Singh said, “Hunt was divorced ten years before he even became an officer of the law. He has been completely estranged from his wife for some time now. I’ve asked my contact from Hunt’s home precinct to send me a screenshot of the family. I want to make sure he didn’t murder his wife,” Singh said as he adjusted his driver’s seat to stretch his legs.
“Look!” I said, pointing towards Hunt’s home. Hunt had just come swiftly walking out of his home and into his Dodge Charger. The powerful car whipped out of the garage and took off down the street.
Singh started the Mustang and proceeded to trail Hunt’s car, always staying a few cars behind. We entered the thruway and drove for forty minutes southwest outside the town of Goshen. The surrounding area was pitch black, as we continued driving towards a suburban town area.
Hunt pulled the Charger into what seemed to be an abandoned junk yard, completely secluded from the neighboring town. Singh switched off the car lights and parked close to the yard. We stepped out the vehicle and circled our way into the yard.
“Turn your phone to vibrate. Do not engage him unless you fear for your life,” Singh whispered. “We still haven’t established him as a suspect; let’s figure out why he is here.”
As if on cue, Singh’s phone vibrated with a message from his contact. The message was a screenshot as requested. The image of Hunt’s ex-wife was our victim. We looked at each other, understanding the gravity of the information. This changed everything and made him our leading suspect with potential for motive. We both drew our weapons as Singh peered over the side of the fence to see Hunt’s direction.
Hunt had continued walking towards the northeast side of the junkyard, which was all but vacant except for vehicle debris that littered the area. Singh signaled to me and tossed a small flashlight in my direction. He continued to rapidly walk ahead with a look of fierce determination.
Soon I lost track of Singh as he had gone up ahead. I was nervous as I carefully moved forward, trying not to make any unnecessary noise. Hunt was within view and seemed to be digging into the ground with a shovel. He had placed a strong light adjacent. As I walked closer, I tried to maneuver myself closer to see what exactly he was digging up. My foot grazed a metal shard, making a sharp noise, Hunt immediately stopped digging.
“Freeze, Hunt!” I said, pointing the Colt .45 right at his back.
Hunt slowly turned to look directly at me. “What is the meaning of this?” he exclaimed.
“Put your hands behind your back, right now!” I said, trying to move as close as possible.
“I remember you, I saw you at the crime scene yesterday. Did you find the one who did it?” he asked, seeming amused.
“You’re pretty cocky, right? Leaving a book for us to find, as if to sign the crime scene, your handiwork?” I moved closer. “Why did you kill your ex-wife?”
Hunt’s eyes glared at me as he said with rage in his voice, “You know nothing about that, so shut up! She didn’t leave with someone else. She was taken from me.”
By the look in his eyes, I knew this man was off his rocker and dangerous. I needed to detain him but knew he could be carrying a weapon.
The next few seconds were a blur. I saw a glint of steel near his side, as Hunt drew a weapon and shot directly at me. I felt a piercing pain and the direct force threw me backwards. The back of my head hit the ground hard. The dark night suddenly became patchy with flashes of white. I turned my head and saw Singh dive for Hunt, throwing him headfirst into the ground.
As they struggled, I frantically felt around to see where I was shot. The pain had already started to subside. That’s strange, I thought. Has the shock started to set in? It became harder to move as I felt myself start to drift. My mind started to decelerate. I found it harder to concentrate and could only feel the cold, damp ground on which I lay. The stars, I can see them all, I thought as I felt my life slipping away. My breathing was shallow and I began to phase in and out of consciousness. All I could do was focus on my breathing as darkness started to envelop me. I felt a breeze gentle on my face and that was the last thing I knew before everything was completely void.
That’s when I heard it; and straining, I heard it again. My father’s distant whisper: “God is just; his justice cannot sleep forever.”
The steady beeping noise is what woke me. The sound continued in a rhythmic pattern as I struggled to open my eyes. The light above me was blinding. I took my time getting adjusted to what was around me. As I groggily looked to my left side, I noticed the noise was a telemetry machine. I was in a hospital, I realized, and thankfully not dead. Singh was in the chair next to me, and jumped up noticing I was awake.
“Jim, you all right?” he asked, looking worried.
“Since when did you start calling me Jim?” I asked, receiving a chuckle from Singh. “What happened with Hunt?”
“I knocked him unconscious as backup came to the junkyard. He was digging evidence from the crime scene, in order to get rid of it. Forensics did a sample test and confirmed the evidence matches the victim. We have him detained and he’s now being charged,” Singh explained. “Listen, Jim. You did a brave thing back there. Not a lot of people have the guts to do what you did,” he said.
From the railing around my hospital bed, a few balloons gently swayed. I looked at Singh and said, “We did what we had to do. Hunt had to be put away.”
Suddenly the captain walked in with what seemed to be half the precinct, all surrounding the bed and inquiring as to how I was doing. They started congratulating Singh and me on the capture.
Singh, looking uncomfortable with all the praise, started to make his way to the door. Before walking out he looked over at me and pointed first at his watch, then at the case file in his hand. I chuckled, knowing this was the start of a good partnership.
Malice Aforethought: A Mystery Crime Thriller (A Detective Ravi Singh Mystery Book 1) Page 3
