Investigation (XIII)

1:17 A.M. 

Manila National Police Station. 

July 21st, the year 2018. Saturday. 

Katrina Fajardo's 23rd birthday. 

6 hours and 49 minutes since Katrina Fajardo went missing. 

"Another sleepless night for us. I need to find Katrina as soon as possible. Especially now, I need to consider my parent's company. It might be bankrupt," Marcus drawled, holding his forehead. 

A lot on his plate now. He didn't even know how he could solve these problems. Besides, protecting his best friends and family should be his number one priority. He propped his elbows on his knees as Matthew glanced at him. 

"We are here to help you, bro. No matter what, we need to stick together so that we can solve this," Matthew specified. But then Marcus shook his head. 

He glanced at Matthew, expressing, "We do not need to stick together. Do you know what we need, Matthew? We need to fight. If we train ourselves to fight back against that person wearing the black hoodie, we can catch him."

Zoey and Carmela glanced anxiously over the highway. Mina saw Abbey had seen his text over the Line. Mina furrowed his eyebrows as he tried to call her, even though he knew it might intercept Zoey's call. Carmela sighed, seeing Matthew and Marcus were talking behind their backs. 

…

Officers climbed out of their vans. They shielded their eyes, blinded by the azure and crimson lights dancing on the shady road. Included in the set were Lieutenant Lirio, Sergeant Kim, and the rest of Major Crimes' team. 

The forensic team investigated the footsteps over the side of the woods. They were on the side of the Reyes' Convenience Store, the crime scene of Margo Monteverde and the cashier. 

Both officers stopped at the front of the police line. The forensic team retrieved something from the piled-up dried leaves. Two investigators pulled out a black plastic bag from the leaves. They carefully untied the knot. 

Sergeant Kim observed the surroundings, and she made sure that the coast was clear. No one was around and she couldn't seem to know where the murderer was hiding. 

"It must have been another misdirection," Sergeant Kim whispered. Lieutenant Lirio watched the two investigators untying the knot from the plastic bag. They widened their eyes from their goggles and looked up at Ms. Feliciano. She's also wearing that uniform scrub. They all looked at each other. Lieutenant Lirio crouched down underneath the police line, furrowing his eyebrows. 

"What is it, Ms. Feliciano?" Lieutenant Lirio asked. Sergeant Kim pursed her lips. The police officers scrambled into the woods, still finding a clue where Katrina was. The two investigators pulled on a yellow hoodie. 

The two detectives both widened their eyes. Ms. Feliciano pursed her lips. Katrina was wearing a dandelion hoodie before she got abducted, as Marcus discussed. 

Lieutenant Lirio and Sergeant Kim both stared into each other's eyes. Ms. Feliciano ordered the two investigators to put it over their trunk. She crouched down on the police line and wore off her mask rashly as she turned to the two detectives. 

Lieutenant Lirio huffed an air beside her, pressing some buttons over his cell phone. Sergeant Kim swallowed. 

"This is not a simple case. They were completely misdirecting us. The dandelion hoodie over there was Katrina's. It was the one Marcus was saying earlier. We can't confirm it though, since all the surveillance cameras angled incorrectly. The one who murdered Margo... and the one who abducted Katrina all planned their moves all along," Ms. Feliciano discussed. She put her hands over her hips and closed her eyes. 

The officers were dancing the lights over the ground of the woods and even on trees. One officer shed some light over the spots of blood on the tree. 

He scrutinized the spot, opening his mouth wide. He glanced over at the officers behind him. The officer called out three of them and they widened their eyes as they saw the stains of blood. 

They rustled their footsteps, walking underneath the police line. 

"One officer died earlier because of that Katana sword that the abductor was yielding. If I am correct in my assumptions that the murder and abduction case were all connected with Xian Santos's accident... I guess Lieutenant Marcus was leading us to where that person was all along," Ms. Feliciano said. The two both agreed. 

"Lieutenant Marcus investigated for us... illegally... to find out the murderer as soon as possible before someone dies or gets into an accident. He doesn't want to believe the fingerprint results. I'm sure that he knew what he was thinking, Ms. Feliciano." Sergeant Kim glanced over at Lieutenant Lirio. 

"I'm suspecting that, too. They had to do it so that it could buy them some time to conceal their tracks while we were suspecting the wrong person. I am sure that Katrina Fajardo, who was the number one suspect in Margo Monteverde's case... was not the one who killed her, even though the scandal can prove her rage to Margo," Ms. Feliciano explained. She crossed her arms over her chest. 

She felt the wind gusted so much louder while an officer panted over the police line. The rest of the officers who were searching down the woods all halted in front of Sergeant Kim and Ms. Feliciano. 

"Ms. Feliciano... we found spots of blood at the tree trunk a few distances away from where the dandelion hoodie founded. We didn't notice it earlier. We apologize for our inconvenience," the officer panted. Lieutenant Lirio stated what was happening in the woods right now. 

Ms. Feliciano and Sergeant Kim stared into each other's eyes. They both ran over the police line with the officers behind them. 

... 

Abbey slammed the steering wheel as she leaned back over her seat. Her cell phone rang loudly, as she didn't even bother to answer the call. The tears fell down her cheeks as she glimpsed at the lights that were dancing over her blurry vision. The vehicles passed through her car as she closed her eyes tightly. 

She huffed an air over her seat as she shook her head from what she was thinking. 

"It was not Xyrelle, it wasn't him. My brother can't do it. I am sure of that," Abbey whispered, grabbing her cell phone and answering Zoey's call. 

Marcus felt his cell phone vibrating in the pockets of his jeans. He stood up from his seat as he answered the call coming from Lieutenant Lirio.

Zoey grabbed a hold of Carmela's arms as she heard the click on the phone and she heard Abbey's voice on the other side. Abbey cleared her throat as she wiped the tears from her eyes. 

"Were you still at the station with Carmela and the rest of the group?" Abbey asked relentlessly, starting her car again. She zoomed out of the highway while squinting her eyes over the front window. Zoey answered a yes as Marcus called out over the phone. 

"What?! You found Katrina's dandelion hoodie in a plastic bag?! How did it...," Marcus can't believe what he was hearing right now. Lieutenant Lirio conveyed that the blood ran up the test by now.

"I'm sure it wasn't hers. The officers who I commanded to be on their tail were right behind them. How can they?" 

Xian's accident... when a person wearing an oversized black hoodie was riding a motorcycle, came to his mind. They had been leading him towards the other side of the national road. The culprit for Katrina's abduction was riding a car that time, and Marcus came to notice that it was jet black. 

"Wait up, the color of the car that they were chasing down on that road. Did they lose it?" Marcus asked. Lieutenant Lirio pursed his lips, motioning for the officers who accepted the order. They scratched their necks, worrying that Marcus will scold them when he finds out. 

Marcus exhaled, realizing that there were two cars that might switch. It might lead them in another direction.