The Missing Link

018. Anonymous Client

Not long after, Zane returned home from the hospital, the doctor's words still echoing in his mind.

"I need rest now," he muttered, glancing at the clock as he stepped into the flat. The room, though still in disarray, looked slightly less chaotic than yesterday.

He set his bag down in his bedroom, then scanned the flat, half-expecting signs of his flatmate, Raine, whom he suspected had been up to something questionable when he'd arrived home at midnight.

Unlike last night, he returned just past eleven after the quick checkup at St. Luke's. He checked the study—empty. The bathroom doors stood open, lights off, and her bed was unlocked. Concern gnawing at him, he peeked inside, only to find Raine at last asleep, wrapped in her warm, white blanket, snug up to her shoulders.

"Finally," he murmured, then headed back to his room to change.

The following day brought another midday break at Nueva Aurora University. Zane had just wrapped up his first class with the second-year Science majors, and now he and Raine were seated together at a four-seat table in the teachers' cafeteria.

"Genetically modified organisms," Raine began after her first bite of menudo and rice. Her long-sleeved pink shirt matched the shade of her tumbler. "Designer babies."

"What are you mumbling about?" Zane asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Huh?" Raine blinked, startled, as though snapped out of her memory palace. She hadn't realized he'd overheard.

"You were just mumbling away," Zane replied with a grin. "And here I thought I was the one with the worst memory between us."

"Oh, that? Just a bit of curiosity," Raine replied, her gaze drifting toward Zane's beef steak and brown rice. "How is it you've got better food than me?"

"Picked this up from the canteen down the road," Zane said, taking a bite.

"Oh, I'm envious of you, Mr. Nuñez," Raine teased.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You seem so carefree," she replied. "Just floating along, even with that knack for procrastination, while I've got a thousand things buzzing around in my head."

"Well, as a medical man, I'd recommend therapy—or at least avoiding what drags you down," Zane replied with a slight smirk.

"Anyway, I've got a new case! Care to come?" Raine's eyes sparkled as a grin spread across her face.

"I heard something!" came a voice from afar. Both turned to see Andrea, clad in her 'wash day' attire—a black gypsy top paired with a fitted black skirt. It was Wednesday, the one day each week when students and staff could wear casual clothes while their uniforms were laundered. Carrying a styrofoam food container in a blue plastic bag, Andrea strode over to Raine's right.

Raine forced a smile, casting a knowing look at Zane, as if to say, Here we go again.

"I heard something about a case," Andrea chimed in as she sat down and unpacked her food. "I might come with you if Mr. Nuñez decides to pass."

"Andrea, didn't see you around yesterday," Zane remarked.

"Had an unexpected emergency back home," she replied, catching Raine's gaze as it lingered curiously on her.

Concealer barely masking the dark circles, rumpled clothing, lipstick a shade bolder than usual, and just a hint of her kalachuchi flower tattoo peeking from her left shoulder, Raine noted, her thoughts sharp and observant.

"I hope everything's all right now," Zane offered, but his words trailed off as he noticed Raine's suspicious, perhaps slightly irritated, expression.

"The case I mentioned isn't what you think, Ms. Mercado," Raine said, her tone firm.