CHAPTER 5: A SLICE OF INFORMATION.

Captain Luis sat comfortably on the sofa in the home of Mr Patrick Hudson. Twenty-three minutes of the time had passed by . Yet there was no sign of him yet. This was exactly one thing he detested about very wealthy and influential people. They were always caught up with one thing or the other.

" Excuse me, sir." The soft voice of a lady said to him.

" Where is Mr Patrick Hudson? Did you not tell him the captain he requested to see is already here?"

" Apologies, Sir. That is exactly why I am here. "

" Hmm. " Captain Luis exhaled tiredly. It was obvious thean was not yet free from whatever it was that caught him .

" He said I should give you whatever you request. So, please Sir, may I have your order?"

" Are you serious right now?" The captain asked with a look of confusion. " Am I here for some relaxation moment? What do you mean by that?"

" Captain Luis." A soothing voice called from the stairs. The captain recognized whose voice it was at once.

" Mr Patrick Hudson." He rose to his feet.

" I apologize for keeping you waiting. " Mr Patrick Hudson said, waving the young lady off. She bowed her head and headed out.

" I had already lost my patience."

" I can see that. Please, have a seat. " Both men sat down. " I was with my daughter when you arrived. "

" I feel your pains, Sir. And I can promise you that we will do what we can do to see that this case is solved ."

" Hmm. " Mr Patrick let out a weak breath. " That is exactly why you are here. I need to know. Who is behind this? "

" I am sorry, Sir. But as it stands now, we do not have any answer to that question. " But with time, we will. "

" You don't understand. Do you? It is not just about my daughter here. My son-in-law has been murdered. His father is a friend and a business associate of mine. What do you think the media will say? "

" At the moment, Sir, I advise you to get whatever it is that will distract you out of the picture. "

" Captain Luis, we are talking about the happiness of my daughter here. My son-in-law was murdered. Who would want him dead? I mean, for what reason would someone want John dead?"

The captain took little time before speaking. " Sir, with all due respect, I think you should be explaining that to me."

" What?" The surprise on his face was evident.

" Why would someone want to take the life of your soon-to-be son-in-law?"

" That is supposed to be your job."

" I am doing my job right now. "

" Wait a minute, captain Luis. " He giggled. " Is this an interrogation session? Am I being suspected for the murder of John Sinclair?"

" Not at all, Sir. And I apologize if I gave you that impression. However, everyone in the city knows what the union of Mr Patrick Hudson and Mr Sinclair will mean . So, I need all the information that I can get from you."

" I have no information."

Jack walked in to see the both of them.

The captain smiled. " Maybe your son here should tell us why he wanted John Sinclair dead."

" What?!" Jack staggered backwards.

Detective Clark Garcia drew in a long air and released it slowly. Her two hands were fixed in her pockets. The cold had made its intentions known. Freezing her up.

" Hey. " Robert said and motioned towards her. " Are you alright?"

" Does it look like I am not?" Clark replied, eyeing the hood in his hands.

" Well, it certainly looks like my partner is not alright? You can have this." He passed the hood to her.

" Never said I needed any. " She burped out chilled air.

" Yeah. I know you never mentioned that. But then, I did not purchase this for no reason."

" You … just bought this..?" Clark asked with surprise, turning to him.

" Obviously. " Robert rolled his eyes. " At least, I am not a magician. I saw your state. So, I decided to be of little help. So, do me a favor by accepting this from me. "

" What should I call this?"

" Uhm.." Robert stroked his hair. " Well, detective chivalry. " He giggled.

" Thank you. " She accepted it and quickly put it on. " I earnestly hope detective Robert is not in any freaking way thinking we are now on talking terms." She covered her head with the hood's cap and slid her hands into the pockets.

Robert smiled. " I don't stoop low."

" What?" Clark eyed him.

" Yeah. I have good standards," His voice conveying a level of seriousness he did not mean.

" Oh my… what the..?" Clark muttered in disbelief. She could not place Robert's words. Was he really saying she was way below him?

" Who did you say that dude is?" Robert changed the topic, definitely enjoying the strings he struck. " What is taking him so long?"

Clark's eyes stared at him with disgust. All she wanted to do was throw the hood back at him. But she knew better. The cold was not smiling at all. Doing that would only amount to her own detriment. So, she would let this one slide. In due time, she would get back at him.

" The task of the forensics unit isn't one to be understood by everyone. Unless you have the brain to. " She cleared her throat.

" What are you insinuating right now?"

" Well, detective Robert, I believe you are not too dumb to understand basic English. Are you?" She took some steps closer to him. " Mr Brown will be out soon. There is no reason to worry. "

" I just want to believe that that man I saw really knows what he is doing. If he were an expert , he should be out by now. "

" I heard that!" Mr Brown's voice invaded their talk. He walked straight to them with a small envelope.

" You are here. " Robert said, turning to him.

