Ripping the blindfold

'What? How is it possible? The police told' 'A bunch of lies', he completed for me. 'Have you checked the post-mortem report? Have you seen your sister's body?' 'No, they said as there was no one to wait, they performed cremation', I said still in shock. 'Doesn't it seem odd to you? Generally, in this type of case, a post-mortem is a must. For supposedly such a media-frenzied case to not put much attention in these details?' 'Why would they do that? How do you know any of this?', I asked him to try to wrap my head around this new information. There was never a point to doubt his statement because, if there was anyone I trust in the world, it would be Kade. It was Kade who helped me at my lowest, not my Sister and definitely not my mother. I never had time for friends or boys, the former because they don't like my attention(a girl with bruises and cheap dresses, I wonder what they thought I was doing, wince)and the latter's attention I don't want. This means I failed my Sister, again. Several emotions warred inside me, of which 'guilt' took the prize. I should have known something, insisted more firmly about the murder details. Instead, I was absorbed in my grief. Selfish Erica, always thinking about yourself. Is this guilt ever going to end? I didn't even question the police, eating everything they dished out. 'Don't. Not your fault. I had my doubts when you told me about your sister's death', he said knowing my internal thoughts without me saying them. I locked my emotions in a deep corner of my mind. I won't allow my grief to cloud my mind again. I must know what happened, collect all the facts. 'You never said anything then', I alluded to the fact refreshing the memory of the strange look he gave me when I said about Sophie's death. 'Wanted to confirm it first.' 'How do you know it's not the serial murderer?', I repeated the question. 'According to the news she was killed at night. But the serial killer who supposedly killed her was caught in the morning of the same day.' 'How do you know he was caught in the morning?' 'I have my ways. But to quench your curiosity, one of the guys in the team who caught him was my Friend.' 'Since when are you buddies with the police?' Instead of bestowing me with a reply, he said, 'he was on the chase when I called him for my business. I do not concert much with the specifics. It's not my problem, suffice it to say he was caught in that chase', I digested this new information with much calmer I gave myself credit for.' you said was', I said going through our conversation in my mind. 'He is dead.' 'What? How?', diverted from my jumbling thoughts. 'Heart attack or everyone's thinking it. I don't know for sure' 'You mean to say someone did that?' 'That guy was 40. Hardly appropriate age for heart problems. There are ways to inject some doses unknown to the taker to have a serious case of Heart Attack.' 'Wait a minute. You said there is a team involved, why didn't they report it? Why was no one aware of it? That policeman said the murderer is dead, but when? Why paint my sister's murder as another victim case?' 'All the team members are transferred or in my friend's case dead. No one knows about the arrest or the encounter, which happened the same morning by the way, except the police. Unfortunately for them, I heard this tidbit from my Friend before his demise. As for your other question, you tell me, why it has been designed like another victim case?' I hitched my breath, 'so that no one knows about the real murderer, who obviously was protected by the police.' 'Which implicitly our target is powerful enough to get the cooperation from the police or in some cases silence.' 'Our? Not 'our' but 'my' target', I corrected. 'Point one- if I leave you to fend yourself, you will land behind the bars faster than the rocket. Personally, I don't like to visit prison even to meet you, point two - you will look shitty in orange and lastly point three- I'm telling not asking' 'You do know if you follow me on this route you are going to land faster than me, right? FYI, I totally rock orange.' I sobered up after that. Who could be powerful enough to manipulate the entire police department? Not to mention while the media telecast their every step. Who could be desperate enough to kill the police? I thought of the luxurious way my Sister lived in her flat. My sister's words floated in my mind it's just that no one knows we are seeing each other. We want to keep it a secret for a while. 'Her boyfriend, jack. It seemed strange when the police said no one contacted them after the murder. I asked them about jack, but they were like 'jack who?" 'Maybe his real name is not jack. What do you know about him?' Kade asked, leaning towards me. 'Nothing, other than Sophie thought he was about to propose to her, and no one knows about their relationship. Also, I don't know what my Sister did for a living but her flat lacks nothing. If you get my gist' 'Interesting. We have a victim-who got into money through unknown means, who was murdered when she thought she was about to be proposed. A Boyfriend-who wants to keep his identity secret, who doesn't acknowledge his girlfriend even when she died. And finally, our Mr. X- who is powerful enough to hold the police department in his fist, who can kill to keep his identity secret, who may have murdered Sophie' ' Why did you say Mr. X? It could have been the boyfriend', I asked with a frown. 'It could be. But until we get proof it's better to differentiate the murderer from the Boyfriend' 'What now?'