James stepped out of the interrogation to address June's parents. It was decided among the three officers that it was best if he led the case since he was the only one who had any idea of what was going on but James knew it was because he was the only one ready to believe June's theory.
He met Gabriel and Gladys sitting on a long bench but they got up as soon as he appeared.
"Good afternoon sir and ma."
"Good afternoon officer," Gabriel answered. "So what did our daughter tell you? Did she really kidnap her sister?"
"No, June meant it figuratively."
"I don't understand you," Gladys replied.
"What she meant by that was that she incited what led to Joana's kidnap, not the actual kidnap itself." James studied their faces and knew immediately that they didn't understand what he was saying. "I'm sorry, let me start from the beginning."
James narrated everything to June's parents just like she had said earlier. There was a mixture of shock and disbelief in Gabriel's expression but for Gladys it just made her wailing more intense.
"You see, calling out her sister's name in the game made her a target for the killer so it means if June hadn't called her sister's name, then she wouldn't be one of the killer's targets in the first place, that's why she feels responsible."
"Jesus Christ!" Gabriel shouted with a hand on his head while his wife jumped and slapped her leg like a madwoman. "But how are you sure that this is true?"
"We are not too sure about it," James answered. "But we don't think your daughter had any reason to lie since she was the one who turned herself in. We are just trying to keep an open mind about everything."
"So what are you going to do now? Who do you think is responsible?" Gladys asked in tears. "My daughter can't die!"
"We believe one of the girls is either responsible or knows something about it." Officer James answered. "My colleagues are currently collecting the names and addresses of her friends although there's one of them, Grace, who left town with her brother. We would also work on something to bring her back too... Until then, your daughter would be under our custody."
"In a prison cell? No, I can't allow that!" Gladys said.
"She is an important part of this investigation as she witnessed everything and we can't just let her roam free."
"Then we would keep her at home, she won't leave the house." Gabriel countered.
"How easy do you think that would be? From what I heard she still came here despite your instruction and we can't risk that... If you are worried about her getting mixed up with a bad crowd, we will get her a separate cell. I'll make sure of it."
"Okay, but can we see her now?" Gabriel said.
"She said that she can't bear to look at your faces so she doesn't want to." A gloom feeling fell on the two of them as soon as James spoke. "Just give her time, it wouldn't be nice to add to the guilt that is already eating her up by seeing your teary faces... I'll suggest you go home, refreshen yourselves, and call us immediately if you remember something useful to the investigation. Right now, it's best if you leave and let us do our job... Have a nice day." James said finally with a nod then left them
Gladys's cry began to reduce to little sobs as soon as James left. She walked to the door and stared at her daughter through the glass as the two policemen inside jotted everything she was saying. Her husband joined her for a while before he spoke.
"The policeman is right, we are of no use here." He said. "We have to leave and let them do their job."
"What kind of a mother am I?" Gladys said. Her eyes were already swollen from the tears and her hair was a mess but she looked more composed now.
"This is not your fault if that's what you're trying to say," Gabriel replied. "There's no way you have known."
"I would have known!" She objected. "This thing had been going on for two weeks now, I should have at least suspected something but I didn't... I was so busy fighting with you that I failed to realize what was going on with the people I was fighting for, my children!"
Gabriel could feel Gladys' pain just by looking at her eyes. If only she knew he wasn't fighting with her.
"Then you can't take the blame yourself. It's my fault too. They are equally our children and I failed them too."
Gladys fell silent once more then turned her eyes back to the door.
"We can't lose our children." She suddenly felt a hand holding hers warmly. It was her husband's.
"We won't lose them."
"I'm sorry for how you treated me." She turned to him and spoke as she resumed her tears. "I know you love me and you would never do anything to hurt the children but as a woman, I felt jealous and insecure about you leaving."
"I know, it's okay."
"I refused to talk to you when we were alone, I refused to cook you food, everything I did, I did because I was angry but now I realized that I almost succeeded in making you leave... I was going to cause the thing that I feared the most when I should have supported you from the beginning and now we have drifted and I'm scared--"
"Shhh, it's okay." Gabriel rushed to hug her."Everything will be fine."
"I'm sorry." She said crying on his shoulders. "I'm so sorry."
** ** **
"So are you saying Cassandra is back?" Mrs. Badmus asked Grace.
Grace felt it would be wrong to make Abike panic so she decided to lie.
"Uhm, maybe I'm being paranoid. Maybe it's nothing serious after all."
"But why would you come all the way here if it was nothing?"
"That is a very good question, I must be really stupid... Speaking of which, I have to leave ma."
"What? Right now?"
"Yes," Grace said, getting up. "Thank you so much for your time ma, bye." She added before rushing out of the door before Mrs. Badmus could say anything.
Chike the driver and the security guard gave her a glaring look which she gladly returned as she stepped out.
The first person Grace decided to call was Margret.
"Grace what the fuck? Where did you drop your phone?"
"I'm sorry, it was silent before... I've got news oh, but first, what about Joana?"
"Babe, shit is breaking loose over here... Joana has been kidnapped, John is in the hospital and June turned herself in to the police."
"Oh my God! How? This is all happening so fast!"
"I know, I can barely process anything right now."
"How are you? Where are you?" Grace asked.
"I called Veronica when you didn't pick, I'm heading over to her place right now."
"Veronica? No, don't!"
"Ugh, why?"
"I don't know how to explain this but Veronica is not just Veronica, there's someone else inside her and she's dangerous."
"What?" Margret said. "I can't hear you, you're breaking up."
"She has a split personality that calls herself Cassandra, and I think she is our killer."
"Hello, are you there?"
"Fuck! Margret, whatever you do not go near Veronica!" Grace warned.
"Shit, I can't hear anything. Listen, if you can hear me, I'm going to lose this sim so the police won't be able to track me down... I'll call you as soon as I get a new one. I have to go." Margret said and hung up.