The Zodiac of PRAIII: Revenge - by Jenny Tran

Chapter 7

The following morning was Erin’s session with Ethan, he was up early and eating breakfast at the hospital cafeteria when he saw Doug walking in. He quickly waved to his friend “What are you doing here? You’re session isn’t until Sunday.”

“I know. I wanted to talk to you about something.” Doug sat down across from Ethan “We didn’t get a chance to yesterday.”

“What is it?” Ethan was curious because Doug wasn’t the type of person to have a serious conversation if not needed.

“Its about Mia.” Doug paused to see his reaction but Ethan only nodded calmly, obviously masking his expressions carefully “I know, Ethan.”

“Know what?” he asked, this time confused “Could you just cut to the chase?”

Doug sighed with his hands clasped together “She’s engaged, Ethan.”

“Yes. I know that.” He frowned “What are you trying to say? Did she send you here?” he asked wide eyed.

“No, no…” Doug denied, “I know you’re in love with her. You always have been, but I thought it would fade after all these years. But when we saw each other months ago, the way you looked at her…it was like high school all over again.”

Ethan’s face blushed over as he turned away “I always thought you didn’t pay attention.”

“No, I did, but Mia didn’t. She never knew and I think if she knew about Prom, she would think different of you.” Doug was just testing his friend.

“No!” Ethan cried. He lowered his voice when a few people looked over “Don’t tell her, please…you promised me 9 years ago, you have to promise me now. She can never know, Doug. For God’s sakes she’s engaged. There’s no chance for her and I. I already came into terms with that.”

Doug’s lips slowly curled into a smile “You’re still the same stubborn dork that I knew back then!” he laughed and shook his head “You are so sad, you know that? A successful single and sometimes handsome doctor…you are a good catch, so tell me why you aren’t married yet?”

“I…I don’t know.” Ethan shrugged “Maybe I’m not meant to get married.”

“Or maybe you are meant to meet Mia again and finally get the chance you deserve.” Doug noticed how Ethan’s eyes bulged out “I like Darren, don’t get me wrong. He’s a great guy. But you’re a great guy too. Mia has lost her memory but she remembers you and me. The ball is in your court, you’ve got to make a move or it will jump to another court.”

Ethan shook his head sadly “I can’t do that to her. Do you see the way Darren is so crazy about her? How he’s frantic the minute he sees her? He loves her, there’s no way I could ever stand between it.” He glanced at his watch and knew his time was up “This is going to be the first and last conversation we will ever have about this, you got it?” he threatened Doug.

He only laughed, “Please, if that’s what you call a threat, it’s no wonder you got beat up.”

“DON’T!” Ethan pointed at Doug with widened eyes “You promised Doug. If you are to speak of that night, you will never know any pleasure unto man.”

“We were 18, Ethan! Who cares about promises!” Doug said with exasperation.

“I care. We’re 27 now and promise me, you’ll keep it to your grave.” Ethan glared at his friend until he eventually nodded “Say it.” He commanded.

“I promise.” Doug sighed and rolled his eyes away “You’re going to die a sick love puppy.”

Ethan laughed “Better that than a lonely old man. I’ve gotta go meet Erin now.”

“Bye puppy.” Doug teased.

By the time he got to his office, he noticed she was already there sitting outside his door. Her eyes distant while they fixated on the wall “You’re early.” He greeted.

She looked up with a smile and graciously took his helping hand as he pulled her up “I don’t like being late.” She answered.

“Come on in.” he unlocked the door and let her in first. He settled down on his chair and turned to her with a smile “Do you prefer the swivel chair or the couch?”

“Mia told me you were friendly but not straightforward.” Erin cracked a smile.

He laughed “And she didn’t tell me you could be funny.” Ethan tilted his head “I had no idea using humor could be a defense mechanism.” Her smile faded and the eyes dodged his “Erin, it’s okay to be sad. It’s part of everyday life, but the minute you dodge it by pretending it doesn’t hurt, you’re really pushing the thorns deeper into your heart.”

“I want the couch.” She said after a moment of silence.

Ethan nodded “Okay.” He got up and followed her over to the leather couch while he took the chair next to her.

