Investigating

As soon as Kathrina saw Theo's car pull up in front of the apartment building's main entrance, she dashed out of the exit door. She noticed Theo get out of his car to open the door for her. She remained silent even though she believed Theo's action was unnecessary. It was the least she could do for him.

Kathrina was in such a rush that she was oblivious to the fact that Arthur's sharp eyes were following all of her movement, like a predator watching its prey; very carefully so it wouldn't escape.

Arthur gripped the stirring wheel tightly as if he was squeezing the life from Theo's neck. He could pick up on how Theo looked at Kathrina; it looked like he was a puppy, Kathrina was the owner, and he was waiting to be patted.

Arthur knew those gazes very well because he believed he must have looked at Kathrina with the same yearning gaze whenever he laid his eyes on her.

When their car moved, Arthur had the urge to be their tail just to make sure that they continued to work without engaging in any other activities. However, he had a pressing matter to do as well. Not to add, his company's problem was far from being resolved.

Arthur breathed in and out, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm as he regained his composure. Finally, he turned his car in the opposite direction. Then he left the area before he let his instinct get the better of him and decided to track down Kathrina's location.

***

The car came to a halt in front of a medium size home with a black fence. Both Kathrina and Theo left the car and stood still as they took the surrounding area of Marcella Williams' manager. Surprisingly, his house was smaller than they expected. They had imagined that handling Marcella would bring the manager more money than the usual manager.

Kathrina and Theo passed the fence and knocked on the door, not too hard but enough to make the owner of the house startled.

A man in his early thirties then opened the door. His appearance was average, almost dull.

"John Harris?" Kathrina inquired, which made the man nod in affirmation.

"Who are you?"

Theo lifted his hand, flashing his golden badge to the man, then said shortly, "CCPD."

John's complexion suddenly turned a little pale than before. His fingers tapped his tight restlessly as if he was caught doing something wrong, and Kathrina witnessed everything. She wanted to laugh at his face. If John was hiding something, he was not good at acting dumb.

"What's the matter?" John asked with a small voice.

"We are here to talk about Marcella," Theo explained while still watching John's unnatural movement. "There is no need for you to feel afraid. We are not here to arrest you."

If Theo's words were supposed to calm John's nerves, they failed successfully. Because it only brought panic into John's body as he trembled slightly. They would not be able to arrest him today, but who knows what the future holds? From the news yesterday, John thought the case would be closed since it was clear that Marcella had committed suicide. So, he did not know why two detectives were standing before him with a tingle of suspicion in their eyes.

"I thought the case was closed?" John bravely asked.

"No, what you saw in the news yesterday was the first conclusion," Kathrina stated calmly with her hand folded in front of her chest. "After we do a depth investigation, the case will be officially concluded." John's lashes trembled at the revelation. He thought that since it looked like suicide, the case could be concluded quickly. Who would have thought there was a long process to it?

"Let's talk inside, Detective." John made room for Theo and Katharina to enter his modest home.

Theo took careful note of everything that entered his field of vision. From the light beige paint on the walls to the white decoration in the room. John arranged his house simply; in the living room, there was nothing more than a couch, a tiny table, and an outdated television.

"Do you live alone, Mr. Harris?" Theo turned his head slightly to fix his gaze on John.

"Yes, Detective." John gave his answer right away.

Kathrina nodded, then it explained why everything about him was so dull. However, she had a feeling that all the tedious appearance was a mask to hide the truth about himself, as though John wanted to be unseen from everyone else's eyes.

"Does having Marcella under your care not bring you much wealth, Mr. Harris?" This time Kathrina asked him. They had not even sat, yet they had already questioned the poor man.

"Of course it does." John refuted Kathrina's words quickly, "But unlike the other, I enjoyed living in a simple manner."

"Really? Then what did you do with all your money?" Kathrina probed John Harris's background further.

On the other hand, John started to show discomfort by darting his eyes anywhere except in Kathrina's direction.

"I thought we were going to talk about Marcella, so can we start?" John shifted the conversation route back to Marcella and gestured for Kathrina and Theo to take a seat, to which the latter two instantly complied.

"Okay, so all of our conversation starting from this point will be recorded." Theo elucidated everything to John before beginning their question-and-answer session with him. "Assuming Marcella did commit suicide, do you know the reason why she did that?"

John intertwined his fingers and placed them on top of his tight. Before responding with his well-rehearsed line, he took a deep breath and said, "She had been under stress for more than a year. Unfortunately, things went from bad to worse at the beginning of this year." While talking, his eyes never once met the detectives. Instead, he fixed his attention on his not so pretty looking nails.

"Did she go to a therapist?"

"She didn't. She claimed that if she visits them, it means she is crazy."

Kathrina felt like John's words were like a knife, piercing her conscience so hard that it bled. It felt like a personal attack on her because she always had the same beliefs as Marcella.

It was easier to avoid than to accept that something had gone terribly wrong with her.

Kathrina gulped, then opened her mouth again, "Then how did she manage to cope with everything?"

"By overworking herself."

"What was the source of her stress?" It was Theo's turn to ask John.

"Nothing out of the ordinary, just like every other celebrity. It's haters." John answered truthfully. So far, not a single lie escaped through his mouth. What he did not mention was a different case.

"Did her haters go overboard with their behavior? I mean, did they harass her in person?"

"No, never."

Theo tilted his head slightly since the information Marcella's manager provided was not in line with her bodyguard's statement.

"I heard from one of her bodyguards that she had a stalker."

That caught John off guard. Marcella had never mentioned the stalker problem to him, not even once. "She never once brought it up in conversation with me," he stated.

"She went so far as to request extra protection from FSS. Perhaps you know the reason?"