The Murvelli Murder

7. Singular

"I had come home from school that Tuesday afternoon, the day before yesterday," he began. "There was Usman the security, Beatrice the cook, and Martin the janitor, who told me that Cyril the the gardener was away tending to his sick daughter. There was my dad's wife as well.

"My father returned from work late in the evening and we had dinner and small talk and that was that. The next day which was yesterday, my dad's wife got out of town. That night I went to my dad's room to talk with him during which we got into a little argument and I returned to my room. This morning at about six, I woke up and I went to my dad's room. He was dead, stabbed twice to be precise."

"You say it with little or no emotion whatsoever." the detective remarked.

Jason shrugged.

"What did you and your father argue about?" Max had stood up and walked over behind Jason.

"I think that's a little personal."

"This is a police case and it's a matter of life and death. Your life or death! I think nothing should be considered personal or inconsequential now!" Max almost did well to conceal his annoyance with the suspect.

"Well," said Jason, throwing a quick glance at Max, "I actually had come home because I was in need of money for funding my final year school project. I kept pleading with him to help me out but he wouldn't bulge. I mean for Christ sake he was my dad and it was not as if he didn't have the money but he was always being so hard on me and I guess it got me so angry that evening." The frustration was evident on his face. There were beads of sweat on his forehead.

"And then you killed him."
Max had been pacing behind Jason but now he stopped and watched him closely.

Jason sighed: "No matter how angry I get, I still couldn't have brought myself to murder my own father."

"I see." Max held a finger to his lower jaw and started pacing again. "So after the argument what happened?"

"I stormed out of the room in anger and went to bed. I received a call but I was too mad to pick up. Yes, I remember my phone was displaying 9:17pm. There were rumblings in the sky as well telling of an impending storm."

"And you never went into the room again?"

"Not until this morning at past six."

"Why?"

"Oh Christ!" Jason fumed. "Let's just say I woke up with a heavy heart and I needed to make peace with him. I went to greet him and probably apologize and then I discovered the calamity."

"You said you received a call last night. From who?"

"My girlfriend. But I didn't want to talk so I never picked up."

"She never mentioned that when we talked."

"You've met her?"

"Maybe I wouldn't have been trying to help you if I hadn't."

"You call this help?"

"What's the position of your room to your dad's?" Max ignored the rudeness of the lad.

"There's a spare room opposite his, and mine is adjacent to the spare room. My room is at the far end of the right wing of the mansion."