She glanced up at him oddly “Don’t you people take notes or something?”

He smiled “You want me to?” she shook her head “Wanna see what I write?” Erin frowned while he got up and retrieved his yellow notepad “This is what I do.”

Erin flipped page after page “Doodles?” He nodded and put the notebook back “It’s nice to know they pay you hundred dollars an hour to doodle while people pour their hearts out.” There was definitely a touch of sarcasm.

He laughed “One, they don’t pay me. I do this on a voluntary basis for hospital patients. The hospital pays me. Two, I only doodle because some people feel better when I write things down on a note pad which somehow shows that I’m paying attention.” Ethan explained, he wasn’t at all offended by her “I listen intently and I remember everything my patients tell me. If you ask me, it’s a punishment…God gave me good ears.” He joked.

She looked down at her hands “I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to incorporate that you don’t…”

He reached out and patted her hand “Don’t apologize. I’m not insulted. Now, can we start?”

“Sure. What do you want to know?” Erin asked, she felt more at ease with him.

“Your childhood.” He started off at the beginning “Just say what’s on your mind.”

Erin shook her head “I don’t remember much of it.” He tilted his head with a sigh and she quickly put up her hands “But I’ll tell you anyways.” She laid down on the couch, her eyes closed as she talked about her early days “I was almost four when my parents died in a fire that burned down our home. I was sent to an orphanage within days. I remembering asking for my mommy but the nuns would always hit my hand with a ruler and tell me that they were dead. I cried for hours until there were no more tears. Within a year, I was moved to three different orphanages. But St. Mary’s was the one that I grew up in. It was the only one I’d rather stay in. Because that was where I first met Brad.” Her eyes welled up with tears but she didn’t want to open them, afraid that they would fall once more “He use to come to the orphanage playground and talk to me cause I always looked so lonely and he felt bad for me. At first, I took his friendship as pity but I realized after that he really wanted to be my friend. I was eleven that year. Afterwards, I was sent out to a public high school and again I saw Brad. We became even closer friends and I realized at that moment that I had fallen for him.”

“But he never knew.” Ethan nodded “Were you afraid to tell him?”

“Yes and no. I didn’t care for him to know, the secret did not bother me. It was also during the time when Becca and I grew closer. We became the three musketeers, going everywhere together. They were my only friends and she was the only one that knew about my crush on Brad. That is until years later when I joined the P.R.A. I was recruited by Dennis, who was the lieutenant at that time. After high school, the three of us split up and went our separate ways. I started taking self defense classes to kill time and it was where I met Dennis. He was teaching a class and called me his favorite pupil. He approached me one day after class and told me he wanted to speak to me in private. That was where he tested my skills. He pretended to attack me and I gave a good fight, still in the end I lost but he was impressed and asked me to join the team. I saw Brad again and my renowned feelings grew more. It was where I got to know Mia, Reina and Andrew. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into until the first mission. I wanted to quit then and Brad wouldn’t let me. After that we trained and trained until I was ready for battles. I had him to thank.”

“How was your relationship with your other teammates?” Ethan leaned his elbow on his knee.

“It was okay. Mia reminded me a lot of Becca, I guess that’s why we got along so well. Reina was different, she was more reserved, cool and you could never guess what’s she’s thinking by looking at her face. Andrew was harmless and a bit of a flirt. Too bad he had to die that way. It turned Reina against us and started a huge war that seems to never end.” She concluded.

And so the talked continued, she poured everything out. Tears streamed down and after it was done, she felt the weights being lifted off her shoulders. Ethan commended her for the work “You did really well. But I want to remind you of something. It seems to me that you are a very strong headed girl. But everyone has a weakness. Yours is Brad and the people you love dearly. Don’t get caught up in the moment, the future is wide open. If you turn back, you will only hit a dead end.”

She smiled with a short nod “You’re good.”

Ethan turned away humbly “Thank you. I just hope I helped.”

“More than you’ll ever know.” Erin replied sincerely “I just hope you can help Mia too.”

“Do you mind if I share some ideas with you?” Ethan had been thinking of a lot of things to do to help her regain her memory.

