?THE UNKNOWN?
?Chapter Eleven and Twelve <11& 12>?
?One Down?
“Wait. I don’t get all of this. What did you just say? The seven Circles is us?” Maddie asked, joining into the conversation. She hasn’t said a word until now.
“I think so. Ain’t so sure though.” Gina said, dropping the note on the table with a sigh.
“Now this is very creepy. What do we have to do with all of this. If it’s really the same killer that murdered those two women…why is he after us now? What crime have we commit?” Doris said now.
“Like seriously. I didn’t offend anyone at work.” Alicia said.
“Neither did I.” Doris stated.
“Doctors don’t look for troubles. In fact we are everyone’s friend.” Olive said.
Maddie rolled at eyes. “We should ask Gina and Zoe instead. I mean, they are the ones who are involved with criminals.” She said.
“We aren’t involved with them. We only capture them.” Zoe said and folded arms across her ch-est, sitting down beside Doris.
“And what different does that make? Besides each word holds the word ‘Criminal.’ Maddie said, quoting the word criminal with her fingers.
They were frustrated. They were scared. what if their lives were really in danger? What if they all die before the killer is being caught? They had a lot to do in life. They weren’t ready to die yet. They can’t die.
Yeah everyone are meant to die at some certain point but….still! They want to live many more years. They want to get married and have kids run about the compound. They want to spend more Christmas together. They want to live a longer life even if they were still going to die. But they weren’t ready. At least not now.
“We shouldn’t be discussing about all this. We should rather try to figure out this killer’s next move. If we are really their target then we need to be extra careful.” Gina said, getting up to her feet. “Phoebe, at what time did you receive the letter?”
Phoebe thought for a while before shaking her head. “I can’t remember. But it should be at noon, because I had just returned home after picking Elsa up from school.”
“Did any one delivered the note to you?” Gina questioned again.
“No. I had found it in front of my doorstep. I think someone had dropped it there and left.”
Gina paused for a while as she tried to process every information. She bit her lower li-p, thinking.
“What had made you go out to check your front door? Did you hear a knock or a footstep?”
“Yeah. I had heard a knock.” Phoebe answered, hoping that this would solve the whole puzzle and save her life from death.
“That means, the killer had been there. This note isn’t really a threat note but it is….”
“An acknowledgement note.” Zoe cuts in as she gasped over the realization.
“Exactly!” Gina said with a snap of her finger.
“Uh… I’m confuse. How is this note a realization note and not a threat note. I don’t get. like I mean, does that even make sense?” Maddie said, confusion clear in her voice and face.
Gina went and sat down on the table, facing all of them as they stared at her with more determination and focus.
“Listen very carefully.” She picks up the note from the table an read it over again to them. “… it’s a circle. A seven circle. And the edge begins with you. Wanna know what I mean…? You will fiind out soon.’ And then the sign was placed after that full stop. And also, there was an error in a particular spelling. There was a double I in the spelling of find.” She said.
“You are right. It’s does sounds like an acknowledgement note. He is trying to tell us who it is that he is after. But if we are really the main victims…why did he kill those other two women?” It was Olive who talked now.
“Exactly! Why?” Maddie asked as well.
“That is what we need to find out. Now, we don’t just have to figure out the connection between the two women. We also need to find out their connection with us.” Gina said.
****
Clayton walked into his dark apartment and sank into his favorite couch. He sighed and leaned his head on the headrest, shutting his eyes closed for a while.
He was fuc-king tired. Chasing after criminals had never been his dream. But what can you do when you become a criminal yourself? You know the answer.
He don’t know exactly why Gina hates him. But he doesn’t blame her. Everyone hates him. Who will want to like a guy like him? Of course no one. Yeah, his life is a mess. But there was nothing he can do aside from what he was doing now.
He placed his hand against his forehead and let out a sigh of frustration. Suddenly the sound of his ringtone filled the silent apartment.
Clayton opened his eyes and reached out for his phone. He stared at the ID caller, it was an unknown. A number that he recognizes by heart.
“Hey.” He said as he answered the call. He waited for the other person in the other line to speak before he spoke. “Yeah. I know. But I have no choice.” He waited. “Hmm. Make sure she doesn’t get out of your sight. Okay?” He waited. “Good.” He hung up the call.
…..This was how he had always lived his life. Secrets and sins.
****
?TWO WEEKS LATER?
“I can’t believe this. I still can’t believe this. Oh my God.” Doris said in between tears as she fell to the ground like a crazy woman who had just lost her husband. But she didn’t lost her husband…why? Because she’s not even married yet. But she lost someone who was more closer to her heart. She lost of of her sisters. Phoebe.
“She…she was Just here a few weeks back. She…she wasn’t sick… she…Oh no.” Alicia said now.
