It was just a matter of time until one of them showed up in the police station. A week after the murders and while we still had nothing to hold on to, I came into the office only to find officer Wyller chit-chatting with one of the vultures.
“Ah, Dandeline. We were just talking about you.”
Why wasn’t I surprised? I looked at Wyller’s company, a man around his thirty years, wearing a loose jacket with a plain shirt underneath, jeans and thick reading glasses. “This is Fernando Mauris. He is a reporter for the Times-Picayune and he is very interested in our phantom killer.”
“Phantom?” I questioned him and my gaze sharply went right through that Fernando guy.
“Well,” he clicked his tongue against his teeth, taking off his glasses and whipping them on his jacket. “We haven’t yet appropriately named him. Phantom sounds a bit vague and unimpressive.”
“And you believe that the people out there care for a name…”
“Everyone cares for the right name, detective. Think of it this way, we live in order to leave behind a good and decent name. You don’t want to be remembered as a cold blooded old man who hated kids and pets. You want people to remember you fondly; you want them to say only good things when it comes to your name. Your reputation is everything.”
The boy had a way with the manner he was speaking. There was something in his words that could easily convince you, but I wouldn't buy that bullshit. It wasn’t the first time coming across his kind and from the looks of it, it sure wouldn’t be the last.
“You are only making them famous and desired, that’s what I believe.” I said bluntly and moved to my desk, sitting in front of the neverending pile of missing reports. “This…attention that you raise is what feeds his ego. He might even get all worked up, ready to put yet another magnificent work of his own. Have you thought about that?”
His gaze was pinned on mine. Like a childish staring contest, i didn’t flinch at all
“But we are also letting people know that the police are doing a good job…or not.” he chuckled and placed a cigarette between his lips. “Yes, indeed, naming the killer and every scum out there is a fun and entertaining aspect of the job but it is really just a tiny little piece of it. What we care about is the story of it. We need to let those poor souls out there know what they are up against every time they are letting their youngsters and themselves roam the once safe streets of this town.”
“Nobody said to keep a heinous crime hidden.”
“But you sound oddly irritated by it.”
“I despise your means. You are hunting fortune and fame by any means possible. Given the right moment, you grab the chance and toss our hard work to the gutter.”
“I see you are a brutally honest man, sir. I assure you that we are in no place to ruin your ‘hard work'” he inhaled and slapped his knees as he got up, straightening his jacket and looking at both Wyller and me. “I am sorry for wasting your time, gentlemen. Please, if anything comes up and you feel like sharing, give us a call. The world out there owes to know what is happening near their houses.” with a click of his tongue, a very irritating noise, he left just as casually as he had come in.
“Better tone it down a bit, Dandeline. You are scaring everyone off. The man is trying to do his job.”
“Reporters are annoying insects. They can jeopardise an entire investigation for the sake of sales.” I began looking at the scattered files in front of me. It seemed like an endless chaos with hundreds of notes, and twice the cases.
“Not everyone is a saint, Dandeline. Every profession has the worst and the best as well. I can tell you that Fernado is good at his job, better than any other out there. He makes sure to consult us before giving away his stories so we can make sure that no valuable information goes out and frightens our little rat away.”
“And what does he get from us?” I shot my glance directly at him, and returned back to the chaos of messed up documents.
“A neat article for the good of his career. What else?”
My silence was also my answer to his reply. I saw a sly smile forming on his lips as he had just read my mind. “Oh? You really think that the police bribe the journalists around here?” It was clear in his tone that he was mocking me, but I paid no further attention than what I was planning to. “As long as the Chief rests easy with them around, you can do the same. I have no idea how dirty you were playing back in your big city, but here we keep things clean.” He chuckled and left my office as if he had just crushed me down.
Instead, I focused on the task at hand, which was getting a grip on those missing people files. From day one I had noticed that the officer who was working on my desk had left behind quite a pile of unfinished cases. It looked like he was collecting trash, yet spending a few hours of your time you could actually dig up some really valuable treasures through this trash. Apparently, mister Olivier was still investigating the dead bodies that were washed up last year and he was trying to connect any possible missing reports. The dead junkie's story didn’t convince him either. And that was when another question popped up in my mind. All these days and weeks i was lost in both the Golden Phoenix case and getting used to the new routine that i had never asked Charles about Olivier and the reason he left from his position. Was he an old man retiring after many years of service? Was he just another tombstone at the church’s gravestone, or perhaps something more sinister was happening? I thought for a moment I was going paranoid. I sighed and pushed all the papers away from me. I felt trapped in a room. In there it was just me and pieces scattered around me; pieces of a puzzle I knew I had to solve no matter what. I knew nothing of the picture it would paint me, but I had to trust my gut as I always did in such situations. My instinct was guiding me through and with both the falls and the victories I'd always get to the end of it. So this was yet another puzzle that I had to eventually form into someone’s or something’s picture. I had to be careful and weary as well.
Comments (5)
See all