100 Ways to Solve a Murder-Chapter 94: Czar Murdoch II

Hangar, Present time

Czar Murdoch used the knife in his hand to caress the skin around Sam’s eyes, fighting the urge to cut her then and there.

"Father always favored you..." Czar seethed, his eyes darkening at the memory of that summer 11 years ago. The day he saw his father started to treat her more of his own child, than he ever did him.

Just because of those stupid eyes, she had him wrapped around her finger.

.....

11 years ago

It was a week after Sam had broken Czar’s nose when Jason Murdoch dropped by out of the blue. It was during one of Samantha’s sessions with her child psychologist Dr. Martin. Both were seated inside her grandfather’s Study, Dr. Martin brought one of his gadgets, a projector.

It was aimed at the white empty wall, and pictures flashed one after the other. First was two identical photos of a military truck, in Jason’s observation it flashed for a millisecond as he stood watching their session.

He was intrigued by the girl’s mind, how much power it truly behold.

Kevin turned to Sam,

"What do you say?" He asked her. The 11-year-old was bored out of her wits, she found the tests dull. A waste of her time, she could be doing more productive things than looking at pictures. But it was her grandparents’ rule that she continue with her therapy with Dr. Martin, why? She doesn’t know.

She sighed, back leaning against the chair. "They’re identical but have different plate numbers," she replied, in a bored tone.

Jason’s eyes widened in surprise when he saw Dr. Martin nodded in confirmation, then wrote down something in his notebook.

Jason turned to the redhead,

"You saw that at that speed?" He asked in fascination. Her mind was fast, too fast, even he missed that. And he knew somewhat her skills were similar to his. The way her brain worked was not like any other.

He could memorize words, any narrative easily. He just has to read it, and he could remember it. But her, oh her! She might just be an even bigger monster than he was.

Sam turned to her uncle,

"I remember everything I see," she started. She told Dr. Martin the same thing before, that she could remember everything.

Unfortunately, the doctor was unconvinced and kept testing her just how accurate her memory was. He insisted that she may have an eidetic memory, but even eidetic memories make mistakes. And that it’s incapable of grasping everything perfectly as she claimed.

Photographic Memory, however, is what she believes she has. Like snapping pictures in her mind, yet, Dr. Martin was skeptical, saying if she was right, she may just be the only known person in the world who has such ability.

Sam grabbed the controls on the table and clicked to the next images, it was a photo of a blonde girl followed by another.

"Identical twins, the first one has a faint mole on her brow." She said, switching to the next before they could even comprehend the image on the wall.

"Factory-made dumbbells, the first one has an unnoticeable dent." She continued, making her observations, not even pausing to breathe.

"572 pieces of ping pong balls."

"A staircase with 396 steps."

"732 dots on a sheet"

And when she finished all the images, she turned to Dr. Martin.

"Are we done, Dr. Martin?" She challenged, earning a look from the man. They’ve known each other long, 6 years now. And he knows when she was hinting she had enough with the games.

"For now," he replied, handing her the box of donuts, more than half a decade and she still accepts bribes.

Jason interest was piqued, and since then he visited more often. Not because of his son Czar, not because of his parents. He didn’t care much about them. But because of Sam.

Monica and Carl had exchanged looks the first few times, but welcomed him regardless.

It was 4 days later when he returned, with a bouquet for his mother. And a box of donuts in hand, he planned on making use of it.

He searched the house, looking for the redhead, not even bothering to ask how his son was doing.

He found her minutes later in the backyard, she was screwing back the lawnmower that she dismantled hours before because she was curious how it worked.

Sam eyed him for a moment, then ignored him altogether. And he sat a few feet away from her, then he pulled a book from his breast pocket. Sam turns to look at him, and he flashes a random page at her, then closes it instantly.

"Amuse me, dear. Read it to me." He urged.

Sam arched a brow at the older man, ’dance monkey, dance’ popped in her mind, and she scowled visibly at him, not eager to cooperate. Nobody tells her what to do... unless it was her grandmother.

Jason chuckles at her expression and reveals a box of donuts behind him, which she eyes for a moment and she starts reciting the page from memory.

He followed each word while reading the actual book in his hand. And when she finished, he broke into a proud smile, pleased with his discovery. Yes, she was real. She was one of the gods, like himself. Above all the petty dimwitted humans.

Czar watched with envious eyes from inside the house, gritted his teeth and balled his fist. His nose still hurt, and now, she just stole his father from him.

.....

Present-day, Hangar

"It’s because of these eyes...your stupid eyes!" He yelled at her pulling her hair back in anger, she grimaced in pain, heart pounding against her chest

"You were always his favorite, he treated you more like his own than HIS ACTUAL SON! Just because of your stupid eyes. Cause you remember everything!!!!" He screamed at her.

