Deception

Chapter 5

    It had been a couple of days since Lee started to gather information about Jairus. She may had been wrong in assuming that it was Jairus who followed Kris and her all around the town when they were arranging the funeral. After all, she hadn’t seen the plate number of the sedan. But she felt that it was the same car because she remembered catching a glimpse of the dent in front.  

    Lee started to look through Jairus’ social media accounts, but there was not much for her to go on. Most of the posts and discussion were about his travels and friends. She sighed. Of course, she wouldn’t find anything except for superficial information. So, she decided to give up her research for now, seeing as no one had followed her ever since. Though she was curious as to why Jairus would follow them, there was no real harm done. She was snapped out of her thoughts when Trina called her out.

    “You spaced out again,” Trina pointed out.

    “Sorry, what’d you say?” she asked.

    “I said, it’s time for you to go home,” Trina replied as she pointed at the wall clock then continued, "I'll be taking over from here. Looks like I'll be busy tonight. We have a diverticulitis patient and three others who are under recovery from surgeries," Trina informed her. Lee always found herself doing some overtime ever since Eli’s death because it was just so hard for her to end up alone in her apartment. But Trina was also a certified workaholic, though the woman didn't want to admit it.

    Lee chuckled at the insistence of her co-worker. “I didn’t realize it was late,” she attempted an excuse.

    “Uh-huh. You didn’t realize that you’ve overworked for two hours, again,” her co-worker replied sarcastically.

    With that, she decided to heed Trina’s advice. It was her day off the next day, and she was invited in Kris’ exhibit opening so she had to shop for a congratulatory gift. On her way out of the hospital, she bumped into Gabe, who looked fresh in his navy blue shirt.

    “Hey, long day?” Gabe greeted.

    “You could say that. You’re shift about to start?” she asked in reply.

    “Nah. Actually, I’m on my way home. I just worked overtime in the O.R.." he said. Now, Lee understood that he was freshly showered because he was from the operating room and not from the apartment.

    “I’m also going home,” she said as both of them walked out of the building.

    “I’ll walk you to your car, then.”

    “Oh, I didn’t take my car. I’ll just hail a cab,” she replied.

    “Why?” he inquired. He knew that it was not his business but he was genuinely curious that he couldn’t stop the question from tumbling out his mouth.

    “Ahm, I just… felt like it?” she said sounding so unsure, so she repeated it with more firmness. “I just don’t want to drive.” Lee hoped that Gabe wouldn’t press on the matter. The truth was, she still felt unsafe driving her car, thinking that someone might follow her again. So, she chose to ride the bus or the cab just so she could have a company. It was silly, but her anxiety started to kick in since the funeral.

    “Then, it’s a good thing we live in the same apartment building. You can ride with me, if you want,” Gabe said. The lie in Lee’s face was so obvious but he didn’t want to come off as nosy so he just let it go.

    “Ok. I owe you one,” Lee agreed.

    Gabe was taken aback at how Lee’s face lit up as she smiled at him. He could not pass this opportunity, so he added, “You can pay me back with dinner?” Why did he feel nervous all of a sudden? He asked himself as he ran is hands through his hair. It was not like this was the first time they dinner, he thought. Well, if he could consider the take-out on Lee's apartment as a dinner.

    “Where do you want to eat? We can eat dinner before we go home,” Lee offered seemingly oblivious on the nerves that Gabe felt.

    He really thought that Lee would decline; he was thankful that she didn’t though. The two drove off to one of his favorite Asian cuisine restaurants. They enjoyed each other's company and had a pleasant evening.

    The next day, Lee spent her time looking for a gift to Kris. She found an exclusive palette made with resin and dried flowers. That should work, she thought. She had it wrapped in a gift bag and proceeded to freshen up. She wore a light pink long-sleeved dress that hugged her body and stopped mid-thigh. Her make-up was light and her hair was, well, the usual. She couldn’t really do much with her pixie cut hair, she thought. She had one last glance in the mirror before she went out.

    When she entered the gallery, she was surprised with its elegance. It looked very different from the first time she set foot there because the lighting was good and the floor was polished now. It was spacious enough for people to mingle and to look at the artworks. All of the frames, however, were still covered.

    “Hey, you,” Kris greeted her. She looked sophisticated in her silver nightgown and neat up-do. 

    “You look lovely. Congratulations with the gallery! Oh, I got a little something for you,” Lee handed her the gift.

    “You didn’t have to! Oh my gosh, thanks!” Kris squealed as she opened the bag and saw what was inside.

    “So why are they still covered?” she asked gesturing towards the frames.

    “We’ll start first with a little program to discuss the theme. You know the theme right? We’re promoting ‘end violence, trafficking, r**e’ and the likes, etcetera,” she discussed as they walked around the gallery. “So, some of these paintings and photographs may be too graphic or gore."

    “That’s why we can’t just expose the paintings yet. The audience must first understand the relevance to the theme so that they could interpret them more wholeheartedly,” Kris clarified.

    Lee could feel the excitement in the air as the program progressed. She, too, felt excited especially when the staff uncovered the frames. One portion of the gallery was for the paintings and the other was for the photographs. She first went over the photographs' wing and understood what Kris meant. Some were indeed disturbing; some were too s****l for her liking, while some were peaceful and serene.

    When she went further to the end of the corridor, she saw a crowd gathered at one picture. She thought that it might be that good to gain this much popularity. Out of curiosity, she also wanted to take a look. Her stomach began to churn and her breathing sped when she saw it. It was an enlarged picture, about the size of two bond papers placed side by side. She couldn’t take her eyes of it as familiarity dawned on her. 

    She simply stared.

    The bathroom walls were ivory but Lee's eyes were fixed on the red, the blood that dripped on the floor. There were a couple of bottles lying on the floor, and Lee somehow knew that those were sleeping pills. Along with them lied a paper cutter which in no doubt the tool that Eli used to cut her skin. Water was running from the faucet in the sink but the bathroom hadn't been flooded because the drain was opened. Lee stared at the bloated and naked body of her friend resting in the bath tub. Her face was slightly covered by her blonde hair. Eli’s arms were dangling on either side of the tub. The blood had dried where her wrists were sit. The photograph was taken inside Eli’s bathroom.