Cases Uncovered

44 | Discombobulated

"Brainy's the new sexy."

- Irene Adler

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Chapter 44:
Discombobulated

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RAINE

"After you're gone," she added, pointing the gun at my head, "I'll take care of your cowardly friend next!"

I wanted to move, to snatch his weapon, to do anything to thwart his plans. But I couldn't.

"Who are you?!" I shouted.

"I thought you knew me?" My eyes widened as I heard a voice that, though unfamiliar, left a strange pang in my chest.

"It's nice to meet you again, Lorraine Adriella De Verra," she continued.

From a corner of the parking lot, I saw a shadowy figure approaching, hidden behind a truck parked near Zane.

"Oh! You've got a toy in your bag, haven't you? A TDG-2019, perhaps?" she said playfully. "It seems you're just as pleased to see me again."

A Tranquilizer Dart Gun Model 2019. She got that!

Without hesitation, I reached into my trousers and pulled it out. There she stood: a woman in her late thirties or early forties, dressed entirely in red — from her lipstick and dress to her high heels and even the tips of her black hair.

"Hello!" She greeted me in a calm, kind voice. "Did you miss me, sweetie?"

Where had I seen her before? Those eyes... Where have I seen them?

"Perhaps you've forgotten — correction, chosen to forget me," she said, pouting and stopping in her tracks. I kept the dart gun trained on her, ready for whatever might come.

"If you fire that," she said, resuming her walk towards Zane, who still held the gun, trembling, "there'll be worse consequences, won't there, Zane?"

"What do you want?"

"Isn't it obvious?" she replied. "I've shown you just a fraction of what I get up to in this miserable place. It's merely a taste."

Who is this woman?

"You know, we're alike, Ms. De Verra. We both like helping others, even when those around us say it's wrong," she mused.

"Helping?" I whispered to myself.

"Could you give me something new to focus on? It's been a while since I felt joy," she asked, almost echoing someone else's words.

Then it dawned on me — she might be behind all the cases that had surfaced after my year in hiding.

"Could you help me prove to my siblings that I'm worthy of their love?" I said, recalling the recent Tan case.

"Nice! Bingo!" she exclaimed.

"Could you advise me on how to forget that accident?" I continued, recalling a conversation with a retired officer.

When my sister Elizabeth left, I paused my investigations. I focused on what I could do alone — excelling in my final high school years, writing novels, and more. I returned to detective work when my cousin George took on a challenging case — my first encounter with a serial killer.

"You see, Rainie? We're alike," she said with a smile. "We're only remembered when others are desperate."

"What did you do to them?" I asked, trying to hide my fear behind a serious expression.