“Of course.” She nodded eagerly.

“You know about her fear of heights right?” Ethan began, she agreed with a nod “I was planning on taking her up on a hot air balloon ride, hopefully it’ll remind her of it. She also has an eye of a hawk. She notices things around her, maybe if we tried to attack her, it’ll bring back the fighting agent in her? Oh and I was thinking maybe we can do some reenactments of her kidnappings or with Darren. It could trigger her memory.”

Erin smiled crookedly “If I didn’t know better, Dr. Chan. You have a crush on Mia.” He blushed over but shook his head in denial “Tell me, are you that passionate about ALL your patients?”

“She is a close friend after all. I only want the best for her.” Ethan didn’t want to look in her eyes as he knew it would give it all away. The last thing he needed was another person to know.

“You’re lying and I know it. Why can’t you look me in the eye?” Erin pointed out.

Ethan pushed himself to look her in the eye “Mia is only a friend.” He said firmly.

“Now you’re not blinking.” Erin shook her head sadly “You’re pressuring yourself.”

“Do you like to make men squirm?” Ethan asked tilting his head.

“Do you like to dodge questions?” Erin asked. He let out a long sigh and she stifled a laugh “I’m just teasing you. But honestly, I want to thank you for everything. I feel much better.”

“Good.” Ethan let a sigh of relief out inside his mind “I’ll see you next Monday.”

Erin was close to the door as she turned to him “Monday? I thought there was only one session?”

“Joe wanted you to have a couple.” Ethan replied sincerely.

“Okay.” Erin nodded before leaving the office. She leaned her back against the door and sighed. She found her way out of the hospital and took a cab. The guy asked her where she wanted to go and without thinking she answered “Wai Memorial.”

It was the first time she’s been back after the funeral. She didn’t bother bringing flowers knowing that Brad would think it’s a waste of money since they will eventually rot anyways. It was a reason why he never bought her flowers, only gifts. The trail up the hill was longer than she remembered. Her eyes quickly spotted his headstone but there was something odd. A new bouquet of white roses was left in its place. She approached it gingerly and turned her head up to see if anyone was there. Not a soul was in sight.

“Who came to visit you?” she asked softly. Must have been one of the team, she pushed the suspicious thought away and began talking to him “I’m back. Sorry it took me a while. Joe thought it would be best if I talked to Dr. Chan. It helped me today, but then it reminded me of you.” She lowered her head and a tear escaped before she had a chance to shut her eyes “I thought I could do this…but I can’t. I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye.” She sobbed to herself “Don’t leave me…please…I feel so alone.”

“Erin.” Her eyes snapped open. It was Brad’s voice except it was echoed. She got up and spun in circles “I’m right here.” His voice was gentle and calm.

When she turned back to the grave, she saw a silhouette of his body sitting on the stone “Brad!” she stepped towards him but he put his hand up.

“No…You cannot touch me.” He urged gently “I came to say that I’m sorry. I lied to you. I knew he would kill me. But I wanted you to be safe.”

She shook her head while new hot tears stung her eyes “Why? How could you let me live like this?”

“Because you have to. For me.” Brad said with a content smile.

“How?” Erin asked.

“You will know.” Brad’s figurine faded away when a gush of wind blew over.

Erin reached out “No! Don’t go!” she yelled.

“Erin?” Ted was a few feet away when he saw her mumbling something to herself. He rushed over to her with a bouquet of white lilies in his hands “Who were you talking to?”

She spun around to him showing her teary face “I…” she pointed to the stone and then realized how unbelievable it would sound if she told him the truth “Nothing. I was just talking to Brad.”

He dared to reach out and wipe her tears, she didn’t back away either “I hate seeing you like this.”

“I’m sorry.” Erin bowed her head and remembered the flowers “Do you know who brought these?” she pointed to the roses.

Ted bent down and examined it to see if there was any card, but there were none “It’s from Lily’s Boutique, we can go there and check if you want.” Erin nodded and he placed his flowers down “You miss him a lot don’t you?”

“How could I not?” Erin asked. Suddenly an instinct came to her “Ted, can you go with me somewhere?”

