Alice lied in bed from Sofia's apartment and remembered what happened lately with Joe. She was terrified. She was disappointed because every time she thought she got the courage to fight, the fear kept eating her up. Her body always froze. She knew she had to fight for herself but never was she ready to die just yet. She was always stuck in the middle. When Jack was still around, she felt protected that she forgot to find ways to protect herself. She depended on him too much. She gave too much of her heart to him. It made her vulnerable. Who would have thought that he was the danger they were running from all along?
She reflected on her actions, of what she must improve and what she must change.
While she was thinking, her phone rang and it was her mom calling. She answered the call quickly like she waited for it all her life. Her mom was worried sick saying they just heard the news and asked her how she was at the moment and whether she was harmed or not. Alice, of course, didn't want them to worry because living away from your offspring was stressful enough so she didn't want to add up to their daily struggles. She then just said "I'm okay. I'm perfectly fine."
They said they got really bothered because they know she worked closely with Jack. Hearing her voice was helpful enough for their minds to be at peace. She told them she was finding ways to get a new job as a replacement of her previous one. She acted like she had it all figured out. Little did her mother know, deep down, Alice wanted to cry to her and tell her everything that happened, that she was tired, she was scared and she was in constant danger all this time, but she had to act strong. It only made her feel worse because she realized she had been lying to herself. She did not speak and just listened to her mother's advice. All of it, she could have done a long time ago but she didn't. She realized she should have listened to her mother when she said she had to be extra careful in New York and always be prepared when a bad guy approached her way which meant she must know how to defend herself for any incoming threat. She knew best and she ignored her because she thought she could handle herself.
She finally came to a thought of the changes to be done. She must conquer her fears as scared and as brave until she makes it. She had to stir away from the comforting fiction of "It will all be over soon." Although she felt guilty, betrayed, open and exposed and raw, she felt like she was responsible for everything and she was letting herself down by not doing much. She knew she could have done more and now was going to take a stand to end it. She couldn't keep on running away from the troubles. She couldn't simply escape the subject because of hatred and the feeling of betrayal when she should be throwing herself more into it now that the events started to get messy. People died, and some are still missing. She was involved for a reason.
Her role would be significant because she knew a lot about Jack than anyone else. She thought she must continue to help the FBI with the case for faster solution. It left her without a choice. She must vanquish the enemy and confront the risks to come herself. She won't back down this time.
She suddenly spoke while her mom was telling stories, "I got to go."
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to fix something."
"Okay, Alice. But please buy a basic weapon... anything to keep you safe."
She recalled that she surrendered the weapons back to the FBI after Jack Kinley was caught and now she had nothing left. She needed to buy new ones. At least something handy.
"That would be the first on my list! Thanks mom! Always remember to stay safe. Lock the doors and windows. I love you."
"We love you too. Take care always, Alice."
Alice ended the call.
At the same time of the day, The FBI had contacted the orphanage where Jack said he came from. Luckily, Denise was on the front desk of the lobby, accommodating the new parents who were about to fetch their child just right after an interview and signing papers for legalities.
She saw the police came by and walked into the lobby. Her brain sent warning signals. She wondered why they came here for. An agent paved the way so he could talk to her who was in the front desk that day to assist visitors.
She stuttered when she said "Ho-how can I help you?"
They asked her straightforwardly if they know someone named Jorge Kione and check if the information they have is accurate.
She replied, "Jorge? Yes. Is there something we should be concerned about?"
"Ma'am, we would like to talk to you in a private area."
She looked at the parents who were waiting for her signal before they could go and see the child for adoption. The guard, who was aware of the FBI's presence, volunteered to assist them instead.
Denise guided the agent to a private space to talk. She had no idea what they're going to talk about but she thought it must be something crucial.
After they sat down to a bench near the playground of the kids, this time emptied, for them to have the place exclusively for them, the agent talked.
"We sadly inform you that Mr. Jorge's father was found dead in their house a week ago. Mr. Jorge has been captured as a suspect. In case you are not aware, this case has been popular in the media. Mr. Jorge's company was shut down. We interviewed the employees about what they know and Ms. Alice Simone, Mr. Jorge's girlfriend told us that he visited this place before to look for his parents once and you lead him to the wrong place. Is that true?"
"I'm afraid I wasn't the right person you should talk to about that. I was a new volunteer here and I was not involved in that event. However, I can provide you the information that I know so far."
"Great. We're happy to hear that."
