CHAPTER 3

Still holding the small lilac that Andrew had given her in the park a few hours earlier, Monica entered the modern building trying to force back the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. She and her beloved one were apart one more time and the little angel had no idea when they would meet again. Watching as he walked away from her after a kiss on her forehead hurt terribly, and there she was now: alone, without the one angel who was part of her very soul.

As she entered the elevator, the Irish angel lowered her head for a moment with the latest memories flooding her mind. But as the elevator chimed, she sighed deeply and headed to the office where she was supposed to meet her assignment.

A young lady with light brown hair and green eyes was talking on the phone while she checked the text on the computer screen right in front of her. With a shy smile, the angel looked at her and then at her surroundings, wondering why she was there in the first place. She had very little information about this new assignment and her natural sense of curiosity started to work as soon as she entered the office.

The woman soon noticed her presence and even talking on the phone and formatting the text on the computer, she managed a small smile at Monica, who bent her head in acknowledgement.

"... okay, I'll call you when I get some more information on the case... yeah, we can have lunch tomorrow then... love you too, bye..."

As she hung up the phone, the young lady turned her attention to the stranger who had just entered the room. "You must be the new reporter."

"Erm... yes, I am. My name is Monica." The angel replied.

"Nice to meet you, Monica, my name is Annie."

They shook hands and Annie pointed at the empty desks not far from hers. There were two of them, both with the computers turned off. "That's your desk. The other one is Phil's, but he's out trying to get some more details on a story we've been covering together."

"Thanks... I confess I am still a wee bit lost and in need of help..."

"Oh, that's perfectly normal! The first days are always the hardest ones, but you'll learn fast. In fact, it's good we have someone else to share the work, you see? We've been working on this new story and it's been complicated to investigate all the facts and still write the other articles. You'll be of great help, Monica."

"Well, I'm always happy to help." She said, immediately finding Annie quite friendly.

"Now have a seat, I'll explain to you the basics."

They got along well immediately and time seemed to fly on that morning. Monica was a quick learner and while the young lady taught her about the work in the newspaper office, the little angel started to put into practice her inner inquisitiveness, trying to identify what could be wrong with her. Working on a new assignment somewhat made her put her sorrow aside. Despite the distance between her and Andrew and the time they would be apart, she knew deep in her heart that he loved her dearly. Things would be back to normal between them eventually, and the time would come when they'd hear Tess teasing them about the amount of time they would spend together.

She just prayed it didn't take too long for this to happen.

It was almost two in the afternoon when Annie closed the Word document with a tired expression on her face. "I don't know about you, Monica, but I'm starving!"

"You're right, I'm starting to feel hungry myself..." she replied, frowning at the sensation, as it brought terrible memories to her mind.

"Would you like to have lunch with me? There's a good restaurant not far from here."

"Oh, thanks, I'd love to!"

They left the office and headed to the elevators chatting about unimportant matters when Annie's cell phone rang. "Excuse me..." she apologized, checking the familiar number on the phone display "... Phil? Yes... Oh, no..."

The Irish angel watched as the expression on the woman's face changed completely and her friendly smile quickly disappeared. "When did it happen? Ok... I see..." With great concern and a hint of sadness on her green eyes, she sighed deeply and finally spoke again. "I'll meet you in twenty minutes, ok?"

When she hung up the phone, Annie looked at Monica totally devastated. "Is there something wrong?" The angel wanted to know.

"Yes... There was another crime..." she informed her, shocked at what she had just heard. "We've been covering a series of crimes, Monica. The murderer rapes and kills his victims, and just now I've been informed there's a fourth victim."

Monica's heart ached hearing that piece of news. No matter how long she existed, humans would always shock her with the atrocities they were capable of doing. "Dear Father!"

"I'm... not hungry anymore... Besides, we have to go to the crime scene and see if we can get some more information. Do you think you're prepared to go with me?"

With a compassionate expression on her face, Monica nodded her head. "Yes, I'll walk with you, Annie."

X

Twenty minutes later, Monica and Annie got out of a taxi and walked along the deserted road, where only grass and a few trees could be seen. But it didn't take them too long to spot not far from the road, lots of other cars, both belonging to the police and to news agencies, and many policemen trying to isolate the area. Many reporters tried to gather some information about the horrendous crime, and the angel and her assignment had difficulties reaching the detective who was taking care of the case. On their way, the young reporter saw a familiar face also trying to do his job.

"Phil..." she called, and the young man turned around and withdrew the recorder he had in his hand.

"Annie..."

He seemed worried and very tense, and seeing the young lady there softened the look in his eyes. She walked towards him and as they finally met, he bent down to kiss the top of her head.

"They found the body about an hour ago. A group that was camping not far from here warned the police." He quickly informed her, aware of all the distress on Annie's heart.

"When is this gonna end, Phil?" she sighed, lowering her head. The young man placed a supportive hand on her shoulder, unable to find the right words to comfort her. It was then that he noticed there was somebody else there. Annie wiped the few tears away and spoke again,

"Let me introduce you... This is Monica, she's new at the newspaper and she'll be working with us. Monica, this is my boyfriend and co-worker, Phil."

Monica did not miss the tender way the couple of reporters looked at each other. Being in love made this ability ten times easier, but wondering about human love was something she had been doing for practically her whole existence.

"Despite the occasion, it's nice to meet you, Monica. Welcome to the team." He said, shaking hands with her with a friendly smile.

"It's nice to meet you too, Phil."

The detective's words not far from them finally drew their attention back to the case. The crowd of the reporters staying there got a bit closer to listen to the man as he spoke.

"... Detective Harris, do you believe that this woman was attacked by the same this man?"

"The evidence indicates that's the same method but we'll confirm this later on."

"What's the victim's name?"

"Dorothy Parker."

"And do the police have any clue about the rapist?"

"I won't disclose this information, Mr. Edwards," he said, looking at Phil with evident disgust for his job. "And I'll ask you all who work for the press to give a step back. Covering this case might end up ruining the police investigation."

As he said that, the man turned his back to the reporters and walked away, ignoring the many other questions that were asked. The other policemen, under his orders, started to push the crowd away from the place, and having no other choice, Monica, Annie and Phil had to leave.

During a quick snack, as neither of them seemed to be hungry, Monica had the opportunity to get to know them a bit better, and her good impression about the couple of reporters only increased. They were friendly, generous, ready to help and seemed to be deeply in love with each other. In a way, she saw her and Andrew's image reflected in them, as the angels were also co-workers and ended up developing a much deeper bond that had left a permanent imprint on her heart for the rest of eternity.