Mystery of the house - Chapter 7

Before I end this story, I would like to thank all of you to read it. I hope you enjoyed it.
Now, let me take you all back to what happened in the last episode.
Detective visited Shermans' old house and soon Susan's lies were out. She confessed that she was well aware of her relationship with Sherman and so were he and Dr. Fudge. Susan fainted out of blue and was then taken to emergency.
''Where is she?! What....ha..ppen..ed?!'' Detective turned to see a lean bearded man running out of breath asking the receptionist.
She patiently asked, ''What is the patient's name?''
''Susan. Susan Parker.''
Hearing this Detective went over to him and asked, ''Who are you?''
He gave a wry smile and said, ''The one you've been searching for.''
And that was the first time Detective's face was flushed with ecstasy since he took up this case.
He looked at him, eye to eye, and with a solemn look said, ''We need to talk.''
''Where is she? What happened?!'' Exclaimed Sherman.
''She is in good hands. You need not worry. First I need some answers from you.'' Ordered Detective.
They were inside a small cabin-like room with a big round table and some chairs around it.
Detective started his interrogation. ''Where have you been all this time?''
''I. ....huh....'' he let out a little sarcastic laugh. ''To see my wife.''
''Where is Dr. Fudge?''
''He was with me. He is a good doctor and well....I needed someone with me. I couldn't....'' He paused as he could feel a lump forming in his throat. ''...possibly do it alone. I was about to...about to..find out the culprit...the reason my daughter was left to grow up without her mother's affection.''
Detective was emotionally exhausted and now in search of answers. He implored, ''Why did you hide the fact from everyone that Susan is your daughter?''
''Huh...you are a Detective, I thought you'd have figured it out. Anyway, the culprit was behind our family. Susan was the one thing I loved the most and the reason I survived. I couldn't stand being the reason she'd get hurt.'' Said Sherman. He was panting now.
"What did you find out? Who is the culprit? '' asked Detective with a suspicious look on his face.
''Mr. Brown. ''
Silence fell over them. Detective was in utter disbelief. But after a while he regained his equilibrium.
"Why? Do you have any proper reasoning and strong evidences?" implored Detective.
"Yes. Apparently Mr. Brown was our neighbor even back then. He was mentally disturbed since his life was falling apart. He was envious of what we had and he didn't." He paused and took a few shallow breaths. Then continued, "I do have strong testaments. First, his threatening letter. He would send such letters to us back then. You can check the handwriting. Second, the security camera's recording. He used to drop by just to threaten her as he knew she wasn't responsive. Third, my wife's testimony."
"Hmm...Very well. I want you to provide me those asap. I will make sure that Mr Brown is put behind the bars."
A couple of months later, Sherman had provided Detective with the testaments and Mr. Brown was sentenced to a few years of treatment in insane asylum and 10 years of imprisonment. 

Mystery of the House- Chapter 6

After the very sentimental inquiry, Detective was emotionally exhausted. He decided to visit the “beautiful yet creepy” house as Miss Taylor called it.                                                                                      Next day arrived. It was noon; sun was standing right above their heads. Detective, along with his assistant, went into the house Dr. Fudge and Mr. Sherman were thinking of buying.                                                                                                                                                                The house was situated in the most isolated part of the city. It was a typical house. It was picturesque yet it felt a little unusual. It had a large backyard and it seemed to be full of beautiful flowers when it was well maintained. It was covered with thick mosses and surrounded by a variety of wild trees. The surroundings were as silent as a forgotten melody.                                                                                                                                                                              Seeing the house, Detective thought to himself ‘It is such a beautiful house, why would anyone abandon it?’ Soon his question was answered. On the old dusty door hung a name plate trapped in the spider webs and it read- The Shermans’. And that was a major twist in the pursuit.                                                                                                                                                                           Detective tried opening the door but it was jammed. He decided to be patient with it and tried again. In the next attempt the door creaked opened. The house seemed dusty and old from the outside but on the inside, it was as clean as a new pin. Detective knew at once that someone had been there before them.                                                                                                                                                                                              He then started searching for any evidence about the whereabouts of the missing men. He first walked around the room. He observed a series of faint footsteps. He followed them and reached into a room which appeared to be a child’s room. He saw some photo frames by the window. Everything was ragged and messy except these photos. When Detective took the pictures for a closer look, he observed something written on it. It read- ‘My darling baby, Susan, on her first birthday’. The picture was of a woman holding a chubby baby.  At once the case was clear as crystal to Detective. He instructed his assistant to arrange an interrogation with Susan Parker.                