Denise told them that Jack visited not so long ago and asking about where his parents are. She described them his mood. He went in stormy. Almost violent. She said he wanted answers as to where his parents are all this time and that Rebecca, her superior, handled the situation with him and managed to let him go without causing any harm or damage to the orphanage's staff. She also mentioned about what Rebecca told her after he left which matched what Jorge said to the investigators. She knew within their conversation that Jorge was the one who killed the owner of the orphanage, as confessed by Jorge, himself. She never thought he could do such a thing at a very young age but then she thought he was a psychopath and he just wanted revenge for the multiple frightful incidents he experienced with the owner. But then again she thought it was disturbing for a child to kill and be okay with it.
She admitted that she was the one who called his parents and told them where he worked so they could get connected again because she thought it was the only thing that would make him feel complete, but mostly because she pitied him for his tragic history that she thought it was the only way she could help him. The agent reckoned how the connection between Jorge and his parents started. He updated Denise about what's happening around the news and the media as they continue to chatter.
Denise felt sad about what happened. All she ever wanted was for him to receive the love he longed for.
She said "Mr. Julian never really cared about him, so does Ms. Katrina. They abandoned him when they have something better to do with their time. They claimed that abandoning him was their mistake but never really bothered to know where he is. They didn't do something----anything! They didn't come back for him or even explained so he'd know. So when I called them, they didn't really want to reunite. It was awful. I had to go on about why they needed to and when they felt guilty about their poor way of living, they decided to deal with him. They didn't do it for Jorge. They did it for themselves! So they wouldn't be guilty all their lives. Jorge wasn't perfect but he was a kid who had to raise himself and grow up fast because of the fact that they were never... I had to repeat it... never there for him. I just think it was too selfish for two people to create a child and just leave them when they don't want it anymore or because they were going through hard times themselves so they had to separate the child from the toxic environment they were to bring. He probably grew up thinking he did something or there is something wrong with him because he was abandoned and he was left with no answers to why."
The agent nodded, pleased to hear a different perspective.
Denise continued, "I know it was probably different in the eyes of the law. But his childhood had to play a big part with who he had become."
"We understand your take on this. He had a reason to get mad. But he didn't give the man a chance to live. He stabbed him 5 times!"
"That was unpleasant to hear. If I may ask, what did he do to his mother?"
"She wasn't there. Only his father's body was found. There was a sign of attempted murder from the wall of a room using a crowbar but nobody was found around. We will search their residence to ask the neighbors and any people who live or stay nearby if they have seen her around recently or where did they last saw her. An update will be highly required once a sight was encountered."
"I'm glad to hear that. I hope you'll solve the case as soon as possible."
"We're trying our best."
"He doesn't have a chance for survival, does he?"
"It would be debatable once a mental disorder was found. He would be rehabilitated but would have to stay locked in within a mental facility for life."
"I see..."
They were done and over with the interview after several minutes. The agent talked to Rebecca and heard her side. She explained that Mr. & Mrs. Kione ordered them not to tell him their address so she had to point him to somewhere else, therefore, the Home for The Elderly. She also confessed about what occurred long time ago in the orphanage with the previous owner. She bursted with guilt as she told him the story. The agent requested to talk to the current owner to later on proceed with a newly proposed safety measures that their organization must follow from this day forward.
They coordinated with the law enforcement for the new set of rules within any organization including children or any person at a young age, to protect their mental health.
With the new imposed operation, it shall be formally assured that the children in any orphanage, most especially the ones from the orphanage where Jorge came from will not suffer the way he did.
The dark conquered the sky. The city had gone silent as the night got darker and darker. People were already sleeping in their houses but not the police. They were up, having a meeting about the case. They accumulated the information they had as of the moment and they had never felt more obligated to look for more people related to the people involved with the case for everything was starting to make sense now. Coffees and cigarettes should suffice their bodies to stay up.
Alice rested for that night and gave the FBI a call the next day. She had decided to spend her time and give her full attention to the case first while she waits for a call for her job. She contacted the FBI first thing in the morning and presented another additional information which might help.
She said she knew Jack Kinley's ex and she was able to go to her house with Joe and talk to her mother. She called it her desperate times to search for why was she the next target. The FBI was very cooperative because Alice was the best person who can help them.
Two agents came along with Alice. They visited Mrs. Wyler's house for another interview. Mrs. Wyler gave them a warm welcome inside her house and she was very willing to answer their questions now that she heard the news and her daughter was finally getting justice.
The FBI said "Mrs. Wyler, our condolences to your daughter but we need to get as much details you can give us so we can progress with the case."
"Isn't he caught already?"
