7. The Third Victim
After several moments of awkward silence, Flanders finally explained his observation:
“Do you see those two footprints? They should be a pair but are mismatched.”
“Oh yes, I can see them now,” Morrow replied and felt a little embarrassed for not noticing it himself. “What, you think they belong to our killer?”
“Can’t be sure, but it is definitely something worth looking into.”
The commissioner was just about to reply when a police officer came to them with a worried expression.
“What’s up, son?” asked Morrow.
“It’s Mr. Phil Clapton, sir, he doesn’t pick up his phone. We went to his mansion to meet with him, but he doesn’t open the door either,” reported the officer.
“Was the door locked? Did you try to get inside?”
“The door was locked, sir, but we didn’t want to break in without checking with you first.”
The commissioner sighed, “I have a bad feeling about this”, and got ready to go.
Fifteen minutes later, Morrow, Flanders, and three other police officers were in front of the former mayor’s house. It was a large building with its own parking lot, a fountain, and everything you could expect from an expensive, luxurious mansion. The five men tried to call Phil one last time, and when nobody answered, they broke the door. It didn’t take them long before they found him lying dead in the Claptons’ personal gallery room. He was holding a red rose in his hands.
