2| The Footprints

||KIARA'S POV||

The car halted in front of me and the inspector dashed out. "Ms Walters can I speak with you once?", he asked standing in front of me.

"Sure", I nodded with a smile.

"Well you know for the last couple of months, we are thoroughly going through the case and at last we got a surprising clue!" saying so Mr King's face lit up with a small grin. Hearing it felt like a silver lining in the darkest clouds. I nodded and he continued. 

"We found that the day when Mrs Viola was murdered, the blood-stained floor had three types of footprints. "He continued. "I hope you remembered how we tested everyone's including your footprints with it". I nodded my head to agree."We discovered that one of the footprints is of Mrs Viola, one couldn't be deciphered as it is somewhat smudged but recently we found the third footprint and the most surprising thing is it matched with Mrs Viola's maid Ms Martha." My eyes widened as if they would fall out and would roll on the ground. What!! How could Martha? She loves Viola so much!! It's kinda impossible!!

I finally confined myself a lill' and only managed to say, "What!!" which also came out as a whisper with shock dripping from each word. Mr King eyeing my condition, said, " We will interrogate her soon and will give you our feedback as soon as possible ". I just nodded my head and he drove away leaving me with utter shock and disbelief. 

After he went, I headed back to my bookstore and thumped down on the couch but couldn't concentrate a bit. It had been six months but the wound which she had left was still as fresh as new. Suddenly I heard the loud ringing of my phone. I checked the caller ID only to find Liam. Rosaleen, Ysabella, Liam and I have been best friends since the freshman year of high school.

We named our group as "four peas in a pod", 'cause we always hang out together and we all were each other's partner in crime, and eventually our group became kinda popular too.

Halting my train of thoughts, I shove out my phone.

"Hello!!", I was greeted by a jolly Santa.

Well, I called him so 'cause he was always as jolly as Santa Claus. Believe me, it is good but sometimes kinda irritating. 

"Hello...", I deadpanned, not entirely in the mood to hear his chit chats.

"Let's have a movie night?", he asked with excitement but it came out as a sentence though.

"No!!", I instantly declined his idea. After hearing Mr King, I wasn't at all in the mood for a night out.

"What! No, I haven't asked your opinion, I just told you, so no need for your choice. Just come", I could imagine his smirk over the phone.

"I'm not in the mood for the night...", I shook my head though he will not see it. "Please come, Kia... Pretty please with a cherry on a top " he whined like a small girl.

"Oh my gosh !! Liam, are you practising to be a girl ? ", hearing his whining I burst out into laughter. 

"Well, I just tried to copy you three..." hearing him, I rolled my eyes internally.

" You know we don't whine like this", I raised my eyebrow though he will not see it.

"No, you guys, do the same but maybe I have done a bit exaggeration...", he answered smugly.

"Very funny!", I said sarcastically.

"Kia!! Leave it and be at Rose's apartment by 6 o'clock", saying so he hung down the phone without hearing my answer.

I thumped back on my couch, thinking about my three peas, who had helped me so much to recover from my depressed state, after V's death. Well after Viola died I went into somewhat depression. I had confined myself in my room, neither I used to eat nor had spoken a single word to anyone, and whenever anyone asked me anything, I would completely ignore it and remained like a statue. Eventually, after about one week, I started getting back to my original self. They tried to cheer me up, to comfort and console me. Even if I snapped at them, still they never left me alone and above it all, unlike others, they never pitied me but comforted and cared for me.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

"Let's watch Parasite!!", yelled Bella munching her caramel popcorn.

"No, we will watch The Outpost!", Liam yelled from beside me while making himself comfortable on the couch. From the last half an hour, they couldn't decide which movie to watch. I just slopped down on the couch, not interested in joining their argument.

"Guys.... let's watch The Invisible Man !", Rose yelled from the kitchen. She had been quiet all this while but now she thought of putting her opinion too.

"No!! Parasite!!"

"The Outpost!!"

Liam grabbing the remote control rushed to hide but Bella scurried behind him.

"Liam!!!", Bella shouted angrily while running after him. On the other hand, Liam just laughed and kept on revolving around the couch. Bella rushed behind him but couldn't catch him. At last, he stopped handing her the remote control. While she glared at him, he laughed holding his stomach. We all laughed at their silly tantrums.

"Let's watch, The Invisible Man, pretty please!!". Rose gave her puppy dog eyes, which no one could refrain when we all rested back on the couch. So, at last, we decided to watch The Invisible Man.

It was a horror and science fictious movie, and we all kinda liked it.

"Is something bothering you, Kia?", Rose suddenly asked me, I snapped my head towards her.

"Nope, nothing much", I whispered while fidgeting with my fingers.

"Stop lying and answer", Liam asked without even looking at me. "We all know something is eating you up", Bella said, sitting beside Rose.

"Well actually, Inspector King came to talk about Via's case..." I trailed off.

They all directed their heads towards me. "What he told?", asked Bella with widened eyes. I explained to them the entire conversation with Mr King.

They were equally flabbergasted as me.

But soon they all confined themselves and the room got filled with silence.

"Well I think, we should hear Martha's side story first before judging her", Rose broke the silence, while heading towards the kitchen. "I think so too", Liam agreed and Bella nodded her head to agree. They were right.

First, we need to know her side of the story before judging her.

"What pizza you all will have ?", yelled Rose from the kitchen.

We soon gave her our choice and waited for the pizza.

After having the pizza with some coke, I headed back for my house pondering about Martha and her side of the story.

It is quite unbelievable Martha could do such a thing. She loved Viola so much. 

My phone dinged in my pocket, breaking my train of thoughts.

I shoved it out and found a message from Aaron.

"Meet me at the Eternity cafe tomorrow at 11:00 am, sissy :)"

I smiled and replied to him.

"Sure, big bro :) ".

To be continued...

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