"There are a lot of unclear things going on to call it closed. Jack or Jorge had confessed everything but never did he admit that he killed the 10 people from the past or someone named Sally. There was also someone who is still missing and she called Ms. Alice when Jack was currently on prison. She was asking for help. It was very intricate but we really would like to think that there has been a conspiracy going on."
Mrs. Wyler understood the point they were trying to prove. She fiercely said "What would you like me to answer? Let's catch that other killer."
Their energy escalated. They were more eager this time.
"What school did Sally graduate from?"
"Madison High University."
The agent who was interviewing her looked at the other agent who was jotting down notes. They communicated with their eyes.
The agent said "It was the same school of the 10 students."
Alice said "It was near the school, me and Christine came from... Sunnydale Institute."
He continued asking, as if they have connected something, "Have you kept a documentation of the investigation for Ms. Sally's murder?"
"Yes, I got to keep some. I kept them all safe somewhere in my room. Let me get that for you."
She got inside her room and came back with a folder containing lots of papers inside. They browsed the pages and stumbled upon the photos in between a handful of pages. It was grotesque. Alice almost felt nauseous.
The place was also well-documented and something caught Alice's attention. She stared at one picture. It was the place where the crime scene took place.
She spoke, "It looks exactly like where we've been through. Me and Joe, we went to this place. There is a diner on the far left of the photo. Although I couldn't see its name... It looks like what I saw."
The agent replied, "Are you sure?"
"I'm not that confident about it. I mean, there could be other places where a diner was secluded from the city. But it really looks the same."
Mrs. Wyler said, "Oh, it was a vast place. Pure nothingness. That's only by far as to what I can remember."
The agents remembered what Alice told them before and what she should have done on the first place after knowing. It was the perfect time to do it now especially by having them around.
The agent said, "Ms. Alice had mentioned to us that you've seen him personally. Can you come to our office today or tomorrow so you can describe what he looked like to our criminal sketch artist and give real-time feedback for revisions?"
"I'd free my time today for that."
They were glad she was interactive enough with the FBI. Now that they were thinking that there was another person who killed her daughter, she knew she had to set her feet on the ground and get going with them to give her daughter the justice that she deserved a long time ago.
They went to the office soon after and they had gone through their plan. The artist came up with an almost realistic sketch of Jack Kinley from Mrs. Wyler's descriptions and showed it to them.
Mrs. Wyler said "That's him!"
Alice was shocked as she saw the sketch. She wasn't able to say anything. Her brain stuttered for a moment and her eyes took in more light than she expected. Every part of her paused while her thoughts catch up.
The agent said "Now look at what we got. Another missing link. Who is this man? And what does he have to do with all these?"
Alice said "It looked like my ex-boyfriend."
They all looked at her. Her eyes and her mouth were frozen wide open in an expression of stunned surprise.
The agent said "Are you sure?"
"Yes. But he's not Jack Kinley. His name is Lawrence Dawson."
The agents furrowed their eyebrows and think for a second. They thought that maybe Joe doesn't have anything to do with this and maybe the real killer was Alice's ex-boyfriend.
One of the agents said "This is challenging."
The other replied, "I know."
Alice told them that Lawrence could never kill. He was a kind man who lived a good life after they broke up. She had no clue that she was defending the wrong man after all.
For the agents, Joe was still considered a possible suspect just by the suspicious fact that he lied about his school and that he dodged the topic of Jack being poisoned as another's person's fault when interviewed. They kept his name under their tabs and just continue with the search.
Several days have passed and the agents haven't had a rest for the case. They couldn't find the connection between Joe and the chief and the hospital. But first, they needed to talk to the hospital itself to know if they have something to do with the case. Alice was out of the picture this time.
They asked the employees about the murder of the nurses and doctor before. It was popular within the hospital that it caused a horror for the ones on a graveyard duty. Most of them didn't know anything about how he escaped but one conversation struck them the most. It was with the guard.
The agent asked "How could he escape the facility without being stopped by any of you?"
The guard was resistant to give any information at first but gave up when the FBI talked them out to righteousness.
He finally spilled the truth. "Our boss ordered us to let him go. They threatened he will harm our families if we didn't follow his order."
"Who is your boss? Can we talk to him now?"
"Sir, as far as I know, he had gone out of the country after Jack's release. His name is Benedict Carson."
The FBI sighed in frustration because they could not arrest him soon enough. The agent asked "What country did he go to?"
"He went to Morocco."
"Alright. Thank you for your honesty."
The guard was shaking when he said "Please don't tell him I told you. I love my family. I cannot bear to lose them. Please don't let him hurt them. Sir, please."
"Sir, you have to relax. We will make sure to get him locked in before he even does anything to your family. You got us in this. We will not let you be in any form of danger."
