Detective James

(Episode-2) Third Person

Today, the weather was sunny with a clear sky. The residents finally got relief from the harsh and cold winds accompanied by the rain and storms.
It was a hazy sunlit morning covering the entire city.

James was in Mrs Rosevelt's room. Her room had a very old-fashioned look to it. The decor mostly belonged to the mid-90s. The opened window brought in a bright flash of sunlight which filled up the entire room.

There lay a sofa behind the table with a lamp on it. Behind the sofa was an out-of-the-time television which was positioned on a wooden rack. The walls were made of wood and brick.

There stood a logged study table in the corner of the room with a small bookrest beneath it, mostly about medicine.

Courtlyn greeted Mrs Rosevelt with a warm greeting, as she went inside her room to see James.

"Weren't you with Jacob and Harry? Where are they?" She asked Courtlyn.

"They had an important seminar in their classes, so they said that they would be here in an hour or two." Answered Courtlyn, making her way down the hallway.

Courtlyn went inside to check up on James.

James, from the window, stared at the roadside park which was just adjacent to his lot, it had been vacant and unused by the children for many years. It was the only thing around there not made of concrete or bricks. It served as a heaven for introverts and it looked like nature had reclaimed its land. A security drone peered at the park as it passed by.

A security drone is used by the police to inspect barren and vacant places to look out for criminal activities in that area.

"What happened last night?" Courtlyn asked James as she adjusted herself on a chair.

To her surprise, James was not very lucid about what had happened in the after-hours. The only thing he knew was that an intruder broke into his house and attempted to kill him.

"It may be a burglary." Reasoned Courtlyn.

"I don't think it was a theft, the intruder knew my name." Said James, placing the bowl of soup he had been holding on a nearby table.

"Any suspects?" Asked Courtlyn.

"I'm not certain about this though, Joseph felt considerably suspicious to me." Restored James.

"I think he was a genuinely nice man." Countered Courtlyn with a little uncertainly on her face.

"The other day, when we met him, he acted kind of strange, neither did he answer our queries nor did he tell us anything about the happening." Induced James.

"Didn't you recognize him by his appearance?" Asked Courtlyn.

"It all happened so fast that I didn't catch a glimpse of his face, the dim lighting made it even harder. But, he communicated with me. Although, his voice didn't sound like the butler." Said James.

Mrs Rosevelt interrupted their conversation by bringing a plate of freshly baked cookies.

"Here, have some." Said, Mrs Rosevelt as she kept the plate on the desk.

While they were snacking on the cookies, a certain news headline caught Courtlyn's attention.

"Another great tragedy took place yesterday, on the 24th of March, the Butler of the Royale Mansion, Joseph Stephens was found dead. This is the second murder which took place in the last three days. The cause of his death is said to be poisoning. There are some conspiracies which revolve around his death. However, none of them have been confirmed by the bureau."

James was profoundly dumbfounded, almost ruining his cookie. Mrs Rosevelt and Courtlyn couldn't believe the news either.

The mystery about the Mayor's death was getting complicated. Moreover, a dreadful suspicion filled their mind. No one but time could untangle this.