3. They Were Roommates?

{Rick's perspective}

I woke up with a start, something was in my room. The wardrobe doors opened and it came out of my wardrobe. A cat was on my sheets. A black cat with yellow eyes purred jumping out from the open window to the room.

What? I hastily got down from the bed and looked up and down from the window. Where did it go? This was the BPRO headquarters with at least four to five floors. Well, cats are agile. I must have climbed into some other open window.

I yawned and stretched. "Whoa!" There was a body covered in sheets and only the hair was visible. Who...I quietly crept up to the body and slowly pulled the sheets away from his face and drew back.

"Whoa! Alfren?!"

He gave a low annoyed groan and cuddled the pillow next to him. I blinked. Jane. Ugh! She had given me the room keys and wow, she didn't even forewarn me Alfren was gonna be my roommate! I guess after yesterday's case, this dude had slept like there was no tomorrow. And I too had and maybe that's why neither of us noticed we were roommates due to the darkness. Silly.

Just then ghostly sounds were heard. The source of it was Rick's stomach. Someone inside growled. I looked around for my bag. Ignoring the rumbling of my stomach, I hunted for my precious possession. No way. My I-pad! My dad's gonna slaughter me.

There's one thing I still didn't get about the people here at BPRO. Why had they insisted on me staying over? Also letting me in on their case, not minding an outsider helping with their case... Maybe it was good enough they got an extra pair of hands. But, even Marigold, the bloody Mary from the first night and her friend took had stayed over. Just what was on these people's minds?

Were they thieves? Ransom money? Slavery? Forced labor? Or worse, child trafficking, my mind suggested.

Never mind. I freshened myself up with the sanitary needs Jack had provided me with, generous ain't he. I patted down my amber-colored hair, grabbed my bag, and before taking a bus to school, I thought if I should wake Alfren up. I poked his back with my toe, he turned to my side but continued to sleep. I rolled my eyes.

Before leaving, I informed Jane Alfren wasn't up yet and she ran to his room without even bidding me a bye. Sad life.

The classes had just begun and I tried to poke Al and let him know about our stupidity yesterday and that now we were roommates. After the roll call, he went up to the teacher and gave her some slip to which she nodded and he took off with his bag.

Huh? Excused for not attending classes? 

After that Alfren Asshole left the classroom, I tried to track him but he was out of sight. And he didn't come to any class today. I just had to ask the guy about the room-sharing conspiracy by Jane but he was unavailable.

 He hadn't come back to the agency and Jack told me he had some volunteer work at school. Well, I got to have a lot of freedom. Jack, being scared of me didn't pay much attention to what I was up to. So I was free to do whatever I wanted. I asked permission from Matt to leave the BPRO building but Jack refused, still backing away from me a little. Was he scared of me or just avoiding me? But Henry, the little bossy kid said I could go if someone escorted me. Jack was ultimately tied to me.

I went to a gaming zone and spent Jack's money on the games. Like a boss, yes. "Well, I had said for you guys to lemme go but you asked me to stay. I didn't have money so you have to give." I confidently said as I defeated a ghoul on the screen before me. 

A little tomboy standing next to me, applauded. I smiled at her.

"Uh, so do you have any siblings?" Jack asked, trying to send a troop of his army to my side in the military game but couldn't. The girl giggled and as I looked at her, she ran to the shopping section.

Little girlie, sorry to burst your bubble but the cool dude here doesn't like little girls. You are too tiny, child. He likes....almost anyone his age as long as it's a pretty girl. Hey, I'm not a freak.

"Al already asked that. Martha, elder and unkind to me." I replied, getting up from my seat. I felt bored so I walked towards the adult gaming section. Jack hurried behind me whispering I as a kid isn't allowed here and must return to the kids' section. I stuck my tongue out at him. This will be fun.

Jack got a call. He talked casually, nodding stirringly like he's figured out how to win a chess game without participating in it. He either must be speaking to his family or from where he comes..., maybe a client. I accidentally dropped three to four game consoles and said a sorry. Jack picked them up, sighing. I ran a little ahead and did this about four to five times. Jack lost it. Yes, I was waiting for this moment. He had finished his phone talk, too. Why not play?

