One night. One call. One dead.
Lilly gets a call from Delcan telling her to save him. The only problem is Delcan has been dead for two weeks now.
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splendid cover by @patrickdester
My head falls on a soft cushion. I feel a warm blanket around my body. A beeping sound echos in the background.
I grunt.
I feel dad kiss my forehead.
"Lilly? Are you awake?" He asks.
I open my eyes slowly. A blinding light from my side makes me wince.
"Close the window." I croak, my voice dry and hoarse.
"Yeah, yeah." I see dad get up and close the huge bay window.
What is this place?
I find myself on a white bed. An IV is attached to my wrist.
Sterile smell and the impossible crystal clean room, means only one thing.
Hospital.
"Dad?" I call out.
He hurries and sits beside me on the bed.
He pushes back my hair and caresses my arm.
"It's okay, darling. Daddy is here."
"What happened?"
"How are you feeling now?"
"Better? Tell me what happened?"
"Um..you were unconscious for three days, hon. The doctors said, it might be due to your head injury. But most probably, they think that you were in depression and your body couldn't take it anymore and it shut off."
I nod and my hands feel around the bandage wrapped around my head.
We remain quiet. And suddenly, I remember Ben.
"Ben? Dad is he okay?" I ask him expectantly.
He nods, and pulls back.
Standing he says, "He is doing better now, though his share of injury was not that severe."
Relief.
But all that happened that night floods in and my eyes widened.
Ben almost killed her. Is she even dead?
"Dad..Tara?" I mumble.
He sighs sadly and turns around. He opens the curtains and stares outside.
It is a view of the Baker street of the town.
A patch of garden then the side road, and I see the old houses built neatly side by side all showcasing their side view.
And the one in the middle with brick walls and vines creeping around just like mines, is Delcan's. I doubt if even someone stays there anymore.
"I guess, the court is going to be lenient." Dad says snapping me back to reality.
"Huh?"
"It was an action of defense, so I doubt if he will be charged of murder."
"So..so T..Tara is dead?"
He nodded heavily.
I bite back a feeble cry and lay my head deeper into the cushion.
"Hey," Dad says walking tenderly towards me. He takes me in his arms and caresses my hair. "Shush, honey. Ben in not going to face any serious consequence. I doubt if he will even be charged."
I nod.
Dad continues, "They found proof what Tara was trying to do. Believe me, the messages and the calls around building a strong evidence against her."
I snap back at his comment and look at him.
"The..the call?" I ask.
If they were not from Delcan, then..
Dad sighs, "Remember when you lost your mobile the time Delcan went missing?"
I nod.
"And you found it back on the dinning table, but who was with it?"
My eyes widen. Tara. She had offered to give me a ride then.
"Dad.."
"Yes, Lilly. It looks like somehow you misplaced your mobile in her bag on the day Delcan went missing. He.." Dad stops unsure if he wants to tell the next piece of information.
Everything dawns on me.
"He..he had called me. But they had gone to the voice mails." I say with each word sounding unbelievable.
Dad nods, "Tara had hacked the voice mails, recorded it and played it from another number."
God!
I sob onto my dad's chest.
"He..he did call me, bu-but not now, he-he c-called me before. Gosh, I am so bad, I should have not lost my mobile. I sh-should have got the calls. I am responsible for his death." I sob blaming myself, hiding my face behind my hands.
Dad pulls back my hands and says sternly, "Now Lilly no such nonsense. It was not your fault."
I bite my lips to stop myself from crying loud.
"But-"
"No. Listen to me first."
I nod.
"The police believe that Tara had an disorder, probably BPD. In fact she was diagnosed with one when she was a pre-teen.The possible theory now is that she got obsessed with you and Delcan. And she might have murdered him out of spite, just the way she tried you to. The police have found evidence of her stalking you and Delcan for almost an year now. "
This is so much to sink in.
"I...I never suspected it."
"Trust me, it is always the least likable person." Dad said.
I sigh. Maybe the mystery behind Delcan's death is finally solved.
"So..so is it over?" I ask dad.
He smiles but before he could say anything, his mobile rings.
"One second." Dad picks up the call.
His face turns serious.
"Ah, yes officer." He looks at me. "Yes she is. -But I would appreciate if you gave her some time. -Yeah, thank you. -Oh really? - Thank so much officer. - Okay, good day to you too."
Dad ends the call and grins at me.
"Good news Lilly, Ben is coming to see you. That boy is so worried about you." Dad says.
I smile. A true smile of relief.
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