Chapter 4

The next day I received a phone call from Chief Rylan telling me to meet him in his office as soon as I arrived in the Verano Police Department. Before leaving the house, my mom approached me with a toasted bread bag and my lunch meal. 

"Alice, here are your meals for breakfast and lunch. I do not have many errands earlier. That is why I prepared these for you." I think no food could satisfy me as much as my mom did. Even though I am away and have had little chance to eat with her, her lunchboxes always make me feel that I am home. 

"Also, please take this. Look, I know you do not fully believe in Him, but please take this as guidance from me. Take this for me." She added. I became agnostic when I realized how many lives had been taken because of the cruelty in this world. I keep on doubting the creator above us, but as long as I am here in this world, I still have hope in myself and for all. Before leaving the house, I took the small booklet my mom gave me and put it in my bag. 

"Good morning, Sir." I extended my greeting to all the officers present in the room. When I arrived at Chief Rylan's office, the other detectives were there as well. 

"Good morning, Detective Alice. As you can see, the others are here as well. So if you have not met them, Detective Eric, Detective Sayer, and Detective Alex. They are Team 3 under my supervision. To give you a brief background about them, we have been working on some cases since last year." From the introduction of Chief Rylan, I can say that they are all knowledgeable in handling such cases. 

"Given that circumstance, we have established conditions that could simplify the integrity and dedication of this team. With that being said, I will include you in Team 3 but not guaranteed until further notice. We still have to observe your performance as soon as we start investigating. Any violent reaction from anyone here in this room?" Chief Rylan added after clarifying some points for the team.

"None, Sir." We politely responded. 

After the short meeting, I went to my office to organize my things there. Detective Alex knocked on my door and told me to join them for lunch. I am delighted by his invitation because they seem welcoming and well-founded. That is why I cannot keep myself but look forward to working with them. 

"Good day, Ma'am. I bet you are new here. I am Chef Reynold, the head chef of this kitchen. I hope you enjoy our food." That is when I met Chef Reynold. At first glance, it feels like we met before, but I must be mistaken since I am just new in the police department. Nonetheless, he seems to be friendly and caring about our food. It is like a husband cooking for his beloved wife and his kids. 

"Well, Alice, people here may look intimidating, but one thing for sure, they are all doing an excellent job." Detective Alex said as we are headed to our table. I just smiled at everyone and kept myself humble. 

"So I heard that you have great observation and critical thinking skills. Is that the reason why you pursue being a detective?" Detective Eric Lim asked while we were having our meal. I can say that he is a dedicated and knowledgeable detective from how he speaks. I can feel the sincerity of every contribution he could make to the team's success. 

"You know I asked that before to her when we had a coffee on her first day here. And I think we all have the same objectives for choosing this career path. And that is to bring justice to every injustice happening here in Carson." Detective Alex breaks in, and I must say he is right.

"So you had a coffee together. Why did you not ask us to join you guys?" Detective Sayer asked with a carefree tone. 

From our small conversations, I can say that we all have our reasons why we are here and why we chose to continue going every single day. We are all after the safety of everyone, and I think that is what matters the most. 

"By the way, nice booklet. Do you bring that with you every day?" Detective Sayer asked as he noticed the small booklet my mom asked me to bring. 

"Uhm, yes. My mom just asked me to bring this with me earlier this morning. Also, she packed me these lunchboxes." I proudly say it to them. And I know what they are thinking, that my mom is sweet and loving, which is a fact. 

My phone rings, and it is my mom who is calling. "Speaking of which, please excuse me." 

"Hello, mom?" I initially answered in a delightful tone.

"Hello, Alice. There is a package here for you; I would like to give you a heads up since I will be going to the market to buy some fruits. I might come home late as well. I will just leave the box in your room. Would that be okay?" she asked. And honestly, I do not know what is in that box. I did not order anything and nobody informed me that I would be receiving a package. 

"Oh sure, mom. Just leave it in my room. Thank you, and please take care, okay?" I responded but with a slightly confusing tone. I am confused and curious at the same time. But on the back of my head, I think that "It just a package, it will not hurt."

Before I went home, I stopped at the office of Chief Rylan for a while to get the files I was supposed to pick up last time. 

"Alice, here are the files of the solved cases and their victims and suspect. The other half is the unsolved cases. I will have to ask you to read those, so please take time and pay attention to every detail. Lastly, here is the manual for our team. I was hoping you could read that in advance to avoid internal conflicts. So before you leave the office, do you have any questions?" 

"Firstly, Sir, thank you for handing me these files and manual. But may I know what can be the possible benefaction of looking in the files of solved cases?" I asked. 

"Well, that is the thought I had in my mind when organizing those files. But I noticed something strange, but I cannot tell you right now since you have not read the files yet. Just keep on reading them. We might get some clues from there. We never know." He responded with a slight of confidence and suspicion. 

When I reached home, I immediately checked the package left for me. The package was neatly wrapped and taken care of. And when I opened it, I did not expect what was inside. It is like someone is trying to convey a message in a puzzling and strange way. 

Who is the person behind this?