The Hidden Toxin ✔(#6 in the Our Side of The Dice Series)

Chapter 16: Thorough Interrogation

Ebun doesn't answer Sean for some minutes. She's pondering on which question to ask first because she has a few. There is so much information to process. Everyone in the room is quiet, waiting on Ebun to talk.

"I have questions to ask, and my first question is... Why does everyone here, including you, speak English so fluently? I get that most people have back ancestry, but most of you have Russian names and have stayed in this country for a long time, and I thought Russians speak Russian as their first language."

Sean stares at Ebun in disbelief. She couldn't possibly be asking a question like this after all the more important things he'd said. He is so shocked that he doesn't know when a snort escapes his lips. Ebun is wondering what's so funny about her question that is very much necessary. Communication with Miss. Mariyah at the hostel was difficult. It was only thanks to Viktoriya that she could understand some of the words she said.

"The answer isn't far-fetched at all. At a point in our lives, we've either had to travel out of Russia, deal with criminals that speak English, work with a staff and a school that primarily speaks English and Besides, we are in Moscow — a city with the highest number of English-speaking residents."

"Okay then. Here goes my next question. You walked into this room with this blue overall, and no one reacted to it. No one asked you any questions or mocked you for looking strange. Does that mean that they are used to seeing you like this? Does it mean that you do this often? Do you recruit many other people like me into this barracks?"

Sean's jaw twitches slightly. He didn't expect her to grill him with questions like this.

"No. I've been looking for a woman to take home and introduce to my parents, but I'm not that desperate. Also, this isn't my first time showing up in the barracks with overalls because we work hand in hand with First Moscow Medical State University, as I said earlier, so it's not hard for me to make use of one of the school's bus. I've used the school bus to drive a few criminals to the venue of their death. The school authorities were even aware of the students I picked up earlier this morning, so there's nothing shady."

Ebun squints her eyes, pouts her lips, then nods her head. "I get it. I have another question to ask, though." she stares deeply into his eyes like they are the only pair present in the room—such enchanting, beautiful eyes.

"Okay, go on—"

"But privately, " Ebun cuts in.

Sean rubs the stubble on his chin as he gives Ebun a look that could make imaginary question marks visible. "Hmm. Let's go outside then."

***

"I made a crucial deal with the daughter of Mrs. Mariyah, the old woman you met this morning, " Ebun dips her hand in her pocket as she strolls around the fields with Sean, who is still wondering what she was on about. "Her daughter's name is Viktoriya. She is a student of First Moscow State Medical University and a rape victim. The perpetrator is a postgraduate student in his mid-thirties with a kink for girls who wear lace panties. They don't necessarily wear lace panties on a normal day, but he makes them wear it before raping them."

"Okay? So? Does the perpetrator still come around the school premises? When did this incident occur?" Sean fires the questions. He still seems a bit uninterested.

"About a year ago. About the first question, " Ebun itches her temple nervously. "I forgot to ask her, so I don't know."

"That's super important because if he hasn't been around the school premises since the incident happened, then we have no power to kill him. It's risky."

"She's not his only victim, though!" Ebun argues. She's slightly annoyed by the damn rules. "He's raped a few other innocent girls, and there's no way the school authorities won't know about his case in one way or the other. We should bring his case to book whether he comes around or not!"