Wraith

Chapter 3 - Not So Innocent

Chapter 3 - Not So Innocent

Redcliffe and Chancer sat on one side of the table. The chairs were old and metal, as if they were made to be uncomfortable. A fan whirred overhead, turning too slowly to move air as the morning sun filtered in through the blinds. A young man sat opposite them, sweat patches already gathering under his armpits, despite the relative coolness of the room. His brow was equally damp.

"And that's when you found him?" Redcliffe asked, flipping through the witness statement that they'd been given. "What happened next?"

"I threw up," the man replied, running a hand through his hair, "Then I called the cops, and they wrote everything down. Look man, I've told all of this to the cops a dozen times. What else do you guys want from me?"

"We're just being thorough, Mr. Davenport," Redcliffe replied, "What time did you call the police?"

"I don't know, I wasn't looking at my watch. A little after seven, I think?"

Redcliffe scanned what the officers had written. In most cases, a guilty person would change their story after being repeatedly questioned, adapting and adjusting their lies to better cover their tracks. This man hadn't changed a single detail, and had been sweating the entire time. He was nervous, but as far as Redcliffe could tell, he wasn't hiding anything. Anybody would be nervous in his situation, and very few could perspire at will to make their situation look more believable, even practiced liars.

"When did you fall asleep?"

"Sometime after two in the morning, not long after," he replied, "The local radio plays classics around then, and the Beatles was the last thing I remember before I woke up. I was only going to sleep for five minutes, Warren was supposed to wake me up when he got back."

Redcliffe had already seen the security footage from the camera at the front of the warehouse, with Warren walking onto the sidewalk towards the warehouse just after two thirty. The cameras caught Warren entering the warehouse and walking through the entrance corridor shortly after. There was no further movement until just before seven in the morning, when Warren's coworker had come in and found the body. He'd scanned it all on the way back to the station after their discussion with the Asherton family, when Heartbreaker forwarded it to his PDA.

"Thank you for your cooperation Mr. Davenport," Christine Chancer nodded, before standing and making her way to the door, her first words spoken in the interview.

"Please, don't leave town, and if you remember anything else, anything at all, don't hesitate to contact us."

He stood up to follow her, catching the door before it closed. Chancer was already making her way to the station's parking lot. They had to get to Asherton's apartment quickly, and figure out if the break-in was connected to his murder. As he walked through the station, he called over one of the police officers walking by.

"I need everything we have on the previous victims compiled on a board by this afternoon. Can you get that done for us?"

"Yes sir," the officer nodded, walking off to follow his instructions. Redcliffe had to jog to catch up to Chancer, who was already on her way out of the front door.

"Asherton lived alone, one bedroom apartment, unattached." He read over the notes he'd gotten from Chief Houseman, walking out of the police station and towards their black SUV. "22 Croft street, second floor. Apartment sixty-six. Most young men move out of their hometowns after they graduate high school, but all victims so far are longtime locals that grew up here. It's unusual."

"Every case is a little unusual," Chancer replied, unlocking the car before they both got inside.

Redcliffe drifted off, scanning over his notes once again. That was the upside to working with Chancer, she didn't interrupt his reading with conversation. Part of him thought that maybe that was why she chose to work with him as well, for his distinct lack of chatter when they were on the job. They both got along with the rest of the team perfectly well, but the dynamic between them worked best.