Detective Vardhan arrived at David’s office in the late afternoon. David looked up from his desk as the detective entered the room.
“Mr. Vardhan, how can I help you?” David asked, gesturing to a seat in front of his desk.
Vardhan sat down and pulled out a notepad. “I have a few questions regarding the murder of Arthur Noah. I understand that you were close friends and business partners.”
David nodded. “Yes, that’s correct. It’s a terrible tragedy.”
“Can you tell me where you were on the day of the murder?” Vardhan asked.
“I was at home all day. I have a leg injury and don’t get around much,” David replied.
“Did you have any contact with Arthur on that day?” Vardhan asked.
“No, I didn’t. We had spoken two days before to be precise for our businesses, but that was it,” David said.
Vardhan leaned forward; pen poised to take notes. “Can you tell me anything about Arthur’s recent behaviour? Was there anything unusual going on in his life?”
David shrugged. “Not that I know of. He was always a private person, and we didn’t discuss his personal life much. But I did hear some rumours about him and Mrs. Pettersen having a bit of a romance.”
Vardhan raised an eyebrow. “Mrs. Pettersen? The neighbour?”
David nodded. “Yes, apparently they were quite close. And I have to say, I saw her visiting him at his office a few times. It seemed like they had something going on.”
Vardhan scribbled down some notes. “Interesting. And what about Tom Orlando?”
David leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers. “Tom and Arthur had a complicated relationship, to say the least. They were brothers-in-law, but there was always some tension there. Tom is a bit of a wild card, you know? He could be very unpredictable at times.”
Vardhan made a note of this as well. “And do you have any idea who might have had a motive to kill Arthur?”
David shook his head. “I really couldn’t say. Arthur was a wealthy man with many enemies, but I do not know any specifics. All I can tell you is that he was a shrewd businessman who made a lot of powerful enemies over the years.”
Vardhan nodded, closing his notebook. “Thank you for your time, David. I appreciate your help.”
David smiled, standing up to see Vardhan and me out. “Of course, detective. Let me know if there’s anything else I can do to assist your investigation.”
”Now that is something to go on to, we certainly know who we are meeting next” said Vardhan. While we walked down the stairs of his office, an impatient man with a hat ran towards David’s office, almost stumbling on the detective. “Hey, watch it” we yelled. But he rushed off anyway in a hurry and we continued our journey.
Detective Vardhan requested to meet with Tom Orlando. We started walking back to the Mansion to meet Tom to gather more information regarding the case. He was curious to meet Tom.
As soon as we reached the mansion Vardhan rushed to Tom’s room and saw himself in. Tom sat down and waited for the detective to begin questioning him.
“Mr. Orlando, thank you for allowing me to join in today. I understand that you are Arthur Noah’s brother-in-law, is that correct?” Vardhan asked.
Tom nodded. “Yes, that’s correct.”
“Can you tell me when was the last time you saw Arthur Noah?” Vardhan inquired.
“I saw him at his mansion on the night of his death.” Tom replied.
Me and Vardhan looked at each other with surprise.
Vardhan: “And what time that would be? Also, may I ask why?”
Tom: “Around 12 in the night. I needed a stamp and his signature immediately, something that was to go out in post the next morning.”
“Did he mention anything unusual or out of the ordinary during your conversation?” Vardhan pressed further.
“No, he didn’t,” Tom responded. “He just talked about his business dealings and how he was planning to expand his company.”
Vardhan noted down the information in his notepad. “And, did you happen to see or hear anything unusual during your visit?”
Tom furrowed his brow in thought. “No, I don’t recall anything unusual. Everything seemed pretty normal. And I didn’t stay for longer than 15 minutes.”
Vardhan continued “Okay, and if I may ask, what do you think of the relationship shared between Arthur and Mrs. Pettersen.”
Tom with a bit of a surprise “I never really liked the fact of those two being together honestly, and Arthur never really cared as much as well.”
Vardhan scribbled down the information in his notebook. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Orlando. That’s all for now.”
Tom: “You’re welcome. You know that night when I left for home from Arthur’s study I realised I had left the study door open. And I thought he’s going to kill me for that next. But, what came next is something I could have never thought of.”
Vardhan paused for a moment and nodded in agreement and walked back to my room with me asking “What do you think of this Mr. Wright?”
Oliver: “Not sure, this is the most I’ve seen Tom ever talk.”
Vardhan: “Really? Interesting!”
Me: “Who are we meeting next?”
Vardhan: “Sorry to break your heart I know, you love this sense of adventure, don’t you? But today, we will not be working anymore on this investigation.”
Vardhan saw me in my room and walked towards the hallway