GOING BACK IN TIME Caleb followed behind as the policemen dragged Mr Benson outside. He noticed Liliana's confused stare from the corner of his eyes so he avoided looking directly at her face. From where he stood beside the door in those few minutes before the policemen arrived with his friend, he overheard everything. Abhi who only saw the man holding the stabilizer above Liliana's head, could not help but cringe. "What just happened?" he jerked his head. Caleb gave him a blank stare. "Listen, man, I know that look. It was the same on the morning you walked in on Mia and Mr Hart. Don't even think of brushing me off with 'nothing' because I know it's something." Caleb turned his face back and Lilliana was trailing them but at a far distance. The girl was obviously still in shock. She was nearly killed moments ago, it must be a miracle that she still has her complete body parts intact. "I will tell you everything after we've extracted Mr Benson's testimony at the police statio
TWICE BITTEN "You do!" The DPO's eyes widened with hope as he pulled out a plain sheet from a folder on his desk. Lord Dezani seemed to have grown older. His face turned pale and white and the lines on his forehead crinkled as he painfully recalled the brutal attack that happened similarly. "I suspect them to be the same group that raided my home seventeen years ago; killing my only son, Lorenzo, his wife, Margaret, and my little granddaughter." The officer jotted down what the old man just told him. "Standing over there was the only survivor; my grandson." Caleb had shifted away to stand by the window. The early morning weather was cloudy and cold. It looked like rain might fall. The DPO remembered that case like it was yesterday. He was a young recruit at the time and was enthusiastically following up on the murder, hoping they would prosecute those behind the wicked act. But suddenly the case came to a dead end. It was reported that the inspector of police in charge of in
HUNTED That was fast. Caleb didn't see it coming. "That's not what I meant." "Then what?" "Mr Benson was whisked out of the police net earlier this morning. He is on the loose. You might not be safe. That's why I came to warn you." "Oh my God!" she shrieked and started to panic. Liliana had never been that terrified all her life. Not even while she was dating Pedro did she have a reason to fear for her life. "Hey, calm yourself. He has gone into hiding. The police have made an official report on our behalf and by morning, every news outlet will be carrying his photographs with the caption: Wanted by the law. An escaped felon." That seemed to work. Liliana sat back down but her legs and hands were still shaking. Caleb had expected this kind of reaction which is why he decided to go to her house to break the news. She was still recuperating from her illness. "How did he manage to escape?" "That's what we're yet to find out." She started shedding tears. "I'm so sorry, it's al
THE COAST IS CLEAR Caleb left in the rain, against Liliana's pleas. He had done his part by offering her options to choose from. The final decision was hers to make.He rode home not minding how drenched he would be or the cold. By the time he got to the house, his grandfather had already retired. But not his mother. "Where did you go, son?" Caleb was surprised to see Leah sitting at the foot of the stairs leading up to his chambers.She was given a separate wing on her request, hence, they no longer shared the same apartment. But she always made sure to catch up on his day-to-day activities, especially at night before going to bed. When Caleb skipped dinner, she became worried. She had noticed that he and the grandfather left the house very early in the morning and ever since they got back in the afternoon, he had kept to himself and remained indoors. She waited for a perfect time to have a chat with him about what was going on. Hopefully after dinner. To her amazement, when she
TESTING THE WATERS Caleb sighed. He didn't want things to escalate out of proportion especially since Liliana now knows he's the CEO. "No, I'm afraid you can't." "But why not? If Mr Benson has been arrested, what harm can he do to me?" "We had an agreement, and none of the two options given to you included your continuance at the headquarters, Miss Jonas. I'm trying to save your life, don't make things any more complicated." He spoke calmly but with an air of authority. "You are trying to get rid of me. Just say so." He didn't respond to her accusation. "I will be out of town for a couple of days - maybe weeks, depending on how things turn out in Brazil. And just so you know, a lot of the staff in the headquarters are either going to be sacked or transferred.""Why?" Liliana cuts in, her voice shaking. "Because when investigations into my parents' death and little sister begin, so many people would be found culpable. Anyone who directly or indirectly had any dealings with Mr
