Gone After the Wind

Chapter 19: Block

The next morning was a struggle to deal with. Cara was unable to sleep soundly because of that ominous and odd disturbance she had encountered last night. It bugged her senses extremely, to the point that she had to circulate the whole house to calm them down. Though she found nothing suspicious, her gut was still begging for more evidence to be convinced that it was something more disturbing and not just a mere activity of squirrels notorious for causing troubles at night. She used that assumption to soothe her mind but to her disappointment, it didn't even lessen the surge of energy that flowed in every corner of her veins as she lay motionless on her bed.

As a result, she slept for only three hours. Not even consecutive as she desired. Whenever an unknown sound would emerge, she'd woke up, and searched the room for its source. Whether she'd found a group of insects scrawling on the floor or the windows' unclosed lid, her vigilance wouldn't stop growing and her anticipation can't seem to leave her alone. In the back of her mind, she was expecting something unnatural. Something that would confirm her hunches. Something that would falsify her thoughts of this as a product of her delusion.

She carried all the bothersome from the moment she woke up, dormant yet feeling extra energized, down to the minute she caught Nana Ryla cleaning some plates in the dining room, in the earliest hour of the day and way past the start of her shift.

Intrigued, Cara altered her direction and ambled towards the kitchen to feed her curiosity some rightful answers.

"Good morning, Nana," she greeted nonchalantly, her eyebrows furrowing as she studied the dining room, noticing the used plate she carried.

The old woman looked up and smiled. "Good morning, Ma'am Cara. You're up early than usual. Going to work?"

"I should say the same to you," Cara answered. "Why are you up already? It's only six in the morning, Nana. You're two hours away from your shift. And it's Saturday. You know what that means. Did you forget that?"

"My mind hasn't yet betrayed me to reach to that point." Nana chuckled wryly. "And besides, I had a good night's sleep last night so this is not a bother. It's good to be productive at weekends once in a while."

Cara nodded, admiring her work ethic. She smiled. "I'd better leave you at that, then. Alex is still asleep, by the way. He might not wake up anytime soon but would you mind preparing his food early? He was a bit blue last night. His favorite breakfast combo might cheer him up."

Nana stopped moving as though Cara spilled out some curse that bewitched her to move. Her stunned eyes were alarming. "He didn't tell you he was leaving?"

"Leaving?" Cara echoed, her voice reverberating like a mad drill. "He left? At this hour?"

"Yes. It was the reason I had woken up unexpectedly. He asked me to cook some breakfast for him because he has to go out. I did and let him go because I thought you knew." She slapped her forehead, apparently distressed by the mistake she made. "I'm sorry, Ma'am. If I had known, I should've informed you first—"

Cara shut her eyes firmly. She forced a smile and patted the old woman's shoulder. "It's okay. Don't put this on yourself, Nana. I'll call him about this."

Nana Ryla continued to console her, spewing words of earnest apology that did nothing to ease Cara's burning rage and frustration as she stormed out of the house. She got into her car, and instantly dialed Alex's number, kissing the top of her knuckles as she waited and listened to the faint ringing of his line.

She contemplated what pushed him to do such a reckless thing. She'd let this little rebellion pass if only his life wasn't at stake and if only the murderer of his father wasn't at large. Was his hatred really so intense that he chose to ignore all those countless warnings she had spared?

She bit her lower lip. An immense amount of worry crashed over her chest, smothering the anger she was feeling a while ago. She shook her head ardently, refusing to step into the word of pessimistic thoughts.

Stop it. Don't you ever go there.

"Please, Alex. Answer it..." she whispered desperately.

Just as she inhaled a mouthful of air, the ringing stopped and the line went open. It was followed by a static noise until a voice finally joined in. "Hello?"

"Goodness gracious, Alex!" she exclaimed, relieved at the sound of her son's sweet voice. "What took you so long to answer the goddamn call?"

"I, uh, forgot I brought my phone with me." He cleared his throat. He sighed. "What is it, Mom?"

"You already know why I'm calling," Cara answered, listening intently to his background. "You left the house without letting me know. What have you been thinking? It's a very stupid move, Alex! I know you're upset with me but this is not the right way to deal with it!"

