Framed

Alyssa Dekker I woke up to the feeling of the sun embracing my eyes, a feeling I hated so much which is why I never open the blinds, I liked my room dark. I groaned internally as I slowly got up to shut the stupid blinds which were interrupting my sleep, I crawled back to bed quickly as I shut it and shut my eyes for another round of sleep, after all, my alarm had not gone off yet so I still had time, I pulled the blanket closer, it felt fluffier than usual. My eyes had still not adjusted to the sunlight exposure and there was an awful smell in the air, a familiar smell, like the smell of a rusty iron, I swung the blanket off my body as the realisation hit me. Blood. Panic coursed through my body as I got up with a sharp pang against my head. I realised I wasn't even my room as I took in my surroundings, I was in a stranger's bedroom, I looked down at my clothes instinctively, I was still fully dressed in my work clothes. I sighed in relief. The memories flooded back, I had been in a meeting last night with Fargo Mencer, the prime suspect in the Parkson embezzlement and fraud case, if I remembered correctly, I met him in a bar, not a house. Anxiety coursed through my body as I ran out of the empty room, I walked down the stairs to what seemed like the living room only that it was out of place, everywhere was scattered, a broken vase lying shattered on the floor, books which most likely sat on the shelf were all over the room. I felt another pang on my head and raw pain all over my body. I decided to stay calm down, maybe after the meeting, I had too much drinks and ended up going home with a stranger, maybe. No. That's probably not it, I never got wasted on a work night and I didn't reek of alcohol. Relief washed through me as I spotted my red bag on the sofa. I ran across the room to get it but stopped abruptly stunned at the horrible sight and shivered as the origin of the bloody smell lay still in front of me. Fargo Mencer, Dead. I couldn't touch him, it would mess up the evidence, a lot of things ran through my mind as I stared down at him. What the f*****g is going on? Why am I in his apartment? Who killed him? My head spun as I tried so hard to recall last night's events, I couldn't remember anything. I reached for my bag instead to retrieve my phone with my shake and froze as I saw the time, Thursday, 22 April, 7:59 PM, a whole day gone. Shit. 14 missed calls and a voice mail from Diego, 3 missed calls from my boss Charles. “Alyssa, where the f**k are you, Charles is flipping out, are you sick?” cold thrills ran down my spine as I listened to Diego’s voice mail. Should I call 911? Or Diego?, he can figure this out My hands kept shaking as I dialed Diego’s number, my heart rate paced up with each ring. “Alyssa” I sighed hard as I heard his voice. “Diego, something is wrong, I don't know what's going on, I woke up in this strange apartment, and there's blood, and Fargo Mencer is “Hey slow down, Alyssa slow down” “Fargo Mencer is dead” “What! I told you not to meet him” “Yeah I know, I don't know what the f**k is going on, I woke up in his apartment this morning, I found him dead” “What?” “I don't know how, I'm confused!” “Calm down Alyssa, send me the address, I'm coming now” “I don't know it, I met him in a f*****g bar!” I screamed in frustration as reality started to dawn in. “Stay calm, Alyssa stay calm. I've got you, I will track your phone, just stay calm and don't move” he said. This wasn't a calm situation. It was a disaster. “You shouldn't have called him” I spun around as I heard the deep strange voice across the room. I stepped back in fear as I took in the strange man. “Who are you?” “Someone interested in the truth, you were passed out upstairs when I came, didn't want to wake you” he said coming closer. I moved back slowly as he took steps forward. “Stop! Stay the f**k there!” I shouted as I reached for my gun in my waistband. s**t. “Looking for this?”, he said with a wicked smile as my gun dangled from his hands. “I'm not your enemy, Alyssa” he said coming closer, I could feel the hairs on my arm erect from fear, he was dressed in all black, his face didn't look dangerous. But the dangerous ones never looked it. I stepped back looking for what I could grab while I keep him distracted. “How do know my name?” “Alyssa Sherylyn Hayes, police detective, daughter of Cox Hayes, your father was my father's bestfriend” “What?” Liar. “Like I said, you shouldn't have called” “Did you kill him?” I asked