"Cornelius Finnegan? Never heard of him!" Someone hissed in the crowd.
Jedidiah shook his head. "Of course you haven't heard of him. He was a nobody until he managed to acquire that wealth, and partly due to the method of acquiring the money, he decided to stay under the radar..."
Miranda mused. "That was actually a good idea for him, and it was working up till now. He didn't know his niche, and got greedy this time, wanting something like the Eye of the Sky. How do you think he heard about it?"
Jedidiah thought for a while, before shrugging. "A lot of talk happens on those ships. A lot of rumours flying, and a lot of crooks, criminals and the likes on board. He could have heard it anywhere. Like you said, it would have been better if he just stayed with his loot and off the radar. But he didn't know his niche, and he decided to go for this one."
The lead district officer now stepped in. "This is interesting and all, but I'm eager to bring this investigation to an end. I guess we'll have to take the Sheriff in now, and then move to Carlisle Manor and finish off the job, don't we?"
"That's right."
The Sheriff stared into the the crowd as his hands were cuffed behind his back like the countless criminals he had arrested in his time.
"Karma's a bxtch," he muttered under his breath, knowing that he had become the monster he sowre to fight from a young age, and that it was now his turn to get what he deserved. He then looked at the man, no, the people who had brought justice to him.
"Finnegan is so much more than you can handle, it's not even funny." he sneered.
"I won't be taking your word for it, seeing as we outsmarted you, checkmating you at every damn turn. You don't have a lot going for you, but at least be true to yourself and accept that this time, you were up against people way out of your league."
He was being bundled off. "Not exactly humble, are you?"
"It's a bit hard to be when you're in my shoes, especially considering all I went through at your hands. Like I said before, Miranda and I were too much for you and Finnegan. The game's up. He's cornered."
"Knowledge isn't always Power. Know this. You're intelligent. You've got intellect. He's got Money.
And so, he's got power. You're a dead man, Jedidiah. The both of you are as good as dead."
"What was that about?" Miranda asked.
"I'd rather we ignore the ramblings of a mad man, don't you think? We've all but rounded them all up now.
On to Carlisle Manor. I want to set eyes on Finnegan and relish the look on his face," Jedidiah said, and the district officers could only laugh.
Before they climbed into the carriage, they paused in front of Martha, Jane, Emma and Marcel. "Thanks. For everything," they echoed as hugs and handshakes went round.
"You'll be back for a spot of tea when you're done, won't you?" Martha asked expectantly.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world."
*****
The plan was simple. There were seven district officers present. Two remained around the carriages, armed to the teeth and watching the men who had been arrested. Any sudden movements, and they were shooting. To kill. The Sheriff and the others understood this of course.
The other five were going to raid the building, while Miranda and I were outside, armed and ready to handle whatever came out of the compound.
Quickly they swooped in, first shouting outside for Finnegan to come down before forcing their way in and searching.
It was theory minutes before they came out. Empty handed.
"Huh?" Miranda asked shocked.
"He's not here. The master bedroom upstairs is in a state of disarray, meaning that he must have hurriedly left as soon as he knew the jig was up. Probably shortly after you and the woman were paraded at the square.
"He escaped? Damn it!" Miranda said angrily.
"He's very cunning, I'll give him that. You both should watch your backs as you leave. We'll put a dead or alive bounty on his head and be on the lookout for him, but that's the most we can do, and you know..."
"Yeah, with who we're working with here, that might just be short of enough. We'll be on our toes as well."
As they entered into their carriage, they got a last glimpse of the Sheriff.
"Now it's your turn to experience it, eh? The paranoia. Knowing that he could be anywhere, watching you. Waiting to strike. And kill. You'll spend the rest of your life, short as it might be, way hung your backs. Hah. Haha!" He said, breaking into a melancholic cackle.
"You're going to the state penitentiary at this rate. If I were you, I'd be more worried about the size of my cellmate's tool," Miranda said, making us all laugh. The Sheriff's shivered.
"On to Martha's?"
"Sure. One way or the other, this case is somewhat closed. For the time being, however. Now, even we can take a small break."
*****
Just one chapter left. Let the confetti loose! 🎊
This has been one long helluva journey, and I'm happy for the readers I gained and upvotes every step on the way.
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