68

68
Edgar Torn
The sky was still dark when I left my room and went to Sarah's balcony.
The light wind blew against my face, but even that didn't help clear my mind.
I hadn't slept well.
Not after the dream... it was still hammering in my head.
That damn dream.
Nightmare.
Strange images—I saw a shadow, I'm sure of it.
Amanda's face... and blood.
I woke up sweaty, my heart racing, trying to understand if it was just my mind playing tricks on me or if there was something else there.
If I had really seen that.
If that was it. I forgot something that day.
I ran my hand over my face, tired.
Did I see the killer that day?
I thought.
That doubt wouldn't leave my head. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't remember.
All that came to mind was Amanda's body lying on the floor.
The blood.
The despair.
I was focused on her. On what I saw there, on her condition. And nothing else.
I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to breathe deeply.
Then I turned and went back into the apartment.
I walked to the bedroom. It was too quiet.
I could only hear her breathing. Sarah was sleeping, hugging the blanket, her hair messy on the pillow.
So beautiful.
She seemed to be dreaming about something good.
I smiled slightly, even though my head was heavy.
I had to go. It was 5:30 in the morning.
It was early... But I was anxious about the meeting I would soon have.
I grabbed my cell phone and typed a message to Sarah.
I hope you wake up well. I left early because I have an early appointment, that's why I left like this. Talk to you later. Thank you for an amazing night.
I saved the message and put my phone in my pocket. I would send it later.
Before leaving the room, I looked at her one last time and smiled.
Then I went to the door.
I closed it carefully and locked it.
I left the key on the floor, under the door crack. That way she would find it when she woke up.
I hurried downstairs and went straight home.
The road seemed so long, even with the traffic calm.
When I got to my apartment, the first thing I did was take off my clothes, go into the bathroom, and turn on the shower. The hot water poured down on me, and all I wanted to do was relax... Not think about the dream anymore.
But it didn't work. Everything came back like a bomb exploding in my head.
Damn it!
I took a deep breath and turned off the shower. I wrapped myself in a towel.
"Maybe that's all this nightmare means. How much I want to find out who did that to Amanda."
I got out of the shower.
After eating something light, I sent Sarah a message, as planned.
I would rather not worry her. She deserved to wake up peacefully.
I put on black clothes, the usual, jeans, a jacket, and hurried to my car.
Getting in, I started the engine.
I sped up and drove to the place... Where maybe my day would be a little better.
His police station.
My heart beat faster as I got closer.
When I arrived, I went to the reception desk. I gave my name and the time of the appointment. An employee did a quick check and led me to a private room.
Inside, the detective was already waiting for me.
"Edgar Torn, good morning, have a seat," he said, flashing a brief smile.
"Good morning, sir."
We greeted each other with a handshake, then I sat down in front of him.
"Well, let's get started," he said, opening some folders and revealing documents.
I looked closely... photos of the scene of Amanda's death.
My heart was beating faster and faster.
"I need you to tell me once again what happened that day. Every detail matters. Even if it seems insignificant."
I nodded, already feeling my throat go dry.
"Sure." I cleared my throat and began to speak. "Like I told you last time, we agreed to meet after work. I called her, but she didn't answer... I started looking for her. I went to the places she always went with me..." I took a deep breath and continued. "I... I don't remember hearing any noise. I looked around for her until... suddenly... I saw her on the ground. In front of me, a few meters away. I just thought that... She had fainted or something. But..." I paused, swallowing hard.
"When I got closer, what I saw... took my breath away. There was blood. A lot of blood. And no one around." I struggled to say it.
"No one?" he asked, looking at me intently.
"No one. I was the only person there."
The detective wrote everything down carefully, shaking his head.
"That's strange..." he commented. "There were no cameras in that area. No witnesses. You were the only direct link to the scene. That's why the investigation stalled for a while."
He pulled out another folder.
"But recently, I've been doing some research. I've been searching for information, nearby traffic records, trying to reconstruct the scene as best I can."
My gaze fixed on the papers he began to flip through. There were maps, notes, red lines connecting dots, times.
"This was premeditated, Edgar. Whoever did this knew there were no cameras at that spot. They knew the exact times she would leave work and the places she would go. They knew where to strike."
My breathing grew heavier.
Who is this person?
"Do you think she was... followed?" My voice almost faltered.
"It's one of the strongest hypotheses right now," he replied, serious. "And you may have seen something. Maybe not consciously. But something stuck in your mind. And it may emerge."
I was silent for a while. It made me tense... But maybe he was right. It made perfect sense.
Could my nightmare be a disguised memory?
For a second, I felt like we were on the right track.
And that the answers were finally closer than ever.