CHAPTER 5

I found Danny laying on the bedroom floor with his shirt torn and stained with blood. I called out his name a few times but he was unconscious. A quick pulse check indicated that he was alive..I needed to revive him. Before I could think of anything, Danny opened his eyes and groaned in pain as he tried to get up.

"You are hurt. don't move." I said in a frantic voice while pressing a cloth to his wound. "What happened?" he asked.

"You have been stabbed. I need you to remove your shirt so I can clean your wound. " I felt my cheeks flush at the thought of him removing his shirt. I waited for him as he obeyed and took his shirt off. he groaned in pain but I was not sure if he would want me to help him take it off. The cut wasn't so bad now that I had cleaned up the blood.

"No need for stitches or anything," I told him after close inspection.

Danny had a gorgeous hard manly body. I had not seen him work out since I got here but he was in great shape. I suddenly felt the urge to run my fingers down his chest. His voice brought me out of my fantasies.

"Tomorrow we head over to the apartment and look for clues. This is getting out of hands and I need to know what the hell is going on" he rose to his feet and headed for the medicine cabinet. At the very same moment, the sound of a ringing telephone got my attention.

"Would you please get that?" he asked from the bathroom.

"Hello?" there was no answer on the other side.

"Hello?!" I repeated..nothing. the phone was finally slammed down startling me a little and leaving me confused.

I glanced at the clock and it was a little past midnight. I suddenly felt exhausted as I laid on the couch and thought of the intruder. I knew that face. Despite the darkness, his face was very much clear to me..but where have I seen him? I tried to think of possible places where I could have met or seen him and nothing came to mind.

Laying there I could suddenly smell lavender. The smell was so familiar but vague. I shut my eyes tighter and the sound of clinking cutlery followed by a " It's breakfast time Karen" woke me up. Where was I? this is not Danny's place. The familiar room suddenly made me realize that I was back at home, in my room. How did I get here? the familiar scent of clean laundry made me smile a little. It was good to be home. I made my way to the kitchen and she was right there. The low humming coming from her made me want to reach out and touch her. She was right there but I couldn't touch her.

"Maya?", I called out. my voice sounding like a whisper. "Maya." She suddenly stopped humming and turned around to face me. Her eyes held so much sadness and welled up with tears.

With a croaky voice, she held out her hand and muttered, "Jane.", and with that, she seemed to be fading away and disappearing right before me. I cried out for her and tried to grab her to no avail.

"Karen!" a loud voice shook me out of my trance. It was just a dream. I took in my surroundings and I was still at Danny's. he sat on the coffee table in front of me looking at me worryingly. I let out my breath and for a second wished that I was really back home with Maya. She seemed so sad. Sadder than usual. Even in death she still longed for her beloved Jane.

" Are you alright?" asked Danny, " you were calling out "Maya" in your sleep.

I looked at him and tried to quickly come up with something to change the topic. I can't speak about Maya. At least not yet. I quickly scrambled to my feet and headed for the bathroom. Staring at my reflection in the mirror, I didn't look so good. My usually straight hair looked like it needed a wash. My eyes were puffy. Was I really crying in my sleep? I wondered. I missed Maya so much.

The way she held me when I had bad dreams. Her soft skin when she held me against her but mostly the food she always seemed to be cooking for me. I could never understand how I kept my weight in check. Fast metabolism I guess. I smiled at the thought of Maya.. my reminiscence was brought to a stop by a knock on the door.

"We have to leave Karen," called Danny's voice.

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The apartment that Danny shared with Stacie was not too far from his home. Dust covered every surface and indicated that nobody has been here for a long time. I scanned the white-painted room and took in the furniture style. It was somewhat similar to what Maya had back home. The large curtained windows must have been kept shut the whole time. The room was in need of sunlight. A pile of boxes sitting in the corner caught my attention. That could be Stacis's belongings. I headed towards the boxes and in one open box was a green coat. I recognized it from the photos that Danny had described to me. I touched it and felt its fabric. It was her favorite coat apparently. I couldn't help but wonder if she would have liked me. Would she have taken me as a sister? I was never going to find out.

I felt a tiny tear form in my eye as I picked up an old photo Album. There were plenty of photos of Stacie as a kid. Playing with other kids and beaming with joy. In another photo, she sat on a woman's lap and a tall man stood next to them. The man's expression was hard to read but the woman had on a broad smile. She looked so happy. Her happiness cost Maya her joy. I studied the photo a little longer and something caught my attention. Stacie's hair seemed to be two different colors. The roots seem to be dark in color and the rest of her hair was red.

I put the pictures away and picked up the folder with articles written by her, articles involving the CAA, and most importantly, articles about her death. The headlines were all familiar to me. I looked through them a little more until I saw something that caught my eye.

Right there, with the headline PABLO MARTINEZ: NOT GUILTY. The man responsible for Stacie's death seemed to be looking right back at me. His eyes were cold at the same time, he seemed sad and tired. Those eyes... I felt shock and fear take over my body as I remember the intruder that knocked me over at Danny's place.

It was him.