The next day, I woke up early, feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the case. I got dressed and headed downstairs, where my partners were already waiting for me. Rodriguez, Peter, Paul, and Mike were all sipping coffee and chatting quietly in the kitchen.
"Ready to head out?" I asked, grabbing a cup of coffee and joining them.
Rodriguez nodded, his eyes scanning the room as he took a sip of his coffee. "Yeah, let's get moving. We've got a long day ahead of us."
We piled into my car, a sleek black sedan with tinted windows. I took the wheel, with Rodriguez riding shotgun. Peter, Paul, and Mike climbed into the backseat, chatting quietly among themselves as they settled in.
As we hit the road, I filled them in on the plan for the day. "Alright guys, today we're meeting with Max Thompson, another of the victim's brothers. Let's see what he has to say about the case."
Peter spoke up from the backseat, his voice filled with curiosity. "I've been going over the case files, and I think Max might be a key witness. He was one of the last people to see Gabriel alive."
Mike nodded in agreement, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. "Yeah, and he's been pretty cooperative so far. Let's hope he's willing to share more information with us today."
Paul, who had been quiet until now, spoke up from the backseat. "I've been reviewing the security footage from the Thompson's mansion. It looks like Max was at the mansion around the time of the murder."
I raised an eyebrow, intrigued by this new information. "That's interesting. Let's see if he's willing to talk about that."
We drove through the city, the sun rising higher in the sky as we went. The streets were getting busier, but I navigated through the traffic with ease, my years of experience behind the wheel paying off.
As we drove, the conversation turned to the case, with each of us sharing our thoughts and theories. Rodriguez was quiet, lost in thought, while Peter and Mike were discussing the possible motives behind the murder. Paul was scribbling notes on a pad of paper, his brow furrowed in concentration.
After about 20 minutes of driving, we arrived at Max Thompson's office building. It was a sleek, modern high-rise, with a gleaming glass façade and a bustling lobby.
We parked the car and headed inside, taking the elevator up to the 10th floor. Max Thompson's office was located in a corner suite, with a stunning view of the city skyline.
As we entered the office, Max Thompson stood up to greet us. He was a tall, imposing figure, with a strong jawline and piercing blue eyes. He was dressed in a crisp, tailored suit, and he exuded an air of confidence and authority.
"Ah, detectives," he said, extending a hand. "Thanks for coming. Please, have a seat."
We took our seats around the conference table, with Max Thompson at the head. He leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers together as he began to speak.
"So, what can I do for you? I assume you're here about Gabriel's murder?"
I nodded, pulling out my notebook and pen. "Yes, Mr. Thompson. We're investigating the case, and we were hoping you could provide some insight."
Max Thompson leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. "I'll do my best to help. But I have to warn you, detectives, I'm still trying to process everything that's happened. It's been a tough few days."
Rodriguez spoke up, his voice soft and sympathetic. "We understand, Mr. Thompson. Losing a sibling can be devastating. But we need your help to catch the person responsible for Gabriel's murder."
Max Thompson nodded, taking a deep breath. "Okay, what do you want to know?"
We spent the next hour questioning Max Thompson, going over the events of the past few days and trying to piece together the timeline of Gabriel's murder. Max was cooperative, but I could sense a hint of nervousness beneath his confident exterior.
As we asked him about his whereabouts on the night of the murder, Max hesitated, his eyes darting around the room. "I...I was at the mansion, yes. But I didn't see or hear anything suspicious."
I raised an eyebrow, intrigued by this new information. "Can you tell us more about that? What were you doing at the mansion?"
Max Thompson shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I...I was just checking on some business matters. I didn't see Gabriel, but I did see one of the staff members, Emma. She was acting strange, but I didn't think much of it at the time."
Peter spoke up from the backseat, his voice filled with curiosity. "Emma? We haven't talked to her yet. Can you tell us more about her?"
As we continued to question Max Thompson, we asked him to tell us more about Emma, Gabriel's housemaid. Max leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowing as he began to speak.
"Emma...she's been working for our family for years. She's a hard worker, always diligent and thorough. But on the night of the murder, she was acting strange. She was nervous, fidgety...I didn't think much of it at the time, but now that I think about it, it was probably suspicious."
I pulled out my notebook and pen, jotting down some notes. "Can you tell us more about what you saw? What exactly did she do that seemed suspicious?"
Max Thompson hesitated, his eyes darting around the room. "I...I don't know if it's relevant, but she was arguing with Gabriel earlier that day. I didn't hear what they were saying, but it looked intense. And then, later that night, I saw her sneaking around the mansion. She was trying to be quiet, but I saw her out of the corner of my eye."
Rodriguez spoke up, his voice soft and thoughtful. "That's interesting. Do you think she might have had a motive to kill Gabriel?"
Max Thompson shrugged. "I don't know...I mean, I don't think so. Emma's always been a good employee, loyal and trustworthy. But...I don't know, maybe she was having some kind of problem that we didn't know about."
I nodded, making a note in my book. "We'll definitely look into Emma's alibi and see if we can find any other witnesses who might have seen her around the mansion that night."
As we continued to question Max, I decided to ask him about Mr. X, the mysterious figure who had been mentioned in the anonymous tip. "Max, can you tell us anything about Mr. X? Do you know who that might be?"
Max Thompson's expression changed, his eyes widening in surprise. "Mr. X? I've never heard of him. Who is that?"
I leaned forward, my eyes locked on his. "We received an anonymous tip that mentioned Mr. X as a possible suspect. Do you have any idea who that might be?"
Max Thompson shook his head, his expression adamant. "No, I've never heard of him. I don't know who that could be."
Peter spoke up from the backseat, his voice filled with skepticism. "Are you sure, Max? You're not hiding anything from us, are you?"
Max Thompson's expression turned defensive, his eyes flashing with anger. "Of course not! I'm telling you the truth, detectives. I don't know anything about Mr. X."
I nodded, making a note in my book. "Okay, Max. We'll look into it further. But if you remember anything, anything at all, please don't hesitate to contact us."
As we finished up our interview with Max, I couldn't shake the feeling that he was hiding something. His denial of knowing Mr. X seemed too adamant, too insistent. I made a mental note to look into Max's alibi further, to see if we could find any evidence that he might be involved in the murder.
As we left the office building, Rodriguez turned to me, his eyes narrowed in thought. "I don't trust him, detective. He's hiding something."
I nodded, my mind racing with possibilities. "I know what you mean. Let's keep digging, see if we can uncover any evidence that might link Max to the murder."
The investigation was heating up, and I could feel the tension building. We were getting close to something, but I wasn't sure what. One thing was certain, though - we would keep pushing until we uncovered the truth.
As we walked back to the car, Peter spoke up, his voice filled with curiosity. "Do you think Emma might be involved in the murder? She seems like a pretty suspicious character."
I nodded, my eyes scanning the surrounding area. "We'll definitely look into her alibi and see if we can find any other witnesses who might have seen her around the mansion that night. But we need to be careful, we don't want to jump to conclusions."
Mike spoke up, his voice filled with agreement. "Yeah, we need to keep an open mind and consider all the possibilities. We don't know what we're dealing with here."
I nodded, my mind racing with possibilities. "You're right, Mike. Let's keep digging and see where the evidence takes us."
As we drove away from the office building, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. We were dealing with a complex case, and I wasn't sure what we were up against. But one thing was certain - we would keep pushing until we uncovered the truth.