The Maniac

Lay there, a familiar face

Covered in blood,

Facts lie, it's a maze

Like drought in flood.

               

The red wound was fatal enough to keep the face in its placidity as it showed now. The eyes were not open and the green hue of them was gone, gone forever.

 

Cops were around 'the body'. Everything was up to the protocols listed and that meant this was our last meeting.

***

"Good morning, I am Helza Shine, and I have already heard a lot of speculations about Zaprap Ltd and its people. I will start with a few trivial problems here but they make a difference. For instance I have noticed Miscellaneous Expenses is a large and a common word here, why?" The meeting was intense. 

 

This is my job. I apply basic concepts and a little intelligence on ground zero level. In short, I just advise dying companies. It is always the matter of perspective. This also fulfills my other dreams like travelling a lot. I move in almost every three months.

Before you draw a misleading image of me, I must tell you that I am a 23 year old girl. Slim, fashion oriented combined with ironic normal looks and most importantly a business mindset. No day is normal in my life. It is sometimes even over the top.

 

 But what about me interests most people out there is how I always end up in middle of something. They don't believe me of course and I usually don't have friends at work.

 

Talking of friends, I have met a few remarkable people at Zaprap Ltd. They are remarkable indeed as they can very profoundly erase all things they want to.

 

First we have, Aisha Farway- the girl who smiled a lot and smelled very close to lavender. Very close

Then we had Mr. Peterson. He was a man from Accounting. People say, 'a lover of numbers is no lover to his wife.' 

His wife who also worked in the same office,   Mrs. Peterson was an extraordinary woman. She was the termed crazy manager of the sales department. She had this talent of giving bizarre idea at critical points and miraculously making it work.      

 

Then there was this mysterious woman called Di Vernario or DV for short. Of course this was not her real name. Her accent did not give any hint of her origin. She was not the talkative type. And never ever, ever spoke without business.

 The man in action was Mr. Denis Smith (Major Shareholder). This company was started by his father and he was continuing it forward. He was a handsome and warm man. It was just that he did not have the skills his father would have wanted but then, it was the best Zaprap Ltd could offer.   

 

All these people were very closely arranged in this company. They knew each other for years and maybe on first name basis. Of course, except DV and me. I am not really fine on answering to only my first name. I have always been called Helza Shine and prefer that only. 

 

Everything was working well for these people until The Big Party. 

 

***

The Big Party- 

On one Wednesday, we had this very formal party at a hall. Mr. Smith had a very formal affair with some big client as we were told. However, the main thing for me was definitely the wine and the snacks. I really love parties. 

I quickly took a glass of wine and made a toast to the host of the party- Mr. Smith. When I returned back from being the center of attention, I was completely left alone. The Petersons had gone to chat with their mutual friends, Mr. Smith had formal affairs, and DV was all dressed up and formal with a suitcase and a look that can scare anyone. Aisha was vaguely chatting and drinking very heavily. I was alone. But Helza Shine does not need anyone to enjoy at a party. I really enjoyed myself until a guest from the party came running from the parking and shouted

 

"A Murder…there is blood and dead."

 

Mr. Peterson led the way of discovering the body and calling cops. After that we took a last glimpse of the handsome face of Dennis Smith. The cops were surely not as astounded as us. It was their daily affair. 

 

We were held at the party. After an hour or so the cops came up with evidence in plastic bags. The top officer spoke grimly,

 

"The murderer was inside the party. Maybe he or she is still is, amongst you."

 

This got a gasp of the staff but Mr. Peterson was infuriated. He spoke in harsh tone, "And Sir, what makes you think that?"

"The evidences on the crime scene, Sire" out came a prompted mocking reply. 

He continued, "We have found party worthy some belongings of ladies on the scene like a glass plated lip balm, then there was a little blood on the floor that was not of the victim and a piece of torn dress that miss there is wearing."

 He pointed towards Mrs. Peterson which made Mr. Peterson angrier. 

 

"This woman killed Dennis?" asked a very drunk Alisha 

 

"We suspect here but it is not proven…yet. May I ask the lady officer to check her belongings for the murder weapon?"

She was searched and unexpectedly a penknife, completely covered in blood was found. Then all evidences were matched and she was really fitting into the image of the murderer. 

 

Police left us alone with her and two constables and went downstairs to the parking lot. Mr. and Mrs. Peterson were talking deliberately about possible lawyer friends and Mrs. Peterson was getting angry. 

