Eighteen- It isn't him

With no time wasted, both of them rushed into the club, the same question on their minds.

Why was Lucille there?

Well, they were already a few steps away from finding that out. Almost dramatically, the both of them barged into room 006 startling Lucille who was equally shocked to see that she had company.

"Lucille, I need you to explain why you are here. What do you have to do with all of these?"

With a slight motion of her head, she shifted backward, leaving Amir's questions unanswered. Chloe noticed that her movements were being made towards the rose.

"Lucille," she decided to take up the questioning, "what is going on?"

"Why are you with him?" Lucille almost spat.

Chloe frowned as she took a few steps forward. "What do you mean?" she carefully asked as the atmosphere tended towards a delicate feel.

Lucille raised her hand and pointed towards Amir , a kind of untold fright on her face. "Him.. . Amir... why are you with him?"

"Because I want to help him." Chloe was beginning to think her recent behaviour was connected to the situation they were in.

"You shouldn't be with someone like him. He is dangerous. Chloe, he rapes women."

"I do-"

"What do you know Lucille?" Chloe interrupted Amir who was already wearing anger as a second cloth. "Why are you here?" she asked gently.

"Because..." Lucille took more steps as she seemed to contemplate whether to talk or to trust the woman in front of her. "Because I want him to pay for what he did to me and those other girls."

Chloe frowned. Her too? "What do you mean?"

Lucille's shoulders fell dejectedly. "I can't hide the fact that he did horrible things to me and those girls. I am going to make him pay for it," she sneered angrily a Amir at the end of her statement.

"Do you have proof that he did it? Did you see his face?"

"No. But a DNA test I ran showed he was the one."

"Wait, back up a bit. Can you tell me what you remember about the day Amir did what he did?"

"I did not-"

"Amir please." Chloe looked his way and pleaded with him silently to stay quiet. Though reluctantly, he got the message and moved to the other side of the room. "Can you tell me?" her eyes went back to Lucille.

The lean woman removed the black face cap on her head and shrugged her long hair down. "I don't remember much about that day," she started with a quiet voice, throwing the room into a state of soberness. "All I know is that I came here about two months ago, partied hard then at a point, I blacked out. When I woke up in this very room, I felt different, I felt molested, you know."

Chloe shifted in her stance. Lucille continued, "I went to the hospital and got tested. They found sperm inside me, but I never got to know that, they never told me. But luckily, I met a nurse who was willing to help me get that evidence. Through another friend of mine who happens to be a cop, I found out that it was Amir's sperm."

"So, you decided to work as a maid to get a better chance at nabbing Amir."

"Yes. I needed to get more DNA to prove he was the one I was after."

"Wait," Chloe found herself chuckling with disbelief for a second. "Was that why you made out with him?" Lucille nod.

"I feel so ... used," Amir said from his corner. The ladies ignored him.

"So," Chloe folded her arms across her chest, "why exactly are you here?"

Lucille moved towards the vase and took the flower before saying, "I am here for this."

"A flower?" Chloe had her brows up.

"A flower with a hidden camera. Well, a fake flower." Chloe just knew something was off about the setup. "I... Last week, after I confirmed Amir's identity, I got this and had it planted here."

"Why this room?"

"Because it is always this room. With help from certain people, I learned that it is always this room that the molestation takes place."

Chloe sighed as she pieced it all together in her head. "So, that flower will determine whether or not Amir is the culprit right?" Lucille nodded, hugging the rose closer to her abdomen as though it were a precious jewel.

"Lucille, I might sound crazy, but I believe Amir is innocent. But I want to be very sure and I would love it if you could let us have a peek at what your camera might have captured."

"But you are supporting him. If he turns out to be..."

"If he is guilty, he is all yours."

"Well, that is a fair deal."

"Thank you, Lucille. Let's go downstairs and sort all of this out once and for all." Chloe signaled to Amir who was looking very tired of the whole situation.

But what he could he do? His reputation was on the line.

~

Four pairs of eyes blinked as they watched the video capture for the third time.

"It isn't Amir," Lucille said quietly as she tore her eyes off the man who was meticulously injecting something into the privates of the red-haired lady who was sprawled carelessly on the bed.

With small movements, it was easy to tell the lady was not blacked out, she could capture a few movements. And maybe she also noticed the key chain that had room 005 written boldly on it that kept dangling as the rough-looking man in the room carried out what it was he was doing in a not-so-nice way.

"It really isn't him," Lucille repeated as she sat up, her voice full of distress.

"Sebastian, please do not delay with the scan. I need to know who this man is and who sent him as soon as possible," Amir said to Sebastian who was already packing up.

"Amir..." Lucille looked in Amir's direction, her eyes rimmed with tears. "I am so sorry."

"It is fine." He gave her a small smile as he reached to pat her on the shoulder. "It is fine Lucille, don't beat yourself up. You were just trying to get justice."

"I thought..."

"Lucille, it is fine. You need to rest, sleeping will do you much good, so Sebastian here will drive you back to the mansion, okay?" Lucille nodded with questions in her eyes as they drifted to the revelation in front of them again. Chloe, who had been watching Amir and Lucille converse had questions running through her mind but, she could not help but smile as she appreciated Amir for being such a gentleman. She expected him to scream; 'in your face!' at Lucille for doubting his innocence.

Well, maybe there was a lot she was yet to learn about Amir and the others.

"Let's go, Chloe. We are going home together."

"We could just ride with Sebastian, he is going there anyway."

Amir held her hand and said, "We have somewhere to go first." Chloe cocked her brows, sweeping off a strand of hair that managed to fall from her ponytail. Amir looked at the watch that rested on his left wrist underneath his long sleeve. "It is already past midnight."

Chloe did not expect time to have gone past so fast. "Really ?" she asked as she craned her neck to check if it was so.

"Yeah. It is past midnight and I need you to be here with me."

"Why?" Chloe found his statement a little creepy.

"I have to visit my mom." Chloe's eyes fell. "Today is her birthday and I don't want to wish her alone."

"Oh, but I don't have anything to give her," Chloe said as they got off the van.

"You don't have to bring anything, she won't look our way at all."