Rue

 

I grabbed my silver watch from its box and wore it to complete my outfit. I was wearing a black coat with a white polo inside paired with black pants and black shoes for the party. I looked at myself in the mirror to check if I was ready to go. My black hair was still a mess, but I didn’t give it any more thought.

When I heard the doorbell of my penthouse rang, I quickly opened the door to see who’s behind the door.

It’s Evan.

His tousled, white hair is long enough to act like bangs and reach his golden eyes with silver-framed glasses. He’s wearing a white coat with a black turtleneck inside, white pants, and black shoes. Then, I noticed that he’s also wearing a golden snake brooch on the left side of his coat, near his chest. 

He’s here because both of us were tasked to represent the agency in the party. We decided to go there together using his SUV.

“Are you ready to go?” he asked.

I nodded. “Let’s go.”

#

I watched Evan as he moved his hands on the steering wheel of his SUV while driving us to the venue of the party.

“Is something wrong?” he asked, not taking away his sight from the road.

“You’re the head of the forensic department,” I said.

“Yes,” he nodded.

“Then, why are they sending you to the party instead of letting you help them with the case?”

“My mother is a politician, right?”

I raised an eyebrow. “So?”

“She wants to see me, so she asked Chief Montana to send me to the party because she’ll be there as well.”

I crossed my arms, pouted, and uttered, “I see…”

Evan looked at me for a little bit before shifting his gaze back to the road. Then, he said, “You’re pouting, you know?”

“I’m not pouting.”

“Sure,” he replied, chuckling. “But you’re the only detective inspector of our agency. And your parents are both international lawyers that spend most of their time abroad. Why are you coming to the party with me instead of solving our ongoing case?”

“Chief Montana said that I’m overthinking the case, so he instructed me to take a break for the time being and go to this party,” I answered bitterly.

I saw his eyebrows furrowed. He asked, “How can he say that you’re overthinking the case?”

“I told you we’re looking for a serial killer, right?”

He nodded and said, “You did.”

“I was wrong,” I confessed. “We’re looking for a stalker.”

“A stalker?”

“Yes,” I affirmed. “The killer matches the traits of a stalker more than a serial killer.”

“How do you say so?”

“Serial killers have patterns when they’re killing their victims, and he doesn’t. The messages that he left also sounded personal, as if he’s addressing only one person. At first, I thought that he’s an artist that wants to be noticed by everyone to promote something good, but it seems like he’s only a psychopath that wants to be noticed by a certain someone.”

“If he’s really a stalker, who do you think he is stalking to start these killings?”

I already have a hunch about it, but I chose to say, “I have no idea…”

“Is it because you don’t have enough evidence yet?”

“You can say that…”

“Then, just wait for more,” he replied.

His response made me stare at him.

He probably felt that I was looking at him, so he looked back and gave me a smile before focusing on driving again.

#

When we arrived at the venue of the party, Evan showed the invitation that we have to the guards to let us in.

The venue of the party is in the ballroom of Markuz Hotel, a famous and expensive hotel in the capital city. 

When we entered the party, we were in awe of its magnificence. The huge chandelier on the ceiling is beautiful, and there are statues scattered around the place, giving it an elegant touch. There’s even a champagne tower in the middle.

The government surely spent a lot of money for this party.

I looked around the place, and my eyes stopped when I saw the buffet section. After traveling for hours, I was starved. I quickly went to the buffet section to grab some food.

“Slow down, Rue,” I heard Evan say while I was munching finger foods from the buffet.

However, I didn’t listen to him and just proceeded on eating, which made him sigh.

“Hey, Evan!”

Hearing Evan’s name from someone made me stop eating and look at the person who called him. I then noticed an old man and a young man walking towards us, appearing to be father and son.

“Mr. Laurel, Wyatt,” Evan greeted them.

Laurel? It sounds familiar…

“Long time no see,” the young man with brown curly hair, whom I presume was Wyatt, said.

