Morning came rolling in the next day. MJ is by the front desk, fiddling with the keychain Veronica gave her yesterday. Just then Raymond and Amari stepped out as the elevator doors slid open. Amari's steps faltered at the sight of MJ alone.
"Where's Veronica ?" He asked.
"She's with Eniola and the others, they're still working on that case you know." MJ said not looking up. "Where are you going ?"
"We're going to help Diana get somethings." Raymond said as he adjusted his jacket and ran a hand through his hair. "Also we're going to look for Abayomi."
MJ's ears perked up. "What do you mean ?"
Amari adjusted his eye patch. "Apparently my sister 'claimed' she's going to help him get a tool for his new project."
MJ arched a brow. "And ?"
Raymond sighed, rubbing his temple. "She sent me a text telling me to go get it myself at the store. Said I still owe her... Which is true, Anyways bye."
She watched them walk out the front door. Her brows furrowed, as if sensing something was off.
"Is it me, or why does it look like Yomi just played them ?"
"Exactly."
Startled by the sudden response, MJ whipped her head around, only to see Abayomi walk out of a hidden corner grinning like she'd just won the lottery.
MJ blinked rapidly. "Why are you here ? Aren't you supposed to be at the store.... or wherever you're supposed to be ?"
Abayomi waved dismissively. "Yeah, yeah. The thing is I never left in the first place. I just stayed hidden long enough to make him assume I was gone."
"Why would you...." MJ stopped, then made a sound somewhere between a groan and a sigh. "So what's the reasoning..." She gestures around "behind all this ?"
Abayomi smiled mischievously. "There's something I need from Raymond all this while, but he just won't give it to me. So I thought I could make use of this opportunity to get him out of here." Her smile deepened as she tapped her chin playfully. "Besides its a win-win since Amari is out so there's no one to stop me."
Before MJ could reply, the elevator doors slid open and Diana stepped out. "Good morning MJ, I came to ch... Huh ?" She tilted her head, eyes narrowing, focused on the figure standing behind MJ.
"Abayomi ? I thought you'd gone out to get something for Raymond, or rather, didn't he and your brother leave to look for you ?"
Abayomi said nothing, only grinned.
The lab wasn't your usual kind of science lab. It was immaculate, the kind of clean that suggested control rather than care. The kind that belonged to someone who knew what they were doing and didn't care if it frightened you.
It had all the necessary laboratory apparatus, but most contained unknown liquids and solids with labels hinting that their origins are not from this realm. Shelves lined the walls, containing books of different categories dedicated to magic, alchemy and science. A cauldron sat in a corner, filled with a strange liquid that shifted colours the longer you stared at it. It bubbled steadily despite there being no heat beneath it.
Eniola sat on an ergonomic chair, she had just crushed a cigarette into the ashtray. She leaned forward, resting her chin on her palm as she stared at the four seated in front of her.
"Okay then." She started. "Let's hear what you Sherlocks have to say."
Amare cleared his throat. "Well, as you already know about the amnesia plague and how its affecting the victims."
She nodded lazily. "Yes, yes. I know, let's get to the point."
Veronica continued. "So yeah, Leora is a victim we met some days back. She's the only one who had fragments of her memories left."
Eniola drummed her fingertips on the table. "And what are those... Fragments ?"
Zuri's gaze dropped. "She mentioned that she tried to commit suicide by jumping off a building but was stopped by someone.
She couldn't recall who they were but they gave her a black card, possibly a business card since she started attending therapy sessions with them."
"So what happened to the card ?" Eniola asked.
Jared straightened. "Well, she fainted before she could get the card for us. She was taken to the hospital where she died unfortunately. Mr David sent two officers to search her house for the card but they mysteriously died as well. There's no trace of the black card in her house."
Eniola's gaze sharpened as she straightened up. "Okay, so is there any pattern you've noticed ? especially when you visited the hospital. "
Amare thought for a moment, twirling a lock of his hair. "Well, for starters, the victims looked hollowed out and mentioned something about having happy dreams."
Zuri glanced at Eniola. "We visited some victims' families and they stated that before all this, the victims were going through series of hardships. They also went for therapy sessions but no one close to them knew who the therapist was."
