Yours Deadly

Chapter 2

"Are you out of your mind?" Adelina hisses. "You'd get yourself killed! Or even worse!"

I send her a flat look. "I've been studying law and order for two years now, and coincidentally we're doing crime related stuff at the moment. I'll know exactly what to do."

"The stuff you're studying, that's baby stuff. You think that's gonna help you in any way? Keep dreaming."

"Have you ever heard of the word try?"

"Lex, I'm your best friend. Even if you do get this completely absurd idea of yours, getting a homicide detective, to work, how do you think I’d feel if you get killed, huh?"

"I'm not going to die," I snap. "I'm going to help. There's a difference."

"You're being ridiculous! What are you going to do, march into the police station and demand to be included in the investigation?"

"That's basically the plan, yes. I'm going to work with a detective. And for your information, it's called  NYPD." New York's finest police department, I smile to myself.

"And I suppose an experienced detective is definitely going to help a twenty years old with no experience whatsoever!" She exclaims sarcastically. "So what if it's the finest?"

"As a best friend, shouldn't you be on my side?"

She grabs my arm and shakes it violently. "Lex, as your best friend, I'm trying to talk you out of this whole thing because I have a feeling it's just not going to end well for you. Could you please get it through that thick skull of yours, for my sake?"

I slap her hand away, suddenly angry. "Well, this is my family I'm talking about. My dad is working himself to death just to forget about everything. I hate it. There isn't going to be peace around here until I find that goddamn killer and put him where he should be! He killed my mom and cousin for no reason! You understand that? What if either me or my dad are the next target?" My eyes start pricking with tears again and I blink furiously. "I'm going to get to the bottom of this."

Adelina stares at me for a couple of seconds and sighs. "Just don't say I didn't warn you. Determination ain't going to win a top detective for you. And if they don't want you around, what are you gonna do?"

"Then I'll work it out myself."

"Sounds cool but you don't have the bodies to inspect. Even if you do, Bio was never your thing."

"Ade, just trust me on this. I can't just stand by and watch him take another innocent life. What could be happening at the very moment actually."

"You want to know what else is happening at the moment? Officers and detectives scraping the mall and parking lot for witnesses and trying to piece together all the murders and then trying to locate the killer. That's what's happening. You absolutely have no reason to be involved."

"It was my mother, Ade. Not just some random woman."

"And? Look at all the other victim's families! They're staying at home, sobbing their hearts out ...they're waiting for the police to find out."

"Well, I'm not them and I choose what I do. Look, I'm leaving. I just have to do this. I have to help."

"There's no 'have to'."

"Yes there is and you can't stop me." I stand up, scraping the chair out behind me. "Please. Just do me a little favour. Don't tell my dad what I'm up to." I glance at the staircase. He could be walking down any moment and if he knows my plan, he will stop me, no doubt about that.

"And what if you get into trouble?" She asks, standing up as well. Her brown eyes are wide and full on concern. "Just what if."

I swallow. "Don't worry, nothing will happen to me. For today, I'm just going to try and convince those people to let me help. Who knows? You might be right. They might not even let me."