Adventure in the World of Crimes

3.14 Unexpected Visitor

It must have become Reign's habit on sleeping on her couch every night either because of tiredness in her work that she couldn't make it to the bedroom or because of tiredness in too much thinking about the case, that she had now neglected the purpose of the bedroom and just made the living room as the bedroom as well just like now.

She was seated on her now she called as bed-couch in an Indian seat, surrounded by both of her bedroom pillows and settee cushions, that some of them were thrown on the carpeted floor, as her thick blanket was completely laying over half of her body, while she was looking upon the white ceiling, hand under her chin, her squinted eyes boring holes through the glares she was unaware she was throwing off the poor top, but at the same time, a stark contrast was happening inside as her mind was completely diving in deeper and deeper into the task she had always delved into every night.

She was thinking of the discoveries that she had uncovered this week, the things that the vlogger, who happened to be the real sender, had told him. They had stayed that night up until the sun had risen, Reign had to drive him home, which she thought was a very thick-faced move, as

he did not bring his car for no apparent reason.

Their topic had immensely interested her that's why they were able to stay until those time, if not for Manager Betty who had messaged her about the time of her schedule on that day, they wouldn't put an end to their conversation, but still, Martin didn't mind at all, of course, he also wanted the task to be done and her friends to be saved, though he didn't know she was the agent sent by the agency, he still trusted her by the skill she had shown on the Anthrax Poisoning Case.

What shocked her the most among the things that he had informed her, aside from the special card received by the red card invitation the next victim received, was about the other suspects, Mr. Koto, Photographer Geoff, and Manager Karen which had become her three main suspects as the Mafia, and information about her own manager which really surprised her.

First of all, about Mr. Koto, he was an ex-convict. He was part of a fraternity group before when he was younger, he had killed a person through only his own hands by choking him. The reason? Her sister was catcalled when getting passed by the street by the cheeky mendicant while they were out, buying for their commodities, and out of an anger management issue and protectiveness of his sister, he grabbed him by the neck and choked him to death. Meaning, he was capable of killing even before, and probably still now, but in his own ways— his bodyguard, Jeremy Kent, his loyal servant, the man who followed every request and order, as his family had a lot of debt to him.

Then Photographer Geoff which was the most shocking among all of what Martin had told her, that she had gained a few eyes when she exclaimed a one loud, screeching 'What!?', Well who wouldn't when this photographer had just had a special relationship with Mr. Koto's daughter, Sana? They were secretly in a relationship, bloomed from working together as a model and photographer. She was last seen visited by him, and they had a small fight regarding their relationship which then became unexpectedly known by Mr. Koto, and he had shown his disapproval to them as soon as he knew about it which then Photographer Geoff decided of breaking up with her that night. He also knew that Sana was already in an arranged marriage with another man which extremely caused pain in his heart. If he killed his girlfriend? It was still a mystery to her and a new task to unfold.

Next was Manager Karen, there was not much anything about her but the information that she was the one who delivered the invitation card to the artists in Rampage Agency. She might have probably known something as she needed to check the cards first before giving them to the artists and might have noticed the only red invitation for Stephanie but chose not to warn her. Also, she was the one the vloggers were blaming for the victims' death because they believed she was jinxed, that was why everyone she handled ended up as dead. Still, Reign believed that she might really know something so she had to know more about that mysterious manager.

Lastly, her manager, Manager Betty, surprisingly, she was Stephanie's manager last year, the one who knew about Steph's whereabouts, so she wondered if she believed the news about the woman being missing or not.

Just as she was thinking of her, she flinched as she was pulled out of her thoughts when her phone, placed on the glass table in front of her, rang, showing the name of her manager calling in the middle of the night.

She immediately picked it up, swiping the answer button as she answered, "Hello?"

"I knew you're still awake." She said, her voice sounded tired. She heard a closing of the door of the car followed by her steps. "I'm at your hotel. Let me sleep there for the night. I'm so tired."

"What!?" Reign sat up straight, her eyes wide in panic. She stood up, and walked from left to right, didn't know what to do. "Why here? Just book for another room."

"What, why? I came here so I could save money from booking a hotel, but you're shoving me towards another room?" She asked in disbelief, "I'm coming up in there."

"No-" Reign hitched her breath in anxiousness, she ran back to her room. The manager shouldn't see her on that face, or else, she wouldn't be able to go anywhere without her makeup using her real identity as Reign. "What should I do?"

She chewed the inside of her cheeks as her heart beat faster upon hearing the doorbell of her room rang. She hastily looked over her room, running to her cabinet to see what she could do to hide her face. She opened the lowest part of her cabinet, and there she saw the answer.

Manager Betty pushed the doorbell again for the fifth time, getting impatient by the amount of time the model was taking to open her door. "Didn't she really want me to sleep here?"

She was the first one that came to her mind thinking of someone she could go with to rest for a night. She didn't know she wouldn't even want her to peek in her room for a moment. She was about to press the bell again when the door open, she almost screamed when she saw her face.

"You almost gave me a heart attack!" She exclaimed, holding her chest as she stepped back a little. "I thought you were a ghost."

Reign rolled her eyes, the thing that she came up with was to put on the white facial mask given by Dale, it was her first time using it in her entire life, and she liked it since her face was completely hidden, only her eyes and lips are seen, she had also worn a robe that was why she looked like a ghost. She could also barely speak, that was why she just opened the door wide to let the manager in.

"That skincare product would be nonsense if you'd stay up this late, watching movies and eating chips." The manager remarked, walking to the messy living room where the television was open and playing a certain action movie with its high volume, a pack of opened chips and awfully cut fruits on the glass table, and the pillows were thrown all over the room.

This was why Reign had taken too much time, he had set up the room like she was just watching a movie, she had also hidden the paper of the suspects under the couch.

"Why are you here?" She asked, mouth barely opening. She plopped down the couch and picked up the bowl of assorted fruits, she also took the remote to lower the volume. "Don't you have a house to go home to?"

"I came from the city, I visited Mr. Koto, I feel tired to continue driving to my house so I just settled here since your schedule will also be at nine in the morning." She answered, putting down the bag she was carrying on the floor and stretched her back.

"Who's watching over the Mr. Koto now?" She offered the bowl to the woman but she refused.

"It's Karen now with Jeremy. I think Geoff is also there since his place is just across the room."

"Why didn't you just share the room with him?" Reign nonchalantly asked, she saw the manager looked at her like she had grown another head for asking that kind of question.

"First of all, he's a man. Second, he's more sensitive than a woman, he doesn't want to share his room with anyone. Third, I do not want to go into that room for a reason." She said, "Can you go to your room, I'll just sleep here on the couch."

"Is the third reason have something to do with your last kid, Stephanie Wesley?"

Manager Betty whipped her head on her way, shocked at the sudden mention of the woman that she would never forget. "H-how did you know about her? Did Martin told you?"

"Yes, he did." She answered, putting down the bowl on the table as she crossed her arms and legs, "If you do not mind, manager. I just want to know your side, is she dead or missing?"

Manager Betty fell silent, staring at Flora which the latter didn't back down. Reign saw her gritted her teeth before she looked away, with a hint of sadness in her eyes, and by just that, Reign got her answer.

"I wanted to believe that she was just missing, at least there is a chance for her to be found alive, but she's dead."