Frost for the Ashes
“This could surely do well as some sort of documentary, but not as a case file."
James got up from his armchair and walked over to his new apprentice, Divyashree Priya.
"Still, I’ll let it slide since this is your first time working with me, and because it was a bit fun to read, if excluding the fact that these are reports of actual events rather than a fictional story," he said, handing the file back to her.
"Okay, Mr. Frost," she replied with a gentle smile, "I’ll take care of it next time."
James Frost was always the smartest guy in any room. Just a year or two older than me, he was a high-ranking officer of the International Criminal Police Organization and one of the top detectives of his time. As far as I can remember, he was exceptionally intelligent, optimistic, and cheerful, always bringing a smile to the faces of those around him. He never gave up, even in the worst of times, and never let anyone else give up either. He always found a way out of every situation with a smile. Thanks to his sharp wit and clever tricks, he had solved cases and arrested criminals around the world that other officers couldn’t even dream of cracking. So, after numerous officers and agencies failed to make headway on the case of John Doe, he was the only name anyone could think of. And while the rest of the world was still scratching their heads over the problem, I was certain James already knew what to do.
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"The Merchant of Death, he calls himself, eh ?" he said with a smirk. "Then let us visit the place where he made his first trade."
Divya nodded as she pulled out her phone to scavenge for information on the earliest reports of this mysterious killer. That enthusiastic spark on her face reminded me of our old adventures as teenagers.
Divya had been my classmate back in high school. We shared a mutual love for detective stories and solving mysteries, which made us fast friends. She was like a sister to me. We spent countless hours together talking about life at home, our favorite books, the petty mysteries we solved around our neighborhood, and much more. We both shared a dream of becoming detectives one day. Even in school we solved many mysteries, like once in 7th grade when a classmate lost a textbook, and another time in 8th grade when my best friend’s report card was missing, and that unforgettable day in 9th grade when our class teacher misplaced her phone. We had so much fun together back then, enjoying each other’s company.
"The first victim of John Doe was Samuel Shields, the owner of the most famous restaurant in Strasbourg, France," Divya stated, reading from her screen. "On August 7th, he was reported missing. A day later, his ashes and blood were found in the restaurant’s basement, left in the exact same signature manner as every other crime scene of John Doe."
"So, when are we leaving ?" James asked, slipping into his favorite dark brown jacket, the one he always wore on international trips and vacations, and much to his delight, the reply was :-
"In exactly six hours."