"Overreacting," Alex answered. "That's what you're doing right now, Mom. You're spilling nonsense arguments again. I don't have time for this—"

"Don't you ever talk to me that way, and don't you ever hang up on me!" Cara hissed. "There's plenty of stunts that you can do to piss me off and get back at me, Alex. But not this one where I'm near going crazy thinking about your safety! Can a single goodbye would really hurt your pride?"

Silence reigned, and all there was to listen to was her ragged breathing and the distant noises from the neighbors. Her words echoed in her mind, and as soon as she picked up what Alex might get out of it, she almost take it back. Only, her desire to exercise control on him was too powerful to beat. She bit her tongue, letting him digest that. Unaffected by conscience screaming in her head.

"Fine, I'm sorry," he breathed with a mark of impassiveness on his tone. "But that doesn't mean I'll go home by your will, Mom. I need to finish this first. I'm at my teacher's house. We're practicing for the upcoming spelling bee. I was selected to join, by the way. That's... if you even care to know." He sighed again. "He invited me over yesterday. I was ready to tell you but we got into a fight so the chance was lost. That's it, Mom. What else do you want to know?"

That maimed her unexpectedly. Her mouth opened to speak but the group of words she had in her mind rattled until it turned into a complete blur.

"That's enough," she said, relaxing slowly. "Just... don't do this again, okay? The next time you need to do something urgently, inform me. Talk to me. I just need to always know where you are. Do you understand me?"

"Yeah..."

"Good." She swallowed hard. "Text me the address and name of your teacher. I'll fetch you once you're done." She hung up at once, clueless whether she should reprimand herself for rampaging like a mad ape or be relieved that Alex had seen through her concerns and didn't resist complying with her terms.

It would be coward not to admit that her action was indeed over the line. She could have taken another approach that could be the complete opposite of what she just showed. But who could blame her? Getting hunted by the ghost of the past was never an easy thing to bear. It never miss a chance to knock her sanity. And she had never been too sharp to outsmart it, nor strong enough to overcome its dominating control.

She sighed heavily, dismissing those thoughts at once, repressing the memory of their conversation to the farthest corner of her mind. She figured she'd have to deal with that sometime later when she finished completing her duty for today.

Ending the trance of sitting there in dead-silence, she punctured the key on the ignition lock. The car roared to life, vibrating her seat slightly as she look around. She pulled the gear stick before moving the steering wheel, and pressing the accelerator hard.

She peeled away from their parking lot with a speed that would take her to the station within a matter of minutes. Dawn was already over, and the morning sun had just climbed on the clear sky, sending out bright rays across Rosegold City.

As if on cue, the citizens started to come out of their abode. One by one, they appeared outside of their doors as if to greet the raw sunlight before it gets too hot to bear.

From a general standpoint, it looked cheerful and amusing to watch. A scene so dumbfounding after several days of being buried in the snow. But in Cara's mind, it was frightening. Behind these lovely establishment and clutter of strangers, one violent and sick murderer might be lurking in its shadows, waiting patiently for a chance to assault and raise havoc. How unfortunate that would be for these citizens who does not know a single thing about him.

Feeling a sudden twist in her stomach, Cara broke her stare bitterly and shrug off the uneasy feeling. She added more speed, and took the shortest route towards the station. Now that she was nearing it, she suddenly realized how ridiculously early she was.

She glanced toward the clock, and it wasn't even half past seven. It's very unlikely for Agent Rose nor Eric to wander around the station at this hour. No one was probably there right now. Except for the night owls that could be counted easily and the officers who takes full shift in a day.

Well, it's not like there's no productive task she could do once she get inside. Might be less important than what she'd have to complete today but it's fine. She's contented with that. She must be. What other choices could there be?

She went up to CID's office without having to endure derogatory stares and sneers from every corner. It was the most peaceful and quiet walk she had ever done. So downright far to the scenario she had always witnessed.

