100 Ways to Solve a Murder-Chapter 185: The Skeletons V

7 Eastbourne RD.

"What? Why?!" Marco inquired in disbelief, stepping back to the living room in a hurry to look at his friend. Levi looked at him, "They didn’t die in a fire, Marco. Sam’s parents were possibly murdered." he said; his expression didn’t betray his feelings, Marco noted.

Confusion flashed in his eyes; it didn’t make sense to him. Why cover it up? What for? "What? How? I mean, why would they do that? Wouldn’t they want the person caught?" the bearded man blabbered on.

"Good! You’re keeping up!" Levi complimented backhandedly as he approached the whiteboard with all the newspaper clippings fastened on it. He still had the journal in his hand.

"Fredricksen Co., Marco." the slicked blond revealed, expecting Marco to get it. But the G.P drew a blank, merely cocking a brow curiously. He was expecting more.

Levi furrowed his brows at the man, "Fredricksen Co!" he repeated, waiting for it to sink in Marco.

But still, nothing.

Disappointment dawned on his face, "Oh...now I miss her. You’re so...dim" he trailed, earning a scowl from Marco. "Just explain it! Fredricksen Co?" he asked, annoyed and insulted at the blond’s comment. Nothing new with that.

"Fredricksen Co, Marco. The World’s leading Security Company." Levi clued, looking at him expectantly only to receive silence.

The Irishman patiently waited for Marco to keep up, the man’s eyes stared back at Levi and then to the whiteboard. Pondering, why would the World’s leading Security Company cover up their heiress’ murder?

’Security.’

Marco’s eyes widened in realization, something the slicked blond did not miss. ’Finally’ he thought.

"Oh! Security!" Marco yelled in enthusiasm; enthusiasm slowly turned into dread. The enthusiasm that he finally understood what his friend was saying, and dread that the Fredricksen’s would do such a thing. All for the sake of protecting the Family name. Their Reputation.

"If the World learned that the renowned security company failed to protect the very heiress of it, they’ll be ruined. 6 Generation of providing safety, all to dust. All because of one fatal, very fatal mistake..." Levi trailed looking at the bearded man in such intensity.

"The mistake was that they couldn’t protect one of their own." he continued, tearing his eyes off of Marco and staring outside the window. "The World would question the very security they provided, their credibility. ’If you can’t protect one of your own how would you protect us?’" he explained.

Marco felt chills run down his spine, and his jaw dropped when the most vital thing hit him.

"DOES SHE KNOW?!"

Levi whiplashed to glare at him as if he was stupid. "Of course she knows, Marco!" he scoffed, annoyed at such a foolish question.

The two men paused for a moment, letting the realization sink in...only to be distracted with the psychologist’s phone ringing on his desk. He grabbed it immediately, answering when he saw Davies’s name on the screen. That’s precisely what he needed, the Cabin Fire File. If he could review it, he could help her solve the almost three-decade mystery.

"About time, Davies." Levi greeted enthusiastically, and Marco watched him converse.

"Levi, the police in Somerset can’t transfer the case file."

He frowned, "Why?" he asked.

"There isn’t any file, Levi." the man on the other line revealed, pausing for a moment. He could hear him expel a lungful of a sigh. "There has to be one---it was all over the damn news!" Levi argued, annoyed at this. "Listen, there isn’t any file because the precinct’s that handled the case Evidence room burnt down ages ago, together with the precinct. There’s no record. Nothing." Davies explained on the other line.

A pause.

Levi turned at the reports on the wall. "When?" He asked, voice more urgent.

"91’." the man replied; he honestly wanted to help as much as he could. But he could do nothing but just that.

"Alright. Good afternoon." Levi said, ending the call immediately. It didn’t make sense to him. There had to be a file.

"What was that about?" Marco asked, curious at what he learned, seeing the apparent frown expression on the Irishman’s face.

