REBECCA
Rebecca Grey closed her eyes and basked in the glow of the morning sun. She took a long, deep breath — only to exhale in a coughing fit.
Damn this smog, she thought.
Standing at the corner of one of the busiest streets in downtown New York, Rebecca quickly fished for her inhaler from her Adidas sling bag. After a quick puff, she felt much better. The pedestrian signal turned green, and Rebecca shoved her inhaler into her bag before swiftly joining the throng of people crossing the street.
A few dozen paces later found her standing in front of the Silverman Tower. Rebecca looked up, squinting her hazel eyes at the imposing skyscraper, looming above all other buildings in the vicinity. She cleared her throat, straightened the press pass around her neck, and brushed back the loose strands of curly hair that had slipped out of her ponytail. Her hair was naturally straight, but on a whim, she’d decided to go for a perm and had quickly come to regret the decision. Her curls had been hiding in her ponytail ever since.
Rebecca wished she were hiding from the world in bed. But here she was, ready for a brand-new assignment. She whipped out her trusty Canon PowerShot. The little beauty had seen Rebecca grow from a rookie journalist to a Pulitzer Prize-winning one. Today, Rebecca would use her trusty camera to provide press coverage for one of the hottest stories in town: a murder at the Silverman Tower.
The Silverman Corporation had long been one of New York’s most influential business empires, with lucrative stakes in real estate, aviation, oil, and renewable energy, as well as the entertainment industry. Its current CEO, William Silverman, recently elevated the company to new heights by making the bold move of investing in virtual reality, a gamble that paid off handsomely and rocketed William into the title of Time’s entrepreneur of the year. Silverman was now the region’s top company and, for a time, seemed invincible.
Then, the murder happened. By morning, the whole place was swarmed with police officers, reporters, and curious passers-by. Now, the main entrance to the building was sealed off with bright yellow caution tape. A lanky police officer noticed Rebecca inching toward the barrier tape, his eyes narrowing in annoyance. Perhaps he had dealt with too many nosy onlookers this morning.
He held up his palm and addressed Rebecca, “Young lady, I’m afraid the Silverman Tower is off-limits today. If you’d be so kind as to…” His voice trailed off, and his weary eyes widened when he saw Rebecca’s press pass. “Miss Grey! My apologies. I had no idea you were covering this case. I’m a huge fan of your work! Your report on the Darlington case really helped bring justice to the trial. Hey, can I take a selfie with you?”
Rebecca smiled sheepishly, not sure how to decline the overly eager police officer. She hadn’t gotten used to her newfound fame. Just as she was about to open her mouth to offer some feeble excuse, John Grant appeared.
“John!” Rebecca squealed, ecstatic to see a familiar face.
John walked to where she stood, and she hugged him, her face disappearing in the broad shoulders of his black trench coat. His coat smelled so good; it reminded her of a pine tree.
“Detective Grant, my apologies, I had no idea you knew Ms. Grey,” the police officer said, taking a step back in intimidation.
And he had a right to feel intimidated. John Grant was rising in the ranks at the headquarters and was recently promoted to the post of detective. At a height of over six feet tall, he had Viking gold hair that he wore in a casual jumble, but it still somehow managed to look neat and flowing. John’s baby blue eyes twinkled with a hint of mischief, and he laid a protective arm over Rebecca’s shoulder, flashing his pearly whites at the police officer.
“Of course, I know her. She’s soon to be Mrs. Grant!”
Rebecca gave John an evil eye but didn’t feel the need to explain. Instead, she took the opportunity to duck under his shoulder and strode into the building through a carved mahogany revolving doorway. Just inside, Rebecca found herself standing inside the grandest entrance hall she had ever seen. The soaring space was simply but tastefully decorated with a massive, sparkling chandelier. Had Rebecca not been here for work, she would’ve loved to explore the immaculate reception even more.
