The Doppelgänger: A Psychological Thriller Page 12

  “What?” was all she could say.

  “The detectives,” Jillian elaborated. “The detectives suspect somebody he met on the day of the murder.”

  “How do you know this?” Darcy moved closer.

  “Insider information,” Jillian said, with an impish smile. “Mike told me.”

  How much did Mike know?

  “Have they disclosed a name?”

  “No. It’s a high-profile case. They couldn’t compromise the privacy of the suspect,” Jillian said, scratching her chin. “That really makes you wonder who it is.”

  The door opened. Susan arrived.

  “Good morning. We have a lot of work to do today.” Susan said, abruptly ending the conversation.

  That afternoon, Dan called.

  “Hey sis.”

  “Hi. How’s the job?”

  “You heard the news?”

  “Ummmm….”

  “Things are uncertain at the moment.”

  “Did you move to the asylum at King’s Park?”

  “Not yet. Next week, maybe.”

  “Dan, you’re okay, aren’t you?”

  “Yeah. Why?”

  “I was worried. That’s all,” The cleaner walked by. Darcy moved toward the window at the end of the corridor.

  “Dad said he wanted to meet you this Christmas.” Dan said. Silence descnended on the phone line. Darcy hadn’t spoken to her father in six months. They had short, infrequent conversations ever since she moved to Chicago at seventeen. She always missed Christmas and Thanksgiving. It was an assignment or work or exams. Darcy’s father came down to Chicago twice when she was at University but he had stopped visiting after that because of his worsening Vertigo. He was growing old and he didn’t have the stamina he once did.

  Dan was the intermediary. He lived in New York and visited dad every year. He was usually the one who told Darcy about what dad was up to. Though she felt guilty leaving her father alone, she never wanted to return to New York again. It was the place her mother died. It was where she had suffered. And, it was where Dr. Cleo lived. She breathed and turned to the phone.

  “Me? I don’t think I can come.” She said.

  “It’s been eight years. Shouldn’t you visit him once? He’s getting old. He wants to see you.”

  “I know but I’m busy this year.” Darcy didn’t know how her father looked anymore. She saw him on Skype and heard him on the phone every once in a while but those things didn’t compare to the real thing.

  “How long are you planning to stay in Chicago?”

  “Are you really asking me that?” Darcy said.

  “Don’t you want to move back to New York sometime?”

  “I like it here,” Darcy said. She looked at the grey sky and turned, “I’m comfortable.”

  “All right. Whatever you say. I need to get back to work.”

  “You do that,” Darcy said. “Love you.”

  Dan hung up. Darcy shoved the phone into her pocket and made her way back into the library.

  The day came to an end. She walked out of the library at 7:30 and made her way to the crowded Red Line.

  At 8:00 PM, Darcy got back to her apartment. Her messy apartment greeted her. She immediately turned on the television. The noise absorbed her tiredness. She threw the bag on the couch and made her way to the kitchen. She pulled out a candy bar and sank her teeth into it. The sweetness dissolved her stress. Her teeth bit into the chewy bar again, soaking up every gram of glucose.

  She opened the refrigerator and looked through it. There was nothing except asparagus. She pulled it out. With the candy bar hanging from her mouth, she proceeded to open the cupboard. She decided to go with pasta that night.

  Ten minutes later, her empty plate was filled with a hot helping of asparagus pasta. She moved to the television with her plate of pasta. She placed it on the table. Her eyes darted to her laptop. She grabbed it and turned it on. The pink lotus on the desktop screen came on. She ate a spoon of pasta while logging in.

  She instantly clicked on the ‘My Diary’ page. The black page filled her vision. A new post was up. Darcy scrolled eagerly.

  Christmas Plans

  Darcy moved down the title line.

  It’s almost December. Christmas is around the corner. It is the time when you go back home and meet family.

  Home. I haven’t thought about it in ages. I grew up there. It’s where my mother lived. It’s where her memories live now. I haven’t seen my family in ages. I miss the broad roads, sunshine and the familiarity of a small town.

  There are some people I want to meet. There are some truths I want to know. My mind remains in New York though my body is in Chicago. The life I lived there has left an imprint on me that can never be erased.

  Maybe I’ll go home next year. Maybe not. I wonder if I can ever go back there.

  The next post was the about Ben & Jerry’s. She ate dinner, mentally reiterating the blog post.

  After dinner, she placed her plate in the sink and walked to the bedroom. She glanced out of the window, blankly. She hadn’t been home in over a decade. She forgot how her father’s hands felt. She didn’t know how tall Dan had grown. She’d traded those experiences for safety.

  She opened the drawer and pulled out the photo frame. Her mother’s face.. She couldn’t bear to go back to the house that was colored with memories of her mother. Each year, it became more difficult to go back. Next year, it’d be the same, and the year after that and the year after that.

  She walked over to the table. Her eyes moved to drawer. She was unconsciously reminded of the revolver that lay in the drawer. Now, it had no use. She slid the drawer open. The satin cloth lay on a flat surface. Darcy’s eyes enlarged.

