CHAPTER 31

JACE'S P.O.V.

I wasn't okay

I was nervous

I was afraid

I was anxious

I wasn't okay but, I knew that I could bear it, as long as she's with me. As long as she's with me, I feel like I could bear anything.

"What are you going to tell him?" she asked me when I told her that I was going to talk to Alex

I picked my phone and texted Jace

Do you trust Mel and I? I asked him

Why are you suddenly asking? he asked back

Just because. Do you trust Mel and I? I asked him again

Yes, I do. I trust you guys and all my partners

Then can you dispatch everyone for today? I asked him

Why?

Please?

"Did you guys find anything? he asked

Yes, but, we want to check it first for some reasons

Is everything okay?

Yes, we just want to check it first. Please

Okay then, I'll call it a night. See you tomorrow

Sure thing, thanks a lot

No problem. Bye

Bye

This is one of the reason I work for Alex, he is just the best boss there is

"Which house?" I asked Mel when I put my phone down

"Your private house" she replied

"You're in love with that house, aren't you?" I ask her

She smiled

"Uh huh" she replied

I scoffed

I should just demolish that house. How dare it make her smile? It's just a mere house

"I'll go get the laptop. You can just get a drink for yourself if you want and sit where you find the most comfortable" I told Mel when we entered the house I was considering demolishing

"Okay" she said and we went to do what we were assigned to do. I changed before I searched for my laptop, this would be the first time I would be using it for a while and I wasn't really sure where it was, I just knew that it was in my room

"Mel" I called when I went back down. After ten minutes, I finally found it

"In the third floor" she replied

"Here" she handed me my cup after I sat down beside her. She had changed into more comfortable clothes, my clothes

"This's the system" I handed it to her along with the cable to use

"Was it underground. It took you took long" she said

I watched her every movement as she carefully brought out the hard drive from her bag and connected it to the system. She searched it but she didn't need to search for a long time

"She just bought it" I said

"Why do you think she bought it all of a sudden? And around the time of the second victim?" Mel asked

"Maybe before she felt it was needed since she was in charge of the case? Could she have been a psychic or something?"

"Just don't bother" Mel said

"When is the murder date?" Mel asked

When I told her the murder date, she went to the week folder, everything was sort out week by week but before she played it, she looked at me. I held her hand and smiled at her although I was seriously sweating inside

It's okay, it's okay, I kept telling myself and reassuring myself that Mel was with me

After a deep breathe from the two of us, Mel played the footage. She skipped the morning and afternoon part to around the time the door was opened which was around eleven, thirty minutes before she went back home. Thankfully, the hidden camera was placed in a spot where everything could be seen since it was a small house and they could be seen clearly with the moonlight even if there was no light. The door opened and a man in all black including his mask and face cap entered and locked the door back from inside. Before she came he wasn't doing anything, just sitting on her chair, and he removed his cap after a while but left his mask on. He had a silky black hair

"The tattoos" Mel said when he removed his hoodie jacket

It was the same tattoos as what the victim of the first murder described. A tribal tattoo on his arm and neck

"It's the same person, after all" I said

When the sound of keys were heard, he stood up and went into hiding. When she entered, she went into the kitchen and took a cup of water along with what I assume will be sleeping pills. I removed my eyes when she was changing then continued looking when Mel told me that she was done. After that, she went to bed, the perp still in hiding. After sleeping for a while, the perp came out. He walked towards her bed and climbed it. She woke up in pains when he stabbed her on her stomach the first time but he was holding her down, covering her mouth. As she was struggling, he stabbed her thrice on her arm, then she started losing strength but she looked at the CCTV and pulled his mask off

"Her eyes" I said

"They were the same as John's" I continued putting my hand in a fist but, Mel, after she paused the footage, laid her hand on it, smiling at me

"It's okay" she said

After I calmed down, it told her to resume it. After pulling his mask, he stabbed her five more times then when she finally died, he made two cuts on her head. I froze and that caught Me attention

"What's it?" she asked clearly concerned

"It's the same eyes. The eyes that looked at me when John told me to go, it's the same. This's the trash that killed John"

I knew, I guessed that it would be the same person but, finally knowing it was so different. So many things and intentions passed through my mind and Mel seemed to have noticed

"Jace" she called

"Jace, look at me"

I could heard her voice but, it couldn't placed where it was coming from. She then hugged me

"Calm down, Jace, please. Calm down. Focus on me, only me" she told me and I tried to do what she was telling me. I first if all tried to focus on her voice then on her. When I came back to my senses, I hugged her back

"It's okay" she continued saying stroking my head

"We're going to catch that trash bag, no matter what" she said

[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [

It came again, the attacker, the loud grunts, the pains, and the eyes, hopeless and painful eyes, the explosives but this time, it was more vivid

"Go and bring the flash light from the kitchen while I check the junction box" Jace said to John as he headed for the store room downstairs wondering what might have caused this as it has never happened before.

It was as if he was re-living it

"John" Jace called as he reached the top of the stairs but the silence answered him.

"John" he called again trying to find his way through the darkness but still got no answer.

He had gone a little further when he heard a scream. With his heart beating as faster than normal and sensing to be quiet, he continued moving. Every step he took, he took it wishing for that scream to be nothing out of the ordinary. He continued walking until he saw it

He desperately wished it to stop but, it wouldn't

"Jace" he heard Mel voice

Mel?

He couldn't believe it, he just couldn't. John, his John underneath the attacker, being stabbed, he had to do something but he couldn't, not when he didn't have a clue on what to do. He almost died when John turned too looked at him with two pairs of helpless, bleeding, tears filled eyes. He was about to do something, anything, when John stopped him with his eyes but he couldn't, he couldn't just leave him.

"Jace, wake up" he heard Mel voice again

Mel, is that you?

Jace watched as the attacker stood up, took out explosive bombs, set the timer and placed it on the walls. John's eyes pleaded with Jace to go, to please just go that there was nothing he could do. Jace began to run for his life in the mist of the darkness when the stranger turned to look at him, pushing everything that was in his path away. When he sighted the exit with luck, he jumped out and at that moment, the building exploded.

"Jace, it's only a dream. It's okay"

The voice again

Where are you Mel?

"I'm here, Jace. Focus on my voice, only my voice"

Making a sign, he was so relieved to have made it but then looking back, he realized that his friend didn't make it. Shattered and angry with himself, he vowed to revenge, never to be helpless again no matter what.

"Jace, Jace"

I jerked up

"Jace, are you okay? Look at me. It's just a dream, Jace"

My fuzzy mind became clear and I saw her

Mel

"Mel" I called and touched her cheek

"Yes, it's me. I'm here. You're okay. Everything's fine"

I hugged her. I hugged her with everything I had in me and all the various emotions that was flowing through me at that moment