Ch.4 - Doubts

Michelle's eyes fluttered due to the bright light falling on her face. Her eyes slowly grew wide as she recalled the letter from last night and the power cut that happened. She stormed up and sat straight. Panicking, she looked around her but everything was normal. The room was absolutely fine and the curtains in her room were open just the way they were last night.

She looked at her side stool but there was no letter kept on it. For a split second she thought it was just a bad dream but then also as she thinks about it, it felt so real to her, too real to be a nightmare. She stood up and headed straight to the living room.

As she had expected, she saw him sitting there busy on his laptop. Just as he saw her, he quickly turned his head to the other side and wore his mask before she could see his face. After covering his head with the hoodie, he turned back to her and greeted her. She was really confused about everything, so she asked him, "hey, was there a power-outage yesterday night?"

"Yes, there was. It was so sudden I was shocked. I was worried so I came to check up on you and I saw you lying on your bed, maybe you passed out. After I settled you properly, I went to check for the issue and I saw the wires on the electric panel were cut. I fixed it though" he replied.

To Michelle, he seemed totally neutral while talking about it. But then she wondered about the paper. She couldn't see it anywhere in her room so she got up to go look for it. Even after searching through the whole room she couldn't find it. 'Oh no, did he see it? What will happen now? What if he is actually trying to kill me?' she thought as she slowly panicked a little.

When suddenly a blow of wind through the window bought the piece of paper flying out from under her side stool. She looked down and picked it up. It was totally fine. She felt so relieved after finding it. She could finally have an evidence against the real killer and prove herself innocent.

But then again, if they see the letter then it is obvious, they will get to know about him staying with her and it is also likely of them to think of it as her actions because she would be willing to do anything to get herself out of suspicions. Her lightened face again dried up. It was hard to provide any evidence to the police which could indicate that she is not at fault in any manner.

She kept the letter in her drawer and after freshening up, she went back down to prepare the breakfast. But still she thought about the letter and that how is it going to help her? What next steps should she take? Should she really let him stay here? Because if what the letter said is true then her life is in danger. Her mind was a mess as she couldn't concentrate on preparing the meal.

She spaced out and kept thinking about what is going to happen next or how is she going to help herself further. She was so lost that she couldn't see the man panicking beside her and throwing the glass of water on the burning omelet in the pan which turned completely black and nearly caught fire.

He spoke in a loud and worried tone and shook her shoulder to bring her back to reality. Just as she realizes why she was in the kitchen she looks at her omelet in the pan which had water floating all around it and beside that was a hand holding an empty glass looking at her with both anger and concern.

"hey! Earth to Michelle come back to your senses! You almost would have burnt the whole kitchen if I was just two more minutes late! What are you thinking that you spaced out like that?!"

"o-oh, I'm sorry I spaced out like that! Thank you for saving everything from burning up. I'll clean it up and make a new one really quick"

"no wait. There has to be something going through your head. You looked so pale when you spaced out. You can tell me if you want to"

"you don't have to worry. I am really ok. I promise I won't space out like that again so calm down and wait in living room while I get breakfast"

"alright if you say so but still you can tell me whatever was bothering you. It might end up helping us is some way too and keep much calmer so that you don't end up nearly burning the whole house someday" he said the last words in a nonchalant way that made her giggle but also feel a little annoyed.

"ah I promised I won't do it again just now! You don't have to put it that way. Just go and wait for me to get breakfast" she pushed him lightly from back and left after leaving him in the living room. She walked back to the kitchen to finally make the meal properly and without burning anything.

He walked back to his computer and sat on the couch. After opening a few files, he hesitated but clicked onto the only image link available on the screen. The link opened up to reveal the image of the letter he saw when he laid her properly on the bed. He took a picture of it and left it on the table to go check the electric panel.

He read that several times but couldn't understand anything. He only stared blankly at the screen, reading the lines again and again as if trying to deny its existence. The letter reflected in his eyes, refusing to be unreal which haunted him even more. All he hoped was that she would have considered it false and think of it as a way of diverting her from her thoughts and believes. That she has ignored the words on the letter and had still chose to trust him.

