002.

The knock on the door disrupted Denzel's sleep. He loved to sleep in everytime, but he rose from.bed anyways, though a bit sleepy, he walked to the door and twisted the door knob open.

"Denzel", Sophie gushed at his naked body. Well just his chest.

"Oh Sophie, goodmorning", Denzel greeted, immediately looking over her shoulders, "where's Tania?" He asked.

She paused and stared at him for a second.

"She refused to come with you? Don't tell me she sent you to pick up her clothes for today", sadness laced his voice.

"What are you saying? Didn't Tania come home last night?"

"Sorry what?"

"Tania.. she didn't sleep at my place, she left at night and I called you but no answer so I guessed you might have been faraway from your phone or something. I actually came to apologize because she..."

"Sophie wait! Wait!" Denzel couldn't comprehend a thing.

"What do you mean she left at night?" He asked.

"Well, she found out you called and I told you that she was at my place, she got furious and left saying she was coming home.."

"You let her out under the rain?!!"

"Well, it hadn't started pouring yet. But that's why I kept calling you, so you could maybe meet her on the road or something but you weren't taking my calls!"

Denzel left her at the door and rushed inside, getting into their bedroom and checking his phone. Truly, Sophie had called him thrice around 10pm.

Fear gripped him.

The thought that something might have happened to her paralyzed him. Many thoughts running through his mind.

Maybe she did come home and kept knocking under the rain and ....

No! He would have heard her.

He wasn't a deep sleeper.

He tried Tania's line and it was completely switched off. He tried again and again and again and again and still switched off.

Shit!

Shit!

Shit!

"Denzel?", Sophie called walking into the room.

"She didn't come home last night Sophie".

"Calm down now. Try her mom. Maybe she went over to her mom's", Sophie suggested.

"Yeah! Right", he exhaled though not completely relieved.

The thought she might not be at her mom's lingered too.

He dialed Mrs. Johnson line but she wasn't answering. Two more times and yet no answer.

"Let's drive over", Sophie suggested.

"Thanks", he said and rushed to his closet, he simply threw a sweatshirt over his body, not bothering to change his pyjamas short as he followed Sophie out.

But just as they got to the door and opened it, the policeman still had his hand up in an attempt to knock on the door.

"Hi?" Sophie voiced.

"Mr. Williams?" The cop asked directing his gaze at Denzel.

"Yeah?" Denzel answered uncertainly.

"Do you know any Tania Williams?"

At this point, Denzel didn't like this conversation was headed.

"That's my wife" he answered either way.

"Is she the one?", He pointed at Sophie but Sophie shook her head in response and said, "I'm her best friend".

"Well, is your wife around?", The cop asked again and Denzel got pissed.

"Hey man, I don't what this is about? But no! My wife isn't home. She didn't come home last night and we headed to her mom's right now. I've called but no one's picking. I need to know if she slept there. So if you have nothing to say , kindly leave so we can head out", he spat.

The cop with a very straight face, relayed his message, "your wife's at the morgue. Her body was found by the river this morning, luckily one of the onlookers recognized her and it led us here".

Sophie had already screamed and still was screaming while Denzel tried to maintain his balance.

"If you can come with us, to identify if the body's truly hers...."

"Stop! My wife would be at her mom's and that's where we headed okay. So kindly leave...."

"Noooooooooo!!!!", Sophie screamed in tears and fell on her knees.

"We just need you to come identify the body..."

Denzel exhaled and exhaled yet again as he battled with his tears.

No! He wouldn't cry. He would go there and confirm it ain't her. It can't be.

He blinked away his tears and followed the cops. Sophie joined even as she cried. Denzel couldn't even console her. He didn't even bother trying. He just kept mute as he was lost in his thoughts.

Soon, they arrived and walked in.

They were led to the body that was laying lifeless and covered on a table. Sophie grabbed Denzel's hand tightly meanwhile Denzel's balled his fist and clenched his jaw as they uncovered the body.

Right there was his sweetheart.

"Oh no!" Sophie gasped and began her tears afresh.

"No! No!" She let go of Denzel and rushed to her friend's side immediately, "Tania", she cried.

Denzel just remained rooted to his spot, staring at the pale lifeless body of Tania. He went numb. Tears rolled down his eyes. His world crumbled.

Sophie tore the white covering off Tania's body and her entire body came to view.

"Who did this?" She turned to the cop grabbing him by the collar and hitting his chest.

She turned to Tania again and hiccupped, "what's this?" She left the cop's body and walked to Tania.

She touched the gown on her body.

"Who wore her this?" She asked.

"We found her in that", the cop said.

"That wasn't what she wore to work yesterday ", Denzel's voice finally rang out but almost in a whisper.

"She didn't wear this. She wasn't wearing this!" Sophie yelled.

"Well, maybe the killer did", the cop said, "we thought she might have drowned due to the weather and all but she didn't. We found multiple stabbings on her", he announced.

And Denzel turned to him, "so there is a killer out there?", His knuckles turned white as he balled his fist even more.

He couldn't help but imagine a thousand ways he was going to make the killer beg for death.

Will it bring Tania back?

No.

Will he do it anyway?

Yes.

Whoever it is must pay.

"There is a killer, we believe and we're working on that. We just need to know all that happened".