Tales of the Dead

SIXTEEN

(LOGAN)

I found myself standing at Maya Kaloyan's door. Again. This time, bleeding a little less. But also far more concerned. So, I knocked once. And then again. And one more time. I knocked a million times and had the same response to all of them: None.

She should have opened the door. Because I needed to keep telling myself that nothing had happened yet. That Jack hadn't gotten the time to get to her.

So, since she wouldn't open, I decided to force it open and let myself in.

If she was indeed okay, then I was gonna get my ass kicked for that. And then sued. For harassment and trespassing. That sounded about right. And I was kind of hoping for it, honestly, because that sounded like the best case scenario. It sure as hell was way better than the alternative. That being the scenario where she wasn't okay, and where I couldn't do shit to help her.

After breaking the doorknob, the door swung open in front of me, a loud thud sounding when it hit the wall. I walked inside the silent place expecting the worst. But everything seemed to be in place, and it smelled like her. It smelled like stubbornness, nosiness and confidence. And I guess sunflowers, too. Everything around me fit her personality, and I wanted to punch myself for noticing that. 

I searched every inch of every room trying to find Maya, but there was absolutely no sign of her. She wasn't home. But that didn't have to mean anything. Maybe she was working, Yes. She had to be at work. It was four o'clock on a Wednesday.

As I stepped back outside, I called the precinct and sent some uniforms over to watch her place and search the neighborhood. Not only that but I also needed to call someone to replace her lock. I was gonna have a lot of explaining to do once I found her. Mainly to tell her why her key wouldn't be working anymore.

Since it hadn't been that long since I'd seen the bastard at his house, there was still a possibility that he'd show up at Maya's. There was still the possibility that Jack didn't have her just yet. And to prove that, I had to check if she was at work.

During the whole drive to Maya's workplace, my head was a mess. There was so much I needed to know. And no matter how hard I hit the gas pedal, it felt like I was only moving slower. 

Was she okay? Had she run and hid from him? Had he even got to her yet? And why her? What was so special about her to Jack? Did she have any relationship with any of his previous victims? Did she ever cross paths with him or do something worthy of being next?

Fuck.

I turned off the sirens in my car as I stopped it right in front of the building, noticing as people stared and whispered in the ear of whoever walked with them.

I guess it's not every day they get to see an unmarked police car abruptly stopping in front of their workplace. Maybe it's the most interesting thing their lives had ever seen, I don't know. Either way, I couldn't relate.

I barged inside the tall glass doors and gazed around, desperately trying to find a familiar face. Her familiar face. Trying to find her business smile, which would immediately be replaced by an obvious eye-roll once she'd notice I was there. But I didn't find her. Instead, I had to settle for the receptionist I had once seen before.

'Excuse me,' I started as I approached the front desk, holding my badge up for her to see. I could see in her eyes that she remembered me from the first time I set foot in that place. 'N.Y.P.D.'

'What can I help you with, Detective?' she asked with a polite smile.

'Where can I find Maya Kaloyan?'