Evan grabbed my arm and pulled me close to him. Then, he introduced me with a smile saying, “This is Rue Vargaz, detective inspector of Bay Area Law Enforcement Agency.”

“Nice to meet you, Rue. My name is Wyatt Laurel,” the young man uttered before offering me a hand to shake.

I took his hand, shook it, and said, “Nice to meet you too.”

Then, I also shook hands with the old man. He said, “Nice to meet you, child.”

I just replied, “Nice to meet you too, Sir.”

“Evan, here you are!” A familiar high pitched voice called Evan’s name.

We looked back to see his mother, Mrs. Evangelene Barlowe, walking towards us.

“Rue, you’re here too!” she exclaimed with excitement when she noticed me.

She looked around and her face lightened up when she saw the two other men with us. Again, she exclaimed, “Mr. Laurel, Wyatt! It’s so good to see the two of you here!”

“Mr. Laurel is my father’s friend,” Evan whispered to me. “My father is a CEO, right? Mr. Laurel is the chairman of Laurel Constructions. Wyatt is his only son. He will be the company’s CEO someday.”

“I see,” I replied, nodding.

That’s why the name Laurel is familiar. Laurel Constructions is the biggest engineering company in Himmel. I can’t believe that I just casually met its chairman, and its future CEO.

“I heard that Wyatt is graduating soon,” said Evan’s mother. “Congratulations!”

“Thank you, Mrs. Barlowe,” Wyatt replied with a smile.

Then, she asked, “Do you already have a girlfriend?”

He was caught off guard by her sudden question, but he chose to smile and said, “I have a boyfriend.”

“Oh…” she trailed off, trying to hide the repulsion in her voice.

Then, Mr. Laurel took a step forward in the conversation and said, “Apologies, Mrs. Barlowe, but my son and I need to go now. We still need to meet with the other entrepreneurs, politicians, and influencers in this party.”

She had no choice but to stutter, “O-of course, Mr. Laurel.”

When the Laurels left, Mrs. Barlowe faced her son, Evan, and said, “Come with me. I’ll introduce you to Vice Governor Senti’s daughter. I’m sure you’ll like her!”

Evan opened his mouth to answer. However, even before he could answer, his mother already pulled him to mingle with the said vice governor’s daughter, leaving me alone in the buffet area. I just sighed before starting eating again.

When I finished eating, I went to the smoking area, which is on the balcony of the hotel. I was supposed to smoke when I realized that I forgot my lighter at home. However, I chose to stay on the balcony to get some fresh air instead.

“I was looking for you.”

I already know who spoke, but I still looked back to see Evan walking towards me.

“How’s the vice governor's daughter?” I asked, playing with the cigarette in my hand.

However, instead of answering my question, he asked me back, “Why are you playing with your cigarette? Why don’t you smoke it?”

“I don’t have a lighter.”

He snatched the cigarette from my hand and placed it in my mouth. Then, he extended his hand, silently asking for a cigarette for himself this time. Thus, I gave him one.

Then, he reached for the lighter from his pocket, which is silver in color and etched with an image of a cherub.

He lowered his head so that the cigarettes in our mouths could be lit up together.

When the smoke from our cigarettes arose, my eyes locked to his. There, behind the smoke, I realized how intense his gaze was towards me.

Did he always look at me that way?

“Do you want to go home, Rue?” he asked, looking away and blowing out the smoke he inhaled from the cigarette.

I raised an eyebrow and said, “We just arrived.”

“Yeah…” he uttered under his breath, still staring at nothing. “But we already represented the agency. We can go now.”

“Alright,” I responded, nodding. “However, before we go, I want to ask something.”

“Sure, go ahead,” he replied, his voice assuring.

I asked, “Why can’t you look at me?”

“What do you mean? I’m always looking at you,” he said, smiling.

Yes, he’s always looking at me, but not for too long. And I wonder that now.

He grabbed my arm before saying, “Let’s go now, Rue.”