FICTION | MYSTERY | SHORT STORY | CREATIVITY | WRITING
Who Was Responsible For Vandalism of Luxury Cars in a Toronto Neighborhood?
A dazzling case that gained unusual media attention resulting in far-reaching changes — part two
Reza sprang up from the park bench to look closely at the lady as she snapped open the walking stick.
He thought to himself, I’m hallucinating. She’s going for the morning walk. The cases don’t get solved this easily. Criminals make us dance a bit to their tunes before they become careless in their overconfidence.
Reza was carving for the freshly brewed coffee and a healthy breakfast. He contemplated calling Mom to send them something to eat, as they didn’t get time to do the groceries.
Raha was on the phone with Chief Denson, updating him about the lack of leads in the case.
“We’ll be working non-stop until the miscreant is apprehended, Sir. The good news is that no new complaints were reported.” Raha sounded optimistic.
Reza entered the kitchen and sighed with relief, looking at the scrumptious breakfast on the table. Raha joined him, and both finished everything as they were famished. Raha sent a heart emoji to Mom with a picture of empty plates and dishes.
It was time to go back to the station to brainstorm ideas about apprehending the culprit.
The evidence board had all the pictures of smashed windshields neatly arranged according to when the reports were submitted. Some sketches were also pinned with reimagined crime scenes with different objects.
Raha surveyed the board intently and took some notes.
“We will be starting the call soon.” Cherry interrupted Raha’s thoughts. All of them were eager to hear from the forensics.
Shay Wilson, the lead, had been tasked to find clues on the ground or around the cars to shortlist some suspects.
Shay gave a curt nod at all and spoke.
“There are no fingerprints or footprints near the cars. The criminal planned the vandalism and was smart enough not to leave any clues.”
Paul Wilson, the IT unit lead, chimed in.
“This person seems to be a seasoned criminal; if these acts were committed by a novice, we would have found some online activity to apprehend them. I have been foraging signs for cellphones and found nothing out of the ordinary in the area.”
Reza was not happy with the assumptions and interrupted.
“We’re not making any judgments beforehand and without any solid proof. As far as the absence of cellphone signals is concerned. Maybe the miscreant left the phone at home. We work with solid proofs and don’t speculate. Whether or not the criminal acted with premeditated intent, we would find out from the horse’s mouth after the arrest.”
He also added.
“I want everyone to work without bias or theories regarding the nature, experience or even race. I nearly pounced upon an early-morning walker, thinking she had a hammer in her hand.”
The meeting was over, and everyone went back to their respective offices.
Raha was mulling over the theory about the person being left-handed and of medium height.
Chief Mason Denson ushered the present staff members to the conference room excitedly; Lisa, the receptionist, followed him with a trolley laden with cupcakes, croissants, donuts, and pots of coffee.
“We’ll be celebrating Thanksgiving without any worries about the case. The culprit has arrived with their lawyer and is waiting to be recorded and booked. I’ll hold the live news conference with the mayor in two hours. I want the details of the confession before.”
After a brief break and cups of coffee, Reza and Raha went to the Interrogation room with their pens and pads.
The newly elected mayor, Mandy Chin, arrived with her assistants an hour early and consulted a few details with the chief. The staff handled the media persons and took care of the seating arrangements.
The mayor started first.
“Good Afternoon everyone. I’m here to make an announcement with Chief Masan Denson, Detective Reza Kashif, and Inspector Raha Kashif. A person voluntarily surrendered at Rossman Avenue less than an hour ago, agreeing to pay the damages, and the investigation of the recent windshield smashing is officially over. We have the confession and the cheque for the damages with us. However, since most of the cars have comprehensive insurance, the windshields will be replaced free of cost. The $ 500,000 will be used to install security cameras on the stop signs on the road. Just to clarify, the mischief has caused the miscreant 5000 for each car. I’ll work with the city council to allocate more funds to extend the facility to other side streets. Although I cannot promise anything in advance, I’ll do my best to convince the council members to vote for this investment.”
Chief Mason Denson spoke next.
“Thank you, Mayor Chin, for taking this initiative. I think more security cameras will also encourage motorists to follow the rules more diligently. Now, Raha will give the details about the miscreant.”
Raha continued.
“Since the culprit has agreed to pay the damages, there will be no criminal charges against them. What we have concluded from the confession is that it is a case of road rage. The culprit had recently moved to the neighbourhood and got frustrated with excessive honking, noisy breaks, and dangerous driving. They felt unsafe walking the dog even when outside late at night or early in the morning. No consideration was shown to the elderly or children by the drivers, and most of them didn’t even bother to hit the brakes at the stop signs, making crossing the road hazardous.”
Raza concluded the conference.
“I would urge people to be calm while driving. We never know how our impatient actions might incite a destructive rage in an innocent mind.”
After the conference, Cherry and Larry wanted to know more details about the culprit. Reza told them how Raha’s initial profiling was spot on except for the gender.
“We’ve also learned about the feisty temperaments who would take risks to avenge some wrongdoings and openly confess to the crime. Age does not soften the foundations or energy to fight for ideals; unfortunately, sometimes, it is done to extremes, as was in this case.”
Larry was curious to know.
“Do you think she will move away from the neighborhood?”
Raha disagreed.
“I don’t think so. She likes the peace and quiet of the Feltline too much.”
©Fatima Imam (All Rights Reserved)
Sincere thanks to Denise Larkin, BA (Hons), for giving my creative pieces a safe haven in her publication ❤️❤️
Thank you, my dearest readers, for motivating me to finish the case. The crime was indeed committed by the brown lady in her late fifties who was very angry about the rude behavior of luxury car drivers in the area. Your indulgence is so appreciated and highly treasured. ❤️❤️
Here’s the link to the first part:
Thank you for reading my story. ❤️❤️ Get email alerts when I publish: https://faimam.medium.com/subscribe. Find me on LinkedIn| Twitter | Instagram
