SSJBowser

The Detective Prince Chapter 101 Challenge of the Doubled Edged Murder (Part 2) He kept up with him from a few feet behind as they walked. Voices could clearly be heard coming from around the corner as they neared the location where the elevators stood. They arrived to find several police officers standing in the middle of the hall in conversation, which included Celek who had arrived there before the two of them. "Looks like they're having a meet of some kind," Heiji said. "Must have something to do with the elevator Celek spoke of." "Only one way of finding out," Tim said. "And that's to ask directly." "Let's hope it's not too serious of a problem." "This is the part where we need to keep a notable distance between us," Tim said. "Like we agreed, we don't want them to suspect you of working with anyone outside of their unit." "No need to remind me, I haven't forgotten." "Good, then we're clear." With nothing further said the two separated with their next steps taken, steadily moving apart as they did so. He moved further to the right, closing in on officer Celek who was in the middle of a conversation with a woman who stood across from him. He chose not to interrupt the two, simply standing off to the side in wait. It didn't take long for Celek to notice him, more than glad to see he had come. "There you are, that wasn't a long wait at all." "What happened," Heiji asked. "Did they figure out what was wrong with the elevators?" "Not elevators, only the individual," Officer Celek corrected. "One elevator in particular has been causing troubles all morning." "What kind of problem?" "A delay is what they're saying," Officer Celek replied. "Some kind of discrepancy with the weight limit." "As in too many people being on the elevator at once?" "That is correct." "What is the weight limit on these elevators?" "1145 ibs is what I've been told." "It would take at least eight people to go over that limit," Heiji said. "Is the elevator in question currently unresponsive?" "It was, but finally began functioning once after a minute of waiting." The woman from across spoke. "And you are?" "Carol, Carol Flowers," She replied. "CCO, Chief content officer of the company." "They said you would be coming in." "That must make you detective Hattori, correct?" "You know me?" "Lonard mentioned you in a discussion we had yesterday evening." "What did he say?" "Not much, just that you would be helping with a personal dilemma." "What about the elevator," Heiji asked looking back his way. "Do they plan on giving it a look?" "There's mechanics on the way as we speak," Officer Celek replied. "They should be here soon enough." "Since we're past all introductions, mind if I ask you a couple questions regarding your hours put in last night Ms. Flowers?" "Well of course," Carol replied. "After all, that's why I'm here." "Alright, we'll start with the basics," Heiji began. "Did you see anything unusual last night, or hear anything you normally wouldn't?" "Not from my office, no." "Your office, where is that?" "Below us," Carol replied. "On the eighteenth floor." "Do you recall what time you left the building?" "After two, I don't remember the exact time." "Did you happen to come across anyone at that given time?" Officer Celek asked. "What do you mean?" "On your way out, did you see any of the other employees who were working late such as yourself?" "Now that you mention it, yes," Carol replied. "I did see someone on my way out." "Who was it that you saw?" "Mr. Hamilton," Carol answered. "The man who works the front desk in the lobby." "Is that so," Heiji remarked. "Is there a storage room on that floor?" "Yes," Carol confirmed. "How did you know that?" "I heard it from Hamilton himself, he told me he had gone to the storage room before he was to take off," Heiji said. "Can you confirm this?" "I didn't actually see him go in, but he was heading in that direction," Carol replied. "Sorry, but that is all I can give." "Which is good enough for now," Heiji said. "Though it's odd." "What?" "When asked not once did Anthony Hamilton mention seeing you on his way to the storage room." "Think there's some meaning to it?" Officer Celek asked. "I'll go and revisit Hamilton soon, but first I'd like to have another word with Fournier about a little something." "Does that mean we're done here?" Carol asked. "For now yes," Heiji replied. "But stick around, we may need another statement from you in the coming minutes." "Understood, I have no intent on leaving," Carol said. "I'd like to find out exactly what went down last night." "Go on ahead, I'm going to wait here until the mechanics arrive," Officer Celek said. "I'll keep you updated on the situation." "Sounds good to me," Heiji said. "I'll return as soon as I'm finished." "And I'll be here." With that he turned for the left, heading back to the office with his head leaned over in thought. "Looks like the elevator situation was nothing but a side ploy, probably nothing to worry about." It wasn't long after that the presence of someone could be felt from his side. He turned to see him keeping pace with him from the right. "You catch all of that?" "No, I actually asked one of the other security guards," Tim replied. "He told me the circumstances surrounding the elevator, I only