Mystery in Misery

Episode 18

Saturday, 4:02 PM
After Joe left, Naomi looked Pale. All the while she had watched the interrogation but didn't hear a word because the room is soundproof. She opened the door and the face that met her was quite different from the one her dad left a few seconds ago. He was soberer than how the detective left me.
“Here to process me out,” he asked.
“Urrm.” Naomi lost her focus for a while. She had intended to get the truth from him. But she doesn't see how, with this sad face of his. She brought out his phone and dropped it on the table. “Can you – ” looking into his face, she stuttered.
David relaxed back in his seat, when he saw his smartphone. “You are the detective who have come to charge me with my murder, right?”
Naomi sighed heavily. She wondered why everyone's first impression of her is being a detective. “I'm not a detective. CSI Pratt.” She held out her right hand for a shake, which David bluntly refused. “Okay” – She shrugged – “for the record, I'm not here to charge you with anything.”
“Oh! The detective’s daughter.” David smiled to himself.
“Yes.”
“Interesting, tell me why you are here”
“I'm here to help you, if you let me.”
“Help me? A CSI?” David scuffed. “See, I know you guys do a lot of tech stuffs but the detectives call the shot.” He rubbed his fingers through his short hair. “The evidence is there to put me away. Evidence which you helped found out!” he yelled. “So, why help me now?”
“Because I know you're innocent.”
“Am I? I lied about everything. No one is going to believe me now.”
“I will.”
David grinned. “No, you won’t. The only one who will is – ” he hesitated. David's eyes were watery once again.
“Captain Nate?” Naomi peered into his eyes to affirm.
“How did you – ”
“I'm a CSI.” Naomi smiled. This in turn put a little smile on David’s lips. “Plus, the captain is being interrogated as we speak. He can't help you, David.”
David was shocked. “Interrogated? What for?”
“You know I can't tell -”
“I have the right to know!” David yelled, tears rolling down his cheek. “I have the right to know!”
Naomi figured if she was going to get the truth out of him. She needs to let him in on some truth. “They found out about you. They are saying he abducted you and turned you into a killer for his selfish gains.”
“Abducted? The man adopted me. He gave me a home after my parents died. I can tell them he didn't. None of this is true.”
“As you've said, no one is going to believe you.”
“They have to!” David cried.
Naomi's face turned pale too. “I do get how you feel but – "
“Don't even pretend for a second that you know how I feel!”
Naomi wanted to yell back but she was too pained to do that. She used the back of her palm to push back the tears that were forming around her eyes. “My Dad,” she said softly. She heard David say some stuff which her ears chose to filter. “He's being interrogated for arresting a minor without legal charges.”
"I'm 18”
"As of today,” she pointed out. “He didn't know. He also deprived you of your legal rights.”
“I chose not to have an attorney.”
“It isn’t documented,” Naomi countered. “You think you're the only one going through a tough time. Guess what? You're not.”
“I’m sorry.” David felt remorse.
“Sorry isn't going to free my dad of the charges or my uncle who abetted your adopted father to keep you a secret.” Tears, Naomi have been trying to hold back, now flowed freely down her cheek. “You can sit here and whine while you await the intense charges or tell me what really happened and I'll help you.” Naomi took the phone she had dropped earlier. She was going to leave David with her last words but he said something that made her stop.
“It's my word against theirs. You can't help me.”
“The truth can.” She held the phone in between her fingers and swung it across David’s face. “Why don't you start by telling me who could have wiped this?”
“How will that help me?”
“Because whoever wiped it, framed you for the murders.”
David seems to be in a thought of his own and Naomi could only imagine.  He probably knew it would come to this where he had to pick. Only that, he would have thought it would be a choice between him and Maryam. Easy choice. Obviously, he would have picked her. But here, his innocence is in question. His innocence which will set free a number of people, including herself.
“Maryam did. She's the only one who knows my security code aside from me,” David broke the silence.
Naomi wanted to talk but the door yanked open. Fear gripped her. The figure she was staring at was the fearful Marie Klint. The one who had called the special team on the captain. A team of which she is the leader. She knew at once that her career was over and she gave David a ‘run for it’ look which he seems to understand. If they are able to scale past Marie and make it through to the lab, she knows a back way out of the GCPD. The only thing missing is how to transport themselves. ‘We can't possibly be on foot. We won't last long.’ All these ran through her head but she was wrong from the first assumption. Marie has come to help them.
“Come with me,” Marie said in a low tone, loud enough for them to hear. “You’ve gotta hurry. We don't have much time,” she ushered.
Both Naomi and David followed her quickly. They had walked for about a minute. Practically, they tiptoed, hid themselves and remain silent. Marie seemed like someone that was breaking the law. Maybe she is, Naomi thought. “Where are you taking us?” she asked.
“I'm breaking David out. Your – ” she heard footsteps. Thankfully, a stair was close by. The three of them hid themselves beneath the stair until the footstep was heard no more. Then, she continued, “Your dad is waiting for him. He believes David is innocent.”
“Isn't my dad supposed to be in interrogation?”
“I helped him get out.”
“Why help him?”
“Because I share in his belief which I know you do too.” She paused and gestured towards David. “The men coming for him. They think he's shadow.”
“Shadow?” Naomi's eyes shook.
‘shh’ Marie cautioned. She handed over a key to Naomi. “That key opens the – ”
“Back door and yes I know there.”
“Good.” She gave her another key and a key card. “Here is my car key and that” – she pointed to the key card – “opens the door to my flat.”
“Which is where?”
“And your car?” David added.
“Joe knows all that.”
“And where’s he?”
Marie was impatient. She already told Joe the whole plan which seemed hard but getting these two out seems like the hardest. “Blue Sedan, left wing. He should be around there, somewhere. Now go before they know you're gone.”
This said, Naomi and David ran out from hiding, with Naomi taking the lead while Marie pretended everything was okay as she came out from underneath the stairs and headed in the opposite direction.