2:37 A.M.
Manila National Police Station.
July 21st, the year 2018. Saturday.
Katrina Fajardo's 23rd birthday.
8 hours and 9 minutes since Katrina Fajardo went missing.
"But the good news is... it was Michie Alestre's blood," Sergeant Kim concluded as Marcus looked up from the ground in shock. Mina, Zoey, Abbey, and Matthew all stared at her for once.
"Michie? Do you mean... Do you mean the eldest daughter of the Alestres?" Marcus approached her quickly, creasing his forehead. He picked up the paper from Sergeant Kim. He scanned the name on the results and he gasped right away when he saw it was from Michie Alestre.
"Michie, the one Xian was talking about? The one who kissed him in the hospital?" Mina asked those questions as Marcus nodded. He looked up and furrowed his eyebrows at why Michie would be there. He thought so hard until he gave back the paper over to Sergeant Kim.
"Carmela's co-server at Kelly's Diner is her. Carmela knows where she lives, we should be at stake right now, cmon!" Marcus shouted over them as he ran up the tracks of the woods towards the police line. Sergeant Kim was behind him also, and Marcus's best friends followed them out of the woods.
Marcus still heard the screaming all over the area. He cried out towards the officers in their patrol cars.
"Turn down the speakers all over the area. Make sure that you destroy the locator and the voice speakers inside it. Or else, they would know where we are. Now, the three of us managed the speakers that were on our nearest part. Before you do anything else, make sure that you don't leave a speaker behind!" Marcus ordered the officers. Mina peeked over the ambulance car and saw that Carmela was now running up to them.
Marcus's team huddled in front of them. Carmela reached for her best friends, the towel draped her shoulders. Ms. Feliciano and her team joined the conversation towards the head of the detectives. Carmela asked what was wrong.
"What is happening? Why is everyone panicking? I heard a scream from all over the street, wasn't that Katrina's?" Carmela asked those multiple questions at once as Zoey stabled herself in her place. Matthew was scrambling for his cell phone and called his aunt immediately. He heard a set of rings as Mina answered Carmela.
"Yeah, Carmela. It was Katrina's voice. She was in danger right now. We should wait for Marcus's instructions first," Mina responded calmly. Carmela clutched both of her hands over her abdomen. She didn't know what to think as she brushed the beads of sweat on her forehead.
Abbey was still fighting herself on whether to say what she had seen about her brother or not. Abbey clutched the hem of her coat as Marcus turned around them again. He raised his hand over to Matthew, who was putting his cell phone in his ear, and Marcus motioned for him to lower it down.
"Press the decline button. Matthew, please," Marcus gritted her teeth, looking at Matthew. He furrowed his eyebrows. Matthew just obliged with what they had ordered him to.
"Why, Marcus? Is there something wrong?" Mina asked as Zoey inhaled an enormous amount of air beside him. Marcus turned off his cell phone and showed it to them.
"We should turn off our phones. Someone might call us right away, knowing that their plan was going along pretty well. Katrina had been missing for 8 hours right now, so they knew it was their time to confuse the police. You should all turn off your cell phone, hurry!" Marcus shouted over the street. Ms. Feliciano read the results from the laboratory car.
Mina, Carmela, Abbey, Matthew, and Zoey obliged what Marcus ordered them. They all turned to him again.
"I'm confused why the officers only traced the tire tracks kilometers away from the store." Ms. Feliciano put her hands on her hips. Lieutenant Lirio and Sergeant Kim waited for her to continue. Marcus creased his forehead towards her and clenched his jaw right away.
"It was a burner car," he whispered as he wiped the sweat on his philtrum. The officers were pacing back and forth on finding the speakers. Katrina's scream was still resonating all over the area.
Marcus thought that using a burner car for this crime was the irrevocable step to conceal it. If the officers thought that the one they were chasing was the right one, it must have the same appearance and plate number.
"It's burnt. A burner car. Only used to sweep away the police on finding the real culprit. We find that car or else...," Sergeant Kim added as she heard Marcus whisper. Ms. Feliciano nodded at them, and they were all thinking in unison. Marcus put his hands over his hips as he thought about the clues that they found.
The dandelion hoodie was the same as Katrina's.
The blood brushed over that bark of the tree.
The folded piece of paper in Marcus's pockets.
The speakers that were installed all over the area.
The name that was on the results.
Does that mean that Michie Alestre, the server working at Kelly's Diner alongside his best friend Carmela, was the one they were looking for?
Michie's been there before Xian's accident. She's been watching Carmela for a year. She's observing if Margo had died or not the day they all went to San Miguel's Hospital.
She's the one who destroyed Xian's relationship with Margo. He breathed out, forming a puzzle in his mind with all the pieces coming in together.
"Michie Alestre," Marcus hissed while looking at the ground as Carmela stared up at him. Marcus slowly averted his eyes towards her. Their eyes connected with each other.
"You know her, Carmela, right?" Marcus asked as he completely turned around to face her. Carmela nodded right away when Marcus sighed and motioned for Ms. Feliciano to give the paper to him. He scanned the papers right away and showed them to Carmela.
"Michie Alestre, her blood found right on the dandelion hoodie. She was the one who had been here. Or not, because I know that this would be a misdirection all along," Marcus breathed. He gave the paperback to the head of the forensic team. Carmela looked at Marcus's blazing eyes as they both read their minds.
"I will tell you where she lives. In that way, I can help on the investigation," Carmela mumbled as Marcus can't even grasp any thought from her mind. He furrowed his eyebrows, realizing that Carmela was the one he couldn't read. He removed his gaze from her suddenly.
"Ready the cars, Lieutenant Lirio! Ms. Feliciano, trace the burner car that was chased by the officers lately, and Sergeant Kim, come with me!" Marcus yelled at the officers and they nodded at the same time.
Marcus felt the paper in his pockets and he got out the folded paper in it. He opened it as Carmela peeped at his side. She gasped as Marcus looked at her. Carmela was staring at it with widened eyes as he folded it again.
Carmela was still staring at his wrists as Matthew and Abbey were beside Marcus. Marcus gave the paper stated as a piece of evidence and he turned to his best friends. Mina knuckled his fists and tilted his head on one side as he heard a ringing in both ears. The screaming of Katrina far distance away bothered him so much that Zoey draped her arms over him
"You should all stay here, I will bring Carmela. You would all be in danger if you followed us. Have some rest," Marcus breathed out in exhaustion as Matthew halted him.
"We will stay here until you come back. Be careful, Lieutenant Marcus," Matthew croaked. Abbey approached Carmela. She wrapped her arms around her as she said that she should stick with Marcus.
Mina also did the same thing, and Marcus stopped abruptly in front of Zoey.
"Zoey, take care here, okay?" Marcus caressed her face as all closed their eyes tightly because of their tiredness. I had felt the numbness in their body after staying up too long. It was already three in the morning. The investigation on finding Katrina was still ongoing.
"Be careful, Marcus," Zoey whispered. Marcus kissed her forehead and Carmela prayed silently behind them. Marcus hugged her tightly for a second as he got the gun inside his jacket. He saw it's loaded, and he retrieved a dagger inside of it.
He gave it to Carmela. She widened her eyes and raised her eyebrows as she saw how sharp it was.
"You should keep this for the meantime. I can sense that Michie is dangerous. She can stab you on the back quietly without making a sound," Marcus indicated. Carmela hesitated to grip the handle of the dagger.