While leaving the airport, Murad noticed a man wearing face mask, was waiting and looking for someone and as soon as his eyes meet Murad's, he started walking towards him. Murad continued on staring at him, probably just to recognize who the man in face mask was. The man soon came just in front of him and said, "Hello, sir! You must be Murad, the investigator."
"Ohh... certainly I am", Murad responded, then furrowing his eyebrows, he examined the man very carefully.
No, not a single indication of someone familiar to him.
Murad was thinking in his own mind. Finally he decided to ask him,
"I did not recognize you. Who are you?"
The man responded, "Sir, you would not recognize me, but I do."
Then he started introducing himself, "I am Alberto Stevenson, from Paris. Last time you came here, I drove you home from airport. I think now you can remember me, sir."
Murad started thinking hard, forcing the gray cells of his brain to remember exactly everything he knew about Alberto and how he met him.
Flashback
It was a rainy evening and the Turkish airlines had just landed on the ground of Paris. Murad did not have an umbrella with him and so he had to stay there for a while for the rain to stop and so he might be able to leave the airport. But it did not. As a result, Murad had to wait for almost 1 hour in the airport, alone. At one moment, he saw a taxi cab was waiting in the gates, and certainly that taxi cab did not have any passenger yet. Murad did not waste anymore time and just took his luggage and left the airport. He almost ran to get to the taxi. The taxi driver saw him coming towards the vehicle with amusement in his eyes, Murad noticed it once he reached the taxi cab and glanced at his face. There was a slight welcoming smile on his face.
-Finally, after 3 days, I found a passenger!
The man said.
Murad got into the cab and told him the location he wanted to go. The driver started to drive the car and started talking to him. while chit chatting, Murad told him that there was no home for him to stay in Paris. And he was about to say that he booked a room in a five star hotel. But the driver did not let him say anything. He took Murad to his own house and took great care of him.
There Murad got to know his name was Alberto Stevenson and he was half British and half American. By the time, Murad was living in his home, he did not let Murad to take another vehicle to go to places. He himself took Murad everywhere he wanted to go and did not even charge him any money. Probably because he was an outsider, a foreigner visitor.
The day Murad left Paris, he could not tell the driver about it and left the home without making any sound.
Flashback Ended
Murad is still both grateful for what Alberto did for him and feeling guilty for not letting him know before he left.
"I remember now", saying this, Murad got into the car. " By the way, Nice car, Alberto. Where did you get it?"
Alberto did not hear the question and he told Murad, "Long time... it's been such a long time you stepped your feet in the land of Paris, Sir. Isn't it?"
"Indeed", Murad responded and looked through the window. He sighed deeply and them mumbled, "It really has been a long time."
Murad never thought he would see his old friend ever again. He continued on having conversations with Alberto and he noticed a strange thing about Alberto. Last time he met him, he was so jolly minded and there was a reflection of happiness in his eyes and he was quite talkative. But now, it seemed as if Alberto has forgotten how to talk. He was only answering the questions Murad was asking him. After a while, Murad asked him to remove the face mask so that he could see the face of his old friend. But Alberto refused to do so, saying, he had Asthma problems. Murad knew this that he had Asthma but what was wrong with taking off the mask just for a second or two, just for Murad to have a look at his face?
But anyway, Murad changed the topic and continued on chit-chatting. Alberto took the car in the path of the darkest and longest forest having a danger symbol poster in the front, clearly shows that this was a restricted path. Murad never knew this path.
"Is this a shortcut, Alberto?" - Murad asked him, furrowing his eyebrows. "Yes, sir", Alberto responded. Murad nodded his head and keep on staring at the natural forest view through the window. Suddenly a notification popped up in his phone. He took a glance at it and saw a news of a murder. He thought how could it happen that he just stepped his feet on Paris and NK has already started to kill girls again. He took his phone and opened the news. Luckily, it was not about NK or girls. He read the news.
It stated that a man of aged around 45-50, is found dead in the Seine River. From the things that the investigators found from his dead body was just a wallet filled with some cash and a NID card which determines his identity and his address. The man is named Alberto Stevenson and he was a taxi driver and there was no evidence of the killer or the thing that was used to kill him. Investigators were trying to...
Murad read half of the news and then he just stopped reading.
"Rubbish!"
Saying this, he glanced at the view glass and suddenly something hit his mind.
"Alberto Stevenson!"
"Taxi Driver!"
Is it what I just read?!
He again saw the news and read it from the beginning to the ending. A cold wind blew in the spinal of his skeleton. His heart was beating so fast that he thought his heart will come out anytime.
If Alberto was killed, then with whom am I right now?
Murad was sweating hard. He needed to do something before the intruder cause any harm to him. But whatever he decided to do, he could not scare the driver. Or else, Murad knew what he would go through if he scared him off.
He played a little tricks. He asked, "Alberto, I did not contact you. Then how did you know I was coming to France?"
Hearing this, the man glanced up at the view glass and he slowly and swiftly slipped his right hand into his pocket. Probably he was about to bring out a knife or even gun. Murad grabbed his neck tightly and started stroking it. The man lost control of the car and tried hard to leave his grip but failed.
"Tell me who the hell are you!" -Murad exclaimed. The man was trying to inhale breath and could not respond.
"Tell me who... Argh..." , Murad could not finish because he was being stabbed by a sharp knife in his right arm. He loosened his grip and by that time, the driver throw him away from the car which made Murad to fall on the ground. Murad tried to stand but before he could get into the car, the intruder just sped up the car and left Murad all alone into the jungle. Murad started walking along the roads of the jungle. He really did not have any idea where he was. But instead of being afraid, he was pretty much enjoying the nature. He was walking and watching. He put is feet on something and took away his feet backwards to see what it was and saw a wallet and found tracks of vehicle but it just ended a few meters away from where he was standing. He looked around and became sure of the fact that this was the place in where Murad was trying to unveil the mask of the intruder. He picked up the wallet and opened it and there he saw a lot of money and a photograph of him. There was a big red cross covering his full photograph.
"So, you were supposed to kill me. Now I understand."
Murad mumbled and put his hands on his waist. He looked around in the jungle and then licked his lips. A smirk formed on his face.
"The game has already begun!"