followed you after seeing that you were headed back to the office." "I'm surprised Kudo didn't join us, he's usually the one to look into every possible lead," Heiji said. "Though this one turned out to be unrelated." "I don't blame him," Tim said. "That room is the center piece to everything." "That I can agree on, but we still need to gather as much information surrounding the situation as a whole." "Now that we got that all cleared up, what do you plan on doing next?" "I want to go and search Grahm Fournier's office, I have a feeling there might be something to find," Heiji replied. "That is after I've spoken with his brother first." "Bout time," Tim said. "I was wondering when Grahm's office would register to your radar." "In any case, why don't you go and find Kudo," Heiji suggested. "Let him know about the whole elevator situation, I'm sure he's wondering how that all turned out." "Sure thing," Tim agreed. "We'll regroup with you soon." "Sounds good to me." They parted ways from there, only taking a couple more steps before reaching the door to the office. He took to the left side of the room once in, looking ahead to still see Lonard at the comfort of his chair. He reached him soon after, laying a hand to the desk to gain his attention. "You're back, good," Lonard said. "What happened out there?" "No one is entirely sure yet, the only thing we do know is one of the elevators has been experiencing minor problems," Heiji informed. "The mechanics are on their way now, so I'm sure they'll have that cleared up in no time." "I see," Lonard said with the grip of his tie. "Anything else you have to report to me?" "No, but I do have another question," Heiji replied. "With all the surveillance that is staged throughout the facility, are there any surveillance camera's in this room as well?" "Unfortunately not, we hadn't gotten around to doing so." "How long has this room been your office?" "Roughly two weeks now," Lonard replied. "The old one was two floors below, decided to move up here for the additional space." "So when is it you planned on having camera's set up in this room?" "Tomorrow was the planned date." "And was Grahm to be the one to have that all taken care of?" The office phone set out on the desk began to ring before a response could be given. "Would you hold on for a moment, this could be important." "Take all the time you need." Heiji replied. He reached for the phone, leaning back in the chair while answering it. What the discussion was about was unknown to him. He waited for over a minute for him to finally lay the phone back onto the hook. "Alright, now what was it you were fixing to ask?" "The camera's that were scheduled to be installed in this room, was your brother going to be the one to have wired it all up?" "Him and his unit, yes." "That leads into my second question, his office," Heiji said. "Where might I find it?" "It depends on what you mean," Lonard said. "There's the security back room where he spent most of his time, but he also had an individual office of his own where he filed most of his paper work." "Where might that office be?" "Look no further." Lonard pointed. He turned to where he had pointed, looking across the room to see a door located on the far right wall. "That door there is a direct link to his office from mine." "Mind if I take a look inside?" "Not at all, there's already a small group looking through the room as we speak," Lonard informed. "I'm sure they'll give you an update on what they've gone through thus far." "Before I go there's one last thing I'd like to clarify." "Which is?" "You spent a majority of last night on the lower levels, at any time did you visit any of the higher floors?" "I did, the twenty first floor," Lonard confirmed. "I went to retrieve a diagram for something I was working on." "At what time was that?" "Anywhere frome ten to twenty after one," Lonard replied. "You can check the security cameras to get an exact time." "Appreciate the talk," Heiji said before turning away. "It's about time I paid that office a visit." He trailed off to the other side from there, pleasantly surprised to find a clear path to the door. He opened it after reaching it, taking a look inside to see a few others in the room like he had been told. He looked to the right wall to see a large board clamped to the wall with several small notes clipped in place. He then looked to the left to see the two of them standing behind a small desk at the corner. "Looks like they beat me here." He moved further into the room, taking a step around the desk to join the two of them. "Had no idea I'd find the two of you in here," Heiji said. "Anyone try to question why the two of you are in here?" "We've pretty much blended in up til this point," Tim replied. "Besides they're more focused on those notes on the board than anything else." "Come across anything worth the mention from this end?" "There might be something," Shinichi replied before sliding on a latex glove. "I found this while checking the outlet where all the cords are running through in this room." Using the protective glove he reached into his pocket to pull out a plastic bag, what was inside was a bit hard for him to make out at first glance. "What is that?" Heiji asked. "Tape," Shinichi replied. "I found it