Murder in the City of Marylane

10. Bird's-foot trefoil

“This is just my feeling or is the atmosphere feeling gripping?”

Harry came and said those nine words with a slightly frightened expression. In this meeting room is Sean and I, who have been sitting here for a long time. We're just waiting for Dean.

“You got less sleep?” harry asked after he sat down next to me. Maybe because he saw my tired face.

“Ya, I guess.”

It's all because of the killer. I can't sleep all night. But I slept for over an hour.

Dean came and sat in front of me. With this, we'll talk about the Mort and Levon murders.

“Good. Since everything is already here, I will discuss Mort's case before we explain in detail to the superiors.” Sean opened his voice. He stood up and turned on a recording of a phone conversation between me and the killer last night.

I breathe heavily. Hearing this conversation felt like it was making me ride a black hole. I leaned my back against the back of the chair.

“Sebitar—what does it mean?” harry said, “He did it? Call you? Any more casualties?” tanyanya. I nodded slowly.

“So, the explosion was on purpose, yes.”

Dean's words made me look.

“That is, this is a serial killer, and the killer deliberately killed him in front of us. Mort and the explosion yesterday. Right in front of us,” Dean asserted.

Sean agreed.

There's point.

But, why?

Why'd he call me?

My target?

If so, why not kill me?

But, I didn't even recognize the second victim. It has nothing to do with me. Wh why?

“But, why did the culprit call Juan?” Harry asked again.

“We will probably find out later,” replied Sean. He puts a picture of Mort on the case board, and attaches another person's photo next to Mort's.

“As you heard earlier, there are two more victims who will die at his hands. We have to prevent that as much as we can,” Sean explained.

He continued. “Mort Parker, he was killed on the highway by someone. Information on the killer, we haven't seen him. Based on the testimony of the minimarket cashier who had visited the killer, the killer was a man and had a butterfly tattoo.”

“Second victim, due to explosion in his car. I've found him, his name is Levon Jourell. A lecturer at Eswen University. Former human rights activist. I'm sure the news is exploding on the internet and television right now,”.

“A lecturer?” repeat Harry. I looked up and saw him pull out his phone.

“Wow, the news is excited,” he said without turning his eyes away from his phone screen. I approached and saw the headlines about Levon Jourell's death.

Car Explosion Happens in Marylane, One Dead. 

Lecturer and Former Human Rights Activist Found Dead in Car Explosion.

Car Explosion Happens, Police Chief Marylane: It's Murder.

There's a lot more.

“You told the police chief?” my many.

“Yes. I told you what happened that night.” he said.

“We have to track the number.”

“I did it last night,” Sean said. “I can't track it.”

Suddenly I remembered something.

There was a noise across there, when the killer called me.

“Hey, anyone have earphones?” my many. I saw Harry take it out of his pocket and thrust it at me.

“Thank you,” I said while accepting it. I put an earphone cord to connect to my phone. I put both ends of my earphones in both ears. Reboot the tape and listen carefully.

I closed my eyes, trying to focus.

“It's thirty ...” 

“Features ..” 

“.... exploded, yes?” 

“Wait a...” 

The rest is the sound of fireworks. I opened my eyes, breathing slowly.

“Why?” ask Sean then.

“There are other sounds. I'll check it into forensics to clear it up,” I said.

“Good. Dean and I are gonna find out about Mort and Levon's relationship. You go with Harry.”

---

“Can you increase the volume?”

Alvin Baker, who worked in forensics for several years, nodded. He fiddled with the computer in front of him. He amplified the other sound behind the phone.

We three—aku, Harry, Alvin—heard that voice.

“Today, the inauguration celebration of the bridge officially opened!” 

“Bridge opening ... by Mayor Marylane, Newton and ...” 

The rest is fireworks.

“The surrounding noise is too noisy,” my comment. The duration of the phone can be said to be a little. That's all we hear.

I saw Alvin leaning his back. “Looks like I know. There is the opening of a new bridge connecting between Marylane City and Northcliff City.”

“Really?” ask Harry. “We'll be there.”

“I'll send you the location.”

And, here we are. It took me a few minutes to get here.

Sure enough, there is a bridge that has been passed by several vehicle users. I look around. He called me here?

“I think we should check some CCTV,” said Harry while looking up. I followed his direction. There's some CCTV in there. I'm nodding.

We split up to get the CCTV video last night. There are about five CCTVs installed and display the area around the bridge. Not everything, just around the mouth of the bridge, given that this bridge is quite large.

We decided to check the video in the car using each other's phones. We connected a loose disc containing the footage with a type C OTG cable to the phone.

Unfortunately, he was wearing a helmet and all black clothes. We can't see his face.

“Taste in vain,” said Harry. I breathe again.

Wait, after the bridge was opened to the public a few minutes ago, he was seen walking on the small sidewalk of the bridge and then fell silent. He clasped both hands on the bridge fence.  He was like that for a few minutes, then walked again. He put something under the bridge fence, then looked at the CCTV we were watching the footage, as if he knew I was going to see this CCTV footage.

After that, he rode a parked motorcycle not far from there. The police number is not visible on the camera. If it looks like it, I'm sure it's fake. He finally went down the bridge and was not seen again.

Harry and I exchanged looks. We know what we have to do.

We finally went to the bridge. Figuring out what he put that night here. After I got there, I saw under the fence of the bridge—just where the Killer was standing that night. A slightly withered yellow flower stalk. I took it with my hand which I had wrapped in gloves before.

“Flower?”

---

Sean looked at the yellow flower wrapped in plastic in his chair. His forehead shriveled, like he was thinking what this flower has to do with murder cases so far.

“I don't know what this flower is,” the comment.

We don't know that either.

“Lieutenant Hadley, you are called superior.”

The four of us looked at the source of the voice. Another officer of this police force. Before Sean answered, he interrupted first.

“Oh, what is it?” tanyanya while looking at the thing Sean was holding, “I'm like I've seen it.” He went into the room and approached.

“You know?” asked Sean who looked up, looking at his interlocutor. His hand moved to thrust the plastic zip filled with flowers at him.

He picked it up and watched it closely. “Bird’s-foot .. trefoil. Right, that's it!” yells.

“Bird’s—apa?” ask Harry.

“Bird’s-foot trefoil. I found it once when I was in England,” he said while returning the parcel. “But, my wife doesn't sell it because the meaning is negative. Ah, yea! My wife is a florist.”

“The meaning is negative? What does that flower mean?”

“Revenge.”