AIDAN

~~~~~~

The yellow crime-scene tape stretched taut across the glass doorway of the Diamond Sea, an upmarket jewelry store. I lifted the tape over my head and entered. As I observed the place, I noted the lack of prints or any traces. Not a piece of jewelry was missing, aside from the diamond. Henry looked around, scratching his stubble. He always did that when he was thinking.

The cops already present at the scene didn't find me a happy sight. I didn't pay too much attention to them.

The first to speak was a young rookie, fresh out of the academy. Well-groomed, with his uniform in pristine condition. That was how they always were in the beginning. He didn't look like he had much experience in the field but that didn't stop him from making snide remarks.

"Look what the cat dragged in," he said, and all the officers chuckled in chorus.

I remained insouciant. Criticism and jealousy rarely affected me anymore. They were as significant as the dust on my shoulders. A year of experience in the field was sure to change the behavior of that snarky rookie.

Another officer in his mid-forties, whom I recognized as Russell, flashed a furtive glance at me before looking away.

"You got to be kidding me," he grumbled.

"Not likely, mate," I smirked.

Russell had accompanied me on a few missions. He always hated it when I led the team. He believed he should've been in charge as he was 'older and more experienced than I was'. Well, from the substantial number of cases I solved in seven years, all of them were handed to me because I did the job better.

Having 'more years' of experience doesn't make you the best.

"What's he doing here?" someone asked. I didn't bother to see who it was.

Robert and Louis were among them, too. I found it amusing how the latter was comparatively shorter than his partner, yet his pride was the size of the Chrysler building. Robert scratched his blond hair with a pen, doing serious investigative work. Or at least, looking like it.

Louis saw us and rolled his eyes.

"We're already investigating this one," he said, "Why don't you take off and drag your assistant with you?"

How complacent.

"Big talk, coming from the guy who got his badge from a cereal box," came Henry's prompt reply.

"Don't waste your time talking to them," I said, then addressed Louis. "I was called here."

"In case you forgot, you were kicked out," Robert intervened. "You're not investigating anything."

I sniggered. "I see the promotions you two earned from the cases I solved have given you an ego bigger than your brains. You know I could turn the tables around in an instant if I wanted."

Robert stepped back. Seriously, if the two of them stopped wasting my time and focused on their potential, their abilities, they would've gotten that promotion ages ago.

Martin showed up in the nick of time. "Let them through. I called them. And what the hell are you two doing standing around? You're supposed to be questioning the staff."

The two numbnuts gave me a look before leaving.

"I'm glad you showed up," said Martin.

"Sure," I said.

The vault was at the end of the hall, behind a door made of reinforced steel with a timer lock in the front. It was open, and a Crime Scene Analyst took photos of the interior. Various pieces of jewelry were kept in glass displays. The diamond was stored separately in a steel safe with a combination lock.

The safe was empty, save for some dispersed drops of water around the foot of the diamond stand.

Henry examined the safe. "Looks clean. Aside from the odd spot of water."

"Hmm," I replied curtly.

The caretaker of the store was being questioned by an officer. Oddly enough, the owner was nowhere to be seen at a time like this. We went to the cop and took over. The caretaker's gaze darted nervously between me and Henry.

"Talk me through what happened," I said. "Briefly."

"I already told the other officer," he replied. "Before closing, I took the diamond out for polishing. Then put it back inside and set the timer lock."

"How long was the lock set for?"

"About eight hours. The store closes at eleven in the night and opens at eight in the morning. I arrive an hour earlier at the store. That's when I noticed..."

"Does anyone else have access to that vault?"

"Just me and Mr. Rhodes, the owner. He inspects the place and the vault before securing it. It's routine."

"Strange that he's not here when there's been a theft," Henry said.

"He's got the flu," the caretaker said. "I've been taking care of everything in his absence."

"You sure nobody got in after closing?"

"Positive. The vault can't be opened once the lock is set. The two guards on duty can vouch for me."

I observed the movements of his eyes and his body language. Aside from being edgy, nothing in his behavior indicated he was lying.

The said security guards were also being questioned in the background. I could hear their conversation. They stuttered and were sweating as though they were guilty of the crime.

"Thank you for your time," I said. "I might need further information from you in case the need arises."

"Okay, yes. Yeah, sure," said the caretaker.

The information he provided was inadequate. However, I had no further questions at the moment. The only important one was the absence of Mr. Rhodes. Anyone would suspect him of the crime.

Henry stared at me as if expecting an explanation. "Well?"

"I think Rhodes should be here," I replied.

"You heard the guy back there. He's got the flu."

"Yeah." I brushed some stray hair away from my forehead. "What about the surveillance? Did you look at it?"

"Not yet."

"Then we should."

***

The store had eight surveillance cameras in total. Five in the main hall, two in the vault, one in the room where the diamonds were cut and polished. The caretaker showed us the footage from the cameras, from the events of yesterday till the time of the robbery in a split-screen view. Nothing weird had happened so far. My eyes darted all over the six screens, trying to spot something out of the ordinary.

Around closing time, there were no customers save for one woman.

I pointed at her. "Who's that?"

"She was our last customer for the day," the caretaker answered. "Some Mary... Uh, what was her name again? Coleman, I think. Mary Coleman."

The woman was waiting for something. While she did, she eyed the whole place, before her gaze lifted to the cameras. She looked like she was checking where they were. She then took her phone out and made a call. A moment later, a store employee arrived with a diamond necklace. He packed it and handed it to her. Taking a last look at the place, she took the jewelry and left.

The footage also showed the caretaker taking the diamond out of the safe and heading into the room for polishing it. After a while, he entered the vault and placed it back in the safe. The only suspicious thing in the entire footage was the woman's behavior.

"Anything?" Henry asked.

"Not sure," I answered. "I could do with some cheesecake right now."

He blinked. "Are you serious?"

"Absolutely."

He couldn't tell if I was being sarcastic or not, but in truth there wasn't much to go on. I needed to think, and cheesecake often helped me with that. Before that, I wanted to pay Mr. Rhodes a visit.

Martin caught up with us as we were leaving.

"What did you get?" he asked.

"Nothing." Henry side-eyed me. "He wants cake."

"Cake. You shitting me?" Martin said. "You always have something."

I shrugged. "I can't say anything without the right info. I have to talk to Rhodes."

"I've sent some of my men to his house already."

"Good. Then you wouldn't mind if I join them."

"Fine."

Henry followed me outside the store, where we hailed a cab and left.

***

I stood in the living room of Rhodes' house. He lay sprawled on a faux rug on the floor in his bathrobe, his eyes fixed in a rigid stare at the ceiling. At the center of his forehead was a bullet hole. A pool of blood stained the rug beneath his head. A red contrasting spot against the snow-white fabric.

In his flaccid hand was a broken ceramic cup. The spilled tea had dried on the wooden flooring. It was the only disturbance at the scene. Nothing else in the house was out of order. A clean kill. Somebody most likely wanted to shut him up.

So much for talking to him. The questions I wanted to be answered all went to waste.

Henry and I exchanged glances. He was disappointed by the death of our only real lead. However, it piqued my interest. I'd hoped this case wasn't simply a petty robbery and an absolute waste of my time. But it looked like things were taking a curious turn.

Ihalf-smiled. "The plot thickens."