Dear readers I am sooooo sorry for updating after a looong time, it's just that I am sooo busy and I am now an intern at several hospitals at the periphery....meaning that I have to travel long hours, I have to practice and prep for prac exams...its just tooooo much. (Sigh) but, since I love u guys so much, I have to give u guys the next part to this thrilling mystery...hmm here are some questions:

Who is James and why has he been following her? Why did he become nervous at the mention of Malak?
Why is Sabby drowning herself in alcohol?
Who is the unknown caller? Ect Ect...

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I smile at the peaceful, sleeping Sabrina and my thoughts go wild again. Am I afraid of James? I know that he is definitely hiding something from me, but,..... he is NOT the monster...I mean he just cannot be.

I just know it. Detective Brian is on his case since I had spewed out my suspicions about James to him. Did I make a mistake by trusting James? I am sooo confused.

I wrinkle my nose in confusion as I stare at the two little kittens in the cage. One is the more beautiful, fluffy brown one with glassy green eyes that adorably stares back at me, and the other is literally the complete opposite.

A black, thin, well not so beautiful kitten looks away from me. I want to take them both home as one is so beautiful and the other looks like life had not been so kind to her. But unfortunately, Mom is only permitting me to give shelter to one.

"I don't know", my baby voice repeats and I look to my dad for some help. He smiles that reassuring smile and his bold words are those that I will never forget, "trust your heart...and follow it." I nod and turn back to the cage. Follow my heart.
I smile when I looks at the scared, black one.

That's it, follow my heart. And my heart tells me that James is NOT the monster. I will have to find out what he is hiding.

My thoughts are interrupted by a strong, loud howl that I am sure that the monkeys in the Amazon jungle may have heard. I jump up in surprise when I realise that the loud noise had been coming from Sabrina. She is crying out loud in her sleep.

I pat her head in worry. "Sabby are you alright? What is wrong?"
She hugs me tightly. "I'm sorry Malak. Please forgive me." I freeze. Malak?

"I still hate you Malak and I always will, but it's not your fault.", she cries onto my blush top.
I still want to know the reason she had been drowning herself in alcohol since the day Malak had died.

This forces a new, unimaginable thought to creep up my head. Could Sabby have...since she despises Malak so much....NO...ARE YOU CRAZY AMY?

But the more I think about it, to my horror, I realise that she stands on the same level that James stands on. They are both very good friends of mine but both are possible suspects. But, James is a stranger. Ughhh god, I sound like Sherlock Holmes.

The cries get louder. Unable to hold in the curiosity, I shake Sabby to life. I shake her, and pinch her until she is conscious and awake. She squints her eyes at me and looks around at the unfamiliar surroundings.

Worry is evident in her eyes. "Amy...where?...How?", I stare at her and pull her back down when she gets up to leave. "Where do you think you are going? You are not leaving my sight until I get some answers"
She clearly didn't expect me to stop her in this manner.

"Amy, How did I get here?", she questions me.
I furrow my eyebrows when I decide to play a little game.
"Don't play innocent Sabby! You were wasted... big time, and you told me everything in that state." Lets see how this will work.
Her eyes go wide and she begins to cry.
Oh my god. This lie has actually worked. So what is her secret really?

"I'm sorry Amy, I don't know what I will say to dad. I...I really don't. Malak is...", she whispers between tears.
This just gets more and more confusing. What does she have to say to her father and what does it have to do with Malak?

"What do you have to tell your dad?", I ask her hoping to get the answer to my unanswered questions. She sniffs and picks up her head slowly to scan my face.

"Are you playing games with me Amy?", she asks me unexpectedly.
I frown. "No." I simply add.
"You are...I did not blurt out anything to you while I was drunk...if you were speaking the truth, you would have known.", she screams. So I must caught.

"Okay, calm down, you did not tell me anything, but you did indicate to me, that something to do with Malak is bothering you, and I want to know it. Why do you hate her so much?", I question her in defeat.

I place my palms over hers. "You can trust me Sabrina." She sniffs and gives up.

"I don't know how to say this but..." I
motion for her to carry on. "Malak is my sister."
Wait! Did I hear her correct? Sister.

She notices the shocked expression on my face. "Yes, I know I have hidden my biggest secret from you and that is that Malak is my sister. My father is...Malak's father. Even though our mothers were different, we did grow up together. Every weekend she would come over to see dad and we both got along well." She laughs. "We were kids. Innocent and naive. We didn't understand the conflict between the grownups." Tears well up in her tired eyes.

"But as we grew up...we started understanding things. And I would crave for my father's love. So would she. We became very jealous of each other. Dad really loved her. He would buy things for her and not me. I guess it is because he felt guilty that he was not there for her and he was with us. I wish I understood then.", she sighs and I just listen, dumb, as she continues.

"She was not wrong. She asked for her right. Her share of love. I just...didn't want to share my dad with her. I started believing that she was an outsider and soon the jealousy turned into hatred."

She places her head into her palms and I pat her back instinctively. "I'm sorry for waking you up, I think that you need some sleep.", I tell her and she nods. She slips into the covers and soon she is in her dream world.