  She pulled the satin cover away. There was nothing beneath it. Darcy grew worried. Where was the revolver? She began opening the other drawers and cupboards. It wasn’t there. Where had it gone?

  She went through her wardrobe and other drawers but the revolver was nowhere to be found. An uneasiness came over her. Had somebody been to her house? Had someone looked through her belongings?

  She remembered what Mr. Hatter said. Could it be the stalker?

  The doorbell rang, disturbing her thoughts. She placed the photo in the drawer, stood up and made her way to the door.

  “Who is it?” she asked from the other side of the door.

  “Detective Jones,” a deep, masculine voice said.

  Darcy rushed to the door. She opened it immediately. Two mean stood outside the door. One of them was Detective Jones, the rugged, middle-aged man who questioned her yesterday. The other man was short and stout. His muscles bulged under his tight sweater. His intense gazed pierced through her. He produced his detective’s badge from his pocket and flashed it at her.

  “Good… evening, I didn’t know you were coming.” Darcy said, her voice shaky.

  “May we come in?” Detective Jones said, but before she could answer, the men barged into the house. Darcy stepped aside. Detective Jones looked around the house. He sniffed. Asparagus pasta in white sauce.

  “Detective? What is this all about?” Darcy cut in. Detective Jones turned. He took a step words her.

  “Ms. Darcy Godfrey?” the other man called in a sharp voice.

  “Yes?” Darcy said, with an illusion of composure.

  “Ms. Godfrey, we have reason to suspect you for murder,” Detective Jones began. Her back was an inch away from the wall. He stepped closer. Her shoulder banged into the wall. She looked up at his intimidating profile. As the words sank into Darcy’s mind, a sense of panic shot up her spine.

  “Murder? What…what the hell is this about?” she roared. Detective Jones pulled a pair of handcuffs out of his belt.

  His large hands closed over he
rs. She was shaking. Her legs were jelly. Her eyes stared at the scenery blankly.

  “You’re suspected of the murder of Dr. Cleo Williams,” Detective Jones began.

  “Me? I think you’ve got this wrong. Proof-”

  “We have an arrest warrant.” he said. He pulled out an arrest warrant from his pocket and handed it to her. She read through the words, her senses flooding with disbelief.

  “We have reason to suspect you involvement in a murder,” the other detective said. He caught Darcy’s arm.

  Darcy’s blank eyes looked at him. Alarm colored her reaction.

  “You need to come down to the police station for interrogation,” he said. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be provided for you at government expense. Do you understand?”

  Darcy gulped. She nodded weakly. She failed to register the words. Before she could react, he clamped her hands together and tied them with handcuffs. The cold sensation of exposed metal shocked her skin.

  “Detective, what is going on?” she asked.

  “I request you to come down to the police station. If you do not comply, you can be arrested.”

  “I-I…this is all to sudden.” Darcy said. “What happened?”

  Her heartbeat burst in and out of her lungs.

  He held her hands and made his way out of the house. Darcy footsteps echoed in the empty corridor. She handed her apartment keys to Detective Jones who locked her apartment and pocketed the keys. The walked down the flight of stairs and reached the street. The cold wind nullified her scanty clothing. A police car stood outside the apartment building. Detective Jones and his colleague escorted her into the car. Darcy didn’t look back at the apartment building. She closed her eyes, desperately hoping that when she opened them, none of this would exist.

  Chapter 13

  A distant beam of sunlight pierced through the darkness. Particles of dust flirted with the air. Darcy opened her eyes. The hazy scenery solidified. Narrow beams of light filtered through the openings in the window. Her body ached. Her body ached like hell. Her throat was dry, her lips chapped and her neck bent. She looked up. Curious eyes glanced at her. Four people sat around her. One of them was a young boy in his teens. His ears, chin, mouth and nose were pierced. His hair was bleached. He chewed gum constantly. The boy shot Darcy a glare. She turned to the next person.

  He was a middle aged man who scratched his balding head. His eyes darted to the wall clock. He wore an old grey jacket with a pair of jeans.

  “What did ya do?” a thick voice asked. Darcy turned to a woman sitting next to her. The woman’s dark eyes looked into Darcy’s. Darcy exhaled a puff of warm air. She stared at the woman’s platinum blonde hair and dark brown eyes.

  “Ya never seen a woman before?” she asked. She looked turned to Darcy’s disoriented body.

  “Where am I?” Darcy asked.

  “They call it a police station.” the woman said, sarcastically.

  Memories of last night came rushing to her. The police took photographs and fingerprints after her arrival. She was then sent to a room to wait for her lawyer to arrive. And that’s where she was.

  Footsteps echoed through the long corridor. She saw the faces of those in the waiting room turn to the source of the footsteps. A shadow emerged. It shortened until it solidified into a man. He wore a uniform. His height was similar to the men who had come last night.

  “You awake?” he asked, examining Darcy. She gulped. “Your lawyer’s here to see you.”

  The lawyer was here. Darcy stood up. The other three looked at her.

  “Come this way,” the man said. Darcy cleared her throat. She followed him down the short corridor. He escorted her to a room where her lawyer sat, waiting for her.

