The Strange Alibi of Mr.Blackwater - Part 3 End

Read the previous story: Part 1 and Part 2.

As he sat and started to smoke with his pipe, he overheard a conversation between a ground crew and a pilot. “Yo homies, you just been to Hawaii, haven’t you?” “Yes, what is it?” “I heard someone brought a gun! Trying to hijack the plane! Is that true?” “Yes! I was terrified you know! Good thing the cop was on the flight too! He was on vacation he said. And he was right behind the dude; then he tackled him.” “Hey, you saw what happened?” “Nope, a passenger told our crew.” “If I was there, I’d kung-fu his ass and arrest him myself!” “What? You learn Kung fu?” “I can Kung fu! Ain’t nobody got time for learning that!” “Don’t tell me you learn it from movie.” “Ah! Screw you!” Their conversation ended as well as Greg’s smoking, and he smiled. “Now this is interesting.”

He then asked the chatting crews. “Excuse me, gentlemen. I’m Detective Gregory Whitewood, on duty for the police. May I know the name of the police who capture the hijacker?” “Oh, sure, Sherlock. Anyone in Las Vegas knows who he is. And I suppose you know him as well. He is Inspector Tommy Towngate.” “Now he’s the real kung fu fighter in town. He was a gangsta back in Brooklyn by the way. And then someone from Las Vegas befriended with him.” “A white gangsta?” “Sorry for interrupting the chat, but is Inspector Tommy’s ticket is not his name?” “From what I heard from my crew, no, it isn’t. It’s name is someone else.” “What? Isn’t it against the law?” “Well, Sherlock, a few people thought he was that gentleman bartender of Castle Bar, Steve Blackwater. But I realized when he said ‘You’re arrested’ like he is a cop. Then we recognize him to be Inspector Towngate. Well, since he saved us from the terrorist, our crew didn’t mind him being the wrong passenger.” “Is that so? Very well then, gentlemen, thank you for the information.” “Anytime, Sherlock!” He walked away, leaving both of them as the pilot started to wonder. “Wait, man, I think I know that dude.” “What? That detective? You don’t recognize him? Nigga, you serious? He is Gregory Whitewood!” “What?! Aww, heck! I should have asked for an autograph! He is like a hero in this town!” “Yeah, much like that Tommy you mentioned.”

As he walked to the park, he called the inspector who investigated Mr.Castleburn’s case. “Yes, mr.Whitewood?” “Inspector, may I know the name of the inspector who’s got the vacation? Is it Inspector Tommy Towngate?” “Yes! Yes, it is!” “Is he a friend of Steve Blackwater?” “Yes he is! He was the one who made that punk into a police officer. Oh God, to think Inspector Tommy was a punk back then. By the way, when I went to Castle Bar, I mistook Mr.Steve Blackwater to be Inspector Towngate. I suppose they are like twins or something.” “Okay. One more question, inspector, did he just get home today from Hawaii?” “Yes. And, how do you know this all exactly, mr.Whitewood?” “Just intuition. A detective intuition. Anyway, thanks Inspector!” As he hanged up his phone, he laughed, laughed of victory. People around him were startled of him, thinking he was going crazy, even though some of them recognized who he was. “Oh wait, I shouldn’t have laughed just yet. I should make sure of it to Mr.Blackwater. Hah, it seems now the wood is going to absorb the water.”

Afterwards, he raced his Porsche to to Steve Blackwater’s house to strike him down with his analysis. He called him while driving, which was actually forbidden by law to call someone while driving, not to mention on how fast he drove. “Mr.Blackwater?” “Yes?” “Are you home?” “I am.” “May I go to your house?” “Yes, of course.” “Well, I’m going in.” Steve prepared some tea, Britain tea, to show his guest his respect, before his guest arrived. Steve, however, was not aware that the detective he asked to spy his boss would arrest him and would drag him to prison. He was certain that his plan went smoothly.

Steve had waited him and welcomed him. The condition was just like when Greg came to his house to accuse Steve. “Oh, a tea of my homeland! How kind of you!” “It’s the very least I can do to respect you, Mr.Whitewood.” “Yes, thank you kindly. But sir, would you like to hear my analysis on this case of Mr.Castleburn?” “Of course! It’d be an honor to hear an analysis from detective such as you. But as you know, my boss is assigned to commit suicide. What else do you want to analyze?” “It is NOT a suicide, sir.” “Then how did you know that Mr.Castleburn was killed?” “When I arrived, the first thing which was peculiar was the chair.” “The chair?” “Yes, the chair. I felt something was strange. Well, the chair was right below the hanged body of Mr.Castleburn. How could a man hang himself with a chair right below him? It should have been moved back a bit.” “But he would climb it with chair, since he is one short fellow.” “That IS it! His stature made it difficult for him to hang himself, unless he jumped. But if he did, his hanged body would slowly swing forward and backward after he hanged himself, making the chair for him to stand to fall on the back and a bit further, not right below it. If he put the chair in reverse, it’d fall right below it, but the chair was unfortunately on the back, not on the front. Then I’m sure, somebody with tall stature would hang him up to the rope.” “Magnificent analysis, Mr.Whitewood. So, who’s that culprit?” “I’m afraid it’d be you, sir.”