THE STALKER They landed and boarded a cab that will take them to a hotel. They chose one situated in a secluded but nice area uptown for security reasons. Lord Dezani asked Caleb to pay for two separate rooms but he objected saying they should book a suite instead. He knew his grandfather wanted to give him some privacy but he didn't want to stay far away from him. A text message came into his phone. "They know you're in town. Tread carefully," the content read. The old man looked at the number on his screen, it was an unknown ID. Caleb was unpacking their briefcases when he saw the strange look on his grandfather's face. "Seen a ghost, Grandpa?" he joked. When Mateo didn't smile he instantly knew it had to be something serious. He dropped the shirt he was holding and moved to sit by his side. "What's the matter?" Lord Dezani handed the phone to him. "Read the message." Caleb stared long and hard at the phone not saying a word. "Who else knows of our mission to Brazil?" his
WHO HIRED YOU? So Liliana drove past the hospital. She had changed her mind and was heading straight to the police headquarters. Hopefully, she might cover a safe distance between her pursuer and herself before getting to the traffic light at the T-junction where she'd be forced to slow down.Her brain was scattering sparks. She remembered that one of the precautions she learned during her safety driving lessons was to always use a hazard light whenever she was in distress. So she immediately turned on her double trafficator and accelerated at a breakneck speed. The driver of the red car copied her. Her hands on the steering tightened. Fear nearly made her lose control. As she approached the T-junction and started to slow down, she observed a black Jeep parked by the side of the road. But as she got nearer, the car started to steam like the driver just turned the ignition upon sighting her car. Instinctively, she sensed it must be a trap to sandwich her in between them. Liliana sw
THE TORTURE "I'm not afraid of you," Mr Benson said bravely. "You couldn't handle me when you were a much younger man, is it now that age has shrunken your balls?"Mr Santiago didn't flinch at his insult. He had handled hardened criminals; sterner and tougher than him, and they usually cracked in the end."Ah, I can see you remember me too well." He made some guttural noises with his throat. "How would you enjoy being humiliated in front of this young lad?" Mr Benson turned to glare at Caleb. Then let out a peal of cynical laughter. "He sure looks like he could do with a bit of entertaining - something that has obviously been lacking all his miserable life."No one saw Caleb's angry outburst coming. He surged forward and landed Mr Benson a resounding slap across his puffy face. He saw the surprised look in his eyes as his cheek reddened. He then followed it with a blow that sounded like iron hitting a wall on his fat nose. "Plop!"Blood spluttered from his nose. Mr Santiago looked
THE ENDCaleb went to DeZ Cosmetics the next day with some men from the ministry to reopen the place. He still remembered a few of the staff there and began to call them one by one.Mr Apollo, the company's supervisor, was the first person he called. "Hello Mr Apollo, this is Caleb. Caleb Dezani. I'm calling from DeZ Cosmetics and I am in the office right now. Do you mind reporting to work?"The man grunted in disbelief. "But the company was closed down two days ago. And you no longer work there. Last I asked, I was told you took over as the CEO of another company." Caleb laughed. "Well, that last part is true. However, the company was under dispute and has now been resolved. I have reclaimed it as the rightful CEO and want you to return to work. Please while coming, do well to call others to report to work too. I shall be waiting at the reception hall."But Mr Apollo didn't call anyone until he got to the company and found out for himself that the place was indeed reopened. It was a
THE TRUTH IS OUT It felt like a nightmare as the black police Hilux which carried Madam Rebecca drove into the ministry. Her heart was thumping in her chest. She didn't know what to expect. She was ushered into the office by the officers who brought her with specific instructions from the inspector. Meanwhile, Caleb hadn't joined them. When the inspector asked whether he was going to the ministry from the station, he replied that he wanted his grandfather to be present during the meeting. "I need to go and pick him up at home." The two men shook hands, "Well, whatever happens, do not hesitate to ring me." "Thank you so much, Inspector. I hope we shall be able to meet and have that drink soon." The man laughed. "I will count the hours till I hear from you. Good luck!" he added. Caleb drove back home and lord Diego joined him to the ministry. Abhi couldn't follow because he had already left for work. But his stepmother, Leah, insisted on being a part of it. Caleb obliged her.
