Autopsy of a Mind

Chapter 125: Aiming for a Confession

"Especially with Collins on the tail?" he asked. "You've been stressed about him for a while now. What about all of this bothers you?" he asked. 

"I feel like he is up to something. Something bad. And it has to do with you." I stared ahead. "He is playing a game with us. He is calling up families who are involved with the mysterious man the one going around the city inspiring people to give in to their instinct to kill."

"And what better way to do it than to inspire them and then take their money to defend them in court?" Sebastian asked. 

"It just doesn't fit. The pompous nature and superiority complex does, but our previous descriptions and criminal profile don't match." It was frustrating. 

"Sometimes, profiles don't match," he told me. "But I am of the same opinion. So far, he doesn't look like the person we are looking for, but we can't have our guard down. Not yet."

"You need to tell me why. Don't leave me hanging," I said quietly. 

Sebastian looked at me from the corner of his eyes. "Well, while the god-complex guy was trying to be known to us, he was playing a game of hide and seek. He is not an attention seeker, though. Collins is a classic attention-seeker, a cartoon villain if you will. He likes to take big cases and make a point. It's not god complex it's inferiority that drives him."

I took a sip of my now cool coffee. Indeed, when I drank it at normal temperature, it tasted horrible. I scrunched my brow but continued to take another sip. 

"I need to go over security footage and hopefully, we will find something substantial to get a confession out."

Sebastian patted my back. "I'll go back to writing a report on the multiple arson cases that I just solved."

I chuckled. "They really are making you do all the cold cases irrespective of them being a serial killer or not!" I had to give it to him, though. He was being really nice and solving them without a fuss.

"Yes. They're abusing me thoroughly," he groaned. 

"And why are you putting up with it?" I asked casually. It was unlike him to put up with things he hated doing.

"Well, the only way I can remain close to you and see you every other hour is if I work in the station." He looked at me like a lost puppy and I covered my mouth with my hand in surprise. 

"You've been reading a lot of romance books, haven't you? So corny!" I commented.

"The least I can do to affirm my emotions, Evie." He patted the top of my head. "Will you be pulling an all-nighter again?" he asked.

"I think I will. What will you do?"

He shrugged. "I am too tired to cook tonight. I'll order in and keep some aside for you. I will bring it in for breakfast tomorrow. I doubt you'll get up to grab food while you work."

I smiled. "You do know me." Of course, he did. After living together, it was a foregone conclusion. He knew me before then, but now he was a confident and more expressive person.

"Get back to your work, I'll finish mine and apprehend this bastard," I smirked. 

"You're getting uncannily confident about these cases. We need to keep a check on that," he teased softly, ruffling my hair. "You'll be really famous if you get a confession out of him, will I have to fend off men with a stick after that?" he wondered. 

"Get going and put your thoughts to good use," I warned playfully. 

"Yes, Ma'am." I chuckled as he left. 

When I entered the office, Nash was going through papers. "You're finally here!" He sighed. 

"Is it good news?" I asked, going to his side and peering at the paperwork. It was the footprint analysis. Shoe size was a match and Nash had already secured the list of people who had bought the shoe in the city.

"Yes. His name is on the list and we have further proof because he posted about his new shoes all over his social media. I already saved it and took print outs of them for you to use. As for the CCTV, I watched all evening and someone did go into the house through the backyard."

He turned the screen to me. I looked at the screen. I couldn't see the numberplate on it, but the man who appeared out of the car had the same stature and gait as McCain. 

He was in the house for half an hour before he rushed out and drove off in the car. 

"We need to confirm the car model with his and follow it to see where it goes, don't we?" I asked, feeling uneasy. 

"I am worried that he already got rid of the murder weapon. That would have been crucial information," Nash commented as he played with the pen. 

"For now, let's get the traffic footage and see where the car goes. If we can prove that he was not in his house that day, it would do us a huge favor," I supplied helpfully. 

His eyes lit up.

"They can dispute the words of a young child, but they can't refute footage, right?" he said with a sadistic gleam. 

I chuckled. "You're right. My treatment of Collins shook McCain, too. He might not be confident in his choice of lawyer and drop Collins altogether."

Nash jumped to his feet and pulled me into a hug. "God, you're an evil genius. I am glad you use your intelligence and glib tongue for good. I'd have a huge problem on my hand if you turned to the dark side." 

I patted his back and I laughed. "Okay, this is too much affection for me. I'll apply to the traffic police control station for the footage and get a full image of where he went and what he did."

Nash nodded enthusiastically. "I have never been more thankful of how good surveillance in our city is until now."

I rolled my eyes. "You should also apply for bank transactions made in the recent past. If we see a purchase or cash withdrawal during that day, we will have reasonable doubt on his alibi."

I tilted my head to a side. "But how did you get such good footage? He wouldn't have gone through the backyard if there were CCTVs on that road," I asked him thoughtfully. 

Nash smirked. "Indeed. There weren't CCTVs on the road and their personal security camera was broken long ago, but the houses opposite to Maya's house had a new security system. That's why I got it."

I sank into my seat. "Thank god for that."

"Now, we just need to look at every traffic footage until we find him, right?" Nash said slowly. He looked like he was about to die. 

"Another day of hard work, Nash. Buckle up!" I cheered him on. 

"I don't know how you are so chirpy. You've grown chattier since you started working. Ugh, I thought I liked it. Now I feel like I am part of some crime-fighting duo."

I mock-glared at him. "I can't sulk. I need the motivation to work," I admitted. 

"I hear the new recruits are gossiping about your overprotective boss." I scoffed. "I thought you would have fun keeping your relationship a secret. But turns out, Sebastian was too nervous you would be stolen away."

I groaned. "So, you knew the full extent."

"Have you seen the skip in his step recently? He's a genius in the field but I didn't live under a rock all this time. I have some good skills too, you know?"

I widened my eyes and looked at him. "Get back to work. We need to bring him in as soon as possible."

"Hopefully without a lawyer," Nash added. 

Half an hour later, we had all the footage we needed and looked through each and every one of them. It was close to ten in the night when we were done. 

"Do you think we have enough to bring him in for a second round of questioning?" Nash asked. 

"He went to a grocery store before going to Maya's home. We sent an officer to get the camera footage from there, too. It should be here in a while. We'll have a record of what he was wearing and proof that he lied about his whereabouts. Then, we can match his clothes to the person who entered and show exactly where he went. I think this is enough suspicious behavior to bring him in, don't you think?" 

Nash thought about it for a second. "It's getting late. Should we wait until tomorrow?" And then he shook his head. "No, we need to strike while the iron is hot."

"If we call him urgently, he might not bring the lawyer with him. And we can talk to him until we have enough information from his mouth to dispute."

"Then, are we aiming for a confession?" I asked. 

"That is the best option for us, isn't it?" He turned to me with a determined look. "Let's bring him in right now."

I made the call. There was a slight panic in his voice but when we sent over an officer to bring him, he didn't protest. 

"He's in Interrogation Room 2. He'll call Maya his wife and act like he is a misunderstood hero. Let him play that game. Slowly break into their relationship and how bothered he was that his ex-wife was seeing someone new."