While Irene gets an update from her staff and Ernest, two New York Police Officers arrive at the residence of Aleksander Tunney. Officer Bob Lucesi, a veteran is being partnered with a rookie, Officer Steve Galan.
“To think he has all the money in the world, he seems to have his own problem too, eh Bob.” Officer Galan opens up.
“It’s too early to call it suicide, just make sure nobody comes in, we need to call this in. Anyone already in no one goes out until the investigators come in.” Officer Bob replies.
“I’ll secure the area from the outside.”
Two Emergency Medical Techs arrive at the door as Officer Galan opens the door. He allows them entry. As he stands post outside the penthouse.
“In the end we all end up dead. We all are after all the same in the end.” One of the EMT comments, as he stares at the hanging dead body.
Officer Bob emerges from one of the rooms, as he searches the perimeter by himself.
“Is that a little strange for an EMT to say.” Officer Bob replies to the EMT as he walks out from the kitchen.
“Don’t mind the fella, Officer Lucesi,” EMT Lucinda Aneclotti replies, “it is not like you do not have a rookie for a partner yourself, paisan.”
“Lucinda? I have not seen you for awhile. I guess you are right, weren’t we once like that.”
“Is the place secure and all of that stuff? The last time I went in some dickhead shot me.”
“Oh, so that is why I have not seen you in months? You were in the hospital? Why? I mean, he looks dead to me. Like he just wants to say goodbye to the rest of us.”
“So you are saying because he is hanging by a rope around his neck that this is a suicide? Therefore the place is secure?”
“So this is not a suicide then?”
“I wouldn’t know, the last time I got shot. I think they made it look like a suicide, but we came in a little earlier before they could leave.”
“Now that you mentioned it. Jesus Christ.” Officer Bob, realizes something, and points it out to the EMT, “You know look at the chairs, how could he have killed himself?”
“Are you saying they are a little far?”
“The one closer does not even have a dust on it, or any soiling, but look at his sole, see it’s not entirely clean.” He pauses and looks around. “You guys watch it okay, we’ll call for a ladder to get him down, and I’ll continue to search the perimeter.”
Officer Bob warns his partner that it may not be a suicide after all, then he continues to search around the penthouse.
Somewhere near Upstate New York, Linda Cunningham is driving back to Manhattan Island. She stares blankly down the road, like instinct taking over her hands and feet. She starts to ask questions in her mind.
Did I win today? Did I lose? What the hell just happened? How could it happen? I looked at it thoroughly, someone must have given me the wrong data. At least my crew are alive.
She just could not get over on what happened. At a stop in between her five hour drive, she buys some food at a convenience store, and calls in on Aleksander.
The phone rings, and it rings, then it hangs up.
“That is unlikely for him not to answer.” Linda wonders why. She calls again and again.
Meanwhile at the Tunney Penthouse, Crime Lab Techs are all over; collecting evidence, and taking photos. Graced with the presence of the Forensic Division Inspector Thelma Zobel, overseeing , watching like a hawk.
“Jeremy,” Inspector Zobel greets her colleague, “looks like they brought you in from your day off.”
Inspector Jeremy Davies of the Special Investigations Division to personally oversee the crime scene, like Inspector Zobel he too is a hawk.
“Yeah, no rest for the wicked they say.” Inspector Davies replies. “So they brought the big guns out right away. If this was an ordinary guy.”
A phone rings.
“What is that?” Inspector Davies asks, it sort of peaked their attention as phones don’t regularly take long to be unanswered that long. “Hush! Everyone.”
Everyone holds their breath and listens to it again.
“Find it!” Inspector Zobel fires. “Just make sure you don’t touch it yet.”
On the third round of call, one of the uniforms found it. And brought it to the attention of his Inspector.
“Jeremy, Thelma, over here.” Inspector Ruiz, who is an ever familiar face to both. “I think you need to take this call.”
Thelma had his people take a photo of where it was found and take it from the small open garbage bin.
“I’d say you take the call Jeremy being the owner of the Penthouse is male.” Thelma shows it to Jeremy.
Jeremy nods and sighs, “why not let it play.”
The phone ID simply says “Unknown Caller.”
Thelma presses the answer button and pressed the speakerphone button.
“Hello?” Inspector Davies answers the call.
Linda, unaware of the voice, answers back, “What’s wrong? How are things?”
The three Inspectors all looked at each other.
Thelma puts the phone down on the kitchen counter top.
“Aleks?”
“May I know to whom I am speaking with? Aleksander is indisposed at the moment.”
“Who am I talking to? Aleks…”
There was silence.
“Madam, I do not mean to scare you or anything, but I am Inspector Davies NYPD Special Investigations Division. But please tell us your name.”
“It’s me Rose13. What happened to Aleksander?” Linda replies with a quivering voice.
“We would appreciate it if you’d come and help us, we found Aleksander. He hanged himself.”
With a tremulous voice she replies, “no, he may have been hanged.”
“How do you know? Can you come over and give us a statement? Please.”
More brittle now, she replies, “because he said there was something wrong.”
She covers her mouth to stop herself from crying. She hangs up.
“Did she just cry?” Thelma asks.
“What do you know, a crying lady.” replies Inspector Davies as his eyebrows drew together, “our first witness, but she hung up. Call her.“
