09:20 P.M.
Xian Santos's Residence.
July 20th, the year 2018. Friday.
"For me, the results of the fingerprints were always leading to something. But it's nothing that could help us." Abbey crouched down in her seat. She propped her hands on her lap as she looked towards Marcus.
"They were confusing us, Marcus. Wake up. What Mina had seen at the hospital may mislead us. We better yet come up with another plan: how can we catch and bait the killer in no time. And the one who abducted Katrina, is that person who was after us, was the same as the one who did this to her and Margo?" Abbey spoke up so differently.
It made them amazed, her other colors shown. Marcus exhaled, nodding at the same time.
"We need to rest. We're all exhausted by thinking about Margo's death and Katrina's abduction right now. Better yet, make some plans tomorrow." Abbey leaned back in her seat again as she closed her eyes and held her forehead. Marcus brushed his face with both of his hands and wiped something over his mouth.
"That red-haired girl gave me the wrong feeling that she was an accomplice. I was delusional with something, but that woman was checking on someone." Mina raised his eyebrows towards Marcus. He exhaled and shook his head. Carmela and Xian both furrowed their eyebrows as Michie's image came into their mind.
"Our minds are filled with the whereabouts of Katrina. I need to go back to the police station to check on whether I can hold on to that case." Marcus stood up from his seat as he retrieved the paper and folded it crosswise. He stuffed it back on his jacket as he looked at them, and Zoey quickly stood up from her seat.
"Wait," Xian also butted in as Zoey looked at him and Marcus. Matthew, Abbey, Mina, and Carmela all leaned back in their seats as they closed their eyes. They wished that all of this was a dream. Katrina's abduction was now playing along in Mina's mind. He can't help feeling that if he had run faster than he thought, Katrina would be here with them.
Zoey guided Xian up as he stood up and the loud sound of the wooden crutches landed on the floor as he sighed. Marcus turned again to him and said, "Take it away. I need to investigate both Margo's and Katrina's case right now. I will do what it takes to transfer the case today until tomorrow."
"No, that's not... that's not what I want to say right now. I want to confirm something about the red-haired girl Mina was saying," Xian muttered. Mina averted his eyes.
He licked his lips before he continued saying, "The time I was at the hospital, there was a red-haired girl whom I knew. I met her when I dined at where Carmela worked as a server, at the Kelly's Diner. The day I met her was also the day I got into an accident."
Marcus tilted his head on one side and blinked an eye towards Xian as he huffed an air. Xian said everything that happened in that accident. He knew it could help them investigate the case rather than blaming each other.
"Who was this red-haired girl, Carmela?" Marcus shifted his eyes from Xian towards Carmela as she widened her eyes and swallowed.
She hesitated to answer at first because she knew it was Michie. Mina furrowed his eyebrows towards her. He also realized that the red-haired girl he met was the one that recorded the video on Margo's phone. That girl was the one who was kissing Xian torridly while he's injured. She was the girl who took that advantage to destroy Margo's sanity in one wisp of the wind.
Carmela sighed, answering, "She was my co-server every morning shift at the Kelly's Diner. I have been working there for almost a year now. She always adored having that red hair, but... I never thought that she could do this."
Xian turned again to the Lieutenant in front of him. Marcus comprehended what she was talking about.
"She was the one I met before the accident happened inside the diner after I had a word n with Carmela," Xian nodded. He didn't hesitate to say Xyrelle's name over the confines. Carmela looked up with astonishment.
"I ran over with Xyrelle before I saw that letter on the right side of my car. He was on his way towards the diner. He was the last person I ran up to," Xian muttered as Abbey squinted her eyes towards him.
"My brother went out of the house? When?" Abbey finally asked as she got puzzled. Why was Xyrelle out of their house? He should be on his rest for several weeks and yet, he ran over Xian before the time he got into an accident.
"Yeah. I even bumped into him and saw the hard cast around his arm. And it was much more severe than mine. I hope Xyrelle is doing well." Xian turned his head a little to look at Abbey as she narrowed her eyes and removed her gaze from Xian right away.
Carmela pursed her lips. It's uncomfortable for her to bring out Xyrelle and Xian with her friends.
"So... that red-haired girl must have been a deal. She was the one who watched. Somebody else might have been doing the killings," Matthew suggested. He nodded, convinced about his idea. Zoey's cell phone started vibrating. She was surprised to see the name on the caller ID.
Tristan Dera was calling her. She excused herself from the circle. She stepped out of the cold weather and soothed her arms as she answered the call. Zoey put it right in her ear, asking, "COO Dera, good evening. What can I do for you?"
"Is it true that Katrina is missing?" Tristan was anxious about the news. He glanced over at the television that was hanging in the center of his office. Tristan glared right through the reporter, who was stating the scene in a parking lot. This must get out of hand, as Tristan thought.
"Mr. Dera---"
"Drop the formality. We are not in office hours right now. I want to hear if it was true." Tristan gritted his teeth. He put his right hand over his forehead. Zoey glanced at his behind and saw that Xian was still talking to Marcus. Her best friends on the couch were still commenting on the sides and sighing now and then.
"Yeah, what you are seeing right through that screen is true. Tristan... you know what's ridiculous right now... what started this must have been the way you kissed Margo," Zoey remarked. She knuckled her fists and wondered while looking up at the sky where Katrina was.
Tristan didn't know what to say as he sighed and remembered the way he kissed Margo on that bar. He's trapped, and he knew that if he clicked right through that, there was no way to get out of that hell. He cracked his mouth as he realized everything. How Katrina got angry with them. How she felt betrayed by the way Tristan kissed Margo. She watched that on the door towards the confines of the Queen's Bar. The way she hitched Margo's hair out of negligence.
"Did it strike you hard, Tristan? I'm sorry to say that you had asked to drop the formality. So I am saying this all to you to wake you up with the mystery going around us," Zoey sniggered. She knew it could trigger Tristan's rage, and she was right. She heard a slam on the table over the end of the line as Tristan panted.
"That time, I was out of my mind. Do you know why Zoey? One thing that I have to say to you before that scandal happened, Margo was alone. She was alone. I couldn't help but feel sympathy for her," Tristan retorted, standing up from his seat. He slammed his hand on the table. Katrina's smile emerged from Zoey's vision.
"Margo's broken into shattered pieces. If you were in my situation, Zoey, you would feel the same way also," Tristan mumbled. He hung up the phone, brushing his face out of exhaustion. He felt his mind was going insane.