Lost in the Past

Chapter 2

Stella's Point of View :-

"OH MY GOD !!!!!"..........

The entire house was in a shattered state. The furniture's broken, show pieces thrown in all directions, paintings lying on the floor. 

OH GOD WHERE IS GRANDMA....?

"Grandma..... Grandma....." I called her while going in each room but she was no where. I panicked, then I went to check in the living room and what I saw shook me completely.

"Oh no... no... this can't happen. Not again..." I cried in despair. Grandma was lying on the floor in the puddle of blood. I quickly went on my knees and checked on her nerve. I tried to wake her up but she didn't respond. She had left me. She too left like the rest of my family did. Why ? Why God ? Why me ? I cried and cried. I don't know why did someone kill her ? What wrong had she done to deserve such a brutal thing. And then I heard a bell ring. Who was it ? Maybe the murderers. Maybe they had decided to return back and kill me too. Oh god what am I going to do now ?

Franklin's Point of View :-

Stella was a great company. Although she was a bit hesitant initially but after sometime she had opened up to me quite a lot and it was great talking to her. It was rare to find a girl like her, who loves her grandmother so much and with such sincerity. 

I had started the ignition and had made sure that she was safely inside. I was taking a right turn on the road, when on the rear view mirror I saw a bag lying on the back seat of the car. Then I remembered it was Stella's and she had forgotten to take it with her. I stopped the car and took a u-turn and started all the way back to her place to return her bag.

I reached there within no time and parked my car in the driveway and went to the door of her house and rung the bell. I saw the door was open slightly,  how careless of her to leave the door open at this hour. 

I stepped inside the house and saw that the whole house was shattered and in a state of shear mess. What if someone had rummaged the entire house or worse, someone had attempted to kill her. My heart skipped a beat at the thought of her getting killed or something bad happening to her.

I took out the pistol I was carrying. Thanks to my profession, I have to be prepared 24/7. I started going in each of the rooms. There wa no sign of her anywhere, then I came to the a room which I guess must be the living room, on entering there, my heart stopped beating. An old lady was lying there dead. She must be Stella's grandmother , I thought. Then where is Stella, I panicked.

"Stella ?" I called her but there was no reply. "Stella are you there ?" I called her again, but this time I heard someone whimpering and crying from somewhere in that room. I followed the voice, it came from behind the sofaset. The scene of her in a totally devastated condition broke my heart. I quickly went to her and enveloped her in my arms. She looked relieved to see me there.

"Shh.... don't,, don't cry." I tried to calm her. She clutched onto me tightly as if her life depended on me. "Everything's going to be alright." I consoled her further patting her back.

She cried and cried, "Nothing's going to be fine. Never ever. They killed my grandma. They took away the most importnt thing from me." She kept crying. "My grandma was innocent. She never didn't do anything wrong with anyone. How could someone kill her ? If they wanted money, they could have taken all of it, but why kill ?" she said totally devastated and broken.

"Stella I understand. But you have to be strong. I know how important she was to you, but you have to think who could have killed her ?" I told her. I had already called the police and they would be arriving at any moment here.

Stella withdrew from me and looked at me, "What do mean ? How do I know who could have killed her ? It has to be some robber, because she had done nothing wrong to anyone ever." she told me looking confused and sad, both at the same time.

I took her hand in mine and looked at her, "Stella. Am sure its more then just a robbery. The way the entire house is rummaged, it shows that the murderers were looking for more then a murder, maybe they were looking for something, which was known only to your grandmother.

Stella looked at me shocked and confused. "Franklin please for god's sake. Don't do puzzles right now. I am not getting what you are saying ?" she said weakly.

I got up and looked around at the living room. "You see whole house is in a state of mess, even the precious silver show pieces are still here." I said pointing to one of the show pieces in the room. "And the paintings are removed from the walls. I'm sure there was something they were desperately looking for. And when your grandma refused to tell them or whatever, they killed her. Because if they just come for robbery, they would have killed a harmless 70 year old, ill lady. 

Stella looked at me with teary eyes and drew in a breath and started cried again. I went to her and tried to comfort her. she cried and cried. She had completely shaken after this incident. Then I heard the police sirens went off and there were footsteps and finally the police came in. I spoke to them. Stella told them everything, right from the incident of her parents death to this morning and when she had returned back home.  The police took her statement and after doing all the necessary things they took the dead body for postmortem and sealed the house for further investigation.

I took her to my place as she had nowhere to go. She had even called up her friend, Kate, they seemed quite close, but Kate lived in the city and it was quite far from where Stella lived. So I offered her to stay at my place for the time being.

"I don't know how to thank you for everything you did for me." said Stella weakly on reaching my place. She looked tierd, as though she had not slept for years. Her eyes were swollen and this sight of her was telling how broken she was. I went upto her and gave her a hug. Initially she looked a bit suprised but then she hugged back and cried and said thank you's. 

"Don't have to thank me. It is my responsibility to help people, being in Investigation bureau. Come now, let go inside and let me show you your room. I live alone here and don't have much of luxuries but I hope you'll be fine." I told her showing her room. 

"Please don't say that. You have already done so much for me." said Stella smiling at him in gratitude.

I lived in a two bedroom apartment. I lived here alone, although I get frequent visits by my sister who lives in New York. She is happily married with two beautiful kids. Now she keeps pestering me to get married too and often embarrasses me by asking awkward questions about my relationship and future plans with the girls, who are my friends, whom she meets . I just hope she doesn't plan on visiting anytime this month, else she's going to take things on other level at seeing a girl living with me. Although I don't mind thinking about a future with a girl as nice as Stella, but it would be too early for me to think anything of this sort about her and moreover she's gone through a lot in her life, and am sure she needs some sort of peace in her life and not any more complications.

We had dinner , I served her whatever was there in the fridge, although she ate very less and kept zoning out. After dinner she had rung up at the hospital, where the body of her grandma was taken and had enquired about the timing when she can get the postmortem reports. I helped her with the booking of graveyard and also spoke to some of my friend's regarding the death ceremony which would take place the next day. 

After that we bid goodnight to each other and she went in her room to sleep. I had some work , so I made calls to my colleagues, then I saw some sports channel on the television and after a while, I ended up sleeping on the couch in the living room only.

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Hey !!

This was the second chapter. I haven't done proof reading on it yet. So avoid the errors, if you find any. Hope you enjoyed it. The story is just building up. 

Keep reading and follow me and fan and vote and comment please..... And read on.. to know, as more secrets would open up !

Thanks !

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K$