CHAPTER 50
San Antonia Cafe, New York.
Alicia's blue irises blinked in disbelief several times when a blue buggy with silver stripes on each side of the doors pulled up right in front of her. She felt even more disbelief when Nicholas stepped out from behind the driver's seat and approached her.
"Ready?" Nicholas smiled gently as he opened the car door for Alicia.
Alicia looked at Nicholas and the car in turn. The detective looked very dapper in his suit and fancy shirt. As for Alicia, she was only wearing a plain black T-shirt and a knee-length denim skirt. "I think I should change before getting into that car," she muttered.
But Nicholas replied to Alicia's hesitation with an amused chuckle. "Come on in. You can be yourself while you're with me," he said soothingly.
Like a shocking sting, Nicholas' words pulled Alicia out of her worries and into the car.
Half the journey passed without anyone speaking. Nicholas looked calm behind the wheel, looking out over the never-ending night streets of Gotham City. And silently, Alicia watched him. Where did he get such a luxurious car? "Nic," Alicia called out hesitantly.
"Hm?"
Alicia bit her lip and stared at the road in annoyance. "Where are we going?"
"San Antonia Cafe." Nicholas looked back at Alicia for a moment before refocusing on the road. "Have you been there before?"
Alicia shook her head. "I don't think so," she said simply. Her face turned to the car window to avoid Nicholas' gaze as she continued, "We're not really going on a date, are we?"
Nicholas laughed. This made Alicia suddenly awkward and her cheeks blush. "So what if we're really dating?" Nicholas teased.
Alicia shut her mouth, trying not to swear for the rest of their journey. Nicholas, on the other hand, no longer made a sound. He took the steering wheel seriously and hoped that all his plans would go according to his wishes.
Once they arrived, Nicholas and Alicia went straight into the cafe. From its elegant appearance, the place could be said to be quite luxurious. The walls were dominated by white. The chandeliers were decorated with beautiful light. And the bench layout was apparently set up for two people only.
"This is really a date," Alicia thought as they sat down. Alicia was also quite surprised to find out that Nicholas had made a reservation beforehand. Did Nicholas really mean it?
"What would you like to order?" asked Nicholas. He looked relaxed which was the opposite of Alicia.
Alicia looked around nervously. Occasionally her eyes would watch the handsome detective awkwardly. The feeling of confusion did not escape her that night. Because what she was doing was a first date--which really seemed like a special date.
"I'll order a steak. Would you like one?" Unable to answer, Nichol finally took the initiative to make a suggestion.
"Yes, I would," he said clumsily.
After the waiter finished taking their orders, he left Alicia and Nicholas at the table. Nicholas seemed to take out his cell phone and was busy typing something for a while. And Alicia, just silently watched the detective.
But strangely, until their food arrived, Nicholas never engaged Alicia in conversation. Seeing his unusual movements, Alicia believed that something must be going on. Nicholas must have a plan and Alicia was beginning to read it.
"You didn't eat your order, detective," Alicia said when she had almost finished half of the steak. "Are you busy?"
Nicholas gasped and hurriedly put his cell phone away in his coat. He smiled stiffly, masking his nervousness that was clearly visible to Alicia. "Come ma--ah, you've already finished half of it," he said somewhat regretfully. "I'm sorry, Alicia."
Alicia smiled faintly, looking forced. "You should eat and take me home, detective."
Nicholas frowned. "Do you feel uncomfortable here?"
Alicia nodded. "I don't really like the atmosphere of the cafe. I remember mom who--" her words hung in the air, as Alicia suddenly remembered something.
"Alicia, why don't you touch your food?" A slender woman gave Alicia a worried look.
The little girl only looked up with a flat face at the woman sitting in front of her. "I don't like meat, mom," she said.
But the gentle smile and the stroking of the top of Alicia's head that came from the woman made her instantly pensive. "You'll get sick if you don't eat. This place is where mom and dad met, so that's why mom brought you here," the woman said.
"Alicia, are you okay?" Nicholas leaned in and looked worriedly at the girl's bead.
Alicia gasped in surprise and only nodded slowly. Afterward, her face turned confused and her eyes began to dart around the cafe.