pointing at Mencer's bloodied body as I moved further towards the edge to grab the bowling stick lying against the wall. “No, that's a messy work, whoever did it is sick, but no one cares since they are going to frame it all on you” “What? I didn't do this” “I know, they are going to frame you like they framed your father, but I can help you” “They? My father was framed?” “The Police Force framed him, they wanted him out because he knew too much” he said. My heart rate paced and my body vibrated as I grabbed the bowling stick. I pointed it at him and step forward. “Shut up you f*****g bastard!” I shouted in anger. “I thought you were smarter than this, I'm holding a f*****g gun Alyssa, if I was going to hurt you, I would have” He said as he dropped the gun on the table. “My father told us to protect you before he died, he wanted you safe” “Us?,I don't f*****g know your father and I'm safe” “You're not, this is not a coincidence, he's dead and you're in house with no scratch, can't you see the picture?”, he said gesturing at the room,”You're being framed just like your father was” “My father was not framed, he was a criminal, a fraudster, he went to prison and he's dead so shut it” I said in anger as tears brimmed my eyes threatening to fall” “He was a good man, I wish we had time but we don't, he will soon be here and you don't have time, you need to come with me” he said. I didn't trust him. My job was to not trust anyone especially in a crime scene, he could use me as a hostage. My eyes wandered to the gun on the table, if I could just reach it, this would be so much easier. “I know you still don't trust me, it's your choice, I would protect you only if you want me to, there's a card in your right pocket, if you need my help call me”. He said as he took the gun and turned to walk away. He was dumb if he thought I would just let him leave a crime scene when he might be the prime suspect, I was about to lurch at him when I heard Diego’s voice “Alyssa!“ behind. I turned around swiftly so I could warn Diego of the threat. “I'm here” I shouted a little eager to get some help here, but as I turned around he was gone. “Alyssa” I turned around, finally, I ran to him and hugged him tightly like my life depended on it, and then tears I had been holding back came rushing down as I sobbed hard. “Shhhh, it's okay, we will figure this out” he said patting my head. I let go of him so he could scan the room. He went to Mencer's body probably hoping to find some clues. “Alyssa, we have to call others and do a full investigation” he said as he got up. Fear gripped my body as I nodded. “What about me?” “Since you can't remember, you were most likely drugged, we would run a few tests and clear you” he said. A wave of relief rushed through me, why didn't I think of that earlier. “But you can't be here when they come” “Why? If I'm not here, they could make me a prime suspect” “You're neat, there's no trace of him on you, you could get fired if Charles find out you met him without telling him, he asked you to drop the case” I didn't think of that. Charles would be pissed, he wanted to arrest Mencer and bring him in as a suspect. “Don't worry I will take care of everything, go home and get a shower, you stink, I will sort it all out” “Thanks Diego” I said still unsure if leaving was a good idea. But I trusted Diego, he would sort it out. I grabbed my bag and said goodbye then left. I got home an hour after, it was a long ride, I got into the shower immediately, the conversation with the strange man popped into my head about being framed but I brushed it off immediately, I have to find him as soon as I get to work, he might be the key to all this. I should have told Diego. Yeah the card, I rushed to dry off. I put on a shirt and pants. I looked for the card in my pant trousers on the floor, I sighed in relief as I found it, it was a black card, Michael Sawthorne, Managing director of Sawthorne Private Investigation agency. I dialed his number as I put on the news. I froze at the image on the screen, Fargo Mencer's name and face was all over the news. The headline was Innocent man murdered in cold blood by Female detective. There was an interview in the house with the body right where it was. Diego was being interviewed "She's being investigated for fraud" he said. My knees immediately went weak. “Do you need me now Alyssa?” I gasped as I strange voice. He was right. I was being framed. “Yes” I said and then cut the call. Then I heard police sirens.