He spared Marco a look, "That was Davies, I asked him for the Cabin Fire files from Somerset. The precinct can’t transfer the file, because the whole precinct burnt down." he said, eyes focusing on the newspaper clippings on the whiteboard. "And I don’t think it’s a coincidence that it did 3 years after their Death. The same age Sam was when the incident happened." he trailed eyes narrowed at the bored, he shut his eyes for a second, thinking, in full concentration.

Trying to come up with a conclusion.

"There was no file. There was never a file. That doesn’t make any sense!" Levi exclaimed frustrated, whiplashing at the bearded man hoping he could provide some answers.

It bloody didn’t make sense!

"How did she know they didn’t die in the fire if she didn’t review her parents files before? How did she know they were murdered?" He thought out loud. "How was she so familiar with the M.O.? HOW!?" his voice grew louder, getting more and more frustrated. Eyes remained at Marco, a sense of urgency and hoped the man could provide him with something, anything.

It didn’t make sense.

Unless.

"Oh!" He gasped in surprise, and he felt elated finally figuring it out, but suddenly it hit him.

"Oh no.... she was only 3 years old." Levi muttered wide-eyed, staggering a couple of steps back, and the look on his face was enough to send chills down Marco’s spine.

"Levi?" the bearded man tried to catch his attention, seeing as he was lost in his thoughts.

The psychologist looked at him, filled with rue. The realization hit him; he knew she rarely talked about her family, something he could relate too. But he never realized just how much they had in common. Both of them belonged to a family who used their mental prowess for their personal gains. They both belonged to a family of monsters.

Slowly he turned to Marco, his throat felt dry, and his eyes stung. He blinked, causing a single tear to fall, the sudden state of him made Marco tense from where he stood. And fear enveloped him. He was emotional; Levi was rarely emotional. There were only two times before then that he’d seen him in such a state, one of which was when Sam’ died’.

"Marco, Sam knew the M.O on Wilson’s case." He started and based on his tone, and the bearded man knew something terrible was about to be revealed

"Yes?" Marco said, urging him to go on.

"She knew it, because of her parents murder." He added, Marco already was aware of this, but where was he leading him? He couldn’t help but wonder.

Another pause.

"..and she didn’t get it from a file, because the file didn’t exist. Hadn’t existed for over 27 years. What does it mean, Marco?" Levi added, losing him again.

"Oh, Sam." The Irishman couldn’t help but say, his face pale, and the air was caught in his throat as he gazed at a printed photo of her parents on the newspapers pinned on his whiteboard. Marco patiently waited, waited for something so much worse than the news that her parents were murdered. What could be worse than that?

Levi looked at him, mouth slightly agape. He felt drained; she too saw something a child shouldn’t have seen. She also, like him, lost their childhood innocence way too young.

"She was there when it happened. She saw it for herself. That’s the only logical answer." Levi muttered on, looking at the photos. Marco frowned, did he hear him right?

"She was only 3 years old, Marco. And she witnessed her parents brutal murder." He said with conviction. Nothing more was said.

The blond collapsed on the seat, and the only thing the two men heard was the sound of the kettle whistling from the kitchen.

They drank their tea silently for a moment. Levi, however, couldn’t help but recall one of his conversations with her. It was a time when she had one too many cans of coke. And she was feeling a bit chatty. He could still remember what she said,

"... I can’t delete information I no longer need or may never need in the future. When I see it, it’s stuck there. Like the frown on your face right now. Like what you wore the first time I saw you, a list of useless things right here---I am incapable of deleting." she said, pointing at her head.

"Like every corpse I’ve seen. Every crime scene, every moment that my eyes are open are recorded here. And when I close them..." She continued as she closed her eyes. "I can relieve it, the images imprinted in perfect accuracy. Every star in the sky, every crevice, or wrinkle on your face. Everything’s here."

It made more sense to him now, how her voice was filled with so much melancholy.

Every time she closes her eyes...she can see them. Their memory haunts her.