The Outcast 5

 People can be mean, they can hurt, destroy, and people, like me, feel humiliated by their actions.  Somehow, I had always felt vulnerable and lousy by the fact that I couldn’t stand up to some typical high school trolls.  It felt like it was my weakness, my embarrassment to hold.  It wasn’t.

Frantically diverting my eyes from Jolene, I began stammering and stuttering, only to have her grab my shoulder.

‘Miss Sarah,’  she squeezed it. ‘You need to realize that your responses are extremely vital for this case.  Carmen knows you…is stalking you, so you are our direct link to figuring out his identity.  So, please be honest and tell me if you know these girls.  I assure you that the information you provide will remain confidential.’

‘Ummm….ttt-they were with me in high school,’  I awkwardly supplied.  ‘WWW-we weren’t eeee-exactly on fffff-friendly terms.’

“Hmmm, we have brought them into custody, since we feel like their lives must be in danger.’  She informed, removing her hand from my shoulder. ‘Inspector Webber is going to ask questions from them in the interrogation from behind the mirror-window?’  She asked, making me chew on my fingernails and ponder.

Look at my bullies, see them happy and flourishing?  I didn’t know if I wanted to .  But, I felt like this was something I couldn’t resist.  There was a sense of comfort in feeling that I had been wronged, the satisfaction that I wasn’t wrong.  These girls were…their arraogance and ways would be a reminder that it wasn’t my mistake.

A little out of it, I mutely nodded and let out a shaky breath.  I couldn’t say that I wanted to witness something that could make me cry in self - pity for days.

Upon gaining my approval, Jolene then turned around and loudly called out to a lady officer who standing near the window of the interrogation room and talking to someone on a black cell phone.  ‘Get the girls and have them sit in the interrogation room in five minutes, I will get their files from Gen and meet you there.’

‘On it!’  Charlotte shouted back, putting away her phone and stomping towards a small room that led away from the office -area.

I was left a tangled mess.  So, my past was going to hit me this soon? Was I ready? Had I accomplished anything in life that could make me match up to their calibre?

Trying to keep the tremors at bay, I started moving as Jolene began hurriedly pacing down the office arena, having police officers urgently come up to her and get her signatures on various files.  There were several phone calls they were making her attend, and one even pushed a coffee cup into her hands.  I was in need of coffee, too.

‘Oh, Miss Sarah,’  She tilted her head towards me for a quick second. ‘Just a piece of insight information before we get started on the interrogations, Two of the girls, which have been called in, recently got separated from their husbands a few months ago-one lost her job at a sales shop and one of them is taking some time-wasting therapy classes.’

Truth seemed to crush me with a heavy sense of pain.

The girls who had always been ahead of me, dealt with life as if it was served to them on a silver platter, were aching over some new found wounds.  I felt so ---confused.  They had destroyed my soul, belittled my dreams, and were now facing demons of their own.

Did that make me feel satisfied, happy? No.

For some weird reason, seeing my former bullies hurting and messed up brought along a feeling of epiphany, wrongdoers do get to pay, yet seeing anyone in pain is never going to give you the healing you want.

I had turned so bitter and frustrated in the need to see the ones who hurt me pay, yet upon seeing them suffering. It made me realize that this was not what I wanted.  I wanted happiness, healing and a sense of success.

This was not what I dreamed.

Standing behind the interrogation room’s mirror-window, I could see my ex tormentors haughty answering questions;  arrogance had always been their biggest traits.  They were giving short replies, wearing glamorous jewellery and eyeing Dect Jolene with fury.  Still just the same.

Seeing their soul still mingling with a sense of elitism made me feel a sense of pity for them.  These girls were so lost, they were messed up and making all the wrong choices in life.  Their arrogant soul made me question so many aspects. Was jeopardizing all my goals and dreams because because of these girls worth it?  Was I a fool for allowing their opinion to crush me?  Regret and agony couldn’t stop poking my heart.

I could see the police questioning the girls about whether they had felt like they were being followed in the past couple of months, noticed any suspicious activity, yet their investigatiion was going nowhere, the girls had noticed nothing but their own selves.  They were so self - absorbed.

Hearing their vague answers made me feel so confused.  Why had Carmen written down the names for these girls?  What was his motiVe?  He had scratched their names, which seemed like a clear threat to them, but hadn’t done anything so far.  I have noticed cases in which insane psychos believed sweet gestures meant harming those who had harmed their obsessions. Yet, this guy had done nothing of that sort (Not that I wanted him to do something), but it’s just that harming these girls would have made more sense of his part.

