Memory Mirage

Past memories

Date: 29/5/2024

Time: 10:30 am

I walked towards the main office to meet Mr. Caleb personally to tell him everything. I was about to knock on the door, but someone opened it. A tall person stood in front of me, and it was none other than Mr. Caleb's personal assistant, Aiden John. He never liked me for some reason. His eyes narrowed, and he looked at me as if I were some rotten product. I gave him a small smile before going inside. He ignored me and left the room. I glared at him before turning to face Mr. Caleb, who was clearly not in a good mood.

"Why didn't you contact me yesterday?" he asked, wearing a stoic expression. I gulped and started to organize the words I needed to say.

"Sir, I did what I thought was best at that moment," I replied. I paused to gauge his reaction; as expected, he was clearly displeased. I sat down to explain everything in detail. After I finished explaining the whole situation, he asked, "Felix, where is the girl right now?"

His question made me think harder. I wasn't sure how to respond. She could be the murderer and playing innocent, but it could also be something different.

"She's in the hospital, unconscious. Yesterday she collapsed after I asked her a few questions. She was in bad condition and—" I trailed off as Mr. Caleb spoke up.

"Are you sure she's not pretending to be innocent?"

I was speechless for a moment but gathered the courage to speak up again. "No, she was not acting," I said, shaking my head in disagreement. I felt guilty for lying, but there was something I needed to check before Mr. Caleb gave me instructions I couldn't deny.

"I see... well, I trust you, Felix," he said, looking at me with a reassuring expression. Now feeling even more guilty, I looked down and nodded.

"Regarding this case, there's some information I have collected. Look into it yourself," he stated as he handed me two files.

"Alright, sir!" I said confidently.

________________________

Time: 11:30 am

Sitting on a bench outside the office while checking the files feels like I'm some detective in a movie. I've done this before, but this is a real murder case. Previously, I only investigated some paranormal events in this town.

As I went through the files, I realized how loving the Barber family was. Apparently, they had a maid, Amy Hart. Although she wasn't present at the time of the incident, she was there in the morning.

"Hmm, I see..." I mumbled, turning to the next page. Selena has an uncle who lives in the same neighborhood, Evander Petric.

Suddenly, I heard an annoying laugh. I had a feeling who it was, but I turned to confirm. Percy was having a conversation with his lady colleagues. As always, because of his looks, he got the attention. He's blonde with a pair of blue eyes. He's like a main character, but his only flaw is that he's really dumb and can't take anything seriously. He would even joke about how there's no fun in a funeral.

While he was talking to them, he noticed me staring at him from afar, as if I was waiting for one of those ladies to slap his face. Despite our contrasting personalities, we get along well because he takes my insults as jokes. Finally, he finished gossiping, so I stood up and walked towards him.

"Thought I would have to wait another hour for you to finish your chit-chat," I said.

He laughed and punched me on the shoulder. "Watcha doing, man? Have you gotten out of your depressed state?"

I raised my eyebrow and glared at him. "No, because I was never depressed. Also, listen, there's something we have to investigate, so let's get the car first."

He nodded, and we both left the main office.

"Huhhh? She's in the hospital and hasn't regained consciousness?" he exclaimed in shock as I awkwardly nodded.

"Bro, what if she's dead?"

I glared at him to make him shut up. I sighed and calmly spoke, "She will be alright... but I have to ask you something. Did I ever tell you about someone named Selena?"

He stopped the car and slowly turned my way. His expression clearly indicated that something was wrong.

"Selena...? The girl you met at the hospital three years ago while visiting Ms. Gabriella Wilson?"

My eyes widened as I suddenly remembered something. Past memories ran through my mind, and her face flashed by.

"That's right..." I muttered before my face lit up. I grabbed Percy's shirt and looked at him with a huge grin on my face. "That's right!! Selena. I have met her before. She was there while I was solving my first case."

Percy looked confused, but he also smiled, watching my excitement.

After explaining everything to him, Percy nodded and looked a bit more serious.

"I see... so are you sure you can untangle this whole case?"

I smiled slightly before nodding. "I'll try my best."

Percy seemed somewhat pleased but soon changed his expression to one of nervousness. He hesitated before speaking again. "Mr. Caleb told me something unreal yesterday... he said that there were more cases like this he had encountered before in his town. But all of them had one similarity: they were mostly suicides." He gulped before looking at me. "You know, when that incident happened, no one was there except her family. Nobody entered or left the house. Do you think it could be something other than a serial killer...?"

I looked disturbed but also excited by this information. Nevertheless, I had to look into it.

"Now that you mention it, before Selena collapsed, she said someone had been watching her... although she couldn't seem to remember who."

We both looked at each other before Percy laughed it off. "Oh, it'll be alright once she wakes up and tells us the real identity of the murderer."

In my mind, I thought, "But she doesn't even remember anything... but I can't tell him that."

I laughed and spoke in agreement, "Yes, that's right..."

If you guys love this chapter then support me by voting!
Thank you so much for reading<33