June 25, 1927
The following morning, Betty woke up late for she had stayed up all night trying solve the case. She'd overslept yet began her day still feeling exhausted. It was already two hours past noon. She was kept awake by the mere thought that a culprit had murdered her father and--poorly--attempted to make it look like a suicide. Especially, what for? She did not feel any better in her wake but she was not to rest just yet. She had to schedule an interview with the coroner. The suspicious coroner, who decidedly reported that her father's case was a suicide when it clearly said in the papers that it was not self-inflicted whatsoever.
She had to know what was the purpose of lying to her. What were they hiding?
She finished her meal and proceeded to walk to her office. She called her solicitor to schedule an appointment with the coroner, Ernest Ferry, in which her solicitor obliged.
She was reviewing the suspects' responses when the phone startled her. She picked it up and answered, "Hello?"
"Ms. Townsend, I'm sorry to say but I am not able to schedule the interview with Mr. Ferry," her solicitor said.
Betty's brows furrowed, "W-why is that?"
"Mr. Ferry has been found dead on the pavement near his home, madam," the solicitor responded as her face fell. She paused for a silent panic. The murderer must be on the move and covering his or her tracks.
It took her a moment to finally reply, "How?"
"He was shot outside his home--"
"Was the murderer identified?" Betty had foolishly hoped so, but her hopes were shattered by her solicitor's response.
"The perpretator has not been caught, unfortunately, madam."
Her mouth opened with a sigh and her bottom lip hung. She shut her eyes to recollect for a moment. She knew she needed to solve the case as soon as possible.
Desperate to solve the case, she hastily dismissed her solicitor without even thinking of asking for more information. Her nerves got the best of her, in that moment. She had no idea what else to ask that he would be able to answer, anyway.
After she ended the call, she did not think twice and summoned the driver as she hurriedly strided to the front door. The destination being the police station, to ask about the findings in the coroner's crime scene.
"Madam," Philips called which made her stop in her tracks. "Where are you off to?"
"Just to the police headquarters," she lowly replied and carried on.
"What time must I expect you to be back?" he pressed.
"I... Not for long, Philips," with that, she was out the door and into the carriage. Off to find answers which--hopefully--will bring her closer to who is rightfully responsible.
⠀
She remembered not to bother going to the crime scene because she was well aware that the investigators must have already been satisfied knowing absolutely nothing. Although, as self-centred as it sounds, she was secretly wishing the police weren't involved in the first place because only she could do actual good investigation on her father's case.
As she arrived at the headquarters, she went directly to the detective inspector who was currently on the coroner's fresh murder case and was seemingly long over her father's case.
"Miss Townsend, we meet again!" the detective inspector greeted her, in an inappropriately giddy manner.
Betty had a stern look on her face as she shut the door behind her.
The detective continued on with his mockery, "Have you found who is responsible for your father's--" he began but he was cut off.
She was having none of it. "Not quite. I need the bullet that the gun discharged," she said, hastily taking a seat.
"Of course," the detective then retrieved the little bag which contains the bullet that gave absolutely no last chances for her father.
"Also the bullet that killed Ernest Ferry," she demanded without hesitation as she examined the bullet.
"Excuse me, madam. I don't think it is yours to take.."
"All right then!" she exploded and tried her best to hold back her tears.
The detective was taken aback and said, "What is this madness? Miss Townsend, I think you should take a break--"
"Look at this," she showed the note attached to the bag that held the bullet that killed her father. "Is this bullet from the same gun that had killed the coroner?" she pressed and looked him straight in the eye.
The detective then reluctantly recovered a file of another untimely death which was that of the coroner's. He skimmed through it and stopped at the significant part.
"Well, is it?" Betty pressed harder.
"Yes it is, indeed, from the same gun, Miss Townsend..." he said, losing his enthusiastic tone.
Betty took a deep breath and shut her eyes. She raised her chin as she let it out. It was like settling for a single answer to a million questions. But she refused to cling to just one answer; she had more questions in need of answers.
She opened her eyes and was met with an expectant look on the detective's face. She curled her lips to a small smile and nodded at him. She then carried on and asked if she could use the telephone. She rang her solicitor and asked to meet at a diner nearby.
⠀
Betty laid down the forensic files along with her own findings on the table. The solicitor was only there to find any lapses from Betty, if ever there were any.
"How sure are you that the two murder cases are linked? Only given the gun being alike," the solicitor asked.
"That is all I have for now," Betty informed with uncertainty. "I feel as if I am missing something. I am sorry for my being disorderly... its because of the recent happenings s'all,"
"Do not be wary. I am here to help," her solicitor reasurred her as she hastily fixed her disheveled hair.
He paused and continued on, "How must the culprit have known to kill the coroner? What for?" he raised.
Trying to work out a possible motive for killing the coroner when she hadn't even unmasked the motive behind her own father's killing yet was pressuring. She felt sick but she had to find an answer, somehow.
"That is what puzzles me. He had lied to me about the forensic findings... I figured that he lied in compliance to the killer and perhaps only after, asked for a large payoff..."
"An unreasonably large payoff?" the solicitor clarified. "So he killed him off instead of paying what he owes?"
"Yes," she responded, with a blank expression on her face, almost numb.
"What does this prove then?" he inquired and was followed with an uncomfortable silence from Betty.
After a short while, she was able to initiate. "To be frank... I have not an idea of what the motive behind the killing of my own father was..."
"I am sorry, madam..." the solicitor responded.
"I do not need your pity right now. I need answers," she gritted.
"For money, perhaps?" he then suggested.
"Not a single penny nor jewel was stolen that night," she regretfully informed.
The solicitor checked the list of suspects once again. "Who among the suspects is most likely to be the lead, madam?"
Pinching the bridge of her nose, she responded with a sigh, "It was originally the coroner, Ernest Ferry... although, there is nobody besides him as of yet. Anyway, that notion was farfetched for I cannot seem to grasp what ill business he may have had with my father. "
"Well... I know for a fact that this must not be a dead end, right madam?"
"Yes... It must not be, we are not finished just yet. Just give me a moment to collect my thoughts, please," she declared in which the solicitor nodded to.
If nobody had broken in the house that night and nothing was stolen... Could anyone despise Samuel Townsend to the extent of taking his life? More so, who in the household would even have such strong feeling? Their servants had been loyal to them for decades. Ever since, Betty was a little naive girl.
All this thinking and desperation gave Betty a headache. It was nearing dusk. She had better be home to her family. All of a sudden, it finally dawned on her that one of the adults in the mansion could have caused the questionable death of her father and this made her even more anxious. She needed to get home to her daughter. Immediately.
She dismissed her solicitor and went on her way.
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pls vote and comment if you liked it :--)
hope y'all have realised u urselves are detectives in my stories ;--)
NOTE: still going to proofread tmro bc i gotta sleep (kinda excited and publishes w/out proofreading tsk)