"Catch me if you can! Beh!" I chortled and ran in another wing. Jack charged, scampered behind me at full speed. The little tomboy laughed at us playing tag. I jumped over the mini baskets on the basketball court and over the tennis table but Jack couldn't catch me. I threw at him tiny balls and darts as he drifted past them like a seagull flying. The customers were shouting at us as Jack only beckoned them that he'll stop me. As if he'd be able to. Thing was, he was enjoying too.

At last, we were shooed out by the counter in charge, insulted too. The little tomboy giggled, holding the hand of her father and saying I made her laugh like a clown in a circus.

Oh wow. I think I'm really up for that role, huh.

As we went back to the BPRO, both of us laughed till our insides hurt. I bid the girl a bye from the window as an old man appeared from behind her and they got busy talking and enjoying. "How long has Matt been working here and you, and Jane, Al...?" I asked, holding onto reality now.

"Uh...Matt...I guess it's been very recent since he joined. About two or three years. And me, it's been so long...I think I forgot...but it's above ten years, I believe. Jane too. Al and Henry are minors but they contribute a lot."

When we returned, I entered the shared room to rest instead of exploring the agency. I took to practicing for the Halloween event. There were more two rooms, I suppose but they had no lights. Must be under repair that's why they'd given me a room to share with Alfren. In the next room, I noticed there was an attic ladder leading to the attic, of course. Jack came and gave me a bowl of flour and I stared at him as he went back so I just kept it on the floor. He went and returned with baking soda. Before he could go again, I stopped him and asked him to just bring me something which right now, doesn't need cooking. He nodded and patted me before leaving.

I practiced hard, my blood, sweat, dirt all shed off. My tears were the only ones that didn't take form as of yet. I was wishing the time would slip by and I could watch my favorite nighttime anime show of fighting and gore. But alas, the destiny hadn't planned this for me. I had a surprise waiting for me.

The outfit was on; practice in session and the lights went out. I thought I would try fixing it, but then the lights of the bathroom were on. Before putting the clown mask back on, to wash my face; I opened the tap of the bathtub but that also started leaking. The shower pipe broke down. Ugh, just got messier. It was so dark; I almost couldn't see where I was headed to. I felt for the ladder. Alright. It's there. It was crazy dark up there and I hadn't equipped myself with courage so I dropped the idea of exploring the hidden attic-like space up in the ceiling. I went back to my room and sat without the clown mask. I know I should have painted my face instead but that'd require a lot of work plus I am scared of clowns...but I was assigned this role thinking I might be able to get rid of this fear. I haven't seen myself in a mirror yet and maybe that's why it doesn't seem so scary.

My stomach was howling. Why's Alfren not back yet? Now, just wait for Jack. For food.

Just hope I don't bump into Bloody Mary like from yesterday when I was asked to stay behind and I was practicing my lines in one of the empty rooms when both of us saw each other and screamed our lungs out.

It was over ten minutes now and Jack Sparrow hadn't come back. I went to the lobby to check for him when I spotted Jane talking to Matt as they walked to the open-room in the foyer.

"Where's Henry? Has he completed the assignment? Even if I'm his sister, I won't spare him if he refrains from our departmental duties..." Jane grumbled, moving away from me when I asked her where Jack was, in my clown costume.

Jack zoomed to me from behind the cupboard in the huge open-room. Whoa. Secret passage? He gave me a burger and a cola adding French fries to the small red tray muttering a sorry because he was late. He said the lady from the cafeteria wouldn't agree to give away the tray so he had to buy extra meals from her and now he had to eat it all so he gave an extra sandwich to me.

"Thanks." I walked off and wondered why did he have to bring the tray along too? He could've just asked me to go to the cafe, right?

After I ate to my fill, I plopped myself onto the bed before switching off the lights. There were no nightmares no disturbances and it was a time of peace. It was a silent warning to the war ahead. I cuddled the cushions or teddy bear next to me. But it slapped me. There was a fight in my sleep, dunno who won.

Morning crept in. I was kicked out of the bed. I landed on the floor. What the...? Ah, I probably would have to stitch up my broken body if there's any further damage done to it. I got up to kill the attacker. "Who told you could sleep in the same bed as me?" Asshole demanded, holding on a fiddle.

