Chapter 7: Unfolding The Mystery

Nicholas' palm was at his hand whilst reading Tod's backround.

When Nicholas was about to go outside the window and sneak back in with Tod's files, he decided to take a look around the room before departing.

It turns out this room is also a storage files for history of places, not just people.

He decided to check out what happened to Star Mall, he thought that maybe there was a connection between its past and present situation.

All the people in the city knew that Star-Mall used to be a small cemetery formerly owned by a person named Jake Elrod. It was until Gabriel came that which changed Elrod's life, Gabriel bought the land and wanted to build a mall after it. So they had to take all the buried bodies out of their grave and the families of the decease have to change the burial ground for them. After that, Jake moved out of town and never came back.

He looked for Jake Elrod's files in the room, to see if it was still there. After looking for nearly over an hour, he was surprised that he managed to find it in one drawers and confused that his files was still even there.

He opens the file with caution, trying not to damage the folders ancient, rotten, and extremely fragile envelope. He searched inside the folder to see where does Elrod live now.

He found Jake's location, Elrod was in Nuville City which was over a hundred kilometers away from his town. Nicholas' town where he currently works and lives in is called Zagami city.

Nicholas then thought of an idea to interview the families of the deacease people who were buried before, maybe there was a connection on them and Star Mall. So he searched at more drawers and racks to anything that can help him in his plan. The sun was about to sleep, so he needed to be quick and try not to be locked inside the building.

Nicholas was then gifted by being very fortunate, he was able to find another folder containing the names and families of the people who used to be buried in the cemetery. But there was a down side to that, he wasn't able to find the locations of those families. He needed to think of a plan to be able to locate them.

Nicholas had the names of the deceased, the name of the doctors who took care of them, and as well as a few family members. He pondered for any ideas and suddenly, his lightbulb lit. Nicholas thought of personally interviewing the doctors. He needed to find some of doctors on the list, but he knew a friend that can help him.

He managed to find a bag under the table's drawer, he took it and slowly puts the files inside of it, he hangs the strap over the back of his arm. He carefully grabs the window by the frame and slowly makes his way outside trying not to fall to his death.

He moved his bag to his stomach area and he slowly crouched over the pipe, slowly and carefully going back to the bathroom window.

He looked over inside the window trying to see if someone was there, he quickly tries to get inside and manages to do it successfully.

His breathe and heart rate increase as he walks by downstairs. As he was trying to leave the building, he saw John over the office seeming like working on something else. Nicholas realized that his plan was a terrible one, but there was no other choice. He looked away from John and walked straight out of the exit and headed over to his car tha was parked on the other side of the street.

He unlocks the car by pressing the button in his key. He opens the driver seat door, he sat down and threw the bag at the backseat of the car.

He slowly drives away from the station and chose to head over to Lucas' house, he knew that Lucas has a step-sister who is a nurse. So he thought that his sister might be able to help him find atleast some of the doctors on the list he found.

Nicholas stopped and parked his car in the public lot, during the middle of the evening, just outside Lucas' small public apartment building. He leaves his driver's seat door and opens the one behind him, he grabs the bag by the strap and he starts marching over to Lucas' building.

There were wrappers of used items rolling on the ground as he was approaching the ivory shade of white on the dirty stairs.

Nicholas arrived in the front of Lucas' doorstep with a bag of files on his back, containing any possible evidence about Tod's case and on StarMall.

He gave the door a gentle, benign knock and waited for Lucas to answer it and let him inside his humble home.

Lucas answered the door and he let Nicholas in his house, without a question because he was his friend. Lucas proceeds to ask Nicholas why did he came over at his apartment for.

Nicholas said his intentions, he was seeking for some doctors based on the file he found on the police station. He asks Lucas to ask his sister if she knows atleast some of the doctors on the list of deaceased people he found, that used to take care of them.

