He was looking at the photo. It was Carol smiling, but it was a fake smile, taken when she was working at that club.
John suddenly moved closer to Thomas.
"What the hell is this?" He asked, but Thomas suddenly tore the poster down and tried to tear it to shreds.
John snatched it out of his hands and read what was written on it.
"Oh my God, it's that girl... "
Thomas suddenly punched him in the face.
"What are you doing, Thomas? "
He snatched the poster and tore it up.
"You won't say a word about this to anyone" Thomas said and his eyes
sparkled.
"Why do I have to say anything, everyone knows about it anyway".Tomas was silent.The rain fell on the back of his head and he felt cold, but he didn't care, he was so angry now.
"So she's gone, that's the girl who lived with you, that's Carol. That's why you were so upset".
"I'm going to punish the person who conveyed that".
"You know where she is?" John asked in surprise.
Thomas remained silent.
"Damn it, Thomas, you have something to say, why aren't you talking? Am I ur enemy?" John shouted as Thomas started to walk away.
John exhaled heavily and his hair was getting wet from the rain and a red spot appeared on his face.
"I don't know what to think, I just want to know the truth, Thomas, I can see that something's wrong".
"I don't want you to get involved"Thomas said suddenly.
"But you didn't tell me what happened, you just called me to go alone, but you didn't want to. You didn't say anything the whole way, and when you saw the poster with Carol's picture on it, you were scared. Thomas, why did you hit me?"
Thomas didn't know why he did it, he thought he was going to fall.
"I'm sorry, John" Thomas said quietly and walked home without a care in the world.
John stood there watching him go and couldn't believe that his best friend was hiding something from him. Thomas didn't think about John, he got home and opened the door and suddenly looked at his mother.
She was standing there in her apron and her eyes were full of tears.
She ran to Thomas and helped him to sit down on the couch, but he could hardly move his legs.
"What's the matter, son, are you drunk? " she said in a voice full of
of sadness and sorrow.
"She's dead" he suddenly blurted out, feeling as sick again as he had when he'd seen Carol lying there in the piles of garbage when he had cried over her body."
He cried again. His mother held her son close and kissed his head. She was crying too.
Thomas suddenly pulled away.
"You haven't told the police anything, have you?"
"No, but it's all over the news."
"Damn it, they're going to question us, who did u tell that to".
"Calm down, Tomas" mom said, wiping away a tear.
"How can I calm down" Thomas yelled "you realize she's dead and it's all my fault."
"How is it your fault?"
"I threw her out of the house for being a whore and then she died".
Thomas felt like hell, but he had to tell someone.
"But you couldn't have known it would happe. I think the killer will be found and punished. "
"Mom, it's not that simple. Carol had already been attacked."
Mom put her hand over her mouth in horror.
"But I was able to save her then".
"But why would anyone want to kill her, Thomas? Did she have a problem with someone?"
"I don't think so. "
"Then why... "
"Mom, don't ask me anything, just tell me, did you tell anyone about this?" Thomas asked and looked his mother in the eyes.
"I swear to you, Thomas, I didn't tell…".
"So why is it everywhere in the news that they talk about it and put up posters on which is written: А girl who lived in our house is wanted".
"Maybe someone saw how you carried her".
Thomas suddenly thought about it.
"But they don't specifically know what happened because they think Carol vanished, but she's dead..."
At these words, Thomas sadly lowered his head.
"It's terrible, but you shouldn't blame yourself for it".
"How should I not, and then who is to blame?" Thomas asked, arching his eyebrows.
"The one who killed her, you will tell everything you know and they will find him, believe me... "
Mom looked at Thomas pleadingly and held out her hand to him, but he declined.
"They won't find him, mom, I'll get even with him myself".
"No", suddenly shouted mom, "you won't do it".
"I'm going to punish him, whoever it is, I'm going to kill that person who did it with Carol, you would have seen her I will never forget it, how I will sleep peacefully, knowing that Carol's killer is free, mom, say me".
"Thomas, I'm worried about you".
"Don't worry, mom, my life is already ruined".