On the other hand, the girl he had been hoping to trust him had started to doubt her own decisions about letting him stay here. She feared for her and her loved ones life. It is possible he could threaten or blackmail her to get his tasks done and after staining her name he'd actually kill her and get away easily.

The more she thought about it, the more possibilities she could spot out of the letter to be true. And that increased her insecurity even more. She hoped she could say that she believes the letter to be false and trust him wholeheartedly but that didn't seem to be the case at all. She couldn't convince herself to just ignore that and move on like it is some prank. It could actually be true and a little carelessness could cost her hers and her loved one's life.

***

The family was sitting in despair, unsure of what to do now. All they knew was that their daughter was murdered and she needs justice. The old woman looked at the frame on the wall, looking at her lovely family and the one in focus was one of their angel smiling like she never experienced any pain. She got up from the couch and went upstairs. She opened the door of the only room and looked on the left of the room. The room was divided into two parts with one side belonging to Ava and the other to Emma.

She slowly moved closer and sat on the bed, admiring the small but beautifully decorated space. The walls had many paintings and wall hangings. Turning her gaze to the ceiling she saw origami birds hanging like they are about to take a flight. And on the center wall between the two halves was a big painting made, expressing so many emotions, just adding the life to the room.

Like the painting on the wall, Emma was the same in their lives. Without her, the family lost it's color and life. The woman was so engrossed in the memories of her beloved daughter, she didn't realize when did the warm tears she was containing in her eyes had fallen out and had rolled down her cheeks. She couldn't even realize someone standing at the door, only watching her as she cherished the memories of her now gone daughter.

The man at the door approached her and kept his hand on her shoulder softly, trying to comfort her. She looked up slowly, not surprised to see him here. In her broken voice, she talked, "Oh Jake, just why did this have to happen? What wrong had my daughter done to anyone to deserve this?" She couldn't keep herself anymore quiet as she broke down and mourned.

"It's okay mom, no need to be sad. Don't you think If I have had known the answers then would I still be trying so hard to get her justice? It hurts me too, but we can only rely on the police for this. Taking actions ourselves, we will only make things more complicated. You don't have to worry, I will not rest until the person responsible for this crime get's his or her just deserved for murdering my beloved fiancee" he stated confidently, trying to reassure the broken woman in front of him.

***

Walking out of the house after breakfast, he went into the opposite direction, out of the area, towards the forest and further into a small path that lead to the main city. He had, as usual, covered his face with his black mask and walked quietly between the crowd around him. Seeing the first alley coming closer, he turned and went inside. It was much darker than any alley, with wet roads and scratched walls.

He kept on walking in as the alley only got darker and darker. After when barely anything could be seen in the alley, he turned on the green laser light he carried in his pocket and started wandering it around the place in from of him. Just when the light turned, from green, to red, he got the signal and without letting his eye look anywhere but the small red dot in front of him, he got closer to it. After approaching right in front of the small dot, he kept his thumb on it and the dark place in front of him made a creek sound and there opened a large and thick rusted metal door.

He got inside and the door automatically closed itself behind him. The now dark view was full of dull green lights around him. Adding to it were many wires and upon looking up, the tables were crowded with computers and many other high-tech devices. He finally felt like could relax as he kept his bag down. Hearing the shuffling he created by checking out the place, came another person present there.

He was a tanned man in his 30s with a well-built body, hair and beard as brown as a chocolate. His hazel colored eyes appeared much darker in the dull room. He wore a grey t-shirt, with a night blue jacket over it plus brown pants and crocks in his feet.

"long time no see old fella" said the hazel eyed man.

"yeah it sure has been long", the other one said with no amusement in his voice.

"so, what brings you here? You said everything was going smooth and you had it all in control so you won't be coming here any time soon, at least not before you were done with your big plan", the older man had a hint of viciousness in his voice when he talked.

"because of this", the other one said, showing him his tablet, which displayed the image of the letter he was looking at this morning. "I am not sure what is she taking it as, I can't be certain that she still trusts me, just damn him!"

"oh boy, he got you in a distress with it I suppose"

"oh, stop it Callor, just be serious about it. It is going to be a big problem if he is able to make her doubt me, this whole game will go down the sewer like that"

"oh man don't be so stressed about it, I'm sure even if she doubts you, she would not let you go because of course in her eyes you are the only person who is willing to help her"

"and what if it misleads her and she traps me instead!?"

