67 Substitute (1/2)

Detective Nash turned to me and laughed.

”You're not in a class, Evie. You can ask me without raising your hand.” I chuckled myself, not feeling abashed in the least.

”Can we watch the CCTV footage from when the alarm rang?” Detective Nash nodded. ”I also wanted to understand if we can get any videos that the audience took.”

”Good points. We have asked all the audience members to hand over any photos and videos that they have taken during the show.” He pointed at the laptop. ”I have the footage here. It might not be of any help right now, but we can look through it.”

The plan of action was distributed and everybody got to work. As the video played, I looked closely at everyone that the CCTV spotted. Nothing was out of the ordinary. Everyone left through the same gate and together.

No. I hadn't seen him get off the stage but he couldn't have left through the front gate. But then they showed footage from all the other exits.

None of the people wore the same clothing. Because of the mask, it wasn't possible to profile the face, not that it was evident either. That's when I realized how easy it was to evade a camera. You change clothes and if there are no distinct signs to identify a person, they could get away with it.

The sense of security I felt with having cameras around me slowly dissipated. It was a feeling of slow dread creeping into my bones and taking roots. What was it that protected me, really? I had to think about that.

I clenched my fist and looked at the people surrounding me. All calm expressions, each one of them took notes and had intuitive expressions on their faces. What was I doing in this room? A fickle girl who couldn't even decide what she wanted to do with her life? Am I qualified to sit here, even if I am in the process of learning?

”Sebastian, what do you think his personality is like?” I snapped out of my reverie. I looked at Sebastian with desperation, trying to outrun my errant thoughts for a little while.

”Male, between the age of 25 to 30. Good looking and confident of himself. Believes that he deserves more than what he has achieved in life and wants others to know who he is.” He paused as he got up from his seat near the back of the room and traveled to the front.

”While his motivation is unknown as of now, examining the method he has used, he has a lot of pent up anger against the victims. Our first job would be to figure that out. Subsequently, we will be able to paint a clearer image of who he is.”

I saw a young male police officer raise his hand. ”Dr. Butler, you said victims as in plural. Is there a reason why?” Sebastian smiled and pushed his hand inside his pocket.