Blog #3

It was 4pm, and Vani sat in his office chair; silent, still, lifeless. He gazed over Mr. Evans' case file for the hundredth time, yet he still couldn't wrap his mind around what lied right in front of his eyes. With his head in his hands, Vani let out a rough sigh and rose to get a cup of coffee. Maybe it was Vani's lack of sleep last night or maybe it was the fact that he'd had 8 cups of coffee in the last hour, but either way, Vani could not focus. Ever since Vani had returned, the only constant thing in his life was darkness.

By the time Vani finished his cup of coffee, it was 4:15, so he thought he'd might as well take a stroll to his apartment to freshen up before he had to start his night shift with Officer Luong. He and Luong were going to spend a long night together cracking down on the investigation of Mr. Evans' murder. Vani liked Officer Luong, he just thought that she was a little too young to be working with him. There was no disrespect towards Luong; Vani was impressed at how committed and hardcore she was, considering she looked so feminine and fragile. Vani called her the "police princess." Clearly Chief Clark made the mistake from the start to hand over the Evans case to her though; considering the governor had to specially call in Vani, it was evident that the "newbie" wasn't progressing much.

Vani walked half a block down Magnolia and another half block down Maine to get to his apartment. The fresh crisp air felt nice. Vani needed to take that little break.

He decided to take the stairs since the elevator breaks down so often, plus he was in the mood to move his long legs that had been cramped up behind a desk in a rolly chair for nearly 5 hours straight. Vani arrived to his apartment with his keys ready in his hands. Suddenly, with all of his might, Vani stopped; he stopped everything; moving, blinking, even breathing. He stares at his doorknob. I lock my door every time I leave; it's a religious habit, he thought to himself. Out of instinct, Vani pulled his glock out of his holster and opens the door slowly, so that not even the bolts in the door had the chance to squeak. Vani could make out a dark figure lying on the couch, still as death.

"Hands above your head where I can see them, NOW!" said Vani.

The dark figure raised one hand straight up and used the other to slowly yank the the metal-balled string and turn the couch side lamp on. Anticipation built up in Vani only for him to suddenly let out an exastrous sigh.

"Vani boy... good to see ya!" Logan screamed contently. Logan was one of Vani's friends when he first moved to America. He and Vani went through the police academy together and were the top lead detectives in the Detroit Police Department.

"Logan you just about gave me a heart attack! What on earth made you travel to this small town?" said Vani.

"Vani, I have something important to tell you. We can catch up later, but right now, you need to listen to me. We don't have much time, so I need you to focus." Logan reaches in his pocket and pulls out a flip phone that looks ages old. "Take this and speak to no one about  me or this interaction. I am a ghost in this town and I intend to stay that way."

"Logan, what is this about? Are you in trouble?"

"No Vani, you are. Trust no one, especially Chief Clark."

There is a silent eye exchange as Vani senses the fear in Logan's eyes and the sweat that drips down the side of his face.

"Take the phone Vani, please! I must go!" said Logan, and the second the phone was exchanged, on went Logan's fedora, and he disappeared into the hallway like a ghost.

 Exactly one minute later, the flip phone buzzes. All it read was, "I know who murdered Mr. Evans."