Chapter 24
John knelt on the grass on one knee, his eyes scanning the chalk outline of the deceased housekeeping lady. Around him, two sniffer dogs were brought around the park to collect more evidence. There had to be something the murderer had left behind. But for now, they were back to square one, with another murder case to solve. This did not look good; it did not look good at all. John’s eyebrows creased and he shook his head in frustration as his hand found its way to the back of his neck to massage it. His neck was stiff from looking down too long and a migraine was forming too. He desperately needed to rest. From the corner of his eye, he saw Sam Park was shouting out orders at their team to perform a more thorough check. He signaled for Sam to come over.
“Contact her family, friends and colleagues. Zone in on anything you find fishy.”
Sam nodded.
“And Sam?”
“Yes John?”
“See if she spoke to anyone about the man in the CCTV. Check her phone as well.”
“On it. Get some rest, John. I’ll call you if we find anything,” Sam gave John a sympathetic pat on his boss’ shoulder. John nodded and headed towards his car, the midday sun was on them now and glare from the sun was making his migraine worse.
As he pulled out from the park’s parking lot, he took in the sight of the number of police cars there. It reminded him of a scene many years ago when both he and Rebecca was still little, they were only seven then. It was around noon as well and he had been crying in Rebecca's arms on the sidewalk and of their neighborhood. There were a swarm of police cars and medical officers around them, John’s father had been killed in a hit and run and Rebecca was the only witness. He remembered vividly, the police questioning Rebecca as she gave a detailed account of what she saw before quickly rushing over to console him. The police eventually caught the driver, the man was stoned and high from marijuana. He couldn’t even recall driving in their neighborhood, let alone hitting an innocent man. John had sworn to himself there and then never to lose any more of those whom he held dear to his heart.
“I’ll be damned…”
John found himself in front of Rebecca’s apartment. He had intended to drive himself home but had unconsciously driven to her place instead.
No matter, she was probably out. He decided to just pop in for a short nap, he doubted he could make it home in this condition. The throbbing pain at the side of his head was getting worse. He quickly parked his car and made his way to her apartment, keying in her password at the door. It was his birthdate; Rebecca had initially used his birthdate for the passcode as a joke but never bothered to change it.
John opened the door to a messy but otherwise brightly lit SoHo unit. The windows were open, and the sunlight was hurting his eyes, quickly he went to close the curtains and stumbled to the kitchen where he found a strip of ibuprofen. He popped one into his mouth and swallowed it dry before moving over to her bed. There he pushed her pile of clothes onto the floor and felt himself sink into her bed. John placed his arm across his head and closed his eyes and soon, he was fast asleep.
***
“Oh,” Rebecca quickly covered her mouth at the sight of a snoring John Grant on her bed. It was only 5 in the afternoon, but her editor had asked her to leave the office early. The senator had sent his lawyer to their office and threatened to sue TNN.
“He’s got nothing on us,” Eddie had assured her before chasing her out of the office. He didn’t want her there in case things got ugly, Eddie was like the father she never had, the elderly man was always looking out for her.
Rebecca gently closed the door behind her and tiptoed to the windows to pull the curtains slightly apart. The evening sun streamed into the darkened room and cast a soft orange glow on John’s body. He was sleeping on his back with one had spread put like an eagle and the other resting on his forehead. Rebecca went over to her bed and knelt on her knees, studying John’s features. He was beautiful, strange how she never noticed that. She had always thought of him as the little boy who peed in his pants on the way home from school. Rebecca smiled to herself as she reached out to stroke his hair. They were so soft. What shampoo did he use? And why was it she never noticed the dimple on his cheeks before?
John stirred and Rebecca instantly retracted her hand, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. She stood up quickly and practically ran over to her kitchen in the presence of rummaging through the drawer.
“Becca?” John sat up, eyes squinting. He rubbed the side of his head.
He’s having a migraine.
She found a strip of ibuprofen with one tablet missing, John must have had one already.
She popped another one out and filled a glass with water, “Why don’t you go wash your face? I’ll fix you some cereals.”
She realized she had nothing proper to feed him and made a mental note to stock up her fridge with his favorite food.
John shook his head and pulled himself out of bed, “It’s alright, there’s no need Becca. I have to go.”
It was obvious he was not alright, but she knew how stubborn he could be.
“At least take another pill before you go. It’ll ease the pain,” she said, surprised to find herself so worried about him.
He shot her a reassuring smile and strode over to the kitchen bar top before flicking her forehead.
“Ow! Damnit John!”
“Now YOU are beginning to sound like MY mother, “ he teased before popping the pill into his mouth. “I have to go now; you stay away from Silverman you hear me?” With that, he stepped out of her apartment door Rebecca arched her eyebrow and crossed her arms, “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
That stopped him in his tracks. Jean had already told her about the last case being unsolved, but she wanted to hear it from John.
John looked at her with his bright blue eyes, Rebecca had never noticed them being so mesmerizing before. For some reason, he was like a totally different person today, but Rebecca just could not put her finger on what it was that made him seem that way.
John paused, seemingly wanting to tell her something, “Becca, he’s..”
Just then, John’s phone rang. It was from the station, and as he listened to the caller on the other end, the color drained from his face.
“No….”