EPISODE 2

002 CRIME

Carl almost grew up with me, and I've always spent my free time teaching him a few morse codes he could use if he'd come across such a danger. He's really listening to me, I'm just very grateful.

"Are you beings serious right now, Mayari? What if he is just really busy?" Van continued to blabber as I started my car's engine. I informed him about Carl's text message, and he's just worried that I might get scolded.

Instead of hearing everything he says, I decided to just keep asking him for Carl's professor, "Can you search more about Professor Williams?" Once our leader finds out that I went here alone, he'd kill me, I don't have time to weigh the consequences. I just want to make sure that Carl is safe and put him away from danger.

He is like a brother to me, and even if he is not, I can never imagine not giving a damn if I know that someone is in danger.

"I'll give you some spanking tomorrow morning," I can imagine Van gritting his teeth.

I could hear Zab's voice in the background telling him what he needs. I couldn't help but smile knowing that even though he's mad at me right now he really wants to help me. I know he couldn't bear the fact, either, that someone could be in danger.

"Victoria Williams," Van said to his girlfriend.

"Copy," Zab responded.

"I'm going to help you, Mayari, but make sure to give me a signal or whatever if something bad happens. I'll back you up immediately," he stopped for a few seconds before he sighed. "No never mind. I'll go with you, Mayari." I heard his girlfriend tell him she's going to get his coat ready.

"Van, you don't have to," I looked around the street, "Just give me the exact address of her house and some of her background."

"I already sent you the address, Mayari!" said Zab in the background.

I cut him off instantly before Van could even speak, "I'll call you if I need some backup, alright? Thank you, Van and Zab..." I'm really thankful that they are very much willing to help me even if Van kept telling me it's dangerous and I might get some scolding again tomorrow.

It doesn't matter, though as long as Carl is safe.

"Just make sure you're going to be safe," Van said on the other line. He's way older than me, and he's always treating me like a little sister.

"I promise," I ended the call. I've been working on searching Professor William's house. I instructed Zab to find more information about her and give it to me. She said copy so I know she's going to do that.

I can't help wondering about what could be the reason for Professor William's fascination with Carl while I was driving. The way she looks when I saw her earlier, she's stunning, and she can always get any men she likes, except the young ones, because that would be very weird.

Me:
Okay, I'm going to see you tomorrow. Take care, Carl.

I still sent that to Carl, I know that she probably just force him to text me that he is fine so I won't have to worry. Stupid her for believing she's not going to get caught by her own fault.

I started sighing.

I hope she's not going to do anything to Carl.

Once something terrible happened to him, I'm not going to forgive myself, knowing that I should have done something but then let it happen. It took me at least twenty minutes before I found her place, she didn't have that much of a neighbor, but I knew that the location of her house was the same village where the missing Chinese teenager was living. 

I blinked my eyes and couldn't process what had just come to my mind. I parked my car two blocks away from her building, so she wouldn't know that I was here. I want to ask her questions directly, but knowing how she acts earlier when I did that, it wouldn’t help. She's probably acting naive and oblivious to what's going on. 

Her house looks eerie when I continue to walk slowly, the entire room is dark, and you couldn't hear anything. The lights in her house are switched off and she has no neighbors, the only light in this spot is the full moon and the faint lights coming from the street lamps. I got a text message from Zab so I glanced at my phone right away. 

Zab: 
She's divorced, so she's living alone. 

She sent more texts, but I was interrupted when I heard a distant yell coming from the back of her home. I don't want to trespass on her home, so maybe I don't have a choice but to knock on her door. If this doesn't work, then I don't even have a choice, I'm going to trespass even if it's against the law.

I made sure my gun and my radio were with me, and I could still defend myself if she were to go berserk and get violent. Van said he'll come and save me quickly if anything bad happens, but I'm sure I can handle it on my own. But just in case, I'm still going to bring my radio with me to contact him. 

I marched as quickly as I could to the door of Professor William's house. I'm not sure if Carl is actually here but I'm still risking everything, I couldn't care a lot about it, I just want to save Carl or make sure he's safe. 

I knocked three times, and now I can distinctly hear the scream that I'm next to her door. I'm more certain now that Carl is really here. 

"Excuse me," I knocked at the door, and the scream ceased for a moment. She may have heard the knock, and now she's making sure I won't hear it. I bit my lower lip and let go of another sigh.

What the heck is she doing to Carl? I'm scared for him; I don't really care if what I'm doing right now is going to fire me from my job. 

"Professor Williams," I knocked again just to be sure she actually heard me. "I know you're inside," I said to make her aware that she couldn't pretend she wasn't home. 