“This killer has bitten more than he can chew. If i ever get my hand on that killer…I will kill him myself forgetting about the law!” Zoe said in anger and agony.
Phoebe body was found lying across her apartment. Dead. No one knew who or what killed her. And of course, a red rose laid beside her lifeless body. But this time around, it was quite obvious that she was injected.
“G, you guys have to do something. We might all die if nothing is done real quick.” Maddie said.
“Yeah. I hate myself right now. I had promised to protect her. I told her, nothing would happen to her. I gave her my word. But what happened…? She’s dead. She’s fuc-king dead.” Gina said as she started sobbing over again.
“Now, we have a goal, G. We will make sure this killer is caught and put behind bars. We will give justice to Phoebe.” Zoe said, crying as well.
They were all crying over their lost. Her greatest fear wasn’t about dying but her greatest fear was leaving her daughter behind without giving her a good life and family.
“What happened Elsa? What are we going to tell her? How will she take it?” Olive said, adjusting her gla-sses.
“We need to tell her. She has to know. We can’t keep it away from her.” Alicia said.
Gina got up to her feet. “Let’s go do some investigation, Zoe. And guys, you guys should go to Phoebe’s parents house and give them the news. I’m sure you will find Elsa there. Please give them our condolences and tell them the reason why we couldn’t come.” She said.
“Alright. Be careful.” They said in unison.
“We will. And you guys too.” And we that, Gina and Zoe left the house with he aim of figuring out their best friend’s murderer. What a tragedy.
****
“No, no, no, and no, Gina. You aren’t taking this case anymore.” The head of police said, which was her father.
“But why not?” She asked.
“This case involves you, Gina. Your friend had just died. And she wasn’t just a friend but she was more like a sister and daughter to me. I don’t want you to mix personal feelings into this case. I don’t want you to get hurt.” He explained.
“Dad, I know. But I have to handle this. I have to take this case. Yeah. this killer is after my life as well but I can’t sit still and watch the whole killing happen without doing anything.” She paused. “This is my job, dad. Please do not stop me from bringing justice to Phoebe and those women who had died. Please. Besides, Clayton is there. I won’t complain or say anything rude to him, I promise. Just let me have this case. Please.” She pleaded as she fought the tears threatening to fall.
Her father stared at her for a long time. It was obvious that he was contemplating whether he should give in to her pleading or not.
“Fine. But if things get serious then you are dropping out of the case.” He said.
“They are already serious, dad. But I promise if it gets more serious then I would ask for your help but ain’t promising you that I would drop out of the case.” She said.
He let out a sigh. “Be careful, dear. Okay?”
She smiled. “Okay.” She turned and left the office. Normal daughters would have given their father a hug before walking out. She knows that. But she couldn’t. She can’t get close to a man because of what had happened to her years back. She can’t even get close to her father. Even her dad was aware of that. It hurts him that he couldn’t hug his own daughter. He hasn’t done that for like six years?
But he has to understand. And hope that a day would come when she would forget the past and live her life to the fullest. His wish was to receive a hug from his daughter.
****
Gina stared at the chalked area then ask Clayton to take some pictures of it. Clayton did as he was told.
Zoe walked out of the kitchen with a sad look on her face.
“What did you find?” Gina asked her.
“She was writing a letter to her parents and to Elsa. It was as if she knew that she was going to die thag day. I Feel so bad.” Zoe said as she handed the letter over to Gina.
Gina stared at the letter and read throu-ghit. She could feel the tears threatening to fall but she has to be strong. She needs to be strong. For Phoebe. For Elsa. For her best friends.
“Zoe, go to the morgue then ask the doctor what the autopsy read about her death. We only know that the killing method was changed for a reason I don’t even know. But we need to be sure that we aren’t missing something. Clay and I will still keep looking.”
“Okay.” Zoe left the apartment.
“You just called me by my name.” Clayton said.
“Don’t make me regret it.” That was her reply.
She looks around the house. This time around there were no mugs on the table. The house weren’t scattered but the table had fallen upside down.
“Concerning that blood that we had found in the other victim’s house.. whose blood was that?”
“The victim.” Clayton answered. “What do you think about this murder?”
“It’s perfect. The murderer is perfect. He has never made any mistake during his murders.” She said.
“He?” Clayton questioned with a raised brow.
“A girl can’t do this. It’s a man job. Only a female psychopath can do this which is very rare.” She said. She bent down and stare at the table, facing the ground. “She had fought back.” She said.
“You think so?”
Gina stared at the door then trailed it to the fallen table. “The killer had attacked her as soon as he walked into the house. That was why, they didn’t have some coffee together.”
“Wait. You think she knows the killer?” Clayton asked.
“Yes. They all do.” TBC.
****