Investigation (XI)

12:46 A.M. 

Abbey and Xyrelle Martinez's residence. 

July 21st, the year 2018. Saturday. 

Katrina Fajardo's 23rd birthday. 

6 hours and 18 minutes since Katrina Fajardo went missing. 

"Someone abducted Katrina, and we don't know where she is right now." Abbey looked at her lap, forming in her eyes. It was her birthday today. She wondered if Marcus was doing fine. His body was scrambling in and out, trying all his best to capture the culprit. 

"I received a call earlier at the office, and I was so shocked when Mina said that she was missing. I don't know what to feel that time when I rode my car and zoomed out of Dera Group of Companies. It's like the world I had been living in for about 22 years had been sinking deep into the ground." Abbey buried her face in her palms.

The tears trickled down. 

"Katrina is my best friend, and she is one of the most important people in my life. I swear I will find the one who abducted her. I'll beat him out of death." Abbey gritted her teeth, looking down at the kitchen alley.

Xyrelle peeked a little towards his sister's face. He saw the disbelief on his face. He swallowed as he cracked his mouth, said something that would soothe the atmosphere a little. 

"Did you know someone angry with her or what? Something that Katrina said to that person who triggered everything?" Xyrelle asked. Abbey averted her eyes. Xyrelle didn't remove his gaze from those blazing eyes as he sighed silently.

She shook her head and muttered, "The only person I have in mind was Margo. She was the one she had a scandal with on the Queen's Bar days before Margo died. I'm not sure about her recent controversies or scandals. Based on what I've heard, that was the only time Katrina shouted at an actress too in a public place." 

Xyrelle observed how she pursed her lips out of loathing, and her jaw clenched right away. She swallowed, looking down at her lap, and brushed her hands over her loose hair. Xyrelle nodded, asking, "Did she go missing yesterday or---" 

"It was when Xian barged into their house and Katrina heard something over his cell phone. I also listened to it earlier. Marcus collated his ideas with us at Xian's house." Abbey cut off Xyrelle from what he was asking, rubbing her hands together. 

They now propped her elbows up over her knees and she was staring over the hallways of the kitchen. The lights were off down there and the kitchen was pitch black. Nothing seen down there, yet the two remain unbothered by the darkness.

Abbey didn't even want to stop telling her brother about the recent happenings. He's the only one who will listen to her. It's as if she can vent out everything towards Xyrelle without even getting a judgment in return. Xyrelle was a good listener, and Abbey was grateful to have a brother like him. 

"The police found evidence from Margo's crime scene, but it's a misdirection. I'm sure someone put it there, not because it dropped, they placed it there for a purpose. It will benefit the culprit," Abbey hushed. 

Xyrelle listened to his sister's words. Abbey blinked, breathing with exasperation. She furrowed her eyebrows. Abbey beamed at Xyrelle. 

"Don't listen to my nonsense now. I was so damn worried about my best friend, so I needed to overthink everything that was happening around us. Even the tiniest bit. I'm sure Marcus needed some help from us at these times." Abbey finished. 

"I need to listen to you because you are my sister. I will listen to everything that you say, no matter how unimportant it is that you were ranting. With today, this is serious. Someone is missing out there: it was your best friend, Katrina," Xyrelle reminded. Abbey's eyes glinted. Sitting up straight, she sat upright, turning to Xyrelle. 

"Thanks, brother. I knew you would say that. I need to compose myself so that I can help them find Katrina in days. Missing Katrina's voice already," Abbey lowered down her voice, sulking her shoulders down. 

Xyrelle doesn't know how he can comfort him with a hug. Instead, he patted her head with his left hand and smiled back at her a little. 

"I'll help you too. I'll ask someone here and there to find your best friend. Don't worry, for now, we need to be strong so that we can endure what will happen in the next few days, hmm?" Xyrelle continued to pat her head as Abbey tilted the corner of her lips a little. 

Blobs of tears appeared in her eyes as Abbey quickly wrapped her arms around her brother's waist. Xyrelle halted abruptly from patting her head as Abbey put her head over his chest. 

Xyrelle chuckled, soothing her back with his left hand. Abbey's tears fell down her eyes as her cell phone vibrated in the pockets of her jeans. Abbey sniffed, unclasping her arms over Xyrelle's chest and wiping her face again. 

Xyrelle became bothered by the darkness of the kitchen.

He stood up slowly. Abbey glanced at him with worry, but Xyrelle shook his head. He mouthed he's fine, limping towards the hallways. Abbey observed the blood over the gauze of his heel bone. 

She answered it as she observed the black pants that were so tight for his legs. Abbey creased her forehead as she ignored the way it leeched his pants through his skin and stood up from her seat. She went out of the living room rapidly and wore her slippers. 

She opened the door in a haste. She stepped outside, the chilly breeze welcoming her. Abbey heard Zoey's voice at the end of the line.

"Hello, Abbey. We're worried if you had gone home safe. Is your brother right at your home now with you?" Zoey waited for Abbey's response. 

Abbey stepped out from the porch of their house. She heard the wind chimes at the front door. It's noisy in this state. The solitude of the neighborhood was reasonable. The people inside their homes slumbered on their soft mattresses. Abbey thought about Katrina's whereabouts now. 

"I'm okay now. I went home safe. Xyrelle was here over at our house, safe and sound," Abbey muttered over her phone. She stopped right in front of their gate and looked down over underneath her feet. Abbey creased her forehead a little when she saw a spot a few inches away from the gate. 

She crouched down, scrutinizing that miniscule spot underneath her slippers. She furrowed her eyebrows, wondering if it was blood. It had dried up over the hours that it was there, and she tilted her head to one side. 

She raised her hand and withdrew it a second later as she swallowed. She needed to preserve this if something suspicious arose again over his brother. 

Abbey averted her eyes, thinking about Xyrelle's injury. She shook her head and whispered, "That must be it. He got sprained. Don't think of anything suspicious with your brother, Abbey. Calm down." 

She stood up again as she heard Zoey saying something from the line. Abbey opened the gate towards the outside of her house and climbed in her car. She replied she'll go back immediately after she checked on something in their house. 

Xyrelle heard the opening and closing of their front door as he switched on the lights over the kitchen. He walked up a few inches from the door and he fell right through the table.

Xyrelle grunted, propping himself up towards a sitting position over a wooden chair. He rolled up his pants, touching a part over his leg. Xyrelle screeched in pain, hissing over the blood that was oozing out from the wound. 

"That damn wench," Xyrelle reprimanded. He saw a lot of blood in his left hand.