Susan was sitting in the room waiting for Detective, unaware that he was actually observing her. She was fidgeting again. She stood up and started pacing across the room. Soon Detective entered and she sat down.     

 “Why are you so nervous?” asked Detective.                                                                                       “Huh… oh…umm…..I’m not!” exclaimed Susan.                                                                             “Okay then. Do you remember the house you lived in with your mother?” implored Detective.                                                                                                                                          “Yes…….” said Susan hesitatingly.                                                                                                          “Is there something you want to say?”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     She sighed. She was staring at her intertwined fingers. Then suddenly she looked up and began, “It was two months ago, I was talking to Daisy. She told me that Dr. Fudge and my dad were friends before I was even born. He loved my mom a lot. Soon they got married and bought the house you must have visited. When she got pregnant no one knew. When she was about to tell him, he met with an accident and lost his memory. She decided to stand by his side but pregnancy was hard enough to handle. Her sister suggested her to call uncle Fudge as he was the only one he could identify and invited her to live with them till I was born.”                                                                                              She took a long deep breath and continued, “After I was born my mom raised me alone for 5 years until he showed up on my birthday. He had revived his memory and knew that I was his daughter.” She looked up again and giving an apologetic shrug said, “I lied to you. She didn’t go missing that day. A month later, my mom went grocery shopping when similar accident took place and she lost her consciousness. She was in a com a for years. The cops thought of it as a simple accident but my dad knew that it was a planned attempt to murder. He told me that he was going to search for the person who was causing trouble to my family.”                                                                                                                                              She stopped and fainted out of nowhere. Soon she was taken to the emergency. Detective now heard everything that he had interpreted.                                                                                                             

Mystery of the house- Chapter 5

They checked Fudge's register, and there it was- 'Susan Parker'. She visited Fudge's office daily but never actually met him.
     Another lead that they got was that she came early when Sherman visited Fudge as a patient and during lunch when he came as his partner.
     As soon as they got this information, Detective decided to meet Susan.
     The meeting was impromptu. Susan was fidgeting, perhaps she was nervous or frightened.
     To make her feel comfortable and get answers without creating any doubt in her mind he started talking to her.
      "Hello Miss, I am really grateful that you agreed to meet me today. I'm sorry for no prior notice. I have been told that you learn the piano and probably are a professional now. Can you please tell me who your teacher is and how he is?"
       Susan was a very blunt and bold person.
        "You don't have to do this. I know you are a Detective and you are the one investigating my dad and uncle Fudge's disappearance." She said looking exasperated.
        "Daisy is my best friend. Her father is uncle Fudge. Uncle Fudge's best friend is Sherman that is my dad." She answered the unasked question.
          "She told me that a few months back she overheard Sherman talking to uncle Fudge addressing me as his daughter. Ever since then I decided to find out the reason behind keeping me away from him."
           The detective was piqued and thought - Huh......so everyone knows everything. Then why the hell am I investigating and investing my precious time in searching something unattainable as the men disappearing?
             "Why do you live here? With your friend?" Detective inquired.
"My parents won't accept me so I was kinda left with no choice." Her tone was extremely sarcastic.
      "We know about your dad but what about your mom?"
       "I don't remember it clearly but.....it was my birthday, I was turning five. My mom invited all my friends to a party. Everyone brought gifts for me. I ate candies, cakes and what not. My house was full but my chest was hollow. I was happy but sad at the same time. Everyone I loved was here except that mystery man who denied me as a baby. Ever since I went to kindergarten, I used to see my peers come with their dads. I always thought that if I was good enough, my dad would return and do the same." She was weeping like an unloved child.
"On that day, when I was sitting with my friends and enjoying, a man entered and started talking to my mom. He was apologizing perhaps. His face carried a melancholy expression. Sometime later I could not find my mom. She never met me again." She was sobbing even more now.
"Am I so undesirable? " she exclaimed.
             The detective was really overwhelmed after the little revelation. He decided not to interrogate her anymore and talk about it when she gains her calm.

