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„Amanda Reyes, who was accussed of series of homicide, was released from pre-trial detention where she spent the last three years, due to lack of evidence. „It was a shocking period for all of us, but Miss Reyes’s innocence is indisputable. It was about time to realise this by the court and the investigators as well” said Dr. Mendez, Miss Reyes’s attorney.”

Evan turned off the tv and buried his head into his hands anxiously. He felt throbbing pain near his right eyebrow, which became stronger with every second. For three days he heard nothing else, just news about the woman. About Amanda. The demon. His demon… His Amanda.

It was night. The city was covered in darkness just like the office. In the Department of Investigation only Evan’s desk had some light on. And yet there was complete silence for minutes, he could still hear the voice of the reporter. And somewhere deep in his own mind, Amanda’s laugh.

„Are you still here Monroe?” sounded a deep male voice across the room. Evan looked up. The colonel, David Jacobs was standing by the door, ready to leave, but his superior just stared at him. „Come on! I will take you.”

„Thank you, Sir, but I would stay” he replied. „I should look through a few files. But thank you, Sir!”

The colonel nodded then walked away. When Evan was alone, his head ached again. He leaned back in his chair and tried to breathe deeply. But because of the dark, of the pain and of the silence, he just slowly fell asleep.

*

„Morning princess” said a blonde, boyish man with a grin on his face, while he put a cup of coffee to Evan’s table. „Are you waiting for a kiss? Cause you are not really my type.”

„No one is your type with less than D cup” Evan replied with closed eyes after his friends words woke him up completely. It was morning and altough he has already woken up, he hovered somewhere between dreams and reality. „Hey Seth!”

„Hey, man” Seth said. „You were here all night?”

„Where else should I be?”

„Look I get it. She was released but this is not your fault. They can’t convict her without evidence. But the fact is that they were looking for evidence for three years. But they found nothing. Don’t you wonder why?”

„She did it, Seth” Evan looked up to his friends face. „I know.”

„Okay, but the evidence…”

„Screw the evidence” he said, then got up from his chair and headed for the bathroom.

He splashed cold water on his face, then started to analyse his own reflection on the mirror. He saw himself as someone else. Not the person he was. Not the person he wanted to be. He saw himself as the person he was three years ago. A gull.

„Are you here?” Seth asked after he opened the bathroom door, looking for Evan. „There is a situation.”

„What happened?” Evan asked, while he was still staring at himself in the mirror.

„A man got killed. Someone cut his throat next to the Ivy Club.”

Four years ago

„This is the third within two months” Major Jacobs said while he stared at the man lying on the ground. Evan Monroe stood by him with distress on his face. He knew that his superior was right. The numbers of the murders grew in the past few months. There weren’t any cameras in that run-down part of the city, so the area was already a hotspot of crime. In the last two months they had to come many times to that dirty alley. Too many times.

„Monroe!”

„Yes, Sir?”

„When will the coroner arrive?”

„He should come soon, but if you don’t mind” Evan said, then crouched beside the victim.

„Middle-aged, average build man. Well dressed, perhaps too good to this area. He possibly didn’t live here. But according to the last murders I doubt that he has his wallet, so it will be more difficult to identify him. There is the club logo on his hands, so he was probably inside. I could feel a slight odor of alcohol on him, and there is mica in his face. He certainly had a woman as his partner. His watch is broken, which probably happened during the struggle. It stopped. It shows 01:26. This is presumably the time of death. There is one cut on his neck, which certainly the cause of death. Just like with the others.”

„One day you will become a good detective, Monroe” the major said. „The CSIs will wait for the coroner, but he probably will tell us more after the autopsy. So go back to the station!”

Evan nodded, and then looked at the body for one last time. For a moment he felt infinite pity for that man, because he is probably someone’s son, brother, friend, lover or maybe father. At least he was. Finally, he turned away from the body and left that dirty alley behind.

Evan went to his police car, got in and started the car. But in the meantime his thoughts were around the body and the recent murders. Is it the same culprit? The location and the method refers to this. But it is unlikely that this is just voluntary manslaughter. That man probably didn’t live nearby, so it is possible that someone led him here. But who? The culprit? The accomplice? Or was he in the wrong place at the wrong time? Evan opened out the throttle and the car lunged forward. And Evan noticed the woman too late, who stepped in front of his car.

It happened in a second. Evan trampled on the brakes and almost hit the steering wheel with his head. „I didn’t tie up myself in time just once” he thought, then jumped out of the car and run to the woman.

The young woman stood numbly in front of him. She looked up with fear in her eyes.

„Are you allright?” Evan asked, and the woman just nodded.

Evan took a closer look at the woman he almost hit with his car. She was roughly the same age as him. She had thick, red hair and chocolate brown eyes. She was a beautiful young woman.

„Let me take you to the hospital” Evan said, but the woman just shook her head and her red curls began to dance around her face.

„Nothing happened… Mr. Monroe” she replied as she leaned closer to the name plate on Evan’s chest. „I just got scared.”

Then the woman sent a barely noticable smile to Evan and walked away. He hesitated a for moment then turned after her.

„I am in disadvantage” he said. „I don’t know your name.”

The red-haired woman stopped and turned back to him. There was some unexplainable joy in her eyes, but it wasn’t like that. It was like that kind of satisfaction what a reached goal could give.

„Amanda. Amanda Reyes” she said.

„Well, Amanda Reyes… Could I invite you for a coffee?”

Nowadays

Evan gathered every useful information about Amanda right after she was released. What happened during the remand? Who did she meet? Who became her enemy? Where does she live nowadays? How could he reach her? How she live? So he headed to the modern apartment without thinking, got in the elevator and pressed the button of the fourth floor. When the elevator doors opened, the simple perfection unfolded in front of him. The doors stood at an exact same distance along the long, straight corridor. The floor was darkwood, the walls were painted to white. There wasn’t a single speck of dust anywhere.

Evan walked carefully on the floor, but it didn’t creak under his weight. He just went ahead, towards the second door on the right.

„How can she maintain this place?” he thought, as he stood in front of the door. Ah, she probably received a huge compensation for the time she spent in prison. And she definitely asks for a lot of money for the exclusive interviews and photos of her. Poor woman… And then she will write a book about her experience and she will live happily until the end of her life… While others die…

Evan forced himself to knock twice on the white door, but nothing happened for a few moments. He just wanted to knock again, but then he heard some rustling from the other side. For a moment, Evan even forgot to breathe as the door slowly opened. In the next second, Amanda stood in front of him.

She looked like back then. She was a few years older, but there was nothing on her that would show that she spent the last three years in prison. Her hair was shorter, but there was the same charm in her eyes like used to. And the woman he knew, didn’t suit to that pale blue purity of her home anymore.

„I knew that you gonna show up soon” she said, and Evan had to force himself to say something.

„Amanda Reyes… You are under arrest for murder!”

Next Chapter – Suspicion