attached to the phone line." "What do you make of it?" "We believe someone might have been listening in on his phone conversations while in this room," Tim replied. "It was found in a secure location where a recorder could have been placed." "If so, the who and why is our next question to figure." Shinichi added before placing the plastic bag back into his pocket. "Did you already tell him about the situation surrounding the elevator?" "Was the first thing." Tim replied. "What about you and Fournier," Shinichi asked. "What did you two discuss just now?" "Not much, just a couple questions here and there regarding the security angle." "I'm going to need you to go and see him once more," Shinichi said. "We need to find out what calls were made and received from this phone, I'm sure if you ask he'll have the records dug up for you." "Sure thing." "When you do happen to do go, make sure you ask for all phone records," Tim added. "Not just for this room, but for all phones throughout this entire building." "Why," Heiji asked. "I thought our only concern was with the one here." "It's for a good reason," Tim replied. "I'll let you in on it later." Shinichi looked at him after hearing this. ".. Does he know?" "I'll go and see him now, the sooner we get this done the better." "We'll follow you," Tim said. "We're done here." "Agreed," Shinichi said. "With this latest development there's something else I'd like to look into." "What is that exactly?" Heiji asked as they began to walk. "All other phones on this floor," Shinichi replied. "If the phone here was in fact tampered with in any kind of way there's a chance others could have received the same treatment." They walked out soon after, closing the door in the process. "Smart thinking, that might actually lead to something," Heiji said. "What about the notes clipped onto that board, either of you check that out?" "Was the first thing looked at when I entered the room," Tim replied. "It was nothing but annotations for his daily routine." "See anything that might shed light on the situation?" "Everything seemed pretty normal from a business stand point." "Did you check the drawers of the desk?" "Only his working supplies remained," Shinichi informed. "All documents that could be found had already been removed by the time I had arrived." "Which puts that out of the equation for the time being." Heiji said coming to an unexpected stop after another step taken. "What is it?" "Fournier is no longer at his desk," Heiji replied beginning a quick skim of the room. "I wonder where he could have went." "I'm sure he didn't go far," Tim said. "If you wait here he'll probably reappear soon." "This leaves the perfect opportunity," Shinichi said. "I'll be right back." "Where are you going?" Heiji asked. "To check the phone line at his desk," Shinichi replied. "Would you like to come along?" "You go on ahead, we'll be right here." "Suit yourself." Shinichi said before taking off for that very task. He stood there for seconds, monitoring the door for his return. This lasted for a bit to come, lowering his head as he went through all details learned up to this point. In the mist of it all something snapped, almost as if a missing link to the puzzle had been attached. "Could it be..?" "What is it?" "The elevator," Heiji replied. "We need to get back to the elevator." He headed for the door with nothing further said, looking to find he followed at his side. "Mind telling me what this is about?" Tim asked. "I think I know what caused the malfunctions with that elevator." Heiji replied. "Is that so?" "At first I thought it had nothing to do with this, but if what I believe is true that might not be the case." "What's the connection between Grahm Fournier's death and this elevator?" "That is yet to be revealed," Heiji said as they exited the room. "Let's hurry, we have to be sure no one attempts to move that elevator." Unsure on what he meant by this he followed none the less. They strolled down the hall, not stopping until after reaching those who still stood around the elevators. "Back so soon?" Officer Celek said being the first to greet them. "The elevator, has anyone tried operating it since the last I was here?" Heiji asked. "Of course not," Officer Celek replied. "We're still awaiting the arrival of the mechanics." "We don't have time," Heiji said. "There's something that could prove crucial." "You mean something involving the elevator," Officer Celek questioned. "Like what?" "According to the statements collected the weight limit went off when using the first elevator there on the left," Heiji pointed. "As we know it would take at least eight people to exceed the weight limit of each." "What are you trying to say?" "I had a little chat with Mr. Hamilton on my visit to the lobby earlier," Heiji informed. "Last night before clocking out from his shift he claims to have heard a noise." "What kind of noise?" "The sound of what appeared to be something that dropped down from a distance, which he said was on a floor above from where he had been." "Which floor was he on at the time?" Officer Celek asked. "The eighteenth," Heiji replied. "He wasn't the only to hear it, but Ms. Flowers as well." "Is that true?" Officer Celek asked turning to her. "That is correct," Carol confirmed. "It