14

I kept dodging Kevin after he saw me smoke. It's good that he's not pressing for answers, but I can feel his eyes piercing through me.

He's still a bit unfocused, but at least he recalls his past interviews. Hopefully, we can get a lead. It's already late but we're still stuck at the station. I kept tabs on Jason to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid.

I was on my phone when Andrew spoke...

"Zamira...a word,"

He calmly walked out of the room and I followed, Kevin is still busy piecing together his notes from the missing person's case he had three years ago.

"What?" I asked calmly as we got into the corner.

"Shouldn't we tell him about the video? If Chance is apprehended we might stop him now." Andrew said. I know he wants to close the case but I really can't wrap my head around the idea that it is Chance.

"I don't know... I'm scared of what Kevin can do... or what Chance can do." I replied and looked down.

"Mari... I know this is hard for you... especially now that you grew fond of them. But... this is not you... the Zamira I know is different."

"But I'm not Zamira now... Am I? She's somewhere here..." I lied and tapped my head like Zamira is somewhere there... when in reality, she's already back. But still... It's difficult to accept how things are.

"Za..." he sighs and looks at me with sad eyes. He never showed sadness to me even before. So what changed? Does he still blame himself for what happened to me?

"I'm fine... Let's take it slow. This case will turn this town upside down and we have to be ready for it. Oh by the way... the kid, Jason. Can you make sure that there's an eye on him? I'm afraid that he might fall victim to what we did in the storage unit" I replied and looked him in the eye.

"Okay, I'll ask Andrew to have someone watch Jason. But you should really tell him something about the video. He's a smart one. It'd be a shame to see him lose himself." Andrew talked like it was mostly meant for me and not for Kevin.

I simply nodded and dragged myself back to the office. Kevin is still hunched over the table taking down names and details.

"It's late. We should rest." I suggested while tapping Kevin's shoulders.

"I'm fine. You go ahead, you might still be tired after going through the storage unit." Kevin replied coldly. I was surprised by his coldness but at the same time, I felt guilty about it.

"I'm sorry again for lying," I replied and just moved away from him. Andrew looked at me a bit worried. But I managed to smile.

"I better go then," I said and whispered in Andrew's ears. "Jason's surveillance, don't forget."

Andrew nodded. I closed the door behind me and left the boys behind. Instead of going home straight, I went to the park for a walk. It's relatively late but there are still people walking around since the night market is still open.

"I sat by the bench overlooking the park lake." My thoughts are muddled by everything that's going on.

"Mari? What are you doing here?" A familiar voice spoke. A chill ran down my spine.

"Ch-Chance! It's rare to see you walk at night." I replied masking my nervousness with a smile. He sat next to me. He smelled like fresh coffee beans.

"Well, I heard about the fire and that you were called to the station with Jason. I was worried because you didn't pick up my calls." He spoke worriedly but at the same time with relief.

"Yeah, I went to the storage unit because someone named it under my name. We explored but found nothing." I replied and leaned my head on the bench.

Chance seemed tense after I mentioned it but regained composure.

"You do know that that's how shit goes wrong in movies right? You should have told me so I went with you." Chance said and leaned closer to me.

I chuckled and looked at him. His face is mere inches from mine.

"I'm fine. Jason was with me." I replied. His face suddenly turned into a frown.

"And why Jason of all people? What if he hurts you?" he spoke seriously.

"And why would he hurt me? Because he's Alexandra's sister?" I replied quite shocked by his comment.

"What if he takes out his anger on you. Mari, it wasn't that long since they cremated Alexandra. His wounds are still fresh." Chance said... this time I can see anger... combined with the awful light from the lamp, his features are darker than usual.

"He's just a kid who wants justice for his sister. Please don't take it the wrong way." I replied and sighed.

Chance sighed in resignation.

"You have a kind heart. Be careful... that heart might get broken," he replied and leaned his head on my shoulder.

It sounded like he's sending me a message.

After a few minutes of just sitting and small chats, we finally decided to go home.

"Why do you keep on doing this?" Kevin suddenly spoke when I closed the door.

I turned to him and saw his disheveled hair. His tie is loose and the three buttons of his shirt are open, exposing a toned chest. His breathing's fast and a smell of alcohol escapes from him.

"Kevin... are you drunk?" I asked.

"Why? Why do you keep doing this?" He asked again. He moved closer to me so I backed up a little.

"What are you talking about?" I asked. He kept moving towards me that I felt my back against the wall.

He then placed one of his arms against the wall cornering me.

"How can you trust them over me?" He asked. Here we go again with trust.

"I trust you too, Kev. I'm just scared that it's a false lead. It was a lead Jason found so I went with him. Please don't feel bad." I replied. My heart was pounding so hard.

"And Andrew?" he asked. His voice was coarse.

"He's my superior... As Zamira Yamada that is." I replied. My instincts tell me he won't let go easily. He looked at me with misty eyes.

"And Chance?"

"He's a friend," I replied.

"Friend? Is a late-night date really for friends? Why were you with him?" his voice was angry.

"What?!" I asked...

"I saw you...with him... Do you like him?" Kevin leaned closer his eyes are still focused on me.

"Why are you doing this to me?" he asked and grabbed me on the shoulders hard.

"Zamira... I think I have fallen in love with you... And it hurts me when you're with them."

His soft yet coarse voice muttered those words as he hugged me tightly.