The Edge of the Village (2/2)
The Edge of the Village (2/2)
Inspector Kaida Kask returns to her childhood village, seeking solace but finding only secrets. When a body is discovered in the haunted windmill, Kaida is drawn into a web of intrigue.
📝 1,452 words. ⏳ Estimated reading time: 6 minutes.This is the second and final part of a short story. The first part can be found here.
V
Kaida looked around the art gallery and studied the colors and shapes of the paintings that Liisa made. She had been looking for some secret information, a clue to her killer’s identity. And then, she saw it; a small almost invisible sign in the corner of the picture or on it.
And then, she saw it—a small, almost imperceptible symbol in the corner of one of the paintings.
As the symbol electrified her senses, her heart thumped at the action. The curves and lines of the signature danced before Kaida’s eyes. It was the same used by Andres Opik, a local artist known for his provocative and quite often disturbing works.
As Kaida walked out of the gallery and headed for Andres’ studio, all sorts of thoughts assailed her. She reckoned that she was on the right path, that he would give her the lead to Liisa’s murder case.
She didn’t take long to reach the workroom, where Andres was working on a new piece, his eyes aligned to the canvas. As she came in, he raised them.
“You must be Kaida Kask. What brings you here?”
“I’m Inspector Kask. And I’m on the case of Liisa Sepp’s murder.”
Andres blinked. His face was pale and his eyes nearly popped from his head as they dilated and his breathing became ragged. “I do not understand how I could help you,” he told, his voice firmly controlled.
Kaida smiled a cold smile. "Don't play dumb, Mr. Opik. I know that you were in contact with Liisa. And I suspect you committed the murder with a motive."
Andres glanced nervously around the room like a prisoner looking for an escape route. His eyes looked into mine and said, “I didn’t kill her,” the words barely audible as if he were telling them to himself.
Kaida raised an eyebrow. “Then tell me what you know.”
Andres paused for a while and stared into Kaida's eyes. Then he quickly opened his mouth to speak, not stopping to think and stammering as he went.
“Yes, I was involved with Liisa. But it was just a fling. We were both artists, we both loved our job... We were both… liberated or irresponsible. There is no middle ground to be named here.”
Kaida's eyes narrowed. "Were you both reckless?" she asked.
Andres nodded. “Yes. What made our signals strong was that we were both willing to take risks, to push something new. And that’s what killed Liisa, I guess. Not me.”
Kaida heard Andres speak, a litany of thoughts ran through her mind. But when she looked into his eyes, she saw something unsettling there.
The truth was somewhere beyond a myriad of lies and infamy, as she didn’t expect.
VI
Kaida had a strange feeling that there was something she had left out as she headed to the police station.
She started to search the archives of the local press at her desk, looking for information about Liisa’s past.
It didn’t take long before she found an eleven-year old article. The Järva Gazette reported an unfortunate accident that happened near Ervita. A young girl had been killed in a fire, together with Jaanus Sepp and Kristiina Alver. Jaanus and Kristiina, Liisa’s parents.
Kaida gasped, her hand clutching her chest as she closed the distance between her and the monitor. Each word became a hazy blur in front of her eyes. She touched her lips with a single finger and felt her heart racing as all the reality around her vanished after reading the words. “That’s what killed you, Liisa,” she thought in a loud voice.
She thought that a local who had a lot of insight on the subject, Toomas, could teach her the village’s history.
Toomas was a sickly old man with gentle features. She met him at his house in Ervita, and as soon as Kaida started to talk about the article, his eyes became sad.
“Indeed, I do recall that sorrow. It was a very sad accident and it changed the village a lot.”
Kaida bent forward slightly and stared into Toomas’ eyes. “What happened that night?” she asked, her voice resolute.
Toomas became uncomfortable as the eyes of the men caught the glimmer of the flickering candle lights on the walls of the room. He leaned forward, tension starting to fill his shoulders up. ”I… I think maybe I shouldn’t be telling you this,” he whispered faintly, like a frail autumnal leaf unable to move without the wind.
