Gather the clues

Gather the clues
…
The next day, Ivy was ready for the start of the day. Her makeup was simple, and her outfit defined her professionalism and beauty. Ivy, in one word, was exquisite. 
Ivy strolled to her car, pulling the car key from her purse as Tika scurried over to her. 
  “Madam? Madam, please hold up,” said Tika. 
Ivy veered in Tika’s direction, curious about the woman’s persistence. 
  “Yes, Tika? I'm running late...” she informed. 
  “I'm sorry, but I want to ask for a favor…” Tika began as Ivy nodded for her to proceed. “My daughter’s sick and there's no one to cater to her as we speak. I don't know if you can spare a week. My payment can be deducted, I don't mind. It's just that—”
  “Take care of your daughter, others can fill in. I'll just wire some money to you just in case there's a need for it. See you in a week,” Ivy’s authoritative tone was even and yet compassionate.  
  “Oh my God, thank you so much! I don’t know what I would do without you. God bless your kind heart,” Tula couldn’t stop thanking her boss but for Ivy, it was merely nothing at all. 
  “I'm here for you, just take care. I have to run now, see ya!” Ivy said as she opened her car and drove away. 

…
Some minutes later, Ivy scurried into the coffee shop where she had agreed to meet Detective Calvin. 
Ivy was prepared to hear what he had to say but not too excited because the previous weeks had been an epic fail. 
Nate’s killer wasn't found, nor were the accomplices. 
Although Ivy was still disturbed over the things she had seen about Nate, she was bent on finding the culprits either way. 
  “There you are!” she let out as soon as her eyes landed on the man, who had been drinking coffee five minutes ago. “Good morning, Calvin. I'm sorry for taking too long.” she began as she sat opposite. 
  “I wasn't here for long either. How are you, Ivy? Would you like some coffee?” he asked politely as she gently nodded. 
  “Cappuccino, please!” she added as he waved at the waitress. 
In less than three minutes, the waitress brought Ivy’s orders. 
Diving into it, Calvin began.
  “You look vibrant today, a very good sign! Well… my colleagues and I reopened the case,” he began. 
  “I don't understand, who closed it?” she let out, almost flaring up. 
  “Calm down, just hear me out,” he stated. “We’ve undergone subtle and secret investigations on every member of your family that we could lay our hands on. So far, Nate was on the good books of most but then, I figured that he's had some misunderstandings with his mother, brother, and best friend…” he explained while Ivy paid close attention. 
  “Okay, so… what else?” she asked. 
  “You as well! You are one of the suspects on our list…” he let out. 
  “Of which I've been questioned,” she countered. 
  “Yes, and you've checked out for now. While at that, our pointers are on Prisca, Raul, and Alvin.” he paused to sip his coffee while Ivy did the same. “
  “Okay! Detective, is there something new? Because this is the same old. The culprits are out there roaming, you know that right?” she indignantly questioned as he sighed. 
  “And that is why we need your help. We believe that you can find clues. You have some sort of relationship with each of our prime suspects and we are unable to strike straight up. So, what do you say?” he asked while Ivy spiraled in her thoughts while he stared at her carefully 

Ivy wanted to give a hand as best as she could, but secretly spying on the others was out of her equation. Regardless, she couldn't say no to the detective. 
  “Your protection…” he said. He leaned forward and Ivy’s gaze remained blank. “Secondly, we have discovered some dealings that are not to that of Nitro Groups’. I don't want to delve in right away, but… if you have any or notice anything that could lead us down that route to connect the dots surrounding Nate’s death, that would be a booster. The earlier the better,” he said.
Ivy emptied her cup, contemplating the truth. Should she give the information that she got from Alvin to the Detective or should she stay silent until she's made her discovery and found the truth? 
Ivy was stuck between the truth and sacrifice, she was caught up in the deep end. The implications were many and she didn't try to think about them either. 
  “Nate is a good man, Detective. I don't want to start getting ideas about him,” she admitted.  
   “What if the truth is what you hear. Would you still push through?” he asked. Ivy was fed up with the Detective’s games as she rose to leave. 
  “Is there something you're not saying?” he pressed but before she could speak, he spoke up. 
   “Sometimes, the people we trust are our true enemies. And sometimes, our enemies are ourselves. Ivy, make a decision to find justice whether or not Nate is worth it. Think about your children,” he said as Ivy’s heart melted while her head spun in a 360-degree circle. 

She braved up, gathering her courage. “Thanks for everything. We have a deal,” she snapped and headed out. Her resolve was obvious, the situation was worth finding answers to. 

…
Time flew very fast, she had to juggle between managing her husband’s tech company and her cosmetic company. 
All that she could think of was rethinking her steps before making a decision. 
Meanwhile, she had long wanted to see Nate’s best friend who had been traumatized by the sudden death.  
He decided not to visit or mourn the death of his friend because, just like Ivy, he believed that justice had to be served. 
As soon as she was done with work for the day, she drove to Raul’s house which was a thirty-minute drive away from her job.  
She was welcomed warmly by the employee, who led her into the living room. 
A modernized adornment that screamed class and wealth. 
Ivy sat on the sofa reminiscing about the past. She and Nate used to frequent this house until he passed away. They became total strangers to each other. 
A lot of questions sat in the back of my mind, and it was hard to conclude that Raul and Nate may have had some misunderstandings even though it seemed normal. 
  “Ivy, what are you doing in my house?” the sharp masculine voice rang out, bringing her back to reality. A man she's not seen in months stood before her with a blank stare that hinted at something. Could he be responsible for killing Nate? She asked herself.