Dedicated to Danielle_DR for been an awesome reader. Thanks a lot for all the support XX.

I remember when, I remember,
I remember when I lost my mind

There was something so pleasant about that place.
Even your emotions had an echo

In so much space
And when you're out there

Without care,

Yeah, I was out of touch
But it wasn't because I didn't know enough
I just knew too much
Does that make me crazy? 

~Gnarls Barkley "Crazy" 

Recap

"I can't! Don't you get it, I'm trapped. Alicia was killed that is all I can say for now,"

"How sure are you that she was killed?" asked the detective.

"I saw everything with my own eyes. I'm so scared. I feel eyes watching me everywhere I go. I think I'm being followed." The voice whispered.

"You can trust me, tell me where you are, I'll come to you."

"You don't want me dead right? I think those devilish eyes are watching me now. I see red eyes everywhere, it's creeping me out." The voice shook with terror .

Detective Casley was a man of his word and by that it meant that he did everything in his will anytime he was given cases like this. He  believed such cases were created solely for him because he understood and yearned for them and they required the same amount of attentiveness where he was concerned. He tightened his hold on the wheel till his knuckles almost peaked from his calloused skin that had toughened from years of hard work. 

"Ana Perla Del Rosario," He whispered. What a woman she was. No one in their right minds would ever consider tailing him since he was a predator always on a hunt. If he hadn't noticed the shiny black car earlier than he had, he would have led the suspicious pretty Mexican right to his potential witness and that was something he indubitably didn't want to do. He really hoped she'd listened to his sermon on how dangerous this case was. What he couldn't quite figure out was why she was so much after the autopsy results of a girl she had no relation with.

Did she have anything to do with Alicia Pepperman's dead? "Of course not." He slightly shook his head, she didn't look like one who would do that sort. She'd looked scared shitless when he approached her, something in her eyes told him how her fragility could be compared to that of a bird.

 Her beautifully structured face and enticing hazel eyes orbed with equally beautiful long lashes didn't look like that which could commit murder. His mind wandered off to how her voice had made his senses go on a high alert. He brushed it off as he squeezed his car onto another exhausting traffic congestion. He checked his time on his gold watch- the only bright accessory he had on, and laid back on his seat impatiently waiting for the traffic light to turn green.

^^

Detective Casely Grey arrived at his destination a few minutes later. He expertly took his shades off and eyed his timepiece- he was right on time. With his usual outburst of confidence, he made his way towards the mental facility; where his potential witness, Raina Collins was currently staying. How ironic it was that the only person who had seen Ali die had gone crazy right after she had called in to relay the information.

Raina Collins was a college student who had lived her life quietly and impetuously. She'd been a waitress at Cafe D'luna, a well known quaint coffee shop downtown east of Woodwave- before she'd accidentally witnessed an incident which completely changed her life and that of another who now laid dead six feet beneath.

Raina had done the right thing by choosing to call him when she had, because he was sure that if he hadn't traced the call, Raina would have also be added to the list of dead teens he had to lawfully avenge. That day, he had arrived at the said location only to be met with the limp figure of Raina, she unlike Alicia was not drenched in blood but looked like she had seen something that had scared her out of her wits; perhaps a visit from the killer. She was no longer in her right state of mind and Detective Casley had tried all he could to get her to tell him something that might help him nail the murderer once and for all.

"I'm here to see Raina Collins," He announced to a bespectacled nurse, who was also an acting receptionist.

She looked up from the file she was holding and made him sign a few documents he saw no point in. After signing, she placed an anonymous call and in not less than ten minutes a woman came into view.

 "You are the Detective who brought Raina in, aren't you?" A bulky lady in a white overall;  who stood almost as tall as he was asked, a small smile visible at the corners of her lips.

"Yes I am,"

"Well nice meeting you Detective, can I have a word with you?" Detective Casley nodded and followed the gigantic frame of the doctor. The noise that echoed through the halls was deafening and he wasn't surprised since that much was expected of a mental facility.

"Raina Collins has been diagnosed with schizophrenia," The doctor who was now seated on a swivel chair said quietly, clasping her hands that laid on a desk which was covered in dozens of folders.

"So her sickness is genetic?" Detective Casley asked fixing a steady gaze on the doctor.

"No, not in Raina's case. The cause of her sudden mental disorder is still unclear,"

"Do you think her illness was triggered by something or someone?" He eyed the doctor expectantly.

"It might just be caused by abnormalities in the brain's chemistry or structure. She keeps on hallucinating and talking about red eyes. She has not been responsive for a while now and refuses to leave her ward during therapy sessions,"

"Can I see her?"

"Of course you can," the doctor said as stood up from her seat. Detective Casley followed her as she continuously greeted other patients and colleagues as was required of her. She  led him through the white washed halls which smelled of disinfectant and perforated drugs to Raina's ward and stopped when she reached a door at the far end of the corridor.

A dim glow of light reflected from the room, "Why is it dark in there?" The Detective asked straining his eyes through the cold translucent door.

"People with schizophrenia have an imbalance of the brain chemicals or neurotransmitters which allow nerve cells in the brain to send messages to each other. The imbalance of these chemicals affects the way a person's brain reacts to stimuli and unfortunately Raina is a victim to being overwhelmed by too mch sensory information like loud music and bright lights,"

"She wasn't like this when I brought her in," Detective Casley said, deep in thought.

"She showed certain symptons the day you brought her in. And that's when the infamous red eyes comes in. She complains about been watched almost all the time. She is this calm because of the haloperidol she was given earlier"

"Thanks Doc, I'll take it from here," he proferred, as he opened the door. 