"The hell? Who asked you to come into the same room as me?" I asked, looking desperately around for an object of revenge. The lamp.

"Jane didn't give you the room key?" Al asked as I moved a step towards him with the lamp and he moved back.

"She did. I didn't know she wanted us to share the room. Yesterday too we slept beside each other. You, nor had I noticed but the next morning I saw there was your stuff, ID card, and all. I had woken up to see you covered in blankets and saw it was you, not a ghost. I had left early for school yesterday. For one whole day, we've been roommates and you don't even know about it?"

Al folded his arms and dropped his head with a sigh. "I had been out all day. In school, I had volunteer work for the costume party...and you were in class. I returned at eight and was sleepy. The lights were switched off in my room and yeah, I dropped dead on my bed."

"See?" I raised an eyebrow and pointed a finger at him. "You didn't know."

Al made an annoyed face, scrunching up his lips as he proceeded to go brush his teeth. I joined him and stuck my tongue out. He rolled his eyes and spat in the basin. He wiped his mouth and turned to me.

"We won't be roommates forever anyway. I can bear with you for a few days. Dunno if you'll be able to though. Because this is my room and I want no mess. If there is even one of your dirty clothes or your disposable trash or food lying around..." He pushed his hair back and played a smirk on his face, "...then I will change my room keys and you'll have to spend the night in the open-room. Trust me, you'll never enjoy being alone surrounded by things you can't see, again."

Is he trying to scare me off? The guts of this Asshole Al. 

"Clean-freak, I'm tidier than you think. Also, don't think you won't get to enjoy. I'll make your sleeping experience and your Halloween better." Al gave an uncaring nod. I hung a towel across my neck and went to take a fresh pair of clothes from my bag which I had taken from my house the night before excusing myself from mom saying I'm gonna have a stay-over at a friend's place.

We sauntered to the open-room and saw a crowd. Alfren and I exchanged glances. "What's the matter? Who are these people?" Al stipulated, moving over to Jack.

"From the looks of it, one of their family members was going to be our comrade in the BPRO for the post of an attendant. Yeah. But they say she came here a few days ago and now is missing. They are accusing us of her disappearance. So they are our clients." Jack elucidated, wiping a drop of white cream from his hand. Was he eating cake or just painting the walls?

For god's sake, it's a Sunday! 

"Hmm. Another missing case. On a Sunday, that too. Ugh." Al said, holding his head.  Exactly. Marigold was lost in thoughts. Jane was deep in judgment. Jack tried to lead the three clients to the main office. A man dressed in a grey suit in his mid-forties helped the old man with a cane to walk. A woman with sleek long bob hair with curves at ends and a maxi dress of red color, checked her purse to give her business card to Jack. She looks richer than her husband. Upon close examination, I thought I had seen the middle-aged man somewhere before. Where?

"Hey, are we gonna solve this case now or...?" I began, stealing glances at Marigold who still was thinking. Maybe her brain just stopped working. Just like how sometimes the virus spoils my motherboard...sometimes.

"Of course now but I have to at least put on presentable clothes, the clients are here. Jack will handle the three clients." Al replied, as Marigold and that Ashley girl came to us. She sighed when she looked at me. The hell..? I'm the one not interested in seeing you.

"Alvin, what Ashley told me about yesterday's case is ok. But the baby that I saw in the cave had bloody eyes...and the cat I saw wasn't dead. Also, uh...I know you won't believe this but I think there's a ghost in Rick's room." Marigold said, as Ashley held her hand firmly. Getting goosebumps, is she?

"Ghost in my room?! But I slept in Al's room!" I shouted, backing away.

"Firstly, my name isn't Alvin. It's Alfren. Officially it is Alfred. And the baby that you saw in the cave, did she attack you or did that blood you see got on you? Are you sure you saw it..?" Al asked marching over to his room as everyone followed. A dead cat? Jack clapped his forehead. Probably thinking, 'there he goes acting all grown-up, again'.

"I guess...?" Marigold said, looking hesitantly at Al as he eyed her curiously. Ash glared at me. Oh, don't. "Um, maybe it was dark and I was scared so I might have been mistaken. Yes." She clarified, nodding her head. Al nodded as we went to the bathrooms.