"woah, calm down man, I know even if she doubts you then she won't be taking it to the police anyways"

"and how do you know?!"

"because this a proof that she has been hiding an unknown man in her house even after being the main suspect"

This caught the angry one's attention as he calmed down after realizing the situation. He seemed to be pleased by the reason and for a moment he believed everything was just as he wanted it to be. He still had a doubt in his mind, though.

"but what if she doesn't trust me? Won't she be trying to stay away from me and hide things?"

"then go persuade her, after all you are there to help her"

"fine, that is on me but I want to have something on you too"

"what is that now? After all I am always the one to save this damsel in distress"

"stop joking around like that, just do something about that note, if the police ever have a raid in her house to find proof's against her then that small little liability will ruin everything"

"fine I'll have it on me. It'll be gone by the next morning" Callor still seemed to be in his own amusement, as if he has never been serious about anything for once. The other one rolled his eyes and marched forward, leaving the place to return back before he is gone away from the house for too long.

***

He sat on his table frustrated, with photos and papers scattered all around his table. He held his head in his palms and gave a long sigh of tiredness and irritation both. But the man sitting parallel to his on the couch with more amount of papers didn't seemed to look the least bit like the other. "ugh! I am not able to find any proof against her! Not even a little thing", Officer John groaned, unsatisfied.

"c'mon don't look so low in spirits right the next day you swore you're gonna prove your efficiency to the old man"

"you better stop talking you bachelor"

"the name is Ash, John"

"when are you gonna learn to respect me? Let me remind you again that I am your senior"

"yeah yeah sure"

"stop distracting me, I'm trying to think of a way to prove her guilty but like hell I found something"

"you know you are not able to find anything because you are not searching in the right place"

"what do you mean?"

"this is not the place to find proofs, it is her house. We need to have a thorough search in her house and get something useful from there. We have the reason to do it too, she is the main suspect in our investigation so that makes this search legal"

Officer Bryson seemed to be taken aback with his words. He suddenly felt a bolt of hyper-activeness rushing through him as he stood up and said, "Then, let's get the show started. We need to prepare for it".

"hold on, before doing things right away, I want to ask you again; are we sure she is the killer? And if you are a least bit doubtful about this thought then let's confirm it before taking any actions"

"oh, c'mon why are you hesitating so much about this case? Usually you used to be even more hyper active than me"

"because, I don't know why, but it doesn't feel right to me this time. I am just worried we would get someone innocent behind bars and ruin her life forever"

Officer John carried a surprised expression on his face after listening to Ash. He found his behavior strange. Because they both have been working on the cases since past 5 years but never even once has, he seen Ash say something like this. This made him think about this whole situation again. But then again, he had his pride and self-dignity at risk too and there was no way he was willing to lose it.

He slid away his thoughts and told Ash in an assertive manner, "yes I am not a least bit conflicted about the thought of her being the real killer". Ash slowly lifted his head to look at John standing in a certain and positive way and gave up on debating more on this. "Okay, as you say then".

He seemed to have agreed to him on the outside and be with him in the raid plan, but deep inside he was still hesitant about being completely sure of the investigation heading in the right direction. He himself wasn't sure of this feeling he had in him which made him feel so doubtful about the situation. Could be his gut feeling, his deductive ability or this complexity of the situation which made him think about things over and over.

He followed behind Officer Bryson and both ended up in the squad room and called in for an urgent meeting. Other officers gathered in the room in the strength of 20 with one of them being in change of the squad. "Officers, we have an important task to take care of. There is this recent case of a young girl being murdered yesterday morning. Her neighbor is currently our main suspect and we plan on a raid in her house to find evidences", Officer John started with full spirit.

"But who is it?", one of the squad member raised the question. "This girl on the screen", Officer pointed behind him, on the big screen, which displayed Michelle's lovely smiling face. A few Officers were doubtful if such a lively girl like her could have committed a murder, but a few were stern enough to not fall for the pretty face of her.

"Folks, don't go on her look or smile, this innocence is a trap to divert our minds and get away with the crime she committed, you need to be stone cold while investigating, I don't want even the slightest bit of mistake when we leave", Officer John seemed certain and serious while talking.

