As I was still speaking with Stephanie, trying to extract more information from her, Sarah suddenly rushed into the bookstore, her eyes scanning the room frantically. I could sense a mix of urgency and worry in her voice as she spoke.
"What's going on here?" Sarah asked, her eyes fixed on Stephanie.
Stephanie's expression turned icy, her voice laced with anger. "What the fuck are you doing here?" she spoke out, her eyes blazing with fury as she glared at me. "Why the hell did you bring her here?"
I held up my hands, trying to placate Stephanie. "Sarah, I thought I told you to stay in the car," I said, trying to keep my voice calm. "This doesn't concern you."
But Sarah ignored me, her eyes fixed on Stephanie. "The police are here, Gabriel," she said, her voice urgent. "They're coming here. I saw them pulling up outside."
I paced immediately to the window to see for myself, and my heart sank as I saw the policemen and detectives outside. I could see the flashing lights of their cars, and the officers were already getting out, their eyes scanning the area.
"Shit," I muttered, my mind racing with possibilities. "What do we do?"
I turned to ask Stephanie and Sarah to stay calm, but Stephanie was no longer there. She had escaped from the back door, leaving us behind.
"Stephanie, wait!" I called out, but it was too late. She was gone.
The policemen, who I expected to make their way into the bookstore to question us, instead diverted and all of them made a run towards the same direction. They were chasing after something, or someone.
Me and Sarah went outside to see what happened, why they opted to chase after something else. That's when we saw them, they all were after Stephanie. She was running down the street, her feet pounding the pavement, and the policemen were hot on her heels.
"What's going on?" Sarah asked, her voice laced with confusion. "Why are they chasing her?"
"I don't know," I replied, my mind racing with possibilities. "But it looks like they're after Stephanie."
We followed the commotion, trying to make sense of what was happening. The policemen were running down the street, their sirens blaring, and Stephanie was nowhere to be seen. We weaved through the crowd, trying to keep up with the chase.
As we continued to follow the commotion, we saw the policemen cornering Stephanie in an alleyway. They surrounded her, their guns drawn, and Stephanie's hands were raised in surrender.
"It's over, Stephanie," one of the policemen said, his voice firm. "You're under arrest for the murder of Ryan."
My eyes widened in shock as I watched the scene unfold before me. Stephanie, arrested for Ryan's murder? It couldn't be. But as I looked at Sarah, I saw the same shock and confusion reflected in her eyes. What was going on? Why was Stephanie being arrested? And what did it have to do with Ryan's murder?
As the policemen were dragging Stephanie away, her hands cuffed behind her back, I rushed to one of the detectives, my mind racing with questions. I had to know why they were arresting her, and what evidence they had found.
"Wait, why are you arresting Stephanie?" I asked, trying to keep up with the detective's pace. "What's going on?"
The detective turned to me, a sympathetic expression on his face. "I'm afraid Stephanie has been found to be the one behind Ryan's murder," he said, his voice firm but apologetic.
I felt like I had been punched in the gut. Stephanie, the woman I had been trying to protect, was the killer? It couldn't be. I thought I knew her, but I guess I was wrong.
"But why?" I asked, trying to process the information. "What motive could she have had?"
The detective hesitated before speaking. "It seems Stephanie had a grudge against Ryan, and she used you as a pawn in her game. She planted evidence to make it look like you were the killer."
I felt a wave of relief wash over me, followed by anger. How could Stephanie do this to me? I thought we were friends, but I guess I was just a means to an end for her.
The detective continued, "I apologize for the inconveniences of this morning, about coming to the company to arrest you earlier. We had to follow procedure, but it seems we were misled."
I nodded, still trying to process everything. I couldn't believe what was happening.
Sarah had gone to the other detective to ask questions, and now she was coming back towards me, running fast. She stopped before me, panting.
"Gabriel, did you know Ryan was allergic to a certain drink?" she asked, her eyes wide with excitement.
I nodded. "Yes, he was allergic to pineapple juice. Why?"
Sarah's eyes widened further. "That's what the detective told me. He said that Stephanie was caught on the CCTV when she was leaving Ryan's home, and she seemed to be putting on some shoes that belong to you."
My eyes widened in shock. "What? That's impossible. How could she do that?"
Sarah continued, "And they found out that the glass cup found at the scene doesn't belong to Ryan. Instead, Stephanie took it from the restaurant where you and Ryan had your celebration last night."
I felt like I had been punched again. How could Stephanie be so clever, so manipulative? I thought I knew her, but I guess I didn't know her at all.
The detective who had spoken to me earlier approached us, his expression grim. "It seems we have enough evidence to prove Stephanie's guilt. She will be charged with Ryan's murder."
I nodded, still trying to process everything. It seemed like justice would be served, but I couldn't help feeling a sense of unease. How could I have been so blind to Stephanie's true nature? I thought I was a good judge of character, but I guess I was wrong.