A few seconds later, and the door opened, Professor Williams showed up at me and she was wearing ordinary clothing. She looks so sophisticated and innocent when she looks at me with her pupils. "Detective Taylor," her mouth went into a grim line, blinking her eyes twice. "What are you doing here late in the night? ” 

"Where's Carl?" I don't want to blabber more details, I want to stick to my point. Who knows if she's still torturing Carl with a machine or something inside, and maybe he's in danger if I'm going to stall more time.

"What do you mean by that, Detective Taylor? I don't understand what you're saying." She chuckled, but I could sense the nervousness in her expression. One thing about Professor Williams is that she can make the safest words she might mutter, but she can't conceal the fact that she's guilty or that she's nervous about the situation. 

"Let's stop feigning and just tell me where Carl is. I will pretend that you didn't do it if you just brought him out now." I gritted my teeth, not patient enough. 

"Why do you suspect me of something I haven't done, Detective Taylor? I'm afraid I'm going to report back to your boss again." Panic in her voice is very clear as she attempted to stop me from coming to her place. 

Since I'm taller and much tougher than her, it's easy for me to dodge her touch and violently open the door of her home. This is a crime I know, but who cares about the rules if someone's about to die?

I might be exaggerating right now but if she's not trying to sexually harass Carl then maybe she's some kind of psycho who actually just wants to kill a teenager like Carl! 

"You don't have a search warrant or anything, Detective Taylor! How dare you just get into my house without my permission," she attempted to take my hand, but I pulled it back with full force, letting her slip from where she was standing. Her face nearly hit the ground because of how strong my leverage was as I took my hand back. 

"I will call the police! "She screamed at me, but I was shocked when I saw the picture frames inside her home. There are photographs of her with two young people, they're hugging her, and they look really happy when they take pictures with her. 

They're looking the same age as Carl and the missing Chinese teenager. 

"Hello, ah yes? I just want to report Detective Mayari Taylor for trespassing," I didn't mind Professor Williams reporting to my subordinates. I'm just busy staring at the photographs of her sons on the wall.

I remember that Zab mentioned she was divorced, perhaps why she didn't have photos of her ex-husband. 

I felt my phone vibrate with another text message; I quickly pulled it out of my bag, not to mention Professor Williams, who kept talking to call for some help. 

Zab: 
Her son died last month, which is why she and her husband decided to file a divorce on the grounds that she blamed her husband for the loss of their children. 

Finally, I get her obsession with Carl right now. 

It's not a case of being a pedophile or sexually harassing him. 

I was distracted when I heard a noise coming from her house's kitchen. "Where are you going now? "Professor Williams asked me, she tried to stop me again, but I was tougher, and she couldn't stop me from going to her kitchen.

And I saw some of Carl's belongings in there. 

She might not be reporting me to the police department, but she certainly just pretends that she does. She's just trying to intimidate me, so I'm going to leave. 

I almost vomit as I saw two dead bodies lying on the kitchen table. The scent that comes from it so intense that it's hard to get close to where they are. 

She wants to replace her son with Carl and the Chinese teenager... she's just a broken woman who lost her sons in a terrible accident. 

I heard another noise coming from my back, and I saw Carl and the Chinese teenager who was missing there. 

I was about to touch Carl when I suddenly felt someone strike me with a vase on my back. "Don't touch my son, please! "She shouts at me, I fell down on the floor.

Now she's revealing her true color, she's blinded by the truth that her sons are already dead, that she's obsessed with replacing them with Carl and the other kid. 

"Don't take my kids away from me, Detective! "For the second time, she screamed at me before she rushed to Carl and the other kid to embrace them. I could tell that Carl was trying to push her away, but because they're both tied together, they couldn't move. 

My eyes went back to the dead bodies that were lying on the table before my hands went to my back to press my radio so the Van would quickly pick me back up.

"P-please... don't take my kids away from me, Detective Taylor. I won't hurt them, I just need my babies with me." Professor Williams began weeping as she kept hugging Carl and the other boy. 

I'm sure to say now that she's really just a shattered mother who can't deal with the fact that her children have died. 

"Professor Williams..." I said, trying to reach for her hand, but she was only trying to stop my grasp. 

The scent that comes from the dead bodies that I think belongs to her dead children is becoming heavier that I have to close my eyes tightly. 

Zab: 
Her husband says that they didn't have a funeral for their children because Professor Williams refused to have one. 

I recalled the text message of Zab to me. If I'm not mistaken, the dead bodies here are probably her children. 

"Please... just let me be happy with my kids!" she sounded helpless as she tried to get me out of her home. 

I saw the fear in Carl's eyes as he stared at me.

Before I could even mutter a word, I heard a siren coming from a police car.