The Black Darling's Case: Luca Winner

CHAPTER ONE:

"What can I help you with?" The policewoman sitting by the desk looks through the glass window and finds a familiar face. "It's you again? We already gave an answer to your friend four hours ago. The answer is still the same."

"You mean Mavis came here?"

"Yes, the redhead came here. Yesterday, Eros did. Like I said, we are working hard on this case. South Mercedés itself is big, but you have to trust us, we are looking for Luca."

"It's been a month since Luca's k********g. The Woods k********g case was resolved within a week. You're just slacking here." Her bluntness earns the full attention of the policewoman.

"Excuse me?" The policewoman raises her voice. "The Woods k********g case is a lot different than your friend's. The kidnappers asked for ransom and the Woods are a wealthy family. A deal was made because of those two factors, and those very same factors, unfortunately, your friend lacks."

The woman standing before the desk was in her bank uniform. A strand of her short black hair falls unto the front of her face and she tucks it behind her ear. She chews the inside of her cheek and fists her hands. Frustration starts to seep into her chest. The anxiety and worry making her stomach churn. The feeling of not being able to do anything leaves a pang of ache in her heart.

"Look, Aella. I know it's hard for you and your friends. But please trust us, we are doing our best to find your friend. We—" her words cut off when a loud alarm echoes through the hallway. It's an alarm and from the spaces between the ringing, it's a high alert.

The policewoman turns on her radio for information. She speaks into it, "What happened?"

A static comes and then an answer. "Salem escaped. Watch out for him. We are flashing his picture on the screens. Ask help from the civilians, he could be walking with them right at this very moment."

"What happened to the CCTVs?"

"It's hacked." Static. "f**k, we should have transferred him to the Main Prison."

Aella looked at the screen that was standing beside her. The face of the prisoner is flashed on it. A mugshot that seemed to be polished by a photographer. The man looked neat and handsome for someone coined as a convict. He had distinguished Cat Eyes Syndrome, from what Aella could tell. People with CAS are usually intelligent. A breakout like this can be a possibility.

Seconds later, a man's voice erupts through the speakers, the same voice Aella overheard from the radio a while ago. "Everyone in this building, do not panic. The person flashed on the screens is an escape convict. Please look out for this prisoner. Report to the police immediately if seen. Thank you."

"Isn't that the Captain of Black Darling?" One man gasped from the waiting area. Aella turns to listen intently. "He had such huge bounty on him. A hundred bar of gold if I'm not mistaken.."

"Are you serious?" Another man spoke out, clearly interested now than before.

"Is it still available?" The first man who spoke addressed the question to the policewoman Aella was talking to before.

"What do you mean?"

"The bounty."

"It was already given to the person who reported him first." A disappointed hum followed after the woman's reply. "But I'm sure they would still issue an reward."

"Really?"

The civilians who were sitting before on the waiting area stood up and started a search party of their own. Aella was left stunned by the commotion brought by the idea of "reward".

"If we could only come up with bounty money for Luca, at least there would be some kind of progress in his case." Aella mutters to herself.

Aella turns towards the policewoman's desk and found her gone. Where did she go? Did she also participated in the search party?

The girl looks side to side to check if there was anyone around. When sure that nobody's around, she walked up to the door of the private section of the station. Her eyes casts a glance towards the cctv that was facing the doorway. It's hacked. This is my chance to look at Luca's file.

Aella opened the door and found herself in a hallway. She began venturing into the hallway, her eyes looking for the office where the private files and documents are kept. At the end of the hallway, there is a door. The words "Record Room" is plastered on it. Aella knew that's where she's supposed to go.

Calmly, the young woman in her Central bank uniform opened the door that is fortunately unlocked. She slips herself in slowly. Inside, the lights are dimmed into a greenish hue. She scans the large room filled with rows of cabinets, analyzing where to start. There is a letter on top of each cabinet and being a bank clerk herself, she knows record management usually puts records in alphabetical order— and in surnames.

"Winner." Aella whispers to herself, walking further into the room, looking for the cabinet with W on it.

When she doesn't find 'W' cabinet on the third column, Aella turns to the next but halts once she finds someone standing right next to the cabinet she intended to search. Luckily, the tall man who was dressed in plain gray matching clothes has his back facing her. She is not caught. Aella slowly retreats, making sure her heels wouldn't make a sound as she does. I knew this was a bad idea!

The man seemed busy. He's going through a file in the W cabinet. Thanks to that, Aella had the chance to disappear from the room without getting caught.

"You don't seem to be working here." The man spoke a little too loud that made Aella flinch. I've been found out!

The man didn't turn around and it doesn't seem to help Aella who froze on the spot.

"Go on. Aren't you searching for a file?" The man looked over his shoulder and eyed Aella. That's the first time she saw the face of the man. A familiar face that is. The dark hair, the gray uniform, the cat eyes… This is the escaped convict!

Aella's eyes widen as the realization creeped in. The man doesn't seem to mind. He puts back the folder he was holding inside the opened drawer and slams it shut. This time, he's fully facing the terrified woman. Aella also gets to see the convict's uniform number. It is indeed the guy flashed on the screen. The girl realized there is no use on running. With his tall and broad build, he could catch up to her in a matter of seconds.

"You planning to scream?" The man sneered. "I guess you find this face familiar." He goes on and caress his chin with his calloused fingers. "Anyway, I wouldn't want you doing that. In the first place, you shouldn't be here."

