CHAPTER 5

Oscar’s mind was spinning as he processed the matter. His father, Lord Henry Jones died in a plane crash that killed everyone onboard during the one time that he decided to board a public aircraft.

Lord Henry Jones didn't make a will before he died so his half-brother, Ryder Otis forcefully took control and leadership of his large empire leaving Oscar in ruins.

More than ever, Oscar felt like escaping the vehicle. His mind raced and his body tensed as the urge to flee away from the vehicle became much more intense.

He needed to dial the code on the aircraft that he saw. He remembered the code the same way he knew the day he was born - 10XXV2Q.

It was a secret code that he had with the late Henry Jones before he died. They used it to communicate whenever they felt that their enemies and competitors had tapped all public lines of communication.

There was no way that code would be on an aircraft if it didn't mean something significant, Oscar reasoned.

He had to dial the code, he had to do something because that aircraft was quite strange.

Oscar remembered that he still had his phone in his back pocket but he couldn't make the call in the presence of the cop who was seated just close to him or he would seize his phone.

“Officer, could you please park the vehicle for a moment? I need to ease myself,” Oscar spoke with urgency. His desperation became heightened as he sought for any slight opportunity to dial the code.

“Are you out of your mind? The cop simmered, his eyes blazing with rage. “I see you are taking advantage of the fact that we allowed you to talk to your wife the other time?”

The other cop who was driving the vehicle voiced out in anger. “What a fool you are! You stole a credit card worth 10,000 dollars and you have the guts to request that you ease yourself.”

“I swear, I am not guilty of the offense you are alleging I committed. I was framed - Lady Vivian framed me and you are arresting me without evidence,” Oscar argued.

“Are you saying that we don't know how to do our jobs?” The cop beside him retorted. “Who needs evidence to get a poor brat like you behind bars anyway.”

A seed of suspicion sprouted in Oscar’s mind as his eyes widened with understanding the moment he heard the cop’s words. He was sure that Lady Vivian had bribed them to arrest him without evidence.

***

Oscar was bound in cuffs and pushed into the interrogation room. It was late at night already and the room was looking like a dungeon of despair. The walls were rusty and rough and the air was heavy with a strange stench. The floors creaked with the stains of misery as everywhere was covered in darkness.

Despite the very uncomfortable situation, Oscar wasn't bothered because his mind was consumed with the code that he saw on the aircraft.

His mind kept ringing the same figures and letters - 10XXV2Q.

Oscar quickly found a quiet corner amidst the darkness and brought out his phone from his sleeves where he had hidden it expertly from the cops. His eyes were wide with desperation as his fingers scrambled over the buttons.

His heart was beating fast as he waited for a voice at the end of the phone call.

He soon heard a voice from the end of the phone call but it was soon crowded by the noisy technical storm. The syllables were cracked and distorted by the screeching noise.

“Hey, hey, is someone there?” Oscar’s voice was a tortured plea, his voice strained as he longed to hear the voice more clearly. His heart was beating faster than ever.

“Kkk-he-wo-eeek-can you?” The sound crackled and snapped as the conversation was a mess of digital distortion.

Oscar’s breath was an anxious pant of desperation and a gasp of anticipation. He was under confinement in the interrogation room and couldn't go out to get a better network connection. He even had to lower his voice a bit to prevent being heard.

“Shit! What sort of connection is this?” Oscar muttered. “Hello, can you hear me now? It's me, Oscar. If you can hear me please let me know.”

Oscar’s skin was glistening with the sweat of anticipation as there was a sudden silence. The screeching glitch stopped all of a sudden and it was almost as if Oscar’s heartbeat stopped at the same time.

A voice soon popped out of the phone speaker. “Oscar, is that you?”

Oscar’s voice was suspended in his lungs and his heartbeat echoed in a shiver of dread. He was a statue of disbelief and was dumbfounded because he could recognize the voice.

“Dad, is that you?” Oscar quivered.

“It's me, son. You finally got the signal.”

Oscar’s breath heaved with pressure. He recalled that the signal that his father was talking about was the code from the aircraft. “Dad, you are alive? I can’t believe it. I thought you were dead. What happened? I was so sure that—”

The screeching glitch sound erupted again but was soon calm afterward. “Son, we don’t have much time. I suspect that even this communication has been tapped by Ryder Otis. I am not sure but you need to find your way to WindFall Estate as soon as possible. They may come after you and even kill you before you get here if they trace this call. I can't be so sure.”

Oscar was confused. “Ryder Otis? You mean your half-brother Ryder Otis? Who is coming for me?”

The words were left dangling in the silent air as Oscar heard the sound from the phone signaling that connection had been lost.

Damn! Oscar gritted his teeth in frustration.

Oscar’s frustration melted a bit and his eyes were alight with a joyous spark of wonder. His father was alive after all. What a beautiful news that was. That could only mean that things were going to be different for him.

His mind soon erupted in a flurry of questions

‘Why would my uncle want to kill me? What could be at play?’ He asked himself.

Ryder Otis coming after him was quite strange. There was only one thing on his mind. He had to escape the precinct as soon as possible.

Bang!

The door of the interrogation room burst open in a flash with a figure bursting in aggressively.