Isla's hand shook and she could not pick up the call. Clearly, she recognized that the number was the one that had called her earlier, the same one that had been harassing her about her client's case. She told herself not to pick up the call, her eyes moving quickly but fearfully as she held tight to her phone. The call ended, and she was directed to voicemail. The voice icon popped up, and her hand shook as she moved it towards the play button.
As she listened to the message, her heart sank.
"You'll only end up being beaten up by the way you have chosen."
The voice was short and precise, but it sent chills down her spine. Isla held her chest as she sat down on the floor, her mind racing with fear and uncertainty. She knew she was in danger, and she didn't know what to do.
"Why me?" She questioned, her voice barely above a whisper. She thought about all the possible reasons why she was being targeted, but she couldn't think of anything that made sense. "Maybe there's something else behind this case, maybe it's not about the dead victim alone, maybe it's not about knowing the killer..." Isla surveyed all the 'maybes' she could think about, trying to piece together the puzzle.
As she sat there, something sparked up in her. She stooped up quickly, determination etched on her face. She cleared off her study room, making a plain wall to start connecting the dots from the moment she started working on the murder case. She began to sketch out a timeline, writing down key events and details. The families, the victim, the investigation... Everything that could be a clue was included.
She went down to the moment she met Andrew, and then her mind drastically paid attention to what her gaze had captured before. "Yes! That car," Isla exclaimed, her eyes wide with excitement. "How would I have missed that?" She tore another sticky paper, boldly written on it 'the car'. She rumbled her mind, trying to remember the plate number, but it was to no avail.
Isla dressed up quickly, determined to visit the security center to find the CCTV footage for that day. She hoped that it might provide some clues about the car and the mysterious caller. As she arrived at the security center, she was greeted by a friendly officer who asked how he could assist her.
"I need to check the CCTV footage for a specific day," Isla explained, providing the officer with the date and time. The officer nodded and began to work on retrieving the footage. However, after a few minutes, he looked up with a concerned expression.
"I'm sorry, ma'am," he said. "The CCTV camera was malfunctioning on that day. We're still trying to figure out what went wrong." Isla's face fell, her hopes dashed. She had been counting on the footage to provide some crucial evidence.
The officer apologized again, explaining that the camera had been having issues for a while. Isla thanked him and left the security center. She couldn't shake off the feeling that she was getting close to something, but she needed to find a way to uncover the truth.
Isla walked out of the security center then decided to head back to her office and review the case files again, hoping to find some new leads. As she walked, she noticed a car following her. Her heart skipped a beat as she quickened her pace.
The car continued to follow her, and Isla's anxiety grew. She didn't know what to do, but she knew she had to get away from the car. She quickly ducked into a nearby alleyway, hoping to lose the car.
As she walked down the alleyway, she heard the car screech to a halt behind her. Isla's heart was racing, and she knew she had to keep moving. She picked up her pace, her eyes scanning the alleyway for any signs of danger.
Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her. Isla spun around, her eyes locked on the figure approaching her. It was a man, tall and imposing, with a menacing look in his eyes.
"Can I help you?" Isla asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
The man didn't respond. Instead, he kept moving towards her, his eyes fixed on her face. Isla's instincts told her to run, but her legs felt like lead.
Just as the man was about to reach out to her, Isla's phone rang. She quickly answered it, hoping to distract the man. "Hello?" she said, trying to keep her voice calm.
"Isla, it's Andrew," the voice on the other end said. "I think I found something important. Can we meet up?"
Isla's eyes locked on the man, who had stopped moving towards her. "Yes, that would be great," she said, trying to play it cool.
"Meet me at the coffee shop on 5th street in an hour," Andrew said. "I'll have the information with me."
Isla nodded, even though Andrew couldn't see her. "I'll be there," she said, hanging up the phone.
The man turned around and walked away, seemingly uninterested in her anymore. Isla breathed a sigh of relief as she watched him disappear into the crowd.
She took a deep breath and continued walking, her mind racing with thoughts and questions. What did Andrew want to talk to her about? And what was the importance of the information he had found?
As she walked, Isla couldn't shake off the feeling that she was being watched. She looked around, but there was no one suspicious in sight. She quickened her pace, anxious to get to the coffee shop and meet Andrew.
An hour later, Isla arrived at the coffee shop, her heart still racing from the earlier encounter. She spotted Andrew sitting at a table in the corner, sipping on a cup of coffee.
"Andrew," she said.
"I'm glad you're here."
Andrew looked up, a concerned expression on his face. "Isla, what's wrong?" he asked, noticing the look of distress on her face.
Isla took a deep breath and told him about the earlier encounter. Andrew listened intently, his expression growing more serious by the minute.
"We need to be careful," he said, when she finished. "I think we're getting close to something."
Isla nodded, her eyes locked on his. "What did you find out?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Andrew leaned in, his voice low. "I found out that the victim had a secret account," he said. "And there's a large sum of money missing from it."
Isla's eyes widened in shock. "What does this mean?" she asked, her mind occupied
Andrew's expression was grim. "I think it's connected to the murder," he said. "And I think we're in danger."