Martha Murder Case Investigation: Day 31

Lara Murder Case Investigation: Day 11

Reyna Murder Case Investigation: 7

He is brought to the questioning, but this time, not as a witness, but as a suspect. And for the purpose of adding some psychological burden to his mind, he is asked to wait for some time before the questioning starts. This is a strategy where the amount of time is not given and people usually start feeling nervous after an hour of silent wait. They start feeling anxious and this facilitates the questioning session that would happen at least 2-3 hours later, to ensure that he stays eager for the conversation. In many cases, it leads to direct confrontation and confession.

But as they thought that something was going in the right direction, the serial killing bomb ticked again. 

And again, the victim is very clearly related to Maya’s case. Another witness is found dead on the premises of her home in the same way as others. Without any explanation, and any clues. An even more unsettling point is that there is a note, a recently written one and handwriting pointed toward Stygias. But he is with them. And then the note is said to be written within 24 hours. So, how did he write the note?

The complications of this case are… too complicated. Where is this all going?

So, she visits Stygias again and shows him the note print, asking, “So, do you have the power of writing notes with your mind? Are you into transmissions and teleporting as well? How did this happen?”

Stygias looks at the note, and then a sudden jolt happens in his body. Almost as if he wakes up from the dream and then he starts talking, “I wanted to tell you this before. But I couldn’t. Glad you came here. I need to tell you something. You might not believe me, but don’t ignore what I’m saying.”

Maya, with her attentive expressions, sits on the chair across. And he continues, “The day of your accident, actually you weren’t supposed to survive. You should have died right there.”

Maya nods with a hint of sarcasm on her face and exclaims, “Wow. You seem to know a lot more about me than I do. Let’s hear what you have to say this time.”

Stygias continues, “Yes, I do know. And thought it would be hard to believe, but it is true. You are not alive. You are dead.”

Maya is flabbergasted and stunned by his remark, clearly doubting his sanity at this point. But still decided to let him continue his rambling. 

He continues without hesitation or shame, “The day on the bus when you decided to walk on flame, the temperature was more than 2000 °C. Which means it was humanly impossible to walk on that so unfazed. And the witness suggested that you walked for almost a minute or two before actually jumping to the land. Medically, this kind of exposure to the flames will burn you alive. Survival was out of the question.”

Maya nods and then adds, “And yet here I am, standing in front of you. And very much… alive.”

Stygias denies with expressions and continues, “That was the day of your death. You died right there in the oil flames. But for some unknown reason, the devil’s mark fragment was attracted to you. It saved your life and there was a reason for it which I haven’t been able to find out. It saved your life for a particular reason. And since you did not complete the mission, you are being punished in the form of health decline and it is also the reason why the consequential murders are taking place that directly connect to you.”

Maya smiles and stands up, saying, “I thought you people are of a genius kind. It seems like you all are a delusional, fairytale-believing kind. Nothing worse than that, man. I wish you a speedy recovery. But thanks for your input. I’ll keep it locked in my fairytale notebook.”

As she walks away from the room, her mind brings her back to what Stygias just said. There is no logical reason to believe him, but in this case, the weirdness could not become the reasonable factor in denying the testimony. So, even though she thought it to be utter nonsense, the transcript and paperwork were still submitted to the case file for future reference. 

On the other hand, now it is time for Maya and Daniel to interrogate Caius. Current findings on his expertise show that he can brainwash someone or probably affect someone’s brain with certain practices. It did seem like he might not be directly involved in the murder, but suspicion was still there.

Runo, Daniel, and Maya were present in the cabin. Lily too came, since it might actually be a big moment for their case. Rebecca too finally shows up and gives the green light to the interview. But to make things more interesting, Lily suggests bringing Caius into the investigation room and keeping him with Stygias. She says, “They both are way too connected. And it seems they both favor each other, but now Stygias seems to be turning around. So, let’s see what he will do in Caius’s presence and Caius’s expressions will tell a story as well. It will disrupt their flow and maybe we can achieve better results by flustering them like this.”

The idea was good, so when Caius showed up, he was brought into the interview room and he sat beside Stygias. Unfortunately, he is still unfazed and the ever-green I-Am-Innocent look never leaves his face. He sat there, Runo, Lily, and Rebecca were on the other side while Maya and Daniel were interviewing these witnesses, suspects, and most possibly criminals. His face wasn’t giving much hope to the process, but this might change soon! It should. Most definitely, it will! With the present considerations, the investigation starts and things take an interesting turn quickly. 

Interrogation: Maya and Daniel vs. Caius and Stygias

Daniel: So, let’s see what we have here.

He spreads the evidence documents on the table, which were mostly against Stygias, and then plays a video of Stygias pointing out that Caius might be suspicious. 

Caius: Have you looked thoroughly? My friend here is the innocent one. He can’t do anything like that. And as for mentioning me, I’m sure someone might have suggested something. He doesn’t do such things, at any cost.

Runo is on the other side of the room, observing the interrogation, and after listening to his remark, he adds, “Are they dating or something? Why is he hell-bent on being the innocent one and refusing to believe the other guy’s involvement as well?”