“Anywhere.” He didn’t hesitate.

Chapter 8

Mia was taking her afternoon nap when she dreamt about someone name Reina. Not a single recollection came to mind but she knew the girl. Apparently in the dream, they were friends. Joking and laughing about something and then the scene changed. They were on a rooftop and shots were fired. She remembered looking down and fear took over. Her heart beating fast and then another scene entered her mind, she was gagged in a cave-like environment. She remembered crying a lot.

Mia shook violently and she finally let out a scream that woke her nightmare. Her eyes snapped open and she felt the dripping of perspiration “What was that all about?” she asked herself. Whatever her dream meant, she wanted to find out. She got up and washed her face. She wanted to wait for Erin to ask her but it was after an hour that she decided to research on her own.

She didn’t want to call Darren, afraid that he would panic so she called Doug instead. The two met at the corner deli “Thanks for coming out on short notice.” She greeted him gratefully.

“No problem. What’s up?” Doug asked with curiosity.

“Who is Reina?” Mia asked with ruffled brows.

He turned his head to the side “You remember?”

“No…well, kind of. I had a dream. About a girl named Reina, we were good friends then for some reason we were enemies. She even tried to kill me.” Mia shook her head after hearing herself talk “It sounds so stupid!”

“Not exactly.” Doug sighed, “You do know her, unfortunately.”

“Can I see her?” Mia asked eagerly “Please, it would answer a lot of questions!”

Doug eventually gave in “Let’s take a drive.” Together the two drove to the county jail where they were admitted in by the guard before frisking them for any weapons “I’ll wait here. Just follow that man over there.” He signed in as a visitor for Reina under Mia’s name. The security escorted her inside.

Mia was led from hallway to hallway until she reached a room with about five chairs and a window with circular holes in the center. A telephone was connected from the outside visitor to the prisoner. She took a seat and nervously wrung her fingers together. She didn’t know what to expect of the other person. After a few minutes, a guard dragged out a prisoner in an orange faded uniform. The girl’s hair was tied up in a messy bun and she had a smirk on her face. Her hands were handcuffed and her feet had iron chains that held her down.

Mia smiled at the girl and she managed to flinch a smile “What do you want?” the girl asked as they simultaneously picked up the phone.

“Are you Reina?” Mia asked cautiously. She couldn’t shake the eerie feeling away when she realized the girl was a complete replica of the woman in her dreams.

“Are you stupid?” Reina asked “I thought you were dead.” She said without feeling.

“I was in a coma.” Mia said slowly “Do you know me?”

It was the first time she showed of any interest. Her body leaned closer to the glass and her eyes concentrated on Mia “You don’t remember?”

“I have amnesia.” Mia replied and as if it was funny, the girl began laughing hysterically. She frowned in confusion “What’s so funny?”

Reina wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes “You.” She said bluntly “Why are you here? Aren’t your friends worried about you? Darren’s probably shitting in his pants right now.”

“So you do know me!” Mia smiled “Please, tell me more.”

“Why should I?” Reina looked at her smugly “We’re not friends.”

“We were at one time.” Mia nodded when Reina arched her brows up “I had a dream about you last night. I didn’t think it was real but now that I see you, I know it’s true. Can you tell me what happened?”

Reina rolled her eyes away and a sly smile came on her face “Sure…what do you want to know?”

Doug glanced at his watch every minute that went by. He was worried what Reina would say to corrupt Mia’s fragile mind. If she knew the girl had amnesia, she would gladly take advantage of the open door and screw them over. Doug sighed as he thought about what everyone would say to him if they knew he brought her there.

A half hour soon passed and Mia was finally out. He got up to get her “So, what happened? What did she say?”

Mia looked like she was in total shock but she shook her head instead of answering, “Let’s go.”

Doug followed until they were in his car “You know Mia, I regret taking you here. She’s not a nice person. Don’t listen to her, it’s all lies.”

“Don’t worry about me, Doug. I’ll be fine.” She assured him. Suddenly, her cell phone began to ring. She saw Ethan’s name flashing, a smile cleared across her face “My session isn’t until tomorrow, Dr. Chan.” She teased openly.

