To Live For Once (Set Me Free II) - Episode 46

 

Rory:

"Don't let her leave the room okay?" I say into the phone as I maneuver my car pass the traffic jam on the street of the town. I agitatedly bite down on my thumbnail till it bled. Ouch.
"You have to calm down okay? I already alerted the police. They're looking for Amaya." Michelle says and I nod like I can really be calm at a time such as this. I can at least pretend to be.
"Be safe okay? Both of you." I tell her.
"I will be . Don't do anything rash."
"I can't promise that." I say before ending the call. I step on the accelerator as the traffic thin out. My brain working relentlessly. I punch another number into my phone and dial.
"Pick, pick, pick." I mutter and the call rings off. A mechanical voice tells me the call can't be answered at the moment. I dial again and again. I'm pretty much driving around the town without aim for now.
"Hello?" A female voice speaks from the other side of the line. I check the number to make sure I dialed the correct one. It's correct. Why then am I speaking to a woman?
"Hello? Are you going to say something or I'll hang up?" The voice sounds impatient. I clear my voice briefly.
"I'm sorry but I have to speak to Francis." He's the guy I hired to find out what Watson is up to

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/to-live-for-once-set-me-free-ii

. He never got back to me after promising to check the hospital for information on the woman Watson came to Nigeria with months before I asked for him.
"Fran--cis?" I hear sobbing then wailing in the background. What's going on?
"Isn't this Francis' phone?" I ask, a little confused.
"I'm sorry but you can't speak to Francis right now." I hear the voice waver.
"Why? It's really important that a speak to him. It's a matter of life and death." I insist.
"He's dead!" The voice snaps. The phone nearly slip out of my cold fingers.
"What?"
"He died a few days ago. You hear that wailing in the background? That's his mother morning her son. You really shouldn't call anymore. You are interrupting his wake service."
"Wake service? Oh my God." The implication of it all slams into me and I have to step on the break to avoid slamming into a car in front of me. I jerk forward in my seat. The driver of the car curse at me but all I hear is the wailing in the background on the other end of the line. For a moment I imagine Amaya in Francis' place. God forbid! I shut down the thought but the cold sweat that drops down my back makes me shudder.
"I'll hang up now. I have to get back to my mother." The female voice says after a moment of silence. I'm pulled out of my reverie. Various honks go off behind my car and I manage to put the car on drive again.
"Please don't hang up." I manage to get out.
"I really need to go." She sounds annoyed now. I take a calming breath.
"I know. I just need a favor. I need to know how he died. Please." I plead. I'm greeted with silence and for a moment I think she's hanged up on me but then her harsh breathing filters into my ear.
"His throat was cut through like a damn Christmas chicken."
"Oh my God." I gasp.
"I just don't know what he was doing in that hospital where his body was found! I--I I can't get the image out of my head. It's--" her sobbing gets uncontrollable and I let her cry. I think I drove the young man to his death. I know now the gravity of my situation. Someone has been killed to protect the identity of this woman Watson is working for. Melissa. I don't doubt it. What I doubt is if she's also Jessica. This is just messed up. Again, I pray for Amaya's safety.
"I'm sorry for your loss. I shouldn't have called. I just had to get some information from him. It's--- I'm sorry." I go to end the call but the sputtering mess on the other end of the phone speaks again.
"Wait. Are you by chance, Rory?" My brows shoot up.
"Yes. How did you--"
" The police said you were the last name on his lips even till his dying breath. I am supposed to give you a patient's slip or something. The police retrieved it from his bag the day he was found. It has your name on the back."
"Wait do you have the slip with you there?" I ask
"No. I can get it to you say tomorrow?" That'll be too late.
"Umm do you think you can remember anything about what was on the slip?" I ask.
"I've read it countless times. I don't know how a woman's cosmetic surgery report could have led to my brother's merciless death." Her voice crack at the last word while everything in my head clicks into place. Cosmetic surgery! That's the connection between Melissa and Jessica. They are one and the same!
"I have to go now. I'm sorry about your brother's death." I say.
"Me too. Bye." She ends the call and I drive off the road to quickly type out a text to Melissa.

 WE HAVE TO TALK. I KNOW WHO YOU ARE JESSICA!

 I ponder on what this text could mean for Amaya and decide against it. I delete it and type out another. If there's one thing Jessica has always wanted, it's my heart. That's what I'm going to use as bait.

  I THINK AMAYA JUST ELOPED WITH MY SECRETARY. I NEED SOMEONE TO TALK TO MELISSA.

Read " Star-crossed " by the same author ( Ameh juliet )

. CAN WE MEET?

 I press send and impatiently chew on my nails. It stings but it distracts me from thinking about what Amaya could be going through at this very moment. Minutes pass and I get nothing. I should have called.

  I'M SO SORRY RORY. JUST GOT YOUR TEXT. I'M ACTUALLY AT THE RESORT. LET'S MEET AT THE CABIN IN LET'S SAY TEN, FIFTEEN MINUTES.
PS DON'T DO ANYTHING STUPID. SHE WASN'T MEANT FOR YOU IF SHE LEFT.

 My face burn with anger at the text but I swallow it down. This isn't the time to get angry. Rather it's the time for action. I make sure to stop at a provision store to get a small knife before I fire down towards the cabin.