The rain had calmed down to a soft drizzle in Eastwood, causing the streets to glisten with the reflection of streetlight. Rustam walked hurriedly, umbrella shaking droplets from it's edges as he walked towards the local police station. He wasn't here for routine paperwork. He had found a thread, one that led him to the name that lingered in his mind and haunted him for days: Richard M.
Inside the station, the fluorescent lights greeted him. Papers and cases files were scattered around. At a faraway corner, Marcus was working over a bunch of files, flipping through each report with the same intensity as Rustam works with.
"Marcus, I need a word with you. Now."
Rustam said, his voice firm but steady.
Marcus looked up, a hint of surprise at the unexpected presence but it was quickly suppressed by guarded curiousity.
"Detective Rustam, didn't expect to see you here...alone"
Marcus spoke.
"There's no time for pleasantries."
Rustam said, laying a photograph of Richard M on Marcus's desk.
"You brought him up years ago, didn't you? Letter 'R' being carved on the victim's skins. You weren't listened to."
Rustam spoke, Marcus's jaw tightened.
"I did. But my senior...they brushed it off. Said I was overthinking. I left it, thinking...maybe I was. But seeing you digging this up...you feel it too, don't you?"
Marcus said, Rustam nods slowly.
"Something about this case never made sense. Richard...he left a mark. Not just the 'R' on victims, there's something deeper, something they missed."
Rustam spoke. Marcus leaned back into his chair, rubbing his temples. He gestures for Rustam to be seated on the chair opposite to his, Rustam settles down.
"I've kept quiet about the things...things I didn't report back then. Observation, Rumours from locals...strange behaviours. But no one would have taken them seriously. Maybe you will."
Marcus said. Rustam nods.
"I'm listening"
Rustam said. Marcus lowered his voice a bit.
"He had an obsession. Not just with killings...with leaving signs, making people remember him. People said he disappeared, dead or sick. But I have a feeling... something was off about that story. Something was never right about the official reports."
The cop said.
"You think he faked it?"
Rustam asks. Marcus shrugs.
"Or maybe someone helped him vanish. I don't know. But if he's out there, Eastwood is still vulnerable. And no one saw it coming because they didn't want to."
Marcus said. Rustam's eyes narrowed.
"You've been holding it for seven months?"
Rustam asks.
"I was told to let it go but I couldn't...not after seeing the last one, the 'R' carved so deep. That wasn't just a mark...that was a message. And I think it's coming back."
Marcus said. Rustam learned forward, a spark of urgency in his gaze.
"If he's alive, then we find him. We find Richard before anything else happens."
Rustam said and Marcus nodded.
Outside the rain was pouring heavily. Inside, the detective and the cop went over decades old reports, photographs and notes. Marcus's experience and Rustam's instinct merged into one purpose: uncover the truth behind the killer no one wanted to see again.
And somewhere, in the shadows of Eastwood, the past began stirring again, unseen yet patient, waiting for the right moment to strike.
----
The little bell near the bakery door always rang everytime a visitor would enter, Marcus and Rustam walked in and are immediately greeted by the scent of vanilla and fresh bread being baked. They approached the counter.
Behind the counter, the old man ( The owner of that bakery ) looked up at the two men.
"Can I help you, gentlemen?"
The old man asks. Rustam nods and clears his throat before speaking.
"We're here to ask you about the day 7 months ago, when you discovered a body nearby your bakery."
Rustam said. His voice was calm, measured but carried a bit of authority that made the old man shift from where he was seated.
Marcus stood behind him, but kept a curious gaze upon the old man. Marcus held a pen and paper in his hands to note down any possible information they may gather from here.
"Sorry, gentlemen. But whatever I knew and saw, I had told the cops back then... there's not much I can say."
The old man said. Rustam leaned a bit forward, careful to keep his tone firm but non-threatening.
"We're not here to blame anyone. Just trying to put the pieces together. Even small details help, things you might have thought were insignificant."
The old man's eyes flickered around the surroundings of the walls of the bakery, almost afraid if what he's about to say would land him into great trouble.
"I...I..did notice something"
The old man spoke, in a hesitant tone.
"A few days back before the last m*rder happened, there would be a man who'd always be in the alleyways. As if he was awaiting for something or someone. It had became quiet common for him to always be there around that specific time...it was also the time when Edward, the last victim, would get off from work and buy bread from this bakery before heading home. The bakery was a daily stop for Edward and that man? He'd always be keeping an eye on him from faraway, never followed him but always was watching."
The old man said. Marcus immediately begins to write it down on the paper.
"Any idea about where this man went after Richard would leave for home?"
Rustam asks.
"He'd disappear like as if he was never there."
The old man said. Rustam nods.
"Thank you. Here's my number, if you recall anything from that day, any small detail, do not hesitate to give a call. Even the tiniest detail makes a difference."
Rustam said and with that, he walked out of the bakery with Marcus. The two walked in a tensed silence which was cut off by Marcus's phone ringing. He picks it up.
"Marcus?"
A voice crackled over the line.
"We've got a body...found near Crescent lake. Young boy. Unresponsive. Need you on the scene immediately."
Rustam's eyes widen. The words echoed in their ears: A body. Young boy. Near the Crescent lake.
A sense of dread consumed the two...The nightmare, it was back.
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End of chp 05