Eniola leaned back in her chair, arms crossed. "Okay, but didn't the families notice anything weird sooner. I mean, I don't think they lost their memories overnight. I have a feeling this was a gradual process."
The four exchanged glances, Veronica was the first to speak. "We believe that the culprit must be quite the meticulous fellow. They must have primed them, using something to mask the memory loss so that no one will notice until its too late."
Jared stretched his arms out. "Plus the families felt something was off about them but didn't question it since the victims seemed to be better."
Eniola got up and went to window, her gaze drifting outside. "Okay, we have laid out all the pieces of the puzzle, for now. All that left is to see how they fit together. Whatever comes next will give us answers... or better questions."
"I believe the person you all suspect is the therapist."
"Yes." They say in unison.
Amare propped himself on his elbow. " The possibility that they all had the same therapist is quite high, especially if you consider what Leora said."
Jared set his hat down and tapped his temple, as if considering something. "Whoever this 'therapist' is, they must have encountered other victims in similar ways to Leora."
Veronica looked at him then looked down, a silent signal of thought crossing her mind. "You mean this therapist might have met others on a rooftop in the past ?"
"No, well probably. What I'm trying to say is that they probably met them at their lowest point." He shared a look with Eniola. "It makes sense if you consider the timing they met Leora."
Eniola tilted her head, letting his words settle into her mind. "Yes, yes, its possible. They must have made sure the victims reached a state of total hopelessness. This makes it easier for them to manipulate the victims by acting like some kind of savior."
There was silence for a moment, the dreadful feeling settled over the four like a blanket. Zuri clasped her hands tightly in her lap, eyes narrowing slightly. "Then in that case, this person must have a way of choosing their victims. They definitely didn't randomly pick people, they must have had a way of knowing their mental state...a way of knowing who's easier to manipulate."
Veronica leaned back, fingers interlaced behind her head. She looked up at the ceiling, this case was more complicated than she thought. She closed her eyes, pressing a finger to her temple as she thought. She let out a heavy sigh and turned her head to the left where Jared was seated. She watched him drum his fingertips on the table, eyes fixed on a point on the wall.
She slowly turned her head to the right where Zuri and Amare were seated. Zuri's hands remained clasped in her lap as her foot tapped against the ground. Amare kept twirling a lock of his hair, something Veronica had learned meant he was lost in thoughts.
She straightened up, looking more focused than ever. "Well, since this culprit is obviously a non-human. There has to be a way for them to sense negative energy from humans, kinda like a phone that senses bad Wi-Fi but still connects anyway."
She paused, brows furrowing. "Wait I don't think that was a good description.... Or was it ?"
Amare smiled at what she said. "Close enough. Anyway that's not really what's bothering me right now."
Eniola arched a brow and looked at him. "Then what is ?"
"Its how they had full access to their memories. Considering the amount of victims, They definitely didn't meet with each one everyday. Maybe... There must have been a way for the therapist to access their memories without the victim being physically present."
A silent thread of agreement passed through them all.
Veronica was the first to break the silence. "Maybe the therapy sessions were enough time for them to get their memories. You know, since the victims will be pouring out their hearts to them."
Jared sighed and leaned back, dragging his hands down his face. "Yes, you're right but I don't think those sessions were enough. Let's say this therapist had to attend to seven people a week, then it would be one person per day."
Zuri slightly bit the tip of her thumb. "Yeah... Considering no one around the victims bothered to question anything, the therapist must have slowly stolen their memories overtime."
Veronica clenched her fists in her lap. "They must have used another way." She paused. "Something that connected them to the victims. Something... that was able to mask the Amnesia."
Silence fell over them again. Eniola's gaze sharpened, her eyes scanning their faces with an intensity that could even make the bravest man stutter. No one seemed to notice at all, Amare pressed a finger to his temple. The question weighed on him, just what could it be ?
Just as a light bulb suddenly lights up in a dark room. An epiphany dawned on him causing his eyes to widen.
"The black card !" He exclaimed, nearly jumping off from his seat.
The others looked at him, stunned by his sudden action. Amare looked like a man who has just discovered Gold buried in his backyard.
"Get it ?" He asked. "It has to be the card. The therapist must have given each victim the same black card, the card must have been the link connecting them."
Jared snapped his fingers at him and smiled. "Of course, that has to be it."
Eniola smirked. "Took you long enough to figure that out."