The guard agreed, even though still worried for his safety now that he told them the secret. It was the hospital security's head officer. The agents now had a possible connection from the hospital and the chief.
However, Morocco has no extradition treaty with the US so they could not publicize and process to cancel his visa. The crime was not something for the Morocco's government to deport him as it was not a danger for the citizens and their government. Nevertheless, they planned to use some covert means to get him back without the consent of Morocco's government and receive legal punishment. It would take some time and it would probably be the last thing they would do after the case was solved internally or within the country. For now, Benedict would have to look over his shoulder for the rest of his life for the thing he did.
They were able to study the case by combining information within 4 weeks and 2 days to be exact. It was an exhausting job to look for each person involved and trace their connections to one another. They were busting a gut to solve it as soon as possible by all means. The only thing that was missing was their motive and why Alice was suddenly a target.
Alice was not feeling well for days and she had to rest for a bit. She was lying down in bed but her mind wouldn't stop thinking. She thought maybe the FBI was right. Joe probably had something to do with it. She stopped contacting Joe when she got busy helping the FBI with the case because she thought it might be good to keep distance with a possible suspect while they investigate. It was hard for her because Joe was a friend she trusts. But Joe's reactions when he noticed she was drifting away was something she could not simply ignore. She was bombarded by his text messages.
He sent her messages like, "What are you up to these days?", "Are you avoiding me?", "Did I do something wrong?", "Let's meet up!", "Alice, don't ignore me please.", "You're obviously avoiding me. You were not answering my calls and you're always out of Sofia's apartment.", "Are you hiding something?"
It was not his usual way of approach towards her. There was something off so she was indeed hiding from him. She couldn't take away the fear she felt the last time she was with him. It was blood-curdling. She couldn't deny, it gave her the creeps. She realized that what Joe told her after they ate was something she should be alarmed for, considering that the place where Sally's murder occurred looked exactly like the place they went to.
It was because of the investigation that she became more suspecting of Joe. Maybe there really is something with him like what Jack said.
And so, even if she's suffering from a headache, she pushed herself to the limit and went out for a drive while it's still bright outside. She headed towards the direction where Joe and her went to. She used her GPS for directions on how to get there by entering the diner's name, Happy Downtown Diner.
She successfully arrived in the place. She came back for the sole purpose of asking any staff if they know Joe because he said he goes there from time to time and having the impression that the diner has a friendly nature, she thought they might have built a connection with their customers, so she'd get a derivative information.
She was accommodated quickly after arriving so she went straight to the point and stop beating around the bush and asked the waitress.
"How long have you been working here?"
"I've been working here for years now."
"Did you know about Sally's murder? Or anything about Jack Kinley?"
"Yes. It is quite known here." She looked around anxiously.
"I was a bit doubtful about this, but the place where the crime happened looked like it happened somewhere near here when we reviewed the photos of the crime scene. I'm sorry to be so forthright but the FBI are currently investigating the case and I wanted to help them out."
The waitress looked nervous when Alice talked about her suspicions on the place. She leaned closer to Alice and said "Maybe we can talk about it outside? The people might hear."
She agreed to go with the waitress outside to talk.
The waitress said "We do not talk about it to anyone so it won't scare the people out."
"So it really happened here?"
"Yes."
"Gosh! I knew it! I need to confirm something to you. There was this guy who was supposedly Jack Kinley, Sally's ex-boyfriend. Do you remember this man?" She took her phone from her bag. "This is Sally and this is him." She showed her a photo of Sally and the sketch she sneakily took through her phone back in the police office. "Does he come here often?"
"Yes! Yes! He was the last person I've seen with Sally. They went straight ahead after their meal and then she was reported dead days after."
"Straight ahead?"
"Yes. We even wondered where they're going because it's a dead end from there back then. It was just the meadows. We thought they were going to do something else there, you know, what couples do... but we have never thought that he was trying to isolate the subject to kill."
Alice remembered what Joe said. He said he usually goes here and this was the place where his ex dumped him. Sally was murdered by her ex-boyfriend, Jack Kinley, and it also happened near the place. It was cohesive.
She looked for something in her phone. Her heart was beating fast as she thought she was discovering something major. She showed her a photo of Joe and asked "Here's a photo of my friend. Does he usually come here?"
"Oh, yes. But sometimes he just drives past this place and go somewhere else."
"Where?"
"He drives straight ahead too but he comes back here to eat. We don't know what keeps him coming back and forth to a tucked away place so out of curiosity, we checked it one time and there was a house there. It was far away so we thought it was his rest house. A place far away from people and the busy life."
