A Cold Case
Finally solved in the most unexpected way
Jake’s car sat motionless in the sea of red brake lights, the cacophony of impatient horns and revving engines filling the air. He sighed and pulled out his phone, dialing a familiar number. The call was answered by the digital replica of his late close friend, Bob, a voice from the past.
“Hey, Bob,” Jake said, his voice tinged with nostalgia and a hint of sadness.
“Hey, Jake,” came Bob’s digital voice, warm and reassuring. It was uncanny how much it sounded like the real Bob. “Stuck in traffic again, I see?”
“Yeah,” Jake replied, “and I thought, why not catch up with an old friend?”
They began reminiscing about the times they’d spent together. It felt so real as if Bob was right there beside him.
“So, Bob. How’s your family doing?”
“They’re coping, Jake. I am talking to my wife every day. It’s been hard on her, you know, my passing and all.”
Jake nodded, a pang of sorrow tugging at his heart. “I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for her. It’s not fair you dying at such a young age.”
There was a long silence, and then Bob said, “You know, Jake, I’ve been thinking about why I died. I can’t help but feel it was a punishment from… from God.”
Jake smiled nervously. He knew what Bob meant. “A punishment? Bob, you’re being silly.”
“Why not, Jake? You know the truth. You were with me when the incident happened. We were driving back from the party… we had a little too much to drink, and we hit that poor bicyclist. We never stopped. We didn’t report it. We should have, Jake. We should have.”
Jake’s heart pounded in his chest as he recalled that fateful night. He said, “I really don’t want to talk about it,” but Bob ignored him. “I want to know what happened to the case, Jake. I couldn’t ask anyone else.”
Jake sighed and said, “The cops talked to me, Bob. But they couldn’t link you or me to the incident. They had no other leads and had to close the file.”
“I think we made a terrible mistake on that day, Jake. I’m really… “
“Please, Bob. Can we talk about something else?”
Two days later, Detective Jhonson entered his supervisor’s room and declared, “I had solved few cases in the most unexpected ways. But this is the first time I solved a case with the help of a dead person!”
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