding more traces but Dr. Windy cut short her stating someone had held her from the back as you could see few rough bruises around the neck and injected the radioactive substance within her, causing instant death. Also regarding the blood loss, she had fainted and hit the stone statue in the park when the substance started reacting with her internal system. And since all was done it was finally the time to hide the body. So the killer could have used the woods, which none would access or would notice at least for a short period of time, until it comes out to daylight. As Windy finished reciting her ME report, the final part caught Natz attention. Windy, could you come again. How did you conclude your report now? Repeat the final part again please! Well as I said the killer dumped the body into the woods so that it will remain concealed for a short duration. Why, did I miss something when I said it earlier (in a quizzed tone looking at both the ladies)?

..to be continued