I didn't expect this. Now it all makes sense. I remember how worried Malak became when she had mentioned that she had been to Amsterdam with her dad last summer. Sabrina was interrogating her like a news reporter. Malak is Sabrina's sister. Omg.

And I was suspecting her of murdering get her own sister. How could I be so bad. I guess it's because I want to believe that James is innocent so badly, that I am looking for other people to suspect. Here I come again with that Sherlock Holmes attitude.

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Detective Brian's pov

I scan the dining area. Empty. This is my chance. The kitchen won't be too busy. I have to speak to chef Gerald Whittaker. I plan to fish out some information from him about his son.

I smile to myself. It's so weird how this mystery seemed to have popped up in the middle of my holiday. I was supposed to be on a break. Away from all the blood, but it seems as if the blood is following me. At least that is what my mother says.

Everything is just so disorganised. We just don't know what to do. We have informed Durban that a person had been murdered but it would be too late to go back, we are almost near the next stop. If I am correct, we are very close to the Portuguese Islands. We hadn't stopped at the small islands on the way but this is a ship. We need supplies. I couldn't risk the chance of the monster actually escaping. Since we did not make one stop after the murder, I know for sure that the monster is here on this very cruise.

I remember the first sight of Amy. The small, vulnerable young girl shivering on the floor. Very beautiful too. I am doing this all for her. So that she can live again.

I admit that I am very young and inexperienced. But the one thing I know, and am sure of, is that I will catch this monster and punish him severely. I just hope that I catch him before we reach Portuguese island, or else... he could escape. This sounds impossible. 2 days. Only two days till we reach the islands.

I walk up to the heavy metal door that opens into the huge kitchen. The heat wave hits my skin. The kitchen is not too busy. Most chefs and staff are done with their work for the day. Just a few people clean up after and get things ready for tomorrow. All heads turn towards me.

I clear my throat and speak up, "I am looking for chef Gerald Whittaker."
A young girl with a piece of dough in her right hand smiles and comes up to me. "Another one of his fans?", she asks.

I nod. "Yes yes. I am a big fan of his. I would love to speak to him.", I play along. She nods. "I'm not surprised. Follow me.", she turns around and walks to the end of the kitchen between shelves and cupboards. I follow behind her.

Soon she walks up to a tall man leaning against the metal tables as he mixes something in the huge, and I mean huge, electric mixer. "Jiji you got a fan here.", she coos.
The man in his late 40s turns around in irritation. "How many times have I told you NOT to bring anyone back here.", he changes his expression when he spots me. He clears his throat. "UMM sorry, I didn't realise that you were already here.", he stands up and wipes his flour dusted hands on his apron. "Hi, I am Gerald Whittaker, and you are...", he questions in his Australian accent.

I plaster the fakest, most forced smile onto my face. "Brian, nice to meet you", I say sweetly. "Would you like something to drink Brian.", he nods to the girl. "Yes, a coffee would be good.", I reply hoping to get rid of the beautiful girl. She nods and leaves reluctantly. Bingo! He turns and smiles not so genuinely.

He ushers me to a high stool. "So Brian, what do you do?", he asks not so curiously. "I am a crime investigator. A Detective.", I answer honestly. This surprises him and he frowns. "So what makes a Detective like yourself a fan of a chef lile myself?", he points to himself.

"I am actually....a friend of...your son.", I lie. I am surprised by my own lie. He becomes surprised too. "Really, do you know James?"
"Yes, I am a friend of his and I met him last year in Amsterdam. At the Mexican food festival." I feel bad to echo Malak's words.

"Oh yes, we had been there. It's weird how James did not mention you. I guess he was too busy with the girls.", he winks. Is he referring to Malak? I try my luck. "Oh yes, I remember that he was always with this beautiful girl by the name of Malak." Fingers crossed.

"Yes, that was the name of the girl. Malak. He had wanted me to meet her. He just didn't get the chance." He raises a brow "So that means that you are a good friend of his then.", he smiles. This time it's a genuine one.

"Yes, when I found out that you were the chef in charge, I was hoping that I could meet James. After all, I didn't see him after we left Amsterdam. I think I saw him yesterday, but before I could go up to him, he disappeared. I just couldn't find him anywhere."

He frowns. We remain silent for a while. Okay, so what is the silence about?

"So you want to meet James." It comes out more like a question.
I nod. The frown becomes deeper. "And you think that you saw him yesterday?", he asks me again.
"Yes", I reply.
I had just told him this, why is he asking me these questions again and making me repeat myself?

He laughs. "I must say...your eyes have been deceiving you Detective. That is not a good sign for a Detective.", he bellows.
"Why, what happened?", I question as I chuckle too.

Then he says those words that sends me into total shock. The chills run a marathon down my spine when he replies to my question. "James is in Australia. He did not accompany me on the cruise. He had decided to take his life seriously and is going to culinary school." He chuckles.

He carries on talking but I have blocked him out. Oh no! If James is in Australia, then who is this imposter pretending to be James?

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Dan Dan daaaa
Lol.
Hope you enjoyed it.
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