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Chapter three: The escape
Truth scares
us more than lies, that’s what darkness always tries.
To dwell us,
to prevent us to shine, to suck our sanity... once it peeks, through our souls,
it uses all its power to cut the flowers, rooting in our bodies, it starts with
a mole, growing instantly to become a hole, an abyss, once it peeks, our lives
become fake, just as it wants and planned, right after the death of our plants,
but the mist, the dust over our eyes and chests, shall not be permanent,
because light will always be an opponent, that might be defeated and might win.
Don't be a victim of a temporary lure.
A lot of inquiries were wandering Jacqueline’s brain bouncing between
two possibilities, one states that Beatrice’s incident is a suicidal attempt,
and the other states a crime, a well-planned one.
Jacqueline had checked the cameras last night and the man appeared in
the record had worn a scarf and a mask to cover his real intentions internally
and outside to prevent the cold breeze from accessing his facial organs, he
demanded a deodorant and went to the bathroom instantly after Beatrice had
given him the permission, he seemed either familiar to her thus she smiled comfortably
before him or he’s just a nice person, or maybe, this wasn’t a sincere smile,
maybe he’s the one whom she always feared throughout the time she spent at her
home with her careless junkie mother, maybe he’s that pervert stepfather. Maybe
he just went there to threaten her again and maybe the clean worker will be
even involved since she’s one of the last two who visited the pharmacy. Which
is going to twist the ending to a beginning of an investigation journey
Jacqueline will never give it up until she finds solid clues to support her
friend’s case.
The inhaler also appeared in the records the previous night before
Beatrice’s death, so who specifically hid it and took it from the scene? That’s
the main question we will focus on the entire chapter.
Jacqueline captured another detail about the clean worker, it’s
confirmed that she wore a mask but there was a title of the agency she works
for and the identity patch on her uniform, she called Dr. Miller immediately
and set up a meeting between both of them without an intruder.
He came in a rush, asking her about the urgent updates she brought him
for, he then called the cleaning agency to schedule an appointment with him
tomorrow morning with the moderator right after he listened to Jacqueline’s
statement that sounded interesting for him, he’s also suspecting wrong
movements mysteriously happening in his pharmacy but sooner or later curtains
will be open and the show will start, even if the audiences didn’t like it, the
truth will be remained there, alive.
Jacqueline went to her very narrowed room, opened the window, whereas
the winds were blowing its transparent curtains, guiding to the door, as a
gesture of giving up, fear visits again and the atmosphere becomes melancholic,
maybe the results are way bigger than her, the reason why she still thinks to
escape the entire case for sake of mind peace. “Loneliness is cruel, but
sometimes it protects us from dangerous repercussions” said Jacqueline.
But none of this is true, danger knocks the door at any time whether you
are a loner or not, evilness doesn’t choose its victims once the volcano erupts
it will burn many in its way down the hill.
Her conscience overpowered her fear, her guts drove her to seize the
truth hidden out there, next morning she accompanied Dr. Miller who required
her presence with him going to the cleaning agency in order to help him with
her notes, his visit was validated by the receptionist and she allowed them to
enter the moderator office, Miller asked to bring the clean worker with that particular
name up to the office to question her, so the moderator called her number and
asked for her attendance.
She accessed the office, very consistent with alert eyes and lifted-up
chin. She approached the visitors as well as the moderator’s desk and asked
about what she was called for.
Miller played the record in front of her and zoomed in to showcase her
name tag on the uniform and asked her if she found the inhaler of that girl,
and that it might be an evidence tool, she wondered! Looked at the moderator
and told her that she doesn’t remember going to that pharmacy ever, she serves
at homes more than companies, the moderator asked the observers to send her the
history of last week to prove her agent’s witness, and it was proved, the
clients confirmed her service after they called them twice once at that date
and once recently when Miller and J. visited, so she wasn’t vacant that day,
the moderator sent her back to work and concluded that there’s someone who
impersonated that poor lady to ambush her.
Miller and J.’s assumptions were totally not partially correct, yet the
possibility of the incident being a crime is increasing more and more.
J. went home tired, she kept researching to gain more information as
much as she can, she googled about the industrial medical company they’re
exporting products from, and all the rates given by many clients located in
various regions were positive only the clients of the pharmacy were
complaining, Miller has the total right to invest his time searching too, she
also googled that cleaning agency and its staff, to figure out a shocking
detail to inform Miller with, life is full of surprises, somehow these
surprises reach us, the more they’re intimidating and full of answers, the more
they get enchanting, the more the results become satisfying, every phase has
its good features as well as bad ones.
