MVUTO

chapter 43 - what now!

'I'll just tick that off my to-do list'. Lying in bed staring up at the ceiling, ticking the air with his finger, Mvuto mused to himself. Pleased, his first contact with the police progressed smoother than initially anticipated.

Until a pounding fist on his bedroom door pierced through his reverie, "Mvuto! Get up! You've been asleep all day! It's time for dinner already!" dad yelled.

Mvuto groaned, "right! I'm up!" and rose wearily from his bed to dress for dinner.

"How far along are you with the project?" dad asked while sipping coffee.

"I need more input to finish the top level."

"what's missing?"

"it's missing everything but a workstation. It's supposed to be the floor solely for the boss, but they're elusive and downright vague about their specifications."

"a dedicated boss practically lives at his workplace, married to their jobs, blinkered to the mundane world. If that's the type of boss you're designing for, I suggest catering to all his personal needs on the one level. I've seen complete fit-outs that resemble a home with a study, than just an office with a private bathroom."

"Thanks for the advice, dad. Though, the boss for this branch is going to be a woman."

"good luck with that!"

"oi!" mum is instantly triggered.

All evening, Mvuto attempted to extract Zuri's décor preferences via text. Like trying to extract crude oil from dirt with bare hands, only offering him vague answers that were never elaborated on. In the fullness of time, he eventually collected a dossier on furniture, fixtures and fittings. All furniture was to be exclusively constructed with joinery, not nails. Handles were to be nonconductive ceramic. Any necessary item made of metal needed to be coated in nonconductive material and the electronics protected from hazardous electrical current. Definitely no carpet or rugs. Phew! He'll need a week to fit those needs just onto a design board! Now that he had the specs, Mvuto realised to his dismay he would also have to apply the same principles to all the floors. Back to the drawing board, Mvuto!

________________________

Chief called a general meeting to discuss and compare notes on their most wanted POI.

To separate the known incidents from witness descriptions and forensics, the single whiteboard was not efficient.

On the forensics board, a synopsis of report details was listed.

Forensics from the first incident – 12 dead from shrapnel; 2 dead from substantiated bullets; 1 dead from gang-rape; all deaths in a localised vicinity. No fresh gunpowder from the direction they were aiming at. Area contaminated. No witnesses to shootings.

Forensics from the second incident – 1 death from shrapnel. No fresh gunpowder from the direction the victim was aiming at. Area contaminated. No witnesses to the shooting.

A list of misc incidents relative to the topic was on the other board as follows – stalker's wallets decorating a tree in a community park; obstructed rape in an alley; graffiti removed except for "allure" tag.

All incidents linked to a hoodie shirt with the words "off duty". A picture of which was placed at the top of the centreboard. Under the picture was a bulleted list of details given by witnesses of a POI wearing the shirt at the time of the incidents.

black mask

black sleeveless hoodie

black bike shorts

black shoes

dark skin

dark hair

dark eyes

no accent, speaks majority language fluently

no street slang

approx 6' tall

athletic slim build w solid and broad shoulders

tag "Allure"

demanded witness to be his slave

other notes – incidents occur during school holidays

Susan leaned into her close associate to whisper, "the list is similar to what I look for on a dating website!"

"shhh, this is serious!"

"now, if I link school holidays to 'no street slang', as stereotypical as this sounds, I get private school student. I've already ruled out a possible teacher because they don't have time for this shit! Is there anyone who would disagree?"

One woman raised her hand, "isn't this all a bit too much for just a kid? Facing off with loaded guns, witnessing a gang-rape and another attempt in an alley... wouldn't he be a little disturbed by now, witnessing so much? Shouldn't we wait for a criminal psychologist to analyse the evidence?"

"We are on their waiting list, but you're right. We should question the direction this is going and if we want to go there at any cost... On the other hand, and not totally disregard your concerns, does anyone here have a son in the local private high school? The chief asked the room.

One man raised his hand.