08:55 P.M.
Xian Santos's Residence.
July 20th, the year 2018. Friday.
"Right, the day of June 4th, Carmela got hired, and she was along with Mina and Zoey. That day too was the time Katrina and Carmela got into a heated argument." Marcus drew a much larger circle. He placed a violet circle that represented Zoey, a green circle for Mina, and the red one for Carmela. Marcus wrote the keywords of Margo's residence and Kingston Restaurant. Right underneath, and outside of the circle itself.
He placed the yellow circle of Katrina. An orange circle that represented him. The blue circle for Matthew. Marcus placed the pink circle last at Abbey's. He sighed, showing, "That day when we were celebrating together, I got angry at Zoey and fumed out of the comfort room."
Marcus stared at the paper, saying, "That was also the day I saw the person wearing the same thing. I don't think any of this situation was only coincidental. It was all planned."
Mina exhaled, leaning back in his seat. He recalled Carmela's confession about how Margo knew her at first sight. She even said that Margo recognized her very well, even if she didn't introduce herself. Mina and Zoey connected with both of their eyes. He knew it was that situation that was going on in their minds. Mina saw Carmela clasping her hands over her lap, exhaling. Carmela spoke up.
Carmela cleared her throat, explaining, "I have to say something. The day that I got hired as Margo's assistant. I have to say this to all of you since I couldn't contain any more confusion and I need to let it all out. There was something strange about the way Margo recognized me."
Xian stared at the puzzled face of his ex-girlfriend, who was sitting on the middle sofa beside Abbey. Hearing Margo's name tumbling out of her mouth sent a lot of pain through his chest that he couldn't even explain. Marcus sat upright. Matthew tilted his head on one side and furrowed both of his eyebrows, waiting for her answer.
Mina and Zoey both exchanged nervous looks. Abbey slowly shifted her eyes to Carmela. She sighed as Carmela continued to show what happened before she got hired on the day of June 4th.
"Margo called me by my name the first time I stepped into her house, right before I sat down on the long couch. And I don't even know why she recognized me. It's the first time I saw her in person except for the moments I always watched her only on television." Carmela shook her head. It still baffled her. The time she called her by her name was the moment she knew it would frighten her every time she would relive it.
She sighed, continuing, "It feels like she knew me well before I even applied for that assistant role."
Marcus squinted his eyes, asking, "So Margo recognized you? I can explain why you got hired in a blink of an eye."
Carmela widened her eyes. Her thoughts were collating with him. Marcus crouched down again on the paper and laid down some clues about how they can catch that person in a wisp.
"Margo recognized Carmela that day so that explained why she got hired immediately. I am suspecting this one: Margo has to do with that person wearing the black hoodie. They connected it to that time when I went to the comfort room and...," Marcus said, in no one in particular.
"Soon, your friends will die."
"He said something fear blew to me away... and it crossed my mind only this time," Marcus took turns looking at his friends one by one as he gasped. He grasped and composed herself as he murmured what the person had said to him.
"He said those one clue. I know what the deal is right now. We need to be careful about our moves right now," Marcus mumbled. They all panted in their seats and held their foreheads out of fright. Carmela pursed her lips and thought about Hannah and her aunt in the house, alone, without her. Marcus drew something again on the piece of the paper and bit his bottom lip.
He straightened the line between the circles that represented Margo and Carmela. He drew a line to his circle and the person wearing the black hoodie.
"I chased that person after he said that, but he was so fast that he vanished right away in front of my eyes. And to add to that, he was watching us from afar when we all got out of the restaurant without Katrina. He was observing us from the very first time," Marcus scoffed. He stared at the black circle.
He drew another circle beside the Kingston Restaurant. This time, he wrote the name of Matthew's village and the basketball court that was inside it. He tipped the orange and blue circle inside.
Marcus discussed, "The day I and Matthew played inside their village. Matthew saw a person wearing the same thing as we had all shown. We were so puzzled about who was that person watching us so close by. I and Matthew were the only ones around that basketball court. We were the ones who were being observed."
They all became lost in their thoughts except Marcus. He's still trying so hard to find a connection between the clues that settled down on that piece of the paper. They were all wondering where Katrina was and the person who abducted her.
Marcus drew another circle, recalling Katrina's confession about that person. Marcus knew he had to give up the idea that his best friend was the one who killed Margo.
"In this circle, in Katrina's house... She said that someone was watching their house so closely. We can't deny the fact that she was not the actual murderer here," Marcus hesitated to say it. Xian clenched and gritted his teeth right away. Carmela swallowed back all of her egos. She regretted those words she threw upon Katrina the day Margo died.
"What put me off with these clues was the accident of Xian." Marcus averted his eyes from the piece of the paper. He stared at Xian's right hand and right leg, who had been in a cast for a month now. He narrowed his eyes over him and shook his head.
"You were the first target, Xian. You might actually capture him when you chase him. What confused me was why he carried that Beretta Px4 Storm which was only issued towards the police." Marcus inhaled. Zoey glanced up at his anxious boyfriend.
"He was good at hiding. After all, do any of the results of the fingerprints make any sense?" Abbey spoke up and made them all look up to her. She sounded so sincere with those few words as Marcus shifted his eyes from Xian to her.
"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.