"They say the most beautiful smile hides the darkest secrets." he says ruefully.
Looking at her now, knowing the truth, his heart simmers with guilt. The hatred he had grown to home towards her, now withering away like the sand falling from one's f...
The sky was clear, with almost no precipitation expected, the warm sunrays seeping through the glass windows, hit his dry face as Jeon Jeongguk enters the arrival terminal at the airport.
It's not as crowded as it usually is and that makes it easier for him to spot the chauffeur holding a sign board of his name. He gave a nod to the latter and followed him out the airport.
Two blue double decker buses stood in row, outside the corner to the airport and he, unintentionally, wondered if that was his ride for the day, but to his relief the chauffeur asked him to wait for a while and returned with a black sedan.
He relaxed in the car as the chauffer started driving. Contrary to a little to no rush at the airport, the market was full. It was Wednesday afternoon, students, office clerks and associates could been seen having lunch at the street restaurants. The hustle and bustle of the city calmed him to some extent as a lot has been bugging him lately and to top all of that there was his in-somnolence at night. Something has been keeping him at edge since last few days. What?__ that he couldn't put his finger on.
In about thirty minutes the car stopped as they had reached the destination, The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Birmingham. The building stood tall and dignified. A few cadets exiting the glass doors caught his attention as he looked through the window. It was a rare sight, spotting cadets in the bureau. He himself has been there as a trainee but only as a part of a very important military operation, only then could the cadets be seen there.
As an Investigation acumen and just twenty eight, Jeongguk had his reputation embarking high. He was very close to be an apotheosis in his field had it not been for the casual nature and ruthlessness of his, towards- -almost everything.
"Sir we're here." the chauffeur mentioned. Jeongguk looked at his wrist watch, it was three minutes before time. He didn't get out of the car as he was expected to, instead he just sat there without even sparing a glance towards the confused man behind the steering wheel and checked his remaining mails. He then googled the daily news page of Birmingham in order to update himself regarding the city he was staying in. The news were genuine, nothing that caught his interest.
He was called upon in an emergency from all the way to Birmingham for a confidential matter and that had pissed him off, the fact that he was unaware of his need in the city really triggered him just the way almost every little thing did.
Ever since he had received the mail, fourteen hours ago, stating him to report in Birmingham before noon, the present day, he had been checking his resources every now and then in order to get a clue of that so called confidential task. But to no avail, the news were as genuine as having a coffee in the morning. And that lack of knowledge did irk him.
One of the things securing the top position in the things he hates the most list was being clueless.
only when the clock hit the twelve, did he step a foot out the car. He was always on time. ON time, neither earlier nor late.
One of the things he'd learnt in twenty eight years of his life was- never be available for anyone beforehand, never put aside your priorities and comfort for someone else, because that reduces your value in no time.
Show that you are busy, even when you're not and use your talent and skills to the fullest, this makes them to think at least twice before they speak to you, he'd tell himself the same thing when he was in the military and like a magic trick, it had worked indeed. And in no time he was one of the best Investigating Agent in the field, a paradigm one might add.
He made his way through the large corridor, a few officers who recognized, greeted him. It wasn't his first time in the Birmingham branch, but it indeed was his first time as an officer of reputed rank. He was considered the Sherlock of the council. Cold, blunt, ruthless but cunning and sharp. No matter how repulsive he could be to someone, he was the best at what he did, and the best is all one looks forward to nowadays.
As he entered the meeting room the air grew tense. Anticipation was evident in everyone's eyes, and by the look of it he now realized the extent of confidentiality of the matter. The first thing he noticed in the room was the body language of his colleagues and seniors.
The supreme officer, Bernard Bails, crouched in his seat massaging his grey hairs, perspiration glistening his dull skin, even in the air conditioned room. The HOD wore similar expressions as that of the other three men in the room. That leaves the only normal and self composed person in the room to be himself, the clueless one.
"Officer Jeon" one of the colleagues, Jeffery Brown, also an old friend of Jeongguk greeted him with a hand shake. The others expected a little to no greetings from him as he sat across the table with elbows resting on the glass surface as he perked his chin on his intertwined fingers.
Without wasting another second Jeffery began, "30th May, that is just yesterday, one of the luminaries of England, Nathaniel Wrethmier died."
That's it. The obscure familiarity of the name irked him to the bones. As if adrenaline was coursing at its highest, once again, Jeongguk felt vividly strange. He was no more the composed man in the room, droplets of sweats made their way to his forehead as his heart drummed wildly against his chest. But he was used to it, for he experienced the same situation every night.
Every night, for freaking eleven continuous years, when he isn't occupied in hectic work, when her memories haunt him in the silence of the dark, when he thinks about her.
In last eleven years he'd never not think about her and doing so, his insides would curl up in a tempest. Everytime.
He did hear Jeffery speak, but didn't listen what words escaped the latter's lips. But he was quick to compose himself and the last thing he comprehended was that the news of Nathaniel's death was still not public because the family had urged for so.
"Rest of the information, the autopsy report and suspect-list is in here." Jeffery finished, placing a brown file before him. He flipped it open, and was greeted with a photograph of a bald man with blue eyes- Nathaniel Wrethmier's biodata, his worth, will etcetera comprised the first page. The next page comprised the autopsy report.
Cause of death- Strychnine poisoning , written in bold. He was found dead in his bathtub. Initial reports stated paralysis and asphyxia as the cause of the death. That itself triggers the concept of strychnine. He was most probably poisoned three to four hours before death, tactically in accordance with his bathing hours probably.
The suspect list followed the autopsy report.
A total of nine-pages list of nine legit suspects, their biodata, photograph, income, percent and reason for suspecting and everything else included.
The list was topped by Nathaniel's older cousin brother, Gabriel Wrethmier, sixty seven. Then Gabriel's son, Lucas, forty eight. Followed by Nathaniel's own son, William, thirty five. His only sister, Martha Judith, sixty four. The business rival, Joan Waters, fifty . Dorian Gray and his sons, business partners. Janice Park Wrethmier, twenty eight, daughter in law.
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