I always have things to do. Everyday, is the same story, a crying person who needs someone’s help to solve a mystery regarding any familiar issue. Or mostly talking, calling me to follow and notify if someone is cheating on the wife/husband. A story that I couldn’t say that it was something to be proud of. But now, after solved this last case, I can say that I rather do this kind of cases for the living.
To make things clear from the beginning, I’m just a medium age guy, lone, no family to deal with, don’t have a girlfriend. It’s just me and my doberman, Hosco. I knew that being a private detective could be dangerous from the beginning, so I decided to not compromise anyone I know. Even though I left them for personal reasons.
At the half of December 2023, an old man entered into my office, sat in front of me and kept a silent look into my eyes that held notorious eyebags. After a long silent minute, he finally talked.
“I heard that you are a promising Detective. After looking for names, I’ve got a good friend who told me about how you solved his… “home issue”. So, I think you fit perfectly for my issue. What do you say?”
After another uncomfortable silence, I just did what was usual, lend my back on my chair, open the drawer of my desk, and taking my notebook along it’s pen.
“What kind of issue do you have?”
I said while moving my sight to the white page of my notebook, and started to filling it with some details of the customer. Name, face details and some extras I add just in case there’s fake ID.
“There was a girl I knew, she has been kidnapped from her house. I can provide you some security records from the camera inside the house.”
In the moment he mentioned the records, I had to interrupt.
“Can you explain me, how did you get those records? Was it your own house? Is that girl you mention, familiar of yours?”
I had to ask, cause, if I kept listening to him, I’d be more suspicious on the person who I had in front of me.
“The records were provided by an intelligence who made a basic investigation. But I ask you to abstain of making such questions. I will just give to you the records in case you accept, Mr. Detective.”
Afterwards I turned on my computer, I searched anywhere about the girl’s name, but there wasn’t any information about her, as in, she was a totally invented person. But, the man laughed, getting my attention back at him. After all, I wanted to know what kind of “intelligence” he meant about. But he never answered me that question.
“Not surprise you are unable to find anything about her, but trust me, she is real, and after you accept this case, I shall give you all the information to convince you of it’s veracity.”
I turned off my computer and then, I had some seconds to think, but I finally accepted the case. To make it short, he handed me an USB with a tag named “Evidence”, a sticky paper with an address written on it and a key. The man was short with the explanation.
“At the morning of November 29, around 03:30 and 04:10, two strangers were sighted outside the house and walked around it’s surroundings. A broken window of the sliding door at the backyard and, according to the recordings of the security camera found at the kitchen, the kidnapping happened in least of 2 minutes. Neighbors called the police but they never arrived. The girl’s parents are yet to be found too. Is like everything was set for a whole family to be vanished.”.
After finishing, thinking it was simply a case of a kidnapping, I mentioned the cost, $300. The old man left a significative amount of money in front of me, something he called as “advance”. Not used to it, but I took it, after all, I will need money for this. He just thanked and left.
After he left, I served myself a cup of coffee and plug the USB into my computer and, yes, there was only one thing, a 4 minutes long video. The camera was indeed located at a kitchen, there was a clear view to the oven, cooking utilities and a long etcetera. But as much as I was finding the kitchen somewhat relaxing, in a corner of the camera could be seen those two hooded guys. They kept their hands into their hoodies pockets and move quickly to the blind spot at the other side, but, after that, there was nothing else to see. They never came back.
I watched my computer’s clock and it was close to be midnight, so, I took my keys, rubber gloves, the items that guy gave me and some of the money.
I saw through google maps the address, and I walked to there. I felt like using my car would be disastrous for some reason, but years in this job only taught me to always distrust the environment. But, that certainly saved my life more than one time. I bought myself an energy drink at the 24/7 store, I knew this would be a long night.
Reaching the address, I saw the house, pretty much devastated in my opinion, is like nobody has been living there for years. Even though there’s still a frontyard with lot of flowers and a tree on the side. It’s like watching a picture that has been manipulated with a software.
I noticed by glance that some of the neighbors were looking at me by their windows. Since I need information, I went to a neighbor’s house and knock the door. I knew the owner was awake, after all. After a time, I heard the voice at the other side of the door. The voice sounded crackly, as in, scared. But I decided to make things the easiest way possible.
“I am a private detective, I was hire to investigate a kidnapping happened at the next house. Can I ask you some questions?”
I asked, which, after a long pause, I had to reply a favorable condition for the guy at the other side of the door.
“I only need information, you don’t need to open the door.”
Which finally, after a few seconds, the guy finally accepted and I started to ask.
“Do you know what happened to the family who lived at the house?”
“I don’t, one day they left in their car and we all thought they went into vacations. Turns out days after, there was a kidnapping and the family who lives at the back of the house saw the intruders taking hostage the daughter of the owner.”
“Did you hear something? Glass breaking? Screams?”
“Not at all, that night I was working at my room and there wasn’t a noise to be remarkable. That’s what made me feel uneasy in the moment the neighbor mentioned that a girl was kidnapped.”
I thanked for the cooperation and deduced my next destination, the neighbor who witnessed the kidnapping. So, I took my notebook and my pen into my pocket and walked through the alley between the houses. While I was crossing, gave a glance into the house’s backyard, there was a sliding door and, it was an accurate information, the glass of the door has been broken, but there’s not a single sight that a forensic or any police have stepped around.
