Mike and the private detective he hired paid Gloria a visit on the detective's request.
"So my client here Mike tells me you are best friends with his missing fiancee, right?" the detective asked where he sat on the couch beside Mike.
"Yes, Ella and I are best friends," Gloria replied, approaching him with a glass of water.
"Thank you," the detective said as he took the cup from her hands.
Placing it on the small table in front of the couch he continued speaking. "Sorry but would you mind if I ask you a few questions concerning her? Not like an interrogation or anything.."
"Of course I don't mind and you don't have to explain. I fully understand and I am willing to cooperate and help in any way to make sure my best friend Ella is found. You have no idea how horrible it has been for me these past days she has been missing…" Gloria said, pretending perfectly to be hurt and depressed at Ella's being missing.
Truly she had both the detective and Mike fooled.
"I am sorry," the detective said, trying to console her.
"It's alright. You can ask your questions," Gloria said, cleaning up her fake tears.
"Alright. So can you tell me the last time you spoke or saw Ella?" The detective started with the questions as he brought out a little jotter and pen from inside his coat.
"Well the last time I saw her was the night of her engagement. I left her in the good care of Mike here," she said, taking her eyes to Mike and he nodded in agreement with what she said.
The detective jotted something down.
Taking his eyes up to her. "So apart from that day you didn't see her or spoke to her again?" He asked.
"Yes, that was the last day I saw my dear friend but we did speak the next day on the phone. You can check my call history if you don't believe me," she said, reaching for her phone that was on the table.
"There is no need for that," The detective stopped her then he jotted something down again.
"So did you notice anything strange when you spoke to her on the phone?" He asked.
"No, she was normal. I would say happy or excited. I guess she was still feeling the emotions from getting engaged the previous night," Gloria answered.
The detective would go further to ask Gloria a couple more questions and Gloria would answer him perfectly, clearing her name from his suspect list however she would go one step further than that.
"...this will be all. Thank you for your time but remember if you have any information that could help us solve this case please do well to let me know. Thank you once more again," the detective said, standing up as he was done with her and Mike was getting ready to see him off.
"There is actually one thing," she said, getting their attention.
"I am listening," the detective said, sitting back down.
Changing from my wet, soaked gown into a dry, round neck, light blue shirt and black jeans with white sneakers I went to Marcel's room to see why he had sent for me.
As I got to the door of his room though my heart started pounding as I was feeling nervous for no reason. This wasn't the first time I will be entering his room but it would be the first time he would be summoning me himself which made me start to wonder the reason why I am being called to his room.
Am I in trouble of any sort?
Swallowing down, I gave a gentle, light knock on his door hoping he wouldn't hear me so that I might have an excuse to leave but I didn't get my wish.
"Come in," his calm but powerful voice came forth from the other side and I took one final deep breath before opening the door.
He was standing in the middle of his room, fully dressed in a sharp, long black coat that made him appear tough. His long, curly hair was packed backwards in a ponytail and seeing the full length and image of his face for the first time left me in a state of awe.
He is one good looking bastard!
"Good evening. You sent for me?" I greeted him and quickly made known why I was here so he wouldn't accuse me of invading his privacy or something.
"Yes I did. Come on it," he invited me in without looking at me as I was still standing close to the door as if I was glued to the spot.
Slowly I stepped forward and then he took his eyes to me, his enchanting blue eyes lingering on me a little bit longer than normal, like he was observing what I was putting on.
"Can you read?" He asked, breaking the silence and that took me off guard.
Like why will he be asking me if I could read? A full grown adult like me. Why wouldn't I be able to read??
"Of course I can," I answered, not knowing if I should pick offense at the question or not.
"Good," he said, bringing out an unsealed envelope from his coat pocket.
He brought out a piece of paper from it that looked like a letter as it has words.
"I want you to read this for me," he said, stretching it to me but I stalled in taking it from his hands.
I couldn't understand why he wanted me to read the letter when he could just read it himself? In fact I felt he must have already read it since the envelope was no longer sealed, meaning he had opened it and had seen the letter already. It seems he just wanted to waste my time or is this some kind of punishment?
"O..Okay.."
.
However I took the letter from his hands without any questions or complaints.
"Go on. Tell me what it says," he urged me on and I took my eyes to the words contained in the letter.
It has no address or title which is quite strange. What kind of letter is this?
Not my concern though if he wants me to read it then I will read it.
"Hey dear, little pup, hope the wind and storm haven't slown you down? Hope the night and the shadows haven't been able to trap you in its darkness? And hope you still remember the smell of the grasses and the stream?.." Is this some kind of poem or something? I couldn't help but wonder as I read the letter to Marcel's hearing.
I took my eyes up to him to see if he was following up with the reading and I could see his attention was fully on me so I continued reading.
"... I am sorry I haven't written to you for a while now please do not think I have forgotten you, that can never happen. Heaven knows how much I have missed you and how much I wish to hold you in my arms, my little pup. I apologize that I keep referring to you as my little pup. The last time I wrote you were still a boy finding your way but now I know now you must have grown into a mighty wolf. A king but to me you will always be my beautiful little pup.."
I was starting to get curious about who this person that wrote this letter is to Marcel. They must be someone very close to him as I am sensing a deep affectionate feeling from the letter and my best guest is that the person is a female- A lover or a family member like a mother or sister.
I don't really know but I am also curious to know why whoever wrote the letter keeps referring to Marcel as an animal?? A pup and wolf? Is this some kind of pet name??
I continued reading the letter hoping to find answers to my own questions.
"...Listen Marcel, I need you to be stronger now more than ever. Your enemies grow by the number each day like a dark cloud and they are very powerful and this is the reason I must stay away from you for now until it's safe for you. I know you have lots of questions and I promise to answer every single last one of them when we meet. I hope you are eager to see me as much as I am eager to see you. May the spirit of the wind continue to keep you safe... Lots of love, little pup." The letter ends and I wished it didn't end here.
"What? Where are the rest? It can't end here," I found myself saying like it was some kind of novel and Marcel gave me a weird look.
"Sorry," I quickly apologized.
"Is that all?" He asked and I nodded.
"Yes."
"You can go then," he said, then stretched his hands and I handed back the letter to him.
I turned around to leave but the whole thing was just playing over in my head. Why did he ask me to read the letter and what kind of strange letter is that? I couldn't hold my curiosity so I turned around.
"I am sorry but I don't understand," I said and he raised his eyebrows at me.
"What don't you understand?" He asked.
"The letter. I don't understand what it is trying to say," I said.
"That's because it's not meant for you," he simply said and that annoyed me somewhat.
"Then why did you ask me to read it for you? I mean you could have just read it yourself. It's not like you can't read," I said thoughtless and a frown formed on his face.
"Leave..now!"
I swear he growled like an animal. It wasn't loud but it was intense. It felt like he wanted to murder me at the spot and my soul almost flew out of my body.
I quickly left the room.
Why was he so mad? I couldn't understand as I scampered to my room...