Kill for Love

Chapter 50 - The Police

“Bestie, I’m getting bored. Can we go to the mall to do some shopping? Pretty please?” Athena pleaded. She keeps on shaking Cytherea’s arm.

They were in the living room, sitting on the couch. They were watching a horror movie while eating popcorn. Athena finds the movie so boring. It was a zombie movie but it was so obvious that it was a B-rated movie. The effects were so obvious and unreal.

Cytherea chuckled and continued to grab some popcorn from the bowl that she was holding. Athena grabbed some too and annoyingly chewed it. She grabbed two more pieces and threw them to Cytherea’s face when she didn’t respond and just laughed at her.

She shook Cytherea’s arm again to get her attention. Cytherea took the remote from the center table and pushed the button to pause the movie from playing. She puts the bowl of popcorn on the table and faces Athena.

"I'm so bored. My god! We are staying in this room for a week now and we haven’t been able to go out. We have to go out once in a while you know?” Athena said. She put her feet on the couch and rocking herself back and forth like a little kid

Cytherea sighed.

"Me too, I'm getting bored. This movie is so crappy," Cytherea complained.

She's getting bored too. It's been a week since her encounter with Carlos and although she thinks that Carlos didn't mean any harm, something inside her still feels uneasy by just thinking that they might cross each other's path again. She decided to keep these thoughts to herself. She knew that it would create chaos if she voiced it out. Her newly found friends are very protective of her most especially, Gaus.

The very reason why she decided to stay inside the penthouse. She avoids meeting Carlos. It couldn't help most especially that Carlos is working in the same hotel that she is staying in.

"I know, right? Like, look at those blood splatters, my god! It doesn't even look real. So let’s go shopping please?” Athena clasped her hands like she was praying while giving Cytherea puppy-dog eyes.

“Okay, okay! Go ahead and let’s get dressed. We are still in our PJs,” Cytherea chuckled.

Athena excitedly jumped off the couch and started running towards the room. They were both sharing the same room in the penthouse since it’s the only room. Cytherea laughed at Athena’s actions. She cleaned up their mess in the living room and covered the bowl with plastic wrap and put it on the counter in the kitchen.

She was about to go to the room to follow Athena when she heard a knock on the door. Cytherea paused and went to the door to open it. He saw Gaus and two men dressed in a police uniform.

She looked at Gaus with a big question mark on her head.

“Cytherea, these are the police investigators and they have some questions for you,” Gaus explained.

“Is this for Ares’ case?” She excitedly asked. It’s been a long time since she heard anything from the police and for them to come to her, there must be a lead already. “Please, come in,” she said, leading them to the living room.

“Thank you, Ma’am. My name is Austin Paul and this is my partner Jeffrey Wayne,” the police officer with blonde hair and brown eyes introduced. The other police officer has dark hair and black eyes. He looked like an Asian.

Cytherea shook their hands and smiled. “Nice meeting you, officers. Please have a seat. Can I offer you something to drink?” she offered.

“Oh no, Ma’am we are good. We are actually here to ask some few questions if you don’t mind,” Officer Wayne said after sitting down on the couch.

“Oh, sure. Of course! Is this with regards to fiance’s case?” she asked after sitting on the couch adjacent to the police officers. Gaus also sat beside her.

“We are still investigating your fiance’s case but that’s not what we are here for,” Officer Wayne said. Officer Austin was quiet and took a small notebook and pen from his uniform pocket and scribbled something on the notebook.

Cytherea looked at Gaus and then to the police officers. Her forehead creased. If it’s not with Ares’ case, then what is it for?

“I don’t understand. If it’s not about Ares then what is it for?” she asked, confused.

“Yes, Ma’am. This is with regards to Carlos Mathias. He’s found dead.”

Cytherea’s jaw dropped and covered her mouth with her two hands. Her heart starts to beat rapidly. She just couldn’t believe what she heard. She was staying in the room to avoid meeting Carlos and now she is just being told that he is dead.

Wayne continued, “A hunter found his body in the forest. According to our initial investigation, he had been murdered-”

“Wait, I'm so sorry to cut you off, Officer but why are you asking me about him? I don’t even know the guy aside from his name and yes, we may have talked but only for two times.”

“Yes, Ma’am. The reason we are here is that you were one of the five people that last saw him alive. Can you tell us what your conversation was like in the lobby?” Officer Wayne asked again.

She looked at Officer Austin and found him writing something again in his notebook. She turned to Gaus who was also quiet and gave her a nod like he was giving him a signal to tell the police what had happened.

Cytherea sighed. She told the officers what had happened in the lobby. The two police officers were listening intently and Officer Austin constantly wrote something in his notebook.

“We were told by Mr. Raynott that since the incident, you didn’t leave this penthouse. Can you tell us why?” Officer Austin finally talked and glared at her while waiting for her answer.

“Yes-”

“Bestie! I’m ready! Why aren’t you changing yet?” Athena yelling cutting Cytherea off.

All of them looked at her. She was all dressed up and didn’t notice that there were visitors in the penthouse. She awkwardly smiled and like a prim and proper person, she modestly walked towards Cytherea. She sat on the armrest beside Cytherea and looked at the two men in police’s uniform.

“What happened? Why are there police here, Bestie? Is this about Ares’ case?” Athena eagerly asked.

“No, Bestie. It’s about Carlos,” Cytherea simply answered and put her hand on Athena’s lap.

Athena immediately grabbed her hand and held on to it as if her life depended on it.

“I’m sorry for interrupting. I’m Athena Ellis,” she reached her right hand to the two police officers and shook their hands while her left hand was still holding Cytherea's hand. She went back beside Cytherea and sat again on the armrest. “You don’t mind me being here right even though I don’t personally know the guy?”

“That’s fine,” Officer Wayne approved. He scratched his left cheek and stared at Cytherea like he was reading her whole being and her inner thoughts.

“Can you answer the question now, Miss Swan?” Officer Austin asked.

“Yes, of course. I’m sorry,” Cytherea took a deep breath. “Well, it’s because to tell you honestly I feel uneasy to meet Carlos again. I know when he asked me those things, he didn’t mean any harm but he’s making me uncomfortable. So to avoid awkwardness, I just choose not to go out. But that actually changed today because my best friend and I are planning to go out.”

“Are you going out right now because you have learned beforehand that Carlos is dead?” Austin asked while looking intently at her

Cytherea felt a flash of irritation. “Excuse me?”

Gaus got alarmed by the way of the police’ questioning. “I think that’s enough. If you want more info, you can contact our lawyer. You can’t use that way of questioning if you need information,” he stated firmly.

“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to offend you, Miss Swan. That will be our question for today,” Officer Austin apologized. They both stand up and shake the hands of the three before Gaus leading them to the exit.