The FINAL NAIL The next man to interrogate him was the meanest of them. His face was cold and unfeeling."Why did you abandon your textile business?""I didn't abandon it.""Excuse me?""I did not abandon the business. I was defrauded and the business collapsed." "That means you went bankrupt after that?" He didn't answer. "Please can you speak up so the next person can take over?" "Not really. I had people who pulled resources together to loan me the capital I needed to rebuild my business." "And yet you didn't. Or did you?" Again he swallowed hard. "Okay, let me rephrase the question. As a businessman who was into textile, after you were defrauded and people loaned you money, did you rebuild your textile business?" "No." "So what did you do? "I went into partnership with someone in another line of business." "And what business was that?" "Cosmetics. I went into cosmetics." "Good. That will be all from me."By the time the rest of the members had interrogated him, El-Za
MAKING CONCESSIONEl-Zaki woke up for the third time since he was shot and realised he was in a different atmosphere.This new place smelled of drugs and drip water. "Where am I?" he asked no one in particular. A male nurse who was attached to him was sitting by a desk writing. He looked up and said, "You are in an infirmary. You were shot but now recovering." El-Zaki tried to look around and the effort made his head hurt. "Who shot me and which infirmary is this?" The nurse was instructed not to answer any questions past introducing himself and offering medical care. "I'm sorry sir but you shouldn't be concerned about that. You are responding well to treatment and your wound is drying up faster than expected. Please tell me if you feel any pain or want anything." The man stubbornly tried to sit up and felt a sharp pain on his side." Oh gosh! My rib!" he grunted. "Lie still," the nurse advised. He looked at his watch and said, "It's almost time for your midnight draught. It will
SLIPPING AWAYIt was Mr Ramirez calling back Caleb to tell him the men at the checkpoint said the truck was merely carrying items for charity.But Caleb knew better than to buy that lie. He remembered his own travel adventure with Pedro. How he had to hide at the bottom of Grandpa Carlos' truck loaded with cow refuse and feed for hours until they got to Woodward Valley from Greenville."But did they offload the entire truck to search?" he probed."I doubt that they did." "Okay. You should get to your hotel and remain inside. I just got info that the police team from yesterday may be visiting Cholula this afternoon." "Is that right?" "So I heard. Or better still, do not go to any hotel. Find somewhere else to lodge until you hear from me again." "But where else is safer than a hotel?" he asked feeling desperate. "I know a place. It's an old farmhouse occupied by an old couple. Fabian's grandparents." "Oh ho! Don't tell me this was your grand plan all along to make your friend see
DISCOVEREDIt was lunchtime and Caleb realised he was starving. All he had eaten the previous day was toasted bread and salad prepared by Hannah and Bella. Then in the afternoon, he didn't have time to eat as he spent it trying to help them settle down at the new place he got for them. Later that evening, he was called to be at Primo Palace and all he took was a bottle of the most expensive wine which he shared with Mr Ramirez. And later on in the night, he drank French wine as they talked.He felt his stomach growling in protest. Even Abhi heard it from his office and teased him. "When Madam Leah was begging you to have breakfast at home you said food was the least of your worries. Now the worms can't bear it anymore that they want to cause a volcanic eruption in your stomach." Caleb didn't know when he let out a burst of laughter. "You're crazy, man!" "I swear I've been so busy that I can't wait for all of this to be over so I can take a month-long vacation." "Sure. You will ne
SHOWING UPCaleb called the inspector of police, and he promptly answered. "To what do I owe this personal call?" he said cheerfully. "To a long-lasting friendship of mutual interests," he replied. Then he added, "I was hoping we could hang out maybe later in the day. What do you think?" "Oh, that would be wonderful. Let's make it eight o'clock this evening." "That's fine by me," Caleb consented. "What venue?" the Inspector asked. "FanFood Eatery." "I shall be there," the inspector promised and the call quickly ended. A notification dropped in Caleb's phone. He checked it was a text message. He hastily read through because he was behind the wheel. A delivery truck just turned up in the El-Zaki mansion. It has spent about 25 minutes inside the premises." The message read. Caleb immediately sensed something sinister. He pulled over and replied to the informant. "Have it followed and let me know its destination." The info made him feel a bit troubled. But he shrugged it off an
DOOMSDAY Everyone's attention was turned in the direction of the intruders. "Gentlemen, how may we help you?" the lady questioned. "It's more about how we may help you," Caleb responded. Barrister Crusoe kept his face down avoiding Hart's gaze. The director spoke next. "Yes, let's hear you out." "Good day, lady and gentlemen. My name is Caleb Dezani of Dezani Cosmetics," he introduced himself. The director narrowed his furrow, and the three men seated to the right of the lady gasped. The other three including the lady shone their eyes in disbelief. "You mean you're the CEO of Dezani Cosmetics!" "That's correct," Caleb said suppressing a grin at their dramatic expressions. The director went on. "How may we help you? I mean you already said it's you who wants to help us, so please, to what do we owe this August visit?" "Well, I was reliably informed that you were asking to see the original documents of DeZ Cosmetics." "Dez Cosmetics isn't the same as Dezani Cosmetics, am I
DETAINEDHart drove with bated breath heading to the ministry. He kept trying to reach his father to find out whether he was able to trace barrister Crusoe but his line remained unreachable.It was almost ten o'clock and his line wasn't still connecting. None of the bodyguards that went out with him had returned home last night. It was as if there was a conspiracy amongst them to abandon the mansion the moment their boss went incommunicado. Everyone was just acting strangely - including his mother. She had suddenly packed her bags after his father left the house telling him she was going on an emergency business trip but that she would call to inform him when to join her. "Where is this business conference, seminar, or whatever taking place?" "We'd be touring round different countries starting from Portugal. Then we'd move to Brazil and so on.""All within South America?" Hart had enquired. But she didn't give a definite answer. Surprisingly, not too long after she left for the ai