Carter left the desk and walked over to the suspects, who all sat on the floor, lying against the walls.
“Well,” Carter said. “I’ve spoken to every one of you and you all claim to deny being the murderer. That can only mean that one of you is lying.”
“How do you know that Freeman didn’t kill himself?” Sullivan asked.
“Because he was shot in the back of his head,” Carter said. “If he really wanted to kill himself, why would he go through the trouble to point a gun perfectly behind his head when he could just easily put it to the side of his head? Use some logic.”
“Well, who do you think was the one who did it?” Stewart asked.
“I haven’t figured that out yet. But I will. Oh yes, I will.”
Carter walked over to the suspects and gave them all an evil stare.
“I’m just letting you know now. Whoever it was, I’d be pretty scared if I were you. I will find you. No matter how hard you try to conceal yourself. If I were you, I’d confess right now, because if you don’t and I find out the truth, it’s not going to be pretty.”
Carter then walked to a far end of the basement and sat down. He needed some time to think. If he was going to find out who the killer was, he would have to think hard, using every explanation that the suspects gave. He wasn’t sure how long it would take him. But he would find out eventually.
Determination would get him to reach that goal. Determination for his best friend. The one way that Carter could show that he truly was Freeman’s best friend was by seeking justice for him. And Carter was more determined to do that than ever.
As Carter was thinking to himself, he suddenly began to think of Freeman as the great man that he had been. The memories he had of Freeman suddenly began to flood his mind again.
Carter had only two good friends in his life. One of them he hardly ever speaks to and the other one was now gone forever. This thought destroyed him; just as he had felt destroyed all night.
“I remember the last time I got locked in a basement,” Stewart suddenly said. “I was about thirteen. My brother’s friend wanted to play a trick on me, so he told me that there was a…”
“Would you shut the hell up?” Anderson said, gruffly.
“I don’t know how much longer I can stand being in here,” Jenkins said “I have to wake up early tomorrow morning, just like I do everyday!”
“I have to wake up early tomorrow, too,” Cruz said. “Tomorrow is Sunday!
“My kids are going to have nightmares tonight,” Sullivan said. “They always do if I don’t give them their goodnight kisses.”
“Would you all shut the hell up?!” Anderson barked.
“What on earth is your problem, man?” Stewart asked.
“Everybody is my problem,” Anderson said. “I have a massive headache right now and all I hear is unnecessary chatter. So please, everyone put a sock in it.”
“Don’t you hate being down here?” Cruz asked.
“Of course I do! I’d be crazy if I didn’t! That’s why I find it stupid that the rest of you won’t shut up about it. It’s obvious that you hate being here, so there’s no reason to say anything about it. Jesus Christ!”
“I’m not complaining about the being in the basement itself,” Sullivan said. “I just severely want to be with my children. Every time I’m not home when I’m supposed to be, my daughter starts to worry. I can’t even imagine how she probably feels right now. What I would give to be holding her in my arms right now…”
Anderson put both hands on his head. “My headache is worsening! I told you that enough is goddamn enough!”
“Seriously guys,” Stewart said. “I’d shut up if I were you. Anderson’s head might explode and we’ll have to clean it up.”
“That means you, too, Stewart,” Anderson growled.
All the suspects except Anderson and Howard all gathered together on one side of the basement.
“This should make things better,” Stewart said, quietly.
“I hope we can get out of here by tomorrow morning,” Cruz said. “If I don’t show up at church, people are going to wonder where I am. I never miss Church. I never do.”
“I am sure that people are going to need my assistance tomorrow,” Jenkins said. “My stupid boss is going to be furious.”
“I’m not entirely worried about my job,” Sullivan said. “It wouldn’t hurt me if I missed one day of it. All I care about is my family.”
As Carter was thinking to himself, something suddenly came to his mind. There was a question that he should have asked from the beginning. This question could bring him a giant step closer to figuring out the murderer. Or, at least he hoped it would.
He stood up and walked over to the suspects.
“Have you figured it out, now?” Stewart asked.
“Not yet,” Carter said. “But I have another question that I need to ask.”
“Go on,” Anderson said, sighing.
“What exactly was Freeman doing right before he was killed?” Carter asked.
Stewart put his hand on his chin and thought for a second.
“He was looking at the rat trap,” Stewart said. “Yeah, that’s what he was doing.”
“Hmm,” Carter said. “So let me put this all together. Right before Freeman was killed, Jenkins you were walking away to leave the basement?”
“Right,” Jenkins said.
“Sullivan, you had walked off to look at a poster?”
“Right,” Sullivan said.
“Howard, you had turned around because you thought you heard something?”
Howard nodded.
“Cruz, you were tying your shoe?”
“Right,” Cruz said.
“And Stewart, Anderson, and Freeman were all looking at the rat trap?”
“That’s right,” Stewart said.
Carter thought to himself for a second again. Something did not seem right here.
“Stewart,” Carter said. “Were the three of you saying anything to each other when you were observing the trap?”
Stewart nodded. “A comment hear and there. We weren’t exactly getting into a conversation, but we were talking to each other all right.”
“Stewart was making wise guy comments,” Anderson said. “Not surprisingly.”
Carter scratched his head. Yep. Something was not right, indeed.
Freeman had been shot in the back of the head. If Stewart and Anderson had been standing and talking with him right before he was murdered, then wouldn’t they have seen someone walk up behind Freeman to shoot him in the back of the head?
“I must ask,” Carter said. “If the three of you were talking to each other, then why didn’t you see anybody pull out a gun on him?”
Suddenly, there was a long pause. Anderson and Stewart both had strange looks on there faces.
Finally, Anderson said: “Only Stewart and I were saying anything. We weren’t even acknowledging Freeman.”
With the way that Anderson and Stewart had been acting together before, Carter would never have made any assumptions about the two of them. But acting existed. It had existed for many years.
Carter had figured it out.
Stewart and Anderson had planned Freeman’s murder together.545Please respect copyright.PENANAINz9UZSC5W