happened some time after two." "So the two of them heard a sound," Officer Celek said turning back to face him. "I hardly see how that relates to the elevator problem." "Think about it," Heiji said with a pause. "They could hear whatever dropped from where they were, and being that it was on another floor at a large facility such as this that could mean something." "What are you suggesting," Officer Celek asked. "That something large fell over?" "Not only that," Heiji said. "I'm thinking whatever they heard might have been the sound of something falling on top of the elevator." "That's a wild prediction, but makes sense when you add in all the known facts," Officer Celek said. "That now begs the question, if something fell on top of the elevator.. how did it get there?" "I was thinking whatever generated that noise was evidence linked to the crime," Heiji said. "Maybe even the weapon used in the act." "You've got me thinking," Officer Celek said. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to have a look into your deduction before the mechanics arrive." "How do you propose we do that?" Carol questioned. "We have someone send that elevator to the twenty fourth floor," Heiji replied. "Then we can open the doors from here, thus allowing for us to look down to see if anything is in fact weighing down on the elevator." "Brilliant idea," Officer Celek said in agreement. "I'll have someone set it up right away, you wait here." "Had no intent on moving." Heiji said in response. He stepped off to the side, approaching a security official who stood at the right side of the wall. He watched as the two dove into conversation, looking on as progressions were made. With that underway, he then looked to the opposite wall to see Tim who still stood in the same spot as before. "You sure did put a lot of thought into this," Carol said regaining his attention. "I must say, I'm impressed." "Can you elaborate on something for me?" "Sure, what is it?" "When you heard that sound," Heiji said. "Do you think you could give an estimation for how many floors up it came from?" "I couldn't really tell you," Carol replied. "It all happened so fast, I would guess at least two floors up but that's just a guess." "Don't worry," Heiji said. "We'll eventually get around to finding out the answer to that." They were then rejoined by Celek who returned from his quick discussion he had with the security guard. "Good news, everything is a go," Officer Celek informed. "They're sending someone down to the floor below to call for that elevator, which will allow for a clear view of the top of the elevator from our position." "I'm almost certain it will be rather dark," Heiji said. "Do you happen to have some source of lighting we could use?" "Of course," Officer Celek replied holding up a flash light held down at his side. "I borrowed this from him before he and two others left for the twenty fourth floor." "Smart thinking," Heiji commented. "Any idea how we're going to open these elevators doors to have a look down when the time comes?" "Already accounted for," Officer Celek replied. "Once they're set they're going to alert Cyless of security to manually open the elevator door from the back room, leaving us with the task of checking out the top of the elevator from up here." "Sounds easy enough." "I'd say so myself," Officer Celek said. "What about Fournier, did you let him in on your sudden analogy?" "Would have, but couldn't find him," Heiji replied. "When I returned to his office after checking out Grahm's office he was nowhere to be found." "I wonder where he could have gone." "No idea," Heiji said. "But I'm sure he'll turn up soon." "I'd assume so, it's probably something business related that has opted for his brief absence." It was only a second later that the vibration of his phone could be felt from his belt. He reached down to answer it, taking all but a few moments for the conversation to end. "That didn't take long, who was that?" Heiji asked. "They just lowered the elevator to their level," Officer Celek replied. "We should be expecting the doors to open any time now." "Let's do this." "Right after you." Officer Celek said as the two turned for the first elevator located on the left wall. They stopped immediately after reaching it, knowing they didn't have much longer to wait until the next stage in the process was to begin. He looked off to the side to see Ms. Flowers who patiently awaited the open of the doors as well. The longer this went on the more anxious he became. Before any of them knew it the elevator doors opened just like any other time when normally summoned. "This is it." Officer Celek said being the first of the two to make a move. The two stepped up, making sure to keep a safe distance between them and the edge. He flashed the light, allowing for the two of them to peer downward to see if something indeed had landed atop the elevator. What came to their sight left them in a frozen state of shock, neither expecting to find what was laid out below. Curious as to what silenced the two, Ms. Flowers stepped up to the both from behind. "What is it," Carol asked. "What can you see?" The two looked to one another before then looking back to her. "It's not a weapon like we had originally considered, but