Smells like a rat!

"What are you doing here, Rachael?" I asked, "And why do you look so scared to see me?"

"Mélie, listen...I...I was just…" Broken words fell out of her mouth, "I was just…"

I looked at her keenly and took another step towards her. She leaped in fear as I bent down before her, picking up the file from the ground.

My eyes flew open as they dug into the contents of the documents, "I was just dropping it." I heard her say.

"Rachael, how could you?" I asked, stupefied beyond all reasoning.

"It...fell. I was just returning it." "I was just returning it, Mélie."
~

New York city police station. The smell of coffee caught my nose as I stepped in. I could hear the endless ringing of cell phones and the sound of computers in the background, with uniform men bustling around the building. A man in uniform, obviously the police inspector, took his seat behind a large desk with stacks and stacks of files.

"You can have a seat." He said, gesturing at the empty chair in front of him. I thanked him before settling myself into the chair.

He summoned an officer and ordered coffee, "2 cups?"

"No, Thank you." I replied.

While his coffee was on its way, I studied the bulletin boards on the orange walls displaying maps, notices and wanted posters. One man had a scar running from his eyebrows right down to his jaw. His vicious smirk and dark eyes gave him a striking resemblance with Dracula.

"Murry Murph!" The inspector's voice drew me back to him. He took a sip of his coffee, "Wanted for the death of his brother-in-law and his sister."

I gasped in shock. Humanity can be so cruel.

"We'll get him for sure." The inspector continued, "He has been here before over some grand theft case."

"Now, back to why you are here." He said, changing the subject, "Who is that woman to you?"

"She's a...She's a staff. She works for me." I replied.

"As a receptionist?" He asked and I nodded, "She's not supposed to have had any business with discreet financial statements of your company then."

"We will interrogate her and then let you know what comes up. Meanwhile, I would advise you to gather up previous statements from your company and run a proper check on workers. This might end up being a very serious case." He added, sternly.

My phone rang as I strode out of the police station, "Damien."

"What happened, Mélie?" He asked. I hadn't informed him about the arrest yet, but I was sure that he could have been informed by one or maybe even multiple of the staff at the office.

"There was a scene at the office." I started, "I didn't know what else to do, Damien." I went ahead to tell him how I caught Rachael with the confidential documents in my office.

"I could have sworn the door was locked."

"I didn't want to believe anything Damien but the fear in her eyes told me she was guilty." I added.

My heart was already heavy as I thought of all possible explanations which could have driven Rachael of all people to try involving in something so vile. She had refused to answer any of my questions and had attempted to run when I tried to call security on her.

"Then she is in fact guilty as you suspect." Damien Jaeger proclaimed, "Are you still in the police station? I'm coming down there to meet you."

"No, I just left." I said, "I think I should just head back to the office. It was already going haywire when I left it."

"I'll be in the office in 20 then." "I've sent words to security. No one goes in or out of Paradox- Except you." He said and hung up the call.

This was quickly getting very serious. I thought as I entered my Porsche and ignited the engine, driving myself out of the parking lot of the police station.
~

"How is this possible?" Damien Jaeger's voice thundered round the room, "A background check was run on everyone of you."

Placing his hands in his pocket in a manner that showed he was in no hurry whatsoever, Damien Jaeger walked around the room, studying everyone as he did, "And it looks like more than one of you will be on your way to jail." He added.

His deadly glare dug into the faces of each of his staff who were outwardly frightened of him. His hand moved up and hung in mid-air, pointing towards a staff at the left side of the conference hall. My eyes followed the direction which Damien Jaeger was pointing and they flew open in shock.

"Ken?"

"Don't make me lose my patience. Come forward." Damien Jaeger said. Ken wore a confused look on his face. He didn't move an inch but instead remained glued to the spot.

Damien Jaeger briskly stared at the watch around his wrist, "2.5 seconds." He counted. I sensed danger!

Ken started moving but only his body as his feet remained glued to the floor. Someone was trying to squeeze his way out from behind him. A shiny lush texture caught my eyes, "Lizzy Gold?!"

Her sharp eyes fell on the floor as she walked. Dressed in red today, I had to admit that she resembled a fallen angel. She stopped in front of Damien Jaeger and finally raised her eyes to meet him.

I flew into rage, "How could you do this?!"

"So you were the one who set Rachael up. It was all you!"

"Mélie…" She called my name.

"How dare you. You thought you could get away with this, didn't you?!"

"Mélie." It was Damien Jaeger's turn to call me.

Fuelled by anger, I continued, my voice echoing around the silent hall, "Well you thought wrong. You're going to be thrown behind bars, trust me. You'll rot in jail, do you hear me? YOU'LL ROT IN…"

"Lizzy Gold is not the culprit, Mélie!" Damien Jaeger announced.

The rest of my words hung mid-air and I drew back, perplexed, "What?"