literature

The Pursuit of Truth

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) Detention Center, Seven Years Ago (

“What do you want?”

“I want the truth. I don’t believe you did it,” Peter replied.

“It doesn’t matter. The judge slammed the gavel on me,” Zane sighed. He could see the pain in his friend’s face on the other side of the glass window separating them. “You don’t know who the real culprit is, and you don’t have any evidence to disprove that I killed her.”


“Assuming you did do it, why didn’t you take it out on me, then? You thought you liked Erin,” Peter asked, trying to calm himself.

Zane’s relaxed face saddened. “She liked you more. Hurting you would only make her sad. Hell, anyone getting hurt would make her sad, and I didn’t want her looking at me like I was some sort of criminal.”

“So you didn’t kill her.”

“Like I said, doesn’t matter. I’m still going to jail. I meet even get the death penalty.”

“She wouldn’t want that,” Peter whispered.

“What?”

“I said she wouldn’t want you to die, no matter what you did,” he said more loudly.

Zane laughed. “These guys don’t plan to kill me for a while, so I still have some time.”

His face suddenly became solemn. “Listen, Peter, do what you want to do. Live your life. Don’t get caught up about this mess. Erin wouldn’t want you to dwell on this the rest of your life. Put this whole thing behind you, and get out of here. There’s nothing more you can do for me.”

“But-“

“Visitor hours are over. Please leave,” the guard ordered.

As he approached the door, Peter took a final glance at his convicted friend. Zane had his back turned, a clear sign that their conversation was over. As he walked away from the detention center, Peter mulled over his conversation with Zane. Live your life. Don’t get caught up about this.

I’ll do my best, Zane, Peter thought. But I can’t put all of this behind me just yet.

+++++++++++++++++++

) Present Day (

Dear Zane,

In a few more days, it will be seven years since you were incarcerated for killing Erin. I found that I enjoyed investigating crime scenes, so I became a detective. I love my job, but I still can’t deal with you being falsely accused for a murder I still believe you never committed. I’ve spent these last six years investigating the case in my free time, and I think I might have found a lead to answer this mystery.

I’m running out of time. When that fateful day comes around, the court will close the case and I can’t save you, but I might have worse problems. I feel that I’m being watched, perhaps by the very person that took Erin from us. If I’m not careful, I could be killed, but I’m in this too deeply to quit now. I’m not looking for revenge, just the truth, and I will learn the truth of this matter.

Zane, when I heard that you were convicted for killing Erin, I didn’t hate you. I was grief-stricken and angry, but I never hated you. Somewhere, somehow, below my torrent of emotions, I just knew that you weren’t the killer.

This might be the last letter I ever send, but I’ll find him. I’ll find the person who killed Erin. No rest, no mercy, no matter what.
+ Your Friend, Peter Tremlin

PS: If I do manage to live through these next few days, I’ll come and visit once I have a free day; I’ve been assigned at least two other cases this week, so it might be a while.

+++++++++++++++++++

) 4 Hours Later (

Detective Tremlin arrived at the abandoned building where his girlfriend, Erin Conrie, had died six years previously. He had come back every few months to find some missed clue that would help him to find the truth but with no luck.

At least until he found fingerprints on a crate the week before. The police database found that the fingerprints belonged to a Lucas Varen, a man already convicted for murder. Varen had been released a week before Erin’s death, but no one knew where he went after his release, except for Varen himself. With that single shred of evidence, the detective had examined the scene more fervently, wondering where the fingerprints would lead him.

Tremlin surveyed the scene once again, picturing the crime as it might have been six years ago, piecing in where the body was found, where the bullet might have come from, and now, the fingerprints. He walked over to the crate, entering the mindset of the murderer. “He stood here to have a good view of Erin and the door,” the detective muttered to himself. “Concealed by that particular stack of boxes, the criminal could escape using several different routes out of the building while the police force was occupied with finding Erin’s body. Must’ve been careless when he left those fingerprints on the crate.

“Or maybe they were put there on purpose,” Tremlin realized but not before he heard a gun click behind his head.

“Interesting deductions, detective, but you should have let the case rest.”

“Lucas Varen, I assume?”

“That is not important. Have you found the truth you were looking for?”

“So you were watching me,” Tremlin stated, trying to find a way out of this.

“Buying time won’t help you, detective. I made sure to jam all communication devices on this building,” the murderer said. “So, have you found the truth you were looking for?”

“Why did you kill her?”

The man chuckled. “I will admit that I am Lucas Varen, as you suspected, and that I indeed killed the girl six years ago.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“Is it that important to you, detective?” Varen asked with a hint of amusement.

“You are not a serial killer, and you show no signs of a sociopath,” Tremlin explained. “I checked your background, but I found no connection to Erin that would provide a motive to kill her. Why did you kill her?”

“Because she got in my way,” Varen replied. “I actually had someone in mind after I was set free, but she chose to try and stop me. Petty, I know, but what’s done is done. In a few days, I will be declared legally dead, and I will be a free man in life and death simultaneously as your other friend dies in prison.

“And now, I believe we have spoken long enough. Good-bye, detective.”

“Good-bye, Varen. We should be meeting again soon enough,” Tremlin replied as police officers suddenly entered the building. The detective moved quickly, turning to disarm Varen. The gun suddenly fired, and Tremlin fell back, clutching his chest. Within the hour, only three officers suffered injuries, and Varen was put in handcuffs; Tremlin lived through the day with only a graze across his ribs from the bullet.

As the police took Varen away, the criminal turned and asked Tremlin, “Very impressive, detective. How did you do it?”

“I left a trail of bread crumbs,” he replied with a pained grin. “I now have my truth, and you should be returning to jail. Maybe I’ll visit you sometime.”

Lucas Varen only smirked as the police drove him away, leaving Detective Tremlin to reminisce at the scene for a few more moments. “I did it, Zane. I did it, Erin. I got to the bottom of this,” he whispered to the breeze. As he turned the ignition to his car, Detective Peter Tremlin’s last sight was a burst of flame, consuming the vehicle in an instant.

“You were a worthy opponent, detective, but I’m afraid that you were not good enough,” Varen said under his breath, watching the conflagration from the police car’s rearview mirror as he was driven away.

+++++++++++++++++++

) Cemetery, Two Weeks Later (

“You are a good man, Peter Tremlin. You may have died for it, but you have found your truth, and you set your friends’ souls to rest, even to those who are still alive. Thank you for setting me free, and take care of Erin wherever you two are.” Satisfied, Zane left a bouquet at Tremlin’s gravestone and walked away. He had some work to do, and Tremlin left a lot of detective work to make up.
My entry for a creative writing contest. Not sure what to think of it, but I personally like how I organized it. Took me a while to decide on an ending, though.

Feel free to comment on it.

-Draiken Talkos
© 2009 - 2024 DraikenTalkos
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