A few whispers could be heard as the others in the room, expect for the two other men standing, started to discuss about this case and kept forward their views. After a while of discussion, the whispers slowly died down and the head of the squad spoke up, "ok, we agree to help, when do we leave?". Officer John carried a confident smirk as if he had been waiting for this question to be asked. He slowly looked up at Michelle's photo and said, "In the next 3 hours".

***

She was only sitting on the couch waiting for him to come back. It had been quiet a while since he left but he didn't come back. This frightened Michelle as she started to have negative thoughts about this all again. 'Why isn't he back yet? He said he is going for a quick walk and he'll be back in a jiffy. But it's been about an hour since he left. Did he really see that letter? was he sad about the fact that I would doubt him and left? Or maybe he is scared for his life as the killer knows he is here so he left? I don't have a good feeling about this'.

The thoughts kept on over-exaggerating until she heard the back-side window of the kitchen click and open and then close too. She stood up in hopes of seeing him and there he was, back to her, safe and sound. She looked a little happy at the fact he didn't leave, but then the thought of him trying to kill her or frame her also roamed around and took that bit of smile off her face in an instant.

But she tried to keep her mind off for the while so as not to space out like before again. "The walk took you more time than you said, you must have been out after a long time I guess?", she asked, trying to divert her mind and hide the doubtful look. "yeah, I don't really go out much often so it was quiet refreshing and I couldn't keep track of time, sorry if I worried you", he answered, in a tired tone.

"Actually, I'm kind of tired so I'll go rest for a while, you can call me if there is something", he said as he walked towards the stairs. "it's okay, I wouldn't be needing anything anyway, you can rest", she replied rather plainly. He made his way to his room and locked the door behind him. Sitting on the study table with his laptop in front, he hacked into the police station's CCTV cameras as if it was a piece of cake for him.

So as to make sure the situation won't be getting out of hand, he wanted to cross-check the work they are doing. But things clashed with his expectations and the site in front of him frightened him so bad for the first time in a while. He saw the officers getting ready and preparing for which looked like a raid. He heard Officer Bryson say to the others, "hurry men! We need to leave for the raid at Ms. Roger's in the next one hour!". His blood turned cold and his face became white as a wall when he heard that. There was no way he could hide away for a while and nor could he tell Michelle about the situation as she'd know he did illegal things to help her and she'll for sure oppose it. And if she doubts him the slightest bit then there could be a possibility, she could get him arrested and pin down everything on him.

This was the moment he had been stressed about and mentioned of when he went to see Callor. 'It was my mistake to calm down when I had this thought in mind. I can neither tell her about them or make another excuse of sneaking out for a while till they leave with no evidence left behind. Shit! I'm stuck!', he freaked out and started to heat up.

His big brain had nothing to think of in this situation so he planned on contacting the most calm and laid-back man he could think of at the moment. The bell on the other line ringed and was answered after a moment. "Yo! You just left and now you are calling again? Haha, I knew you wanted to take the plan according to me, right? Or maybe you want to go out for a while like we used to before?"

There was a long silence after Callor stopped speaking. This made him realize the situation is tough on the other end and sounded serious for what felt like in a while because he had never expected him to act so strangely. "hey everything okay their man?", Callor asked. "So, you finally decided to get serious huh? Good, at least you're using that big head of yours wisely. Now listen, things are not good at all and it was a bad idea to calm down about this situation".

"why? What's going on their dude?"

"The police is going to have a raid here after an hour or so"

"oh dang! What you gonna do now?"

"I don't know! That is why I called you! Stop this raid, don't let the police come here"

"this is going to be a little tough, but I'll do it"

"make it quick, we don't have much time"

"sure"

And with the beep sound, the call ended. He marched around the room getting impatient and anxious. He kept on crosschecking the clock again and again to note the time. Minutes passed, but no information from Callor. He was done being patient and dialed his number again. But before Callor could answer, the door bell was heard downstairs as his anxiousness went out of limit and he hyperventilated.

Rushing out of the room, he went to look down from upstairs, trying to stay as quiet as possible. But he couldn't stop himself as his legs moved themselves and he reached downstairs to stop Michelle from opening the door, but it was too late as Michelle's hand was already around the door knob as she twisted it.