Steve, looked calmly as calm as the lake can be, replied him. “That’s quite a confidence you showed to me. I told you, my friend, it was impossible for me to be the culprit, the murderer. Beside, I heard there was a testament there. It’s clear he committed suicide.” “It is typed, isn’t it? The testament?” “Well, yes.” “Anyone can type the testament, even by me, or by you.” “Then how would you explain my alibi? I DID take my vacation by plane.” “Are you sure, Mr.Blackwater?” “Of course! You may go to the airport to make sure of it.” “In that case, let me ask you if you really are sure you took your vacation. There was something happened in your vacation while you were on flight, wasn’t it?” “Well, there was nothing happened on the flight.” “I’m sorry then. I do have to arrest you.” “What? Why?” “The plane you flight with was hijacked.” “Oh yes! I forgot to mention it.” “No, you didn’t, Mr.Blackwater. If you did, tell me what happened to the hijacker. Don’t tell me you also forgot it as well.” “Well, I…” Steve started to look worry and was speechless. 

Knowing this, Greg started to take a deep breath. He was going to explain the whole of Steve’s doing. “So, the procedure of your crime is like this: firstly you ensure Mr.Castleburn to get out of the casino, dealing with the arm-dealer like you said, whether it’s true or not. Secondly, you have your bonus of vacation from the boss, which for you was the perfect time to kill him. After you had it, you gave it to your look-alike friend, who is surprisingly a cop, Inspector Towngate. This one was what confused me most until I make sure of it myself at the airport. You did this to strengthen your alibi against the casino workers and of course me, Gregory Whitewood. Thirdly, you hired me to spy Mr.Castleburn to make sure he was okay but then he committed suicide a day before you, or exactly Inspector Towngate going back to Nevada, without involving you at all, which is why your payment to me spying him was illogically high. But the thing is, Mr.Castleburn died at the third day of me spying him. The one I spied was not Mr.Castleburn, but someone who looks like him you might hire to fool me, and asked him to wear the hat, the coat, the fake beard, and the sunglasses at your house upon my first visit to your house. You killed Mr.Castleburn at the third day I spy him.” “Well, all those 3 are actually true, I admit. But it’d be nothing without…” “…evidence. Well, mr.Blackwater, you DID not take the flight to Hawaii yesterday. It was your friend, Inspector Towngate. May I know what were you doing at 3 days in this town?”

“Outstanding, detective, very outstanding. I suppose you also know that I went to his house from the living room which had two cakes and two cups of coffee.” “Aww, I forgot that point.” “Well then, you got me. Fine, I admit, I AM the murderer of Mr.Brian Castleburn. You may arrest me now.” “My pleasure, Mr.Blackwater.” “Anyway can you tell me what happened to the hijacker? Did he manage to hijack the plane?” “Fortunately he didn’t. Your friend who flied replacing you took care of him.” “Tommy? Thank goodness.” “Impressive, Mr.Blackwater, you tricked for your alibi well. You used me and Inspector Towngate to strengthen your alibi of Mr.Castleburn’s murder, or exactly using me to strengthen your alibi against Inspector Towngate, and using Inspector Towngate to strengthen your alibi against me. Simply amazing, you confused me out there.” Greg handcuffed him with the handcuff he got from the inspector. They gazed to each other, one looked as if to say, ”Elated to make you acquaintance, but I win this battle of wits, my friend” while the other one looked as if to say, “Elated to make you acquaintance as well, congratulations on your winning.” They then went to the Police.

Greg started another conversation with his custody. “Well, Mr.Blackwater, I think now is my turn to ask you something.” “Sure. What is it?” “The motive of you murdering Mr.Castleburn is more than his wealth, isn’t it?” “I knew you’d realize it.” “Then you would surely explain it.” “Sure thing. Well, I talked to my boss that I wished to turn the bar I run into a restaurant. I also wished to be free from him.” “Free? From him?” “Yes, my boss had two bodyguards, one was me, and the other was Inspector Tommy.” “Is that so… Wait! What in the world…?!” “At 20, He escaped to Brooklyn, New York.” “And be a gangsta there.” “That’s right, and, how did you know it?” “Don’t mind it, continue it.” “I met him when my boss and I were on our business trip to New York. He told me he wished to be a police. I gave him some money of mine for him to go back to Las Vegas and motivated him to be a police officer.” “That’s good of him.” “When I was 24, I heard he was promoted into Officer. I was truly grateful. 4 years later, he was promoted into Inspector and was known to be a hero like you in this city.” “Then let me guess, Mr.Castleburn was angered due to Tommy’s betrayal and he wanted to send an assassin to kill him, which your motive was to protect Tommy from this?” “Exactly.” “Wait, so Mr.Castleburn is a mafia boss?” “And why didn’t you realize right off the bat?!” “Oh my God! I should have arrested him before you murdered him!” “Yeah, my apology. When I killed him, I was also planning to turn the casino into a school.” “Too bad for your failure because of me. I somehow felt guilty because of it.” “Hey hey, don’t mind it, it was your job after all.”

Arriving at the police headquarters, Greg turned Steve in to the police. Tommy was the one who took care of Steve, he didn’t realize he was used as tool of alibi to murder his former boss and was upset knowing this fact. He, however, did his job professionally disregarding it was his friend who was the culprit. Steve then whispered something, while at the same time, Greg also whispered something: “Elated to make you acquaintance.”

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Written by Nizamuddin Arriyadhi