" Of course, I am. " Mr Brown replied . " Now, what do you have to say? If I were an expert?" He smiled. " Detective Clark Garcia, sorry it took some time. "

" You did your job.." Clark replied. " There is no wrong in that."

" Meanwhile," he slid out a stick of cigarette and lit it," how did you come about those prints?" He drew in air from the cigarette and slowly released it into the air. " It is quite complicated. "

" That is not for you to know." Clark replied, turning her head in the other direction in a bid to avoid the smoke.

" Sorry about that. " Mr Brown threw the stick away. " Here is what you need. " He handed the envelope to her. Clark and Robert emptied it.

" Two pictures?" Robert asked.

" Yeah. We were able to identify four different prints. Two belonged to the now late John Sinclair and his fiance, Claire Hudson. "

" And the other two are these guys , I guess." Clark said with both eyes fixed on the faces in her hands.

" Exactly. Though, there is something quite odd. " Mr Brown said.

" What do you mean to say?" Robert folded both arms.

" Turn the back of those pictures. "

Clark obeyed and saw the names. " What are these? Tom Rowe and Andrei ...Vova…. Andrei Vova. "

" Yes. Andrei Vova. A Russian name. " Mr Brown said.

" So, basically, these are their names." Robert said.

Mr Brown nodded. " We have checked for a few details about them. "

" Interesting." Clark muttered. " So, who are they?"

" Tom Rowe happens to be a Butler. "

" A Butler?" Clark asked. Her head searched for details.

" By any chance, " Robert cut in," is this man a Butler at Empire hotel?"

" Exactly. Do you both already know this?"

" Never mind. "Clark replied immediately, fearing her partner would answer. " Just continue. What about the other man? Uhm." She eyed the name. " Andrei Vova."

" There is ..Uhm.. a little complication there. "

" What do you mean to say?" Robert asked.

" The record of Andrei Vova says he died years ago. "

" What?" Clark asked in surprise. " How possible is that? I mean, if he is dead, what is his print doing there?"

" The report says he died in a car accident after drinking excessively. " Mr Brown continued. " But right now, I am.as confused as you are. It does not make any sense to me that a man that died years ago is alive. At least, I know ghosts don't walk the land of the living. That's an old fashioned story. "

" What if he is not actually dead?" Robert asked knowingly. Clark eyed him. " Yes. One of the things that does not just change is the fingerprint of a person. There is definitely something amiss in the story of his death."

" But why would anyone want to fake his death?" Mr Brown asked. " Please, if I may ask, how did you both come about the prints?" He paused and eyed them. " Does this have anything to do with….the death of —" he was cut short.

" Enough." Clark said. " Mr Brown, it has been a nice time working with you. You've been of great help to me. Thank you." She extended her hand.

" Mmm. I see. " Mr Brown received her hand. He knew that the detective never wanted anyone to know completely the progress she made in any case. She values secrecy. " Alright then. I will go back to my duties."

" Have a nice day. " Clark forced a smile.

Robert stared at him as he left.

" That man must have proven you wrong. Has he not?"

" Maybe he has." Robert turned to her. " Well, I must admit to that. He has done a great job. Yeah. But, what are your thoughts on what he said? "

" First, the manager of the hotel told us not so long ago that the butler who was supposed to serve Claire and John was missing. That only means that Tom Rowe is the butler. His prints were found there. He was probably taking the wine to room number 799 when the —" she cut her words abruptly.

" Detective Clark, is anything the matter?" Robert asked. " You were saying something."

" How possible?" Clark muttered. She raised her head. " Can't you see there is something wrong with this picture that has been painted here?"

" What are you trying to say?"

" Okay. Back there at the Empire hotel, the camera footage captured a man's face. "

" Diego Lorenzo."

" Exactly. The call my best friend received came through her brother's line from room number 798. At the same time, the manager of the hotel confirmed that there was no one like Jack Hudson at their lotel last night." She paused before continuing. " Detective Robert, you were the one that identified the man in the picture. So, what is this now? The face of Diego Lorenzo and the fingerprints of Andrei Vova." She chuckled and stroked her cheek.

" I have nothing to say on this matter. " Robert replied a bit coldly. Clark eyed him.

" Are you alright?" Clark asked. She could tell there was something quite odd . But at the same time, Robert's face had no expression to confirm the state of his heart.

" Of course, I am alright. " Robert smiled. " Just trying to work my head on the puzzle staring at us. "

" I see. " Clark suspected it was not that but decided to maintain her cool. " So, what have you figured out?"

" Detective Clark. " Robert was finally speaking. " What if neither Diego Lorenzo nor Andrei Vova were at the Empire hotel last night?"

" Mm.. maybe you should explain better. "

" What I am saying is that it is possible none of them visited the hotel. Someone else out there could be pulling these strings."

" But why? Have you thought about that?"

