100 Ways to Solve a Murder-Chapter 96: Act V Enlightenment II
2 hours ago
Sam’s room, Private Mental Facility Cardiff
Levi stood inside Sam’s room in the mental facility, aware of the camera’s recording his every movement. Marco frowned at the clean empty room, he wondered out loud, "Did they move anything?" It felt too clean for him.
"There was no struggle, Marco," Levi informed, looking down at the chair facing the window.
She once sat there, he knew.
Levi looked at his wristwatch thinking they were way off schedule, and he turned to look at the camera.
Marco followed his gaze, turning to see the camera continued to flash red, then it shifted down to their foot then back again.
Levi smiled and turned towards the door. "Let’s go, Marco!" He said marching out the room, his mobile rang immediately.
Levi answered the call, pressing it against his right ear.
"Anna, do tell me you have better news." He said.
Marco listened to him talk, jogging to keep up with his fast strides.
Anna sighed on the other line,
"I successfully convinced Ivan to pull out most of his hitmen. 7 out of 10, but 3 are still out there," she said, slightly relieved.
Levi rolled his eyes at this, "I was implying something more pressing, like her current location." He scoffed.
Anna paused, and on the other line, Levi could just imagine Anna rolling her eyes at his antics. "Ivan is personally working on that as we speak. The team is on standby." Anna informed him.
Levi imagined the CEO, Ivan Fredricksen hacking a very specific satellite that will pinpoint her sister’s exact location. A location that would never have been possible if it wasn’t for Levi Jackson’s unethical mind.
......
Months previous, 7 Eastbourne Rd.
Anna entered his flat, heels clicking against his wooden floors. Scanning his living room in disgust, he had let himself go. It was so obvious.
Levi turned to his sister, and he shot her a glare. "Why?" He asked, wanting her to be gone as soon as possible. He didn’t want her there, especially in his state.
Anna arched her brows at him,
"Think, baby brother." She said, looking down at his younger sibling sitting on his sofa inside his flat.
He was in his pajamas, barefoot, with his feet on top of the coffee table, hair in complete disarray. He looked like a mess.
While as usual, Anna was presentable, hair styled, and wearing a red empire-cut dress and a pair of black Louboutin.
Levi glared up at her, in all the amount of hatred he could manage, covering the hurt in his eyes.
"Don’t be at the mercy of your emotions, Levi." He said, quoting Anna. And the older Jackson, tilted her head intrigued, and confused by his statement. She was guilty of saying that many times before when they were kids, ’don’t be at the mercy of your emotions, Levi’, she used to always say when he would cry his eyes out decades before.
There was so much reason for them to cry back then, but she turned cold. She smiled every time instead of when she was supposed to cry. And she taught him to do the same, the signature fake smile on his face he learned from her.
Levi gritted his teeth in frustration, was it really it? Was it really it? He wondered, uncertain with his own judgments.
"Was that it?" He demanded, earning a more confused look from Anna. He got off the sofa and marched towards her sister, and he tilted his head in a threatening manner. "Was that why you’re assisting her? Because I care for her?!" He snapped.
He balled his fist and gritted his teeth,
"WAS THAT THE REASON WHY YOU’RE HELPING HER KILL HERSELF?!" Levi hissed at her, meeting her eyes.
Anna took a step back and gave her younger brother a look. ’He’s gone mad.’ Anna thought.
Based on the way Levi was holding himself, the younger Jackson was about to lose his wits. Indeed, she had accepted Sam’s proposal, to help her in completing her plans in exchange for her brother’s favor in the future. Her Plan consisted of well-thought Steps--Acts, like in every Play.
Act 1--Darkness.
Act 2--Play the Press
Act 3--The Suicide
Act 4-- Insanity
Leading to the Final Scene,
Act 5--Enlightenment--was her anticipated Abduction, all for answers that she’s been seeking for.
’Who was behind her attack?’
Anna frowned, absolutely offended at Levi’s statement. ’Does he think so lowly of me?’ She wondered.
It wasn’t her plan, she didn’t help Sam to eliminate her. Though, Levi did make a fine point. It would be easier for all of them if the woman just died. The trouble she has brought everyone, even to herself, it would be easier if she was removed in the picture.
