Martha Murder Case Investigation: Day 7

The team is now working day and night, talking to anyone and everyone they could find on the recordings. They even resort to the “if a person saw her, then he/she will be asked for an interview” approach. It was difficult even then because, again, Martha was an unnaturally private person. It’s not like she didn’t leave the house, but it was rare for her to even talk to the second person. 

As they study the videos of society footage, it becomes evident that her obsession with silence and no human contact is a bit extreme. She would hardly smile back, even when people would enter the elevator with her and greet her or smile at her. Footage captures one instance when there were two people in the elevator, so she decided that she would rather skip the elevator and go by the stairs. It is worth noting that the residential complex has 20 floors, and she lives in the top-floor apartment.

This kind of similarity is captured with the Caius as well. So, Maya visits Caius’ apartment again for the quick recorded interview. And, He, very generously, agrees to the interview. 

She asks a very direct yet indirect question. “I noticed something that I want to confirm in regards to your nature or to say, preference in general. Are you a person who avoids human interactions as much as possible?”

Caius replies in a mellow manner, “Well, that is very true indeed. I don’t indulge in unnecessary formalities or daily discussions with my neighbors. But I’m not an unfriendly person.”

Maya smiles at his disposition and continues, “That’s for sure. But you mentioned that you are a Parapsychologist. And you also travel for lectures. So I believe, quick-speech is the essence of day-to-day conversation that might be necessary when you are dealing with a person who is seeking help from you. Am I correct?”

Caius nods and then looks a bit lost in his thoughts. Then, after a few seconds, he explains, “Well, it is true that being approachable is part of my job. But again, that’s just my job. I’m a very private person and mostly spend my days in research or study, so no one complains even if I come across as a bit unfriendly in some instances. I believe this is a perk of being a researcher and a scholar.”

Maya agrees with his statement, as it is evident that he is a complete scholar by nature, and then asks, “Are you a working professor at any university? You didn’t seem to mention it earlier. I was under the impression that you are a lecturer.”

Caius looks at her and again, a few seconds of silence is there in between the answer, when he clarifies, “Yes. I am both. I have been an online professor for some time now. But I am also a part-time lecturer and I attend universities by invitation.”

Maya exclaims, “Wow! That’s quite a lot! And then you still get enough time to do research and you are also a Parapsychologist?”

Caius smiles at her words and replies in his ever-so-natural mellow demeanor, “I see where this is going. It looks a bit much on the paper. But I cruise between these schedules very naturally. It may look like a stellar picture for the outsider, but most definitely, I take pleasure in every part of it.”

Maya is certainly impressed and somehow convinced by the truthfulness of his statement. Then she shows him the footage where he seems to be avoiding the elevator where 2 people were present. She shows the footage along with Martha’s footage. And from the behavior’s perspective, the scene looks like it was scripted and performed by two different people. Both are behaving the same. It is not similar; it is the same. The only change is the fact that Caius waits for another elevator, and Martha takes the stairs.

After showing the clip, she asks once again, “Will this also be considered a pure coincidence? Pardon me if I am wrong, but I believe it looks way too similar to be considered that.” Caius looks a bit troubled with the footage but then again he wears the same very formal smile on his face and says, “I see what you are saying. But you have my word. This is an exceptional coincidence. I would like to explain the situation a bit if you don’t mind.”

Maya agrees, “Of course, I am here to hear your words, so please go ahead and let me hear your side of the story.”

Caius smiles formally and then continues, “Very well, I appreciate this. So, that day, I was quite tired of people. I was not in my best mood or behavior because some airhead decided to ram his vehicle into mine when I was on my way home. I did file a complaint about it. I believe you should be able to check the records. And of course, if needed, I can search for the documents. They would be somewhere in this room.”

Maya nods and Caius continues, “So, as I mentioned, because of that accident, I had a pain in my neck. And it was the day when I wanted to stay alone, meaning no-human alone. I believe it would have been the case with Martha as well. She was a very individualistic lady as well.”

Maya nods and agrees. “Yes, certainly. That might have been the case. Thanks for your time. I appreciate it.”

