No Good Neighbors (On-Going)

Chapter 9

Phew

Jeremiah exhaled, clearing his mind to prepare for the puzzle. The youngster, Vadim, took his sweet time reassuring his parents that everyone would be out.

"It's true, mama. I've not had any drinks. Captain Gutherie lives two blocks over. I'll drive him home myself," He said, all smiles.

But Jeremiah focused on Villiers. Why did he fiddle with his hands? A man should sit with a straight back and keep his hands firm. When everyone else was seated once again, Vadim patted the French detective on the back. Disgraceful. There was no way Jeremiah would let this loser get the best of him.

"Are you ready, Dr. Banks?" Vadim asked.

Jeremiah closed his eyes, wrestling to regain control of his ego. The puzzle comes first. He would have a clear mind to hear the facts. Once he opened his eyes, he said, "Let's begin."

A quiet ticking of the large grandfather clock echoed as the room fell silent. The young detective milked that moment as his eyes met with those of each member of the room.

"A man is found dead in his own bed," Vadim began slowly, "He was shot, once in the head. When questioned, no neighbors recalled having heard anything out of the ordinary. The gun was never discovered."

He paused in his narration and looked around the room. Everyone was engrossed. In a brighter tone, he said, "Just as a reminder, if Dr. Banks does not solve this case before midnight, then he'll forfeit his home to the plans of the Northdale Police Department as well as Detective Villiers, under commission by Interpol."

"Yes, yes. Whatever. Of course. I accept. Now get on with it!" Jeremiah was furious at the tangent.

Vadim nodded happily. "Two days later, a second dead body is found drifting onto a beach, in a city across the country. The man was reported missing on the same night as the previous man who was found shot in his bed. Now, here's the kicker. They were brothers."

Another pause. Jeremiah stared into Vadim's eyes. The young man's smile stretched even wider as he said, "Who did it?"

The room was silent once again. Mia spoke first, "That's it?"

Vadim nodded, not breaking eye contact with Jeremiah. "Dr. Banks, your ten minutes starts now."

Jeremiah shut his eyes and pictured the two brothers in his mind. The facts point to some link between the two brothers, possibly having been murdered on the same night.

Then, considering his words carefully, Jeremiah said, "Were the two brothers in a business relationship?"

Vadim sat up straight. He explained, "Excellent line of reasoning. The police ran with this initially as well. They had once sold newspapers together as teenagers. However, besides that, they were entirely financially independent."

That's strange. What is the motive then, if not money? Passion? No, this would be too coincidental. The gun was never found, and it's not easy to toss a body into the ocean. This smells of a conspiracy.

"I'm going with assassination. It was too coordinated otherwise. Now to find the motive. Were they in consistent contact with one another?"

"Yes."

"What was the nature of their calls?"

"Well, emails mostly. And they argued most fervently about politics."

That could be something. Having political interest feeds into the conspiracy line of reasoning.

"The argued but still kept in contact. That must mean that both felt strongly enough to discuss it so frequently. Were either of them politically involved?"