Follow me

I'm telling you I didn't do it," Gina said. Hellen stood up and went to the window. 

"Then who did?" She asked, smoothing the dark maroon curtain. 

"I don't know. I think it's that guy. He set me up and now he's not answering my calls. I don't know what to do."

Hellen came and sat next to Gina on the bed. She snaked her left arm around Gina. "You should go to the police. Tell them everything so they can catch this guy before he destroys your life."

"You know I can't do that," Gina said, wiping her tears with a blue t-shirt. Her head was aching so much from confusion and excessive worrying. Besides that, she hadn't been getting enough sleep. "It could cause a lot of complications, for instance me being a suspect. I just wish that moron could just let Liana go like he promised. We had a deal but he has refused to honor it."

"This guy is very dangerous. You have to report him, unless you're the one who actually killed Cole. If you're innocent, I don't see why you are so worried. The issue about the keys is not something huge. This guy might kill again and it'll all be on you so think again. I don't want to be part of this so I'm leaving. This is obstruction of justice."

"You don't believe me, do you?" Gina asked. Hellen stood up and grabbed her  shoulder bag from the chair near the bed. 

"I'm trying to believe you, Gina. Just remember that if someone else gets murdered, I'm going to the police without thinking twice."

"Please believe me," Gina pleaded but Hellen ignored her and opened the door. She went after her but Hellen didn't stop. "I didn't do anything."

When Hellen was out of the house, Gina went back to her room. She sat on the bed and sobbed, looking at the phone. It rang after a few minutes. She noticed it was an unknown number but not the one that man always used. 

"Hello?" 

"Hi Gina," the voice on the other end said. "How are you today?"

The voice was familiar but she couldn't tell who it belonged to. Maybe because her mind was a big mess at the time. "Who's this?"

"Oh, I hoped you'd remember my voice. It's Dylan."

"Dylan?" Her heart skipped a beat. She quickly wiped her tears even though she knew he couldn't see her "How did you get my number?" 

He was quiet for a few seconds as if he hadn't expected a question like that. 

"I'm sorry if that sounded rude," Gina said. A lot of people didn't like that question but she had failed to understand why. It was just a simple question like any other. "You don't have to answer it. A lot of people in town have my number so I'm sure you got it from one of them. How are you?"

"I'm alright," he said. She had hoped he'd tell her about the number but it was clear he wasn't going to talk about it. "I just wanted to check on you. Have you heard anything about Liana?"

"Liana is fine. You seem really concerned about her. Are you two in a secret friendship I don't know about?"

As far as Gina knew, Dylan and Liana had never had a conversation beyond greetings. The fact that he was constantly talking about her disappearance seemed suspicious to Gina. Did he know something? 

"I was just asking because she's your best friend," Dylan said. "You seem to be in a bad mood today. Were you friends with Cole?"

"Where did you get my number, Dylan?" Gina asked after steeling herself. There was something weird going on. Why did Dylan just start speaking to her after Liana's disappearance? Why would he ask her about Cole. Maybe she was just being paranoid because of the stress but she didn't want more Mystery.

"Your friend Hellen gave it to me," He said. "I'm very sorry if I bothered you. Have a nice time."

"I'm sorry," she said and he hang up immediately. She tried calling him but he didn't answer. Gina hugged her pillow and lay on the bed. She took a deep breath and started crying. She realized she had vented her frustration on a person who was just concerned about her. She dialled Hellen's number.

"Hey, what's up?" Hellen said.

"Did you give my number to Dylan?" 

"Yes," Hellen said. "I gave it to him two weeks ago. I don't know how I forgot to tell you about it. I'm sorry if I did something wrong. Did he call you?"

"Yeah, right after you left."

"So he finally got the guts to call, huh?" Hellen said with a laugh. "I met him when I was coming from your house. Did he stop by?"

"No," Gina replied. "Thanks, Hellen. I have to go now."

Gina sat up straight. Something was not right. Dylan was surely hiding something and she was going to find out. She had to go to his house. 

She got off the bed, grabbed her phone and left the bedroom. When she opened the front door of the house, she saw a car parked outside. A police officer got out and walked up the path to her home. He was tall, handsome and very well built. 

"Are you Gina?"

"Yes, that's me." Gina felt her heart starting to beat faster. Had they found something in Cole's apartment? She tried to remember if she'd left something that belonged to her at the apartment. "What's wrong?"

"I need you to come with me to the station," he said. 

"What's this about?" Gina said, leaning against the closed door. She was trembling.

"It's about Liana Tran."

"Oh my goodness! Did you find her?"

The male officer tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. "Didn't you tell your mom she'd gone to visit her parents?"

Gina realized what she'd done in her anxious state. She rubbed the nape of her neck and changed demeanor. She looked directly into his eyes. "Can we go now and get this over with. I was going to see a friend."

The officer's frown turned into a slight close-lipped smile. He turned and walked towards the car. "Follow me."