Alfren and I went back to the room. Ash and Marigold waited for us in the foyer. What were they talking about? Seems secretive. Maybe some girl-talk. I quickly washed my face and while drying my face asked, "I wanted a plain clown costume but you gave me a ghostly one. All the fake blood spoilt it. You've got a rotten personality, is that why you gave me? To make a fool of me?"

"Trickster, you already are a fool. I don't know about ghostly but I had asked Jake to give you a plain one. If you spoilt it, I can't help it. And I think our deal of you staying here is over. You can leave anytime you want to." Al said, going behind the curtain to change. Whoa, he's touchy. 

Jake should've been more thoughtful. Didn't the teacher tell him about my fear of clowns?

Alfren wore a dark blue T-shirt with sleeves extending until half of the palms. He then put on his black leather gloves. His fashion sense is so peculiarly cool.

"Well, now I'm curious to solve this case, and also if there really is a ghost in this room, I would love to catch it," I smirked, holding myself tight due to the rapid drop in temperature in the room. "Ugh, it's so cold. Switch off the AC, dude."

"Huh? Oh. Yes." Al said, closing the door of the fridge. Is he paying any attention to what I'm saying or even he is busy thinking like all those so-called detectives?

"The AC, right. It's cold." Al reminded himself.

"Right, but I'm clearly the coolest guy here," I said, brushing my hair with the brush on the table.

"You should probably put on a sweater. Not that you'll ever be as hot as me." Al said, passing me a sweater.

"I won't return this favor," I said, as we walked out. Ain't I stingy? Or just unbothered.

"Don't. It's a spare, meant for refugees." He replied. We strolled over to Marigold. Ashley the short-haired girl and I exchanged greetings with them as we proceeded to leave for the main office. On the way, I was told that this BPRO is a psychic organization which is camouflaged as a police agency for years. How shady. Definitely spooky. Must be a fake. Even the last case was a normal household affair. Nothing paranormal nor supernatural neither mysterious.

But in this case, the man, woman, and the old man; all seemed to leak a trace of a suspicious odor. And I had a feeling I had seen the oldie somewhere before. I couldn't remember. This was boring. Phew. If only I get free time and we could go to the gaming zone again to play...

"The gamers zone!" I shouted, recollecting memories. Everyone looked at me. "I saw the old man there. With a little tomboy and a man who she called father."

The three paused in their tracks. Al turned to me and looked at me doubtfully. "I'm not the culprit and I do remember the face clearly." I simplified, looking over into the passage ahead. Was someone there just now? Some resident, I suppose. BPRO was residential to its' clients and employers, I suppose.

"When did you go to the gaming zone?" Al asked, looking at me straight. Marigold fidgeted as Ash sighed for the third time since we met in the room. They certainly knew something and I bet that evil Ash wasn't letting Marigold speak. I'll get to you guys later.

"Uh, yesterday. The time doesn't matter. We're getting late." I said as we went ahead.

"First," Ashley stopped Al, "We must see Rick's room. I too saw something there last night when I was looking for Marigold."

"My room? Why's everyone saying I got a room when I had clearly slept in Alfren's room..." I grumbled. Marigold paused, turned to me, and stared at me with squinted eyes. What? She then gave me a nudge and smugly smiled at me.

I'll guard the door." She said, tapping on her cell phone, playing games.

"You mean you'll keep a lookout?" I corrected and she carelessly nodded. We walked to the room. It was closed. Why? Shouldn't it be left open since the girls claim they saw something in there?

"Jane has the spare. She must have locked it this morning when she was going around to check the discipline of the residents." Al threw me and Marigold a scornful glance. What? Now even people's existence is problematic to him? "Move back, I'll try opening it," Al said, approaching it like some goody-goody hero.

"What, you gonna break it? Some hippo you are." Ashley ridiculed. Whoa, if there's one thing I agree with her on, it's ridiculing Alfren. Alfren gave an uncaring look and pulled the key away from my hand. He turned to face the door and fumbled with the key.

"What, now you are trying to melt the key to the correct shape that would fit in the lock?" Marigold mocked, laughing at her own humor. Ashley looked at Marigold angrily. Does she have some feeling of resentment towards Alfren or just feelings?