  Mr. Adams was an austere, middle-aged man with a greying beard. He wore a suit for the appointment. Darcy sat on the chair, weakly. Her mind stirred awake from a deep slumber. The facts hit her like arrows. She had been called in for questioning and here she was. Her lawyer sat before her. She gulped.

  “You’re Darcy Godfrey?” Adams asked. Darcy nodded.

  “I am Paul Adams, your defense attorney I will be be representing you.”

  Darcy sat back on the chair. Her brown hair that had come undone spilled over her shoulders.

  “You’re suspected of murder,” he said, reading his notes. He raised his head and surveyed her expression.

  “I know.” Darcy said, in a low voice.

  “First of all, I want you to be honest with me,” he put in. “It’s best for the both of us.”

  Darcy nodded.

  “I understand Detective Jones spoke to you about the case on Monday?”

  “He came by and asked me a few questions.”

  “Why do you think he has any reason to suspect you?”

  “I didn’t think I was a suspect. Our conversation on Monday went smoothly. He didn’t say anything about me being a suspect.”

  “What did he ask you?” Paul asked.

  “He asked me general things like whether I knew Dr. Williams, how long I’d been living in Chicago and about my family. He also asked where I was on the night of murder,” Darcy said. “I told him I asleep when Dr. Williams visited.”

  “So he visited you on the night of the murder.” Paul confirmed.

  “Yes.” Darcy’s fingers trembled. “He left his card with Mr. Hatter- my neighbour.”

  “Why did he come to meet you?” The lawyer’s eyes scanned through his notes. “I’m sorry. I rushed here. I didn’t have time to go through the details.”

  Hunger coupled with dizziness blurred her vision. She leaned against the back of the chair for support.

  “He wanted to make sure I was all right. That’s what I think.” Darcy said, hesitantly.

  “That’s what you think?”

  “He came to deliver a lecture at the university I work at. I fainted during the lecture. I thought he was worried.”

  Adams cleared his throat. “As I said before, it’s better for both of us if you’re honest. What is your relation to him?”

  His green eyes looked into hers. Darcy took a few minutes to think. Her eyes remained on the grey wall. Her heart thudded at the back of her head.

  “Uh…I…don’t know. I don’t know him,” Darcy blurted, nervously. “Maybe he wanted something. I’m not really sure.”

  “You mean to say you don’t know why he visited you?” he asked. His green eyes drew closer to her.

  “Yes. I don’t know why he came to see me.” Darcy confirmed.

  “And you have no personal relationship?”

  “No.”

  The lawyer exhaled. He wrote something.

  “When did you return home that afternoon?” he asked, flipping pages.

  “Around two-thirty.”

  “And you were in your apartment after that?”

  “Yes.”

  “So, did you meet Dr. Williams that evening?”

  “No,” Darcy said. “I was at home but I didn’t meet him.”

  “Anyone who can confirm this?”

  “My neighbor. Dr. Williams spoke to him before he left.”

  “And what did you do after seven?”

  “I ate and slept.”

  “You didn’t go out?”

  “No.”

  “Anyone who can confirm this?”

  “Uh…no….I don’t think,” Darcy said, hesitantly. “Mr. Hatter goes down to the pub at eight. He isn’t back until late night.”

  Paul raised his eyebrows. He turned to his notes. “What about the surveillance cameras?”
>
  “The building is upgrading the security system so, the cameras haven’t been working all week.” Darcy said.

  “That’s tricky.” Adams said. “We need to find an alibi. Did you do anything else that night?”

  “I cooked dinner. I watched television, and I slept. It was a quiet night.”

  “What were you doing at ten?”

  “I was asleep.” Darcy said.

  “That is going to be a difficult to prove….” He hesitated.

  “I think it’s best for you remain silent for now.” he said.

  “Why did he arrest me?” Darcy prodded.

  “He says he has incriminating proof.”

  “What proof?”

  “There’s a CCTV recording of you entering Dr. Williams’ house at ten that evening.”

  Darcy’s eyes enlarged.

  “That’s not possible. I was at home all evening.” Darcy banged her fist on the table.

  The lawyer nodded. His eyes moved through his notes.

  “I’ll try to look for some evidence,” he said. “I saw a video of you entering the building at 9:30 pm. There’s also a video of you exiting the building at 10:15.”

  “That’s…it doesn’t make sense,” Darcy said. Her hollow eyes looked at the expressionless lawyer. “I’m sure I was at home.”

  Adams glanced at his Rolex watch.

  “I’ll find out what happened. In the meantime, stick to your testimony. I’ll be there to help you, of course.”

  “Will Detective Jones be questioning me?” Darcy asked, deep lines forming under her tired eyes.

  “Yes,” he said. He glanced at his watch. “If he asks anything about that night, just refuse to answer. Do you understand?”

  Darcy nodded.

  “If he presses, stick to whatever you said on Monday. You were asleep when Dr. Williams came by. After dinner, you heard about the visit from your neighbor and went to sleep. Is that clear?” he asked. Darcy nodded. His left leg trailed across the floor. He stood up.