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The Blackmail Murder
Upon arriving, Inspector Amar introduces you to the officer in charge with the case - Corporal Amirah Adilah.
"You can address me as Corporal Amirah," she seems to be in a rush. After both of you have acquainted with each other, you follow her to the crime scene. Along the way, she fills you up with the details of the case.
The case started out as a robbery but ended up as a homicide. However, the person who was robbed was not the murder victim.
Earlier this morning, a man named Danial Afif reported that his tool-shed had been broken into. Danial Afif has kept all sorts of gardening tools in the shed as well as a set of hunting rifles. This morning, he found out that his shed had been broken into and one of the rifles was missing.
Coincidentally, just the night before, a man named Syazwan Muhaimin, who lived about 30 minutes away from Danial Afif's house, had been murdered by a rifle shot that came through the window of his home. The murder weapon was discovered in a wooded area halfway between Danial Afif's and Syazwan Muhaimin's houses. It was Danial Afif's missing rifle and ballistics tests confirmed that it was the source of the fatal shots.
The Blackmail Murder: Feature
Both you and Corporal Amirah arrive at Danial Afif's house. His wife, Iffah Ilyyana, greets both of you, "Did you hear what happened?" She explains that she had been listening to the radio station while doing some gardening and had heard the account of the murder. Furthermore, she proudly claims that she had just finished planting 300 lily bulbs.
Both you and Corporal Amirah walk to the shed for a check-up. The shed was locked by an ordinary combination lock. That lock had been cleanly damaged, probably with a pair of bolt cutters. She tells you that the police have also uncovered a pair of very rusty bolt cutters when they found the murder weapon. After that, the two of you proceed to question Danial Afif about the case.
"I knew Syazwan Muhaimin. He had been blackmailing me and my two business partners for quite some time. He found out we were cutting corners in our business in a way that our clients would never find out. As for my shed, I had an argument with my wife a week ago and I decided to get a lock so that she cannot access her previous gardening tools. The only people who even knew about the lock was my two business partners but I alone knew the combination."
From further investigation, you find out that the night of Syazwan Muhaimin's death, Danial Afif had held a meeting about what to do with the blackmailing with his two business partners - Adam Shafiq and Hannan Fitri. Adam Shafiq had arrived at 8.45 p.m. and Hannan Fitri at 9.00 p.m. The meeting lasted for about an hour. Danial Afif then had gone back to his house immediately. His wife was asleep when he got in so she could not vouch for him. Danial Afif also remembers that the lock was quite intact when he came back.
Iffah Ilyyana confirms that she was indeed asleep when her husband got back from his meeting. "I knew Syazwan Muhaimin has been blackmailing my husband. I have advised my husband to stop his business partnership with Adam Shafiq and Hannan Fitri but he refused."
Adam Shafiq is a strong, stocky fellow. He explains his alibi, "I returned to my home at just before midnight. My wife can confirm it. After the meeting, I had gone out to a neighbourhood cafe to shoot, er, play some pool. In fact, I told my wife that I had been playing pool all night to conceal my meeting with Danial Afif and Hannan Fitri about the blackmailing. Before I left the cafe, I heard from the people there that Hannan Fitri has a lot of debts from his gambling habits and Syazwan Muhaimin's blackmails were getting to his nerves."
Hannan Fitri, the leader of the business partnership, explains his own alibi, "Adam Shafiq was visibly angry with the blackmailing. Danial Afif and I had to calm him down during our meeting. I had gone directly home after the meeting, arriving at about 10.30 p.m. I live alone so there is no one who could corroborate my story. I didn't know how to shoot a rifle. My lawyer can confirm that."
Corporal Amirah motions you to her side. She looks disappointed. "A neighbour of the murder victim informed us that at 10.30 p.m., she saw the light in Syazwan Muhaimin's house went off. So, that must be the time when the murder happened. From all the suspects, if they are telling the truth, none of them had the chance to kill Syazwan Muhaimin."
By then, you have already deduced who the main suspect is....
The Blackmail Murder: Text
You turn to Iffah Ilyyana, your prime suspect of the murder of Syazwan Muhaimin, the blackmailer. First of all, you figure the light that went off at Syazwan Muhaimin's house the night before was simply had burned out.
"The crime was committed earlier than 10.30 p.m. during the meeting between her husband, Adam Shafiq and Hannan Fitri. She ditched the rifle in the woods, just as she ditched the bolt cutters a couple of days before. However, the extreme rust on the bolt cutters suggested they might have been outside longer than just one night. That was a fatal mistake."
"But, how did she get the rifle if the shed was locked that night?" Corporal Amirah is confused. "Danial Afif remembered that the lock was still intact when he got back from his meeting."
You smile. "Remember when she came down with the news of Syazwan Muhaimin's death, she had just finished planting all those lily bulbs. However, it was still morning. She could not have been planting all that long. she must have been doing her gardening for several days despite her being 'locked out' of the shed by her husband. Iffah Ilyyana had cut the combination lock off a couple of days before the murder, and had replaced it with an identical-looking one. Danial Afif never realised the change because he did not have any reason to use the tools in the shed. So, she took the rifle out earlier to kill Syazwan Muhaimin and just changed back the locks this morning. Then, her husband and his business partners will be blamed for the crime."
"Your deductions are brilliant!" Corporal Amirah quickly calls up her subordinates to find and check the new evidences that can help to solve the case. Both of you then leave the area and return to the police headquarters.
When you arrive, Inspector Amar Najmi is there to greet you.
The Blackmail Murder: About
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