Funeral

The news on television and radio had not stopped buzzing about the press conference that was held yesterday to inform them that Marcella's case had been converted to a murder case.

The police stated that there was a sign that someone had been with Marcella when she was dead; however, they did not elaborate further and said that they would only issue a new update once they uncovered tangible proof that led them to the perpetrator of the crime.

Kathrina remained silent in the passenger seat while Kale was driving to the location of the funeral. She was thinking deeply about why Marcella's family decided to bury her so fast. It was not even a week since she passed away. However, they were so agitated to hold a funeral since Marcella's body was still in the middle of an autopsy.

"Stop thinking so hard, or you will get older fast." Kale interrupted Kathrina's train of thought. He had seen his sister drowning in her deep thought.

"Says the old man," she ridiculed him since he was five years above her, so it was right to call him an old man.

"At least this old man has an interesting life, unlike yours, which is only filled with corpses."

"What kind of interesting life could a boring person like you have?" She mocked him again and did not care at all about the sour expression plastered on Kale's face.

"I have a very interesting—"

Kathrina interjected, "When will we arrive?" She made it quite clear that she did not want to listen to Kale bragging about his lovely times with his dozens of girlfriends and jewelry.

"Less than five minutes." He answered, "I forgot to say, you are my plus one. So, no work for the time being."

Kathrina jerked her head to the side and asked incredulously, "Are you crazy? The only reason I agreed to go there was to do my job. You can do your part, and I will do mine."

"Kath—"

"Shut up, Kale. I want to think." She didn't let her brother finish what he was saying. That was the best way to avoid arguments with him. Also, Katharina had to conserve her energy since she had to socialize with several people.

The vehicle came to a stop shortly after making a left turn. As Kathrina made her way to the cemetery, she noticed that there were a lot of other people there. An abundance of fans packed the street, each one holding a picture of their beloved idol's image while tears rolled down their cheeks like a waterfall.

Kathrina with Kale strolled to a restricted area only for family and acquaintances. Despite being at a funeral, she noticed many people still dressed flashily, like they were not there to mourn but to attend another event. She could guess most of those people were Marcella's celebrity friends.

Kathrina felt a gentle pull on her arm from Kale, who was trying to stop her from going off by herself. "Don't go anywhere yet. We should meet Marcella's family first." Kale spoke to her in a hushed tone.

"Okay."

They then met with Marcella's mother and sister. Both gave a handshake to them in return and offered their deep condolences for their loss. After that, Kale was involved in their conversation while Kathrina remained silent to watch their interaction.

Marcella's mother, Agnes Williams, was sixty yet still looked beautiful despite her age. Marcella probably inherited the good gene from her mother. While Marcella's sister, Emma Williams, was only twenty, she was just as pretty as them.

Both were looking so heartbroken. During the conversation, they paused several times to catch their breath and muffle their sobbing. Kathrina wanted to ask about Marcella but held herself back until the procession was over.

"Have you seen the news? They said she was murdered."

"I guess that arrogant woman finally got her karma."

"You are right. Now she won't be able to walk on earth like she was the queen."

Kathrina overheard two women whispering into each other. She felt repulsed by their remark. Who would even badmouth someone who had passed away? At her own funeral even. Humans these days never fail to disappoint her.

"We can get a good resource after this. Imagine all her pending contracts gone to us. I can only imagine how infuriated she must be."

Another woman spoke, which made Kathrina want to smack some sense into their brain. Someone was dead, and all they could think of was Marcella's past resource. If they were not sad, at least they should have faked their grief.

Kathrina had enough of listening to a bunch of women mocking Marcella, so she tapped Kale's shoulder blade to let him know she was going to take a walk. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

After that, Kathrina slipped away from Kale. She was looking for someone suspicious as well as Clarissa since she should be here before her, yet the woman was nowhere to be seen.

Kathrina then caught Angela standing by herself while dabbing her eyes with a tissue to hide her tears. From Angela's expression, she seemed to be in so much pain as she looked at the large image of Marcella.

Kathrina was perplexed at sight before her. Based on what John had said, Angela and Marcella were rivals. So, it was weird to catch her grieving more than those gossiping women from before.

As if Angela could sense someone was watching her, she quickly changed her demeanor to be indifferent. The agony that had been seen in her features had disappeared entirely, leaving just a stone-cold expression. The woman then joined a group of people which Kathrina believed was her circle of friends.

Kathrina took a note to remember that confirming Angela and Marcella's relationship was imperative.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Detective."

Kathrina turned her body after hearing someone talk to her. Then she saw John Harris in all-black clothes standing before her. "Unfortunately, I cannot say the same to you, Mr. Harris." Kathrina offered her fake smile to him, which earned her the same treatment as him.

"Are you here to interrogate again? This is supposed to be the time for her family to mourn freely, yet you are here to rob the chance from Marcella's family." John said with displeasure so evident in his voice.

Kathrina had the distinct impression that something had shifted in John. He was different from the last time she had seen him. Today he was more confident.

"It's none of your business, Mr. Harris." She stepped closer until she was beside him. She touched his shoulder and said in a low voice, "I can see that you are not sad to lose Marcella. For someone who had been under your for more than five years, it's a bit fishy to me, Mr. Harris."

"Stop imagining things, Detective." He hissed.

Kathrina did not care about John's last words; rather, she grabbed the man by the shoulder and said, "I will catch you, Mr. Harris. I know you are hiding something, so you better hide it well before I can smell it." After that, she went away and left John by himself.

Kathrina ambled her way toward her brother as the burial process was about to start. When Kale noticed his sister, he immediately grabbed her like a mother who feared their daughter would get lost. He lowered his head and asked, "Where have you been?"

"Just strolling around." She gave him a simple answer without divulging anything

"More like hunting for a murderer," Kale said sarcastically, then he shifted his attention back to the procession.

When the priest began speaking about Marcella's personality, like her kind soul and how much a precious daughter she was to her family, several people let out an excruciating sob. They were lamenting the loss of the spirit that had departed from the world.

Kathrina observed everything with her sharp eyes. So many genuine tears were streaming down, but there were also fake ones. Those who cried with their heart must feel like they were in the middle of torture, as it was painful beyond words to witness their loved one buried on the ground.

While the fake ones were probably rejoicing in their heart, like those gossipers from before, and there were people like her who only watched everything without feeling anything. She was not familiar with Marcella and was here only for the case. Of course, she felt terrible. But that was it.

Although it seemed cold-hearted, Kathrina knew that was just how humans' hearts work. It was different when someone you hold dearly in your heart died.

As the cries grew louder and louder with each passing second, Kathrina witnessed Marcella's mother dropping to her knees. She was holding her chest like she could not breathe. Beside Agnes was her youngest daughter, Emma, who tried hard to be calm although her body was trembling like a leaf.

After that, Kathrina caught Angela again. The woman's face expresses the agony in her heart. She did not cry, but the look in her eyes was enough to tell that the woman was suffering in silence.

Then, a man beside Angela took Kathrina's breath away. She blinked to ensure her eyes did not play tricks on her, yet the person did not fade.

As if he could feel the weight of her stare, the man tore his attention from the procession to her.

And both gasped.

"Arthur…."

"Kathrina…."