Chapter 19: A Moment of Truth
Jason sat in his office, engrossed in the English version of the Rubaiyat that Oliver had provided. After much effort, Oliver had discovered that the text found on the page from the deceased man's coat belonged to a Persian poetry book known as the Rubaiyat.
"What on earth is this?" Jason muttered, bewildered. He couldn't understand why the killer had placed a page from a poetry book in the victim's pocket. "What message is the killer trying to convey with this poetry?" he wondered, his mind racing with questions. "And what do these symbols mean?"
Suddenly, the door swung open, and Sergeant Anna Shawn rushed in, urgency written all over her face.
"Sir, you need to come outside," Anna said hastily.
"What's going on?" Jason asked, meeting her excited expression.
"There's a woman in my office claiming to be the sister of the deceased found at Somerton Beach," Anna exclaimed.
"That's fantastic," Jason replied, rising from his chair instantly. Just two days ago, they had distributed the photo of the deceased to news outlets and posted it on social media, hoping a family member would recognize him. Now, Anna's report confirmed the success of his plan, filling him with excitement.
"Please, have a seat," Jason said to Anna, gesturing toward the visitor. Moments later, a woman in a knee-length pastel pink gown entered Jason's office, accompanied by Sergeant Anna.
"Could you tell us your name?" Jason inquired politely, studying the woman with her hair neatly tied in a bun.
"I'm Nicole Smith," she replied softly. Jason nodded and leaned forward.
"How did you find out about the body discovered at Somerton Beach?" he asked. Nicole's voice turned somber as she recounted, "I saw my brother, Ryder Smith's photo on the news bulletin, along with details about him."
"So, you're certain the deceased is your brother?" Jason inquired gently. Nicole nodded, tears welling in her eyes.
"Yes, he's my brother... I'm sure," she affirmed, her voice trembling. "He was my only sibling... just the two of us. Our parents passed away long ago."
"Hmm... Ms. Smith, do you have any idea who might have killed your brother and left his body on the beach?" Jason asked, his tone sympathetic but probing for leads.
"No, I don’t know... Ryder didn’t have any enemies. He was warm and vibrant, with plenty of friends," Nicole replied, sadness and confusion lacing her voice. Jason furrowed his brow, contemplating the situation.
"Then who could have killed him?" he pondered aloud.
"I don't know... all I know is that a week ago, Ryder came to my house. We had lunch, and during our meal, he mentioned that he was considering marrying his girlfriend, Mia. We even made plans for the wedding... he was so happy," Nicole recalled, her voice trailing off with emotion. "After lunch, Ryder left, and I never saw him again."
"When did you realize Ryder was missing? Did you file a complaint?" Jason asked.
Nicole sighed softly before answering, "Ryder mentioned he'd come to my house with Mia the next day to discuss their marriage. But when he didn’t show up, Mia called me. She asked if Ryder had stayed with me the previous night. I told her he’d left after lunch, as planned. Mia then revealed that Ryder hadn’t returned home and had been waiting for him all night."
"And what steps did you take then?" Jason pressed.
"Mia came over, and together we reached out to all of Ryder's friends and business contacts, but no one knew where he was. As the day wore on, our hopes began to fade. When more than 24 hours had passed without any sign of Ryder, we decided to file a report at the North Adelaide police station... Here's a copy of the FIR," Nicole explained, retrieving a piece of paper from her handbag and placing it on her lap. Jason took the paper, read it, and then passed it to Oliver.
"What did the police say after their initial investigation into Ryder's disappearance?" Jason inquired. Nicole took a deep breath before responding.
"The police informed me that Ryder's car was found parked outside Café Brunelli, undamaged. They also mentioned that CCTV footage from the café showed Ryder arriving alone at 6:00 PM."
"Then, just 35 minutes later, at 6:35 PM, he was spotted leaving the café. Instead of heading toward the parking lot, he hailed a cab and left," Nicole recounted the details shared by the officer.
"Why would he take a cab when he had his car?" Jason asked, puzzled by this sudden change in Ryder's behavior.
"I'm sorry, I don’t know," Nicole replied helplessly.
"After Ryder went missing, did you receive any ransom calls?" Jason questioned.
"No, neither Mia nor I received any calls," Nicole confirmed.
"Please provide us with Mia's address. We need to speak with her. And also, we'll need yours and Ryder's addresses," Jason requested. Nicole nodded and provided the addresses to Anna, who noted them down diligently.
"After filing the missing person report, I went to his house and searched it, hoping to find some clue. During my search, I found a piece of paper in his bedside table," Nicole explained, retrieving a small torn piece of paper and handing it to Jason.
