Revelation

Noel sat down, relieved that he was about to get some leads on the Damon Michelle's murder case. On one hand, his family was begging for justice and on the other hand, the authorities just wanted to close the case as soon as possible since these murder cases without any leads were effecting the reputation of the police department, although it wouldn't help them much by ignoring the cases either. They foolishly assumed the public would forget about these murders over the years.

Noel had already made up his mind to satisfy both sides by solving the case, or else it would cause a public uproar.

Not just that, it also included personal matters since Damon's murder was related to Rai. He needed to solve the case no matter what it took.

Noel switched on the recorder and repeated the formalities before starting the interrogation. He then leaned back and said, "So? What did you want to say?"

"I-I..work for him." Aleck confessed.

Noel had certainly expected some juicy information but was taken aback by what he had just heard . He leaned closer with a strange glint in his eyes, "Since when? Why do you work for him?"

Aleck looked down and replied in a shaky voice, "I came to the orphanage as a young agent. And...He isn't just any serial killer; he has everything planned."

Noel frowned, "Figured that much. And what about the missing organs from the victims' bodies?"

The missing organs and the unknown poisonous substance had been the biggest mystery of those cases. The police had no leads on why the killer had always taken away some certain parts of their bodies. Noel had already realised that the killer wasn't just any psychotic mass murderer. He killed them because he needed those organs...for something.

Aleck glanced at him and looked down again, "He needed them for his plans."

"What plans?"

"I-I have no idea what he's after.. but please trust me when I say this, I did not kill Sam." Aleck pleaded.

Noel simply ignored his pleas and continued, "Have you seen his face?"

Aleck shook his head.

"Thought so." Noel sighed.

But something told him that Aleck wasn't telling everything yet. Just as he was about to push him more, Aleck spoke again.

"But I know a place where you can find something about him."

Noel squinted his eyes in suspicion, staring at him for a few moments. It was surprising how persuasive he'd become all of a sudden.

"What place?"

"The Vanessé Club. It's on the eastern wing of Blueburn, on the 3rd street. You'll find a group of people who are involved with him." He replied.

"He wouldn't be lying when his life's on the line, right?" Noel thought to himself.

He pondered over it for a few moments before deciding to trust him.

"Alright." He switched off the recorder, "If it turns out to be false news, you'll pay for it." He glared at him before walking out.

At the same time, Prosecutor Elisa was outside the interrogation room making a call to me to come to the police station. I was taken aback by the sudden request but decided to leave work and head there as soon as possible as it seemed urgent.

When I reached the doorsteps of the police station, I found Noel sitting on a chair mulling over something. I knocked on the door a couple of times which seemed to snap him back to reality.

"Oh, you're here." He got up with a weak smile "Anastasia wants to talk to you."

On our way to the interrogation room, Noel explained everything about Aleck and the strange location he had revealed earlier. I grimaced thinking about how everything turned out for Sam and Aleck. They seemed like regular bullies fooling around, until we learnt about Anastasia's relationship with them that night.

Noel guided me into the interrogation room where I found Anastasia sitting on the other side of the table, handcuffed. She had a stoic look on her face, that is, until she saw us. Her face lit up when she looked at us. Noel, on the other hand, seemed torn between friendship and his job and decided not to make eye contact with her. He had to steel his heart and make her pay for her crimes, if she had done any. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall in a corner of the room, gesturing me to start.

I sat down, turned on the recorder and finally took a good look at her face. She seemed tired and dull but glad to see us.

"Did you want to tell something to me?" I asked her with a softness in my voice which I hadn't intended.

She nodded. "I wanted to make everything clear about my identity. Although, before I start, I want to say that I wasn't involved in any of the murders, which I presume, Noel already knows by now." She glanced at him before continuing, "I'll start from the beginning. My name is originally Anastasia Alfred, not Hazel. I grew up in Blueburn with my 19 year old biological brother, Louis, who was my only family. My parents died in an accident when I was 2 years old."

It seemed like she was finding it a little difficult to continue since it opened up old wounds for her. She paused for a few moments before continuing, "When I was 13, Louis went missing. The police found no leads and closed the case. Eventually, I dropped out of school since I couldn't afford it. With no future for myself, I decided to look for my brother in my own way."

I felt a pang of sadness listening to her story. Although I wanted to sympathize with her, this was not the time for that.

I remained calm and continued, "So you became a hacker to find your brother?"

She nodded, her expression guilty. "It was the closest way. The police wouldn't help me no matter how many times I begged them. I had a part-time job which hardly supported me financially. I mostly surfed through the internet and learnt how to hack. I work for an agency while searching for my brother at the same time. After 3 years, an unknown number contacted me. It was Sam. I didn't know him at the time. He told me that he knows where Louis is and wanted me to come find him."

"And you were so desperate to find your brother that you fell right into his trap." Noel lamented, making eye contact with her for the first time since the interrogation began.

She nodded again and continued, "And I came to the orphanage last year as Hazel. Sam and Aleck blackmailed me into doing illegal activities in exchange of getting me to Louis."

"And were you involved in those illegal activities?" I asked.

Anastasia shook her head, "Never. They were fools, actually. I tricked them into believing that it was the problem in the transaction of the business due to which those activities couldn't be carried out, and that it wasn't my fault. But at the end, they offered a deal which would get me straight to my brother."

"Which was to kill Rai." Noel remarked sharply.

Anastasia looked at him, fighting back tears, "My mind wasn't working. All these years I just wanted to get my family back. My feelings blinded my judgement!"

"Do you know what kind of illegal activities they were carrying out?" I asked, trying to change the subject before it got too serious.

She looked down and slowly shook her head, "I was just told to supply the packages."

Noel sighed and waved a dismissive hand at her, "You can go home now."

Anastasia was a little taken aback. She was sure that she would've been charged for what she did. She felt guilty and disappointed in herself and wanted to atleast be punished. Rai and Noel were her only support during her time in the orphanage and she wanted to repay them.

Suddenly, she got up from her chair with a determined look, "I can help you guys. Make use of me as a hacker."

Both of us stared at her dumbfoundedly.

Just as Noel was about to retort, an idea popped up in my head. I stopped him mid-sentence and smiled at her, "You want to help?"

She nodded eagerly, "Yes!"

Then, I proceeded explained to them what I had in mind. I asked Anastasia to find more information about the Vanessé Club. She would also keep an eye on us on our way there and notify us in case of any danger. Being given a job seemed to have eased her mind a little, making her feel slightly good about herself.

Noel and I decided to head to the club that evening after getting some rest. Although in the back of my mind, I knew that no one would be truly resting. Both of them were probably as curious and worried as I was.