She called Dr. Miller and asked him about the labor’s report after he
sent the samples of the products for them, he confirmed that they were valid,
and no single detail was used against the company. He thought after he
blackmailed the company to pay a compensation for him, in return they break
their contract with Miller and sign another with an opponent that has a fancier
pharmacy and well income to support the company to sell more for them, the
opponents who put a term that Miller’s pharmacy shouldn’t be on a battlefield
with them, greedy intentions but the term was accepted, hence after all of
these events accumulated, Miller thought that they’re behind something
according to this kind of conflict, but so far, he’s not sure about anything.
Jacqueline could prove it if they work together and make a co-operation
with a strong bond that includes listening and believing.
She told him that she needs to meet him urgently and there might be a
connection between Beatrice and that recent deterioration of the pharmacy’s
financial statement and clients’ complaints.
She dressed up, and before she grabs the jacket to put on, she noticed a
light blinking outside her window, she peeked through it, and found a black
jeep car parking by her building, she assumed it’s not a police break through,
there’s nothing in her criminal record, she was never wanted by the government,
she had no guilt to be accused of so there’s no point of police visiting her,
she heard them escalating the stairs up to her floor, knocked a lot of doors,
few of the neighbors opened their doors and kept screaming, and not coincidentally
Jacqueline heard her name being called by these crowds getting into a rut to
everyone’s flats to find her, she took her phone in a hurry and a knife and
went to the bathroom, and despite she’s acrophobic she could manage climbing down
the sewers pipe leading to her bathroom window, once she reached the ground her
joints and muscles were shaking and barely moving.
She tried to call Dr. Miller but he wasn’t picking up his line, she was
difficultly running away until she arrived the bus station, it was misty and
late, barely transportations pass by, she kept walking, metaphorically freezing
in that cold climate without using a jacket to warm her up from fears and loneliness
that aren’t less colder than the outside.
She was walking through a dark tree-lined street rubbing her arms
whereas she was inhaling and exhaling extreme cold air through her nasal
canals.
Finally and luckily she finds a taxi stopping by her spot, giving her a
lift to Miller’s address, she checked the neighborhood right and left to see
which number matches his house number meanwhile that hazy weather was blocking visions
from clarifying objects and destinations around.
She tried to call Miller again but his number wasn’t available, she
moved forwards a little bit and someone suddenly grabbed her by her waist and
muffled her mouth. She tried to scream but Miller’s voice cooled her tempers
down and told her not to make much noise or they will find them through echoes.
He told her that he was tracked too by a certain sent gangster to get
them down once they visited the cleaning agency the reason why he couldn’t pick
up the call and muted his phone. They need to leave the area as soon as they
can.
He took her to the train station to take the quickest train heading to a
rural place he used to live in earlier and cautiously he avoided a hometown
flat to be safe far away from whom are tracking both of them, they reached
their destination, finally settled up in a fancy and abandoned place that
belongs to Miller, and because he didn’t pay the utilities for a while the
electricity doesn’t work, so he went to the basement to bring an oil lamp, he
placed it in his office, where every corner has pile of books and paper sheets,
everything is covered with dust, and the furniture are all cloaked white bed
sheets to preserve until a timing no one can predict when exactly the owners
want to pay a visit.
He tried to increase the ambient light and looked for a battery operated
bulb he bought before and never used to make the surroundings much more vivid,
and he already found it in an unsealed box on the floor, he installed it in a
lamp holder and preferred not to drain their phone batteries…
Dr. Miller: “So, Jacqueline, tell me what thread could lead you to this
point?"
Jacqueline: “I had dreams, would u believe me?”
He nodded…
Dr. Miller: “That might not seem sane, but we always find truth through
insanity, speak, all ears”
J.: “My first dream was about Beatrice being captive of her rapist and
she asks me to help her getting out but whenever I approach, the distance
expands and I never get to her”
Miller: “She had a rapist involved in her life! Resume, what was the
second?”
Second dream, she finds her sitting with the coworker Patrick she had a
crush on and he's taking her to a car whereas the rapist is chasing them so she
thinks that he figured out that she likes someone and he was really chasing her.
Miller: “Is there’s another one to add?”
The last dream, she sees Beatrice leading her to Patrick’s home.