"An excuse to eliminate her, Anna? Do you detest me that much?" Levi accused. Hurt flashed Anna’s eyes for a second, that statement she knew came from a place in their childhood. The deepest pit of himself, ’the shed.’ The place where she abandoned him decades before.
"You make a fine point, Levi. The woman is Trouble, since the day you met her you’ve been...distracted." She stated.
Her eyes narrowed against his, "And for your peace of mind, I am assisting her, for the very reason you care." She said.
"Do you honestly believe she’ll cease her plans because I refused her? Don’t be stupid Levi. She’ll do it, with or without my help. At least, with me abetting her; she might just have a fighting chance to survive this." She explained, with her chin pointed up.
"Get your act together. This is a matter of your girlfriend’s life." The platinum blond added when Levi didn’t respond, too lost for words.
Levi’s eyes narrowed at his sister,
"She’s not my girlfriend." He retorted, earning an unconvinced look from his sister.
She grabbed a seat in the living room, crossing her legs, making herself comfortable.
"Nevertheless, get your head in the ’game’. I can’t possibly keep up with her and be the puppeteer baby brother." Anna said, leaning back.
Levi takes the seat opposite her, "tea?" Levi asked, and Anna nods in confirmation, their disagreement is forgotten completely. Levi reached for the landline, pressing it against his right ear. "Tea please, Mrs. Whitehall," he said, ending the call immediately.
A few minutes later, the two quietly sips their tea.
"Any suggestion on how we’ll keep her alive?" Anna broke the silence, and there was a long pause. She watched as Levi’s lips tug up in satisfaction.
"I may just have the perfect plan. But you’ll be consorting with an International Crime, that if we get caught; may inevitably cause a war against the Sleeping Giant." Levi informed.
Anna sighed, getting a headache at the situation in hand.
"What is it?" she asked.
Levi remained silent in his seat, milking the fact that she just outsmarted her manipulative sister.
Anna glared at him, fed up with her sibling’s immaturity. . "Tell me," she demanded. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎
With a wicked smile and a glint of mischief in his hazel eyes, he said,
"Hacking China’s Satellite."
...
Present, December 31st, Hangar
Czar crawls away from Sam in fear, seeing her pull another crystal in her pocket; a surge of pain envelopes him the moment he attempts to move. It was coming from his left leg, he shifted to stare at the sight, and he noticed the bone peeking out of his skin. He guffawed in pain, realization hitting him, and he whimpered in pain forcing himself to drag his body away from her.
Sam had a dead look in her eyes, and her face was covered in blood. The red of her blood and hair seemed redder in contrast with the canvas that was her pale white skin.
She followed him unaware of her own movements. Taking her sweet time, ignoring the blood covering her, the dust, the smoke. Czar turns in desperation, he claws through the rubble, forcing himself to go faster, farther.
Sam steps on his back, and he pauses shrieks in pain. She takes his right arm in hers and dislocates it in one swift motion, medicine sure did make it easy. Too easy.
She does the same to his left, and his screams reached great distances.
She looks around, barely conscious...taking shallow breaths.
She just wanted to sleep. She just wanted to rest. But her body kept on moving, her eyes scanned the place for the very first time and her brain noted that they were in an old empty hangar.
She scoffed, "So generic," She said.
She dug her hands to her pocket, where the crystal remained. And she took it in her hand, it lied in her palm looking innocuous.
She can end this now, as she intended it to, she thought.
Her brother, as much as she hated his guts, will be safe from their cousin at least. She has no proof that Czar stole the illegal drug from her brother, but the proof is the last of her concern.
Czar had to be ’taken cared of’. They can do the rest, she left enough bread crumbs to follow. She snorts, amused at the destruction she left behind, at how large her so-called ’breadcrumbs’ were.
They can’t miss that.
She gazed at her left hand, noting her reddened fingertips. But what bothered her most was how empty her left wrist felt.
The watch she had, her lifeline was gone. No one will be there for her rescue. She’s on her own, as anticipated.
But she succeeded didn’t she? The main goal was to figure out the snakes in her brother’s company and cut off their heads. And she has the Mastermind under her feet.
So, how will he go?
Does she slit his throat?
Or use the fulminated mercury in her hand?
Both are so tempting.