"Why can’t you be more like Samantha! Samantha memorized the Encyclopedia, word for word! Samantha can do this, can do that!

Samantha can absorb everything in this world." He mimicked his late father.

"Well look, Dad, Samantha is blind. She can’t see shit! She can’t absorb any shit now. I wonder what he’ll say now if he’s still alive. " he cackled like a maniac.

Gripping her hair tighter in his left hand, he smiled wildly.

"Did you know he and your manipulative grandmother made a deal? She didn’t refuse, your greedy grandmother!" He informed and Sam’s bloodied face contorted into confusion.

He chuckled at her reaction, what a clueless wench. "Oh, you didn’t!

You were going to take over Hidden Truth when he retired, yep, you were going to be C-E-O. He was going to get you on the Board to have you readied, it didn’t matter if you took medicine. He was planning on making you his Heiress." He revealed, rubbing it to her face.

Yet again her grandmother has used her as an object to gain richness for the family as if it wasn’t enough already.

Sam scoffed at his face, blind as a bat. "That must’ve hurt, Czar. Uncle Jason wanted to hand me the Company when I didn’t want it." She spat, imagining how his face contorted in fury.

"While you, his flesh and blood, working your ass off with Mass Communication and Journalism, didn’t get any sort of appreciation. Just another untalented guy with daddy issues." She continued, feeling his hand grip her hair tighter.

"You’ve always been a coward, cousin. You never did like a fair fight. Always preying on the weak, beating people who can’t fight back! Just so you’ll feel just a bit stronger! Lies. Coward!" She spat.

"That’s why your father never really liked you. You have always been a coward! You never had a backbone in your life! You little shit!" She stated, earning a knife through her gut. She shrieked at the pain, visualizing it, the process of her body reacting, how have would slowly bleed to death.

She chuckled through the pain,

"Were you scared a blind woman might just be able to hand you your ass? So you had your men beat me first? Tied me up?" She mocked him.

"Still afraid aren’t you, cousin? Are they watching? In case I scratch your eyes out?" She spat angrily.

She had been tortured hours ago, her skin burnt with cigarettes, wires drilled down her fingertips, he had cut her just to draw blood.

Czar whispered against her ear,

"It’s just you and me, you blind bitch."

"And I sent your friends a little message." He stated, hands shaking out of anger, pulling the knife out of her gut. Sam collapsed on the floor, pain enveloping her. She could smell the stench of her own blood. He forced her on her feet, dragging her.

"How do you think good ol’ Ivan will feel when he sees my little gift?" Czar added, hissing to her ear. He made sure to get the best doll maker, a rushed piece of art. A gift to his mad-hatter cousin.

"He’d be absolutely heartbroken. His only sister. His own blood. No more mommy and daddy. Just Sammy." He mocked, pouting amusedly.

"Sammy, his mentally unstable baby sister. All the years he protected you. He’d like my little gift. I think he’ll appreciate it, a constant reminder that HE FAILED!" He shouted.

Dragging her further, "Maybe I’d send him another gift? What do you think?" He suggests in excitement, looking straight to her big green eyes.

"Maybe, I’ll send him your eyes, I’ll send it in a jar...so you’ll always be staring back at him." He whispered so low Sam could barely hear it, yet she caught it. And her jaw clenched in anger.

Czar laughed maniacally,

"And I’ll send Mr. Levi Jackson your heart...after I cut it out of your chest. He’ll appreciate it don’t you think? He does enjoy examining corpses." He said, watching tears fall down Sam’s cheeks. The mention of his name brought tears in her eyes, she didn’t say goodbye properly. She didn’t want to say goodbye, now she may never have the chance to.

"Not to worry. You’ll be forgotten soon enough, I bet your grandmother will make up another story just to protect the family name. Maybe she’ll say you had a drug overdose while recovering in the Facility. Something like that." He continued, enjoying the expression on her face.

"Like what she did with your parents’ murders. Cover it up with pretty flowers...but if you stand close enough, you could still smell the rotting stench of the truth!" He spat.

Sam sneered, "Boo-hoo! Dad didn’t love me. Boo-hoo! I wasn’t appreciated. Suck it up! The world doesn’t revolve around your petty misery!" She screamed up at him in fury, tears streaming down her bruised face.

While he continued to drag her to a metal drum field with water.

Czar laughed, " HAHA, you could talk! Of course, you know more about not being wanted, didn’t you Sammy!? You were thrown away to America! LEFT THERE TO ROT! FORGOTTEN!" He said, positioning her close to the drum.

"And who cares if I don’t win in a fair fight?! I WIN....that’s all that matters to me. As long as you lose." He laughed as he pushed her head in the water and kept it there.