Short Story Fiction: Inspector Pascal Mysteries 1000 #15

#15: Pascal fills in and finds trouble
A brand new classic-style investigator is solving crimes
in only 1000 words of fast-paced short story fiction Mystery-Adventure:
Inspector Pascal Mysteries 1000

INSPECTOR PASCAL MYSTERIES 1000
#15,  The Seminar, ©2016-2023 by T.K. Naliaka

“Inspector Pascal?”

He took the note, read it, then left discreetly. Two police officers closed the big wooden doors.  Pascal walked down the corridor to the large, broad-shouldered uniformed man standing by the elevators. “Sergeant Braque, I thought you were going to the precinct.”

Braque glanced surreptitiously at the two officers at the other end of the corridor and whispered. “I came back.  Sergeant Roscoe happened to mention to me that Captain Gryzynsky is in Spain.”

“Spain?” Pascal blinked. “I don’t understand.”

“The man who’s leading this seminar is not Captain Gryzynsky!”

“Did he confuse him with another Captain Gryzynsky?”

“No! There isn’t another Captain Gryzynsky!  I just checked!”

Pascal controlled himself from glancing back.  He exclaimed disbelievingly. “Sixteen top investigators are in a day-long seminar with an imposter?” Pascal raised his hand to his head. “Are we all that gullible?”

“We’ve never met Gryzynsky before.  How were we supposed to know?”

“Obviously no one else here has either or someone would have reacted.”

Braque nodded, then he added. “The invitation was for Inspector Callahan; he sent you because he’s testifying in court all this week.” Braque glanced at the guarded wooden doors, then back at Pascal. “You know sir…that’s a lot of accumulated critical criminal investigation knowledge packed into one conference room.”

Pascal frowned as he stared at the floor.  He looked up. “That’s true.  I’m the only junior investigator there.  They’re all on the biggest cases.”

Braque straightened slightly. “How many men does he have?”

Pascal replied. “There are four - him, his assistant Tosi, and those two men posted right there.”

“What do you want to do?”

Pascal rubbed his neck. “I wonder what the plan is and how much time is left before he pulls the trigger.”

“Why hasn’t he killed everyone yet?  He’s got them!”

“I can guess. There’s a lot of information being exchanged in there.  Why not learn a few things first?  They’re talking freely.  They all have confidential clearances.”

“The problem I see sir is: if we call in for reinforcements, everyone’s phones will be messaging. They’re all inside together; he’ll know and he controls the exit.”

“First, we take back that control. Who is here, on-site?”

“Sergeant Jann, Sergeant Vankat, Officer Leon, Officer Saradan - with us, that makes six.”

Pascal glanced at his watch. “It’s forty minutes to noon lunch break.  That’s the most likely time he could be exposed – everyone will turn on their phones, get their messages, one or two of them might have to leave.  He’s got a perfectly closed and controlled environment for only a few more minutes.”

“Not perfectly - not anymore, sir.”

Pascal gave him a rueful smile. “That’s right, Sergeant.”

Pascal and Braque walked together back to the conference room doors.  Pascal stopped before the two guards, finished writing his note, tore off the small page and handed it to Braque. “If the forensics lab continues to give you excuses about why it’s taking so long for the DNA tests, call Inspector Diallo and get him on their backs.  I’m going to be here all day, and we’ll need that information tomorrow by 2 p.m. latest.”

Braque saluted. “Yes sir, thank you for intervening. Sorry to have bothered you.”

Pascal glanced at the two uniformed men cautiously monitoring them. “I can’t just keep going in and out.  Bring Sergeant Jann and SergeantVankat so they hear it directly from me, not just you.”

Waiting, Pascal paced slowly just in front of the guards.  He paused.  Three sergeants strode quickly as if to meet him; he smoothly stepped aside and they charged.  A minute later, Pascal slipped inside and went back to his seat.  The imposter Gryzynsky clicked to the next slide. “In five years, the drug routes have shifted from this corridor to a new one further east.”

Pascal leaned back in his chair and folded his arms.  He watched Tosi lift several cardboard boxes from the floor to place them on the table.  Gryzynsky paused to listen to Inspector Faraday.  Pascal checked his watch.  11:42 a.m.

“Pardon me!” Pascal raised his hand and stood up.

Gryzynsky paused. ‘Yes?”

“Do you have the longitude, latitude and GPS coordinates for this new corridor?”
Gryzynsky looked at him. “Who are you?”

“Inspector Pascal!”

“I don’t recall having a Pascal on the list.”

He held up his conference badge. “I am representing Inspector Callahan!”

Gryzynsky exchanged guarded glances with Tosi.  Pascal quickly walked forward to the podium as he pointed to the projected slide. “Do you have a zoom out picture so we can see exactly where this corridor is?”  He walked around the tables, stopped beside Tosi, propped his hands on his hips, tipped his head and peered up at the big screen.

Gryzynsky glanced at the room of investigators, their concentrations disrupted, slightly annoyed, shifting around in their chairs, glancing at their watches.  Tosi reached out to rest his hand on a small cardboard box.

Gryzynsky put his pointer down. “Excuse me everyone, one moment.”  He walked past his audience to the doors.

Pascal watched Tosi watching Gryzynsky.  Gryzynsky raised his hand slightly and signaled with his fingers as he went out. The doors closed.  Pascal’s hand shot out, seized Tosi’s wrist and Pascal slammed him hard against the head with his pistol.

Sixteen top criminal investigators drew their handguns and leaped to their feet.

The two big entry doors burst open.  They all turned to see five stern-faced uniformed police. Sgt. Braque announced. “Our orders are to evacuate these premises! This seminar has been infiltrated by an imposter!”

Inspector Groton called over, “Indeed!  We have arrested him!”

Perplexed, Braque hesitated. “No…we… arrested him.”

They marched their suspect forward.  Braque suppressed a smile, considering Pascal with his hands handcuffed behind him, in the firm grips of two top inspectors, “Sir! This is… unexpected!”

Pascal replied dryly. “Somebody needs to stop them giving that accomplice first aid and put him into custody before he wakes up and detonates the explosives in those boxes on the table.”  ©2016-2023 by T.K. Naliaka, All rights reserved