Lucas agreed confidentiality, but he knew the only way to talk to one of those doctors was to be a parient, a nurse, a fellow doctor, or a detective. Nicholas already had a plan in mind, he said to Lucas to tell his sister that he was a detective working through a private case. Lucas liked the idea very much, that he can't stop smiling.

Although police can detect the adresses of a crime witnesses. Nicholas was not a police officer anymore so this wasn't going to be easy for him, but this was not quite hard for him because he still has his police uniform tucked away in a box at his home.

Lucas called his sister, her name is Delilah Hitson. Lucas asked her if he knew some of the doctors that he was about to mention.

Lucas called all the names of doctors in the list one by one, and it turns out only six out of the twenty-seven doctors he mentioned where working at that hospital she's also working at.

Delilah then asked why was he looking for so many doctors, Lucas told her that his friend was a detective and he was looking for a few possible witnesses, he said he just wanted to help his friend.

Delilah was an open friendly person, so she further said to him was to just let his friend in the hospital tomorrow and she would introduce the doctors to him. Lucas puts his ear away on the phon and told Nicholas about the idea, Nicholas admired the plan and agrees upon it. Lucas went back to the phone call and answers, "My friend says sure" and he adds "If he come over there tomorrow, his name is Nicholas Dagro". Delilah answered gracefully and hung up.

After having Nicholas' plan set up in action, he departed from Lucas' home with the bag of files he stole. As Lucas was about to close his door on Nicholas, he thanked Lucas for helping him and being a trusting friend to him. Lucas chuckles and answered with respect at Nicholas, he closed his door after that.

Nicholas went back to his car seat and drove over back to his house.

He arrives at the front of his home, he parked his car in his yard and got out with his bag he carried using his back.

He opens the door to his humble abode using the keys at the bottom of his pocket. He turns the knob on the door and unfold it while giving a slow creak. The first thing his eye caught when he entered the door was Bellamy preparing a dinner for them, like she usually does.

Nicholas and Bellamy are still arguing about his job on StarMall. Even so, while Nicholas put his not-so new bag in his study chair in the living room, Bellamy still was feeling bad for him and he called him over to eat.

Bellamy noticed the new bag Nicholas had out down in the backrest of the chair, she asked him when did he bought that bag after inviting him over to eat. Nicholas can't tell his wife that he stole it, they might get seperated from their years of marriage. So he told her that he bought that bag just today on a thrift store, which makes sense for the holes on top of it and as well as the dust wrapped around it.

Nicholas also felt bad her for, so he decided to take a chair and sit down with her for dinner.

They started eating together without another word, the only thing they can hear was the scrape of the utensils on the plates and the air coming out of their vents.

There was total silence while they were eating, until Bellamy first opened out and said that maybe she was being a little to over-protective on Nicholas.

Bellamy finally got out of his fear on Nicholas, she realized that he was strong enough to protect himself and even others. Nicholas was getting overwhelmed over the fact that Bellamy accepted him for what he wants.

Nicholas was so gratified that he wasn't able to contain it, he stood over to Bellamy and gave her an ecstatic embrace.

After having a wonderful supper, Nicholas volunteered to wash the dishes and cleaned the table.

After cleaning after themselves, they both climbed upstairs and went to bed. Nicholas was smiling the whole time until he saw that the bed was out of order, he always fixes the bed every morning which confused Nicholas. Bellamy claimed that she slept after lunch, which Nichola's understood.

Only Sofia, Joshua, and Daniel were left to guard the mall during the night for the rest of the week, so Gabriel also requested the police to help them do their job since they were out numbered.

After that night, there were two missing persons reported by the police. This moment made the case slightly more believeable, but it still wasn't enough evidence to them.

After that week, there was a funeral for Michael, all of his co-workers and Gabriel as well, have came over at the burial of Michael.

They were all wearing white and black, and the day was bright and porcelain. An hour has passed, the skies started to leak, after the ceremony they all decided to went home.

Even if Nicholas wasn't able to properly meet the person who died, he felt bad and he didn't deserve that.

There were talks about some of the security guards already resigning from Star Mall due to the rising news of murders.