?THE UNKNOWN?
?Chapter Eighteen <18>?
?The Suspect?
“Wait. Does this mean that Doris is with the killer right now?” Olive asked no one in particular.
“Try her number again.” Gina said to Zoe. Zoe quickly did as she was told without hesitation. The phone kept ringing until it was sent to voicemail. She pulled down her phone and shook her head sadly towards Gina. “We can’t give up. Keep trying until she picks.”
****
“Clayton? Why does your name kind of sound familiar?” Doris questioned rhetorically as she stares at Clayton closely.
Clayton smirked as he shrugged his shoulders. “I get that all the time. So do you want a ride or something?”
Doris remained silent for a while as she contemplate on what to do. She can’t stand and stare at the car all day long for it to work. She can’t get a cab right here also because she was currently on a highway. And now, a guy is offering her a ride to her destination. Yeah, he might be a stranger but what could she do? She has no other option than to take his offer.
She sighed in defeat as she made her way to her car and got her handbag and phone out before locking the door of her car.
“Is that a yes?” Clayton asked her as she made her way back to him.
She mentally rolled her eyes before saying. “Do I have a choice, Mr Clayton?”
Clayton smiled as he led her to his car that was parked behind hers. They got into his car and drove off to her destination. Maybe.
Doris stared down at her phone and that was when she saw five missed calls from her friends aside from Olive. She was going to call Gina when her phone started ringing again. It was Olive calling this time around.
“Olive.” Doris called out as soon as she answered the call. She heard Olive let out a sigh of relief at the other line and then heard her said. “She has finally answered.”
“Really? Put it in loud speaker.” She heard Gina said. After some minutes, she heard all of them say. “Doris?”
“I’m here. And guys what’s up? Why do you guys sound so worried? Did something happen?”
“Why wouldn’t we be worried. Your phone wasn’t going throu-ghat first then after some time, it was but you weren’t answering. And then, we suddenly receive a stupid message from the….Wait. where are you?” Gina asked.
“Uh… I’m coming over now? i don’t exactly know where I am right now. But I’m coming.” She says.
“Who are you with?” Olive now asked.
Doris look over to Clayton but he wasn’t paying attention to her or her phone call but rather had his attention to the road. Well, who knows.
“I’m with a guy. But guys, I’m fine. Absolutely fine.”
“A guy? What guy? Is he someone we know?” Maddie asked.
“Well….his name is… Hello?” They suddenly got disconnected. But before they got disconnected, Clayton had said; “Stop talking.”
****
“What just happen?” Alisha asked.
“She said she was with a guy. But what guy? Doris don’t have a boyfriend, right?” Olive asked her friends just to be sure that she wasn’t left in the dark over their relationship life.
They all shook their heads no. “She didn’t mention anything about having a boyfriend.” Zoe said. “Do you think she’s okay?”
“Do you think that guy isn’t a bad guy?” Olive added staring in between her friends as she dropped her phone on the table.
“Guys…was I the only one who heard him spoke?” Gina asked her friends.
“Yeah. we might have but…what does his voice have to do with the situation at hand. Hearing his voice won’t make us recognize his face or something.” Maddie said.
“Actually, it does.”
“What do you mean?” Olive asked.
“Clayton. His voice sounds so much as Clayton’s. Doris is with Clayton right now.”
*****
“What did Clayton say?” A girl asked a guy who was putting on a black dress and a black hoodie over his head.
“We should keep a close eyes on her. Do you think Clayton really knows what he’s doing?” He asked the girl.
The girls shrugged as she folded her arms over her ch-est. “Clayton is a very smart guy. He went to work as a cop not because that’s his dream or something but because that’s the only way he could achieve his purpose.” She says.
The guy nodded his head in agreement. “You are right. Anyway, what did he say he is going to be doing today again?”
“Business.”
****
“We can’t report her as a missing person, Gina when it isn’t up to 24hours yet.” Gina dad said as he say down on his couch.
“But dad her life is in danger. Doris will die anytime soon if we don’t find her immediately.” Gina said to her father.
“And you think reporting her as a missing person will help Find her?”
“I don’t know. But that’s the only solution I could think of right now.”
“Why do I feel like you have a suspect in mind.” He says giving Gina those father’s looks.
“Because I do.” She says.
“And who is he?”
“Clayton. Dad, I think Clayton is a suspect.”
Her dad started laughing all of a suddenly. She gave him a confuse stare as he continued laughing.
“Dad, this is not funny.” Her dad tried as much as possible to stop the laughter which he successfully did. “Oh, now you are done laughing.” She sarcastically said with an eye roll.
“Come on, why would you even think that? Clayton bar-ely knows you all. Gina, I know you hate this guy in question but accusing him? no, I didn’t expect that from you.”
“Dad, I am not accusing him. But…”
“Hearing a guy’s voice at the background while talking to her on the phone doesn’t make him Clayton.” Her dad said.
“Why are you defending him, dad?” Gina suddenly asked before she could stop herself.
“What?”
“Why are you defending a man who is a suspect of murder?”
“You don’t just point anyone as a suspect, Gina.” Her dad now say.
“And what if Clayton is really the murderer?” She questioned again.
“And what if the murderer isn’t Clayton?”
“I will find proof, dad. I dig more into this matter and fish out this murderer before he hurt my friends. And even if it means hurting a love one in the process, I will do so. Mark my words, I will show you the true colors of Clayton.” TBC.