Jared's smile faltered. "Took us... What!? You figured that out already and you didn't say anything."
Eniola winked, her smirk deepened. "Hey, you guys are the Sherlocks here." She points finger guns at him and winked once more. "You could consider me as your... Dr. Watson in this case." Veronica grinned, she appreciated her sense of humor.
Eniola straightened. "Just as you guys have stated, the card must have acted like some kind of tether between the therapist and their victims."
Zuri rubbed her chin, deep in thoughts. "Tether... This would make it easier for the Therapist ."
"Bingo." Eniola grinned, pleased at what she said.
Veronica raised a hand. "Then... would that explain Leora and the two officers death ?"
Zuri snapped her fingers, an epiphany dawning on her as well. "Oh I see what you mean. Since Leora had the card, the therapist must have killed Leora through that tether."
"They must have sensed her memories were not completely wiped out which will pose as a threat to them." Jared said.
Eniola's eyes lit up. "There's also a high chance that the two officers came across the black card. They must have touched it, thereby creating another tether."
Jared smiled as he put on his hat. "They must have killed the officers through that tether as well.... Meaning..."
"They were silenced... All three of them." Veronica said finally.
The feeling of trepidation washed over them. The more they looked into this case, the more complicated it got. The culprit definitely wasn't your average enemy. Whoever they are, they're not only meticulous but highly intelligent.
Amare sighed heavily, twirling a lock of his hair once more. "Yes but, if we had the black card it would have been easier to track the culprit. As of now we have nothing to use."
"I don't think so." Eniola said. "You see, back at the station morgue, I used a device to pick up on magical residues. I believe I have a book here on how to trace magical residues back to their possible owners."
Zuri's eyes lit up in delight. "Thank you so much Eniola, we really appreciate your help."
Eniola smiled and waved her off. "Yes, yes, I know. How about you guys leave for now and let me handle this."
Jared slammed his hand on the table. "No way, we didn't tell you to help us just to dump the workload on you. We'll help out too."
Eniola wore a cynical smile. "And here was I thinking your usual lazy ass would be grateful to me taking all the work."
Jared smiled sweetly, the kind of smile that held back annoyance. "Do I look like the kind of person that will slack off at times like this ?"
"maybe."
"WHY YOU..."
Eniola waved him off dismissively. "Relax, relax. I was just kidding. Keep it down, the last thing I want is you scaring the girl."
She pointed at Veronica.
Veronica had a slightly confused look on her face. "me ? I'm not scared."
"You will be soon enough."
She blinked "Should I be scared ?"
"No." Jared said, glaring daggers at Eniola. Her lips twitched but she ignored him.
Zuri looked at Veronica and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Veronica, I think you can leave for now. You can go and join MJ, we'll stay behind and help out."
Veronica blinked twice. "You're sure ?"
"Totally, we'll update you on anything we've found." Amare said. Jared and Eniola nodded in agreement. Veronica bid them good luck and left.
At the lobby, MJ has just finished attending to a guest. She's listening to one of Abayomi's rant when the elevator doors opened and Veronica stepped out.
MJ smiled faintly. " welcome."
Abayomi beamed. "oh, oh. Welcome back Veronica, how did it go ?"
"Its going fine." She replied, taking the seat next to MJ. "Eniola wants to do some research, the others are going to help her out. They told me to go back and help MJ."
"Hope you didn't miss me too much ?" Veronica teased.
MJ tilted her head. "Not at all. Yomi here was entertaining me with her yap."
Abayomi frowned. "hey ! I wasn't yapping." She paused, then grinned. "okay maybe I was... A little bit but you got to hear me out...."
At that moment, the entrance doors swung open and someone stepped in. A girl who looks like she's in her mid-twenties, Her curly red hair is packed into a braided bun with a huge white bow. Her grey eyes scanned the lobby before settling on the three girls. She wore a simple blue dress with small white polka dots. The temperature of the place seemed to drop slightly. As she approached the front desk, the three quickly snapped out of their daze.
"Hello miss." Veronica greeted.
"How may we help you ?" MJ asked with a smile.
The girl stared at them for a moment and then parted her lips . The words She spoke right after left the three girls in a state of complete astonishment.
"I know who's responsible for the Widespread of Amnesia at Daru district."