2 Chapter 2: The Bad News

The only sound Elvery can hear is the constant clicking of her pen as its tip makes contact on the wooden surface of the desk. Her left-hand rests under her chin as she stares at the plain-colored wall about ten feet away from her.

It's 5 in the morning and until now, she couldn't take her mind off the incident last night — green car with fast speed... Smith's residence... a suspicious visitor... a woman with bags and luggage...

Arrgh, she grunts at the back of her mind. She hates that she couldn't understand anything.

Nothing makes sense.

She lets out a yawn, the third one this morning. She was not able to have a very good night sleep last night because that "Aida and the visitor" bothered her so much.

She even tried to call Lila Smith, her very first friend in Mabseteer and daughter of Mr. Smith. Maybe Lila can shine light upon the incident, she thought.

Lila is a "cellcoholic" person — a cellphone addict. Well, that may be an overstatement but that describes her well. She would stay up all night surfing the Internet and chatting with friends. Putting down her phone and sleeping early are not Lila's things so when you call her, even when it's late as midnight, she would pick up at the very first ring.

But no luck, Lila did not pick up. It was only nine in the evening when Elvery called so it was unusual that Lila was already asleep that time. But who knows, Elvery thought, maybe she was very tired so she decided to sleep early.

Elvery can't contain the curiosity that builds inside her, but she knows she shouldn't be sticking her nose into others' businesses. So, she convinces herself to stop being bothered.

It's nothing, Elvery, she says, it's nothing.

She averts her eyes back to the pocket-size notepad that lies on her desk for almost an hour. She skims through her summer bucket list.

Hmmm, she mumbles as she points her index finger through the things on the list, trying to decide what to do for today.

~ ~ ~

Elvery is dazed with amazement as she stares at the undoubtedly refreshing ambiance of the Acey Krem shop. The shop's interior has a yellow and white theme with a little touch of green.

Woah! It is far more beautiful in person, she thinks as she presses the "capture" button of her camera.

She lines up and places her order at the cashier. The crowd does not surprise her. Besides the high demand for a cold snack during the hot season, the shop itself is a very famous one.

Luckily, she spots a table with two empty chairs at the corner. But before she could reach the table, a tall guy wearing a light blue muscle tee sits on one of the empty chairs. She pauses with dismay. Once again, she scatters her eyes through the crowd, trying to find another empty table. Unfortunately, there is none.

No choice, she sighs. With enough amount of confidence, she finds herself heading towards the table where the guy just sat.

"Uhm, excuse me. Can I sit here?" She asks, pointing on the empty chair in front of him while flashing a pleading smile.

The guy doesn't seem to hear her because he is too hooked up in the book he is reading. She rolls her eyes. She sits down on the only empty chair, which is in front of him, without even waiting for his reply. Besides, he seems alone, her instinct says.

The guy is probably around her age, but his face hides behind the book so the only feature Elvery can see is his dark auburn hair.

She glances at the book he is reading — The Untold Story of Terri Schiavo's Death.

Wow, he's also interested in mystery books, huh, she thinks.

Finally, the waiter arrives and places her order on the table. Yay! The Amazing Sundae!

Even at the very first taste, Elvery clearly understands why this has been called 'amazing'. In fact, 'amazing' is even a bit of understatement. This is beyond amazing, she must say. The Amazing Sundae instantly becomes her favorite ice cream.

While eating, Elvery observes the guy in front of her. He never jerked his head off the book the whole time. The only part that moves is his right hand when he flips the pages. He hasn't even ordered something. Bookworm guy, she mumbles, but immediately draws her attention off him.

As soon as she finishes her food, she brings out her notepad. She flips into the pages of her summer bucket list. She smiles as she shades the circle beside the item Try The Amazing Sundae — bestseller of Mabseteer.

Elvery is about to stand up and leave for the next destination when her attention suddenly diverts into a woman in the nearby table.

"Oh my gosh!" The woman exclaims, loud enough for Elvery to hear. Shock can be sensed in her voice.

"What happened?" The man in front of her asks.

"You know Mr. Smith, the owner of MaXa?"

Elvery feels a chill on her body as the word 'Smith' touches her ears. Her mind is bothered with curiosity, so she stays at her seat to eavesdrop in the conversation.

"According to the investigation," the woman explains, "Mark Smith went to the second branch of MaXa around 7 pm last night, probably to check the site which is under construction..."

Yes, that's true, he even greeted me before going to the site, Elvery's mind says.

"The construction head, Lowie Velasco was also there. Maybe they talked about something related to the construction or whatever, I don't know. Then, someone struck their heads with a hard thing, something like a hammer or stone. Velasco is in a very critical condition right now, but unfortunately," the woman pauses a bit, "Mr. Smith is dead."

Elvery falls in a complete shock upon hearing the terrible news.

Mr. Smith is dead?!

Then her friend comes to her mind. Lila.

She jerks back her head to the table and notices that the bookworm guy has already left, but she doesn't mind.

She immediately picks her phone and dials Lila's number.

"Elvi-e," Lila says between her sobs, "D-dad's d-dead." Pain and intense sadness from mourning are sensed in her voice at the other end of the line.

Elvery can't hold her eyes from shedding tears as well, "I-I'm so sorry f-for your lost, Lila."

Then suddenly, the incident last night flashes back in her mind.

Green car... Smith's residence... a suspicious visitor... a woman with bags and luggage...

"Don't worry, Aida, it's all settled."

She gasps. Her eyes widen.

Is it possible that the visitor at Smith's residence has a connection to the attack in the construction site?