"Same goes for you." Aella finds herself talking back. A habit Luca knew would get her in trouble in the future— and this might be that moment.

"True." The prisoner agreed. "but for someone like me, I shouldn't bother should I? This act is much smaller compared to what I've done."

The man pauses and takes his time to observe Aella whose legs are now trembling both from nervousness and the coldness of the room.

"As for you … a bank clerk of the Falcon Central Bank, who looked like you never had a bad record, would be accused of Act of Trespassing, Act of Abuse of Data Privacy, and Act of Coinciding with a Convict." Aella gasped lightly from the list of offense she had created from a single mistake. "That is if you won't keep your mouth shut."

Aella is silent. She knew he was right. The fact that she is cornered and had to bargain a deal with a prisoner and a pirate, it leaves a bitter taste in her mouth. A taste of humiliation. She held unto the sides of her skirt as the man began to walk towards her. Her eyes shut for fear that he is going to hurt her any second now.

A sound of the door swinging open echoes and the man halted right in front of her. Both of them turns to face the doorway. A man dressed in all black from head to toe, with a mask over his mouth appears before it. "How could you wander around at this time? We need to go!"

It's his ally. Probably the person who help him escape!

"I just needed some info about our target. It's a chance I cannot ignore."

"It's a chance that can ruin the plan!" The frustrated man yells. "And who is that? Did you seriously held someone hostage?"

"She came here herself, it's not on me." The pirates are arguing now. Aella could only watch and listen to them banter.

"Anyway, I already read his file." The escaped convict chirps, making the man before the door sighs. Aella looked up to the pirate who looked back at her. "The CCTV will be fixed in 10 minutes. Do what you have to do." He said to her before leaving her alone in the room, stunned and shaking.

Deedy and the rest of The Darlings who did not participate in the retrieval of the Captain were patiently waiting in a two-story modern house in the middle of the Blackwood forest. The seventeen year old kid is resting on an office chair, humming to Yellow Submarine.

On the other side of the room is Sublime, who is currently reading a book on one hand and knife-flipping on the other. Sublime is much older than Deedy but younger than the other guy in the room, Averdine, who is sleeping on the long couch. Despite being a small woman, often times, Sublime finds herself babysitting the two. Deedy listens to her because she is older and Averdine obeys her because she knows her knives too well. It is not easy to manage a duo of impulsive, violent men but Captain Salem had always trusted her. In fact, she is the only woman he had ever trusted and that is something Sublime considers as true honor.

"I can't believe our vacation has officially ended." Deedy mutters out his thoughts whilst staring at the ceiling. "Man," he groans. "I would really miss that island. All those girls, the food, the hotel …" Deedy then pushes his chair to turn towards Sublime. "How about you, Sub?"

"I said don't call me that." Sublime glares at the boy.

"Sorry, I got used to Captain calling you that."

"What do you want?"

"I was just about to ask you how you spent your vacation ..."

"I visited a medical university and studied there."

"You seriously used up your vacation by studying?"

"I just made sure I did something that could help us in the future. It would rather be selfish of me to use Captain's bounty money to just enjoy while he is stuck in a cell." Deedy falls silent.

Somehow, Sublime's words appeared to be right. When the Black Darlings were able to secure the ninth wonders after 16 gruelling months of racing against all the pirates in South Mercedés, many of the crew members requested for a rest, a vacation, to the Captain. The reward money for achieving the ninth wonders was not enough to sustain a 6 months vacation of almost 50 crew members so the Captain offered his bounty money for it to happen.

Aziz, one of the crew members stationed in manning the main mast was given the role of reporting the whereabouts of the Captain. Once he was captured, the Mayor of Mulligan gave Aziz the gold bars as promised.

"That's what he wanted, Sublime." It was Averdine, already awake from his mid-day nap. "And knowing Captain, his definition of vacation is sleeping all day. I think being in a prison granted that."

"You have a point." Deedy grins, the guilt that was once there dissipated right away. "Captain Salem is that good to us." The boy gives Averdine a thumbs up and smiled toothily.

"I hear Felix." Averdine announces. "They're here." In an instant, Sublime closes the book she was holding and placed it on the coffee table. Averdine sits up from the couch and fixes his shirt. Deedy stands up and jogs towards the door to open it. The three excited as ever in welcoming back the Captain of their ship.

Aella enters the room, obviously exhausted. She sits right on the couch of her small apartment. Her hand finds its way to her temple, rubbing it. Somehow getting a headache from what had happened in the Mulligan Police Station.

In her other hand is Luca's folder. She took it. And this is how she found out that the police has closed the case of her missing best friend already. A huge stamp of red ink with words 'CASE CLOSED' is plastered on the paper.

"f**k the government!" Aella exasperates. She throws the folder away and stood up to fetch herself some water, an attempt to cool herself down.

As she drank the glass full of water, her mind lingers back to the strange encounter a while ago. Guilt crept into her and a string of regret follows.

If I had reported the escaped convict, I could've had enough money to ask help in finding Luca.

"The police would drop the initial charges on me, and focus on the larger catch." Aella whispers to herself. "Damn it." She runs her hand through her hair. "Pirates and corrupt cops, which's worse?"

Aella proceeds to open her laptop once she enters her room. Her fingers hastily typed on the keyboard, her eyes glazed as she takes in all the information about the modern Pirates, especially about this Captain Salem and his Black Darling ship.

"If the cops won't do … this will be the last resort." Aella sighed to the conclusion. She slams the laptop close and entered the bathroom in silence.