Fool Me Twice - A Short Story

By Vineet Verma

When a car salesman is found dead, Detective Arthur Lansbury first suspects a couple of homeless men. He soon discovers that there are other contenders. The grieving wife had motive and opportunity. The victim's boss appears to have skeletons he would rather keep buried. As Lansbury digs deeper, the investigation leads him to a thirteen-year-old cold case — and a shocking conclusion.

 

Includes the bonus short story, Fate, in which the initial part of the tale above is narrated by one of the other characters, albeit in a lighter vein.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Vineet Verma
• Release date: Sep 3, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201934682

Book preview

Fool Me Twice

He’s lying on the grass , motionless, his white suit contrasting with the squalid background. One would think he’s sleeping, but the grotesque expression on his face and the red patch on his belly tell a different story. Amber from forensics is squatting next to the body.

What do you make of it? I ask her.

He’s been dead at least a day. Stabbed.

Murder weapon?

None found. The wound suggests a knife.

Any signs of a struggle?

Not that I can tell. He went down easy.

I lower myself to take a look, wincing as I do so.

Still sore? she asks.

I nod. It’s the full marathon I ran on Sunday. My first one. Six months of intense training. Four hours of non-stop running. Exhilaration at the finish line. Now two days of aching legs. Thankfully, homicide detectives don’t have to run much on the job.

I’m proud of you, Arthur.

Thanks, I reply as I admire her gorgeous face. The flaming red hair isn’t visible under her protective suit, but she’s still stunning. The only one who gets my heart racing since Ruth. One of these days I’ll muster the courage to ask her out, but this is neither the time nor the place.

We’re at the homeless camp at the intersection of Oakland Road and Highway 101. Usually it’s quite dark here, especially on nights like this one where there’s only a sliver of moon, but tonight it’s aglow with the lights set up for the investigation. Officer Garcia has strung yellow tape all around and is managing the scene. The body’s at one end of the camp. A couple of worn tents and an overflowing shopping cart are at the other. Officer Mendez is standing between the tents with a homeless man, probably the one who found the body and called it in.

I don my gloves and search the corpse. A lot of pockets, but most turn up empty. His trouser pocket has a key which seems to be for his apartment. No car key. No wallet. No cell phone. Did he lose his life trying to resist a robbery? Scanning the area around the body, I find a black notebook. There’s a name and address in there. Nathan Sandler from San Jose. If it’s the killer’s, I’m a lucky man. Should I hit the slots in Vegas this weekend? The notebook goes into my evidence bag. Finding nothing else of importance, I comb the rest of the camp for more clues. There’s a variety of items lying in the grass, not surprising for a place like this. Mostly trash. Figuring out what’s relevant to the case is anybody’s guess. I spend some time perusing these treasures and trundle over to Mendez once I am done.

Wade. Victor Wade, the man standing next to Mendez introduces himself. The words roll off his tongue like he’s a famous spy, but