18 CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

The knock on her door made her flap her lashes till it managed to open wide. It was morning already and she felt a lot better. After putting words straight to Dexter, she felt relieved a bit. This time around, he didn't just shake with fear; he seems shaken with emotion; who knows, perhaps, he could change his mind. If only Carly would know that her encounter with the lawyer made him more terrible; she wouldn't still be dreaming wild. To be frank, her encounter with the lawyer was like an inspiration for him to harm her more.

The knock persists.

"Come in." she sat up on the bed, leaning her back against the bed frame.

The door opened gently and Eddy came in, all dressed for work.

"How are you feeling now Miss?"

"-fine…" She placed both hands on the bed, and lifted herself for comfort. "I'm okay now, thank you."

"Okay. I'll be leaving for work now. See you later in the evening."

"I'll be going out too."

"What?" Eddy grimaced. "You ought to stay hidden henceforth."

"I need to sort out some things, Eddy. Please just let me out this once..."

She had never called him by his name before and had never dreamed of calling him by his name. She knew that they were trying to protect her, but again, she was not a baby, she could take care of herself.

She kept on with her gaze on him, perhaps pleading in her heart.

"-okay, fine, but be careful." At the door, he paused. "I'll drop the key to my other car on the center table. You can use it." He opened the door and walked out.

Carly beamed and pushed the duvet off her body.

She moved her leg to the floor and came to her feet. She hurriedly walked into the bathroom. After she was through bathing, she came to the room again. She went to the wardrobe and made her choice, this time a creamy gown. She tidied her room and sprayed herself. At the sitting room, she grabbed the keys from the table and left.

∆∆∆

Dexter halted his black Audi in front of the Pa-Ben mansion. He had come for the briefing; Charlie had summoned him for a secret meeting in his house. As Dexter stepped down from the vehicle, he could see another vehicle, riding madly towards the parking lot, where he stood. He waited for the vehicle to approach.

With full speed, the vehicle came and halted just in front of him. He maintained his stern look on the vehicle, he was wondering who it was.

With a complicated look on his face, Gordon stepped out of the Range-Rover sport car; he went straight to Dexter extending his hand for a shake. Dexter took the hand still looking at him all over, he was their ally, but he had not reached the verge of being summoned in a secret meeting, he needed to figure out what he wanted.

"-why all the rush…?" Dexter still held fast to his hand that he had extended for the shake.

The latter peered at him strangely, "You don't know?" Gordon grimaced. "I was requested to be here with the speed of light by Charlie, I believe that why you are here too…?"

"-oh, I see. He called you too…"

Gordon glared at him strangely and withdrew his hand.

"-of course he did, or is there a problem…?" Gordon looked him on the face.

Dexter smiled nervously and tapped him lightly on the shoulder. With that, they walked side by side into the main building.

∆∆∆

The smell of drugs wafted from the hospital. Carly wrinkled her nose from left to right as she walked down the aisle of chairs on which people sat. She walked straight to the receptionist who seems so engrossed in her work.

"Excuse me." Carly said with a grin.

"-yes..." the receptionist did not return the grin. She picked a number card from a file of them placed below the counter and handed it over to Carly. "Here's your card. When you hear the number on it you see the doctor, alright…?"

"I know. But I'm here for a particular doctor." Carly frowned.

"Who...?"

"Doctor Fredrick..."

Carly observed the series of sharp change on the lady's face.

"I'm sorry but Doctor Fredrick was murdered nineteen years ago."

Carly glared at the lady due to the information she'd received.

"-is there anybody I can contact to get his profile…?"

"No-"

"Ma'am Please..." Carly begged.

The lady didn't spare another look at her; she bent her face over the counter; flipping and nodding her head.

Carly became a bit tensed, the lady was not talking to her again, and she was not even looking at her.

"-please, help me. He holds great information..."

The lady kept on flipping the pages of the book, she was searching for something, Carly didn't know, she kept on pleading.

"-I'm not supposed to be doing this, but I hope you find what you're looking for." The lady handed her a piece of paper which on it was written figures.

"The senior doctor's number, he took over after Doctor Fredrick…" the lady spoke without looking at Carly.

Carly thanked her and excused herself from the reception. Walking out of the hospital, she approached her car at the parking lot.

∆∆∆

Dexter turned on his swivel chair as he looked at the Original will. He needs to stop living like a whore and do the right thing. Ben had trusted him with the will and he had betrayed him by giving in to the demands of a greedy friend. It's never too late to do the right thing he thought as he slipped the file into his briefcase and zipped it up. He was the only one left in the office. His mind was not still made up in revealing the truth, the reward that Charlie gives him monthly was all he could think about. He stood up, straightened his trousers. It was time to leave. He unzipped the briefcase again and took the will out. He took the file with him towards the shelf and forced it under some other files.