Alice exhaled loudly as if letting out the breath she had suppressed for too long. She remembered what Morrie told her. She was in the basement.
She then came up with the idea that it was not just a house as they would like to think. She thanked the waitress for helping her by giving out what she knows. It was very useful.
She went back to her car and upon getting in, she immediately called the FBI to ask them if they saw a basement from Joe's house when they searched the place while secretly hoping that she just got it all wrong. They said they found no doors or any sort leading to a basement. Alice eventually told them what she discovered and said "I think it was in another house's basement."
The FBI responded, "We will conduct our raid operation in that place once we confirmed him to be a prime suspect. We will visit Madison High University. It was the same school where Jack Kinley and Mr. Joe Schmidt, supposedly studied from. We have a sneaking suspicion that the reason for why Mr. Joe Schmidt was lying was because he was trying to conceal his true identity. We will bring the sketch to the head office of the school---"
Alice cut them mid sentence and said "--to see if he was Jack Kinley."
It was the notion that Jack Kinley's identity was hidden and the fact that Joe lied about his school, concealing something, that connected the possibility.
"Correct. We have to confirm first so we could attack with an aim for the right suspect."
"Oh my God... no... Not my friend." She sounded like she was hyperventilating at the thought that it could be her friend all along.
The FBI agent said "Ms. Simone. We'd like you to calm down. We truly appreciate your efforts. We'll get everything sorted out properly. That, we can assure you. The best you could do for now is to not come in any contact with Mr. Joe Schmidt for he was a potential harm."
She could not talk. The flashbacks of her moments with Joe invaded her mind. She couldn't attach to the reality of the belief that it might really be her close friend.
The agent spoke, "Ms. Simone, do you understand?"
With tremor in her voice, she replied, "Yes... yes."
"We completely understand that you are under an abiding stress. You have done more than enough with regards to helping us solve the case. We must stick to the positive side that we're nearly getting there. We would have to take it from here. You can take a break."
She was trying her best to hold her emotions while talking to the FBI. She didn't want them to hear her crying. She answered with a weak "Okay."
Knowing that the FBI were in continuous action, comforted her a bit. She finally grasped that there are people in charge to help and protect her at the same time. She kept hoping that her hunches weren't true, in denial that there was a high chance that it really was Joe.
Until it was confirmed, one could only hope.
She drove back her way to Sofia's apartment. The fatigue started to get to her. Her body felt like falling down on its own. But she thought she had to treat herself for all the hard work, so she stopped on a store and bought herself a yoghurt which she was craving during the critical days of investigating before. She took a lot to reward herself enough.
She came back to Sofia's place, ate them and later on fell asleep.
It was the morning of the next day when she woke up. It was the longest sleep she had ever gotten for weeks. She felt like she finally got what she deserves. A good night sleep.
Sofia was already dressed up for work when she saw her finally alive and kicking after coming home to a sleeping and knocked out body on the bed.
She said "Tiresome day yesterday?"
Alice replied while still groggy, "Yeah. And for the record, I still feel tired now."
Sofia laughed and said "You're not taking any drugs, are you?"
"What? No! It was the yoghurt."
They both laughed. Alice said "I ate too much yoghurt. It knocked me down the whole night. I indulged to my cravings. It was the best! I wasn't feeling really well these days, so it was a surreal satisfaction!"
"I can see it was. You slept like a baby last night."
"Really? That was nice." She rose from the bed and stopped.
Sofia faced the mirror and went back to combing her hair before she goes out to work.
She said "You can make your own breakfast. I bought cereals by the way. Feel free to have some."
Alice stood up without saying anything and quickly ran to the bathroom. Sofia teased, "Whoa. That looks like an emergency."
But not until she heard her throwing up. She walked to the bathroom and saw Alice puking on the toilet.
She said "Al, is everything okay?" as she held her hair up with one hand and the other brushing her back.
Sofia looked so worried when she saw that she vomited a lot.
When she's done, she flushed the toilet and said "I suddenly felt nauseous. Probably because I rose from the bed too fast."
"Right." Sofia walked away and grabbed her things so she could go to work. "You ever thought of visiting a hospital for a check-up?"
"Oh come on... I'm probably just over fatigued."
"You said so. Okay, I need to go."
Sofia was about to go out of her apartment when she paused and everything suddenly started to add up in her mind. She slowly looked back at her and said "Alice..."
"What?"
"When was the last time you got your period?"
Then there was a complete utter silence.
(sound of the wind blown by the air condition)
Alice's eyes widened as she said "Shit."