DETECTIVE COPLER’S POV
After he walked out of the interrogation room, he returned to his office. He couldn’t believe a teenager like the boy, considering how quiet he looked, could commit such hideous crimes.
He brought out the recorder and played the recordings again. After it ended, he sighed in satisfaction as he returned it to the breast pocket of his suit. He was glad he was finally coming to the end of the case, but one thing remained. The lady the boy said was behind everything.
His heart became troubled again as he tried to figure out why she would want the little girl dead so desperately. He racked his brain for answers and was soon interrupted by the ringing of his phone.
“Hey, Detective,” Zara’s voice sounded excitedly.
“Hey, Zara.”
“How is your day going? Ummm…I was wondering if you could stop by at my place this evening. I’m trying out a new dish and will want you to have a taste. What do you say? Any plans for the evening?”
“Oh, no. Not at all. I will be there. At what time?”
“4:00 pm is okay. What do you think?”
“I think it is okay too. Expect me with a bottle of wine,”
“That will be lovely, Detective.”
“Hey, it’s Copler.”
“Okay, Copler. See you at four.”
He smiled broadly after the call ended. His relationship with her had taken a massive leap and it gladdened his heart that he was finally beginning to feel some form of attraction for a woman, after so many years.
He turned on his laptop and went through some files and that was when he came across Derek’s file.
Derek! What if he brought him over to see if he could identify the boy as the same person he saw in the CCTV footage. Maybe, just maybe, it might help him recollect something.
Darn! That was an idea worth trying out. He picked up his jotter to look for the address the hospital gave him after Derek was discharged. He found it and quickly grabbed his car keys.
He walked out of his office and to his car parked outside the precinct. He got into it and searched the address in his car map, when it popped up, he began to follow it’s direction.
It was a long drive and he finally arrived at a quiet neighborhood. He got out, still following the map and it led him to a bungalow painted in grey and white.
He knocked gently and the door was opened by a young lady in glasses.
“Good day. I’m Detective Copler, and I’m here to see Derek.”
“Oh, are you the detective handling his case?” The lady asked.
“Yes, I am.”
“Come in right in,” she offered and made way for him to pass through.
She led him to the living room, and Derek was seated watching television.
“Hi, Derek,” he greeted, extending his hand for a handshake.
“Detective, it is good to see you. What brings you to my humble abode?”
“Something important. The culprit behind your predicament has been apprehended and I was thinking if you can come with me to the precinct to see if you can recognize him since you saw him through the CCTV footage on the day he attacked you.”
“That will be good. Do you think it will help me regain my memories?” Derek asked in a worried tone.
“I assure you that, but I want us to give it a trial which is why I’m here.”
“That’s okay. I will quickly get changed and then we can leave.” Derek got up and walked away. He returned a few minutes later, changed into something befitting.
“I will go with you guys. I want to be part of the process.” The lady said.
“Oh, that’s fine.”
They walked out and got into his car and they drove off. Soon, they arrived at the precinct and Copler led the way to the interrogation room.
The door was opened and he walked in with Derek. Derek immediately halted as he stared at Oscar, on a closer look, Copler realized he was staring intently at Oscar’s hair.
Oscar on the hand looked shocked and then scared when he saw Derek.
“Why did you bring him here? Did you really have to haunt me by bringing…”
“The hair,” Derek said, cutting him short.
“What hair?” Copler asked, confused.
“The hair. I remember the hair. Arghhh!” Derek screamed, holding his head with both hands. Everyone in the room watched him in confusion as he squatted, still holding his head.
“Are you okay?” The lady asked, going close to him but he gave no response. After a few minutes in that position, he stood up and faced Oscar.
“He is the one,” he said, pointing at him.
“What did you say,” Copler asked, to be sure he heard right.
“I remember him from his hair. Remember I was always talking about his hair at the hospital. I remembered his hair and hoodie. On the day he attacked me at the hospital, his hoodie slipped and I saw the hair again. He is the one.” By then, Derek’s eyes were a shade of red as he stared at Oscar in rage.
The lady immediately threw herself at Derek in a hug. “I can’t believe you have your memories back. This is great news.”
“You will have to follow me to my office to give your official statement,” Copler said.
“Sure. Anything to see this criminal behind bars.” He said, giving Oscar a disgusted look.
They all walked out of the room. Once they reached his office, Copler motioned for Derek to take a seat while he settled behind his desk. He pulled out a fresh notepad and a pen, ready to document his statement.
Taking a deep breath, Derek began to recount the incident that occurred that day.
“After I noticed that the footage was wiped, I decided to check the footage for the camera in the hallway that led to the security room. That was after school. I checked the footage and lo and behold, the boy was shown walking in the hallway towards the security room. That was all I needed. I immediately tried to call principal Campbell but her number was not going through so I copied the file to my flashdrive. I walked out of the room, and the next thing I felt was an impact at the back of my head. I was hit a couple of times before I went unconscious. Did you guys see a flash drive at the scene, because I can remember having it in my hand that day.”
“At first, it was just the cap but when we apprehended him, he told us about it. So, it is in my possession.”
“Oh, thank goodness. There are a lot of important files in it. Can I have it back?”
“Of course. When we are done here.”
After he finished taking Derek’s statement, he handed him the flashdrive.
“Thank you for your cooperation. I will do everything in my power to ensure you get the justice you deserve.”
Derek nodded. “Thank you, Detective. I never thought I would regain my memories, but now that I have, I want to help in any way I can.”
They chatted for a few more minutes before he bid Derek and the lady farewell, promising to keep them updated on any developments.
As he watched them leave, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride and happiness at how much progress he had made with the case. He had to admit that the case was one of the hardest he had ever handled.
Looking at his wrist watch, he jerked up from the chair. It was almost time for his dinner with Zara. Picking up his car key, he walked out of the office.