Dexter’s suspicions

After Arthur left the room, Hugo walked in and approached Dexter who was sitting on the sofa.

"What are you talking about?" Hugo asked.

Dexter looked at Hugo and chuckling. "I'm more curious about how the head of the warden let a special prisoner like me receive a guest who isn't even someone I know."

"You intend to threaten me for letting Arthur see you?" said Hugo.

"Why would I threaten you? No one will believe me anyway," Dexter replied coldly while shrugging his shoulders. He suddenly laughed as he patted the sofa he was sitting on while moving his body in his seat.

"It's been a long time since I've had this soft couch. Maybe I can fall asleep if I lay down here." Ignoring Hugo's displeased look, Dexter lay down on the sofa with a long sigh. He then turned to Hugo and looked at him.

"What's your relationship with that guy?" asked Dexter curiously.

"You're really insolent," Hugo replied.

"I can do whatever I want now. Have you forgotten I'm no longer one of you? So I don't have to be polite to you," said Dexter.

Hugo clenched his fists as he grunted in annoyance. Meanwhile, Dexter glanced at him with a cold and calm gaze. "I just want to know how that guy got permission to see me."

"That's none of your business. I'll call Rufus to bring you back," Hugo said. As he walked to his desk, he dialed a number to call the duty officer.

"Arthur Kingsley wants to investigate the bomb explosion that happened two years ago," Dexter exclaimed.

"Yes, sir. How can I help you?" said the voice on the other side of the receiver that Hugo was holding. However, Dexter's words made Hugo pause for a moment. He then put the receiver back without responding to the voice of the operator who answered his call.

Dexter giggled when he saw the silent Hugo at his desk. "Wow, I didn't expect you to be interested in what I say. I'm even more curious now."

Hugo chuckled while looking at Dexter. Then he reached for the receiver again and called the operator. This time Hugo spoke directly to the operator who answered the phone and immediately asked the duty officer to come to his room. Once he finished talking to the operator, Hugo sat down in his comfortable leather chair and looked at Dexter who was still relaxed on the sofa in his room.

"You think I'm going to take your word? You better think about your attitude. I can keep you in this prison for much longer," Hugo said.

Dexter sighed long as he got up and sat on the couch. "I find the smell of the couch nauseating. It's like I smell something rotten in here," he said calmly. He then glanced at Hugo and continued.

"I don't know anything about the scheme behind the bomb explosion involving my sister. But I'm sure you guys must have something. Right?"

Hugo looked at Dexter without blinking. He had a half smile on his face. "Whatever you think."

"Well," Dexter said, laughing softly. He and Hugo stared at each other like two predators fighting over their territory. That was until a knock on the door woke them both up.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

"Your pick-up has arrived," Hugo said coldly as soon as Rufus appeared in his room. He signaled with his eyes for Rufus to immediately take Dexter from his room.

Without saying much, Rufus approached Dexter. He intended to hold Dexter's arm, but the man had already stood up. Dexter looked at Hugo for a moment, and he chuckled while turning his face away from the middle-aged man and walking away from the tobacco-smelling room.

Hugo stared at Dexter's back until the man disappeared behind the door of his room. After that, he took out an old palm-sized cell phone that he had hidden under his desk. He then pressed one on the rectangular phone with rounded edges and waited for the person on the other side of the line to answer his call while sighing softly.

***

"Did you manage to talk to him?" Lukas asked as Arthur got into the car.

Arthur glanced at Lukas and shook his head slowly. "He said maybe his sister uploaded the photo when she was drunk."

"Do you believe him?" said Lukas.

Arthur shook his head again. "He must have been disturbed by the picture. I can see that."

"So—"

"So I'll wait until he's released while I find out more about the image's meaning," Arthur replied.

"Everyone knows about the meaning of the eye of Horus," Lukas said.

"The meaning may not change. But if that picture is always there in every strange incident that happens lately, I'm sure some people use that symbol as their identity," Arthur explained.

Lukas responded to Arthur's words with a quiet laugh. "Or maybe you have too much on your mind to associate everything that happened with the explosion two years ago."

Instantly Arthur looked at Lukas with a cold gaze. "If you don't like what I'm doing, you can quit your job anytime. I'll give you my recommendation so you can get hired somewhere else with a much more sane boss than me."

"N—no... that's not what I meant," Lukas said quickly. He really didn't mean to quip or offend Arthur for what he did.

"Stop the car. Let Lukas down," Arthur said in a sharp tone. His face showed no expression when he told the driver to stop their vehicle.

"Art, I didn't mean to offend you," Lukas said defensively.

The car in which Arthur and Lukas were traveling stopped on the shoulder of the road.

"The door is next to you," Arthur said without turning to Lukas.

Lukas was silent for a moment while looking at Arthur who was now turning on his tablet to read the reports that came in for him. Realizing Arthur was upset, Lukas didn't want to make things more difficult for him. He finally opened the door and got out of the car.

Right after Lukas closed the door, the black Rolls-Royce left him in the middle halfway. Lukas kicked the air to vent his frustration. But he realized that his words had upset Arthur. Lukas then turned on his cell phone and ordered a taxi to pick him up.

Meanwhile, in the car, Arthur ordered the driver to return to Longbark. On his way to Longbark, Arthur noticed a report about a cyberattack that had targeted his company's main server for the past two years. A smile spread across Arthur's face. He took out his cell phone from his coat and called Lukas.

"What else do you want after you drop me off on the street?" Lukas exclaimed as he answered Arthur's call.

"Meet me at Bad Roses," Arthur replied.

"Wha—"

Arthur hung up the phone before Lukas could finish his sentence. After that, he asked his driver to divert their destination to Bad Roses, one of the striptease bars in Nova City's red light district.

***