"Yes, I'm," Alfren said, opening the door. I patted him as Marigold returned to look at her phone. "Ok, the bravest goes in first. Rick, please." He requested, dropping a pinch of low-key sadism. ...Don't go in there, you'll find yourself in trouble if you do. You already are a scaredy-cat. 

Nope, I'm not. I thought as I walked in. It was dark, alright. Ashley and Alfren followed.

"Where are the lights?" Ash demanded, bumping into me.

"Hell if I know..." I answered, hurting my head as I run into the ladder. Then something fell from the ceiling. The leakage...not again. The lights came on. Whoa.

Ashley screamed. The leakage from the ceiling wasn't water.

"Red paint?" I asked, feeling it.

"No. Blood," Alfren said, observing the ceiling. Marigold was nowhere to be seen. Had she escaped? Or had the ghost kidnapped her? No way. She's the Bloody Mary.

There was a lot of blood. On the floor, on the carpet, and a few drops on the ladder.

"Mommy!!!" Ash squealed, stamping her foot. Alfren stared up at the attic.

"Ashley or Patrick, wait here. I'm gonna explore the attic." Alfren declared, moving to the ladder.

"Then, a-are we gonna wait here a-alone?" I stuttered, holding the ladder. Even though the idea of kids on an adventure sounds cool but right now I need an adult!

"Relax. Don't cry, I'll come down soon." He coaxed, tauntingly. What a show-off. Thinks he's a brave fella just because he stays here.

"I'm not crying. Just leave."

As he disappeared up there, the lights went out. Ashley-the stranger and I screamed and clung to each other. We both waited patiently until Alfren came out, looking tense. What did you find?

"It smells up there. I guess there's a..." He began ditheringly and then bending to me, whispered, "...there might be a dead body." ...like telling that to me and not to Ashley might help. And how the hell's he so calm about it?

Ah, he might have been raised in a mortuary.

I froze. Ashley shook me and pestered me to say what Alfren told but I remained mute not 'cause Alfren had indirectly told me to but because I was too shocked to respond. And girl, you don't know me. Stop being so gnat-like when all you do is throw disgusted looks at me like I am some insect. Alfren was studying the ceiling. He wasn't scared. He must be dead too.

Where was Matt? And Marigold... "Alfren, why don't you call Jack here?" I suggested, getting up.

"It'll arouse suspicion. The clients already doubt us for no reason at all. And they came to us on a purely 'missing case' basis. We mustn't make it seem like a murder mystery or some spiritual activity case." He said, switching the flashlight on from his phone.

But what if the body belonged to the family of the clients...?

"I'm thinking that might be it," Al said, flashing the light into the attic. He had just now answered my thoughts, hadn't he? Then, did he read my mind? What the. Can he?

"Alfren, did you read my mind just now?" I asked, sounding illogical.

"Huh? Must have. Accidentally." He replied, posing a wide-lipped smile at me as we moved out of the room. Accidentally?

"We must first ask the clients' info. Probably. Only then we'll be able to separate sense from nonsense. Else we'd just be moving in circles without having any clue."

"Bravo," Al commented, as we walked to the office. I frowned. Why does he seem like he's guiding me on my road to becoming a detective? Ash looked at the two of us but averted her gaze to a dustbin.

Marigold came hopping to us. She breathed and gave Alfren some files. "Here, I thought you'd need it."

Alfren looked through it as we crowded in. Ashley hugged Marigold and I high-fived her. She brought what we just needed. "Where did you get this?" Alfren asked, looking keenly at Marigold's hands.

"Um, it was...kept inside a bag on the table.

"The color of the bag was...?"

"Uh, teal...maybe."

"And was there anyone around?"

"Uh, no one...I guess."

"Was Matt in the Main office?"

"I dunno."

"All you can say is 'maybe, I guess and I don't know', can't you give a proper answer? An investigation cannot be based purely on speculation. You must be certain." Alfren scolded her. Is he stupid or what... He was glad when she gave him the info. And now he's angry because she's just unsure? Although I do agree with his words. But she did try.

"Take it or give it back if you do not need it," Marigold demanded, holding out her hand.