Frowning, I let out a yelp as someone tapped my shoulder from behind.

‘Yes,’ I turned around with an anxious look on my face.

‘Miss Sarah, we just got a package sent to our police station.  It had your name stapled on top of it.  The investigation team deems it to be sent by Carmen.  Would you mind coming with us and seeing if you can identify any of its contents?’  Charlotte asked expectantly, making me nod and give her a weak smile.

Another package?

What was this guy up to?

There had to be a message hidden somewhere, but I just couldn’t figure out what that message was.  And from the looks of it, the police seemed just as baffled as me.  Stepping inside a small storeroom, I noticed a group of lady officers standing around a huge square table, with contents of several boxes spread on it.  Everyone was wearing gloves as they handled the contents and made notes in their small notebooks.

Charlotte handed me a pair of gloves to wear, too.  I guess while Jolene was busy, Charlotte got to take charge.

‘Here’, she then grabbed a file labelled ‘2019 Clues’ and handed it to me, I was so done with files.

Shakily opening it, while wondering what new the files could reveal, I quickly went through the first few pages and met Charlotte’s gaze.

‘These are just some back records and financial documents.’  I gave her a baffled look. ‘I don’t understand.’

‘These bank records and documents belong to your father’s friend, Nishaan.’  She informed.  ‘They are proof of him and his son employing corrupt means of earning money.  Their recent trade with some oil industries is done on illegal grounds.’

What? Uncle Nishaan and Bradley were doing corruption?  Their extravagant wealth was nothing but a vicious display of greed and self-Fish? I felt so wronged.

These people, our close family friends, were exploiting the rights of others…taking what was not there.  It was so wrong.

‘BBB-but,’  I literally stuttered, not believing what I just heard. ‘How could that be?  And www-why would Carmen tell us this?’  My voice turned squeaky.

‘That is what we want you to tell us.’  She gave me a look. ‘Has your father’s friend ever wronged your family in some way… defrauded them in business or anything?’  Hmmm, I couldn’t recall anything of that sort.

Uncle Nishaan had always been a quiet and sweet guy.  Albeit, his family did - sometimes - treat us like a bit offhandedly, but they had always been there for us.  Even after Bradley’s rejection, I had always been like a daughter to Mr and Mrs Nishaan.

Wait! Could Bradley’s rejection be included as doing my family wrong?  No, absolutely not.  That was done on an understanding basis.  The whole matter had been kept extremely private and as subtle as possible which was one of the reasons I had respected Bradley.  He hadn’t completely rubbed it in my family’s face.

So, with everything about the change in plans always kept under the wraps, I was convinced Carmen couldn’t know anything about it. He was my stalker, but the backtracking of promises verbally took place ages ago…he couldn’t know anything about it. Although, I wasn’t going to leave anything out of knowledge so shrugged at Charlotte’s inquiry.

‘Ummm, Mrs Nishaan wanted med to jjj-join their family, bbb-but their son didn’t agree with their plans.’  I tried keeping my pain wrapped up at this confession.  I didn’t like the feeling of ever being treated like I wasn’t good enough.  It seriously hurt.

“Hmmm,’  Charlotte immediately wrote this information in her diary. In comparison to Dect Jolene, Charlotte seemed like an emotionless and hard - working secretary;  her mannerism seemed bored and robotic.  Jolene, on the other hand, was that stern boss who kept composed and dedicated yet hid a storm of emotions hidden in her façade.  She seemed like a dedicated officer, truly concerned about her cases and the people suffering because of it.

I felt like I could trust Jolene more…

Pondering over what Carmen could possibly be up to, what were his reasons for revealing all this information, I turned around as Jolene now stepped into this room.

‘They haven’t noticed anything particular,’  she announced, looking at all the officers.  I felt so confused.  Nothing at all ---so suspicious.

WHAT GAME WAS CARMEN PLAYING WITH US??

‘Miss Sarah,’  she then turned towards me.  ‘There is nothing we can do at the moment.  So why don’t you come to my office, and we can spend some hours studying all the information we have gathered till now. I think there is some kind of message Carmen is trying to send you.  Together, we can try decoding it.’

‘OOO-of course,’  I nodded.

Carmen was sending me a message, something only I would understand, and I think, with the help of the police, I could be able to decipher what he wanted to say.

I knew that he was a dangerous threat. This was a game, but I wasn’t going to try my best not to lose.  Unlike the police officers.  I wouldn’t allow this case to remain a mystery and Carmen to taunt my ignorance.

I was going to escape his dark games.