rather." Officer Celek began. "A body." Heiji completed. "A body," Carol questioned. "Are they..?" "Dead, yes," Heiji replied. "There's high amounts of blood that can be seen, and there appears to be an object that was struck into the right side of their skull." "If you ask me I'd say it's an axe." Office Celek said having another peak with the flash of the light. "Call it in," Heiji instructed. "We need another unit working this immediately." "Do you think this has anything to do with what happened to the late Grahm Fournier?" Carol asked. "Two deaths in the same building in less than a twenty four hour span, I'm certain there's some kind of connection between the two." "That must be the guys from below," Officer Celek said at another incoming call. "Better let them know the situation." "While you do that I'm going to go and find Fournier," Heiji said. "Chances are the body belongs to someone who works here, who better than Lonard to identify the body." "Go on ahead," Officer Celek said in agreement. "I'll take care of the procedures here." "I'll be back as soon as I can." With that he turned back into the direction leading to the office where it all had began. It didn't take long for him to notice he had rejoined his side as he walked. "You hear all of that?" "Every word," Tim confirmed. "Could you distinguish if the body was male or female?" "Defiantly male," Heiji replied. "We'll only be able to ID who it is by getting a closer look." "You mentioned a blow to the right side of his head," Tim said. "Were there any other notable wounds you could see from your position?" "There was too much blood, we'll only know by getting in closer." "Nice work with your deduction by the way," Tim complimented. "Had no idea that elevator would lead to such a big reveal." "Now comes the fun part, piecing its relation to the death of Grahm Fournier." "I'll go and inform Shinichi of your findings, I'm sure he's almost completed his task of checking all the phone lines on this floor." "How many rooms are on this floor anyway?" "No more than ten," Tim replied. "I took note of that the second time I walked through here." They arrived back to the office soon after, taking a look inside to find Shinichi was nowhere to be seen. "Looks like he has yet to return," Heiji said before locating Fournier who had returned to his desk. "No matter, I'll go in search of him," Tim said. "I'll be back as soon as I do, that leaves you to break the news to Lonard." "I'm already looking forward to it." Heiji said heading toward the desk. He went through his choice of words as he approached, thinking of the best way of breaking the unexpected news to him. He stopped once reaching the desk, silently waiting for him to take notice. "There you are," Lonard said raising his head. "I was told you were looking for me, what is it you wanted?" "That can wait, I have some disturbing news to bring," Heiji replied. "Another body was just found." His eyes shot wide at this news, sitting there in shock for seconds to come. "Another body," Lonard questioned with the wipe of sweat from his forehead. "Where, how long have they been dead?" "We don't know, the body was just discovered laying on top of the elevator that had demonstrated problems earlier in the day," Heiji informed. "If you don't mind I'd like for you to come with me, we need someone to identify the body." "You think it's an employee of Nano High?" "That would be my first pick," Heiji replied. "Only one way to find out." "Come," Lonard said pushing up from the chair. "Let us go." "Yes of course." Heiji said turning back for the door. He followed at his side as they walked out of the room. Yet again he returned to the scene that had unfolded by the elevators, quickly sighting Celek who seemed to be handing out instructions to those who surrounded him. "Who was the one to make the discovery?" Lonard asked. "Officer Celek and myself," Heiji replied. "Though I was the one to suggest that we take a look, turns out it was for the best." He turned at the sound of their voices, delighted to have his return. "Good to see you were able to find him," Officer Celek said. "Have you been brought up to speed on the situation?" "He told me everything while in the office," Lonard confirmed. "Which elevator was this body found on?" "The first one on the left," Officer Celek pointed. "Follow me." He did just that, following him close to the edge before stopping. He pulled out the flash light from before, pointing it downward to give him a clear view of the body. "And there it is," Officer Celek said. "Do you recognize who that is?" He brought an arm to his face as he looked away in disgust, shaking his head in response. "I have no idea who that person is," Lonard replied. "I'd need a closer look to make a determination." "And we will soon," Officer Celek said. "The mechanics will be here shortly." "Fournier, do you think I could have a word with you?" Heiji asked. "Yes, of course." The two stepped off to the side, giving them privacy away from the others who stood in the general area. "Alright then, what is it?" "Before any of this had been discovered I had tried looking for you," Heiji said. "Where were you exactly?" "Taking a call in another room, I was given further details on my brothers death," Lonard