Chapter 39: Red Cotton Fibre

The following is a flashback to before Yuri Krovacic was murdered

Jason was in his secret meeting room with Yuri going through the details of their most recent case

"Jason, I think you know the magnitude of this case. When we finally close it, consider it as the final chapter in my career book" Yuri told him

"It's been great working with you, but don't you think it's still too early to hang the coat?" Jason asked

"Look at me my boy. I'm old, way to old even. I'm not the same man that I was twenty or so years ago." Yuri answered him

"You are just turning forty years old Yuri, stop making it sound like you are in your late seventies. You still have a long way to go, you are the only person who I can trust with my identity. And to add on, my career is at it's peak all because you have been on my side and have acted as my public figure" Jason told him

"I know I know, no need to get all slobbery on me. It's been the ride of a life working with you. I always sit and imagine my tombstone, what would it read. The highlights would be 'a father, a husband, a brother and on top of that, the Ghost of Europe's special council'. To be honest, working with you means so much to me.... It would come second of the best things in my life" Yuri said

"What would be your first?"Jason asked

"The days when my boys were born" Yuri answered

"Without a doubt. By the way, how old are they even?" Jason asked

"Djokovic is turning nineteen, and Mikhail is sixteen" Yuri answered

"They grow up so fast. Seems like it was just yesterday that they were born" Jason said

"I know. And that's one of the reasons why I want to close this case so that I can finally have some alone time with my kids. I haven't been there to watch them grow the past few years. Working with you has been one of the best things that has ever happened to me, but it has come at a very high cost for me. I've had to distance myself from my family in a bid to protect them. Then being the only person who gets to seat opposite to the man who is feared by all in Europe, it's a tall order that I have had to rise to. I haven't been there to see my babies grow. I wasn't there when they said their first word, when they started crawling, or even when their first teeth grew. I wasn't there for all that in the name of love. I love them so much that I'd rather walk to the edge of this Earth in order for them to be safe. But Jason, I think it's about time I get back to my family when this case is closed, I need to be there for my boys" Yuri said as he was in deep thoughts

"I understand. When we win this case, you are free to walk back home and enjoy those precious moments with you family" Jason said

"Now before we get any more slobbery, what do you have for me today?" Yuri asked

"Now we're back in business. So Tyler dug up some dirt from the police files and you can't believe what he found." Jason said as he handed Yuri a file. Yuri went through the contents of the file and looked up at Jason in disbelief

"Is this real?" He asked as if waiting to be told it's just a prank

"Yes it's all real" Jason answered

"You know, sometimes I wonder why you did not become a detective when you are able to get all these documents. You could have made a good detective" Yuri said

"Don't flatter me, it's because of those so called detectives that the killer we're dealing with has been able to walk free all this time" Jason said

"And it's because of you that such people end up in prison, right where they belong." Yuri added on

"It is these cases that make me wonder how some people are even allowed to make such irrational decisions without giving a shit about the consequences" Jason said

"What would happen if the court let's this man walk free?" Yuri asked

"That cannot happen, we have enough proof to put him in for life" Jason said

"I know, but isn't it you who told me 'expect the best but prepare for the worst'?" Yuri asked

"Yes" Jason answered

"So what's the best?" Yuri asked

"This guy gets jailed for life after the court finds him guilty" Jason answered

"And what is the worst?" Yuri asked

"The court seeing him free an dropping all murder charges against him" Jason answered

"And if that happens--" Yuri said

"Which is unlikely" Jason interfered

"--what will you do?" Yuri asked

" If the court sees it fit that he walks on this Earth a free man after all that he has done, I'll personally make sure he doesn't see that day" Jason said

"You'll kill him?" Yuri asked as if waiting for a confirmation

"If need be. The pain and suffering he has made so many families undergo, are incomprehendable." Jason said. " But that won't be necessary"

"Why's that?" Yuri asked

"In that file you're holding, there's a witness' statement from a girl he raped and left for dead with five stab wounds on her, this happened one year ago. It's a miracle she even survived, but she has been in a coma for about seven months. Took her a few months to recall what actually happened. The identified our man as her rapist." Jason said

"How does that connect directly to him?" Yuri asked

"When she was found, police managed to pull strands of fabric from her nails. It was red cotton fibre, believed to be from the mat of a car,one of a kind. She must have gotten it under her fingers as she struggled with him. And Yuri, there was only one car manufacturer that used red cotton fibre for they're mats" Jason said

"Black BMWs" Yuri said

"Exactly, and guess the type of car that our killer drives" Jason went on

"A black BMW" Yuri filled it in. "But how do we connect him to both murders?"

"Our killer was arrested because his car was seen near the place where the latest killing occurred, right?" Jason asked

"Yes" Yuri answered

"I managed to pull a few strings and obtained an autopsy report for the latest victim. You won't believe what was found under her nails" Jason said as he waited for Yuri to follow along

"Red cotton fibre?" Yuri asked

"Now you're following, I didn't stop there. I used some of our resources to compare the two strands of fibre" Jason said

"And....?" Yuri urged Jason to finish his statement

" It was a match, our killer had killed his most recent victim about a month ago, but we have managed to connect him to another attempted murder going one year back" Jason said

" Holy shit! I can't believe it. You're a genius Jason, a real genius" Yuri said in disbelief

"The fun doesn't end there" Jason said

"Wait a minute, there's more?" Yuri asked

"Yes, so with that development it had me thinking. What if there are more unsolved cases that he's been linked to. So I searched for such cases, murders of young females which had gone cold. It didn't take me long to find one, three months ago a girl by the name Debra went missing only to be found raped and murdered in the forest. No leads were found so far except for the only clue that they got from the dead girl's body" Jason said

"Red cotton fibre" Yuri joined the dots

"Exactly" Jason said.