Autopsy of a Mind

Chapter 20: You've Solved the Case?

My head was planted on the pillow, my eyes glued to the ceiling as I re-envisioned the body. There had to be something. Even with my meager understanding of the subject, the possibility of someone wearing clothes that fit them 'that' poorly usually means something. As I thought about it, I felt my eyes drooping.

If it was a miracle or just how tired I was, I don't know, but for the first time in years, I fell into a sound sleep. No dreams haunted me. Nothing dragged me off my bed or grabbed my throat when I closed my eyes.

When I woke up, I felt dread creep up my spine. As if lightning had struck me, the thought passed through my head.

'Dressed in borrowed robes.'

All the tension left my body. In an instant, I felt like I had just returned from a battle, victorious. My breath was laborious, my palms clammy with sweat, and my eyes still unable to focus on my surroundings.

The links quickly started forming in my head. The child must have been wearing someone else's clothes. Going by the several concepts that Mr. Butler had explained to me in the past couple of days, I was sure that the link was closer to home to the killer. It was definitely someone he knew. Maybe, someone else who worked on the same farm? Or someone from his own family? It was possible.

I was shaken by how motivated I felt to solve this. I felt the connection to the missing boys. I had been there, in the same dark hole, hoping that someone would rescue me. I knew what they thought. I knew what they felt. And how could I not help them? How could I not try?

This human connection was something I was forgotten. Being able to understand what others felt, not calculate their reactions, was new to me. I quickly slid off the bed and changed clothes. The time was perfect. As I rushed down the stairs towards the entrance, I saw Mr. Butler sipping on his cup of tea. He spared me a glance. He looked tired, but still somehow enthusiastic.

"Are you going somewhere?" he asked, a small smile playing across his lips.

"The market is open today and I want to see if what I am thinking is a possibility." I didn't want to tell him my theory. I didn't want him to take away from me the little reassurance I could get by doing something.

"Won't you share it with me?" It surprised me that he didn't seem to ask the question in a way that would force me to answer him. It was as if he wanted to know why I wouldn't tell him.

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"I can be wrong," I said in a low voice.

"Yes, you could be." Was all he said. I stared at him for a moment before finding the right words.

"Why don't you ask me what I theorized?"

"I will be heading over to the police station soon," he said as he got up from his seat. He leaned over to pick up a paper and handed walked over to hand it to me. "This should help you a little."

"You've solved the case?" The surprise in my voice made him burst out into laughter. It was the first time I had seen him do that. I was slightly taken aback.

"You seem to be very close to solving it, yourself. How could I let myself lose to you?" his carefree words were equivalent to a pat on the shoulder. "Now, go. Early bird gets the worms."

He strolled away.

His permission was all I needed. I had already taken the car out and driving away. I saw Mr. Butler standing at the front door with what seemed like a satisfied expression on his face. I didn't think much of it then.

The drive was comically fast. It was possibly my excitement and anxiety that made the ride such a blur, but soon I was near my destination and turning off the engine. I looked over the information and cross-referenced it with the documents Seth had sent over. I marked out the shop numbers and quickly made my way through the crowds.

There were quite a few people already shopping despite the early hour and some stores were still setting up their stalls. As I made my way through the list, I felt a deep passion for the meaningless conversations I was engaging in. There was a purpose behind this act. I was speaking because it was necessary for me to get this information from another person.

I understood the importance the meaning behind the consequences of the act I was performing.

Yet nothing was out of place. Everything was peaceful. The smiles of the possible suspects were sincere. There was no monstrosity in their gazes.

No one was missing.

No one had run away.

I was almost towards the end of the list when I passed across a middle-aged man scolding one of his workers. This stall was definitely on the list, but I didn't know how to approach them when they were in the middle of the conversation.

So I walked up to the stall and started looking around for some vegetables. Well, I thought that even if the trip was unfruitful, I could come out of it with fresh groceries.

"May I help you?" I heard a soft, male voice ask. I looked up and saw the guy.

Average height, average build, average facial attractiveness. His shoulders were slightly hunched, his brows furrowed, forming creases on his forehead. His voice and eyes, though, were magnetic. I could tell that he wasn't particularly outspoken, but clearly, he had some gravity.

"I don't like the cabbages here, do you have any others?" I asked politely. Frankly, I hadn't even looked at the cabbages carefully to know if they were good or bad.

There was something gnawing at me from the moment I looked at him. My gut told me that I had found the man, but my mind told me that I needed more information. I needed to see if my logic was correct.

"We might have some at the back. Let me find something good for you." The smile he gave me was courteous but pleasant. My eyes followed his figure until he had disappeared.

I, then, refocused on the elder man who still seemed to be fuming. I greeted him and as expected, this troubled man unburdened his anger.

"I shouldn't have taken in the brothers. Always complaining about how hard work is, how they need a raise." He huffed. While the man wasn't talking to me, directly, I could hear what he was saying very clearly.

"Are you okay?" I asked, forming my expression into that of worry. "You seem troubled," I added. The gleam of wonder overtook his eyes. He had found someone whom he could talk to.

"Ah, just worried about that kid." He pointed towards the direction where the man had disappeared. "He has been so odd for the past couple of years." He stopped and pondered.

"His dad was abusive, so he ran away with his brother and started working at my place. And it was all fine until the brother ran away."

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