?THE UNKNOWN?
?Chapter Thirteen and Fourteen <13&14>?
?The Funeral??
“They all do?” Clayton questioned, still confused over what Gina was saying.
She simply nodded her head as she stood upright. “I guess.” She sighed and ma-ssaged her temple. The case was getting more complicated day after day. it felt like they weren’t moving at all. They felt stuck.
It was like the killer was playing with their intelligence and it’s really annoying her like crazy. She knows de-ep down she needed to catch this killer or she would lose more of her friends. Which of course she doesn’t want that to happen. Again.
“Let it all out, Gina.” Clayton suddenly said, pulling her out of her thought. Gina stared at me confusedly. “You know what I’m talking about. You don’t have to hold it in. You don’t have to play strong. Sometimes the best solution is to let it all out.” He explained further.
“And who do you think you are to tell me that shit?” Gina asked harshly. Clay didn’t say a word to her but kept staring at her. “You have no right to say those things to me. I decide to do whatever i want. And mind you, you are no friend of mine to advice me on what to do and not what to do. Me being nice to you right now doesn’t make you a friend. I chose to act nice to you because i still want to keep this case. I still don’t trust you.” And with that said, she turned from him and walked out of the house.
Gina hopped into her car and slammed the shut in anger. She rested her head against the steering as different thoughts and questions came into mind.
Was she mad because of what he had said to her? He was just trying to be nice to her, right? He meant no harm… Right? Why exactly doesn’t she trust him? It’s not like she has met him before or something. Yeah, she hated guys with pa-ssion after what had happened to her years ago but, why exactly does she feel so uncomfortable around Clayton?
She raised her head up as she stared ahead of the car. She knows why she was upset earlier ago. She wasn’t upset at him because he said those things to her. She was upset because he was right.
Gina sniffed as she try to hold back the tears. Her ch-est felt heavy. Her eyes itches. She felt sad, at the same time angry.
She suddenly let go of the tears as she started crying in the car. Gina kept crying as she came to the realization that one of her best friend was truly gone. She has lost Phoebe. Phoebe was gone and she wasn’t coming back. Forever.
****
“Wait. Let me get things straight. You mean she was hit across the face aside from being injected?” Zoe asked the doctor.
He nods his head as he showed her the result. “Yes. Should I say she was abuse or she had a fight? I don’t know. But their was a finger print against her right cheek.” He said.
Zoe remained silent for a while as she tried to process the whole thing. “She was slapped? Wait a minute, she was slapped on her right cheek, right?” The doctor, Mr Zayn nods his head. “This means two things…, either she had some kind of argument with someone, which isn’t Phoebe style because Phoebe is not known to be a troublemaker…That means, it’s probably the killer who had slapped her.”
“It could be.” Zayn said in agreement with a nod of the head.
“Yeah. And most importantly, if it’s really the killer who had slapped Phoebe then this means that the killer is a left handed person!” Zoe said in between gasp.
****
“Is she asleep no” Doris asked Olive as she walked down the stairs. Olive nods her head and sat down beside Maddie. “I feel so bad for her.”
“I feel more bad for her. She is just a kid. Who only had her mom to care for her.” Olive said as she sniffed. She had being crying all throu-ghthe day as they told Elsa about her mother. Elsa cried and cried as she pleaded with them to bring back her mother. It hurts to see her that way and if any of them was a magician them they would have fulfilled her wish but they couldn’t. None of them could. Not even a doctor whose job was to save life.
“How about Phoebe’s parents, what did they say?” Alisha asked now. (Guys note, I might have mistakenly called her Alicia during the other chapter but it’s not that, it’s Alisha. Sorry for the error.)
“They said they would discuss about her funeral later on. They can’t still believe the fact that their daughter is gone. They are pained.” Olive explained as she rested her head against the headrest and shut her eyes close.
“My head aches.” Maddie said.
“Not just you. I feel so sad. My ch-est are heavy and at the same time, I’m scared because sooner or later, we will all die.” Doris said.
That made Olive snap her eyes open and stare down at Doris. “None of us is going to die and stop saying things like that. We will catch this killer before he even thinks of killing any other person.”
“And what if one of us dies before they catch this killer?” Doris questioned. “Look, I’m scared, okay? Anything can happen. We are this killer main target which means anyone could be the next victim.”
“And do you want to be the next victim?” Olive asked, glaring at Doris in anger.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. If you are so sure that one of us is going to die then it should be you, don’t you think?”
“How dare you…?!?”
“GUYS! ENOUGH!” Maddie yelled as she got up to her feet and glared in between the two ladies..“Are you going to start arguing now? We’ve just lost a friend for Christ sake! Neither of us is going to die. Okay? We will catch this killer before he thinks of taking another one of us life. Because trust me, I’m not ready to die. I’m not!” She said as she sat down back on the ground and started crying over again.
Olive walked over to her and pulled her in her arms. “None of us is going to die. I’m sorry for speaking that way to you. The thought of dying scared the shit out of me. I’m sorry.” She said as she used her free hand to adjust her gla-sses.
Doris dredged up a smile. “I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have said those words. I was also scared and that was why I said stuff like that. I’m sorry guys.”
