If You Met Me First...
Interrogated
A Hotel Near the Precinct of Manhattan New York
Thea Ramadhan visits a hotel room occupied by Hugo Melker and guarded by two NYPD members. Although Hugo's alibi was very solid, the NYPD still determined the novelist to be a suspect in the murder of his wife, Salsabila. Plus there's Hugo's DNA inside Salsabila's body and fingerprints on his murder weapon.
Investigators suspect Hugo because the CCTVs in their home that day were all dead and Hugo had no idea why they were dead. Today according to the plan, Hugo will be interrogated again by the investigators but with Thea at his side.
"Good morning officers. Can I go in to see my client?" Thea stared at the two NYPD policemen.
"Miss Ramadan's Morning. Be able. I open it." The officer put the card key on and Thea came in after the door opened. "Please."
"Thank you" Thea smiled.
The girl saw Hugo busy with his cell phone and raised his head when she found out that Thea was there.
Hugo Melker
"Good morning Mr. Melker. Are you ready for the police station?" greet Thea friendly.
"Miss Ramadan's Morning. We're leaving now?" ask Hugo.
"Yes Sir."
Hugo stood up from the chair and put on his shoes and took his jacket. "You drive?"
"Yes Sir. You will be prohibited from holding the vehicle while still under investigation because ..."
"Fear I ran away like that?" cut Hugo out.
"They're just doing their job, Mr. Melker" Thea replied calmly. Both of them also came out of the hotel room escorted by two police officers, let alone the many journalists and paparazzi who get hot news novelists rose and killed his wife.
The four got into the Range Rover Thea car with police escorts and exited the rear parking lot door avoiding the reporters waiting for Hugo to come out.
***
NYPD Precinct Manhattan Interrogation Room
Hugo looked at the two detectives before him with a look of disbelief as they informed him that before he died, Salsabila had a sexual relationship with someone who was not yet identified.
"What?" Hugo's tone of voice sounded very shocked and then turned to look at Thea. "You know this?"
"I was told last night" Thea replied.
"And you didn't tell me?" Hugo's voice sounded angry.
"Mr Melker, we asked Miss Ramadhan to let you know because you would have gone on a rampage." said detective Carissi.
"Damn sure I get angry ! Who would dare to... Is ... When in..."
"P3rcose? No, Sir. I'm sorry" said detective Muncy. "There are no signs - signs of sexual violence and everything is consensual."
Hugo's face seemed to harden between anger and disappointment. "Son of the b1tch.." he said.
"Mr Melker, why was your home's CCTV at the time of the incident all dead? We even have to light up from the center." Detective Carissi looked at Hugo.
"Dead? Look Detective, CCTV house I never die ! Even we have a generator if there is a blackout so everything is safe. Dead?" Hugo looked puzzled by the silvery blonde detective's remark.
"We noticed that the CCTVs in your house died half an hour after you left for Manhattan until we arrived when you called 911. Have you never checked your CCTVs through your mobile device in Manhattan?" ask detective Muncy.
"I was busy then, detective. You can check my conversation log if you don't believe me ! At the time of the incident, my phone was in my suit pocket."
"You never called Mrs Melker?" ask detective Muncy.
"Only after I arrived at Manhattan's national library. I sent a message to Bila and my wife answered her 'Happy work'." Hugo gave his phone to examine the two detectives and turned to the two-way glass window.
Shortly a TARU (Technical Assistant Response Unit ) officer enters the interrogation room to retrieve Hugo's phone.
"You don't have another phone, Mr Melker?" ask Detective Carissi.
"none. I was the most lazy to bring a cell phone. One is like that shape" replied Hugo while showing the case of his phone that has been scratched.
"I borrowed Mr Melker first" said the TARU officer who then came out of the interrogation room.
***
Chris Bradford came alone to follow the NYPD's interrogation to Hugo Melker. The council asked the NYPD captain to handle it directly because it involved a public figure and celebrity with a case that made the press and gossip columns crazy with all his conspiracy theories.
"Ruben, check carefully !" chris orders while looking at the interrogation glass and listening to the questions asked to Hugo.
" Yes captain." Ruben then attached the data cable from Hugo's phone to his MacBook.
Chris saw how Hugo answered the question with a straightforward answer and there was no doubt there. If Hugo was the killer of Salsabila, he should not be that stupid and his anger when he heard his wife allegedly cheating was not made up.
"Captain !" call Ruben.
"How's it?" asked Chris curiously.
"Everything fits. On the day of the incident, Hugo Melker did send a message to his wife" Ruben replied, showing everything on screen.
Chris read the message there.
📩 My Darling : Honey, I've arrived in Manhattan.
📩 My Love : Happy work and read her new novel dear.
"After that as Mr. Melker explained, there was no activity he did sending out messages. Call only with his manager, the committee and a Japanese restaurant that matches the investigation at the time he had lunch."
"Is there any activity he opened his home CCTV?" ask Chris.
"Nothing, captain. Hugo Melker's cell phone was probably a no-freak life and the day's activity was a 911 call two minutes after he found his wife's body."
"Even the p*rn* site or other women do not exist?"
"There is no captain. The woman Hugo Melker contacted was his 60-year-old editor. Sir, either this phone is too boring or Hugo Melker has another phone because I think I'm too clean."
"What about Salsabila's phone?" ask Chris.
"Clean as new. The data we are working on can come back, especially from the cloud. We've requested a warrant to open a cloud account to Apple." Ruben looked at Alea Hamilton's husband.
"Cleaned everything?"
"Yes captain. It's like factory output."
Chrsi rubbed her chin. "Definitely the guy who cheated on Salsabila."
***
NYPD Interrogation Room
Hugo once again recounts the chronology of his activities on the day of the incident and Thea remains in control of everything as long as what the man describes is the same as what was told to her.
After an hour of questioning, the two detectives came out of the interrogation room because there was a knock on the window.
Hugo looked at Thea with a sharp look.
"Why didn't you tell me my wife was having an affair? What else are you hiding from me Miss Ramadhan?" hiss Hugo with an angry face.
"Why do you hide the fact that you previously had a husband and wife relationship so I could annul you from the person who contributed to Mrs Melker's s3ksual life?"
"We're husband and wife! Not naturally!"
"Do you really not know if your wife has another Dream Man out there?" Thea stared intently at Hugo. "If you know, tell me before detective Carissi and detective Muncy know !" whispered the girl of Javanese and Swedish blood with a firm tone.
Hugo seemed to think. The news of his wife cheating alone has made him shocked and now he has to guess who? Damn it !
***
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