She reached the bullpen, and there was still no sign of anyone. Her office was on the farthest left side, the least traceable spot on the floor and the only room that had always been mistaken as a space intended to store utility tools. She approached the door, and as soon as she felt the cold surface of the knob, a distinctive rush of nostalgia spread throughout her body. Smiling at the glimpse of the bittersweet memories, she plunged the door open. Her smile immediately faded when she saw the room.

Though the arrangement of the furniture was still the same as she remember, it didn't occur to her that someone would do the favor of maintaining its cleanliness. There were no cobwebs, the wooden table was shiny and the metal drawer wasn't even rusty. The blue painted wall had been peeled now, and now a faint pallor of green was now covering it.

But above these, what surprised her the most was the person currently pasting some photographs on the pin board, looking brightly fresh and groomed as though the first thought that came across her ingenious mind was nothing but all about the minutiae of the case. The number of papers pinned on the board indicated that she had been here longer than it seem. Cara's eyes drifted to the two used paper cups on the table, the only mess amidst the neat table.

The sight of those made her wonder if the agent had even spared some time to rest. By the sight of it, she guess not.

Just as Cara returned her gaze to the board, Agent Rose turned her head as though she sensed Cara's presence. Her eyes rounded a bit, her eyebrows leveled in confusion. She was just surprised as Cara was.

"Detective Black, you're here," she noted, blinking profusely. She stepped away from the board, sheepish at the changes she had done in the room. She winced, looking awkwardly at the papers she had stacked in the table. "I'm sorry for the mess. I didn't know you'd be coming by this early. I'll, uh, clean it up—"

"No, it's fine," Cara cut her off. "You can use the room if you want. It's okay. I haven't used this room for some time so... it's free for everyone."

"Are you sure? I can be pretty messy and careless when it comes to this. You'd be diving in a pool of papers if you let me here for another hour."

Cara chuckled. "I think I'm fine with that."

"Alright. Don't say I didn't warn you," Agent Rose said, smiling. She returned to the table, and picked up some new papers. "Have a set, detective. Accompany me while I do this. It's getting a bit lonely, you know."

Cara shut the door, and walked across the room to see the board up close. "What's this all about?"

"Oh, these?" Agent Rose smiled, opening up one folder. She fished one photograph of a young lady that resembled Sandy Hupman's face. "I want to trace the timeline of the murders, and pick up the details easily without aching my neck. This is the easier way to do that, isn't it? Instead of repeatedly scanning those reports one by one, I have it all gathered in one place. These are photocopies, though. The original copies are safe, don't worry."

Cara nodded, sharing the same sentiments, as she stare at her creation in awe. Ironic to the agent's claim earlier, the mini crazy wall she invented was impressively well-ordered and neat as though she had put all her best just to complete it. The structure of the information she posted there belied the goal behind it, and sure enough, it had become more convenient to read the reports without having to break their necks.

"Do you usually do this back at your office?" Cara asked, glancing sideways at Agent Rose. "Be the first person to come in to set up something like this?"

"Not usually. Just on particular occasions. And when some cases bothered me. Like this one," Agent Rose answered, gesturing the board. "I reviewed it again last night. And boy, everything was inexiplicably peculiar that I had only three hours of sleep. It was a battle to get it off my head."

"First time seeing a case like this?"

She shook her head. "I've seen all the sorts. From the plainest to the hardest, all of them had already visited my desk. And frankly, nothing had ever disturbed me except when the crimes involves sadistic attack to women, and constantly emanates outlandish nature that would be enough to stall the investigation for weeks. Everytime they put me in such cases, I become obsessed and invested. I know how such cases often costs the investigators a lot than they could give. So I give my best, too. Sometimes, that starts by not neglecting the details given to me."

"I can relate," Cara mumbled, her eyes fixated on the pictures of the two women who had met such an unfortunate fate.

Agent Rose turned to look at her. "How about you? Why did you come in so early? We didn't arrange a meeting, did we?"

A bit embarassed at the announcement of her sudden arrival, Cara stepped back from the board and politely shook her head. "I guess we got infected by the same disease. I couldn't sleep well either. For the same annoying reasons."