"-okay…I'm done." He walked out of his office, dragging the briefcase along.

∆∆∆

The barrister walked in starring at Carly as she sat with her eyes fixed on a document.

"Hey…" the barrister called her to reality. She turned to look at her with her eyes glistering.

"Barrister," she sniffled, stood up and went to hug her. "I'm my father's daughter."

Surprised at her action and statement, the barrister took the hug with her eyes still wide.

"-really...?"

"Very sure..." Carly nodded. She turned and sat on one of the chairs in the sitting room.

The barrister followed, sitting opposite her. Her mind raced on, she couldn't grab a meaning out of what Carly was saying to her.

She stared into her eyes.

"How come-?" she grimaced and kept her gaze tight on Carly.

"Well," Carly began rapidly. "Remember the day we went to my house, that very day I searched my father's room thoroughly and there was this box on the top of his wardrobe. When I took the box down and explored it, I found out some secret about my family and my birth certificate."

"Alright, Carly..." The barrister gesticulated. "Take it slow... So I can hear your words." she heaved a sigh of relief as she watched her again. Because she was fast, she could not hear all she had to say.

She smiled and started all over again. This time the barrister heard her clearly. The barrister watched with enthusiasm as Carly spoke with so much joy.

"The only thing I need to find out now is my birth doctor's successor."

The barrister sighed.

"Are you alright?" Carly turned to look at her.

"Anything that will be taking you out of this building is not ideal…" the barrister frowned.

Carly glared at her, her brow arched.

"But I'm trying to help myself."

"-we are on it dear, we are your helper now…"

"Perfect." Carly smiled. Who knows, she might sneak out again.

"I met with Dexter."

"What?" the barrister frowned. "Why did you let him see you? They all need you dead!" the barrister hollered.

Carly took her gaze away.

"I went to put some word straight to him…" she peered at the barrister again.

The barrister frowned.

"-stop seeing those wicked fellow; they will surely ruin you…"

Carly felt her pride, she defeated Dexter, from his looks; she believed it. He was so disfigured; perhaps he would turn to embrace the truth. She needed to let the barrister know that she could handle people all by herself. She drew her gaze on the barrister and chortled.

"-you should have seen how helpless he was with emotion…" Carly kept on smiling.

The barrister was not amazed; she knew how the game goes. Who knows if Dexter was just pretending so that she could trust him?

"I will be in my room…" the barrister said and began to loosen her shirt.

Carly frowned, she needed to talk.

"-you didn't say anything…?"

"What else do you want me to say?"

"Okay."

They spoke at once.

Carly wanted to hear more of the plan, but she was not ready to give any, just like Eddy. She believed that they were keeping their plan to themselves, she had also concluded to be keeping her own plans secret.

Without much to utter, the barrister walked out of the room lazily. She walked towards the stairs and disappeared into the hallway.

Carly stood as well, with her birth certificate tight in her hand; she walked to the stairs and mounted it.

∆∆∆

Carly now in her room, deliberated on how to meet the strange doctor. She took her phone and searched most of the stuff she did heard about the doctor, but no image appeared; not even an address. She threw the phone down and lay face-up on the bed still thinking on how to get in touch with the doctor in question.

The receptionist at the local hospital has been kind to let her have the doctor's number.

"-yes, the number!" she screamed and sat up on the bed.

She had almost forgotten, the number was in her purse, she had put it there for safe keeping. She will call the doctor as soon as the barrister leaves.

She smiled and lay back on her bed as if nothing had happened.

∆∆∆

Eddy kept on calling out on Leonard as he entered the living room. The house seems so quiet and lifeless; he needed to know if everything were as they supposed to be. He kept on calling out on Leonard and undressing altogether. He checked all the rooms in the first roof but he was not in any of them. Still with a worried face, he mounted the second roof. Leonard had his work abroad, so there's no possibility of him going to work. Moreover, he always told him if he would go out or not; so where is he?

Eddy kept on thinking as he reached the roof top, a penthouse to be precise; there he was, fondling a thing that looked like a giant hockey stick. Eddy approached and saw what he was fondling; it was a sniper's gun.

Leonard facing him as he approached smiled warmly.

"-it's time to take the troublesome man down…" Leonard called out gently.

Eddy beamed, pleased with what he said came and sat close to him.