His Dark Obsession

Chapter 38: Suspicion

When Tara entered Jake's apartment she recognized a strange, chlorine-like scent. The air felt peculiarly stale. She tip-toed in as the darkness engulfed her completely. She called out to Jake as her heart thudded inside her chest. "Jake, it's Tara!"
The silence haunted her; it gave her a ominous message. She didn't know why but she immediately knew something was very, very wrong. In her state of frenzy Tara grazed Jake's living room wall, looking for a light switch -- she finally found one. She switched on the light. The living area flooded with light and sinister soundlessness. Her heels clicked against the porcelain tiles on the floor and she cautiously moved forward into empty nothingness. She felt light to herself, as if her body weight had suddenly disappeared and she was gliding in time and space like a haunted spirit roaming an eerie forest. She proceeded to Jake's room. The door was open and she saw a silhouette, a dark form, standing with its back facing the door. For a minute there, she felt like she had seen a ghost, but the face turned around to reveal eyes, the darkest, deepest blue. "Ian!"
Tara moved forward, her eyes locked with Ian's, "Ian, how come you are here?" Tara had reached near the door of Jake's bedroom when she looked towards the floor. Ian stood with his feet slightly apart; and between his legs inches away from Ian, Tara saw two feet sprawled across the floor; her further view was blocked by Ian's tall frame. She moved past him, keeping her eyes glued to the ground. When she reached around Ian, she had full view of the person on the floor -- it was Jake, laying at Ian's feet, in a pool of blood. The blood made a neat circle underneath his body, directly below the rib cage. A deep circular, black hole covered his shirt front. The otherwise crisp, white shirt appeared charred- black around the hole. Jake's eyes were closed, he wasn't screaming in pain like a person who loses this much blood should be. He was silent....lifeless. Tara's eyes bulged out the moment she saw Jake, she questioned Ian in utter horror, "What's happened?" Saying this Tara dropped on the floor near Jake, "How badly is he hurt? Have you called an ambulance?!" Tara's shouted hysterically.
Ian spoke to her, as he stared at Jake lying on the floor, "He's dead."
Tara felt herself tremble all over. "How's that even possible?!"
Ian didn't answer her. A thousand thoughts ran into her mind all at once. She stood up on shaky feet and balanced herself by grabbing the wall nearest to her. She saw Ian standing over Jake with a tormentingly hollow expression and she had to ask what appeared to be painfully obvious. "Ian, did you do this?"
Ian didn't look at her as he answered, "No."
Tara chose to believe him. Tara felt a blockage forming in her throat, she felt her palms moisten, her next words took all her energy, "Ian, are you sure he is dead?"
"I checked his pulse." Ian replied.
Tara felt lightheaded. Ian felt like a stranger to her - his clipped reponses, Jake's blood-drenched body and the mind-numbing stench in the air -- she felt close to hurling and dropping on the floor herself. "You are standing over his body...Ian. It was dark outside...."
Ian didn't seem like himself as he replied, "Yes."
Tara stared at Ian, hard. He was dazed, confused. His eyes hadn't left Jake.
"I am calling the police." Tara informed him.
Ian didn't utter a response.
Tara shivered as she grabbed her cellphone out of her bag and dialed 911. She informed the operator that her boyfriend had been shot and gave them the address. She then put her phone back in the bag.
With shaking legs, Tara moved closer to Ian and put a hand on his shoulder. She felt him flinch under her touch. "Ian, you should come sit on the bed with me and tell me what happened."
Ian stared at her with an expression that made her think that he couldn't remember her. "...But I don't know what happened."
Tara stared at Ian for a long, hard minute and shook him a little. "Ian, get away from him! Please! Come. Sit. You are scaring me!"
Tara's hysterical plea registered on Ian a little, who loosened himself enough to be led by her to the bed.
He sat down on the edge of the bed like a military man -- expressionless, alert. Tara sat beside him and carefully inched closer to him because she was scared out of her mind. She waited in silence for the police to arrive; Ian didn't say anything either.
Tears trickled down Tara's face and she let out a muffled cry. The sound registered with Ian who finally turned towards her.
"...Tara...don't cry! Ok! Don't." And as he said that, a tear escaped from his eye and rolled down his cheek. Tara could see him finally stepping out of his trance.