Agent Rose chuckled. The last paper she pinned finally completed the string of the reports she compressed together. Grunting in mild satisfaction, she slowly backed away from the board, obviously finding the right spot to get a clearer view of her piece. She stopped near the table, leaning against its edges as she folded her arms.

"Do you want to join me, then? Dig up on those folders and see if anything come up?" She jerked her thumb towards the pile of folders sitting idly on the table.

"What are those, by the way?"

"Old reports. Cold cases from different states that bears some similarities in our case. Dating back from 00's 'till now." She tapped its top several times, causing the folders to blow out the dust that has been hiding underneath each pages for a long time. "I don't remember how many cases they brought but I remember, it came from five states, I think?"

Cara's eyebrows shot up, impressed at how fast the process took place in their agency. Perks of being an agent, perhaps. Unlike here where they need to wait atleast a week before they could gain access of one single file. What's more if the request was more than one and the recipients wasn't intended for one state? It'll probably take months, at the very least.

Talk about convenience. That's some easy life they got there, huh?

"You got those overnight?"

"My team did. I requested that yesterday, after I was appointed to assist you. They delivered that this morning. I haven't checked any of it so feel free to help me." Agent Rose took half of the pile and gave it to Cara. "While we wait for Kyler Santine's address and additional records, let's inspect these. I'm not contented with the data we have. We might find something or we might not. It depends on the effort we'd exert. But I really hope we do. Especially now that I've been wanting to know why our killer was out in the action for two months."

At that, Cara's good disposition faltered, and the positive thoughts circling in her head turned grim. She was no longer interested doing this as it might be the way for the agent to pry on something that she must not know. Though she can't be sure that Marco's case was included in those folders, still, she need to be vigilant.

Thinking of some ways how to delay the work, she gripped the folders, and placed those down on the small sofa. "You think there's more than two victims?"

"Mm-hmm." Agent Rose bobbed her head. "But only half of me believes in it. Half thinks our man may have just taken a vacation. It's not really impossible for him to consider taking a break. Even if he's a nutjob, he still have a life to take care behind all this ruckus. Or he went under the radar so he could practice without the police prying on his activities. Who knows? These are what we have to build a solid conclusion regarding to that."

Swallowing hard, Cara stared at the other half of the files, debating whether she should own the responbility of checking those to avoid what she feared the most. She gritted her teeth, unable to apply the courage to do it. She sat on the sofa unwillingly, her mind glued to the files.

"Have you eaten breakfast?" Agent Rose asked, picking up one folder. "I can call someone to bring any available food in the pantry. This is going to be long, and rough, so you need some extra energy."

"I'm fine," Cara answered dryly. Knowing her dark past is about to be unleashed, her mind is no longer proficient to welcome any action to pursue. Even directing her attention to the files temporarily looked so hard to do.

"If you say so. Hmm... let's start with this one." Agent Rose opened the folder, and began reading the first thing her eyes landed on. "Oh, this is from your state. Happened two months ago. A case of a married man that had been found severely mutilated in a garbage area."

Cara's posture went stiff, the walls of her lungs felt closing as though they were being gripped by someone. With wrath and utter aggression. She waited painfully for the name of the victim. She can't be wrong, that's the precise description of Marco's murder case. This is it. Everything will be worse from this moment on.

She felt like a mouse being trapped in a corner. Desperate to find a way to escape, and feeling the end has already come. There's no way she could dodge it now.

"Perhaps you know about this. The victim was Marco—"

The continuation of her sentence remained unvoiced as she has been interrupted by a chirping sound possibly coming from a cellphone.

Cara watched as Agent Rose stood up straight, and put down the folder back in its place. Her expression lightened, full interest has been harbored in her eyes. "On second thought, leave that at once. I've just gotten full information about Kyler Santine. It's only a few miles away from the diner so we'll get there probably before midday. Let's go."

Cara blinked, still couldn't believe that she was saved from the misery, only a few seconds away before it could happen. A very good timing, at that. For the first time in her life, she felt deeply gratified for the whole concept of mere consequences.

She sighed heavily, finally letting out the air that had been stuck in her chest. Then, with one obedient nod, she stood and followed Agent Rose out of the office.