"Is there something you're looking for?" asked Nicholas worriedly.
"I don't think so." Alicia turned to Nicholas. "I mean, uhm, I feel like I've been to this place before. I don't like meat, by the way." She pushed her plate away and took a sip of her drink; no longer interested in this first date.
The hazel-eyed detective gasped, somewhat surprised by Alicia's sudden change in demeanor. She quickly took a sip of her drink and wiped the corner of her lips with a tissue. "Want to go somewhere else?" he offered.
Alicia shook her head. "No, I want to go back to the dormitory."
"Okay, let's go home," Nicholas said resignedly.
As soon as Nicholas and Alicia reached the parking lot. Ace's figure suddenly appeared from the other side, heading towards the entrance of the cafe. As if they understood the situation, Alicia and Nicholas hurriedly lowered their bodies and hid behind the car.
Ace was not alone.
"Who's the girl with Ace?" Nicholas squinted his eyes, trying to get a better look at the girl walking hand in hand with Ace.
"Want to find out?"
Nicholas turned his head in surprise. His breath seemed to catch and his eyes widened in disbelief. Why on earth would he want to find out. But suddenly, the thought of Ace being involved with the dormitory killer flashed through Nicholas' head. While Alicia waited, Nicholas slowly opened his voice.
.
.
.
" y-you mean, our date will turn into an act of spying on Ace?"
CHAPTER 51San Antonia Cafe, New York. -10:30 pm."Just get to the point.""Why are you being so rash? We haven't even enjoyed the food yet.""I'm not here to make small talk with you.""So, why did you agree to come here to see me?" Amanda grinned victoriously. "Come on, Ace. What's wrong with being on my side?"The atmosphere in the cafe that night was not too crowded, there were only a few tables occupied by customers who were predominantly lovers. Amanda and Ace deliberately sat in a corner of the cafe to avoid leaking their conversation to the public."I'm not interested in anything you have to offer," Ace said briefly.But the brunette girl who dyed the ends of her hair with red highlights smiled back. She cut into the steak dish that the waitress had served earlier casually. "You know that Alicia is getting involved, right?" Amanda sarcastically asked him."Don't talk about it, I'm not in the mood," Ace replied lazily.Ever since he found out that Alicia was going on a date wit
CHAPTER 52Main Hall, 12:00 am."So, you guys are already dating? Really 'dating' like a couple?"It was Luke. He was sitting next to Ace in the main hall of the dormitory since ten minutes ago. Nicholas had called them both through Noel and the two chose to chat while waiting for the young detective to come meet them."I don't know, I guess we just went for a walk," Ace replied lightly and then went back to the game on his phone.Luke squinted. "That would be a lie. You guys must have... well, look, your faces are glowing today." He raised both eyebrows ignorantly. "Something must have happened, right?""We just made up and started being friends."Luke shrugged his shoulders dismissively. "Being friends is a sign that you and Alicia have made peace with your complicated relationship," he said sagely. "That's good news.""By the way, where's Nicholas?" Ace changed the subject and looked around. "What did he call us here for?""I don't know," Luke replied nonchalantly, as he got busy w
CHAPTER 53Main hallway - 9:00 pm"I had no idea that Nicholas would be that annoying. Really."Brittany pursed her lips and chuckled as she walked with Alicia down the main hallway. The two of them had just spent their evening hours in the library and were about to head back to their rooms for the night."What did you expect? Nicholas is a perfectionist, you know," Alicia said simply. "And me... a rambunctious girl like me would suit him?" She ended her sentence with a bitter smile; it sounded pessimistic.Brittany just rolled her eyes lazily and scowled. "Not Nicholas, not with Ace." She shuddered lazily. "I think you should date Manu Rios or Justin Bieber instead," she said sarcastically. "You seem very picky too, Alicia."Alicia chuckled amusedly, unable to contain herself from Brittany's ridiculous joke.Until suddenly, Amanda and Selena appeared from opposite directions and blocked their way. No one made a sound, until Selena decided to clear her throat;breaking the atmosphere.