Tara heaved a sigh of relief, Ian finally seemed more like himself. Tara asked him through her tears, "how did this happen?"
"I...don't know."
"Ian, I need answers." Tara demanded of him.
"Tara, I found him on the floor. I don't know how this happened or who did this to him."
She let the matter rest. She didn't have the nerve to continue. She knew that if there was something to tell, Ian would surely tell the police.
The police reached them exactly eight minutes after Tara made the call. The first consensus they reached was ruling out the possibility of a suicide and establishing the fact that Jake had been murdered. Soon the scene was flooded with more policemen -- CSIs came, carrying in different equipment which ranged from simple probing tools to high-tech video and camera gear -- a yellow tape was put up, cordoning off the area around the murder scene and also the entrance to the apartment.
It all felt surreal; Tara couldn't believe this was happening. She had heard of murders, read about them in newspapers, saw news reports about them on tv but she couldn't have ever imagined somebody close to her getting shot. It felt like a thing, unimaginable. It is always unimaginable until it happens to you.
Tara stood in a corner huddled with Ian as the police questioned him exhaustively on when he had discovered Jake's body.
"So you are telling me you had made plans to come over to the victim's apartment in the evening but you got delayed at the office?"
"Yes, that is right. He and I had important matters to discuss. Originally, I had told him that I would leave the office with him and we could come here together but I got delayed because a client showed up at the office."
"The victim left the office before you?"
"Yes, he called me when he was about to leave, to check whether I was accompanying him. I told him, I'd be late."
"Would anyone at the office be able to corroborate your story about staying behind?"
"Yes, my secretary was present at the office when I left."
"Alright. Tell me what happened when you got here."
"I took one of the elevators down the hall to come up, when I reached Jake's apartment I realized the door was ajar and there was complete darkness inside. I immediately knew something was wrong."
"What did you do next, Mr. Blaine?" Tara saw Ian go far away in a space of few seconds. "Mr. Blaine?" The officer questioned him again.
"I walked into the apartment. Carefully. I tried to turn on the light switch but couldn't see the switchboard in the pitch black room. I saw a hint of light in the hallway and I went to the corridor and realized there was a dim light coming from Jake's bedroom and as I got closer to the bedroom, I remember, a chemical smell that kept getting stronger and stronger! And when I reached Jake's room. I saw...."
He pointed to the corpse.
"Did you touch the body?"
"Yes, I checked for pulse."
The officer then turned to Tara and continued in his business-like manner, "Miss Jones, why were you here?"
"Jake and I had been seeing each other for sometime. In fact, I was living with him. I had been away at work all day and had just returned."
The policeman listened to Tara and Ian attentively. He jotted down their statements and also recorded them. Tara could see the CSIs scattered around Jake. It was all so impersonal, methodical and practical. They took photographs, blood samples, brushed his body for prints and examined his body for wounds.
Two of the officers standing close to Jake's body were engaged in a solemn discussion. Ian left Tara's side and went to them.
"Officers, can you tell us anything? Any evidence that might reveal something?"
"We are not at liberty to give you that information Mr. Blaine. Have you informed his family?"
"Yes, they are on their way as we speak."
"Mr. Blaine, you might have to accompany us to the station when we are done here. We would like you to go over things one more time. How about you accompany us as well, Miss Jones?"
"Yes, officer whatever you need." Ian replied for the both of them.
Tara felt apprehensive inside. She didn't know what the police would think if they found out that Ian and Tara were having an affair. The tone of the policeman cast a shadow of doubt in her mind...was Ian a suspect? Was she one too? She felt a shudder go through her entire being.
Could Ian have done this? She pondered wildly. Perhaps...there was an argument...over her!...And they had both struggled. Her mind conjured up images of Ian and Jake exchanging blows, roughing each other up. Ian was clearly the stronger one; what if during the scuffle, things had gotten out of hand? What if Ian had shot Jake? Where would he have hidden the gun?
Was Ian Blaine capable of losing his cool so completely in an argument? Did he have it in him to murder his best friend? Was she completely insane for even considering the possibility of Ian being the murderer. Who else could have done this?
Tara felt her head throb and drum. The pain was excruciating. There was another question that still lingered in her mind --
What was that God-awful stench?