Chapter 3 - Kenny Mathu

Arthur and Mark were sipping their coffee and engaged in a discussion when a lady and a middle-aged man approached them. The lady had bandages around her head, and her expression revealed evident terror.

"Excuse me, who is Mark Barron?" the lady asked awkwardly, her eyes shifting between them.

"Hello, my name is Mark. Are you the person I spoke with earlier?" Mark inquired, placing his coffee cup on the table. He observed the lady and the middle-aged man, a practice Arthur mirrored. The girl had short blond hair, a slender figure, and a pretty face. The middle-aged man, likely her father, also had blond hair.

Arthur, too, observed them. Suddenly, his mobile vibrated. Unlocking the phone, he accessed the new application named "Status." Like "My Status," this app displayed information about the person he was observing.

"Name: Kenny Mathu
Age: 23
Job: Jain shopping mall worker
[She is the victim.]"

"Name: John Mathu
Age: 40
Job: A small restaurant owner
[He is Kenny's father.]"

Arthur confirmed that the middle-aged man was indeed the girl's father. However, he remained silent, awaiting Mark to lead the conversation. It was crucial to make a good impression.

"Yes, Hello, Mr. Mark. Yesterday, I talked to you about the case," she replied.

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Kenny. Looking at the person behind, I can guess he should be your father," Mark remarked. Kenny nodded in confirmation.

"Very well. Now, Ms. Kenny, please have a seat, and we can discuss your case," Mark suggested, pointing to two available seats.

"Before we delve into your case, allow me to introduce my friend, who will be investigating. He is my best friend, Arthur Fernandes," Mark added, introducing Arthur to them.

"Hello," Arthur greeted them.

"Don't worry, Miss Kenny. My friend is an excellent detective as well. You can relax and share all the details of your case with him. Now, excuse me, Miss Kenny. As I mentioned earlier, I am very busy at the moment, so I must go. Arthur is here; feel free to discuss your case with him," Mark assured her of Arthur's capabilities before leaving the cafe, respecting the importance of the moment for Arthur.

Arthur's POV:

Observing Kenny, I sensed her anxiety and disbelief. When she learned that Mark had to leave, her anxiety intensified.

"Relax, Miss Kenny. At 23, you shouldn't stress yourself this much. Calm down, take a deep breath, and tell me all the details." Recognizing her anxiety, I realized I needed to demonstrate my capabilities for her to believe in me.

"How... How did you know my age?" Kenny and John were surprised when I accurately stated Kenny's age.

"Oh, nothing special, Miss Kenny. By looking at your face, I can tell your age is not over 25. Also, working in the Jain shopping mall, you are at least 21. If you were new, you wouldn't have told Mark you were a Jain shopping mall worker, requiring at least 2 years of experience. You mentioned working there, so I guessed your age to be 23." I explained my deduction. After this explanation, Kenny seemed less anxious, perhaps starting to believe in me.

"Miss Kenny and Mr... John... John Mathu," John introduced himself, realizing I didn't know his name.

"So, Ms. Kenny and Mr. John, please relax and trust me. I will use all my strength to solve your case," I assured them confidently. This is my turning point; I am no longer the previous Arthur.

Kenny looked at me. After hearing my confident tone, she started to believe that I could solve her case. She gulped a glass of water, calming herself down.

"Mr. Arthur, as you guessed, I have worked in this shopping mall for 2 years. I never faced a situation like this. I don't know what Mr. Mark told you, but I also didn't tell him that much. The Jain shopping mall is in the West Plaza, and my home is nearby. From the west area, I have two roads to my house. One is the long road I usually take, and the other is the alleyway. It takes me 30 minutes to reach home on the normal road, but with the alleyway, I only need 10 minutes."

"Because Christmas is near, all the workers are busy. I usually leave the shopping mall at 8:00 p.m. But yesterday, due to the crowd, my coworker and I couldn't leave early. We only left the mall at 9:00 p.m. I typically take the alleyway at night, though it's dangerous. Yesterday, exhausted, I walked into the alleyway, which had no light. So, I used my mobile flashlight."

"I didn't see or hear anyone in the alleyway for some time, so I relaxed a little. Nonetheless, I hurried. I wanted to exit the alleyway quickly due to its darkness. A few minutes later, when I could see the exit, I heard someone calling me, terrifying me. I turned around, trying to find the person but saw no one. Although I heard someone calling me, I saw no one behind me, making me more scared. So, I started running toward the exit."

To be continued...

[A/N: Hey guys, "https://discord.gg/C5kUjxVwMC" is my Discord link. You can join me on Discord.]