CHAPTER 54"They died in horrible ways. Hans was killed with silver metal in his chest and Julia died of poisoning.""What now? Can't you go any faster, Nic?!" said Ace anxiously.Meanwhile, Luke sat in the back seat holding on tightly to his seatbelt as Nicholas drove the car at high speed. Several times the detective ran red lights and overtook vehicles that were bigger than the car. Luke seemed to be frightened by it. "I could die if he does that, Ace," Luke said nervously."Alicia is in danger. We have to find her soon!" said Ace impatiently.Before Nicholas could respond, Luke's cell phone broke the silence."Pick it up, Luke!" ordered Ace, still in a high-pitched voice.Luke sighed rudely and pulled his harness tight, before reaching into his pants pocket to retrieve his cell phone. "Who's calling me at this crucial time, anyway? Just watch out if it's not important." That complaint suddenly vanished when Brittany's name appeared on the screen. She hurriedly picked up the call.
CHAPTER 55Golden Hospital, New York. 3 years later.The sound of the hemodynamic monitor in the hospital's VVIP room seemed to be a humming of hope for the young man. The graph on the monitor screen showing the changes in the waves rising and falling was the only sign that - at least - his father was still alive.His father being declared alive was enough for Ace Blake.For the past week, Mr. Wilson Blake (Ace's father) had been hospitalized in a coma due to a sudden heart attack. This is said to have happened because his business had declined drastically.The old body lay weakly on a white-clothed bed. At the same time, his nose was protected by a breathing apparatus to supply oxygen. As far as the eye could see, Ace could see that the old body was surrounded by several other medical devices - such as a yring pump, a heart rate recorder and even a suction machine - to keep his condition stable."How is he now?"Ace Blake, was finally asked to replace his father as CEO of several lar
CHAPTER 56Golden University, New York.The hurried footsteps of someone who seemed to be in a hurry sounded faint to Alicia's ears. But her hunch was never wrong. Alicia finally decided to pause as soon as she reached the campus gate to remove the earphones that had been clogging her ears.She turned around and found Brittany (her best friend) there.Brittany Scoots, the blonde-haired girl who was wearing a white jumpsuit and black ankle boots that afternoon, looked out of breath when she reached Alicia. Her temples were covered in sweat and her mouth was open, seemingly trying to suck in the oxygen around her."Britt?"Brittany and Alicia had been friends for the past two years and they had both chosen the same college to continue their education. Although both of them were not in the same major concentration. Alicia chose criminology and Brittany returned to her passion for design."Oh my, Alicia!" Brittany's breathing was still labored, making it sound strange now. "I called you e
CHAPTER 57Golden University, New York"So today, we're going to get to know the four basic human traits."Alicia sat pensively in her chair in the corner of the classroom. Her eyes were facing straight ahead, but her mind was wandering all over the place. She had been losing her focus lately."A theory says, humans have four basic characters. They are the leader choleric, the peace-loving plegmatic, the sociable saguinis and the always-planned melancholic."Since talking to Nicholas yesterday, her feelings had become uncomfortable. The girl was forced to refuse detective Nicholas' request just because she felt bad for her boyfriend, Ace. Her relationship with Ace was like something tied up. She always felt like she was cheating on him just by talking to the opposite sex.Alicia knew very well that Ace wouldn't like it if he found out that Alicia was helping Nicholas in another murder case even though her feelings continued to be plagued by curiosity and guilt. All those deaths always
CHAPTER 58Golden Hospital, New York."The victim was pronounced dead due to suffocation and heart failure."Nicholas was now staring at the body, which was almost completely covered by the white cloth in front of him, in distress. The forensic doctor had performed the autopsy and explained all the results to Noel before he arrived."Could she have suffocated to death?"And Noel nodded. "The doctor suspects that the perpetrator may have strangled the victim using something elastic with great force," he added. "The ligature marks on her neck also suggest that she was strangled repeatedly until all her organs stopped functioning and she eventually suffered heart failure."Noel's statement made Nicholas shake his head. "The criminal didn't just want to see the victim die, he wanted more." His bright brown eyes looked at Noel straight on. "He wants to see his victims suffer before they die."Suddenly, Noel shuddered in horror. "Those words sound even more horrifying when you say them, det