The next morning, Katherine was jolted awake on the couch by a groggy voice. "What am I doing here?" she heard him mutter. She sat up and saw him looking around the hotel room, his face a mix of confusion and embarrassment.
"You were completely plastered," Katherine said, getting to her feet. "You nearly fell down the front steps, and since no one seemed to be with you, I brought you here to sober up." She said calmly.
The man looked down, his eyes widening. He wasn't wearing his suit. "My clothes? Where are my clothes?" he asked, his voice a utter panic, his eyes hovering round the room with his head following the movement of where his eyes positioned to.
"I found them all stained with drinks and it stinked so bad," Katherine explained folding her arms to her chest, now noticing how ungrateful the man sitting on her bed in front of her was, but her voice remained soft and even. "The stain had already dried when I got in from the rain last night, so I took them off you and washed them in the bath." She gestured to the small, empty tub in the bathroom, showing that she wasn't lying.
He looked utterly mortified. "And where are they now?" He questioned rudely.
"They're in the closet, a little damp, but clean," she replied, gesturing to the small wardrobe.
He quickly went to the closet, pulled out his clothes, and dressed, his movements a bit shaky. He didn't say a word, just put on his suit and walked to the door. Katherine followed him, a silent plea on her face. He reached for the doorknob, his hand on the cold metal. For a moment, he hesitated, a flicker of guilt crossing his features. He turned, a hint of genuine apology in his hazel eyes. "Thank you," he said simply, his voice low. Then, he turned and left, disappearing into the morning light.
Back in the sitting room, Miles held the photo of Katherine in his hand. James had just finished his story about how they first met. "So... that's how you two know each other?" Miles asked, his voice quiet, his eyes fixed on the man.
James nodded, a flicker of resentment returning to his eyes. "That's it. It's an old story, and frankly, I'm tired of talking about it."
"Why are you acting like you don't care she died, she was your girlfriend? Did something happen between you two?" Miles asked curiously seeming to notice James nonchalant behaviors on the death of Katherine.
"We broke up, I broke up with her, but I still can't stop thinking about her, the only way to avoid depression because I really loved Katherine, is to act like she didn't exist. That's the only way to get rid of my memories with Katherine." James replied his voice breaking as he utters the words from his lips.
Miles didn't want to put pressure on him so he didn't ask any further questions about why they broke up, he had a lot to ask but for the fear of incorporation, he wasn't going to ask him.
As Miles looked at the photo, the image of Katherine smiling, his fingers brushed over the glossy surface. Suddenly, a jolt of energy shot up his arm, and his mind was flooded with a vivid vision. A sharp, throbbing pain ripped through his head, and he gasped, instinctively reaching up to grav his head because of the throbbing pain.
The air and presence of the present dissolved, replaced by the sounds of jazz music, clinking glasses, and indistinct muffled conversations. He saw Katherine from the photo, but now she was in motion, a beautiful blonde girl in a blue dress, happily chatting with someone.
He saw her walk over to a table with drinks and pour some into a glass. The vision was so clear, so real, that he could almost feel the cold glass in his hand. He noticed the ornate details on her dress, the way the light caught her hair, the specific design of the crystal glass.
The vision faded as quickly as it had come. The throbbing in his head stopped, and he let out a shaky breath, feeling as though he had just woken from a dream. He was still holding the photo, his heart pounding.
The vision had been an exact match of James's story. It wasn't a lie. Miles's system immediately notified him:
[New Skill Acquired: Psychometry (Level 1)]
Ability: The power to see visions of the past by touching an object. The stronger the object's emotional connection, the clearer the vision.
Ethan, who had been watching Miles's sudden, pained reaction, looked at him with a mix of concern and confusion. "What was that? Are you alright?"
Miles shook his head, still trying to process the flood of information. "Nothing," he said, his voice a little hoarse. "I'm fine. Just... a little flash of headache." He now understood. He had the power to see the past. He looked up at James, a new sense of purpose in his eyes. He had the first clue, and it was a solid one.
"Why did she go to that party, Mr. Anderson?" Miles pressed. "Did she know someone who made her go? We need to know who she encountered. It could be our first victim." Miles's thoughts raced. If Katherine knew someone at the party, perhaps they were the reason for her sudden death.
James's face tightened and his eyes darted to another spot, thinking of why she came to the party, and he shakes his head returning his gaze back to them. "I don't know," he said, his voice flat. "I wasn't aware how she knew there was a birthday party. I only knew her as an acquaintance before that." He hesitated, he wasn't going to give in too quickly since he didn't know if what he did might be the cause of her suicide, his eyes darting away. "I didn't see her with anyone else. I was too busy with... other people."
Miles felt a knot of frustration tighten in his gut. James was being evasive. He decided to change tactics. "What happened after the party? I want to know how you two started dating, and who she encountered."
James sighed, leaned back in his chair, and began to speak, his voice a low monotone, as the tale of their strange, turbulent romance began to unfold. Miles listened intently, every word a potential clue, a new thread in the tangled web of Katherine's life. With every words that came out from James lips Ethan felt like kicking him till he begged for death.
'with the way he speaks about her he seems to still have feelings for her, would he be able to do that to Katherine Vance?' Miles thought listening meticulously to the story of Katherine Vance.