Thus, she thought that this is a sign that warns her that something
might happen to him.
Miller: “How did she lose her inhaler?”
J.: “no one knew she already found it she told us that she will buy
another one if she couldn't find it at home ... but the camera showed that her
inhaler was found by that man”
M.: Someone took it ... the inhaler was poisoned... Beatrice knew
earlier that there's something wrong with the products and tried to tell me but
she was killed before she did, I assume this is how it might connect.
J.: “that means that the lady who came to clean the pharmacy called
someone else otherwise the ambulance”
M.: “exactly... and this person who came earlier to the pharmacy
poisoned her ... he was the one who took it and he was the one who pretended
that he found it in the bathroom... it was staged”
J.: “Beatrice led me to Patrick not because he was the target but to
warn me from him... Patrick messed with the samples... wait! Patrick was
responsible of the store supervision and accountancy files right?”
M.: “You mean that he wanted to sabotage the company's reputation and
screw our business? But the labor proved that the samples are clear”
J.: “He may have exchanged them after he knew that something wrong was
happening...”
M.: “It wasn't the company that had an issue it was the opponent... the
competitors
That we rejected their offer before…”
J.: “You mean that they planted a client of them among us to ruin our
business?”
M.: “Indeed:
J.: “Earlier before I check our medical company reputation I googled the
cleaning company and found out the staff photo with their names... I couldn't
tell you I forgot”
M.: “How could you! Anyways do you have a screenshot? Because, there's
no sign here to check on internet ... tell me you took a screenshot... please”
J.: “Don't make me panic ... wait let me look”
J.: “Phew ... I knew I would forget to mention so I could take it
earlier, here…”
M.: “you are a genius Ms. Jackson
But everyone can’t be distinguished
How would we know who's she!”
J.: “I have a copy of the camera's record ... look! This lady is tall,
slim, and one of her legs has a limp ... look at this picture, the lady we
investigated looks similar but she's chubbier and her legs are quite fine,
she's not broken she has a disability... in this photo one of them has the same
feature and her left foot is pointing differently to a different direction from
the other one…”
M.: “How couldn't u tell me these details, just kidding I know how
terrifying our situation an hour ago was”
J.: “Her name is Norah Roberts she has a bad reputation among her
coworkers the comments are complaining about her services and she was fired
from different firms.”
M.: “So she became an agent of them...”
J.: “Of course... everyone wants money why wouldn't she be a villain if
the world already decided her impoverishment as some claim”
M.: “Making sense”
M.: “Here's the thing, you are going to work tomorrow and you will resume
your work normally and I will not be attending any of your shifts... you may
find Patrick acting weird or normal just ignore him and stay close to the
girls, gossip , joke do anything... and since Patrick might be meddling this
condition,
He can still doubt that we didn't figure out the main source causing
these trouble you will talk to the girls and you will tell them that Dr. Miller
decided to break the contract with the recent company they’re dealing with for
some reasons
And yesterday you became not virgin anymore, you have no boyfriend
right?”
J.: “No, but...”
M.: “you are going to pretend that you have a secret boyfriend and you
spent the night with him in a hotel as a camouflage”
J.: “How about your absence? How would you manage justifying your situation?”
M.: “I can be him...”
J.: “Be what? My b... boyfriend!”
M.: “Do you mind?” he smirked at her…
J.: “So you want to make us looking like we're having an affair to just
distract them? But how would we prove this?”
M.: “Tomorrow night ... I will come before your shift finishes, and I
will call you to the storage meanwhile I will ask Patrick to bring me
cigarettes from the nearby market... when we hear his footsteps coming closer I
will kiss u ... and you can pretend you are confused and your cheeks will be
blushing”
M.: “You are even blushing now, how ironic!” he laughed after he messed
with her
M.: “This is just staging don't go so far” he laughed as well as she did
J.: “Okay then, I think we should sleep...”
He held her hand...
M.: “One more thing, put on makeup tomorrow before I call you, just simple
makeup don't be so obvious”
J.: “To make me look as if I’m prepared to meet you?”
M.: “You have got the entire game ... and I think you will make it win”
J.: “We didn't discuss the method we will catch them up with”
M.: “This is on me... your game just finishes where I directed you”
Dr. Miller's plan worked so well and Patrick would have a call by the
end of the shift and he will start acting hyped.
Everyone went home and J. suffered an insomnia because she checked the window more than once to confirm if she's still tracked by anyone... but nobody came this time.
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