Kaida leaned in slightly, her gaze locked onto Toomas. Her voice didn’t waver, steady and deliberate. “No, this isn’t an option, Toomas.” She tapped the table once, slowly, as if marking the time. “I have all the time it takes.”
The air between them seemed to tighten as her determination radiated from every word.
VII
As Kaida listened to Toomas' words, her mind was racing. She had a feeling that this was the key to the whole case, that this was the secret that Liisa had been trying to expose.
"It was a fire, Inspector," his voice barely above a whisper. "A fire that killed a young girl and left a family torn apart."
"I already knew it, Toomas. But that's not all, is it?" as she stared into his eyes.
Toomas shook his head and his face clouded over. “No, Inspector. There’s more. Much more.”
Kaida bent forward and felt the adrenaline pumping through her veins. "What is it, Toomas?" she asked, her voice firm.
Toomas took a deep breath and a too long pause before looking into Kaida’s eyes. “This was a deliberate action, the fire was no accident, Inspector,” he stated. He was almost shocked at what he was saying. “It was a deliberate act, an act of revenge.”
Kaida asked, her voice firm, "Who was behind the fire?"
Toomas looked around nervously. After taking a moment to gather his thoughts and nerves, he answered: “I think you probably better not be asking me this.”
Kaida’s expression was stern. “Toomas, I need to know the truth.”
He only nodded, and his eyes became less bright. “Very well, Inspector. I’ll tell you. But you must give me one single assurance.”
"What's that?" Kaida asked, her eyes on Toomas the whole time.
“You have to swear to me that you will not harm the ones who are innocent.”
Kaida nodded, but inside her chest, she could literally feel the thumping of her heart. “I promise, Toomas: I care about the safety of innocent persons.”
Toomas just shrugged as he looked deep into Kaida’s eyes. “Inspector…” Another never-ending pause. “The person behind the fire was… Tauno.”
Kaida’s cheeks fluffed out, and she developed a racing pulse, the feeling as if the strength of his words entered her body and embraced her.
Kaida was speechless, a pause suggesting hesitance.
Kaida asked, her voice firm, "Are you sure, Toomas?"
Toomas simply nodded. Then he returned to Kaida and concentrated his gaze on her eyes. “Yes, Inspector. I’m positive. Tauno started the fire and, since then, he’s been hiding in plain sight.”
“Good bye, Toomas,” she said, laconic, while she was already at Toomas’ door.
And then, she saw him. Tauno, watching her from the darkness.
VIII
Kaida glared directly into Tauno’s eyes, and a sense of excitement filled up her nerve endings.
She pulled out her gun. “It’s over, Tauno, you are under arrest for the murder of Liisa Sepp.”
Tauno’s gaze turned sharp and he backed off, holding his hands as if he didn’t pose any threat. “I’m so sorry that I hurt people,” he muttered, almost inaudibly.
Kaida’s expression was stern. “Tauno, you killed Liisa. You took her life, you wiped out her entire family.”
Tauno’s eyes lowered, and he softly said, “Yes,” sinking his shoulders down in disappointment. “I’m sorry.”
Kaida forced Tauno to kneel down, looked into his eyes, and cuffed him before phoning for backup.
While a patrol car was driving Tauno to the police station, Kaida replayed in her mind everything that had happened. She recalled Liisa, and her family, and all the suffering they had to go through. She pondered about Toomas, and the things which he had never told anyone in all his life.
But she could think about herself and consider the path she had taken. She had begun her career as a detective willing to solve crimes and ended up in a complex web of conspiracy and dishonesty that altered her life in a way she could never have imagined.
She had cracked the file, sure. Everyone would be happy for her. But she had to confront the facts she found out as well.
Kaida found some sort of contentment only by looking up at the starry sky.
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