He laughed, “I know, I’m not the one with amnesia.”

“OH! Right below the belt.” She shook her head with a laugh “So what’s up?”

“I have a little surprise for you. Are you busy, can you come to the hospital? I’ll wait for you there.” Ethan advised mysteriously.

“Sure.” Mia hung up and turned to Doug “Can you take me to Yan Sum?”

“Yeah. What for?” Doug asked curiously.

Mia shrugged “Don’t know. Ethan wouldn’t say. You want to come and find out?”

Doug laughed, “I’d love to but I have things to do and important people to see.”

Mia dropped her jaw “Well! If I was never insulted by you, I am now.”

He continued to laugh but seeing her straight face, his smile faded “Hey…you’re not mad are you? Sorry, Mia.”

She burst into giggles “Gotcha!” she pointed at him playfully.

They reached the hospital and there was Ethan outside the double doors waiting for Mia. The guys greeted shortly and Doug was off “Come on.” Ethan rushed as he pulled her towards his car.

“What’s your rush?” Mia asked curiously.

He didn’t answer, only smiled and drove off to the hills. It was deserted and free of people. Only the winds kept them awake “Don’t freak out…but I signed up for a hot air balloon ride.”

“You what?” Mia asked in shock.

Ethan put his hands up “I know it’s freaking you out…but I was thinking-”

“Why would I be freaked out?? I saw it on commercial the other night and thought it would be crazy to go!! And here I am.” She was excited as a little girl with a lollipop. Mia reached out unexpectedly and hugged him.

He looked at her strangely “So you’re not afraid?”

She shook her head “Not at all!” she began skipping over the giant basket. There was an attendant that took care of the machine for them. Ethan reluctantly followed, never in his life had he seen a case where the patient got over their fear from amnesia. But there was a first for everything. The two had a short lesson on how to maneuver the balloon. Mia was giddy as she took control of the lines while Ethan stepped inside.

They were practically pushed off the hill and Mia controlled the machine with ease. Ethan on the other hand was gripping onto the edges for dear life. His legs were tense and his eyes bulged out “I…I think we’re…high enough…Mia. MIA!!!” he yelled when she continued to lead them up into the sky.

“This is so fun!!!” Mia yelled happily “Wow, look at the buildings!!” she tipped over and pointed out of the basket “I think I see my apartment building.”

“Mia! We have to stay on opposite ends!” Ethan advised at the same time he practically jumped away from her “We’ll unbalance the balloon.”

Mia turned to him strangely “Ethan…are you afraid of heights?”

“Me? No.” He shook his head unconvincingly.

“Why do you look like you just saw a ghost? Oh my God…you better not puke!!” Mia warned with her finger wagging.

“Must have been something I ate.” Ethan slowly dropped himself on the floor while reaching up and loosening his tie.

Mia too sat down as she looked at him carefully “If you say so.” She shrugged it out.

“You’re really not afraid?” Ethan tried again.

She shook her head “No, should I be?”

He nodded “You were deathly afraid of heights. Out of all my years as a psychiatrist, I have never met anyone that was so scared to be on the second floor in their lives.”

Mia smiled as she recalled the situation “Oh yeah…I forgot about that. Who knows… maybe I’m over it.”

“A fear is not something one gets over so quickly.” Ethan said logically.

She frowned “Why not? Not everything has to be psychologically answered.” She said with good reason “Some things are unexplained. A miracle, perhaps.”

“Perhaps.” He nodded slowly, still trying to contemplate an answer “I don’t want to know where we’re going, can you look?”

Mia nodded as she got up and looked around, then her head did a double take “Oh my God! We’re going to run into that building!!!” she shrieked.

“AHH!!!” Ethan yelled while he covered his ears fearfully. Even with his hands over his ears, he could hear her contagious laughter. He narrowed his eyes and got up only to see that they were over the harbor with buildings below them “Charming.” He nodded sarcastically.

“Thank you.” Mia curtsied while her grin grew wider.

“I was being sarcastic.” He said flatly.

“I know.” Mia laughed, “It’s still a compliment however you say it.”

