Vin's POV
"Should've brought an umbrella or a cap."
The sun is up, the air is dry and sweat is dripping from my chin.
"Nevermind the cap, should've at least some water would be perfect."
I'm parched, I could pass out anytime soon. Never thought that it would be this hard to find that guy's house. I've been walking for hours now, occasionally stopping to ask someone if they knew that guy. The car should've narrowed down the possibilities but according to the people around here, no one saw that guy and the car nor knew someone owns that type of car around the area.
"Good grief, I'm wasting my day off searching for this guy."
I checked my phone only to find the battery drained.
"Stupid battery!"
I almost threw my phone out of frustration, thankfully I stopped myself. Maybe I should take a break, the way things are right now I don't know if I can control my actions anymore.
"There should be a cafe around here."
The smell of coffee lingers inside the cafe along with the sweet scent of freshly baked breads at pastries. My stomach rumbled when I saw some of the bread displayed over the counter. But my hunger was replaced by surprise and rage when I saw the price tag on the bread.
"200 pesos for a piece of bread?!"
I quickly covered my mouth hoping that no one heard me say that, but it was too late, some of the customers were already looking at me. I was about to walk back to the door and get out here when someone called my attention. It was Dr. Matt.
"Hey kid! Come here." Matt
He offered me a seat across to him.
"I just want to thank you, you know from the other day." Matt
"No need to thank me, I didn't do anything."
"I don't know but I have this feeling that I should thank you for something." Matt
"By the way what are you doing here?"
"I was visiting a friend who lives around here. He's a doctor just like me, he said he was giving a recommendation in the hospital he works in." Matt
"That's great."
"Do you want anything?" Matt
"Nah, the food here are so expensive, I can't afford any of them."
"Why don't you order something? Don't worry it'll be my treat." Matt
"Well I'll take you up on that offer."
Matt got the attention of a crew of the cafe. He walked towards us and asked my order. I don't want to hog the offer so I just ordered the cheapest item on the menu which is a slice of wheat bread and a cup of tea.
"Can I get iced cold water too?"
The crew nodded and went to the counter to pass on my order.
"So what are you doing here? Do you live around here?" Matt
"Huh? Ah, no, no. I'm looking for someone around here."
"Who?" Matt
"I don't know his name but…"
I told Matt what I saw from the other day. The car, his face, everything I knew about him.
"So you're saying he looks like you but older?" Matt
"Yes, but I asked around and they don't know him. I thought because of his car he might be living here."
Matt looked at the door when someone came in. He waved at him and the man approached us. Matt introduced us to each other. Apparently he was the friend Matt talked about. His name was Prof. Krom Mojica. He's a doctor and a scientist at a college university near here. He looked surprised when he saw me but he hides it behind his smiles.
"Nice to meet you, Vin." Prof Mojica
"Nice to meet you too, sir."
We shook hands and Matt pulled a seat from the table behind him and offered it to Prof Mojica.
"We were just talking about the guy Vin was looking for." Matt
"Is that so? Well then try me, I know everyone living here." Prof Mojica.
I told Prof. Mojica about the guy I saw. His face suddenly becomes tense.
"Hmm… He doesn't sound familiar to me." Prof Mojica
He's lying I know it. He does know the guy I'm talking about. I was about to press him for more information but Matt stood up.
"Prof. Mojica, we should get going. We still have to discuss the matter at hand." Matt
Prof. Mojica agreed to Matt's suggestion. He too stood up and nodded towards me as a sign of farewell.
"You enjoy your bread and tea now." Matt
The crew arrived with my tea and bread. I looked at Matt, he was at the counter paying for the orders we had. He bid a last farewell before leaving the cafe with Prof Mojica.
"What should I do now? If what Prof Mojica told me was true then the guy wouldn't live in this area. But if he's lying then he might know where he lives."
I'm out of leads now. Should I continue looking for him? I took a last sip on my tea and stood up. I was about to reach for my phone but remembered that the battery was drained. There's a telephone near the counter but someone's using it for almost an hour now. So I decided to leave and stop looking for the guy for now.
I retrace the streets I passed through earlier on my way back home. By the time I returned home my clothes were drenched in sweat. I went straight to the kitchen and fetched a glass of water. After taking a breather, I went to my room and grabbed some change of clothes and went to the bathroom.
Inside I found myself staring at my reflection in the mirror on the wall. A few scars here and there from cases I've handled, with few strands of beard growing from my chin. I reached for the razor to trim the strands, then moved to my chest where hair started growing. I stopped myself short when I reached my stomach. Few hairs started growing along the happy trail. I washed the blade on the razor and rinsed myself.
I returned to my room and sat on the bed, I plugged the charger into my phone and lied down on the bed. My eyes started growing tired and I didn't realize I fell asleep.
To Be Continued…