"Meretricious... and a Happy New Year."

- Sherlock and D.I. Lestrade

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Chapter 36:
Meretricious

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ZANE

Ma'am Elizabeth.

Any luck? I need a report before the end of the day or at least tomorrow morning.

I glanced at my phone and saw a new message notification from Raine's sister. The name popped up as I unlocked the screen.

"It's your sister," I told her. "She says a report is needed at least tomorrow morning."

Raine slipped into the vehicle, glancing at her phone. "It's half past six, Zane," she murmured as she settled into her seat. "We haven't even eaten yet."

"What if what she's asking us to look for is really important?"

She fixed her gaze on me, her fists clenched as she said, "Just come with me until I come up with a proper plan."

I caught a fleeting shadow in her eyes, a secret she seemed to guard closely. My curiosity was bubbling up, but I held back, reminding myself that our limited connection didn't warrant my probing.

I climbed back into Ron's car with her. In the rearview mirror, I saw Inspector George's blue car tailing us closely.

"...currently in a comatose state..." I heard a female reporter say on the car radio.

"It must be them. They probably did it so the hostages couldn't speak," I remarked.

"I lost that game," Raine said, staring blankly out the window. "But I solved his riddle before his time ran out. He silenced the man on purpose to keep him from talking about him."

"I thought he might be the kidnapper," I said.

"No, Zane. The kidnapper is much worse than him. He's been planning this from the start," she replied.

Those words clicked like puzzle pieces in my mind. It hit me: the kidnapper had planned everything, maybe even plotting my role in Raine's life.

For that matter, the kidnapper probably knows my entire life as well as Raine's!

As I turned my attention back to my companion, the flood of thoughts and uncertainties kept pushing at the edges of my mind. My heart pounded in my chest, and my palms grew slick with sweat as the familiar tide of anxiety swept over me.

"Any suggestion of what we might do to solve your sister's case as well?" I asked, trying to calm myself up.

"Uh... Just to remind you two, Zane isn't allowed inside the headquarters because of his possible connection to the kidnapper," Ron said, his attention divided as he fiddled with the radio.

I wasn't permitted to enter. Instead, I remained in the car, scrolling through social media in an attempt to soothe my nerves.

After aimlessly browsing the internet for a while, I found myself absorbed in the comic series I had been following, losing track of time as I scrolled through the pages on my screen.

"Why did you leave Xi Jiu?!" I muttered at the female character who suddenly broke up with her boyfriend. My focus was abruptly shattered as the car door swung open with a creak.

"What happened to you?" I turned to see Raine, who gave me a serious look.

I quickly turned off my phone and put it back in my pocket. "Ah, nothing. Let's go," I said. "Where are we heading?"

Everyone dispersed to their designated spots as Ron slid into the driver's seat. Through the front mirror, I noticed Detective Cruz's van trailing closely behind us.

"Raine?"

"I'll explain when we get home, Zane," she said, her voice tight with worry. "I have a morning class with Professor Aguilar and need to rest so I can get there early."

"Where's Detective George?"

"He's working on John Zamora's case," she answered. "Now, please, I don't want any more problems."

"Sorry," I said quietly.

After a series of turns, we finally pulled up in front of a building directly across from ours.

"Flora's Boarding House?"

Before stepping inside, Raine pulled out her phone and turned it on, watching the screen light up.

"You don't need to look, Zane," she said before I could glance at her screen. "It seems like nothing happened—"

Her eyes widened as she glanced back at the building. Following her gaze, I noticed the dark, rundown house next to it.

Her phone rang once more. She quickly answered, her expression tense as she pressed it to her ear.

"I'm here," Raine said.

"Good! Now, I want you to find the real culprit," the same calm male voice from before replied.

What if—

"Terror? Terror—" I whispered to Raine.

"On the wall?" she replied in a flat, monotone voice.

"Huh?"

"You're confusing me. Stop interrupting," she whispered back, annoyed.

The man's voice took on an urgent edge. "We're at the climax of your story, De Verra!" he said, his tone sharp. "You have the key, so it's up to you."

"Time is still running, and... you only have two minutes left," he added.

"What key? What do you mean—"

Beep!

I noticed sweat beading on Raine's forehead, slowly trickling down her face despite the cold weather.

"Why did he make us come here?!" she exclaimed, tugging at her hair in frustration.

"Raine, I might have found the answer!" Detective Cruz emerged from their car, holding the journal given by Mrs. Angelica.

The first page featured a black rose, its petals stark against a backdrop of red paint smudged on as if applied by hand.

The next page showed a half-drawn figure, sketched in black ballpoint pen. It was hard to determine the gender or identity, as it was unfinished and covered with haphazard crayon scribbles.

"What is this?" I asked.

"Unfinished drawings," Detective Cruz replied.

More incomplete sketches filled the pages until Raine stepped closer to the entrance of the flower shop.

Raine layered the pages with the drawings and held them up to the light, revealing an image of a man.

"We now know who caused the fire back then," she said.

"Police might have records on him," said Detective Cruz. He took the red notebook from Raine and ran over to Ron.

Seconds of investigation in Detective Cruz's van, with his three backups, ticked by as the clock kept running.

"There were two of them, but she remembers only one face," said Raine.

"We found other strange symbols in the book, but I don't know if we have time," said Detective Cruz.

"One of the men is named Alex Bautista. He has a prior homicide record," Ron said, showing us a match on his computer screen.

"Location?" asked Detective Cruz with urgency in her voice.

Ron opened a new window on his computer, revealing a detailed map.

"Is that the location of the phone that called Raine?" asked Detective Cruz.

"I didn't expect this, but we've found the kidnapper's location," said Ron.

As he zoomed in on the map, we saw the red circle right in front of where we were standing.

"Got ya!" Ron exclaimed.

"Put on a bulletproof vest, Raine. Can you go there alone?" Detective Cruz asked.

"Alone? That's too dangerous!" I protested.

"Time is running out," Raine replied. "I'm the target, and I don't want anyone else to risk their life for this case!"

A police officer handed her a vest, which she quickly strapped on. To blend in, she then pulled on a long beige double-breasted trench coat — one I recalled seeing Detective Cruz wearing earlier.

"Take care of it, alright?" she instructed Raine.

"I'm coming with you!" I said, reaching for the van's door to find a vest, but Raine stopped me.

"Zane, it's dangerous!" she urged, her grip firm on my arm.

"It's dangerous, but you're going alone?" I asked, swallowing hard as I tried to steady my voice.

"Don't you remember?" she snapped, frustration evident in her voice. "That person can take lives. The third hostage only mentioned the kidnapper's gentle voice and still wasn't saved!"

"But—" I began, but the words caught in my throat.

Another call came through.

"What more do you want? When will you end this silly mess?" Raine demanded.

"Ten... seconds," came the man's chilling voice.

It felt as though lightning had struck my mind as those came running towards my mind.

"In ten seconds... you must... find me," he added, the urgency clear in his tone.

"Go on, Raine!" Detective Cruz spoke.

"But what if he's not actually there?" I asked, anxiety still rising inside of me.

"Ten!" The man's voice echoed through the phone as the countdown started.

"We have no choice," Raine said, her resolve firm. She darted towards the building, her figure cutting through the dim light.