"Don't say that".
"I'm so lonely, mom, I feel so lonely".
He bowed his head desperately and mother hugged him.
"I love you, Thomas, I am always here for you".
"If I don't find that killer, he'll find me suddenly",Thomas blurted out "he won't stop".
"But why would he kill you." mom was scared, but Thomas didn't answer anything.
Suddenly there was a knock on their door. It was the police, they searched the house, and then began to interrogate Thomas and his mother.
"Mom is not involved in this, she doesn't know anything" Thomas said right away glancing at an officer in a blue suit and with a pistol in his belt.
"Then you tell us everything you know ... "
"You won't find her, Carol is dead, Thomas squeezed out of himself. "It's useless to hide it, she was killed".
"Who killed her?"
"I don't know", Thomas replied, "but there was an attempt on her a long time ago".
"Where did you hide the body? "
"I didn't hide it anywhere.. "
"So you are the only one who knows that she is dead".
"I am not the only one, but also my mum and a murderer himself".
"You said that mom doesn't know anything".
"She only knows this, Thomas said hurriedly, and his voice trembled nervously.
"This girl lived with you, son, right?" the man said in a calm voice.
"Yes".
"You should know who killed her, don't you".
"I don't know who killed her".
"You're lying, maybe you... "
"So you are hinting that it was I who killed her?".
And then he said:
"I would give everything to return her" Thomas said to the officer "I would even sell my soul ... "
"Who is this girl for you?"
Thomas suddenly thought.
"I once helped her when she needed it"
"So she was your girlfriend..."
"She wasn't, just a friend".
"Then there were only friendly relations between you".
"Yea" nodded Thomas "and nothing more".
"When did u go in search of her?".
"When I realized she disappeared".
"What caused her to disappear?" the officer asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Before that, we had a little quarrel and..."
"You quarreled", suddenly the officer interrupted, "you didn't try anything for her do, didn't you?".
"I never touched her, officer, never..."
"Alright and what hour it was".
"Late, about 3 a.m., it seems, but I don't remember exactly".
"Where did you find her?".
"I found her among the piles of rubbish, she was lying there so wounded and…"
Thomas suddenly shrunk.
"I understand that it hurts you to remember this, but when the patrol police asked where you were going, you lied".
"I didn't want to involve the police", said Thomas in a hurry, "I still don't know who told it all".
"What does it matter, who told it, you have probably been seen with her and reported Carol missing".
"But whoever reported that Carol had disappeared didn't know that she had died".
"Or he pretended not to know", replied the officer, "we also interrogated him, but he doesn't know anything to the point or lies, he should have seen you with her. Did Carol have any boyfriends?"
Thomas suddenly thought and remembered again the night she sat down in the car to some stranger, and then Thomas yelled at her but she didn't listen to him.
"I don't know" he replied briefly.
"Didn't she share this with you? "
"No.. "
"Do you know that she worked at the club?"
"I do" Thomas answered, "I found her there for the first time".
"It has already been closed", the officer suddenly reported, "minors always came there for booze and drugs, and men to have fun with schoolgirls, so I guess Carol could have chased one of her clients.
"I don't think so", Thomas replied "why would he kill her?".
"Maybe she didn't do what he asked her to do".
"What do you mean".
The officer was silent and then said:
"Okay, Mr. Tachfull, we will also interrogate your mother..."
"I told you she didn't know anything," Thomas exclaimed, standing up.
"It's up to us to decide whether she knows something or not..."
"But... "
"All of you can be free, although you didn't tell us who is the murderer ".
"How could I tell you what I don't know myself" arched his eyebrows Thomas.
"Okay, I believe you, but don't think of something for yourself..
"What am I supposed to think?"
"You understood me perfectly, I mean, so that you don't try find the killer, otherwise it will all end badly".
He clenched his fists but said nothing.
"Did you hear me, boy?" the officer asked.
"Yes" Thomas replied and went out but his words sounded not very convincing, although the officer didn't seem to believe him either.
Thomas told himself that he had to do it, he had to find the one and killed him, the police will not help here.