“You pull another stunt like that and you won’t be hearing a compliment.” Ethan turned away and glanced over the edge. Suddenly, he felt his chest suffocating. He clutched it and opened his mouth to breath.

Mia sighed as she enjoyed the view “Isn’t it relaxing?” His hearing began to clog up and he felt his feet weakened. Even then Mia didn’t notice “You think we could go a little higher?”

“Mia…” his voice was hoarse as he called for her. His legs bent and he had one hand clutching his heart and the other on the basket.

“Yes?” she turned with a smile but it faded just as quickly when she realized he looked pale “Ethan!” she bent down in front of him “What’s wrong?”

He shook his head “Can’t…breath. Go back…” he stammered.

Mia nodded vehemently “Okay. Just hang on.” She moved the direction of the balloon so it would return to their destination. But he was loosing oxygen, fast. His eyes dazed and his body swayed even though the ride was smooth “Ethan! Don’t faint!” she yelled.

It wasn’t until they reached the land that he was completely out. She quickly supported him out with the help of the attendant. She called for an ambulance and they came minutes later. He was put on a stretcher and she followed along in the van “Pulse 135. It’s low. Blood pressure too high.” The man said calmly as he checked his watch.

Mia’s heart raced as she silently prayed for his safety “Is he going to be okay?” she asked as they set him up with IV bag and needle stuck into his back left hand.

“We don’t know, Mam. It looks like he’s having an acute heart attack.” The man replied with much control.

“A what?!” Mia cried, “How could that be? He’s only 27!”

“We can’t be sure yet, but it looks like it. One of the reasons could be high elevation, high buildings or anything of that sort. Some things can cause a person with this disease to have high blood pressure which leads to this.”

“I don’t understand…” Mia looked confused “Please save him.” She said with tears in her eyes.

“We’ll do our best, Mam.” The man nodded firmly.

Chapter 9

The doctors were with Ethan for over an hour while Mia sat outside impatiently waiting. She paced the tiled floors while hoping that nothing would happen to him. She didn’t bother looking up when the double doors slid open “Mia!” Doug called for her attention. She turned with worried eyes “How is he?”

“I don’t know.” She said with frustration “It’s been over an hour.”

“Don’t worry, he’ll be okay.” He assured her.

“I didn’t know he was afraid of heights.” Her head swinging side to side while her ponytail shifted over her shoulder.

“He’s not.” Doug frowned at her.

“Then why…they said he had an acute heart attack.” Mia explained.

Doug shook his head “That’s not possible. What did you guys do?”

“He took me on a hot air balloon ride. He said it would help me with my fear of heights. I vaguely remember being afraid, but I was more excited than afraid.” Mia shook her head over and over as she pictured what happened.

“Oh…that’s why.” Doug nodded, finally understanding “That dork.” He muttered under his breath. Mia turned to him, wrinkled face and he smile and began to explain “Ethan is not afraid of heights, but he cannot be anywhere with an elevation higher than 5000 feet. I found this out back in high school when we had that senior trip to Beijing. You didn’t go but I did. I remember Ethan fainted and the plane had to turn back because he was hyperventilating. After that, they diagnosed him with Acute Heart Failure meaning if his blood pressure elevated, he would eventually die.”

“Oh my God…I never knew.” Mia breathed.

“He didn’t want anyone to know. He was afraid that people would call him a freak.” Doug shook his head sadly “I guess dork worked well for him.”

“He’s so stupid.” Mia turned away with concern “He did all that for me?”

*********

Erin and Ted were at the old school looking around for hours and still they did not find much. Only signs of Brad’s blood still there. They didn’t do a good job cleaning it. They must have walked around the fifth floor a hundred time before giving up “There’s nothing!” Erin said in defeat.

He turned to her “Don’t give up yet. Let’s go down the next floor.”

She nodded and followed him, just then she slid on something on the ground. Ted’s quick reflexes stopped her from toppling over “You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah.” She nodded and bent over to pick up the little object “It’s a bullet.”

He knelt down next to her “Let me see.” She handed it over and he observed it through the little light “I’ll take it back to the department and find out where it was originally sold.”

