Officer Preston Arina was sitting at his desk on a Monday morning, feeling unsure if he was making any progress in the investigation. He was slumped over his work desk, and he had Diane Rucho's case file in front of him. The file contained every little detail about Diane, from who she was to how she was murdered.

For starters, it stated that she was a nineteen-year-old woman who resided in Tassia. Her native language was Luo, and her hometown was Usonga in Siaya County. The file mentioned that she had one brother and that both of her parents had passed a few years back. Her body was found inside her one-bedroom house. The cause of death was a gunshot wound. Shot through the back of the head. The exit wound in the front of her head suggested that she was shot at close range 'execution-style'. Nothing had been stolen from the house. No fingerprints were found at the crime scene, and there was no sign of forced entry.

Preston had gone through the file repeatedly, hoping to find something he might have missed. However, he had yet to find any new leads.

Seven months ago, the Public Prosecutor's Office was in the spotlight as a result of the increasing number of unsolved cold cases. The Nairobi County Commissioner responded by demanding that all Officers Commanding Stations (OCS) take immediate action to expedite the investigations. It was rumoured that the move was politically motivated, as the Inspector General Police post was soon to be vacant.

When Inspector Fredrick Nyanchama invited Preston Arina to his office and asked him to work with Officer Edward Muiru on the Diane Rucho investigation, Preston was ecstatic. Edward was among the best officers in the Homicide Department Unit.

However, the case proved to be challenging. This was the problem with cold cases. There was no fresh crime scene to investigate, and the evidence was limited. In most cases, evidence such as DNA or other forensic evidence would be degraded over time, rendering it unreliable.

During the first week of investigation, no new leads were found, but in the second week, they received some good intelligence. This was largely due to the media briefing conducted by Edward, who urged anyone with relevant information to come forward. This tactic was employed to provoke people and elicit a response, and it proved successful. A woman named Mercy Muthoni approached them, claiming to have seen Diane Rucho at Nairobi Hospital, where she worked as a housekeeper. She stated that Diane was a patient and was accompanied by a man, who was later identified as Gary Wako after further investigation.

Officer Edward had planned to interrogate Mr Wako.

Preston was never sure if Edward ever interrogated Gary. Preston had been out of town to visit his son.
And when he came back, he came back to a funeral. Officer Edward Muiru was no more.

For the past few months, Preston Arina had kept the investigation aside and focused more on other recent cases that were way more manageable. That was until Inspector Fredrick demanded to have the investigation closed before the end of the month. Mind you, today was already September eleventh. Too little time. Preston wondered if it was possible to have the case closed by the end of the month. It was close to impossible.

But at least he had something to work with. Gary Wako.

After sending a random message to Gary Wako, Preston Arina did not expect it to lead Gary Wako to the late Officer Edward Muiru's doorstep.

The message was a three-digit number. 416. It symbolized something. Something that Gary Wako would understand.

The attempted burglary at Edward's house confirmed something important for the case. One, that Officer Edward did interrogate Gary Wako before his death, and two, Edward must have obtained some piece of evidence from him.

Preston was lost in thought about what that piece of evidence was when he heard Officer Dan Wambua's voice behind him. He turned around to see Dan walking towards him and propping his elbows on his desk.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Dan.

Dan was a forensic digital analyst in the Homicide Department Unit. He was a short, stout man with a terrible sense of humour.

"The usual - not getting anything right," responded Preston, with a touch of sarcasm. "But you know what would make my day? A great cup of coffee."

"Go get it yourself, and while you're at it, drop by the Inspector's office," said Dan.

"He wants to see me?" thought Preston, surprised at the early meeting.

"Yep, that's right," confirmed Dan.

Inspector Fredrick's office was located directly opposite the HDU (High Dependency Unit). The layout of the Nairobi Police Station was quite simple. The main entrance of the station led to an open reception area where three officers manned the desk. The interview room was situated right next to the visitors' lobby. Down the hallway, one would find the armoury and evidence room. Officers on patrol occupied a small space next to the equipment storage room. The General Crime Unit and The Homicide Unit were located in the same room, partitioned by 5-6 feet wooden cubicles. The holding cells were situated at the cant of the building.

Preston composed himself and walked towards Frederick's office. He knocked softly on the door and waited for a response.

"Come in."

He heard the familiar raspy voice.

As Preston entered the office, he immediately noticed Sandy Muiru sitting across from Fredrick's desk. When Sandy saw him, she smiled.

He was surprised to see her there.

Inspector Fredrick spoke up, "I see you've met Miss Sandy Muiru. She mentioned that you were expecting her today to assist you with your cases. I didn't realize you were feeling so charitable."

Preston picked up on the sarcasm in Fredrick's tone.