John glided in behind her with athletic grace, and the eyes of several female employees in the foyer followed suit. It came as no surprise, as John was blessed with not only the physique of an athlete but also the face of a demi-god, with almond-shaped eyes and well-defined cheekbones that sat on an extremely masculine jaw. He bent over and flicked his finger on her forehead.
“Earth to Becca.”
Rebecca rolled her eyes. “I hate it when you do that, John,” she growled.
“You used to love it when we were kids,” John threw up his hands in feigned innocence. “Anyways, it’s a good thing you came late. The body's been removed by the forensics.”
Rebecca’s eyes narrowed. “You mean, it’s a bad thing.”
John shook his head. “Nope. It was gruesome. The victim had her skull smashed. From the looks of it, she died instantly. Never had a chance to defend herself. But you know what irks me the most?”
Rebecca intuitively grabbed her smartphone and turned on her recording app.
John patiently waited for her before he continued, “This is off the record until the forensics release the report, but just so you know, the victim had her eyes stapled shut.”
Rebecca could feel the hair on the back of her neck stand. She didn’t like where this was going.
“It’s bad enough that the victim was so young. Just an intern. Company records show that she was only 20. Just 20 years old! And she had to go down like this. It wasn’t just an accidental murder; the murderer meticulously stapled her eyes shut in parallel lines.”
Rebecca looked to the left of the entrance hall where more police officers were gathered. “Can you show me where the murder took place?” she asked quietly.
John’s eyes followed her gaze. He nodded his head, took her by the hand, and gently guided her through the crowd. They stopped in front of a capsule elevator, where John pressed the ‘down’ touch button. The elevator door opened immediately, and they both stepped in. As the door closed, John tapped the B button, signifying that they were to go to the basement.
He looked down at her, his eyes softening. “You okay with this?”
Rebecca shot a look back. She hated being viewed as weak. Sure, she was slightly claustrophobic, but she was a big girl. And nothing was going to stop her from getting her story. She took another puff from her inhaler and nodded her head enthusiastically.
“Of course! You know me. Always ready for anything.”
The elevator started moving down, and Rebecca could no longer see the bustling activities on the ground floor. Instead, the scenery faded to black. Rebecca gripped her sling bag tightly, not daring to move. John kept silent, knowing that this wasn’t the time for small talk. In a matter of seconds, the darkness was replaced by bright fluorescent lights. They’d reached the basement, and the elevator door slid open. Rebecca quickly stepped out and followed John to the corner where several police officers were gathered. One looked up from his notes and moved out of their way as they approached.Rebecca looked down at the vi
“Sit down.” William pointed to the guest chair. “You amuse me,” he continued.Rebecca forced an embarrassed smile. “Well, then, shall we start with the interview?”William sat in his gaming chair, interlocking his fingers. “Fire away.”
It was close to seven in the evening, and Rebecca had just finished showering. Her damp hair stuck to her breasts and shoulders as she rummaged through her closet for a towel. Her room was a mess. She finally found a fresh towel alongside a birthday gift that Jean, her best friend, had given her. It was the ultimate in lingerie, with a lace bra that was so sheer that Rebecca wondered why anyone wanted to wear it at all, along with a matching fishnet G-string. Of course, it was meant to be a joke. Laughing, Rebecca towelled her hair dry and slipped into the lingerie for fun. She decided to draft out her findings from this morning and binge watch on Netflix for the rest of the evening in this sexy lingerie.
It had been a long day, and he was drained. He wanted nothing more than to take a good rest and not think about the murder case. But he'd felt compelled to see Rebecca Grey again.The desire to see her had built up to the point that he'd cancelled his meeting with the board of direc
William heard Rebecca groan as he dug deeper into the kiss, his tongue delving deep into her mouth, moving in slow, sweet circles. With one hand steadying her back, the other slowly trailed down, and his mouth left hers to explore the base of her neck. He nuzzled at her throat, tasting both wine and sweat. Slowly, he unbuttoned the top of her damp blouse, which was clinging to her body like a second skin.
