One Hundred and eighty four

CHAPTER 184

The sound of knocking on the door made Alicia, who was playing social media, look away. She looked at the round wall clock on the wall, it was one o'clock in the morning. Who was visiting so early? Alicia turned off her phone, trying to keep it in the pocket of her red pajamas. She eyed the door warily when the sound returned.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Alicia tried to grab the pepper spray from the table, she had prepared it in case Ace came in unannounced. She then got up from the sofa and, pointing the pepper spray towards the front, made her way to the door.

Alicia's hand was already on the doorknob, and she opened the door in front of her.

"Nick?"

Alicia's tense face changed quickly. She breathed a sigh of relief and clutched her chest. "You almost surprised me, Nick." Alicia's blue eyes looked around, Nicholas had come alone. "Why are you here so early?"

But Nicholas did not answer. His eyes were blank. His mind seemed to be occupied by something Alicia didn't know. Nicholas just stood there staring at her, all the words he wanted to say stuck in his mouth.

Alicia sympathized. She pulled Nicholas by the arm and led him inside. "We should go inside, it's getting cold outside."

Nicholas seemed to lose his focus, he just walked along with the flow with his mind blank. Seeing her boyfriend behaving strangely, Alicia helped Nicholas, taking off Nicholas' wet coat and hanging it on a hanger in the corner of the room.

"Sit down. I'll make you a hot drink," Alicia said, as she ran at lightning speed to the kitchen, while Nicholas sat in the living room.

While stirring the hot tea in the cup, Alicia also checked the snacks in the cabinet. Alicia picked up a biscuit and brought it along with the hot tea she had made for Nicholas. She placed the drinks on the table, and then sat down next to Nicholas.

"You can drink this, Nick."

Nicholas sighed, Alicia listening. "Thank you for the drink."

"Is something wrong, Nick?"

Nicholas pursed his lips after swallowing the brown liquid in the cup. He put the cup down on the table, then looked at Alicia. With a tired look on his face, Nicholas explained, "I don't think I can buy you a Christmas present this year."

Alicia's eyebrows raised, she looked at him curiously. "That's... not a big deal to me."

"But I feel guilty. This was supposed to be our first Christmas," Nicholas said, he held his head, ruffling his hair in frustration while shouting. "Argh! This case almost made me explode."

Alicia listened carefully to Nicholas' complaints. She didn't comment, or judge.

"You know, Hendrick, my friend, he works in prison security. But the day Ace left the prison, Hendrick was manipulating the surveillance cameras, he gave false testimony and now I don't know which side Hendrick is on. Will he choose me, or will he choose Ace," Nicholas said, then he wiped his face. Alicia patted her boyfriend's shoulder lightly, but he said nothing. Meanwhile, Nicholas lowered his hand from his face, then looked at Alicia who was sitting beside him. "This is a tough case, there are many people involved. And, I can't determine who is really a friend, and who is on the other side."

"The murder case and the explosion must have one common thread, Nick." Alicia tried to help, she tried to tell what she knew. "Let's assume that all these people are related to Ace. Maybe you'll be able to find him if you just focus on Ace. The murders will keep happening to create a distraction, you'll be busy and unable to find Ace's missing whereabouts. You need to focus your mind on one goal."

Nicholas stared into his tea, contemplating Alicia's words. The weight of the investigation and the mysterious actions of those around him affected his normally calm demeanor. Alicia could see the struggle in his eyes and decided to be his crutch.

"Nick, you're not alone in this," Alicia assured him as she placed her hand on Nick's shoulder. "We'll overcome this together. Ace can't hide forever, and we'll uncover the truth behind this whole mess."

Nicholas managed a faint smile, appreciating Alicia's support. "You're right. I can't let this case consume me. But it's not just about Ace; there's something bigger at play here, something I can't guess at."

Alicia pondered for a moment before suggesting, "Maybe it's time to revisit the crime scene, re-examine the evidence. There may be patterns or clues that we've missed. And regarding your friend Hendrick, we need to find out which side he's on. Maybe he can provide important information."

Nicholas nodded, feeling a new determination. "You're brilliant, Alicia. Let's start with the crime scene. I need your perspective on this. Can we talk about something like this at two in the morning?"

Alicia laughed, she found it absurd. Yet here the two of them were, sitting together on the living room sofa, with a warm cup of tea in front of them, talking about someone else's death.

"You have a rather macabre sense of humor, Nick. Who would want to discuss someone else's death at two in the morning like this?"

Nicholas finally smiled, his face not as stiff as before. He was feeling much better.

"So, where should we start? You come and complain about Hendrick, can I know what really happened with Hendrick?"

"I felt something was off when we all checked the crime scene, Jason's pawn shop, the body of the man you found in the river. He was the owner of the pawn shop by the way, but Hendrick kept ordering Peter, our junior, around, as if he was avoiding the scene."

Alicia's brows furrowed. "And, what's your plan now?"

As they delved into planning their next move, little did they know that the shadows of deceit were closing in around them. Unbeknownst to Nicholas, a mysterious figure was monitoring their conversation from a distance.