Alfren sighed and producing a chocolate bar from his pocket, he put it in the palm of her hand. Marigold, at first didn't look satisfied then she slowly made a fist and nodded. Happily, she munched on it. As Ashley asked if Marigold was feeling fine Why? Was she unwell? And Marigold gave a thumbs-up. Alfren and I were looking into the file.

Except for the names and birth details, there didn't seem to be much written. The three were a family, ok and the missing person was called Sylvia. She was a woman in her late twenties. A hard worker and pursued a career in a detective or police agency. The young man was called Nicholas Anderson and his wife was Camilla while the old man was the father of the two women. Camilla and Sylvia. His name was Robert Flaming. From what I estimated, I thought that the old man had a granddaughter about eleven years old. If so, who was her father? Sylvia's relationship status said single. Also, the Andersons had no child. If I'm right, then when he met with his granddaughter, was Sylvia around? Damn, why didn't I notice?!

"Only after an interrogation, would we get to know the real thing. So right now, let's just call Matt to search the attic." Alfren announced, striding toward the room while fondling a strand of his front hair. Ok, I do know the faces of these people now. Their photographs were there. I also know Sylvia. I'm just a bit scared. Please let no one be dead.

Matt came rushing over to us. Alfren had messaged him to. Wow. I feel confident now that an adult is there. We shone a light up the attic as Matt climbed up. Will he be able to pass through...? After a few minutes, we heard a noise. "Hey Matt, if you found someone....tell us.." Alfren said aloud. Crazy cool. Matt is fearless, huh. "Uh, I guess...I did find someone." Matt's voice came after a while. He came down and with a body, too.

"There's a dead body?" Alfren lightly slammed the wall with his hand. 

"Wait. Hell no. The blood was...eugh." I felt sick in the stomach. "Chocolate, me too." 

"Jack had asked me to pass it onto her. It wasn't mine, if it was I'd not give it." Alfren clarified shooting daggers at me with his eyes as he helped Matt down.

 I cursed as I bent to observe the body. Lots of blood was there. Ugh, I think I feel like throwing up now.

"Sylvia Flaming!" Ash gasped, holding on my hand and realizing it's me, she jerked my arm off. Wow, she just hates me. And I think there's a dead body here so why don't you concentrate, o' mind?

"How do you know it's her?" I shot my gaze at her.

"Because the family had shown us her picture when they reported she was missing." Ashley turned away and gestured to Marigold to look away who wasn't listening and wanted to have a peek too.

"About 1.05 liters of blood lost. She must be alive." Alfren said, bending to check her pulse. This dude is a frickin' robot. How on earth did he calculate that?

We were disturbed by a noise in the background. I shone the torch around snatching it from Matt. Oh, a cat. That didn't scare me. Wrong, it did scare me. At least, now it did.

"Guys, can you see it?" I asked, clutching Alfren's arm by mistake.

"Yes, it's a cat. Miss Olivia's cat. What's it doing here?" Ashley asked going over to touch it.

"You idiot, it's dead!" I screamed as Ashley flinched. The brown cat purred and moved toward us. It was levitating. It came near Sylvia's body then disappeared. The hell-? If it had to vanish, why scare us all?!

"Ok kids, I'll help you carry this body to the forensic lab. Though today is a holiday and there's no doc but...Dr. Brad Flaming is, so he might be able to help. One of you come with me to the lab." Matt said, dropping a bomb before us.

"Who's he?" I asked. Matt merely smiled and took Ashley with him. Who is this new man? He's a doctor? Find out more in the next episode. Yes, now we have to wait in anticipation.

We wended our way to the Main office. None spoke on the way. Ok, so this info. that Marigold gave is gonna be real useful. Jack probably must have collected it all. But hey, now even if we have all the data or info. Whatever you call it, then we have to figure out how Sylvia ended up in the attic or who was her killer. When we entered, the little tomboy waved at me. "Hi!" I hissed noticing the man sitting next to the girl who had been walking back and forth, looking tensed. Her father was he? Oh yes.

As Alfren scanned the room, I stared at the man who smiled at me. "People, do you mind if we talk in another room? I don't feel so comfortable in the same office." Alfren stated as I looked at Jack who beckoned me to him. He explained that the tomboy, her father, and this Flaming family are related. The two sisters with their brother. Sylvia was the victim, her sister Camilla and the brother Brad Flaming who had a six-year-old daughter were all looking grim. Among them, some new faces were there too. Nicholas Anderson previously mentioned to be Camilla's husband and they were childless, and a fellow doctor who was Brad's mate, I believe.