Caius smiles and responds, “Of course, anytime. It is my pleasure to help you whenever and wherever I can. Don’t bother with formalities. You are welcome to put your doubts and questions forward. Martha was a bright and lovely lady. There’s nothing less I want than justice for her case.”

“Of course, we all do. Thanks. We’ll see you around,” Maya concludes the conversation, and he leaves the premises. 

Even though Maya attempts the second interview with Caius, it is to no avail. The ‘no clue’ situation is becoming more and more resolute. 

Maya brings the audio and video records of the interview to the team. A copy of these records is also sent to the profiling department. And the Martha team reviews it once again. 

When the video ends, Runo sighs with frustration and says, “With each passing day, this case is becoming more and more complex. It all started with the case of a lawyer, then after her death, she became a researcher, and now a weirdo. Well, that’s a great mystery! These three words are usually not put together in a single sentence for a single person. But it is happening right now. So, what else is there in the picture?”

Rebecca smirks in agreement and says, “Exactly. The girl climbed 20 sets of stairs just to ignore people. That’s a dedication only a weirdo or desperate would have.”

Maya replies to it, “She doesn’t seem desperate to me.”

Daniel includes, “Yes, and she isn’t claustrophobic either. Travels just fine alone or with 1 person. Is there some superstition about number 2 that we’re not getting?”

Rebecca says, “That could be it!”

Runo looks at everyone with an expression of disbelief and says, “Are you serious about it? Are we leaving common sense out of the window?”

Rebecca replies, “Well, not we, but they might. And don’t forget, this dude parties with demons. He studies with demons and probably, his patients and students are like that as well.”

Maya looks at Rebecca and questions, “Did you not say Demon 3 times in a sentence, like, on purpose?

Everyone looks at Maya like she is a bit too into the case, but then Rebecca replies, “Well, no harm in being a bit superstitious… right?”

Again, Runo looks at Rebecca with an expression of disbelief and proceeds, “Unbelievable!”

Maya stops Runo in his tracks and argues, “Leave her alone, Runo. We all can be a bit superstitious sometimes. No harm in that. As long as we are not cuckoo-head.”

Rebecca smiles at Maya and replies, “Thanks! Obviously!”

Runo almost questions his beliefs with this argument, but then he comes back to his technical self and asks Daniel, “Are you like that too? Please say no! I don’t want to be lost in a minority!”

Daniel nods, and the answer is devastating for Runo. So he silently gulps down his sorrows and gets back to the case. He says, “Okay, so not a weirdo. She was a bit overly superstitious. But what kind of superstition is this? Not having 3 people in the elevator? Is that what it is?”

“Could be,” replies Maya. “Would need to discuss another demonologist regarding this matter.

Everyone agrees on this because this case does seem to resemble closely with superstitions and such beliefs. And then Rebecca adds, “What about Caius? Seems knowledgeable and friendly. We can consult him on the sideline, keeping the boundary of secrecy. He seems like a nice guy, above all that scholar-mysterious-guy facade.”

Maya ponders it a bit and then suggests, “It won’t be advisable or legal at all. We are questioning him. To be honest, he doesn’t look like an honest person to me. I have my share of suspicions about him and thus, I would prefer to have these reservations on the frontline while contacting him for anything at all.”

Runo silently disagrees, but he is so disgusted with the idea of wasting time on these things that he does not bother adding his views to the conversation. 

Daniel adds, “Of course. I understand. And let me dig in for other demonologists first. If the urgency occurs, then we can consider it.”

Everyone agrees with the idea of adding a Demonologist to the list for consulting different aspects of the case and moves on with the thought execution. Maya smiles at Daniel and says, “Dig in?” Everyone smiles and goes on with their work.

It is a new hope in the case. But now, hope is not enough anymore. Solid proofs and documentation should be found as soon as possible! It is mandatory for the circumstances. A necessity of time and it has already been long enough, so the media is starting to pick up the tracks as well. It is what Martha needs as well. Let’s hope everything goes as it should! 

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