Chapter eight

Epic 8

"It is her," Mr. Ken confirmed, his voice filled with disbelief. "But how is that possible?!

“Kyrian”. He whispered in his deep voice as I looked at him.

“Why have you been mentioning Aunt Lucy's name since you went to her house?”. he asked politely but I refused to speak.

“I promise not to yell at you again, I was only scared of giving them information that is not valid. Remember you said you want to be a forensic officer, we could make you a spy in our section. Just tell me everything you know about Lucy”. He said with a little smile.

A rush of emotions flooded through me at his words. On the one hand, I was terrified of Aunty Lucy and the dark figure in the shadows. But on the other hand, I was excited by the thought of being a spy. I felt torn, and I didn't know what to do.

"I...I don't know what to say," I stammered, my heart still pounding in my chest. "I'm scared."

Mr. Ken looked at me, his expression softening. "I promise I won't let anything happen to you," he said gently. "You're safe with me."

After much deliberation, I finally opened up on how I saw the muddy black mountain shoe in her bathroom.

“Gosh! Tell me, are you sure, I am about to send some officers to hold a search on her”. He questioned.

"I'm positive," I said, my voice firm and resolute. "I know what I saw"

Mr. Ken's eyes narrowed, and I could tell he was thinking hard. "I'm going to trust your instincts on this. I'm going to send a team to Aunty Lucy's house right away."

I felt a surge of relief, knowing that something was finally being done.

A search was soon laid out at Aunty Lucy's house but there was no evidence found, not even in her bathroom. Mr Ken became mad at me after Aunty Lucy's house was ransacked yet no evidence was found. I could tell Mr. Ken was upset, and I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach. I knew I had seen the muddy black mountain shoe, and I was sure it had come from Aunty Lucy's house. But I couldn't explain why there was no evidence of it now. I was starting to doubt myself, and I felt like I had let Mr. Ken down.

"I'm so sorry," I said, my voice quivering. "I know what I saw, but I don't know why it's not there now."

Mr Ken looked at me, his eyes full of anger and he didn't mention any more words to me.

Days went to weeks and then months Mr Ken stopped taking me to the station because of the incident with Aunty Lucy.

Usually, he would drop me at a friend's place and when coming back from work he would pick me up because I refused to stay with Aunty Lucy. It gradually became a normal routine.

But, something seemed weird in today's weather. The street lamps flickered on and off, casting eerie shadows across the deserted road. A black cat scurried across the pavement, its tail flicking back and forth. I shivered, pulling my jacket tighter around me. Something about this night felt off like something was about to happen. I glanced at the clock on the dashboard. It was 10 PM, and Mr. Ken still hadn't come to pick me up. I started to feel a sense of unease.

I saw Mr. Ken's car pulling up to my friend's house, and I quickly gathered my things and headed outside to meet him. As I approached the car, I noticed something was off. Mr. Ken's usually cheerful face was drawn and serious, and he barely smiled as I got into the car.

"What's wrong?" I asked, my heart beating faster. "Did something happen?"

Mr. Ken hesitated, and I could tell he was trying to decide what to say. Finally, he spoke, his voice grave. "There's been another killing." He whispered broken.

“Sorry”. I managed to say before we started to head home.

Just while we were about to corner towards the road that leads to our house, we heard a loud voice from the forest. Everything happened so fast. One moment, we were driving home, and the next, there was a black shadow in front of us, and Mr. Ken was shooting at it. I was frozen in terror, unable to move or speak. As the shadow disappeared into the forest, Mr Ken let out a curse and slammed on the brakes, bringing the car to a screeching halt.

"Stay here," he said, his voice terse. "I'll be right back." He grabbed his flashlight and jumped out of the car, disappearing into the trees. I sat there, trembling, not knowing what to do.

Mr Ken immediately called for help before he went further to check for any evidence, maybe a blood stain, but he found none. It was risky to enter the forest by that hour and leading to the fact the assassin ran back into the forest wasn't a good one.

Soon, the forensic team occupied the area. I watched as the forensic team set up their equipment and began to search the forest. Despite the lights and the company of the police officers, I still felt uneasy. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong and that something was lurking in the darkness, waiting to pounce.

After what seemed like hours, but was probably only a few minutes, Mr. Ken emerged from the trees, his expression grim. He came over to the car and opened the door.

Mr. Ken had carried me along as we went in the direction where the scream was heard. We found no one, just the faint sound made by the swells of the lake and the disturbing sounds of some creepy insect. The lake glistened eerily in the moonlight, its surface rippling in the wind. The trees around us creaked and groaned, and I could have sworn I heard a howl in the distance. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I could feel my palms sweating. I wanted to turn and run, but I knew I had to stay strong. Mr Ken seemed unfazed by the atmosphere, his eyes scanning the area for any sign of the assassin.

"Do you hear that?" he whispered, his voice barely audible. I nodded, my body trembling with fear. But it was nothing after all.

“Guess we will have to continue the search tomorrow, we just have to secure the area to avoid other people from entering there”.One of the forensic officers said. "Agreed," Mr. Ken said, his expression grim. "We'll need to station a few officers here to make sure no one goes in or out."

I couldn't help but feel a sense of relief, knowing that the area would be secured. But at the same time, I felt a pit of dread in my stomach. What if the assassin came back, while the officers weren't looking? What if we never caught him? I tried to push those thoughts out of my head, but they kept coming back.

"We should head back," Mr. Ken said, breaking the silence. "It's getting late.

How about we visit Aunty Lucy”. I said after we entered the car but Mr. Ken gave me a weird look and didn't utter a word. "I don't think that's a good idea," Mr. Ken said slowly, and I could tell he was trying to choose his words carefully. "You heard what the officers said - we need to secure the area and make sure no one goes in or out. That includes you."

I bit my lip, disappointment and frustration welling up inside me. I knew Mr Ken was just trying to protect me, but I felt like I was being left out of the investigation. I was the one who had seen Aunty Lucy, and I wanted to help catch the assassin.

But something caught his attention, just while we were about to drive into our compound, Aunty Lucy was also driving in and was in a hurry to enter inside. As we watched Aunty Lucy speed into the compound, I could see the suspicion growing on Mr Ken's face. He glanced at me, and I could tell he was wondering the same thing I was - why was she in such a hurry to get home? And what was she doing out so late? I knew that Mr Ken was starting to suspect that Aunty Lucy might be involved in the murders, but I still couldn't bring myself to believe it.

Aunty Lucy got out of her car and walked into her house, slamming the door behind her. The house was quiet, the only sound was audible.