CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 1: PERSON

“Detective Lux.” 

I stopped typing on my laptop when someone calls me. My brows furrowed and turn my head to see who it is. And when I saw the police officer that I summoned I smiled and sign him to be seated. 

“Thank you for accepting my invitation, officer.” I said politely. 

“It’s okay, I have many time to spare.” he said. I nodded and sat down on my chair right in front of him. I compiled all the papers that contains the file of the investigations I have to do right now. I summoned this police officer to ask a few questions regarding in the fraud investigation that my superior gave me.

“So let’s start. According to the investigation that you had you interviewed the people involved?” I asked.

“Yes.” he nodded. 

“What did they said?” I asked curiously.

“Mr. Rosario’s mother told us that it was been a week since her son went home. So it made her worry and file a blotter to find her son. But a one group of people told her that they seen her son and ask her to gave money for an exchange of her son.” the officer said. 

So it’s definitely a fraud but the thing is how did they know that Mr. Rosario was missing? 

“Do you have a clue where is Mr. Rosario right now?” I asked.

“As of now, we haven’t. But someone called us that they had seen Mr. Rosario one time in a mall talking to unidentified person.” 

I nodded and think deeply. There is a possible that, the person was his last companion before he went missing. This isn’t just a fraud it’s a Missing Person Investigation. Someone abducts that person without everyone knowing.

“Thank you for your time Officer.” I said and offer a hand shake. He accepted it and politely went out on my office. I sat on my chair and massage my temple. 

I just finish my previous mission and my superior gave me another one. Its tiring and I want a good sleep. I closed my eyes intently but something came up on my mind.

Is there a chance that the group who trick Mr. Rosario’s mother was the one who abducts Mr. Rosario? Why would they know that Mr. Rosario was missing right? But there is a chance that they heard it on someone so it’s also impossible. But I need an assurance.

I stood up and get my things and went out of my office. A busy firm welcomed me as I went out. There are many crimes these days that we needed to solve that’s why this firm was so busy. 

“Detective Lux!” Inspector Kyline called me. I turned to her and I saw the papers she’s holding.

“What?” I asked. 

“It’s a hospital records of Jean Fajardo who died from an accident last week.” she said. My brows furrowed. Why the hell would she tell me that? It’s not my mission to think.

“Why are you telling me these?” I asked sarcastically. I saw her being awkward for a moment. I don’t want her to feel intimidated but I can’t help it. I’ve been stressed these days and I have no time to spare.

“It’s because I think Jean Fajardo didn’t die on the accident.” she said that made me stop for a while. What? Jean Fajardo was a daughter of a business tycoon so her accident was viral on the news and her case was assigned to our firm. But…I stared at the paper she was holding and I immediately get it and read.

It says that the cause of accident was Strangulation that cause an increasing hypoxic state in the brain. 

It made me stop. It means she was already dead when the car was being driven. Then who the hell drove that car during the accident if she was already dead?

“Also, the Diener said that her body was already 24 hours dead. If she died during the car accident she should be dead 19 hours ago instead right?” she said.

Then who would dare to kill the business tycoon’s daughter? I clicked my neck and stared at Inspector Kyline.

“Jean Fajardo was obviously murdered.” I stated. Inspector Kyline looks shock. She also didn’t expect that a simple accident would turn to a murder case.

My mind is clouded of cases while I’m driving towards the mall. I want to ask for a CCTV footage of the mall where Mr. Rosario were last seen. Damn it! I feel like I’m being surrounded of murder cases. 

Well, I’ve been doing this for the past four years. And I have reason why I chose this path. I have regrets when I was young and there’s a culprit I wanted to catch. I’ve been finding him since I started to be a detective but there’s no cases that connected to the crime 10 years ago where Reybert Smith was murdered. 

I’m having thoughts of maybe there’s an organization that Reybert was a member. I remember the men he talks to before he went inside the abandoned building and I have ex-peculation that the culprit was one of them and his superior was Reybert. That’s why even though the culprit was too intimidating to Reybert, Reybert still have a confident to punch the culprit because he was the boss. But the culprit chose to kill his boss in order to escape with the money he stole from Reybert.

That was all my expeculation for the past years. I keep thinking about it but no matter how I dig about that case there is no organization that connects the name of Reybert especially that I don’t even know the name of the culprit.

When I came out of the car my phone suddenly rang. I answered it when I saw that it was my mother.

“Hello?” I answered. I am walking towards the mall while my phone is on my ear.

“Majesty Greyish, why did you turned off your phone the whole day yesterday?” my mother asked mad. 

“I’m sorry mom. I was so busy yesterday and I have to turned off my phone to focus on my works.” I said.

“I told you to stop that work already! You’re harming your health!” she almost shouted in the other line.

“I’m okay mom. It’s okay-”

“Don’t you ever turned off your phone again or else I will fly back to the Philippines to drag you out of there!” she said and turned off the call.

I sighed heavily. After my father’s death mom decided to live with my aunties in Canada and I chose to stay here because of my studies. I was a college student when my dad died because of a lung cancer. At first mom don’t want to leave me alone but since I encourage her to continue her plans it made her leave. I’ve been living all by myself for the past years and I understand why my mom was very worried about me. But this is my work though. I like it even though it’s always making me feel stress.

I went to the staff room of the mall to ask about the CCTV footage. Of course they ask my identity so I opened my wallet to let them see my professional license of being a detective.

“Is this the footage of October 23, 2018?” I asked to the personnel.

“Yes detective.” he said. I nodded and watch the footage. 

It’s true that Mr. Rosario went to the mall while holding an attache case. He went to a fine restaurant and someone approach him and let him sit in the table they asked. 

“After they talk Mr. Rosario went-”

“Wait! Stop right there.” I demanded. My heart is thumping so fast because of what I saw.

I saw Jean Fajardo across the table and Mr. Rosaio stop right in front of her and gave the attache case he was holding to Jean Fajardo! What the hell? They knew each other?

“Do you have a CCTV footage of the parking lot?” I asked the personnel.

“Yes ma’am but Mr. Rosario weren’t there-”

“Let me see the footage.” I said. 

“Okay Ma’am.” he said.

If my hunch is right. Mr. Rosario went missing after the accident happened to Jean Fajardo. According to her hospital records, Jean Fajardo’s cause of death was strangulation. And until now Mr. Rosario is still out of reach.

There is something fishy. They knew each other so their case are connected. Is it possible that the person who did this to them was just the same person? He or she planned it to the victims for a definite reason. And what is that reason? What did Mr. Rosario and Jean Fajardo possibly did before they went missing and killed?

“This is the CCTV footage of the parking lot, ma’am.” he said. 

Like what I think only Jean Fajardo was caught in the CCTV camera but the car that Mr. Rosario used was there just beside Jean Fajardo’s car. They are connected and there is something urging me to find out this case. 

I’m about to leave my chair but my eyes went to the footage again when it blurred and back to normal and there something caught my attention. From what I remember there is no person that was standing right there behind Mr. Rosario’s car. But…who is that person who was standing right now, wearing a black hoody?

“D-Did you…see that person?” I asked the personnel and point out the person but my eyes widened when the person disappeared!

“What person, Ma’am?” the personnel asked. I cannot speak because of shock. Am I being paranoid again? Am I seeing non sense things? Damn! I need some sleep tonight!