For what is mine, I'll come myself

Part 9

The next morning Jason had many splendid moments. He was almost at the end of the puzzle having figured out load of stuff
As usual he had begun his day searching through clues and puzzles and something useful had come up.
Jason had found out that the raiders from the scientists were the same from the museum case. They weren't different people but the same all along.
Using information from the witnesses in the museum case and a little they had obtained from this one he was able to tell clearly that they were the same people. There was a lot of similarity on how they did things. Leaving people severally injured and fleeing with an important piece every time.
And the master mind. It seemed that he too had participated in several raids alongside the two before falling behind the curtains and keeping himself out of the sight while leaving his people to do the dirty work.

It had been hell tiring but he knew good days were coming soon. Maybe he could go on a little vacation after this.
Too soon to be relaxing though.
He had formulated a new report and it was almost three when he had dressed and left home for the station.
He drove past Pearls again.
Closed. He was sure this place would be involved in anyway. He looked at the dashboard; the wallet was inside, inside with the picture. This was more of a useful stuff than this place which remained closed all the time.
He still found it a little strange.
Jason entered 27th street. The coffee shop loomed in ahead as he crossed its front.

Suddenly a little kitten jumped in from behind the bushes in the garden. Jason jammed in on the brakes barely managing to save the little creature from being hit. The tires screeched noisily before coming to a halt. The little kitten scurried away across joining a bunch of more of them as they disappeared behind the bushes.

That was close.
He sighed in relief and prepared to drive ahead but stopped. His mind seemed to linger away... away from the road ahead back to the coffee shop. He looked at it in the rearview mirror...
What was it that he was trying to figure out?
He killed the engine and got out.

Walking all the way back to the entrance; crowded as it ever was, he spotted the man, the owner carrying around trays and serving his customers.
"..I heard a huge sound, like a thudding sound......"
Jason looked at road.
"A car had stopped in front of my shop..."

He fetched for his mini torch from inside his coat and found himself crouching on the road in front of the path that lead to the entrance of the shop.
He shone the light at the edge of the pedestrian walk. At the black and yellow stripped edges of the path he noticed something unusual.
A color. Dried color. Not black or yellow....red....dried at the edges.
He looked closely at it. Jason had been in a lot of investigations involving blood, not to mention off all sorts....left dried since days but he knew well. He could never mistake blood for something else.
He scratched the red color with the back of his torch shining the light on the tiny pieces that came off.

"A thudding and a screeching sound........"
screeching of tires... Jason corrected his mind
"I heard another siren......."
ambulance?
I found this wallet lying outside the other day beside the flower pot.......

He rose to his feet.
All the puzzle pieces came in joining together and a big picture.

Real crime always leaves its mark.

The wallet belonged to Miss Bretz. She had probably loosed it during the hit. Right outside this shop while the police had chased the criminals all the way ahead she has been hit by a car. Theirs or the raiders he didnt know, but she was in an accident. Right here. This was her blood while the rain had washed the lot of it. 

Something clicked in again. He looked ahead of street 27th. On his way back from the orphanage the other day he had taken a straight route from the highway which had lead him straight into street 27th from the entrance.
A direct route.... To home.....
She had left the shop at night to leave for home as usual taking this route as regularly and been in an accident.
He didnt have to think more. He rushed back to his car and sped away crossing several streets away from his station before coming to a halt in front of a hospital.
The local hospital of Elvin Bells.