“They still let you come back?” Erin asked.

“Yeah. As long as I have good reason. Plus the old sergeant likes me.” Ted smiled and nodded at the door “Come on.”

There was nothing on the fourth floor but there was something on the third that they both found to be odd. The ropes that were left behind “Is this the same one that tied one of the killers?” Ted asked and Erin nodded “Why didn’t the police take it back?”

“Maybe this is a trick?” Erin wondered out loud.“They think we’ll come back and leave a clue?”

Ted shook his head “It’s not likely, they’re not stupid.”

“Then how do we explain it?” She couldn’t help but feel aggravated.

Ted smiled warmly “Don’t get impatient. We’ll find him.” She nodded and began roaming the area to see what else she could find. It was then that his cell phone rang, echoing throughout the room “Hello?” he answered. It was the police department. His search for the Honda Accord was narrowed down “Great, I’ll be right there.”

Erin turned to him with curious brows “You have to go?”

“WE have to go." He corrected. "Come on, I’ll explain as we go.” When they got in the car, he told her briefly what the police told him “If you could see his face again, would you recognize it?”

“Even if I was blind.” Erin gritted her teeth. The two drove together to the police department. Ted was as eager to see the results as Erin, he checked in at the front and got Erin a visitor badge. They entered the private room they often shared when researching on cases. It reminded her of many memories but she knew it was not the time and place to be reminiscing.

“Here’s the list.” Ted logged into the data base and a long list of over 200 people were found. “I can’t guarantee that the guy is in here, he might have used someone else’s car.”

“I don’t care, I just want a lead!” Erin snapped. She realized it after she said it “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”

“You know better than to apologize for being you.” Ted scolded lightly “I know what you’re going through. Just let it all out, I won’t take it personally, I promise.” He crossed his heart.

Erin smiled apologetically “Thank you for being so patient. Any girl would be lucky to marry you.”

His eyes darted away but his head gave a quick nod. He returned to the screen and continued to scroll down waiting for her to stop him. Minutes soon past and before they knew it, darkness had fallen. Ted covered a yawn “I need some coffee. Do you want some?” Erin nodded and he got up “I’ll be back.”

She took over the mouse and searched it on her own. By the hundredth person, she was staring face to face the killer. His eyes deceiving and his smile reminded her of a rat. He was actually quite handsome but for Erin, he was nothing less than human. Her body began trembling as she read his information. “Tay Keung, 32 years old. Lived in Sa Tin for 10 years and moved out to Kowloon after a fire incident.” She couldn’t shake the eerie feeling she had in the pit of her stomach “Another fire.”

“Did you find him?” Ted asked. She didn’t realize he came back and was startled out of her seat “Are you okay?” he placed the drinks down.

Erin reached out and took a hold of his arms “I found him, Ted. It’s him.” She pointed to the screen.

He nodded and waved her to the next seat while he did some more searches. He pulled up the guy’s records “Clear. No felonies or traffic tickets.” Ted shook his head at Erin “Are you sure it’s him?” he wanted to be sure, not that he didn’t trust her.

“On my life.” Erin was solemn as can be and he knew that they had found the culprit.

“Okay. Let’s find his home.” Ted did a little more digging but there were no addresses or contacts “He’s homeless.” Ted sighed tiredly.

“What now?” Erin handed him the coffee and he took it while warming his hands with it “We can’t let him get away.” She said a matter-of-factly.

Ted shook his head gravely “I wouldn’t let it happen. The most we can do is have a red alert to all the patrolling policemen to leave a heads up for the car. We have the license number now, he’ll have to drive around somehow.”

“True.” Erin nodded. She leaned back and felt her shoulders weighing down “Thank you, Ted. I always drag you down.”

“Don’t be silly. I wouldn’t want to be dragged down with anyone else.” He teased but she saw up uncomfortably, he quickly covered “I was just kidding.” He smiled nervously. She smiled shortly and sipped her coffee “How about dinner?”

She shook her head “I want to go home. It’s been an exhausting day.”

“Of course. I’ll take you home.” Ted offered.

