Detective On Duty-Chapter 17: Questioning Mrs Penelope

"Six days remaining," a cold, mechanical voice echoed in Miles’s mind. The words flashed like a neon sign against the backdrop of his thoughts. Just as quickly as they appeared, the screen in his head went blank again, a sudden, jarring silence following the chilling countdown. A knot of unease tightened in his stomach. He shook his head, trying to clear the feeling, and walked on

He arrived at the institute, the familiar brick facade a welcome sight. Inside, he found Cecilia, Ethan, and Inspector Finch already waiting for him. Finch simply gave him a curt nod, a silent signal that their destination was ready. Without a word, they left the institute, their heels clicking against the sidewalk as they headed for the hospital. The mood was grim, the silence between them heavy with the weight of the case.

The hospital morgue was an antiseptic, cold space. The air smelled faintly of disinfectants and something less definable, a scent of finality. They met with Doctor Alistar, a weary-looking man in a white lab coat who had been in charge of Katherine’s autopsy.

"Gentlemen," Alistar said, his voice flat. "I’ve completed the autopsy, as requested. I’ve been asked to keep the findings close to the chest for now."

Finch’s tone was sharp and to the point. "Doctor, we’re with the Aethelred Initiative. You’re aware this is a classified case. Her mother will be on her way soon, and we haven’t told her the truth yet."

Alistar nodded grimly. "That’s for the best. Don’t bring it up. The suicide ruse is holding for now." He paused, his gaze turning serious. "However, there are a few things that won’t make it to the official report. Things you need to know." He looked at Finch, who gestured for him to continue. "We found that she was six weeks pregnant before she died."

The news landed like a bombshell. Finch’s eyes widened. "What? What are we going to do with that information?" he muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

Alistar sighed, his gaze turning to the three investigators. "I’m not done," he said, his voice dropping to a serious tone. "Her death was a horrible one. The cause of death wasn’t the knife. She was drowned to death in the tub. The killer then slit her wrist with the knife to make it look like a suicide."

The revelation hung in the air, thick with shock. They all stared at him, their faces a mix of disbelief and horror. The suicide theory had just been shattered in the most gruesome way. "Who would want to do that to Katherine, what did she do?" Miles asked himself muttering indistinctly.

Just then, the doors to the morgue opened, and Katherine’s mother entered. She was a small, fragile woman with tired eyes. She looked at them all, her gaze lingering on Finch.

"You must be Inspector Finch," she said, her voice a soft, broken whisper. They all exchanged greetings. "We can’t talk here. It’s too public." She looked at them with a plea in her eyes. "Please, follow me to my place." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Finch, Cecilia, and Miles nodded in agreement, understanding the need for discretion. They left the cold, sterile environment of the hospital and followed the grieving mother to her home, ready to begin their interrogation.

The scent of gardenias and lemon wax filled the air as they entered the small, tidy sitting room of Katherine Vance’s home. The mother, whose name they now knew to be Penelope Vance, gestured for them to sit on the floral-patterned sofa before taking a chair across from them. She wrung her hands, her eyes distant with grief.

Finch leaned forward, his voice a low rumble. "Mrs. Vance, we appreciate you speaking with us. We have to ask some questions to understand what might have happened to Katherine. Did she have a boyfriend?"

"Yes, she had a boyfriend," the woman replied, her voice soft and shaky. "A young man named James. But are they... are they broken up? My Katherine never said a word about it."

Miles answered, his tone empathetic yet professional. "James Anderson said they had broken up, but he didn’t say when or why. We’re hoping to find that out."

Finch continued the line of questioning, his eyes fixed on her. "Was she depressed? Did she show any signs of sadness?"

"Oh, no," Mrs. Vance said, shaking her head vehemently. "My Katherine was not sad once. She was happy. So full of life, especially in the last few weeks."

The questions went on, a gentle probe into Katherine’s private world. Finch’s questions came to a stop at one.

"Did she have any friends?" Finch voice was calm but authoritative and cold.

"I really don’t know," the woman answered, her gaze distant. "I think her name was Ava, or something like that. I think she might have had a boyfriend, but I don’t know for sure. Ava was only seen by me once, in the publishing company."

"Publishing company?" Miles muttered indistinctly under his breath.

The interrogation had reached a dead end. Mrs. Vance then began to sob, her shoulders shaking as she broke down. Tears streamed down her face, and she buried her face in her hands, her body racked with grief. Finch stood, walking over to her and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, giving her a moment to compose herself.

When she finally regained her composure, she stood and walked to a table, picking up a small, ornate knife wrapped in a handkerchief.

"This," she said, her voice choked with emotion, "this was the knife they found at the scene. I still can’t believe she killed herself. I’m still thinking, what would make my beautiful girl do such a thing?" She held it out to them, a gesture of profound confusion and sorrow.

Cecilia leaned close to Ethan, whispering just loud enough for Miles to hear. "I think the killer used her knife to make it look like a suicide." A wave of frustration washed over Miles, who subtly frowned at the comment.

If this were my era, this case would have been so smooth, Miles thought, his mind racing. The technology, the forensics... it looks like they’re were just going around in circles here.

Finch, maintaining their cover, as

ked the mother one last question. "Can we go to her home, to find out more of what might have made her do this?"