Chapter 32: His Investigation
Nick's POV
HE felt her stiffen when they heard the knock and they looked at each other before Fera walked to the door and opened it.
"Good morning, dear!" he heard a cheerful greet from their landlady. He decided to walk to her kitchen quietly and checked for something to eat or to cook. "I heard you got abducted, was it true?"
He cringed his forehead, 'how did this lady go too late about it?' he couldn't help to muse since he knew how good Mama Tes was at guarding what was happening in the whole town.
"I wasn't too true, it was just one of my cousins, he pranked me like he always does." His hand stopped mid-way upon opening her fridge. Her voice was too calm and straight. Based on how she talked, no one would be suspenseful that she was lying. It was composed and stern and had no hint of double talk.
He felt guilty about what he was thinking but that was what he observed, Fera was a good liar. She easily made up things and made them true to her voice and words.
"Oh, really? Is that why you were sent by a limousine to school was it yesterday or the other day?"
"Yes, it was my cousin's"
"Oh! and have you seen, Nick?" He got a can of a beef loaf and prepare the pan. He didn't mind if Mama Tes would hear him.
"Why?" he heard him ask. That made him smile, instead of answering, she went asking. Fera was starting to get transparent to him, which was an improvement in their bond for him.
"Uhm, he hadn't paid his rent for this month, when I knocked at his door he didn't answer."
"He might be sleeping still," he carefully opened the can and quietly to avoid blowing up her lies to Mama Tes. He didn't want to be on her bad side.
"Maybe, I'll go knock on his door again, he might wake up already."
"I will tell him to drop by your house before school, he might need a bit of rest, for now, considering that it was too early at the moment."
"Okay, thank you, dear." He glanced at her and saw her shut her door with her usual resting face.
"He need rest indeed," he remarked which made her roll her eyes,
"You heard her clear, pay your rent," she boringly said and sat on her dining table across from him where her small kitchen was.
"I already did yesterday, she needs an alibi to flawlessly got pieces of information." She only nodded in reply.
"I have seen your limousine," he said which made her look up to him. "And heard you lied," as he expected, she never saw any reaction like she always does.
"Should I murder you so you won't talk?" Her voice and invisible sarcasm amused him. He only chucked slightly and continued cooking, if only he didn't know her and the way she speak, he would get offended and threatened but he knew that was how Fera answered.
"I won't do that," he said but he never misses the word murder, she nonchalantly uses such a word for a joke like it wasn't a serious phrase. She was the daughter of a prominent lawyer, that word wasn't new to her.
"And you think I can murder?" her lips twitched as she asked him.
"Why would you?" and she raised her left eyebrow when he answered that way.
He noticed her expression turned normal not a dead expression, just a plain and normal resting face and she blink once then returned to a cold expression. He already knew that Fera noticed him using her way of escaping a question. He silently noted that her sharp critical thinking was always on in any situation.
"I don't know how you think of me, so I am asking."
"I think you are the most beautiful woman breathing on earth, let's eat." Perfect timing of his cooked breakfast. She was taken aback by his sudden compliment and a smile escaped her lips.
"I know," she answered as if it wasn't a big deal to her while Nick was observing her actions. He was been analyzing how good Fera was at detecting something was wrong or unusual.
"Have you finished your essay?" she looked up to him again and raised her eyebrow.
"Yeah?" and she cast him a suspicious look. Which massively hit him since he was planning to investigate her apartment.
"What?" he failed to seem innocent which made her glare at him.
"I am not letting you copy my essay, Nicky." That somewhat loosen his airway and he breathes steadily and chuckled his relief out.
"No! Of course not. I was just thinking if you can make another for me?" he was truly done with his essay but he needed to justify his guilty reaction a while ago.
"No, you are old enough to do it. I am not making you one. Learn to be truthful." And the word truthful made him look down at his plate. He was good at lying when it comes to Fera. The fear of she might notice had been restraining him to act cool.
"Okay, whatever."
"By the way, I need to take a bath now, you too. We are running late." She drank her water and wiped her lips with a table napkin. Before he was confused about why does she dine like she was in a restaurant, she'd have a table napkin and different types of spoons around her, she also uses too many plates when setting her table. But now, it was crystal clear that it was her normal life.
"Aren't you going to ask me to shower with you? Aw!" she had slapped him and glared at him. "HAHAHAHA okay-okay, I was just kidding."
"Nothing's funny," but she was holding her laugh back.
"Oh! really?" he asked with a wide smile.
"Whatever," then she rolled her eyes and walked out. As she walked into her room, his smile fell.
"I am not doing anything that would harm her, this is for her. Why do I feel guilty?" he couldn't stop himself to ask. He stood and put their plates in the sink. Then he turned his gaze to the door for which was the second room that has been locked.
He walked towards it and touch the knob.
"Locked the door!" she shouted. But Nick wasn't planning to leave yet. He went inside her room wandering his gaze around. He couldn't touch a thing yet. He hadn't calculated how meticulous she was, she might notice that some of her things were misplaced.
"Okay!" he shouted back but while checking every part of her room, he looked down at his watch they are running late so he was left with no choice but to leave.
***
He was sitting across his desk while looking at the newspapers he gathered about her mother's death. While he was holding another newspaper about her father's death. It was stated that she had a gunshot on her chest and the bullet hit her heart. While his father had a gunshot on his head, above his left ear.
Mr. Fuentes never released a statement publicly and he prohibited her daughter to get involved in an interview or even public appearance. After that, she wasn't seen in public again. The information was too private but rumors about it were he was investigating privately for his wife's justice.
He kept clicking different websites for public information he might find any loophole. It was frustrating when there were no suspected persons involved in any article. The only suspect was the one his client who he lose in the court. He got his cellphone and dial his good friend.
"Oh?" the man on the other line answered.
"Do you know something about Mr. Fuentes?" he asked straight.
"Do you know who you're asking?' he asked back. "I am Benjamin the great a descendant of Fuentes."
"You are Leonardo."
"Whatever, what do you need?"
"I was just curious about his wife, she was killed years later. He was known to be a great lawyer, how come he did not find who killed her."
"That case was long closed, man. Do not underestimate my idol. He was the most powerful lawyer in the country, and I heard that the man who asked to kill his wife was killed but the paid assassin was in jail before twenty-four hours of his wife's death."
"And it wasn't publicized?"
"Fuentes is known to be elusive, and they are not into showbiz why do they have to publicize things?"
"Okay, thanks, man."
"No problem," and the call ended already. He couldn't ask for more, still.
"Why didn't she tell me her mother's case was long close? She did not correct me from believing that her mother was already given justice." He whispered.
He accidentally clicked on information and saw some personal information about Fera.
"Today is her birthday."