UNPLANNED VISIT "So, Miguel El-Zaki is not just a murderer; he's also a rapist!" Lord Dezani exclaimed after Caleb got home and narrated what he learned from Bella's mother to him. "And only God knows how many other naive girls he has taken advantage of in his capacity as a don," added Caleb. Then he said, "Grandpa, we have everything we need to go after him now."The old man considered his statement and replied, "Yes we do. However, we must make certain that the said woman will be willing to testify if the case gets to court.""I'm sure she would," he echoed. But another thought crossed his mind. He remembered Aunt Regina and Mama saying that Hannah was having a hard time letting go of her past even when she married her late husband. That might be the only little challenge he has to deal with. "Although I may need to persuade her to come forth when that time comes."His grandfather too seemed to be having something on his mind. "By the way, have you heard from Mr Ramirez since you
A SETUP GONE WRONG "I don't want to repeat myself, get dressed and leave my office," Caleb said raising his voice. He did that deliberately so that Mia won't stage a scene and accuse him of rape afterwards.When she continued to undress, he threatened her that he was going to call the police."Don't tell me you haven't missed all this." She ran her fingers seductively on her breasts and threw her shirt to the floor, leaving only her briefs on. "And don't even think about lying because I know you haven't been with any other woman since the last time you were with me."Caleb's face flushed with embarrassment. He hated the fact that she was right on that note. But his reason for staying away from women had nothing to do with Mia altogether. Or did it? He wondered within. Whatever, he wasn't going to let her continue to think she still held so much power over him. He replied, "I have several women who are dying to have me in their bed, Mia. One of them is within this building as we spe
MOMENT OF DECISIONMia stared at the door and then turned her face back at Caleb, a look of sheer confusion mixed with panic filled her eyes.If she opened the door, everyone would catch her red-handed and when the video comes out, the evidence will be irrefutable. On the other hand, if she refused to open it, Caleb's security guards would break it down and get her arrested.None of those two options was preferable to her. Or maybe it was better to go to jail where she wouldn't have to face anyone she knows than suffer the ignominy of being called a loose woman. "You are wasting valuable time, Miss Thompson. Open the door before it's too late." "Thump! Thump!! Thump!!!" came the continuous banging on the door. "Sir, shall we break it down?" his chief security officer enquired. He was trying to peek inside through the security hole in the door. Before Caleb could say yes, Mia staggered up to her feet with the keys and rushed to open the door. "Whack!" the sound of the door smacki
DEMANDING THE TRUTHMia woke up with a start. "Where am I?" she demanded when she looked around the strange room, not understanding a thing."You are in the company clinic. The boss asked for you to be brought here after you..."The realisation hit her as the woman was talking. "Oh, my God!" Mia exclaimed and touched the back of her head. "My head. I remember now. The door..." she kept muttering.She tried to get up but the nurse stopped her. "You might want to relax a bit because of the ba..."The door to the clinic burst open. Caleb rushed in and every colour drained out of Mia's face."Is it true?" he aside staring at Mia."What is true?" she feigned ignorance."Is it true that you're pregnant?" he repeated. "And don't even think about playing dumb with me because I'm sure you already knew about it."Mia swallowed hard, eyeing Caleb. "So what if it's true?" she shot back. "I was in the hospital for weeks. And after I was discharged, I barely had the chance to have a conversation wi
VOILA!"What is this all about?" Liliana queried as Caleb bounced into his office. She was still there waiting to find out what the shocking news was about which made his phone slip out of his grasp."You have to go home now Liliana. I'm having a very surprising day and I need to gather my thoughts together to know how best to handle things."She opened her mouth to say something but had a change of heart. "Right, Caleb. I shall be at my old apartment if you wish to talk." Liliana picked up her handbag and headed for the dog. Then paused but without turning back. She said, "You have to address what happened today in this office with members of your staff. There have been whispers and murmurings."Having said that, she gently opened the door and shut it.Outside the afternoon sun was high as Liliana made her way to her car. She saw two men holding the same lady that caused the commotion in Caleb's office."Get moving or else we would have to use force," one of them was saying."Let go
ON THE RUN "Before I go, what findings did you make from your investigations into the murder of the barrister?" Caleb asked the deputy inspector. The man cleared his throat and looked around. "We cannot have this discussion here. Let's go somewhere private and talk." Caleb nodded. The deputy inspector pointed to Mia still on her knees sobbing and asked, "What about her?"Caleb looked at her for a while and remembered the morning he was arrested on the orders of her boyfriend; his former boss, shoved into the back of the police van like a condemned criminal after being humiliated in front of his colleagues and eventually taken to the station. And all for what? For breaking the mug he went to serve Hart tea in his office. It wasn't like he was being careless. The tray had slipped out of his hands because of the shock of seeing her with Hart romancing and kissing each other. Caleb hissed silently and swallowed hard. The memory of the way Mia scrunched her nose when she saw him comi
MUDDLED UPCaleb saw the nuzzle of the gun aimed in their direction and was quick enough to go down on one knee. The bullet flew out with a quick flash like lightning and he shut his eyes.It wasn't until he heard deputy inspector John groaning that he knew someone was hurt. The minimart erupted into a frenzy of commotion: People running helter-skelter seeking safety. A woman flung her baby into a heap of teddies and the child wailed loudly. "Get him!" a voice shouted as the gunman attempted to shoot again. Caleb had now lain on the floor with his face kept down. He saw from the corner of his eye that Mr John was struggling to move. But nothing prepared him for what happened next. Two gunshots followed by a man's agonising cry rent the air. The D. I. P had shot someone with his gun. Before the voice giving the order for the shooter to be restrained realised what was happening, the man was writhing in a pool of blood. A uniformed man squatted by the fallen man and touched his pul
THE LONG WAIT"It seems there's something you're not telling me," observed Caleb. "Why does the shooter believe you killed your wife?" Deputy Inspector John turned his face away from Caleb. He was going back in time. It was the morning of the supposed accident. Elizabeth, his ex-wife, had booked an appointment with her dentist for a check-up; he was reliably informed. "She shall be taking the kids alongside," his informant had tipped him off. "But what about her new husband?" "He is on a business trip to New Orleans." Deputy Inspector John knew it was the perfect opportunity to execute his long-awaited plan for revenge. So the night before that day, he disguised himself as a mechanic and visited Elizabeth's apartment. Elizabeth used to own a watchdog but he had made sure the dog's food was drugged by his informant. The poor dog slept all through the night. When he succeeded in gaining entry, he went into her garage and began to work on the brakes of the car. He dismantled it and