The Demise of Mayor Frye

Chapter 1: The Death Scene

A gasp. A crawl. Eyes wide open. A beating of the heart. One other gasp. Seconds of silence. A tremble in the chest. Another heartbeat. A white flash, a little girl held in the arms, a smaller boy kissed on the cheeks; all as a vision. Another period of silence. Yet another gasp, the last one. An unsuccessful cough, also the last one. The last beat of the heart. The closing of the eyes.

. . .

"Rumors suggest that Emerson Frye, Irongate's new mayor, has been murdered on his first day at work," the lady newscaster stated.

Detective Brian Stone checked his watch for the time. Five to Nine. He grabbed his cane as they were almost at the city hall. There had already been many reporters at the door, but they were locked out. Not until Detective Stone permitted them. He got out of the car and dismissed the driver. With the use of his cane, he pushed the reporters away to pass through. Two uniformed guards were standing on the other side of the main glass door. He took his badge out and showed it to them to be able to get inside. "Hello, Detective," they both said.

"Let no one inside, under any circumstances," he walked to the elevator as fast as it was possible with a cane. He pressed the button, and until the elevator could reach the first floor, he thought of some possible scenarios. The mayor could have been shot, stabbed, or poisoned. He wasn't told anything beforehand. Even it could have been a suicide, though it seemed unlikely to happen on the first day at work.

The door of the elevator opened. He went inside, pressed the button for the third floor, and leaned his back to the wall while holding the cane in his hand. The camera on the top grabbed his attention. Was the potential murderer from inside this building? The footage of these cameras must've been a great jumpstart.

On the second floor, a medium-built young man walked in. "You must be Detective Stone," he said, still being in a fluster.

"Right, and you are?"

"Freddie. Freddie Norman. Security room officer." There was a slight but noticeable trembling in his whole body, particularly his hands. The door opened and they walked out of the elevator.

"Were you present at the time of the incident?" the detective asked, walking behind Freddie.

"Yes. Yes. I... I was the one who reported to the secretary. I saw him fall on the floor in the monitor," he stopped at the last door in the hall. "Here. The mayor's office," he pointed to the door.

There were so many indistinct noises coming from inside. Detective Stone knocked on the door twice with the second knuckle of his middle finger, and without waiting for an answer, he opened the door. The workers stepped back to let him pass, but as he got to the table of the mayor's secretary, he pounded on the table and barked, "Everybody. Out." Then, with a lower tone, he told Freddie and the secretary to stay.

He put on his rubber gloves, shoe covers, and hairnets, and opened the door to the room of the incident. "Did you move him or change anything?" he told the secretary.

"Not after you told me not to."

"Any police officers here before?"

"No."

"Perfect."

The mayor was on the floor, with no sign of any bloodshed or visible wound. Before he analyzed the body, he opened his briefcase and grabbed his camera. He always preferred to take pictures of everything before crime scene specialists arrive at the location. He turned the camera on and began capturing everywhere. To the secretary, it seemed to be hard to hold the camera with one hand and the cane with the other. "You want help?" the secretary said.

He shook his head as a no and started from the mayor's body itself and took a shot from every possible angle. Then, the desk, the objects above it, and the ones inside its drawers. And lastly, the walls, the two windows in front of the door, and the stuff connected to them. He checked the photos for any accidental errors. Nothing unexpected.