Deception

Chapter 7

    Detective Garcia offered to drive Lee home after the event. Kris and Alan stayed back since they needed to make an appearance in the after party; but Lee knew that they wouldn’t stay there for long. She could see the tiredness and anxiety in Kris’ eyes when they parted so she made sure that the couple were escorted by the security team in charge of the exhibit opening.

    “Would you like to grab dinner before we drive to your apartment?” Anton asked before they entered his car. He glanced at Lee only to be reminded of her elegance. This was not the first time he realized that Lee was a beautiful and strong woman. If he got his way, he would have asked her dinner the first time he laid his eyes on her. But he can’t, not yet anyway. He had an investigation to make and until then, the two of them will only be tied in this murder.

    Lee shook her head. “I’d rather go straight home. I don’t think I can eat with all that’s happened tonight,” she explained because she didn’t want to offend him.

    “Alright, next time then?” he asked her expectantly as he started the engine.

    She was surprised with his follow-up question that it made her glace at his direction. The man has a neatly cut blonde hair, typical for police officers, and has a pair of green eyes. He was indeed attractive and she was sure that if circumstances were different, she would have agreed to dinner. But right now, it was hard for her to decide whether it was ‘Anton’ or the ‘Detective’ who was asking her. It was as if dinner was a code for subtle interrogation, she thought. So she only settled for, “We’ll see, maybe.”

    When they arrived at the building, he wished her a good night and drove off. Lee was glad that there were still people on the building’s lobby so she only had to rein her anxiety when she entered the elevator. “Almost there. Almost there,” she muttered to comfort herself. Again, she was glad that there were people walking in the corridor.

    She sighed in relief as she reached her apartment room. She immediately locked the door and inspected every room. This had actually been her routine since the funeral ended. She always made sure that no one else was in the apartment.

    Exhaustion took over her as she fell almost immediately asleep, a break in the pattern these past few days. She couldn’t have been more thankful for the sleep but she was startled awake because of a nightmare that she didn't even remember. Sweat trickled her forehead and she suddenly felt hot so she got up to get some water.

    Not bothering to turn the lights on, she bee-lined for the refrigerator. She was having a glass of cold water when her gaze wandered towards the sliding door in the kitchen, which led to the balcony. Each apartment room in the building had its own balcony which offers the view of a huge grassland and cattle farm.

    She dropped her glass when she saw a silhouette of a man through the glass door. Her curtains were thin and almost see-through so she could make out his shape, and he was walking back and forth in the balcony. She lived on the fifth floor, the topmost floor of the building, so she didn’t know how the man climbed all the way there. It was not impossible but it was hard for anyone to do so without a resident spotting him.

    She closed her eyes and hunched in the corner of the kitchen, away from the glass door. The man surely knew that she was awake because she shattered the f*****g glass. In her panic, she contemplated on whether she locked the glass door or not. “Breathe. Breathe,” she chanted. Yes, she remembered that she checked all the locks before she went to bed. Seemingly calmed, she sneaked another peak but the silhouette disappeared.

    The room suddenly felt smaller. She felt trapped. Lee needed to confirm if the man was really gone but she was too afraid. Suddenly, she had an idea and she prayed that she could pull it off.

    Without making a sound, she ran towards the living room, out of the main door and into the dimly lit corridor. Nobody was in sight and the functioning CCTVs were her only comfort. She reached the room beside her, Room 202, and buzzed. “Please let him be home,” she prayed.

    She glanced around while pressing the bell several times. The only source of light during the wee hours of the night was the lamp in front of the elevator. It was the building policy as a means to conserve energy. She was tempted to yell and introduce herself but stopped herself. She’d rather remain silent even though she knew that there was a security guard who could help her. But the guard was on the ground floor, too far from her, she supposed. Her imagination ran wild as she imagined that the man from her balcony, which was on the other side of the building, would suddenly jump out of the elevator, located at the end of the hallway.

    “Lee? What happened?”

    She squealed as sudden brightness hit her eyes. As her vision adjusted, she saw a half –naked Gabe. “I’m sorry if I wake you. Can I come in, please,” she requested.

    Gabe moved to the side to make way for her. Earlier, he was surprised to hear the doorbell buzz. He checked the time and saw that it was one in the morning, so who could that be? Cautiously, he reached for his baseball bat and looked in the peephole. What the hell? He was surprised to see Lee so he immediately opened his door. And now that Lee was in his living room, he could see that her short hair was in disarray. She was wearing an oversized shirt that didn’t even reach her mid-thigh and she was barefooted –too f*****g sexy that he had to avert his gaze.

    “You didn’t wake me I just arrived from my shift and was about to shower. Good thing you buzzed when you did,” he said as he made his way to his bedroom to put a shirt on and to get a blanket. He cursed when he remembered that his laundry were still in the laundry service across the street. So he had no choice but to offer Lee his own blanket.

    “Oh thank you,” Lee said as she enveloped herself in the Gabe scented blanket. She was thankful for the blanket because she suddenly became aware of  her clothing, or the lack thereof. For god sake, she wasn't wearing a bra! She wanted to die in embarrassment but she realized why she was there. Words tumbled out of her mouth without pause as Gabe patiently listened to her explanation. 

    "I'll go out of my balcony to check yours," he said but Lee grabbed his hand. "I'll  go with you," she said. 

    "Don't. It's better if he believed that you're still in your room," he replied and reluctantly let go of Lee's hand. He walked towards his kitchen and slowly opened the sliding door. When he stepped out into the balcony, Lee moved towards the kitchen and sat patiently. 

    "No one's on your balcony and your door was still closed. I didn't spot anyone in the other balconies either," Gabe informed her as he carefully locked the sliding door. "He must have had some tools to move from one balcony to another, and towards to ground floor. Tomorrow, we could ask the security if they caught anyone suspicious in the CCTVs. Or maybe some of the residents might have witnessed something and reported to the management," he suggested.

    "Thank you so much Gabe. I'm really sorry for disturbing you. I just... I have no one else to turn to," Lee admitted.

   Gabe was pleased to learn that he was the first person she thought of when she was afraid. "You don't have to go back to your apartment tonight if you feel unsafe. We'll check it together in the morning. What do you say?"

    "I don't want to intrude, Gabe."

    "Trust me, you're not," he said as he looked into her eyes and squeezed her arms.

    "I'll stay, then."