Dear Ava

Chapter 19

Dear Ava,

The journal has more clues. You know where it is. Check it out.

Yours,

Mason.

A very few worded, and a disheveled looking letter with a shabby scrawl was in Ava's hands. She took two minutes to take all that in and then immediately set it into action. It was only an hour since Noah had told them that someone else had been with Mason that night. Ava, now leaning almost fully towards Oliver, wanted to go and confront him once again and release all her anger, but that being impossible, she had settled on the next best thing: to find a solid clue against Oliver, she had to read the last letter.

'Last letter' Ava thought, 'This was the last thing Mason left here.'

"Where is the Journal then?" Noah asked looking under the cushions and bedsheets of Mason's apartment. In that one hour, they had come to his house as James had left the last letter in its original place.

"Don't touch." Ava calmly told him. She did not want anyone else to do that. "His journal would be on his desk.

Ava promptly went to check it thoroughly. She had never touched Mason's journal before. He had always kept it hidden from here but she had figured it out. His desk was always a messy place. "About this pile of books." She pointed at a part of the mess.

"Found it." Ava picked up an old-looking Diary from the pile.

It was similar to all other books on Mason's desk so no one would know that it was his Diary.

"Bring it here."

Ava, Noah, and James sat on the Apartment floor around the book.

"Read for March 20th," James said.

"I think that is too early"

"Huh? Ava, five days is...."

"Too early. Mason would have told us if anything would have happened to him..... Five days is a long time to be keeping quiet and experiencing all this..." Ava turned the page to March 23rd.

"Here, I think." She said and took the book on hand to read.

"March 23rd..." Her voice was turning shaky, she held her breath and continued. "Being a waiter is hard work. Waiting for four tables is no fun, not easy money, just keep that in mind before applying there, understand?"

Ava stopped reading, it was a normal day in Mason's life, one she remembered but did not want to hear again about. She had chosen the latest date to avoid this, avoid all the memories that had resurfaced in her mind. Ava looked up from the diary to see James crying.

"We.... I had missed a shift that day, leading to him covering up for me...man, I didn't even." James looked distraught. Memories flooded and enveloped them both.

Noah just sat, looking at his feet, silently. It was necessary to mourn, but this was time for action. He gently took the book out of Ava's hand.

"So, not two days before, but a day before, then? If the journal contains clues, it has to be for 24th March." Without waiting for either of their reply or consent, Noah flicked to March 24th.

'I think I'm going crazy.'

This got everybody's attention. Ava soon came out of her daze and James followed.

"This is it."

"This is the entry, then." She looked tense.

'Yesterday, when I was off from work, someone was following me. And the day before that I found in my front door a note saying 'Your end is near.' I still cannot understand what that means. Should I tell someone or would it just be a prank? Two hours ago, I heard a knock but no one was there when I opened the door. I can't understand why someone was following me.'

"Someone was following Mason?" James panicked.

"That means we cannot rule anyone out, yet. Where was Oliver the other day? Where were you that day Noah?" Ava rambled.

"Hey, I did not do anything." Noah backed down.

"Ava, stop. Noah, read." James tried to reason.

"I haven't done anything wrong. I think I'm being too paranoid. I have a feeling, a very bad feeling. But I can't tell anyone. I don't want to worry anyone. If I tell my friends and girlfriend they will all be so worried. Also, I don't want to bother them for maybe no reason. You will be a witness if anything happens"

"Witness if anything happens?" Ava looked helpless, "Why would he write something like that?"

"Ava, we all want to remain calm."

"I don't, who followed him. Oliver, we have got enough things, enough clues about him, I need to go, I am going to go confront him." Ava rushed towards the front door.

"Ava, wait. Take it slow, please." James and Noah followed her.

"James, I think it's confirmed it's him, even you suspect him so ...."

"Ava, that's true but.."

"Wait, James read that stolen thing clue again, I think, I think I know what the thing is."

"What?"

"It has to be had visited James on the day when I got to know about the letters and I saw my favorite book Mason said he was going to gift me lying down on the floor at Oliver's house."

"Ava, are you sure." That was one of the last things James was concerned that made Oliver not guilty. But now,

"Yes, Oliver, I'm going to....." Ava, enraged, moved towards the door.

She was about to open the door when the door handle turned by itself.

"Ava?" Oliver was standing in the doorway, holding a key in his hand.