10 CHAPTER TEN: New murders
The detention class was cold, when he asked the teacher to close the window, he just chose to ignore him instead of permitting him.
Eren was bored to hell. The miserable two hours were finally over, he kept walking. Like an aimless homeless with no destination, the weird thing is that he felt that way. Walking down the streets, up the hills, even taking different turns. Eventually, his legs led him back to the pet store, he seldomly loved places but this one was his favorite.
His manager was the sweetest person. He let him stay at nights when he had nowhere else to go, advised him like a father, something Eren never had.
He had a visitor, something he never had to. To his surprise, it was Alina. He didn't feel like talking to anyone but that suddenly changed. She didn't notice him yet so he took his time focusing on her angel face and how a tiny one like her holds that much misery in her life.
"Are you done staring at me?". He expected her eyes to be glaring at him as if he had a death wish. Instead, she was smiling. Confused, he just stood there awkwardly.
"I just wanted to stop by and thank you properly, I hate owing people so what do you want in return?"
"You think I did what I did to have something in return?". Now he's the one glaring.
"My bad, what would a perfect life owner want from me?". She said sarcastically.
"A perfect what? Who told you that?"
"I just heard some people saying that at school"
"Well." He said as if he was about to say his closing statement as a prosecutor.
"People at school also say you're a cold-blooded murder, should I just believe that?"
Alina immediately realized what she has done. It was too late to apologize, Eren seemed to be making a greater effort not to explode at her.
He clutched her hand and pulled her outside, they didn't go far until she freed her hand from his arm.
"Why are we here? You feel like you need to tell me but not in public? Go ahead!"
They were inside an abandoned building near the shop.
"Look, I'm sorry I said you had a perfect life. Are we done?"
"You call that an apology? I don't even want to hear it, just please don't push me. I really don't want to snap at you"
"I don't care if you do, I just came here to know why did you help me today. I mean, we barely even talked and I"
She got interrupted again.
"What do you mean we barely even talked and I don't know what's wrong with this payback situation because I helped you since you helped me!!" He obviously lost his patience
"WHAT?! What on earth did I do?"
"At the bridge you moron!"
She had no idea what he was talking about.
"How many times have we met? Outside school"
"Three times, why?"
She was sure this was her second time meeting him, she had a clear idea of who was at the bridge.
"Look I'll explain later. I have to rush now"
"You're the one who came to see me. You know what? Never mind just get lost already" He hid his sorrow ness quite well, the last thing he wanted was to make her leave again, without really saying what he wanted to say.
He always has to need bad at expressing his feelings.
He smashed his hand against the wall, Alina watched from a distance, feeling guilty.
(Meanwhile, in Chester, England)
An old woman sat in her archaic armchair on her house bench, she was certainly sick as she was connected to many medical tubes, some beeping machines, like a moving patient in a hospital room.
Her book was in her hand, and she looked confused when she saw a shadow in front of her.
Usually, no one comes near her area, it's quite isolated from civilization.
"I knew you'd get older, just not like this"
The old woman instinctively recognized the voice.
"I knew you'd come back, darling"
"I knew you were ugly, but I think you got uglier with all these machines and tubes tied up to you, let me help"
When the shadow took a step closer, she knew there was nothing good about it. In advance of her awareness, she was already gasping for air. The old lady, breathing her last, stretched out her arm with a hopeless attempt to plug in her machines to the electricity again.
"You had it coming, you can't just live the retired style while I got frustrated every day and night, Mother"
"Psychopa.... Psych" She was trying so hard to spell her last words, eventually, she was out of breath.
The shadow was long gone then. The feelings of enjoyment, pain, and sadism in the air were gone with it.
(Back to West Virginia)
Patrick had a new case about a new murder that happened downtown. He was sitting at his desk where he had all of his case-related documents, a glass board with he pinned all the leads, it was a detective-like desk, with a lot more paper strewed all over the place.
Alina was home, she offered to help him but he said it was absurd.
"Got to the police academy, then you can help me" He made nearly impossible.
"Just tell me about it then, I have nothing particular to do right now"
He sighed, "Fine". He placed a few pictures at the table where she was sitting, he continued, "A girl, 24 years old, was found viciously murdered at her apartment after four days of declaring her missing, when we searched the house at first it seemed fine, now it's a lot messier"
"Messier as someone was living there or as someone made it look like an accident or a self-defense?"
"Why a self-defense?"
"Maybe her abductor wanted to take her back home after getting what he wanted, she tried to avenge, killed her by accident and made it look like a self-defense scene to be easier when he comes forward to confess"
What Alina said was both brilliant and none sense-making at the same time.
"Why would he abduct her and then get her back home alive to kill her?"
"Because she wasn't aware she was being abducted, she probably knew whoever tried, she had something they wanted and they were ready to do everything to get it, when they did and told her to keep her mouth shut she did something that made them angry" She shoved a cookie into her mouth before pursuing, "Boom, she's dead. I bet she didn't keep her mouth shut"
"This is not a game Alina, a person died"
"So what? People die all the time, should we go and cry with every single one of them? And it is a game"
"These photos are for the four suspects we have, the sister, the brother, her "
Alina heckled him, "Who reported her missing?"
"Her boyfr.." and before he could have a chance to finish his sentence, she butted in again.
"He's our murderer, my money is on him"
"What?! And stop interrupting me I'm warning you!"
"I'm tired of getting interrupted all day too!"
She yelled before she ate another cookie.
Patrick had a long exhale. "You wanna play poker?" He said with a midwestern accent.
"WOW, YES!" Already excited, replied Alina.
"Not with money though, Selena would kill me"
"Then how?"
They both stared at the cookies, they were thinking the same way.
They both fell asleep on the floor when they were exhausted from playing. It was her best night since she came to live with her new family.
"I see you're happy sister. Stay that way a little more, I'll be back soon"
She was watching from a distance when Selena put Alina on her bed and give her a good night kiss. She never had moments like that, it left a gasp in her life. It didn't matter, she had to catch the killer before he strikes again.