He walked into Raina's room and made himself comfortable near where  Raina sat. He was the only man sane enough to sit beside a woman as crazy as Raina was. "How are you doing?" He asked.

"Oh I'm terrific. I just finished plaiting Jessie's hair, she looks so cute in her braids, doesn't she?" Raina asked a wide smile on her lips.

Detective Casley sighed, it looked she was in a good mood. Jessie was Raina's three year old sister. It was rather sad that she now thought the doll was Jessie. "She's beautiful," he played along.

"I know right. She is a cute little thing. Momma says she's a real pain but I love her more than I love me." Raina said, her eyes submerging with hot tears. She wiped the tears and smiled. "You look familiar, you're Jared aren't you? He pulled my hair in third grade and made me cry," she pointed her index finger at Detective Casley and gave him a menacing look.

"No I'm not Jared. I'm Casley and I came here to help,"

Raina glared at him, "If you're here to help, then you can start by helping me change Jessie's clothes. She played a lot in the mud so she's all dirtied up," She said, as she gave the doll to him with a huff.

Detective Casley stared at the doll in amusement, "Okay, do have any spare?"

"Yes they are in that tiny wardrobe over there. Don't spoil the arrangement, man who claims he's not Jared- I suffered a great deal when I was arranging them,"

Detective Casley walked to the wardrobe and pulled it open, he saw a few tiny clothes tucked underneath and took out a tiny shimmering silver dress. He casually walked back to where Raina was seated, holding the doll and it's dress. "So tell me do you have any friends?" He asked, assuming his role as a detective.

"Yes I do," Raina smiled, snatching Jessie, who was now dressed in a sparkly dress from his hands.

"Does Alicia Pepperman ring a bell?" He asked. He knew he had made a mistake when he saw Raina tense.

Raina brazenly starred at him, her once almost happy eyes brimmed with tears. "Red eyes!" She shrieked, throwing her doll to the tiled floor. She looked around her, fear grabbed her and threw her into a frenzy. "They're coming for me, they are coming for me. Red eyes, red eyes. Get me the hell out of here," She cried out hysterically.

Detective Casley struggled keeping her under control until the doctor who had led him in came to put him out of his misery. The doctor scowled at him,  asking  with her furious eyes what he had done to make Raina react that way.

^^

It was late at night when Detective Casley decided to head back home for a cold evening shower. He sped in his battered station wagon, a frantic look on his hardened face. The window was down, the cold evening air whisking him in the face. He bit his lips in frustration, just when he felt was getting somewhere with the case, all his hard work had gone down the drain. He was too worn out and tired, the only people evading his thoughts being the crazy girl and the pretty nosy woman. 

He knew women like Ana Perla didn't just back off when they were told to, the expression on her face when he demanded she stayed out of his way showed how much she wasn't used to people telling her what to do. If there was one thing he admired about her, thus apart from her been attractive, was how tight lipped she was. He was well aware that she knew something and he was more than happy to welcome the thoughts of getting her under a close watch to know what she was hiding. 

He turned into his neighborhood- the kind were people mostly kept to themselves. He launched his car to a halt when he arrived at his two storey maisonette, and stealthily slipped inside. Without turning the lights on he stripped and made way for his bathrooms. 

A few hours later he was seated on his couch sipping coffee from his mug, as he displayed some confidential files on the recent gang related activities that been happening in Woodwave. The bell to his house beeped he chose to ignore it and continued elaborating on his work. He tensed when he felt someone enter. He reached for his Sauer which laid on the counter next to his files, and prepared to blow up the head of the intruder who had just entered.

"Goddammit Cas are you out of your mind!" The intruder thundered.

"Cole?" Cole was the only one who chose to come in and out of his house like he pleased. He lowered his gun and drew the mug to his lips taking another sip. "Want some coffee?" he asked his face neutral.

"I sure want to pump some fucking sense into that messed up brain of yours!" Cole said, clearly irritated.

"Why are you getting so riled up?"

"I'm your partner Cas, and I've been for years; why the hell didn't you tell me when you chose to release a fake report on Alicia Pepperman's autopsy?" Cole said, pacing around the living room like a lion ready to pounce.

Detective Casley breathed in the smell of coffee and answered, "I didn't tell you because you would have acted without thinking just like you are doing now,"

"Do you hear yourself now. What will the chief think when he hears this? When the family demands the autopsy results you give it to them, you don't hide the truth because of your own selfish godforsaken reasons,"

"If I'm correct, Alicia Pepperman's family never demanded for autopsy results," Detective Casley replied facilely, like he was having a nice conversation with an old friend talking about how bad his coffee tasted.

"What difference does that make?"

"It makes a hell of a great difference Cole. You know I've valid reasons for all my actions," Detective Casley stood up from his black beige couch and walked to the kitchen dumping the now empty mug into the sink.

"So what's the reason for this unprofessional whiff of madness? Speak up, I would like to hear it,"

Detective Casley sighed, "One name; Jimford Pepperman,"

"Isn't he the father of the deceased?"

"Yes he is. I've been tailing him. Isn't it weird that right after his daughter died he purchased another house right across the globe; I only had to lie about the results to make it seem like we aren't making any progress.

"This is not what I signed up for Cas. You should know better, you could lose your job,"

"You would do same if you were in my shoes," Detective Casley said bluntly. "What do you do if the family of a deceased wants no investigation on their ward? You keep track on them, that's what you do.

"You're so damn confusing,"

"And that mate is my heartbreaking charm," Detective Casley said a tight smile on his lips.