Upon examining the paper, Jason noted a series of symbols drawn in black ink, along with the words, “Mad-man" written beneath them. "Unleashed power. Killer of Jonathan and Pauline."
"What do these words mean?" Jason asked.
"I don’t know," Nicole replied.
"Why didn’t you give this to the police officer at the North Adelaide station?" Jason pressed.
"I didn’t think it was important, and I knew Ryder enjoyed reading detective novels... Initially, I assumed he had jotted down these words while reading. But when I saw Ryder's dead body yesterday, it triggered my memory of this note, and I thought it might be a clue," Nicole explained.
"Have you found out who killed Ryder?" she asked, her voice filled with anguish.
"No, but we're actively working on the case. I promise you, the person responsible for your brother's death will be brought to justice," Jason assured her firmly. Nicole nodded, grateful but still distressed.
"I want to see Ryder," Nicole said, tears welling up again.
"We'll take you to the morgue for official confirmation that the deceased is indeed Ryder Smith," Jason replied gently.
"Who could have done such a brutal thing to my brother? He was such a sweet and gentle soul... Even in his childhood, he never harmed anyone. How could someone take his life and leave me without my only blood relative?" Nicole lamented, her voice choked with sobs.
"We'll apprehend the killer soon, and they'll have to answer for why they took Ryder's life," Jason assured her gently.
"Ms. Smith, do you have any photos of your brother?" Jason asked, hoping to gather more information.
"Yes, I do," Nicole confirmed, pulling out her mobile phone. "Ryder was a handsome man with photogenic features... Look here," she said, showing a picture of him standing in a lush green garden, wearing black jeans and a brown polo shirt.
Jason swiped to the next photo, where a woman stood alongside Nicole and Ryder. "Who is she?" he inquired.
"She's Mia... Ryder's girlfriend," Nicole confirmed.
Jason observed Mia in the photo. She was a young and fashionable woman, dressed in a black short dress paired with high heels. Her ears adorned with studs, and her highlighted straight hair added to her charm.
"Hmm... do you suspect Mia could be involved in Ryder's murder?" Jason asked cautiously.
"No, I don't think so... Mia loved Ryder wholeheartedly and was very happy with him. Why would she want to harm him?" Nicole reasoned.
Jason nodded in agreement and continued scrolling through the photos. One particular photo caught his eye: Ryder stood on a driveway with another man, both engaged in conversation, unaware they were being photographed. The other man's face was obscured by the side angle and the hood of his blue jacket.
Zooming in, Jason noticed a book in the man's hand. What caught his attention were the symbols drawn on the book's cover—identical to those on the torn page of the Rubaiyat.
"Who is this man?" Jason asked, his voice sharp with urgency.
"I don’t know," Nicole replied, her tone uncertain.
"Mia sent me a few photos of her and Ryder from when they visited an art exhibition. She must have taken some random photos too, and this one could be among them," Nicole explained.
"Send me those photos of Ryder and this one as well," Jason instructed. Turning to Nicole, he said, "You go with Anna and wait for a few minutes. We'll take you to the morgue." With a nod to Anna, he indicated for her to escort Nicole out.
After they left the office, Jason turned to Oliver, his gaze fixed on the symbol drawn on the cover of the book held by the hooded man in the photo.
"This symbol," Jason pointed, "it's one of the symbols from the torn page of the Rubaiyat."
Oliver nodded in agreement. "It means this man could be the killer. From this photo, it’s evident Ryder had some acquaintance with him," Oliver concluded, his tone serious.
"We need to find out more about this book... it could lead us to the killer," Jason emphasized.
"Understood, sir. I’ll get on it," Oliver replied, promptly transferring the photo to his mobile device.
"And who are Jonathan and Pauline?" Jason inquired.
"They could be characters from a detective novel," Oliver speculated.
"Or perhaps they’re two individuals who were also killed by the same person who murdered Ryder," Jason suggested, his mind racing with possibilities.
"This is possible," Oliver agreed.
"Match the handwriting on this page with Ryder's and confirm if it's his. Then, find out about Jonathan and Pauline. If they were murdered, there should be a case registered under their names," Jason instructed.
"Understood, sir," Oliver acknowledged.
"You focus on these tasks. I'll take Nicole to the morgue with Anna," Jason said, grabbing his mobile phone before leaving the office.
But the photo was taken from the side, obscuring the face of the other man engaged in conversation with Ryder. It was evident the picture was captured without their knowledge. One of Nicole's photos of the deceased revealed the back of a man engaged in conversation with Ryder, adorned with symbols of life, death, and continuity on his jacket.