Chapter 7 The Widow

I was standing outside Russ's house. It was 10 o'clock in the morning. There was fog, due to which nothing could be seen. I was waiting for my partner. He told me yesterday to meet me here. I was standing on the pavement in front of Russ's house and staring at the windows of the house. I was wearing a long coat. I closed my eyes and wanted to listen to what was happening at home.

Then I heard a woman's voice, who she was talking to on the phone. It seemed from her voice that she was sad. "That woman was saying. I miss him a lot. I do not know why or how this happened. He was very careful with his work".

She remains silent for a few seconds and then starts speaking. We were living a very good life. I did not know that he would leave me so soon. After this, she burst into tears. Meanwhile, someone put his hand on my shoulder. I opened my eyes and looked to my left. Ashwin was standing next to me.

There was a slight smile on his face. Ashwin raised his eyebrows. "What are you waiting for? I thought you were done with Brooke's interview. But you are still standing here," Ashwin said while walking towards Russ's house. I started walking behind him without saying anything. We crossed the road and reached the front door of Russ's house.

The voice of Rus's wife was echoing in my ears. Ashwin moved forward his right hand and knocked at the door. I bowed my head and stared at the ground. I was probably doing it for this because I did not want to face this woman, whose world I destroy.

A minute later, the door opened, and a woman walked out of the house. I looked up at her. Her face was sad. Her eyes were red.

Standing 5'4" tall with caramel skin, she has a weak-willed feel about her. She has deep, angular brown eyes, thin lips, a pointed chin, and a long face. She has very short, curly, brown hair.

Before she said something, Ashwin started talking. "Hi, 'Brooke', I am Ashwin. I work with your husband, and I have to ask you some questions about Russ," Ashwin said while taking off his glass. Brooke said nothing and asked us to come in with an eye gesture.

But I could not enter the house unless she invited me in, so I was standing there. Ashwin walked into the house, and when he turned his face, he saw me still standing there on the porch. "Are you not coming in?" Ashwin said it with a straight face.

I nodded my head. "Umm... "I don't think this is the right time to talk to Brooke because she seems upset," I said with a concerned face. Before Ashwin said something, Brooke started talking. "You can come in." I am feeling good now.

I shook my head and walked inside the house. Brooke took us to the kitchen. She went to the kitchen sink and started washing the dirty pots in the sink. I look around and see filth spread everywhere. As if the house has not been cleaned for many days.

There were dirty utensils everywhere in the kitchen. Ashwin started talking. "Russ told you where he was going before he was murdered." There is silence after Ashwin's question. After some minutes later, Brooke turns off the tap, cleans her hand with a dry towel that hangs on the wall, and turns her face towards us.

And then she sat on the chair. "Hmm. Russ was a workaholic. He loved his work very much. But he maintained a balance between his work and spending time with me. Brooke said it with a smile on her face. Russ was a good husband. He did priorities me, so he mostly brought his work home.

She again took a long pause. I and Ashwin started looking at each other. He was asking me to talk to her with eye gestures. I did not have the courage to talk to Brooke. So, I was just standing there and staring at Brooke.

A second later, she started talking again. "Russ had just told me that he was investigating the disappearance of some girls. Those girls are runaway or homeless, which is why no one looks into their cases. So, he was taking their cases and investigating them.

"Can I see those files? Which he had brought home with him," I asked with a straight face. She then looked at me. Her eyes were walled up with tears. It is like she is about to cry at any minute. "Yes, you can go to his office. It was upstairs, the first room on the left.

After that, Brooke ceased speaking and rose again. As she walked over to the washbasin, her palm accidentally touched the water glass on the table, causing it to fall and crack on the floor. She bent down and started collecting the shattered pieces of glass.

Ashwin started helping her, and I walked outside the room. I then walked to my left and reached the stairs. I proceeded upstairs and went to the room on my left. The door opened. The condition of this room was the same as that of Russ's office. Files and papers were scattered everywhere. There was dust everywhere.

I walked towards the table because I saw a file on which eyeglasses were kept. I reached the table, picked up the glass with my right hand, and put it in the box. I then opened the file with my left hand. Names were written on the first page. When I turned the page, I found pictures on the next page. The first picture was of the bar.

There were also some other pictures of this bar in which I could see different people going in and out of the bar. These pictures were taken outside of the bar. Some more pictures were there, and they were of different hospitals.

I nodded my head. It was strange why he took pictures of those hospitals. I was lost in thought when I realized that there was another file underneath this one. I closed the file and put the file on the coffee table. I forward my right hand and open the next file.

In this file, there are some more pictures, but these are different pictures that I saw in the previous file. The pictures in the file were of dead bodies. They have the same puncture wounds on their necks that were on Russ's neck.

There are dozens of dead bodies in the pictures. "Did I kill them? I am responsible for their deaths," I said. These questions were arising in my mind. When I was looking at the photos, I found a photo that horrified me because, in this photo, I was walking out of the bank with something in my hand. I picked up the picture and tucked it in my coat.

Meanwhile, I heard footsteps as someone came towards the room. I then quickly hid all the pictures in my handbag and sat on the chair.

Ashwin enters the room. He stood in the doorway and started staring at me. Umm, you are relaxing here. Would I remind you why we are here?" Ashwin said it with a straight face. I pressed my lips together. I rolled my eyes. "I was thinking about how you threw me under the bus when Della asked you about the autopsy report," I asked with a straight face.

Ashwin burst into laughter. "You are still thinking about it. I will not apologies for what I did. Della has a soft corner for you. You are the perfect detective for her. I will do it again," Ashwin said while walking out of the room.

I followed him outside the room and proceeded downstairs behind him. When we reached the ground floor, we saw Brooke in the doorway. "Did you find anything?" Brooke asked with a sad face. I walked towards her. Umm, no, ma'am, we did not find anything there, but I will promise you I will arrest the man who killed Russ," I said while hugging her.

I was acting like that towards her because of the guilt I have in my heart. Afterwards, we walked towards Ashwin's car. We hopped in the car. I looked at Ashwin and started speaking. "Umm... If you do not mind, can you drop me off at the paradise cafe shop?" I said it with a straight face.

Ashwin put the key in the ignition and started the car. "Well, I can do that," Ashwin said while driving. Afterwards, we arrived at the Paradise Café. Ashwin dropped me there and drove off. When I was standing in front of the Paradise Café, suddenly a man in dirty, torn clothing jumped at me with a wooden stake. He was screaming.

"He killed them. He is a monster. He drank their blood.

I suddenly grabbed the wooden stake from his hand, wrapped my arm around him, and started choking him.