Apparently, Jack had noticed the girl and the old man at the Gamers zone yesterday when I thought I was the only one who had. He called them here without informing the three clients here. His name on the badge read 'Dr. Simon Johnson'.

There were way too many people here so maybe Alfren just wanted a much free environment. Or maybe he has something planned. This so-called genius...

We moved to another room where Jack was the one interrogating and Alfren was merely filling in as an investigator for help. There was a rule of separate questioning i.e. each one will take turns to answer separately in the room to obtain a clear image of the sequences. I was made to stand as a guard at the door, though inside the room. The first one to be questioned was Robert Flaming, the old man who was the father of the three and grandfather of the little girl called Samantha.

This room was not too cold nor too hot. But it was considerably small. There was an observation mirror to Al's opposite and to Jack's right while a table separated the suspect and the investigator from direct contact. The chair faced Jack and Al had a notebook ready. As the old man sat down, Al got ready.

I was sure this is gonna be boring so I picked up a book that was a manual about telling a culprit to emit the truth. The manual suggested that the suspect should be seated in an uncomfortable chair, out of reach of any controls like light switches or thermostats, furthering his discomfort and setting up a feeling of dependence. A one-way mirror was supposed to be an ideal addition to the room because it apparently increases the suspect's anxiety and allows other detectives to watch the process and help the interrogator figure out which techniques are working and which aren't.

Oh, great. This is good. Jack began to question.

"When did Miss. Sylvia Flaming go missing and where were you at that time?" he asked, meditatively and keeping steady eye contact with the old man.

Whoa, his personality suddenly transformed. Detectives sure are scary. The old man breathed and replied, "When Camilla called her, Sylvie just messaged she's busy. She was missing for two days. But she had just been out of reach. We will be able to track her down, right, detective?" The old man replied, coughing a little.

"We will find out what we can do based on the answers we get. OK, now. Why had Miss. Camilla called her? Why do you think Sylvia was missing? Was there someone chasing after her or was it office-work burden?" Jack frowned, as Alfren scribbled down something.

"There....was a problem in our family...." He began and from what he said, I concluded this. The two sisters never got along. Camilla, the elder daughter had also pursued a career in the police field but couldn't achieve what she wanted but Sylvia was selected by the director of BPRO. Even though this was a very recent agency, she was thrilled and decided to work for her dreams. But there was Samantha, the little tomboy whose parents had divorced. The old man's son, Brad, and the father of Samantha had been fighting with his ex-wife for court custody. Brad knew he wouldn't be able to win the case but he tried his best to and finally he succeeded in producing documents that claim he was a better parent and Sylvia was asked to give the documents to a good detective so she had thought she'd go to the BPRO but she went missing for two days.

"Well, do you think she's alive or dead since there's no news of her?" Al needled as Ashley knocked and entered with a bowl of fruits and a pen-knife. What is she doing bringing a weapon in this investigation room? She sighed and reaching Jack whispered something which I probably couldn't hear. There was a silent breeze blowing near my ear...I want to go home now.

I excused myself for the bathroom and got out of the clutches of this interrogation. I got in the Men's Room and when I came back to the wash-basin, I saw the black cat from the previous morning under it. It stared at me and climbed up to the basin. It purred and looked at me. I smiled and stroked its neck. I didn't fancy cats or animals as such but they were better than clowns or humans. It meowed softly. I narrowed my eyes and suddenly reached for my bag, pulled out my notebook and pen. I scribbled something without meaning to and stopped.

'I'm hungry.'

Am I? Even if I'm, why did I have to write it? I laughed at my own silliness and put the book back in my bag. The cat meowed again. I blinked and reached for a cookie inside my bag. It was hungry...huh. I fed the crumbs to the cat as it purred happily before running away due to a noise in the background. Henry entered the bathroom. Oh. Kid, you chased the cat away.

I got a call and Martha asked me when was I gonna return. I said I wasn't sure but soon. The notebook in which I had written in just now made me wonder what had made me write it.

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