Shea's House. Morning
It had been two days since the second date with Chris.
Shea didn't go to the office that day. Honestly, she was tired of hiding behind the company. She really wanted to explore the world.
She was with Mandy, sipping on hand squeezed orange juice.
"You squeezed them yourself?" Asked Mandy. She clearly was not enjoying the pulp free juice that much.
" Yes I did. I like being hands on sometimes you know." She answered with a smile.
"I do. I wanted to ask you about something."
Sending her serious tone, Shea gulped down the remaining juice. She wiped her mouth and sat upright.
"Go ahead."
Mandy searched for the right word to start with. She didn't really think about what she was going to say.
She looked at Shea who was waiting. Mandy thought of changing the what she was gonna ask but she decided to stick with it...
"Why do you like this Chris guy?"...even if it sounded off.
"He makes me see the world in a new light. He's fun and he likes me too."
Shea really enjoyed saying what she said. Her smile was broad. Her cheeks were darker than usual (she's dark skinned so she doesn't actually turn red when she blushes).
"I think I'm in love with him!" She admitted
Mandy squirted her juice from her nose at that last remark. She couldn't believe it.
She wasn't surprised though. Shea had never experienced such a feeling before. She had only read them in books.
Mandy really understood why Shea liked Chris a lot. Shea had spent her entire life reading about the world in books.
Then came Chris who showed her the world she had only experienced in pages. It was kind of romantic she thought.
"You guys should meet him. Right?" This remark brought Mandy back to her body.
" What?"
"Yeah. Then you can know him and advise me better."
Mandy had gotten an idea. She was going to help Mathew get Shea. She was going to get Chris out of the picture.
"Do you know where he lives?" Asked Mandy
Chris's Apartment. Later
The table was filled with pictures. Pictures of Shea. Pictures of Mandy. Pictures of Olivia. They were all there...
Everyone Shea interacts with.
"What does it reveal when she had to go for therapy when her father died?" Asked Chris
"Maybe she loved her father too much and her mourning was destructive."
"I saw somewhere that she claimed she saw her father get shot in the head. Could be why she went to therapy but it was proven that her father died in a plane crash!"
"It could form of hysteria. To be safe, we keep off from firing any guns."
Chris held a picture of Shea. His mind went back to their date.
He remembered her not so subtle signals when he dropped her off at home. She wanted him to kiss her.
Chris was well aware but held back to seem more like a gentleman and further drive Shea mad, wanting more.
Chris didn't know if it had the desired intentions. He just needed to wait and find out.
He didn't want to wait too long. He just needed to go over some details with Jack then call her. He wanted to call her first, before she called him. To make it seem that he really likes her. So that Shea would think it.
Chris's phone rang. He checked the caller ID, it's Shea. He looked at Jack then answers.
"I was just about call you."
"Really? It's good I called then. Look I was hoping it would be Okay if I introduce you to my friends."
"You want me to meet your friends?" He repeated loudly. Jack's ears perked up.
"I do. Is it OK?"
"When?"
"Tonight, when you get off from work."
Chris dropped the phone on the couch. He reclined on the sofa and exhales deeply.
"Looks like you have a date tonight." Remarked Jack.
Chris sat upright. He held the photos of Mandy and Olivia.
"Those are her best friends." Jack said
"The ones I'll be meeting tonight. Anything I should know about them?"
Jack sighed,"We got nothing much on them. They are just regular people with regular behaviours. Nothing out of the ordinary."
They had gathered Intel about everyone around Shea Culen months ago.
Olivia was born and raised in Old Town. Her mother was a lawyer and her father, a doctor. Olivia followed in the footsteps of her mother. She works in her Law Firm.
Mandy was born in Happy Harbour. They moved to Old Town when she was ten. Her father was a tailor. Her mother worked as a maid in the Culen house for years. This got her the privilege of getting education sponsorship courtesy of the Culen family.
Mandy went on to study fashion and manages several boutiques where she sells her own branded clothes. MUSE™!
The three friends were together since their teens. Now at their late twenties, they were more like sisters.
Chris thought of this. He didn't want to come in between them. He needed to make them like him, naturally. Not by force.
In terms of romantic love life. They were all very inactive. Olivia had seen a few people but never made it past the first date.
Mandy only had a three months relationship with a Mathew Ford. A few one night stands after that but nothing serious.