Apologies for the delay

" Reading is the best means of pleasure."
Sorry for the delay but I won't be posting till April now.
It's a great pleasure to write as well as read blogs. We get engrossed in the story and are desperate for the next part. But that is the very essence of serialized stories.
Hope you continue the journey of The Mystery of the house.
Regards, Sharlay.

Mystery of the house-Chapter 4

The next site of investigation was Sherman's house.

As Detective along with his assistant reached their site, they broke in and started their pursuit of evidence. The first stop was Sherman's living room. It was so clean and proper. They continued into the bedroom and then kitchen, bathroom, balcony and finally the study. 

  As they entered the study they saw an envelope inside the bottom drawer of the bureau. They tore it open and saw a letter. 

   It was from Mr. Brown. It said :'' I know it. And don't play the innocent as you know it too. Give me  $10,000 and I'll keep the secret safe. If you don't I'll do something you'll regret. ''

    Now this was interesting. Mr. Brown was meddlesome but he was blackmailing Sherman? Why? What was this that he knew about Sherman but was keeping it from the detective and others? 

     As they turned to the front door, they saw Brown peeping inside. Detective caught hold of him and started his interrogation. 

''What are you hiding? '' asked Detective nonchalantly. 

''Nothing...... I was just.....'' said Brown, trying to avoid Detective's gaze.

''I know you are lying and so do you. Why don't you cooperate with me? Unless you want me to manhandle you. '' threatened Detective. 

''Okay...'' Brown said defensively and continued,''Sherman has a daughter. She doesn't know that Sherman is her father. ''

''What? Daughter? Why didn't you tell this during our first meeting?! '' Detective exclaimed raising his eyebrows. ''What else do you know about her? ''

''Her name is Susan Parker. She lives in a condo with her best friend Daisy. Sherman was her piano teacher. '' Detective was astonished at the amount of information Brown had about her but soon recalled that he was a meddlesome man.

''Daisy.....Fudge's daughter?!'' Implored Detective.

''Yes'' said Brown. 

So again it came down to Fudge. 

Publishing details

A warm welcome to all my readers! I hope you are enjoying the story and are waiting for the next chapter.
      The next chapter will be published in a little late this time. So please hang on since the story is just getting interesting.
 I apologize for the delay!
''Stories have the unique magic of portability to the wonderland of the writer. ''

Sharlay.

Mystery of the house- Chapter 3

The first investigation sight was Dr. Fudge's office. 

      According to Miss Taylor, he was a clean freak. But on the contrary, his room was a mess! All of his belongings were lying here and there. 

     ''Wow! He was a clean freak!'' Said Detective's grumpy assistant sardonically.

       As they started their search, Detective found a lot of papers lying haphazardly on the table. Some of these were contracts. As Detective examined them, he realized that these were related to real estate properties etc. Detective had a gut feeling that it was definitely related to.......SHERMAN! He was a realtor! 

       As they continued their pursuit, they found a book lying on a fluffy couch near a gigantic wall painting. It was abstract and very non-Fudge-kind as Miss Taylor said. 

       As Detective went through the book he found a half-torn page in it. It had a contact  number on it - 951-85 and the rest was missing. Above it was written an incomplete address - Roze street. 

      They searched the office once again but found nothing suspicious. 

      ''So, you said Sherman came twice as a patient and thrice as his partner. Since when was he visiting Fudge in this unusual pattern?'' Asked Detective as he turned back his attention on Miss Taylor. 

      ''For one month, perhaps. Ever since Dr. Fudge decided to take that house.'' Miss Taylor said in her usual high-pitched voice. 

''What house?!'' Demanded Detective. 

''He was thinking of buying this house in the outskirts of the city. It is beautiful yet for some reason creepy. ''

''I see. And the unusual pattern he followed...what details do you have about it? '' Implored Detective. 

  ''When he came as a patient, he would come during his working hours. But when he came as his partner, he came during lunch.'' She answered with an unfathomable expression.

''Probably Sherman was being stalked and he knew it. He wanted something from Fudge. Something that the intruder in Fudge's office wanted too.'' Whispered Detective to his assistant.