Enigma Of The Killer Lecturer

In The Forest

Soraya ran hastily towards the forest behind the dormitory. After making sure that no one saw her enter the forest with some of her torn and impossible to repair clothes.

The rain had stopped, but the remnants of rainwater still pooled in some spots. The wind blows carrying the thick scent of rain mixed with the scent of dry leaves. Soraya felt a bite, she still felt cold even though she had changed into dry clothes.

About 10 meters in front of the lake, Soraya put down her clothes and piled them up before dousing them with gasoline. Almost all the clothes she wanted to burn were her favorite clothes. But she knew there was no point in keeping things she couldn't use in a small cupboard.

Soraya started lighting the match, she still didn't understand, why she had to do this? And why should she become a victim of the selfishness of a pair of humans?

"What are you doing?"

A man's deep voice came from behind. Soraya was taken aback, she almost threw the matchstick into the pile of cloth that was ready to be burned. Nervously, Soraya turned to success, seeing a man's face pop into her head for some reason before she was ready to confirm it.

Robert William Stanley threw a cold stare, this man appeared suddenly like a spirit that made anyone shudder. No matter how charming he was, he was too mysterious to approach.

"I-I just want to burn my used clothes, Sir!" Her answer stammered. Soraya held her breath. The fear she felt was exactly the same as the fear of someone being caught committing a crime.

Even though Soraya had mustered all her courage to answer such a cliché question. But the response this man gave was silence. Calmly, he walked to the edge of the lake and placed the canvas he was carrying on the still wet grass.

Soraya didn't know what to do now, it was impossible to continue her act of burning clothes. Seeing Robert's back made Soraya remember the rumors circulating among students about who the 31-year-old handsome man, Robert William Stanley, was a talented painter.

"Sir, i-it was about-"

"I've finished your painting. Would you like to see it?"

"Huh? Re-really?"

"You can come to my house if you want to see it. I won't take it because it's in my private collection."

"I-is that so? I-I understand!" Soraya felt even more nervous. She could even hear the sound of her heart beating.

She was very happy because Robert actually painted herself and besides that, he also invited Soraya to visit his house to see the painting. It feels so hard to believe. However, once again the bad rumors seemed to be starting to affect her a bit. Soraya felt a little scared, although deep down, she really wanted to see a painting of herself.

"May I ask you something?" Soraya asked. She didn't want to get too caught up in prejudice and wanted to confirm for herself about the rumors.

"Hmm?"

"That yesterday, I saw you visiting an antique shop in the middle of town and I saw you carrying a very beautiful porcelain doll. I didn't know you liked such a sweet thing, Sir!" She said with a little extra spice so that her statement did not seem pretentious.

Soraya gulped, looking at Robert who seemed to ignore the question about the doll. It made her even more scared and thought that Robert might be angry at the impudence of her question.

"Are you interested in porcelain dolls too?" Suddenly, Robert asked a surprising question.

"Ah, po-porcelain doll? Yes-yes of course, I really like that doll too. It's so beautiful and graceful, I think anyone would love something so beautiful." Soraya gave a random answer that gave her a panic attack.

"Oh my God, what a fool I am! What have I said?" She thought. She felt very restless.

"Is that so? Maybe you're right, porcelain dolls have a special uniqueness. Especially in their appearance that is exactly like a pure and pure child. Isn't that amazing? How many dolls do you have?"

"Huh? W-what?"

"I'm sure maybe you have a doll or two."

"I-I only have two. Yes, two! Hahahaha... I think they are quite expensive so I have no choice."

"Oh stop this! What have I said? Where do I have a doll like that!" She screamed in her heart. Soraya panicked even more and hoped that this talk about porcelain dolls would end soon.

"If you're interested, you can come over to my house to see my collection. Not much, only 204 dolls."

"Huh? 204 dolls? T-that's a lot!"

Soraya was stunned, she really felt, amazed to hear the 204 porcelain doll that this man had. Despite her fear, Soraya thought it was quite strange to keep so many dolls in the house. There were probably more of them than in the doll shop.

Remembering the word 'doll' again brought her mind back to the five-student conversation she and Diana overheard this morning. s*x dolls, yes, her mind immediately fell on the new article that was posted on the site last night.

"No, it's still not necessarily her doll. It could be someone else's doll. Besides, there are a lot of people living in the estate and there are many men who choose the same height as the man on the CCTV camera. But the coat-" Soraya looked at the black coat that Robert was wearing, the shape and color was similar to the coat worn by the man caught on CCTV.

Soraya had seen the 30-second footage that was also posted on the mysterious website. Seeing some similarities between Robert and the man who threw away the doll made Soraya feel even more confused.

"Soraya? What are you doing here?"

Kimberly's voice was enough to startle her who was busy thinking about the odd assumptions that popped into her head. Kimberly who was standing next to a big tree gave Robert a cynical look who glanced at her.

"You surprised me, Kim!"

"What are you doing? I'm surprised that you've gotten this close to our favorite professor!" Kimberly chirped sarcastically. She did not show her manners at all to the figure of the man who became her teacher on university.

"I didn't do anything! Just a little business with my clothes."

"What about your clothes? Do you want to burn them?"

"Yes, that is so-"

"You still want to continue? How about you come home with me? I want to borrow your book!" Kimberly said as she forced Soraya's hand to follow her.

"B-but I-"

"Come on, I need your help! That's why you must come with me!"

Soraya did not know that Kimberly had such a strong power. She grabbed Soraya's hand and carried her out of the forest.

"Sir, I'll excuse myself. See you later...!" Soraya said. Even though she had to leave in such a hurry. But she still wanted to show her respect.

"What exactly are you doing alone in a place like that? You've really gone mad, haven't you?"

"What do you mean? How did you know I was there?"

"I saw you from the balcony of my room, you went alone into the forest with a pile of cloth. About two minutes later, I saw Mr Robert also go into the forest. You know what?

"You're wrong! He didn't follow me at all. But it just so happened that he also wanted to paint by the lake."

"You, why defend him so much? Have you seen the new article on that website? What disgusting person would want to have s*x with a doll in the shape of a child? You crazy! He saw it from anywhere it was very clear!"

"That's still uncertain! It's best not to just accuse someone with such inaccurate evidence. Besides, he's not as cold as we think he is!"

"What? You must be joking, right? I'm sure he has brainwashed you with his sweet words. Just like he does to other girls. What a disgusting playboy! I don't know, how many women he's abused?"

"Kim, you're exaggerating! He's not that bad. Just because he doesn't talk much doesn't mean he's a bad person."

"Soraya, you're the one who's been fooled. Don't judge a book by its cover. You'd better remember what I said. I'm sure sooner or later the mystery of who he really is will be uncovered."

"What if your accusations are wrong? What if he turns out to have nothing to do with all your suspicions?"

"If he is proven to have nothing to do with me, I will apologize directly to him and become his fan. How? Do you still have doubts about me? Now I ask you, what if all these accusations are proven? What if Robert William Stanley is a very terrible? What are you going to do?"

"I-I don't know-"

"Tch, you can't even answer that firmly. You're always hesitating like that. You know? If you keep acting like this, you'll always be dealing with troublesome people all your life!" An annoyed Kimberly immediately left, leaving Soraya who was silent in place with all the confusion she felt.

Soraya looked up at the orange sky, the breeze blowing her hair. Soraya didn't want to believe all the bad news that was aimed at Robert. Just as she experienced, people began to accuse her of doing things she never did.

"I'm sure he's not that kind of person. All the accusations that are unproven, it feels very cruel. Who really Is it the person who has spread this bad rumour? I wonder, who is really behind all this?"

***