" Let us just say this person is good at what he does and prolly wants to mask his trail to avoid getting caught. "

Clark gave it a thought. She knew Robert was making sense. But then, she was not convinced with Robert's idea. She only had no way of proving it now. However, one thing was certain. She could tell neither Diego Lorenzo nor Andrei Vova had a hand in the scheme to kill Jack.

Flora Jones gulped at the juice in her hand. The sweet taste helped the rhythm of her thoughts. For the past fifteen years, Empire hotel has flourished as one of the biggest ventures to ever occur. Four years ago, she was still trying to get herself into the position she was currently occupying. The system of hotel's management made it so that the managerial seat was not occupied simply based on promotion. People from different walks of life having mountains of university degrees and loads of managerial experiences from different exotic enterprises always came the moment that door was open for application. But then, the Empire hotel was not just looking for certified people with many years of service. They needed that one person with the managerial poise and the humane attribute to organize people. Without any sign of it happening, the news flash came with a rather shocking headline that the hotel was already having issues and as a result could suffer a little financial melt down for a short period. By the following morning, almost every applicant had withdrawn their requests since the outcome of the meltdown was evident. But Flora Jones was a valuable exception. The next morning, she found her way to the staff recruitment head office.

" Why are you here?" One of the men had asked.

" I believe you saw the headline last night. " Another lady said. " And I also believe that you know the implications of that on your position. Almost everyone has withdrawn their requests. I think you should consider your future too."

" Uhm.." she cleared her throat in preparation for the next words. " I have no idea if I will work here or not. In every enterprise, hard times are bound to occur. And that is why I am here. I have gone through the details of the potential meltdown. And right now, I feel I can offer the solution to the problem. "

That was it. That single act of her to save the hotel from a made-up problem got her not just into the position of the manager of a branch of the hotel. She was made a regional manager overseeing all the branches in the city alone. But then, the hotel's image was about to be dented after such a long while. Right now, what she needed was to help those detectives so that the hotel's image can stand out. She picked her office telephone and dialed. Soon the unit picked and she placed the orders. Within a couple of minutes, one of the workers was walking into her office carrying the stuff that was a few minutes ago in room 799.

" Any other thing, ma'am?" The worker asked, dropping them on her table.

" If I have any other need, I will contact you people. You may go now. "

The worker left. Flora Jones put on her gloves and carefully examined everything. Soon, she found it. A tiny chip was attached to the tray.

" Where are you headed?" Robert asked Clark as she drove on.

" To see Mr Sinclair. " Clark replied.

" Hmm. Is this how you take up cases?" Robert asked.

" What do you mean?" Clark eyed him.

" We just got a good lead. Diego Lorenzo and Andrei Vova. Are you normally this slow?"

" You know, detective Robert, "she slowly drove to the side of the road and parked, " I have been trying to put up with this unnecessary display of arrogance."

" Display of arrogance. " Robert repeated. " Did you park to tell me I am arrogant?"

" Not at all, detective Robert. " Clark smiled. " I parked here so that you can find your way to Mr Sinclair's residence. "

" What? Are you indirectly telling me to come down for trying to educate you?"

Clark shut her eyes to swallow down the disgust and impatience welling up her. " Detective. Detective Robert, get out of this car. Get out of this car before I lose my temper. " She stared right into his eyes. The surging atmosphere was interrupted by her phone.

" Your phone is ringing." Robert said. With a visible hesitation, she took the call.

" Captain Luis." She said, trying to be normal.

" Detective Clark, where are you guys?"

" Captain. Captain Luis, I have a favor to ask you."

" This is not the right time for favors. Listen to me. You see—" he was cut short by an impatient Clark.

" Captain!" Realizing she had raised her voice, melted down.

" Detective Clark, are you alright? You just raised your voice at me."

" I'm fine… but not fine. Sorry for that. What were you saying?"

" Mm.. are you having problems with detective Robert?"

" Captain Luis, why did you call?"

" Jack was never at the Empire hotel."

" Yeah. We already figured it out. "

" But there is something fishy about that supposed union." Captain Luis sounded more serious.

" What did you find out?" Clark asked.

" Mr Patrick Hudson was more concerned about the union than the life of John Sinclair."

" What does that suggest?"

" I think there is a secret deal between those two men. Whoever killed John Sinclair must have figured it out and had no intention of letting it go through. And there is one more thing. " There was a little pause.

" Captain Luis, are you there?"

" John Sinclair was with a man nicknamed 'The butcher' yesterday before meeting with Claire Hudson.

" The butcher?" Clark said .

" The butcher." Robert's mouth moved. " Diego Lorenzo. That's Diego Lorenzo. "

" What?" Clark turned to him.

" I will leave for now." The Captain went off.

" Diego Lorenzo? He is the butcher." Clark said.

" Yes. But what was he doing with John Sinclair? That is my confusion. " His phone rang.

" Unsaved contact?.. Hello. Who am I unto?"

" This is the manager of the Empire hotel."

" Flora Jones?"

" I found something very important you need to know. It's about the ownership of the hotel."