Rebecca smiles and replies, “Point is valid. We established the confrontation for some answers, but he almost seems to be protective of him. Not sure what his deal is, but it doesn’t seem that simple.”

Runo nods, and then they bring their attention back to the observation room.

Daniel: That’s a lot of confidence even after seeing him suggesting that you might be a criminal.

Maya: Yes. I agree.

Caius: He might just be my former student, but he is a kind soul. I know him. I have taught him long enough to have that kind of confidence in him. I believe this lad right here.

Stygias looks towards Caius with tears in his eyes. He even starts sobbing and Caius embraces to comfort him. And even when Caius was embracing the Stygias like a child, he says, “But what I said was true. You need to check on him.”

Daniel and Maya are… flabbergasted. Stunned. They have no words to describe what the situation is. Rebecca and Runo are in the same situation, too. Rebecca voices, “What kind of melodrama + thriller suspense is this? Are they friends or enemies?”

Runo answers, “Frenemies, I guess. A big one.”

Rebecca normally would have shrugged off his remark as a joke, but this situation made her nod in agreement. And in the interrogation room, Maya and Daniel are just as puzzled as well.

Maya: I see that Stygias clearly has some reservations and doubts about you, but the way you are showing your friend-like affection makes me question both of you. Would you care to clarify the situation? He’s clearly pointing a finger at you, even in front of you. What would you say?

Caius: I see that. I am not certain what the issue might be. But he’s a bit traumatised by something. As you can see, he clearly doesn’t find me hateful. From what I suspect, he might be pointing at something in my surroundings that even I am not seeing. Hence, he is insisting on a background check. People are really sinister these days. Who knows what goes on in the minds of most people?

Stygias composes himself during this conversation and then goes back to his floor staring act.

Daniel: So, you’re saying that he’s too traumatized to say it directly, but he thinks that someone around you is responsible for these killings?

Maya: Well, he seems like a commonly educated guy without any mental disorder, so why is this a mystery?

Caius: That I can’t tell for sure, but as you can see, he’s not in his best condition.

And hearing that, suddenly a whisper echoes in the atmosphere. It was Stygias.

Stygias: Yes. The responsible ones are around. Check carefully. Check him.

Daniel: Okay, do you have any proof of that?

Maya: How do you know that?

Caius: Yes, tell them what they wish to know. 

Stygias looks up at Caius and then starts talking like a child who is instructed to reveal the secret: I don’t have any proof, but I do know that Martha knew too much. That happened to her, started with her. She texted this information to a few people, and now those people are the target. Looking at the bigger picture, everything is connected. Closely connected.

Daniel: We didn’t find any such reveal in the phone records of the victims. We even checked the recovered records, but there was no such information.

Maya: What kind of information that might be?

Caius: Maybe he is talking about dark elements? 

Daniel: Dark… what?

Maya: Even the Witchcraft is involved?

Caius: No. Not witchcraft. We refer to deceitful hypnosis as “dark elements.”

Daniel: Okay.

Maya: Would you care to elaborate?

Caius: Of course. There was a very controversial practice of hypnosis in the 1990s when some therapists hypnotically induced false memories in the brains of their subjects, creating a realistic narrative in their minds that was never true. This led to hundreds of wrongful accusations and court cases. The pseudo-memories of patients caused a great deal of uproar, and even state law became involved in the backlash. In 2007, several stringent laws and restrictions were enacted against the use of hypnosis and such practices.

Daniel: Alright, so how does this relate to this case and this situation?

Caius: There is a rumour circulating in our society these days that someone has discovered a method to implant pseudo-memories.

Daniel: Are we talking about the Inception Movie now?

Maya: Does seem like it.

Caius: Yes, very similar to the concept. There are claims that with a particular, and highly controversial, method, it would be possible to implant a facial persona and memories into a person. Such materials tend to gain popularity very quickly.

Daniel: So, you believe that someone has such information? Doesn’t want others to have it. And when they somehow get their hands on it, they are killed to be silenced.

Caius: That’s precisely what I believe. And I think Stygias shares the same view. Given that he is a dedicated student, there is a possibility that he may have discovered it as well. The reason for his current state could be his trauma related to future events.

Daniel: So, he is afraid of what could happen to him in the future?

Maya: That’s the new story. He didn’t look afraid before. Even had plenty of things to say before.

Caius: Look, I shared what I believe to be the truth. But of course, I am entirely open to any kind of investigation and assistance. Whenever it is required. In fact, I even cancelled my personal appointments for a week since my holiday is now over and I should be working right now. But believe me, I am available for everything and anything that this case may need. You don’t have to see me as an obstacle. I am a helper instead.

Even though the conversation started with a big hope, it slammed against the wall once again. They further asked for clarification on some other evidence and Caius had clarification and proof for all of it. And the guy was nice enough to offer himself, even after being legally summoned for practically a false situation.

Is he really such a nice guy? Is he just thinking best in regard to the victims? What is his motive? What… What? The questions are endless and once again; the wall seems unbreakable, but they will get through it. Something is clearly unfolding. They may not have seen it yet, but something is definitely changing. The truth will reveal itself, sooner than later. Let’s wait for the big reveal. Let’s look ahead and see what the future holds! Let’s hope once more! Just one more time.