Fifty Two

CHAPTER 52

Main Hall, 12:00 am.

"So, you guys are already dating? Really 'dating' like a couple?"

It was Luke. He was sitting next to Ace in the main hall of the dormitory since ten minutes ago. Nicholas had called them both through Noel and the two chose to chat while waiting for the young detective to come meet them.

"I don't know, I guess we just went for a walk," Ace replied lightly and then went back to the game on his phone.

Luke squinted. "That would be a lie. You guys must have... well, look, your faces are glowing today." He raised both eyebrows ignorantly. "Something must have happened, right?"

"We just made up and started being friends."

Luke shrugged his shoulders dismissively. "Being friends is a sign that you and Alicia have made peace with your complicated relationship," he said sagely. "That's good news."

"By the way, where's Nicholas?" Ace changed the subject and looked around. "What did he call us here for?"

"I don't know," Luke replied nonchalantly, as he got busy with his laptop again.

After a few minutes, Nicholas finally appeared. He was wearing a black V-neck t-shirt with denim pants. It didn't look like Nicholas;the one Ace knew. "What's up with you, man?" teased Ace, once Nicholas sat down in front of him.

Luke just blinked his eyes a few times at the change in Nicholas' appearance. "Did you do what I asked, Luke?" Nicholas ignoring Ace instantly broke the curly-haired man's reverie.

The man named Luke Hauld nodded awkwardly-because Ace didn't stop glancing suspiciously at him-while handing Nicholas his laptop. "He hasn't contacted anyone other than his father," Luke explained, adding to Ace's suspicions.

Nicholas accepted Luke's laptop and stared at the screen thoughtfully. While there was silence, Ace suddenly cleared his throat, "So now, you suspect Alicia of having to tap her cell phone because she lost to me?"

 Spontaneously, Nicholas looked up. His eyes met Ace's dark brown eyes which looked back at him coldly. "I didn't lose and you didn't win." Meanwhile, Luke just shuddered in horror when Nicholas said that sentence.

"But Alicia came home with me," Ace said with a triumphant grin.

 "She just didn't feel right last night," Nicholas retorted.

"Whoo!" Luke exclaimed interceding. "The look in your eyes is really bothering me. What's going on?" He looked at Ace and then at Nicholas in turn; waiting for an answer.

"I'll be neutral and rational from now on." Nicholas finally returned the laptop to its owner--Luke. "Alicia is involved in every case and is always closest to the victim. Shouldn't I investigate?"

Ace chuckled mockingly. "This makes no sense. You're acting like that just because you feel like you've been rejected by her."

"I wasn't rejected!" she quickly retorted.

"Oh, obviously," Ace retorted in a high tone. He straightened up and pointed boldly at Nicholas' face. "You. Broken. Heart. Nicholas," he continued to clarify.

"I said no!" snapped Nicholas. His face now turned red; holding back his anger. "Now it's up to you. Are you going to join the search for the real culprit and restore your father's good name or stay silent, hiding from all this trouble?" from his tone, it could be heard that Nicholas was trying to push him gently.

Ace chuckled again, getting fed up with those who didn't believe in Alicia. "You're getting influenced by Noel and Amanda apparently."

"This has nothing to do with them," Nicholas exclaimed indignantly. "We just need to prove everything. Why are you talking all over the place?" and the young detective got up from his chair.

"Okay, fine, guys." Luke also got up and caught Ace's attention as well as Nicholas'. "We need to find out and catch the culprit as soon as possible." He closed his laptop and clutched it to his chest. "If you're on the side of that 'crazy' girl, then you need to come prove it, Ace. And you, detective, are we really going to Alicia's house now?"

***

"I'm a little nervous about meeting my future in-laws."

"Don't be!" said Nicholas, after he knocked on Alicia's door.

Luke just rolled his eyes lazily while the two men in front of him continued to argue-about Alicia. They had just arrived after traveling for about four hours due to traffic jams.

"Good afternoon, sir," greeted Nicholas as he showed his identity to the old man who had just opened the door.

After explaining the purpose of their visit to Alicia's house, the old man, Frank Preth, invited them to come in and sit in the living room. Frank also immediately served them some hot tea, which did nothing to break the tense atmosphere between them.

"I didn't expect any of this to actually happen," Frank sighed, as Nicholas finished explaining everything.

Nicholas straightened up and looked straight at Alicia's adoptive father. "Can you tell me everything you know, everything about your daughter?" Nicholas glanced at Ace and Luke briefly before turning back to Frank. "Perhaps right now, your daughter's life is in danger."

Frank nodded. "In the past, both of Alicia's parents died in a single accident in the San Antonia area." He began in an anxious tone, his eyes wandering somewhere. "Then she was adopted by the Pennie family who turned out to be worse than I thought."

"What do you mean, sir?" this time Ace spoke up.

"The man turned out to be a big mobster in Brooklyn. Something went wrong and they were both found murdered and their house was burnt down," Frank continued sadly. "Very sad."

Ace and Nicholas exchanged glances. Luke, meanwhile, was still quietly watching. "What about Alicia?" asked Ace in a worried tone.

Frank got up from the sofa and reached for the family photo hanging on the wall. Those sad eyes looked at the faces of the people in the photo with a sad look. "No one survived except Alicia, the girl was taking extra lessons at school and when she returned--" Frank hung his words in the air and then gave the old figurine to Nicholas. "Alicia was severely traumatized, they call it partial amnesia. She's forgotten all those horrible events and only remembers the memories she wants to remember, before all those terrible things happened."

Ace shook his head in concern. "It must be really hard being Alicia," he sympathized.

Nicholas silently looked at the photo in his hand intently. "Excuse me, Mr. Frank, who is this girl?" he pointed to the face of a girl sitting next to Alicia - in a blue dress with a red bow on her head.

"Rosie Pennie, she's Alicia's missing sister. The biggest possibility is that the mafia group killed her somewhere else." Frank exhaled heavily. "She is the biological daughter of Hans Pennington and Julia Greenie."

Nicholas and Ace suddenly turned to each other and rounded their eyes. Whether it was a coincidence or not, they both caught their breath and there was a moment of silence.

"Are your thoughts the same as mine, Ace?"

Ace nodded, without removing the look of horror from his face. With difficulty, he continued,

.

 .

 .

"Alicia is really in danger now."