บท 4: Chapter 3
Anne crept out of her room. The bruises on her face looked more regenerated than real.
"Why did you bring her here?" said Whitney.
"Whitney calm down. She is not a stranger, she's my client," Prince defended.
"But look at the way she talks to me. My love she treats me like a nobody," she said bewildered. "That's not even what is bothering me. What if you decide to postpone our wedding just because you are handling her case which seems to be a hard nut to crack?"
Placing his hands on her shoulders, he asked, "Don't you trust me?
"It's not..."
"I will never break any promise I made to you." Prince turned to go.
"It's only three days and our wedding will commence, at least give it your time. Give more attention to our upcoming wedding just as we had always done before. How many children do we want?" Whitney said anxiously.
Prince turned and smiled, "I smell fear".
"You don't expect me not to be scared. I can't afford to lose you," she said trying to look modest but her looks gave her away.
"I love you", he said, leaning forward and placing a tender kiss across her forehead.
"Promise me the wedding will take place. Our love will last forever".
Prince gazed down at Whitney affectionately. "Oh stop being__"
He was dismissed by his phone call, he answered it.
"Hello", he said.
"What! " He exclaimed. "I'll be there".
He ended the call.
"A case must have come up", Whitney suggested.
"I am sorry".
"I'm not upset. I just__"
He kissed her. "Don't be upset my love but I have to go. Please be nice to my client".
Whitney nodded and watched him leave.
Anne heard the entrance door to the house click shut. She knew Prince had left the house. But to where? She wondered. A random place, she guessed.
She paced around the room. She was thinking of all she had been through. But her thoughts were mostly based on who the murderer was. She knew she had seen the murderer somewhere.
Was it a concidence or not, she cared not to know. She was sure she had seen the bastard. Pacing to and fro, her hair bounced like a ball.
The image was becoming clearer, she got close to seeing the face before the door clicked open. Aha! She became alert.
"Heaven no! " She retorted. "For God's sake weren't you taught etiquette? Knocking on the door before entering someone's room".
"Sorry, I just wanted to check on you," she said shutting the door.
"Without knocking?"Anne asked, her look rationally unpleasant.
"I'm sorry. I thought you would be sleeping." Whitney said.
"Well I'm not. Thanks for checking on me" Anne said.
Whitney felt rudeness in Anne's shrewd and cold voice.
Whitney turned to go.
"Thanks for having me," Anne said.
"Don't worry. I'm happy to have you," said Whitney and left.
Anne chuckled at the lie. She moved to the window. She felt scared. Ever since she was a kid till now, she had always been scared of heights.
"Are you scared? " Dave had once asked her.
"Of what?"
"Anything. I'm scared of nightmares, so what of you?"
"Heights."Anne said.
As she grew up, Dave began to help her overcome her fear for heights. Now he was gone, never to come back again. And to top it up, she was framed for his death.
Anne returned back to reality.
"Enough of the memories," she told herself and sank into the bed. Then she gracefully slipped into another world of memories. It was past six. Night was approaching real quick.
"It wasn't as if tommorow had something good stored up for me," she told herself.
"It was just some piece of shit that ticked fast only when someone couldn't time his or her life. Someone like me."
Anne sat up, she was drowning in her pool of sweat. The room's ventilation was cool and chilling so why was she sweating? Well, scientists has proven it, that the more one thinks, the more sweat he or she produces.
Someone knocked at her door.
Anne wished it wasn't Whitney. Without mincing words, she said, "Come in the door is open."
The door opened silently. Prince came in. The atmosphere seemed peaceful. She always wished to cling to peace but not anymore. Now it was nothing other than revenge.
"The atmosphere is enticing." "I felt something I could never attain." She said.
"What was that?" Asked Prince
"Peace." She retorted.
Prince walked up her. " Peace can be attained by everyone, it lies in one corner of the heart. Revenge another corner but many people are so blinded by the appalling nature of revenge other than peace."
" You are a lawyer. You know nothing about it."
"Even lawyers wish for peace but are blinded by the reward of revenge."
"Lawyers are good for nothing. Some piece of wreckers, assholes, screwers. What do they know except for sacrilegious nonsense?"
"A few believe in religion, bible and God for knowledge", Prince said.
"Do you think so?"
"Yeah".
"You guys had a misunderstanding", Anne said.
"It's settled", Prince said. "Indeed a misunderstanding".
"Involving me?"
"No, something stupid".
"I want revenge", Anne glared.
"For what?"
"What they did to me, my mum, my dad and my best friend".
"It will be better if I ask the police to reopen your case and discover some hidden clues", Prince said.
"Never! "
"The police would be the better ones to handle your case. If your case is reopened there's a possibility we can get a link to the murderer".
"Just shut up! This is about me. What can the police possibly do? When they had a chance what did they do? While it away."
"It's the best."