“It’s alright. I guess.”
****
“Here.” Gina said as she handed Clayton a bottle of water. Clayton stared at it for a while before glancing up at Gina in confusion. “It’s just water. It isn’t poisoned.” She said as she rolled her eyes.
“Yeah, I know. But why exactly are you giving me a water?” He asked.
“Just because. And hey, my hand hurts.” Clayton collected the water from her and adjusted for her to sit down by his side. Gina hesitate for a while before sitting down by his side.
“Thanks for the water.” Clayton said as he pulled the cap and gulped from the water. There was a long silent between them. Each of them looking for the right word to say.
“I…” They both began at the same time. They let out a light chuckle over that.
“You go first.” Clayton said.
Gina shook her head. “No, you first.” She said.
“Well, ladies first.”
“Alright. I’m sorry.”
“You are sorry? For what?”
“I shouldn’t have those mean words to you. I was just mad I guess. I was frustrated. I was angry and it was stupid of me to vent out my anger towards you.” She said now.
“No. I should be the one apologizing. I should never had said those words to you.”
“You were only watching out for me. And you were right. Letting out the pain is a better option than holding it in. You know…I miss her. She wasn’t just a best friend to me. To us. She was a sister.” She sniffed as memories of Phoebe came flooding into her head. “She was always there for us. When she had showed me the note. She wasn’t afraid if dying. But she was afraid of leaving her daughter behind. She wanted to live for her child. She wasn’t give Elsa the best life that she deserves but she couldn’t. She can’t. Because she is gone. For good.” She paused. She still don’t know the exact reason why she was telling him all this. But she felt relieved pouring out her thoughts to someone. “And me? I couldn’t do anything to save her. I couldn’t do anything to help her. I just sat there with my arms folded and watch her die. I hate myself right now. When my friends were crying, I try to hold my tears. I tried to keep the pain within me because it felt like the right thing to do. They were heartbroken. They were pained. So I tried to be strong for them. But you were right, letting the pain out is better than holding it all in. Maybe that’s one reason why I said those awful words to you.” She said, looking at him with a sad eyes.
“But you still don’t trust me, right?”
“Honestly, no. But I don’t you are the problem. I think I am the problem. I’ve always been whenever it involves men. I’m sorry but please don’t ask about my reasons.”
He shook his head. “I wasn’t going to ask about your reasons. It’s your secret. Your past. I am no body to know about that. Besides, I am not even a friend after all.”
Gina was going to tell him not to think that way but she decided against it. Maybe if he thought that way, he wouldn’t cross path with her. She doesn’t hate him but her past. But aside from that. she still doesn’t trust Clayton completely.
****
?TWO DAYS LATER?
“A minute of silence for the deceased, Miss Phoebe Walter.” The priest said as everyone bowed their heads. There were no words. No cries. Aside from the raindrop.
“Could family members and friends come out to say one or two things about late Miss Phoebe?”
Mr Walter, Phoebe dad was the first to forward to speak about his daughter. He wasn’t crying. He was a man and needed to act like one. After he was done. Mrs Walter Ame out to speak also but it was really difficult to hear what she was saying because she was crying as she spoke but few words were made out which were;
“I had always thought that my daughter would be the one to bury me and her father. But I’ve never imagined that I would be the one to bury my own daughter.” That was a very painful and sad word that brou-ght tears to the face of some people. Including Mr Walter’s.
Elsa came out too to speak. She was just four but she knows about what had happened to her mother. After all, she was a smart little girl.
“I miss my mommy. She was my mommy and my best friend. She took care of me and promised to give me a father who will love and care for me. She also promised to take me to Paris to celebrate my forthcoming birthday.” The little child said as she kept crying. “She was a nice woman. She never fought with anyone. So why…why her? Why did she have to leave like this?” Mrs Walter walked to the alter and picked her grandchild up in her arms and went back to sit down.
“How about her friends?” The priest asked.
“She was a nice person.” Doris began. “She never argued with anyone. She loves everyone and treated everyone friendly. Even her enemies. And that is if she even have one. She smiles a lot and always encourages. She wasn’t just a friend to me or to the others…she was a sister. A sister from another mother.”
The funeral went on and on as each of the girls said one or two things about their late friend, Phoebe.
The moved her coffin out of the church and went to the backyard of the church to bury her coffin. Other people had been buried there so she wouldn’t be the first.
They had dug her grave and had placed her coffin in it. Each person will walked up to the coffin and pour some sand on it.
They rain was dropping but no one cared. After they had all poured some sand on the coffin. The priest stood in front of them as they stared at the coffin.
“She was a lovely daughter, a good friend, a beautiful sister and a wonderful mother. May her gentle soul rest in perfect peace.” TBC.
A/N: ??. I’m pained right now. It’s really painful. Like indeed, may her soul rest in peace.
Well! Sorry for the late update. Again. But guys, I’m trying to post everyday. Even thinking of ideas is another work on its own. But even though I’m slow at updating, I will still post this story finish. The murderer must be exposed.
Who felt bad for Elsa? Because I really did! So. guys, comment on this chapter and thanks a lot for reading. Hope you are enjoying the story.
See you in my next chaper