John Grant walked into the washroom and looked at the body of Suzanne Lee. He knelt, inspected her bloodied head, and shook his own. Like the first murder victim, Diane Walker, this victim never stood a chance. The murderer had struck her from behind, leaving a fatal blow on the head, and it appeared that she had died instantly from the impact. All bloodstains had been meticulously erased, and like the first victim, Suzanne Lee had her eyes stapled shut. Unbeknownst to many, though, John and his team had found some clues. Both victims wore the same brand of perfume, and both were rumoured to be romantically linked to William Silverman.
The two men sat across from each other in a brightly lit meeting room. William stayed silent, while John briefly glanced through a list that Sam had passed to him earlier on. A knock sounded, and Sam came in, along with William’s attorney.“Shall we start?” William asked, as his attorney sat next to him and opened his laptop.John placed his papers face down, leaned forward, and peered into William’s eyes.
Rebecca slowly opened her eyes and found herself in the hospital emergency room. She must have dozed off after being put on the nebulizer. She sat up and almost let out a yelp when she saw John standing next to her bed, his arms crossed. Nearby, a few nurses were admiring John's behind. “John! You scared me.” “You scared me even more. What the heck were you thinking, going out without your inhaler? You were lucky I had a set in my car.” John sat n
Over the next few days, TNN and countless other media went crazy over the Silverman case. William Silverman resigned as the CEO of Silverman Corporation, liquidated his shares and sold the Silverware to an up and coming startup company from Silicon Valley. The name Thomas Silverman became the most searched for words in the search engine and just about everyone had a story to tell about the mysterious murderous twin. Some claimed to have seen him playing in the slums as a child, others swore they had bumped into him at a prestigious boarding school in Europe and yet a few others would say he had been kept locked up in a bunker as a sexual slave to his crazed mother. Thomas Silverman was swiftly given a life sentence without parole while his mother was slapped with a house arrest of 3 years for physical, emotional and mental abuse of her sons. Williams was set free on a hefty bail and seemingly disappeared from the limelight. He neither ca
Someone was crying.Am I dead?Rebecca’s hand twitched and all of a sudden, she felt a pair of cold hands clamping onto hers.“She’s awake!” a voice squealed.I know that voice.“Rebecca! Honey!” another voice.Mom?She finally opened her eyes with great difficulty and to her delight, she was greeted by the faces of her loved ones – her mom, John, Jean and Sam. There was even a bouquet of bougainvillaea on the overbed table.Oh, so I’m not dead.On her left, holding tightly onto her free hand was her mother, sobbing uncontrollably. She smiled weakly at her mother, feeling her lips crack in the process. She needed a drink. Her throat hurt. Come to think of it, her whole body and head hurt.“Where am I?” she managed to croak out. Her mother cried even louder. The
The wooden door burst open to the brilliance of white light, momentarily blinding both Rebecca and Thomas.“Hands in the air!”John? Rebecca could not believe her ears. A huge wave of relief washed over her trembling body. Surely she wasn’t dreaming?Her eyes had yet to adjust to the sudden light from the room above, all she could make out was a few silhouettes descending the staircase and it looked like they were carrying guns.Rebecca’s relief was short-lived for Thomas was not giving up - in one swift motion, he grabbed her by the neck and spun her around, using her as a shield of some sort.“Come any closer and I’ll kill her!” he screamed, his arm tightening around her neck cutting her source of air supply.Great, not again. His grip was hard and she had trouble breathing but she was sure he did not have any weapon that would be able to outfight a gun. Ne
“Mrs Silverman, hurry!” Rebecca gasped and wheezed as she tried to pull the dazed woman up from the floor to no avail. Thomas lay facedown, unmoving but Rebecca was not taking any chances. A little puddle of blood formed around his head but she doubted he was dead.The older woman held her hands towards her neck, cradling it. “He tried to kill me…” she whispered hoarsely, rocking herself back in forth, still in shock.“My own son tried to kill me…my little Tommy…”“Ahh, yes, “Rebecca answered exasperatedly. “That he did, and that is why we must get out of here! I doubt he’ll be out for long,” Rebecca pulled at Mrs Silverman’s elbow again. For an elderly woman, she was quite heavy. Rebecca was having trouble helping her up.She kept glancing back and forth between the stairway and Thomas. They had to hurry! Th