"We are talking about my family and nothing can be better than avenging their death. It will be an honour to kill for my loved ones." Anne said tremendously.
"So what will you do about the hints and clues?" Prince asked. "I guess you haven't forgotten that you need a clue or hint in order to find the culprit."
"And in order to find a clue or hint you need to get the culprit. Get this into your medulla oblongata. You think like a lawyer, I think like the victim. We are different".
"What was your occupation before you were arrested?"
"Had many. I was involved in technical writing, studying matter, atoms and electrons over and over again and knitting sweaters,"bAnne said.
"Is that it?"
"Yeah".
"I think you need to sleep. It would do you good." Prince said.
Anne held Prince's hand after he turned, "I want revenge."
"Every single one wants revenge but one thing you should know is that revenge is costly and only the unlucky ones get to pay the price. Revenge is a game of life and death. A dead puzzle which the player may regret later on in life. Let the police do their job, don't take the law into your hands."
"I don't care. This is blood for blood. You don't expect me to fold my hands and watch the murderer roam around freely," Anne said frowning her face. "He has fled for the innocent ones to find him. This is my game, let me play it."
"Dave Abram was the victim and you were framed for his death, which is obviously a planned murder. If you allow the police reopen the case, you're likely to get some clues."
"Listen to me Mr. Man, I've got some clues," her gaze fixed straight on his. He fixed his eyes on hers too.
"I really have ," Anne said this time around starting the suspense.
"What clues?"
Anne put her hand in her breast and brought out a piece of paper. She stood up. "I've carried this paper everywhere."
Prince's eyes moved down slowly to the piece of paper. "What is in the paper?"
"Before my dear Dave died he was trying to say something to me," Anne paused, her eyes still fixed on Prince. "That fateful day he came to my house knocking. I opened the door, his chin was covered with blood and he was stabbed on his pectoral girdle. I tried to extort some words from him but his words dropped in whispers. His strength was slowly trailing off and so was his breath. I brought out the knife from his stomach and cleaned it. I placed it on the table and dabbed his injury with a clean towel. My dad came out of his room and screamed."
Prince stared at Anne who was trying to fight back the tears in her eyes. "Did not anyone see Dave when he was coming to your house?"
"Do you doubt that I didn't kill him."
"No I just want to know if there was any witness at that time."
"I don't know."
"Okay go on with what happened."
"I begged dad to calm down and I explained what happened. I asked dad to rush to the nearest pharmacy and get some drugs and bandage. Immediately after he left, there was a knock on the door. I peeped through the hole, it was the police. I was startled and refused to open the door. The knock persisted. I heard them tell my dad they were going to break in, I had to give up, it was a dead end," she stopped abruptly. "At that point I gave in. Three policemen and their captain walked in with my dad. I was shivering while my dad tried to explain but all explanations fell on deaf ears. They were bent on searching the house.
"We are from the police station and we received a lodged report of deliberate murder by a lady named Anne Philips and we are also here to search the house. Here's my search warrant. He showed it to me, I couldn't do anything. I just stood akimbo as they began the search. His men came back and told him they had found Dave's corpse and a knife. I was handcuffed. I was stunned and speechless. I tried to explain but they ordered me to remain silent or anything I said will be used against me in the court of law."
"No clues yet!" Prince exclaimed.
"There is no proof, only I can prove myself innocent. You just got me out but my freedom, peace and innocence haven't been bailed yet. Let me remind you, reopening my case would cause you more than you bargained," Anne smiled. "Before the police came I asked Dave to write down what he wanted to say but the only thing he wrote was this." She said handing him the piece of paper.
Prince glanced at the paper, "Waterworks."
"Yes," she said. "Only some miles away."
"Inland Town's Waterworks?" Asked Prince.
"Yeah, that's were the clue lies."
"This is sarcastic," he admitted.
"So what do we do now?"
"Damn good question, Anne said through gritted teeth. "I want to find the monster who framed me, this is blood for blood."
"You would kill him?" Prince quizzed.
"Am I not entitled to?" She snapped.
"You would be arrested," he said in a hollow tone.
"I could pervert the course of justice."
"A crime against law." Prince whispered.
"Our country is lawless."
"Don't say that."
"Can't you see how citizens are affected by it."
"Hmmm."
" When there is injustice, what do you expect me to do?"
"Whatever you are planning, devotion is needed."
"And time too."
"Time awaits no man."
"It only finds pleasure by moving fast in order to limit the innocent ones."
"Quite true," Prince agreed.
Anne thought even if her dad didn't receive a befitting burial, he would receive a better revenge.
Prince left Anne all to herself. It was obvious he wasn't convinced but he had to admit Anne's logical plan made strange sense. Anne could see her dream coming to pass sooner than believed, in addition she wanted to prove to Prince that she could find the murderers in a few days time. She pulled out the drawer at the edge of the bed and brought out a notebook and wrote down something on it.
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