informed. "They're now saying he was shot from afar, and not at close range like we had originally thought." "I see," Heiji said with a pause. "Well that sure changes up the elements to the scenario." "You're telling me." "Did they have an estimation for how far away the culprit was when he took the shot?" "No," Lonard replied. "Only that they're certain it was more than ten yards." "That's not much to go off of, but does alter the dynamics no matter how you look at it," Heiji said. "Do you mind waiting here until the mechanics arrive?" "I had not planned on leaving, at least not until an identification is made on this body." "Good." "What about you," Lonard asked. "You plan on sticking around for the duration of this?" "You'll see me here and there, but right now there's someone I need to see," Heiji said in response. "I'll be back in time." "Then go," Lonard said. "You have a job to do." He nodded, turning for the other side of the hall before taking off once more. He trailed all the way back to the office, walking in to see the room still being examined for additional evidence that had yet to be obtained. To his delight it didn't take long for him to see the two of them standing in front of the office desk. It was only a matter of seconds for them notice him walking their way. "How did your scavenger hunt go?" "Result filled," Shinichi replied. "There was one other phone line that I discovered small amounts of tape connected to it." "Which was?" "The phone at this desk," Shinichi pointed. "Which means both Fournier brothers were intertwined in some kind of agenda." "One which could be at the center of this whole ordeal," Tim added. "On the flip side how did things go out there, was Lonard able to identify the body?" "Not on his first look, the body was too far down for him to see," Heiji replied. "He'll have another look when the mechanics arrive, once they reel the body into position we should have a clearer view on things." "Guess it's wait and see from here." "Not entirely," Heiji said. "We now know that Grahm Fournier was not shot from close range like we had originally thought, that gives us a whole nother angle to work." "Are you certain of this?" "I heard directly from Lonard." "That more than changes the outlook on things," Shinichi said. "It even gives more depth to the glass window being opened at some point." "Which means we could be dealing with a sniper," Tim said. "Did he clarify an exact distance?" "Nothing set in stone, only that the shooter was at least ten yards away from where he stood when the trigger was pulled." "Not much to take away from that," Tim said. "But it does beg the question of where the shooter was when the shots were fired." "Nows there's the body that was just discovered on the elevator which only further complicates things." "You're right," Shinichi agreed. "The chance of the two murders being connected is high, but before making anymore analogies I'd like to have a look at the body myself." "That might take some time for it to be accessible," Heiji said. "But I could give you a brief run down of what I saw." "That'll have to do for now," Shinichi said in response. "I'm listening." "First and foremost, the cause of death appeared to be a blow to the right side of his head," Heiji began. "From what I could tell it appeared that an axe was embedded into the contents of his skull." "The right side huh, interesting," Shinichi remarked. "Any other notable cuts or bruises for that matter?" "Couldn't tell, I wasn't close enough," Heiji replied. "But I'd say it's more than likely, the amount of blood surrounding the body would seem to imply multiple wounds." "We'll have to wait for further observation to gain anything significant." Tim said. "It would seem that way." The next moment brought a subtle sound, to where it was coming from was uncertain. "That noise.. do you hear it?" "It's me," Tim answered before diving a hand into his side pocket. "My phone to be precise." He pulled it from within his jacket before holding it out to see the incoming call. "Who is it?" Shinichi asked. "Bruce," Tim replied. "I wasn't expecting to hear from him so soon, it must be important." Just as he was to answer the call he heard a loud whistle from behind, all three turning to see officer Celek enter the room. "I didn't realize you two were still here," Officer Celek said. "I was recently informed we are not to let anyone use their phones while in the building at this given time." "Under what circumstances?" Tim asked. "No detailed answer was given, I'm only going by what was told to me." Going in compliance with his wishes he lowered the phone back into the security of his pocket. "I apologize for the inconvenience." "No need to say," Tim said in response. "Orders are orders." "What brought you back here anyway," Heiji asked. "I thought you were going to wait out there until the mechanics arrived." "That was the plan," Officer Celek said. "But to speed up the process the ever so handy man Cyless was able to get the elevator into position to where the investigation could begin." "And the body, was Lonard able to identify who it was?" "It seems our supposed ghost has been found," Officer Celek replied. "The body belongs to none other than Nathan Bennet." "Nathan Bennet?!" To Be Continued