 

Aisha Farway came forward and had a mental breakdown,
 "Oh dear, dear Dennis. I told you to not be with the backstabber but you won't listen…see what happened."

And then turned towards Mrs. Peterson and shouted,

 

"You devil, I guess your next victim would be me or DV or anyone of us? How could you kill Mary?"

 

"Well I can kill the lot of you with a single knife." came with an eccentric crooked smile.    

 

 She started laughing like a maniac and talking vaguely to the walls. It made her look scarier. She shouted suddenly,

 "You know, these fools will never see that I am not the Maniac here." 

Homicidal maniac could only be the one term crossing the mind of each and everyone in the room.         The police returned and decidedly took Mrs. Peterson into custody and that was the end of the night. 

 

***

I did not go to the office next day due to previous night. I did not know who was in charge there so it was better I took a day off.  The next day I came to know that the police had also taken Mr. Peterson, Aisha Farway and DV into custody for interrogation. Why?

To feed your curiosity, my dear readers, I bought myself a source from inside the police, a pretty reliable source. So there was this dark web operating from inside the company.

According to Mrs. Peterson's confessions, Mr. Dennis Smith and Mr. Peterson along with her were corporate thieves. They took unduly advantage of their position in the firm. Their most common method was of the miscellaneous expenses and did the practice for years.

She also told that Aisha Farway was a drug dealer and an addict. 

Her essence of close lavender was a way of advertising as it meant a lot in the underworld of drugs. Aisha Farway when question severely confessed her crime. She also told that her frequent customer was DV. As per Aisha Farway, DV's real name was Vanessa Smith or better known as Diaz. She was the step sister of Dennis Smith. 

When DV was questioned, she told that she was never fond of her stepfather and didn't want people to associate her with his name so she changed her name. After her stepfather died she was given a property according to his will. But that property was needed by Dennis for some of his own venture. So he kept a party in the celebration of getting it after they made a deal.  After Dennis went to the parking lot she saw Mrs. Peterson order a penknife and following Dennis a little later. She followed her and saw her standing and Dennis dead. 

 

Mr. Peterson had nothing more to say other than confessing his own crime of stealing from the company.

Based on circumstantial evidence and interrogation, all the four were detained. The court is still working on their cases. People at Zaprap Ltd are more than happy to lose their stupid CEO and lazy staff. They are working just as well and they don't need my help anymore. 

This case was always the lunch discussion there and everyday a new theory was made. The most prominent one was that Mr. and Mrs. Peterson were jealous of Mr. Dennis Smith and they killed him due to the fact the company was dying and Dennis could ask their stolen money back by blackmailing them. 

 

My dear readers, I however, know what exactly happened on that night. 

 

Let us just say that a very clever and well prepared Maniac entered the party and stole an essence of the close lavender drug from a very drunk Aisha. The Maniac puts the drug in the drink of Dennis Smith and observes. A drugged Dennis Smith stumbles upon his suitcase (which had the money for DV's deal). 

The suitcase opens slightly but enough for Mr. Peterson to notice. Dennis hushes Peterson and went to the parking. Meanwhile on the other side of the party Mrs. Peterson was ordering a bottle of wine and a penknife which DV observes. The wine is carefully changed with a new one by the Maniac before it is served to Mrs. Peterson. 

The Maniac then rushes to the parking lot and takes out a penknife and stabs a drugged Dennis Smith, causing immediate death and returns to the party. A greedy Mr. Peterson decided to send his wife to see what Dennis was up to. When she arrives at the parking lot, she sees a dead Dennis Smith and is horrified. 

She tries to run but DV arrives at the scene and stops her. After Mrs. Peterson failed to tell the motive of her presence, DV in her disappointment of an unsuccessful deal, fights with her. Their fight ended with Mrs. Peterson hurt and her belongings scattered.  Just then they here a guest coming downstairs and both run to the party with a separate staircase. Maniac's new wine has its effects on Mrs. Peterson and ensures her madness and maniac behavior.

 

 When both the Petersons were discussing Mrs. Peterson's findings then the Maniac gets an opportunity to slip the murder weapon into Mrs. Peterson's bag, ensuring to leave to fingerprints on the knife. Then the guest comes up with the discovery of murder.

 

At this point usually my listeners ask me, "How can you be so sure and accurate of the events?"

I tell them, "It's a matter of perspective. It is connecting dots."

  The dots so randomly drawn by The Maniac could only be connected in proper sequence by none other than The Maniac. Isn't it?

At this my friends laugh me off and don't believe me. Would you?

"It is always a matter of perspective."