“No.” she declined politely “It’s okay. I’ll take a cab. You go home and rest.” They parted ways as she called for a cab. Her eyes moved up when she saw Ted drive off and she turned to the driver “Sorry. I’m going to walk instead.”

“Crazy…” the man muttered as she closed the door.

Erin took a walk along the busy downtown area, where the night never ends. People were partying, eating and mingling. She took the same steps where Brad and herself use to go. She came upon a little food stand by the fish market. Her eyes in a daze as she recalled the incident as if it was yesterday. They were talking about an old ancient dagger that she had bought for Brad but he wanted to buy it from her. She wouldn’t hear of it and made a lame excuse about giving it to him for his birthday.

“You could get run over like that.” She turned and spotted their new lieutenant chewing on crab legs. His lips oily and he nodded to the empty chair in front of him. Erin took a seat silently “What brings you here…Mia, right?”

Erin smiled “You don’t have to pretend. The rest aren’t here.”

Chuck grinned as he nodded “Smart. Joe told me so much about you, Erin. Only good things. I had no idea you could see through me.”

“You had me for a bit but I realized that it was just a barrier you put up to see us interact naturally. We would be too stiff and polite if we knew you were capable of the job. Then again, Joe knew better to send a goldfish to a pool of sharks." Erin observed carefully.

He frowned at her “I always hated metaphors.”

She laughed for the first time in a long time “You would get along well with Mia.”

“So I heard.” He nodded and pointed his eyes to the full dish of crab legs “It relieves stress.”

Erin tilted her head “How so?”

“It doesn’t make you full and you can take out your anger on it.” He reached out and put a leg into his mouth and bit it open. He spit it out and smiled at her “See?”

“How often do you ‘take out your anger’?” Erin was curious to know.

“Once a week.” Chuck shrugged.

She smiled “It’s no wonder you have that belly.”

“Hey! The women love this belly.” He patted himself making her giggle “There, I knew you had it in you. Smiling can help relieve stress too you know.”

“Okay, now your just bullshitting me.” Erin lifted her left brow up.

He widened his eyes “Joe didn’t warn me about your potty mouth.”

“I’m 27, not 14. Live with it.” Erin smiled, showing that she was indeed joking with him. For some reason, his presence made her feel better or maybe she just needed company.

“Well, come on.” He urged the dish at her “I’m out of stress, your turn.” Erin reluctantly picked up a crab leg. She paused for a few seconds and with one more nod from Chuck, she took a big bite and crushed the crunchy skin into the sweet natural flavor of crab meat. He laughed when she spit out the shell “Yeah, that’s the bad part of your life. Don’t keep it in your mouth.”

“You’ve got a strange way of dealing with things…but…I have to admit. It helps.” Erin smiled as they picked up a leg and clinked it like it was a glass of champagne.

********

Ethan woke up in a hospital bed and Mia beside him. He noticed she was asleep, her face angelic and lying next to his bed. He tapped her on the face gently “Hi.” He whispered.

“Oh my gosh, you lost your voice!” she widened her eyes.

Ethan coughed out the scratch in his throat and appeared his regular voice “I’m okay.” He smiled.

“Sheesh, you scared me. I thought I would have another deed on my conscience.” She clutched her heart and helped him to sit upright “Why didn’t you tell me you couldn’t be in high elevations?”

He shrugged “I didn’t want to frighten you. Plus I thought it would help you with your fear of heights. And you seemed so eager to go on the ride.” He laughed “You were like Freshman Mia all over again.”

Mia frowned “It’s not funny. You could have died.”

“But I’m not.” He insisted. His eyes caught on a figure at the door, an instant smile came on his face “Darren?”

Mia turned and she quickly stood up “I…uh…how…” she stuttered to get the words out.

“Doug called me.” Darren explained “You okay?” he nodded at Ethan.

“A little woozy but it could be the jello.” Ethan joked. He reached over and patted Mia on the arm “It’s late, you should go home. Darren can take you home.”

“If you want.” Darren nodded calmly.

Mia glanced from Ethan to Darren “Okay. I’ll come back tomorrow to visit you.” She said to Ethan.

“Okay.” He smiled and watched the two walk out together.

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