The CEO's Painted Skin 163 Interrogation

Sherry and Catherine were having lunch in the cafeteria.

Sherry talked about Jerome's sudden death that gave her the biggest shocker of her life. Catherine has been silent all along listening to her friend's chatter. It's not easy on her part to just pretend that she had no idea what happen to Jerome during his final hours on earth.

Her regrets were that if only they brought him into the Police Station, he would have been still alive today, it kept repeating in her mind like a broken record. John and his men's abduction of Jerome was the catalyst of his sudden demised and she also played a big part in it.

"I wonder who killed Jerome? It's so brutal, Cath!" Sherry shivered in horror. She only knew Jerome for a brief time but she finds him a very likeable guy, it's impossible to believe that he had an enemy who would do such evil terrible thing to him.

"Yes, the way he died by means of beheading is so barbaric!" she replied. Catherine was trying to push away the photo of his lifeless body floating in the shallow river. Until now she hasn't talked to John yet, she didn't return her call or his text but she read them all. It's just so painful, she and John were now back to the same previous situation again.

Why all this is happening?

Catherine toyed with her foods, she has no appetite for eating right now.

"By the way, Cath, Mark would like to see you later after work in the hotel lobby. He got some question to you regarding Jerome. He's been wanting to talk to you about Jerome and no matter how many times I told him to not bother you, he would still insist to see you. He promised me that he will only ask you some simple questions. Will you talk to him, Cath, just humor him please?" asked Sherry.

Catherine nodded and she sighed. "Okay. I will see him later. But why would he ask me questions about Jerome? I haven't seen Jerome on the day he disappeared and died," she lied.

Sherry shook her head. "I dunno. Maybe he was really shaken to the core when he learned that his best friend died in a gruesome death. Maybe he just wanted to know what happened during the last hour he was alive. He knows that Jerome was attending Grace birthday party the night he disappeared. So he might be asking you about that. He wants to play detective and try to fit the puzzle together. He just needs some answer to all his questions," explained Sherry.

The moment Sherry mentioned 'playing detective' Catherine's mind goes in the alert mood! So Mark will start digging about the murder case and starts with her. She'd better be careful with all the words coming out from her mouth or else Mark will suspect her that she saw Jerome a few hours before he died. She might as well warned her mother again not to say anything if somebody started questions regarding Jerome. Her mother's involvement regarding the drug r-ape will open up Pandora's box and might lead to the events in the warehouse prior to his death. It's a sensitive issue! The more she can't wait to get away from this place and work somewhere far away from these grisly memories of Jerome.

Fifteen minutes later...

They were done eating their lunch and exited the cafeteria to resumed their respective duties in the hotel.

...

The time was now 5:00 PM.

Catherine and Sherry's shift already ended. The two girls waited in the lobby for Mark to arrive. There weren't many clients hanging around the lobby so the timing was just perfect. When Mark finally arrived, he sat beside Catherine on the sofa and began firing questions. Sherry distances herself a little bit far away from them so that they can have a deep conversation without worrying about her presence, she busies herself browsing online stores in her cell phone.

...

"Mark, I'm so sorry about Jerome," said Catherine.

"Me too, I'm very shock and very sad to learn of his sudden death. You know, Jerome is not a bad person. Probably his only crime is falling madly, helplessly and obsessively in love with you. That is his only fault that I can find when he was still alive. He was not able to control his obsession with you that is why he does some things that were out of the ordinary." Mark was opening the way, his eyes didn't leave her face, watching for any hints that she might have some knowledge about Jerome's final hour that could help speed up the investigation process. He has no other suspect other than Catherine.

Catherine saw that Mark watched her face intently. He was probably trying to find a clue if she was involved with Jerome's death or not. She keeps her face calm and her voice steady.

"What was the 'not ordinary things' he did, Mark? Can you please elaborate to me? I am confused," said Catherine.

Mark was not expecting her question, she was supposed to answer him, now she was turning the table on him. It's either she doesn't know about the drug r-ape or she knows everything but she only pretended not to know.

"Jerome is a very good guy, he's been good to you? Right?" he asked again, wanting her to counter his words.

He studied her face again looking for some negative facial movement but found none.

Catherine 's mind instantly switches to the early days she worked in the diners restaurant with Jerome. Yeah, he has been good to her. "Yes, he is a very nice guy," she agreed.

"Did you missed her, Catherine?" asked Mark.

"Yes, as a friend I missed him and am so devastated when he died in an abominable way!" there was sadness in her eyes.

"Do you want to see the evildoers being punished for killing Jerome?"

"Yes..."

"So, tell me everything you know about what happened to Jerome, Cath," coaxed Mark. Its' either she know something or she doesn't know anything at all.

Catherine met Mark's penetrating gaze and saw that he was probing on her. He was suspecting her!

She shifted her gazed onto the beautiful flower vase on the center table.

"What do you want to know, Mark?" she asked.

"Tell me, where are you on the night of Grace's Birthday? That was the last time I had made contact with him. He informed me that he will attend your cousin's birthday party and after that, he never replied to my text messages ever again."

Catherine was recalling in her mind what exactly happened on that specific night. "I arrived at my cousin's birthday party late that night and everyone is already gone because I got delayed by accompanying Sherry in buying gifts at the mall. I haven't seen Jerome at the party. Grace told me that Jerome was there earlier at the party waiting for me. Then he just vanished from the party and Grace didn't see him anymore that night. I haven't seen him either that night he vanished." She lied again and it's the worst feeling in the world.

Mark was assessing her facial feature seeing nothing suspicious, she was indeed telling the truth. He was wondering what happened after Jerome left the party? What did he do? And where did he go? And most importantly the big question is why he left the party without waiting for Catherine to arrive first? Something important drove him away from the party? Damn! So many questions swirling in his mind. If he won't do some investigating on his own no one will seek justice for his friend's untimely death. Chances are if no witness will come forward then the murder case will join the unsolved cases lying dormant among the files in the Police Precinct records. He was feeling frustrated, no witness, no clues that could lead him to the suspect of the murder. Until now he had difficulty accepting that Jerome has already died. It's all so sudden!

"Thank you for your time answering all my question, Cath," said Mark in a sad voice

Catherine smiled a little. "It's okay...are you done with your questions? Can I go home now?" she asked.

"Yes," answered Mark.

Catherine bid goodbye to Mark and Sherry, she's feeling tormented inside, she walked out of the hotel's lobby heading for home.

Chapter end