Chapter 2

December 1996 (1:00am)

“You said you’ll let me go,” she said in a dead tone.

The man looked at her, his hands on the wheel, “I will. After you help me.”

“With what?” she turned her head away from him, her face unshed with dry tears.

“You’ll see,” he said, his eyes on the road, “Just be a good girl…”

                                                                                                                                                                                           

March 21, 2011 (6:00am)

“I’m not a good girl anymore,” she whispered after waking up from that memory. She rolled on her back and stared hard at the white ceiling of her bedroom. After several seconds, she got up and walked to her living room and turned on the television.

No news of the kill yet.

Of course there wouldn’t be. He was just a mere nobody.

Tomorrow…tomorrow is a little bit of a big kill, she thought silently. Whirling around, she headed for her shower. Today, she’d go to work. Time was needed for her plan.

(8:00am)

“Can this be a budding serial killing?” Grace Tanaka asked her partner.

Lawson shook his bald head in denial, “No, it’s too early to say that.”

“The killer left a mark,” she pointed out at the picture of the kiss mark. “Serial killers always have a symbol or something.”

“It can be from anyone,” he said, putting a fresh stick of cigarette in his mouth.

She grabbed it from his lips, “How many times do I have to tell you?” she said, crushing the stick poison in her hand, “No smoking in the office.”

He ignored her and continued to stare at the pictures. “There’s no weapon found around the area, no prints, and the DNA doesn’t match anything from our database.”

“What about the description from the bar man?”

“Dead end. No one knew the lady.”

“Then I think we should follow that lead.”

He looked at her, “How? I just said no one else other than the bar man saw her. He can’t even give a fucking good description. Said he was too mesmerized by her eyes.”

“How about a sketch?”

“It’s easy,” he said sarcastically, “I can even draw it myself. I’ll just draw two little circles and color them fucking green.”

She frowned, “Really? That’s all we’ve got?”

He did not bother to nod. “The club’s freaking surveillance camera isn’t working as well, so don’t mention it.”

“Traffic cameras?”

He motioned his head over his table and said, “Enjoy watching them,” he took his jacket and put them on. “I ordered for every available video of the streets the victim and his attacker must have passed by—from the strip club to the alleyway where he was found.”

She glanced up from the tapes and shot him a look, “Where are you going?”

“Home. I need a sleep. Call me if you have anything,” he winked at her before sticking a cigarette in his mouth. He turned and walked out.

“Damn!” Lawson cursed when the ringing persisted. He grabbed the receiver and cried, “What?!”

“Get your ass down here. I got something,” Tanaka’s feminine yet powerful voice said.

“I’m in the middle of my sleep—” the line went dead before he could finish his sentence. “Dammit!” he threw the receiver and shot out of bed.

“It better be good,” he said, striding into their office.

“I think it is,” his partner turned her red head and said over her shoulder. “Take a look at this. Tell me what you see. This video is from the crossing just a block away from the strip club.”

He went over to where she’s sitting facing the monitor. His eyes narrowed as he studied the video, “Wait, is that Cooper?”

“Uhuh,” Tanaka nodded with a smile and pointed with her finger at the screen, “and any moment now…there, you see?”

He frowned. “It’s barely visible.”

“But you can see that the figure is a woman, right?”

He nodded slowly, “Hell, it’s a woman alright,” he said, rewinding the video and pausing it once again.

“Our killer’s a woman,” Tanaka said, “and I bet you a hundred bucks she got green eyes.”

Lawson did not answer.

(4:00pm)

Attorney Jeffrey Halloway puffed out one long heavy breath as he sat on the high stool. He leaned his arms on the bar and ordered for a brandy.

“Do you have a phone I can use? It’s an emergency,” the lady beside him asked the bartender.

“We don’t,” the busy man answered then turned around to attend to another customer.

“Really? My car broke down and my phone is dead,” she said, holding up her phone.

He gave her a swift look. She looked so out of place with her smart black dress and shiny stilettos.

She turned around to leave, her face full of disappointment and despair.

“Can I help you?” he turned on his seat to face her.

She stopped, whirled around slowly and looked at him, her green eyes flashing with hope. “Yes, I need a phone.”

He thought for a second, then fumbled for his phone inside his coat, “Here, you can use mine.”

She smiled shyly at him, brushing aside her long black hair, “Are you sure? I’ll pay you, if you want.”

He shook his head vigorously, handing her his phone, “No, no, it’s fine.”

She hesitated for a moment, “Oh, alright,” she took his blackberry and dialed. “Thank you,” she mouthed as she waited for the call to connect. He watched her talk to the phone, giving the direction of her car.

“Here, thank you so much,” she beamed her perfect teeth at him.

He took his phone from her and held out his free hand. “Jeff,” he said, grinning stupidly. At his age, he never thought he’d be acting like this in front of a girl.

“Phoebe,” she took his hand and they shook hands rather longer than normal.

“Flat tire?” he asked.

“Yes,” she rolled her eyes.

“You’re from around this area?” he asked.

“No, but I work just around that corner,” she pointed with her thumb.

“You go to this bar often?” he asked, his eyes flirting.

“Well, sometimes,” she said, “with friends.”

“How would you like to grab a drink with me soon?”

She smiled, “Sure, I’d love that.”

“Great,” he said. “Can I have your number then?”

She thought for a moment and finally said, “Why don’t you give me yours? I’ll give you a call.”

Grinning, he said, “I like women who are cautious,” and gave her his card.

“Oh, trust me, I’m a lot cautious than you think,” she eyed him with her green eyes before saying, “See you soon, Jeff,” then, without another word, she left.

He watched her retreating back, hoping that she wouldn’t lose his card.

Smiling, she went back to her car.

Soon, old man, she thought. She started her engine and drove off.

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