The Blood Pearl

CHAPTER-2

CHAPTER-2"Could you please repeat what you saw when you came?" Detective Graham asked after I drank a glass of water to wet my throat which had gone dry. I was dimly aware of Mrs. Lewis’s reassuring hand on my shoulder. I started talking and my voice sounded robotic to me. It felt like I was just a spectator and someone else was talking to the police.

"I came to the apartment at 8 pm. I had a small talk with Mrs. Lewis in the hallway and unlocked the door. The lights were off. When I switched on them and I saw her....." I trailed off from there. I didn't remember what happened next. I tried to recall but in vain. Everything was a blur until the cops started questioning me.

"I heard Naina scream. So I came here running and found Mitchell dead. I called you." Mrs. Lewis said, squeezing my shoulder. I didn't know if it was because of her fear or for my sake.

"Did she have any enemies you know of? Any fights recently?" Detective Graham asked. His hawk-like eyes were focused on me, observing and assessing me. I knew I was on his list of suspects. At this point, I might be the only one on the list.

"I don't know. She was a very private person. She never really shared anything too personal with me." I said. It hurt to use past tense when talking about Mitchell. I was also wondering how little I knew about her. I lived with her for two years and I didn't know anything that was not on the public record.

My mind reeled back to the day I first met Mitchell. She was a sight. She was a tall girl with some freckles dusted on her face that only added to her cuteness. She had a pair of green eyes and a charming smile on her face. She used to put anyone at ease. She was not a chatty one but you wouldn't be bored when talking to her. You couldn't help but like her.

My eyes turned to the spot where I found Mitchell dead. The cops occupied the place and put on that tape which said crime scene . I never in a thousand years thought I would see that thing in my apartment when I was watching those crime shows. A chalk figure was drawn in the position of Mitchell's dead body and the body was taken to the hospital for post mortem. The Mitchell I saw earlier or rather her dead body seemed like a manifestation of my worst nightmares. Some cold part of my mind noticed that the blood was coming from the back of her head. Someone must have knocked on her head when she was not looking.

"Did she have a boyfriend or girlfriend?" Detective Graham asked, pulling me out of my dark thoughts.

"Yeah. Kevin Collins." I answered absentmindedly. I told him whatever little details I knew about Mitchell's quiet boyfriend. The detective noted everything in a pocket notebook.

"That's all for now," He said putting the pen and book back in his pocket.

"I'm afraid you have to stay out of this apartment for two days. We still have to collect some clues. Do you have a place to stay?" He asked with a little concern in his voice.

"Yeah. It's fine. I'll stay at my friend Jane's." I answered.

"Good. Could you give me her address? "He asked and noted it on his mobile.

"Come on girl. You can wait in my apartment." Mrs.Lewis offered me. I never heard the oldness in her voice until now. She sounded so weary and shaky. I had a feeling she was keeping it together for my sake.

"Yeah. Sure." I said and stood up. My body felt like it was walking through lead. As though someone had cast a slow spell and the world was moving slowly around me. Tightness gripped my heart but I was not crying. Maybe I was still in a state of denial. I followed Mrs.Lewis into her apartment and called Jane.

**********

"Are you really fine on the couch? Matt can sleep here ." Jane asked apologetically as I finally settled on the couch in her apartment she shares with her boyfriend Matt. Her honey-blond hair was up in a messy bun on top of her head. Her hazel eyes are filled with worry for me. I never have seen her so quiet and reserved. She just filled energy wherever she was. But at the moment I was grateful for the quietness.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I just want to sleep." I said still not sounding like me.

"Good," she paused thinking about what she has to say next. I didn't blame her. It was not every day you have your friend crashing on your couch because her roommate was murdered.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked gauging my reaction. People were observing me tonight like I might lash out and bite them. Maybe me not crying at the sight of the gory death of my roommate was freaking them out. Well, it was freaking me why I was not crying. Maybe I was a cold-hearted person and I didn't feel anything for people.

I shook my head. She nodded indicating she understood.

"Where is Matt?" I asked looking around the apartment to find Jane's goofy boyfriend.

"He is out for a boys' night." She explained and added after a second, “Well, you should get some rest."

She got up, switched off the lights, and went into her bedroom. For the first time since I switched on the lights in our apartment, I was engulfed in darkness. A shiver ran down my spine. I am not usually afraid of darkness. But the incidents today convinced me that anything can happen in darkness and light brings the horror to the eyes of the world to see. I didn't bother to change into my nightclothes. I laid up on the couch, my eyes closed waiting for the sleepiness to come. In spite of how exhausted I thought I was, I couldn't sleep. For the first time in hours, the real question entered my mind.

Who killed Mitchell?

I felt bad for not paying much attention to her when she was alive. If I had, I would have known what was going wrong in her life. I could have given the cops some insight to catch the killer. Justice could be done. But now, I was as oblivious to her life as any other person.

My thoughts turned to Kevin. Did Kevin murder Mitchell? That seemed more possible because Kevin had a spare key for the apartment, though he never used it in my knowledge. He always used to come around with Mitchell. I racked my brain for the little information I knew about their relationship. They always seemed happy around each other and Kevin was a well-mannered man. They both seemed so perfect to each other and whenever Mitchell talked to me about Kevin her face lit up like a thousand volts bulb. I couldn't imagine what in the world could lead Kevin to murder his girlfriend.

Then it hit me hard, which I was trying to deny all night. Mitchell Smith is dead. Brutally murdered. If I had returned to the apartment as per my usual schedule she would still be alive. May be watching a late-night TV show or tiptoeing into the kitchen to have a midnight snack. I could never see her again. I just lost a good person in my life. Then came the grief in a series of uncontrollable sobs until I slipped into sleep unknowingly.