Shea held the record. She had never had a boyfriend. If Chris were to play his cards right, he would be the first.
Jack thought of how difficult it must be for an accomplished women to find the right guy to settle down with. His thoughts drifted back to Rachel.
Chris thought of Mathew and Shea going on a date. He thought of whether Mathew was going to be a threat.
He looked at Jack. Eyeing his twin's facial features. As though looking at a mirror. He thought again, could Mathew be a threat?
"Nah! I look good." He said with a lot of satisfaction.
Outside Chris's Apartment. Later
A man was stationed outside the house, in his car. A silver Corolla. He had arrived two days earlier, moments after getting the job. It was an hour flight.
The man looked at the flat. His target was on floor five. That was where the signal led. He took pictures of the person the apartment belonged to.
He studied him and determined that he lived alone. The man did not have a routine. It seemed he didn't have a job. He would just leave at times and come back hours later.
He was waiting for an opportunity to get into the house. He had been stationed outside for two days and the owner barely left his apartment.
His employer emphasized the haste required and the reward his haste would fruit. His phone rang. He picked it up.
"Private Investigations, Elvis speaking..."
Little Chef Restaurant. Night
Olivia and Shea were seated at a table, it was eight o'clock. They were talking a bit. Shea couldn't hide her delight. Olivia felt envious of her.
Shea's eyes lit up when she saw Chris. Chris smiled radiantly and walked towards them. Shea glanced over at Olivia.
"Where's Mandy?"
Meanwhile. Chris's Apartment.
Elvis had gotten the opportunity he needed. He had placed a tracker on Chris's car. He did not like surprises.
Now he could get what he needed with peace of mind. He door was locked. He picked the lock, no hustle about it.
He opened the door slowly and walked in. He closed the door carefully behind him. Ensuring he didn't lock it.
He took out his flashlight and the tablet from his bag. In his mind, he thought of going to see his niece after he's done.
He switched on the torch and checked for the blinking light on the screen. He was the red one. What he was searching for was the green.
Jack heard the door creek open. It was the slightest sound but he had conditioned himself to be aware of such. Was it Chris? He didn't think so. Chris would be louder than that.
He switched the lights off in his room. He stepped outside to see a torch light moving around. Heading to him. He knew he had to rely on the dark to help him.
He stood adjacent from the door, like a shadow. He would knock out the person who would immediately step into his room
He stood by waiting to pounce. The guy was at the door. He switched off his torch. Perfect, Jack thought.
As he was about to pounce on the guy, the lights came on. Jack froze as his eyes met with that of the intruder. The guy's hand was on a switch.
Elvis's eyes widened in disbelief,"You were supposed to be gone."
Jack went for a jab but Elvis evaded. In his fifties he was still managed to move around quickly. Elvis dropped his flashlight and Tablet on the floor.
Elvis clenched his arms, spaced his feet and bent his knees a bit. He was ready for a brawl.
Jack smirked and did the same. Jack went for the first strike. Elvis blocked Jack's right fist and delivered his own.
Jack took a step back."That was weaker than I thought. You getting old there?"
Elvis charged at him. Jack stomped Elvis's left leg. Elvis went down on one knee. Jack sighed then delivered a right elbow jab which knocks Elvis out.
Jack searches Elvis's pockets. He had no ID on him, just car keys. He picked up the tablet on the floor and dropped back on the bed.
He holds his jaw in pain,"Actually it was stronger than I expected."
He looks at the blip on the screen. He moved to his drawer, opened it and removed the necklace.
"It can't be the necklace. How can you be tracking the necklace?"
That was when he remembered he pushed a button on the necklace. That must have sent an alert. He quickly put on the necklace.
"Who are you?" He asked the unconscious man. He grabbed his bag. He began rummaging through it.
There were just supplies. Lock picks, spanner, knife and a protein bar.
In that moment, Jack heard a noise. It was the sound of a door opening. He quickly jumped over to the switch and put off the lights.
"That must be your partner." Jack whispered to himself.
The second intruder switched on the lights and went into the living room. Jack could see it was a woman. He crept in to knock her out.
He hid behind a wall of the living room. He peered around and got a glimpse of her as she turned around. She looked familiar. Did he know her...? He did!
From the pictures! Yes, he was sure now. The intruder was looking around their stuff. He got a glimpse of her again.
It was Mandy!