Rebecca Grey would have surely died had Mrs Silverman not intervened. She had suffered heavy blows on her sides as well as abdomen and with each blow, she felt as if a beast was trying to force its way out of her throat. She could not catch her breath. And the pain – it felt like her stomach was endlessly being stabbed with a thousand poisoned knives.“Thomas Silverman!”A woman’s voice boomed in the basement, and the sheer volume of her voice bounced off the cement walls in resounding echoes. Rebecca was still conscious enough to recognize that voice for she had heard before – at William’s penthouse. It was his mother.Somehow, during the course of the attack, Rebecca’s blindfold had slipped downwards and she could see the silhouette of Mrs Silverman walking towards them. The room was not as dark as she had first thought it to be, there was a dull fluorescent light that flickered above them and as her eyes adjusted to the light, sh
Rebecca woke to the incessant sound of a dull and monotonous beating drum only to realize that the sound came from her own head. Her head felt strangely heavy, as was her body. It felt as if she was moving underwater. She blinked but could see nothing. Everything was pitch black. It was then she began to register the fact that she was blindfolded, gagged and tied up.What happened? Where am I?Then her memories came rushing back in a tidal wave, from the moment when Thomas Silverman stepped into her apartment to the last second before she lost consciousness. Her hands were bounded tightly together to her feet by what felt like nylon rope, making her body arch back in the shape of an inverted ‘C’. The positioning of her body made her chest stick out awkwardly, causing her to feel extremely exposed and vulnerable, She had nothing on but a t-shirt and an extremely short pair of pants. She was on an extremely cold and damp f
Mrs Wilson, Rebecca’s landlord was just about to step down into the basement with her pink laundry basket when she looked to the landing of the peeling wooden staircase to see a scantily clad Rebecca in the arms of none other than the CEO of the Silverman Corporation.The bulb at the stairway to the basement had blown and because of that, she was shrouded in the shadows. The continuous thunder helped masked her presence as she curiously peered at William Silverman. She had seen both of them in her daughter’s magazine, Entertainment Weekly or People Magazine - she wasn’t too sure of the name but boy did the both of them looked good together. It reminded her of her younger days when she too had been hot and beautiful.But tonight, both of them looked far from glamorous. In fact, William Silverman was oddly dressed in black and carrying an unconscious Rebecca out of the apartment doorway.She wondered whet
“William…” Rebecca smile awkwardly, recalling the strained circumstance under which they had parted earlier that morning.William smiled back, his eyes bright and alert as he stepped into her apartment. He scanned her place quietly as she closed the door.Her phone rang again, it was John. Rebecca silenced her phone and placed it on the kitchen countertop.Rebecca noticed how wet William was. Water was dripping onto the wooden floor, creating yet another puddle much like her backpack did.“You’re wet. Did you come by yourself?” She wondered why he hadn’t called for Tony as he usually did. William nodded silently, taking in the sight of her place.Rebecca suddenly felt very conscious of how shabby her apartment was in comparison to his glorious penthouse. Her dirty clothes were still piled up high like a mountain on her bed and stacks of
The sky was crying. Heavy rain splashed onto the pavement where Rebecca walked, soaking her from head to toe. She was carrying a big black umbrella but the wind and rain were too strong, rendering the piece of circular protection that old man Whitmore had given her useless. Even her backpack which was worn over her chest was wet. It did nothing to protect her from the cold. Her blouse was practically clinging onto her like a second skin.Not a taxi could be seen on her way back and everyone else had scurried for safety from the heavy downpour. Rebecca regretted not taking up the offer for shelter at the old Whitmore building; she had been far too agitated over the revelation.There’s a twin. Was he the one William was arguing with?Thunder cracked above as her phone which was tucked deep in her backpack rang. She did not hear it.Why doesn’t anyone know about it?