Chapter 76: Chapter 76

We get to the station and Marissa is there. When she spots me and Greg, a micro-expression of surprise and annoyance displays on her face. When we approach, she fixes her composure.

Greg tells her what happened to me. While Greg tells her the story, I focus intently on her face. As much as she tries, she does not look surprised at all. Even when she asks me if I'm okay or hurt, her face shows a lack of sympathy. She tells someone to fetch me water, and even though her acting skills might be a little convincing to others, I know better. At this point, I'm glad I took that course on facial expressions last year. Micro-expressions do not lie.

While I'm waiting for Greg to finish up more paperwork, my mind starts to ponder.

It's very strange how the day Greg was supposed to stop watching me, is the same day I was supposed to be kidnapped. Different scenarios run through my head and the conclusion each time is that this was not an accident.

Greg comes back after some minutes. I ask him about the guy who tried to take me and what's going to happen to him?

"His name is Michel Rodriguez. We found him in the system. He's been arrested for assault and battery and for petty theft. He's a small town criminal who likes to get in fights. So far, he's not saying anything.He asked for a lawyer and he refuses to participate. There's not much we can do."

"So what now?"

"Well, you've already identified him as one of Jade's killers. One of the detectives is trying to get him to turn in his friends in exchange for a plea deal. A confession will maybe get him on parole."

"You're going to let the guy who killed Jade go free?" I yell.

"No, he'll spend some months in jail. We're just trying to catch the other guys and get them to turn on each other for a longer sentence."

I go quiet, trying to process this. " Why can't you look at his messages, pictures and facebook account? I'm sure there will be some type of evidence somewhere."

"It's not that easy. First we need to get a warrant to search his things. that will take a few hours. And we don't know, maybe his friends know that he's been caught, like the guy who was driving the van for example. They can just get rid of the evidence. This is why it's important that we work fast. Marissa is on it, she's one of the best. If anybody can crack this case, she can."

I don't know about that, I think to myself.

"On the bright side. I was extended to watch you for another month." This news makes me smile. "Anyways, we should probably get going. Marissa says she will call if anything happens."

I want to tell Greg so badly what Connor and I found out. He needs to know that he can't trust her. How do I tell him? How do I know he's not working with her? How do I know I can trust Greg? I haven't thought of that since now. I shake the thought out of my head.

Obviously, if he was working with her, he would have allowed the guy to take me. But what if he saved me just so I'd trust him and tell him everything? I really need to stop thinking so much.

"Mia, you're ready?" He snaps me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah."

We walk out the station. My phone rings.

"Hello?" I ask. No answer. "HELLO!"

I hang up. Who the hell keeps calling me?

When we arrive home, I go straight to the bathroom, take off my clothes and dip in the bathtub. I still have to get this memory back.

I close my eyes and plunge my head into the water. I decide I'm not leaving this bathroom until I remember everything. It's time. I need to know everything that happened that night.

I wait 30 seconds and nothing. I pull my head up. Why didn't I remember anything? I try it again and still nothing. I'm getting frustrated. I get out the bathtub, feeling defeated.

I quickly get dressed and decide I should probably call Connor. I look for my phone. I don't know where I put it. I search around my room. Where is it?

I stand on my bed to get a better view. Ah, there it is under my computer desk. I guess it fell. I'm about to hop off my bed to get it, but then I trip on my sheets and fall head first on the floor. And all at once the memory comes back to me.

I decide to look upstairs for Jade. I get to the top of the stairs. I hear noises coming from a room. Maybe Jade is in there I think to myself. I open the door and I see three guys standing over Jade. She looks dead. She is dead. Bruised up, beaten up. Her dress is torn off her body. I gasp."Jade!" Stupid move. The three guys look at me. I turn around and start running towards the staircase. "Well go get her Chris!" The blond-haired guy bolts after me. I fall down the stairs and hit my head. I lose consciousness for a bit. When I wake up, I'm in the room on the floor next to Jade's dead body. I look up. The blond-haired guy is rapping me. When he's finished with me, he zips up his pants and taps the guy with the anchor tattoo on his shoulder. "Alright Max, she's all yours." He smiles and bends down on his knee. Blood drips down my legs. I stare at the white ceiling, wishing this will end, wishing I was dead. When they're done, they argue about what to do next. "We have to kill her too," the guy with the anchor tattoo says, "she saw our faces and knows our names." They wrap Jade in the carpet and two guys lift her up. The tanned guy stays back. "Sorry doll," he says before he strangles me.

Ow. Greg bursts into my room. "Are you alright?" he helps me to my feet. I touch my head. I can already feel a bump growing.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Let me get some ice for that head," he says. He helps me sit on the bed and he goes towards the kitchen and comes back with a plastic bag filled with ice. He places it on my head.

"Thanks."

He holds it on my head for 5 minutes before I take over. I remember everything, I want to blurt out to him but I still don't know if I can trust him.

I need to call Connor. After Greg leaves to order food for us, I pick up the phone to call Connor. Instead, I get a phone call.

"Hello," I answer. no one answers. At this point, I'm fed up. " LISTEN YOU ASS, STOP CALLING..."

"MIA?'

"Connor?" I didn't even look at my phone before I called. "Sorry."

"What's wrong?" he asks, and I tell him. I tell him everything I remembered; I tell him about the weird calls I've been getting and I tell him about Marissa and how someone tried to take me.

"Wow," he says " your life is like a novel." Silence overtakes the conversation.

"Maybe I should come over," he offers.

"But don't you have school tomorrow?" I protest.

"I do, and so do you. You're my best friend and you're in trouble. I want to help." He was right. I was in trouble and I did need his help. He was my closest best friend next to Jade. The only truly one I could trust. I grew up with Connor. He was my neighbour and a grade above me. The only reason he's still in university is because he took a year off after his dad died. And the fact that he pulled himself together and even went back to school was very inspiring.

When I get off the phone and walk into the kitchen, Chinese food is laid out on the table. I eat half and leave half in case maybe Connor is hungry when he arrives.