Murder and Other Things

Gina's eyes skimmed through the news article that was before her. The smiling face of her former fiancee, Alec, stared back at her along with the picture of a murder victim. According to the article, the victim was his colleague and she was found dead in her apartment with a small incision on her wrist. The ring that she had always worn was the only item that was reported missing. She was tied, gagged and had bled to death with a message written on the mirror, "I will always find you." The same way his girlfriend had been found almost 8 months back.

The article stated that Alec was a suspect. He was the only common thread between them both. When his girlfriend was found dead, he was interrogated as the victim's boyfriend and the person who had found her body. But now he was a potential suspect and could face prison sentence if he was found to be guilty.

"Do you think he would have done it?", Kendra asked.
Gina yelped in surprise before looking at her sister.
"How many times have I told you to not sneak up on me?", Gina asked exasperated. Kendra shrugged in response before continuing, "So, what do you think?"
Gina stayed silent before whispering, "He wouldn't have."

*****

Alec's eyes widened in recognition as he spotted Gina and Kendra in the bus stop. Gina gave him a wave when their eyes met. He quickly bid farewell to the blonde haired girl he was walking with and made his way towards the sisters.

"Hi", he muttered. Kendra greeted him and moved a few feet away from them to give them privacy.
"How are you?", Gina asked him softly.
"I'm holding up", he replied with a shrug.
They talked for a few minutes before Alec left. As he turned to leave, he stopped and looked at Gina. "About the murders, I didn't-"
Gina cut him off before he could finish, "I know Alec. I trust you."
"Thank you Gina."
His voice was vulnerable but also sounded grateful. Grateful that atleast one person believed him completely.

He gave one final nod and walked away. Gina watched him till he disappeared from sight. Kendra nudged her slightly, alerting her of her presence and also of their arriving bus.

Things had ended between Alec and Gina a long time ago. But that didn't mean she didn't care about him. She would always love him. She sighed, gave one final glance towards the way that Alec had disappeared and boarded the bus.

*****

She struggled against the ropes. Her mouth was gagged and she looked at her tormentor with fear and disgust.

As she faded into oblivion, her captor wrote the message on the mirror, took her chain, gave her one final glance and slipped out of the room.

*****

Gina looked at the picture of the latest victim in the murder spree. She was the same blonde haired girl that she had seen Alec with 4 days ago. She frowned at the article and shut her laptop with a grimace.

After spending what felt like forever lost in her own thoughts, Gina was startled when Kendra burst into her room. "Don't mind me. I just want to borrow your headphones. Where is it?", Kendra asked in a single breath.
Gina shook her head to clear her thoughts and asked her to look in the bottom drawer.

Kendra whistled as she rummaged through the drawer. Suddenly she stopped whistling and froze. "Gina? What is this?", she asked.
Gina walked towards her sister and looked over Kendra's shoulder.
Kendra held a set of pictures in hand - mutilated pictures of Alec with Samara and Briana, his murdered girlfriend and colleague.

Gina gasped in shock. Kendra whirled to face her sister with a pained expression.
"Kendra, I don't know how those pictures came here. They are not mine. I really don't know what they are doing in my room", Gina was overcome with fear and shock that she kept repeating the same thing.
"If these pictures don't belong to you, then who put them here Gina?"
"I don't know. It's not me. What is happening?", Gina whispered.

"I think it's best if we call the cops", Kendra muttered.
Gina was shaking uncontrollably. Had someone broken in? And if so, who?
Gina took a step towards Kendra to get the pictures and look at them again but Kendra flinched back. Gina was confused by her sister's action before it dawned on her. Kendra was afraid of her. Surely she wouldn't believe that Gina was responsible for the murders, would she?

"Kendra, you are not suspecting me, are you?"
"I don't know."
"Kendra?", Gina's voice quivered.
"I know it was hard for you after mum and dad died. Alec filled that space with his love and affection. I know that you still love him but this is really messed up", Kendra said frustrated.

Gina couldn't believe her ears. She was frozen in shock. It was only when Kendra raised her phone to her ear that Gina realised that she was calling the cops. She immediately sprang into action and knocked the phone from her sister's hand.

"Please don't do it", Gina pleaded with her sister.
"Even if you didn't do anything, we should report it to the cops Gina."
"I know. But if you don't believe me, then who will?"
"Do you want Alec to go to prison then? For crimes that you have committed?", Kendra asked.

"I told you that I didn't do it. Stop staying that I did", Gina growled and pushed her sister.
Kendra tumbled back and fell on the ground and the box of photos scattered around her. A chain and two rings fell along with the pictures.

Gina was momentarily distracted by the new contents on the floor while Kendra ran out of the room. Gina chased after her and caught upto her as she reached the stairs. As they argued and struggled against each other, Kendra lost her balance and fell down the stairs. Gina looked in horror as her sister tumbled down. She hurried towards her sister and cradled her in her arms.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do this. Wake up. Please", she sobbed shaking her sister's limp body. She didn't hear the front door being broken down. She didn't resist when the cops pulled her away. While her sister was loaded into the back of an ambulance, she was lead towards a police car. Tears streamed down her face as she kept repeating, "I'm sorry. "

*****

Kendra regained consciousness in the hospital a few hours later. Other than having a concussion and a broken arm, she was fine. She gave her statement to the cops. Alec had finished the procedure in the station and had rushed to the hospital. He still couldn't believe that Gina was responsible for the murders.

*****

Gina was kept in a holding cell while the cops interrogated her. She was still in shock at the situation she was in and had barely managed to answer their questions. She didn't understand what was going on around her. She didn't commit the murders. But she didn't have any idea on who did and had framed her. She was told that the rings and the chain had belonged to the 3 victims and her fingerprint was found on all of them. Almost everyone was convinced that she had committed the murders. She didn't even know who to call and ask for help.

As she hugged herself and rocked back and forth in her cell, she realised something. The cops had come to her house. Kendra couldn't have called them. Gina had knocked the phone from her hand before she could speak. So how had they come? Who had called them? And even if they had heard a commotion when the phone fell from Kendra's hand, they had arrived very quickly. They couldn't have arrived that fast unless - realization dawned on her. Everything made sense now. She let out a heartbreaking scream as she collapsed on the floor.

*****

Kendra woke up in the middle of the night. She saw Alec sleeping in the chair beside her hospital bed. He had stayed the night after she had tearfully asked him to.

As she looked at him, Kendra's face broke into a smile. She had placed the pictures along with the rings and chain in Gina's room after she had made her use them under the pretence of letting her borrow her things to get her fingerprint. She had called the cops before going to Gina's room.

Kendra had always liked Alec. But when he had asked Gina out, she was crushed. She tried breaking them up but they had eventually got engaged. When they broke up on their own, she was ecstatic. But then Samara came in. She knew Samara was just a rebound for Alec but she didn't want to take risks. She had killed her, then Briana and Tori. And now she had eliminated her own sister by framing her for their murders.

She chuckled in happiness. Alec was with her right now. She had found him and had successfully eliminated the obstacles between them. And soon he'll understand her love. He will. He should. Because she will make sure that he does.