Chapter 16
1530words
I shuddered at the description.
They also ruled out suicide because there were no traces of a suicide note to be found.
"Seriously what's going on?" Cher whispered who was still shaken up by the new dead body.
"That's what I would like to know." I said in a low whisper. Why did he kill again!? I haven't done anything that would have triggered him in doing so.
I took out my phone.
April: "Why did you do it?"
Private Number: "Do what? Dream of you?"
April: "Don't act stupid! Why did you kill Yolanda Patheway!? I kept my distance from James just as you wanted there was no physical contact at all!"
Private Number: "I haven't killed anyone whose name is Yolanda Patheway. If anything I would most likely kill tan boy than anyone else at this point (I'm happy that you are keeping your distance tho)."
Wait what? He didn't kill anyone…?
April: "If it was not you who killed her…then who else?" Dread came over me when I realized that I may not only be dealing with one crazy motherfucker but two.
Private Number: "Baby girl I want you to go home, now."
April: "No need to tell me twice."
I put my phone away and took one nervous glance around the crowd of people. The murderer could be still around here somewhere and even if that was the case there's no way that I could nitpick him out of the crowd.
And the people who were one for one bumping against me and Cherry in a rush didn't make the nervous lump in my throat disappear either. To make sure that we didn't get separated I made sure to clutch on to Cher's hand as secure as possible.
"It's time to hit the road." I said. "Did you call Brandon yet?" I asked.
"No not yet."
"Call him and tell him to pick you up, quick." I urged her.
She took out her phone quickly and called up Brandon. Not letting my guard down I made sure to take note of any suspicious person in my radar.
"He's on his way now." She said.
I nodded. "Good, I'll go on my way too."
She looked at me as if I suddenly grew out a second head. "You're going nowhere if it is not with us. We will drop you off at your place and that's it." She pressed not letting go of my hand. Pondering on what to do I felt the vibration of my phone.
Private Number: "For this one time you have to go with them. I am not near you, so I don't want u to walk alone when I can't protect u from the shadows."
From my phone screen I glanced at Cher, who was still looking at me with those penetrating eyes. I might as well go with them.
An idea suddenly started to form in my head. Isn't this the moment that I have been waiting for? Jack is not in the area to keep me in check. Doesn't that mean that I could finally go to the police and tell them to put this asshole in jail? No, even better an asylum; that's where his crazy ass belongs at. I get in the car with Cher and Brandon, spill to them the tea, we race then to the police station, Jack's ass goes behind bars and I'll go back to my perfec- uh scratch that, normal life.
I grinned. "Well let's go then! Show me the way to the car!" I said. Little bit thrown off by my change of mood Cher gave me a weary look.
Don't worry Cher everything will make sense soon.
Just as we saw Brandon's car pull up my phone went off again.
Private Number: "Oh let me give u some heads up (seeing how excited you are suddenly which is cute), the car is bugged too just as your phone so behave ;).
Aaaaaanndd that's how my oh-so perfect plan was brought to ruins. I would have just thrown my phone in the trunk so that he wouldn't be able to hear anything, but now we can say goodbye to that too. And when and how did he even do that!?
April: "Awesome…"
…
Sulking that my idea was useless I was sitting at the back seat of the car while Cher was sitting at the passenger seat who was also trying to calm down the raging Brandon who had been going off this whole ride.
"What the fuck is wrong with the security there!" He slammed angrily at the steering wheel. "You would think that they would tighten up the security after the first murder!"
"Babe calm down." Cher tried to calm down Brandon whose neck is slowly turning scarlet red from all the anger.
Cher puts her hand on his shoulder and gave it a little squeeze. You could see his anger slowly subside from her touch. He runs with his fingers through his hair frustrated. "How do you expect me to calm down when my woman's life is at stake supposedly because the company hires shitty securities?"
At the wording 'my woman' I could see Cher's ears slowly turning red from behind.
"Just calm down." I said. "Nothing is going to happen to your woman. In all fairness the company did tighten up the security. They hired a bunch of security guards and believe me if I say that you wouldn't want to mess with them. Also you shouldn't forget the fact that all workers need a pass to enter…the…building…" I started to trail off. "Oh shit." I said figuring out something.
"What's wrong?" They both said simultaneously.
I looked at them wide eyed. "The murderer is working at the company. He's an employee there."
"What are you saying?" Brandon said still not grasping what I was talking about.
"Yeah April. What do you mean he works there?" Cher asked.
"Just like I said. He works there." I said but then continued. "Just think about it. You need an entrance pass to enter the building. If you don't have one then that just means that you're a new worker there or a visitor."
They nodded in understanding. "Okay. I get where you're heading." Cher said. "But then as you explained the murderer could have been a visitor, right?"
I shook my head. "No, that wouldn't be possible."
"Huh?"
"A visitor is a 'stranger'. If a visitor really was the murderer don't you think that it would be strange how the cameras weren't able to pick up any weird or new activities?"
Brandon shrugged. "A security camera has its flaws too."
"Exactly!" I pointed. They both jolted as I was slightly raising my voice in excitement. I'm really getting in to this. "A camera has its flaws, but you wouldn't immediately know it flaws and even if you did the most common flaw of a security camera are their-"
"Blind spots!" Cher exclaimed. You could see in her expression that she was starting to understand where I was going with this.
I nodded. "Yes, and a visitor wouldn't only not know where all the cameras are positioned, but there's even a high unlikelier chance that they would know their blind spots too."
"You're right… knowing all that must mean that you would have been in the building multiple times that's why it could also not be a new worker either." Brandon said thoughtfully.
I nodded. "That's right. That also brings me to Yolanda Patheway."
"What about her?" Cher asked.
"Don't you find the way how she died oddly calculated? She was found in one of the restroom stalls in a sitting position. They said that she died of suffocation, but there were zero strangulation marks found on her body and don't get me started about how she died smiling. I don't know about you guys but if I was being suffocated the last thing that I would do is smile..."
We had already arrived at my place, but they were still listening to me; finding it in their own way intriguing what I was saying was making sense.
"Yes? And?" Cher asked urging me to go on, demanding me with their eyes to satisfy their curiosity.
I unfastened my seat belt and slowly opened the door. "Doesn't it all mean that she was a 'target' more than just a random victim? And that it wasn't a baseless murder?" I said as I exited the car. "But oh well, it's just a theory." I said grinning at them, but their expression told me that they were believing every inch of my 'theory'. "Thanks for the ride and see you Monday!" I said and went quickly inside before they could bombard me with more questions.