Finally reached the door of the witness and made the same procedure of knocking the door and wait an answer. But, this time, it never happened. There was a vehicle parked in front of the garage. The doorknob could be turned, as in, the lock from the inside was opened, but yet, the upper lock prevented the door to open. This only can mean that the owner of the house got out as fast as could… but why would he do that without their car? I’ve seen so many scenarios according to this, so I expected for the worst.
The first thing I did was walk around the house quietly, find a window and look through it. Just a regular house. I could see the hall, the kitchen, and some stairs to the second floor. I put on my rubber gloves and tried to open a window, but they all had a lock. But then, there was a sound from inside, I took cover and looked as hidden as possible through the window. I saw, what I thought, a person coming downstairs. They looked like sleepy, as in just awakened a moment ago but, things changed when the person reached the last stair, suddenly stopped, and then quickly turn into the window I was looking from. I moved my head away. Heard the window’s lock click open and quickly turn the corner that was just at two steps from the window. I could hear the window slowly open and I was squeezed against the wall. I could hear a calm breathing, but something in that made me feel uncomfortable.
My mind was coursing among many questions, which the most solid was: How did that person know I was looking right at that window? The first floor has 4 windows, the one in the backyard, the one on the left side, where I was looking at; and two on the right side of the house.
I could hear the window finally closing. I understand the neighbor was my main witness, but something wasn’t right. That’s why I decided to do some drastic measures. I walked around the house and watching every step to be as silent as possible, and check by the window at the other side of the house… felt my skin shiver a moment, the person in question was looking right in the window I was previously, literally standing there without moving a muscle, as straight standing as possible, but looking at the window, as in, waiting for something to happen.
At this point, I didn’t feel that knocking the door would be a good idea. My mind was twisting the reality, thinking that the person there is having a mental issue, or maybe a psychopath attitude, or worse, that that person is actually perceiving my presence. In that moment I was thinking, I heard a knocking in the window next to make, and I lost my balance a moment. They totally knew my presence was there, but maybe, they might think I am one of the criminals who made the kidnapping. If it’s a witness, I should think that they are in danger of threat by the perpetrators. So, I calmed my nerves and continued my act, crouch and walked as fast as could to the main entrance and knocked the door once again.
No responde. Knocked again. No response.
“Hello! I am a private detective, sources mention that you are witness of the sinister happened at the house behind yours!”
I tried to keep my confidence up with a high tone, but, thinking about it, I was just putting the idea that I was afraid or uncomfortable.
The door clicked and I stepped back, just in case. Door opened and I saw the person.
It had the most emotionless face I’ve ever seen, as in, you are looking at a mannequin.
“How can I help you, Detective?”
His voice was more like a whisper, but clear enough.
“I got hire to investigate the kidnapping happened at November 29, and one of the neighbors mentioned that you witnessed the happenings, can you provide me some details of what you saw?”
“Yes, detective. It was pretty in the morning. I suffer from insomnia, so, I always do rounds of walking around my house, and after I looked through the window of the second floor, I saw two guys opening the backyard door.”
“Did you hear a noise?”
“No, not a single sound. Is, like, the hole in the door’s glass was already there when they arrived.”
Made sense in a point, none of the two, who I asked, mentioned hear a noise, so the only way it was possible, is that the door was already broken.
“Did you see the intruders coming out of the house?”
“No.”
I didn’t expect that answer. I mean, does that mean, the intruders were still at the house?
“Then, how did you know about the kidnapping or that there was a girl inside the house?”
“I shouldn’t mention this, but, before the parents’ departing, I eavesdropped while I was mowing the lawn. The father sounded like a rush, but the only thing I understood, is that they had to go away as soon as possible. And, I am convinced, that they didn’t leave with any briefcase or anything, just the car.”
This is valuable information, the parents of the girl rushed out completely free handed, not a single change of clothes for the trip. They were obviously running away from someone… or anything that made them do that.
“Now if you excuse me, I’m starting to feel tired and I should go to sleep right now.”
He said with that monotonous voice, and the only thing I could do was make a summary of what he told me. I thanked and turned around to finally face the house, but, before I made some steps.
“And the next time, do not harass through my windows, Detective. Such bad manners can’t be forgiven all the time. Last warning.”
I was expecting that he noticed me, and me knocking at the door afterwards made it obvious. I guess I had luck on my side this time. But, the fire test is approaching. While I walked toward the house and introducing myself by the back door, and look around. The door linked to the kitchen, which, for a good signal, it’s the same as the video and confirmed by looking at the corner and appreciate the camera.
After the kitchen, the first floor was nothing special, the hall having a long table for the dinner, the big screen TV attached to the wall, a pair of consoles, and other devices. So, I decided going for the second floor. I didn’t want to run or going recklessly, after the neighbor mentioned that nobody came out of the house. The second floor’s corridor was tight, I’d need to walk sideways if two of myself are walking by the same side, but I could check the rooms.
The parents’ room was a mess. The bed was flipped, drawers were destroyed, as in someone used a demolition hammer to open them; the wardrobe’s clothes were dropped around the floor and the window was blocked with newspaper. If I didn’t know what kind of case I was in, I’d believe this is a criminal hideout or something.
After two restrooms and a little gym room, I just had one room left to check. The room at the other side of the corridor. The door was shut, so I didn’t have a choice, I made a step back and tackled it with the best tackle I could do, the door opened fiercely and making the loudest wooden crack possible. I was ready to turn on my flashlight, but I heard someone’s steps downstairs.
Seems I have unexpected residents.