Chapter 6

Archer drove like a bat out of hell. Lights blazing. Cars dashed out of the way to dodge the crazy police officer. The more arrogant drivers honked six ways to Tuesday but Archer wasn't caring. They reached in an hour given the distance they were from the hospital. They had to park the car a whole block away because of the media vans and fire trucks that barricaded the road.

"Stay by my side. Don't you dare get lost. This person whoever he is is intent on destroying you so don't give him the chance. " the same brown eyes stared deep into Emilia's eyes. She nodded in agreement and together they pushed aside the media crowd that was persistently shouting questions at them and wanting to get the perfect picture of the smoking building for their news headlines. This was probably going to be the top story.

  After shimmying their bodies through tightly packed bodies, knocking down a few cameras here and there and muttering inaudible apologies, they reached the hospital. Flames were licking at the building and the smoke valiantly announced it's victory. The fire fighters were aiming at controlling the spread of the fire to the lower floors as panicked doctors and nurses evacuated the patients.

The Boston State Hospital was currently in a court battle for it's ownership after a sting operation last year had netted a famous drug trade operating out of the hospital. The government had come and taken over operations of the hospital after it's three month closure. Dr. Eduardo Fuentes, the proprietor of the hospital, an old man of eighty three who lived to drink, smoke and eat had not taken the invasion by the government lying down. He had contested it in court and the government was fighting back claiming Eduardo's incompetency to handle the six storeyed building. So technically Emilia did not know who would be coming to fire her because it was now public knowledge that the killer was aiming at her and no employer wanted a killer on their tails and most especially a hospital.

As if on cue, Dr. Eduardo Fuentes hobbled out of his lavish car accompanied by a shoulder length dark haired woman in a navy blue pantsuit that was pressed within an inch of it's life. The ironing lines on her pants alone looked like they were made for cutting.  Her face was heavily made up, red lip gloss, heavy mascara and layers of foundation. The layers reminded Emilia of lasagna. They power walked over to Emilia, media face on display while Archer, ever the gentleman walked towards her side. Emilia didn't know whether it was for protection or to assert dominance.

"My name's Camilla Dane, an attorney with Dane Mintz Corporate Limited." The pancake faced woman stretched her hand for a handshake but Emilia was not in the mood for formal crap. Her life was turning upside down and she wasn't going to deal with these two camera hungry people right now.

"I am fired, aren't I." she said because cutting to the chase never hurt anyone.

"Yes and no..." pancake face again. Emilia raised her hand to stop the lawyer completely unashamed that the media was snapping away. They could post the pictures on their Instagram Feeds for all she cared.

"I will not come back to work don't worry about it if there is any paperwork to sign I will come and do it when I can. " she turned to go but not before she shot a look at the coward standing right behind Camilla. Who hired a lawyer to fire an employee?

Archer and Emilia walked closer to the building where he flashed his badge and they crossed the crime scene tape which was more to keep out unruly journalists than to tape off the crime scene.

Archer stopped a woman in a firefighter's uniform. Her brown hair was hastily tied up in a ponytail. Strands of dirty blonde hair that had escaped the hair band's wrath decorated her face. She looked at him and smiled despite herself. Emilia already wanted to strangle her with her own hair band not only because she didn't even register her presence. Emilia took a deep calming breath.

They exchanged pleasantries,  and got down to business.

"The building is too hot for any of us to enter but from the smoke and fire I can unofficially conclude that it started from the right corner of the floor."

"That's where my office is." Emilia didn't even recognize her own voice as it fled from her mouth. The fire investigator looked at her now and seemed to remember her manners. She extended her hand in greeting.

"Regina Payton, Office of Fire Investigation."

"Emilia Gardiner." She couldn't add her job given that she was fired.

Archer was watching them in silent amusement. His phone rung breaking the awkward moment between two rivals. He walked away to receive the call and  returned a minute later.

"Do you know this woman?" He showed her a picture of a brown haired woman clearly smiling at the person behind the camera. The light of the camera gave her eyes an artificial gleam. She was wondering why she should be knowing her and related this to Archer who replied.

"Think hard Emilia." He pressed. "Try to remember how you know her."

Emilia's mind was grasping at straws. She had a fleeting image of a well running dry. She couldn't remember what Archer clearly thought was important.

  "Who is she and why should I know her?" Emilia finally asked. Archer merely ignored her and swiped and showed her another photo. This time a Latina woman smiled at the camera with long dark hair that stretched down to her back. She still couldn't recognize her. She racked her brain for any clue or the usual light bulb that usually appeared in the animations she occasionally watched but still nothing, nada, zilch, zero.

"Archer just tell me who they are. I don't remember them." Emilia was on the brink of crying now.

"This is Elena Duran and the woman whose picture I showed you before is Evelyn Dakota, the woman  whose body we found in your house. Rukelle thought you knew them because you went to the same corner store last Sunday where the killer was also spotted."

Emilia was about to throw up. So now the killer was getting rid of anyone who got in contact with her? She walked a short distance away from the crowd when she heard a thought. A thought so unsettling she was starting to hyperventilate again. Her knees were weak and she was going to fall when strong mascular hands were holding her up.

"Archer, I need to make a call." she stammered out while pushing herself to standing. She got out her cell phone and dialed Kevin Steward who was in charge of security at her apartment building. He picked up on the first ring.

"Hello madam Emilia. How may I be of service to you." he liked his formality and she had long decided to let him be.

"I need you to check something for me in my apartment. "

"Yes madam."

"Could you help me check for cameras in the entire apartment." Emilia trusted Kevin because he was former marines and he knew what to check for and where to check. She hung up looking as tired as she felt. She wanted this killer caught yesterday.

Phone ringing. Not hers. It was Archer's. He walked a short distance away to pick up the call.

Kevin called back. He had just started out searching and had already found three cameras. Two in the living room which had alarmed him to the point of  immediately checking the bathroom where he had found one more.

Emilia's head was going to explode. The invasion of privacy wasn't her major problem. It was the confidence and the closeness. Where did he get the power to enter her apartment and plant the cameras.  This was an eery kind of intimacy. He saw and knew things that he shouldn't. This led her to suspect the only three friends she had. She quickly kicked the thought out of her mind.  This day couldn't get any worse, she thought to herself just before it did. Archer returned saying that he had to go to the police station to inter Elaine Barker's parents who had come all the way from Mattapan.