COMPLICATIONS IN THE CASE

I finish taking my breakfast and call for the room service to take the used utensils away. I would like to go out and breathe in some fresh air while stretching my muscles a bit, but I thought it wise to just stay indoors until I know I am safe from Ejay. I do not want him to know I am playing games with him yet. The fact that he has not called since I lied to him that my stay had been extended for another week is kind of alarming, but I want to believe that I am just being paranoid.

This is what I have wanted—for him to just leave me alone—but for some weird reasons, this feels odd. I have been with that devil for about five months, so I know how he works. Whatever the case, I chose this for myself, and I am not backing down for anything. I am expecting detective Paul at around noon, which is about three hours from now. It's action time. I am not delaying this again. I don't want to waste even a single minute because I don't know what's going on in Ejay's head. That devil is full of dirty surprises, and I have no idea when and how he will strike. Before he can get to me, I need to learn one or two things, one of those being what he knows about me and who the people I usually dream with are.

Last night, I had that same dream again. The face of the girl appeared for the first time, but it was so blurry. I still cannot make out who she was. The man's voice is what still remains a mystery. I believe there is a connection between my past and this dream. I need to understand this dream. Who are these two people? Why is the girl desperately calling for my help? And whose hands are these who seem to be dragging the girl away so forcefully? What is that room where the man's voice comes from? And why do I seem to stand in the middle of these two people? What kind of help do they need from me?

Going through my Facebook inbox as I wait for the detective, I stumble across a message that has been lying here for a while. It's a lady who claims to have been my friend before I disappeared. I was so disappointed at the last one who came up with this kind of deceit of being my friend, which is why I am taking precautions. I need to have this one investigated before I can talk to her. I cannot afford to be careless again. If she truly were my friend, I believe she would understand why I had to do this. I write all her details down and decide to pass time by going through my galley.

I don't actually have a lot of photos, but the few that I have are enough to distract me for a while. I received some of them from Deep last night. It seems he took every chance he got to take pictures of me. When I was performing, when I was exchanging words with people, and also some from that beautiful night I spent in his house, like the one I am looking at right now. He took it after lying on his bed because, apparently, I fell asleep in his hands that night. The poor guy had to carry me all the way through the long staircase of his house. I would have loved to feel myself in his arms, though. It must have been beautiful, just like the way it was delineated in this photo. I look so peaceful, comfortable, and beautiful on his bed, with my hair scattered on his bed because, for his own reasons, he untied my hair.

The next one I am looking at is a selfie from the same night. This one was taken in the living room, with our lips sealed in a kiss and our eyes closed. How he managed to take this selfie is the least of my concern. What amazes me is how real this looks. We look like a real couple, and the kiss has a lot of emotions displayed on it. It was a desired kiss. We were both longing for it. We were both thirsty for it. We both wanted it. I ran my index finger on our lips in the photo.

I miss this. I miss him. Funny, right? I met him just a week ago, I saw him just yesterday, and I talked to him last morning because he is keeping his promise of us staying in touch, but I still miss him this much. I wish I could see him like today. I would fall in his arms like it's been a decade since we met, kiss him like it's my last kiss here on earth, and lean on his comfortable shoulder like it's where my oxygen comes from.

My imagination Is cut short by the hotel room phone ringing. I close the gallery in a hurry and get the phone. "Hello, room 504." I say this after receiving the call.

"Yes, good afternoon, Miss Gia. A man by the name of Paul Antonio is here to see you, miss."

"Oh, yes. I am expecting him. Kindly show him to my room, please." I say this as I get excited.

"Sure miss." I place the phone down and walk to the window that overlooks the beauty of the surrounding areas of this hotel.

This is surely the neighborhood of the rich. One of the ways to determine that is the clean and serene environment, and the mixed races of people occupying this area is another reason. I would settle down here without having a second thought. A doorbell cut short my tour, and I get the door.

"Hello, here is your guest, miss." The nice receptionist says that, and Paul gives me a slight smile.

"Okay. Thank you so much. Come in." The receptionist walks away after saying her welcome, and I hold the door a bit wider for the detective to get in.

"Thank you." He says this as he steps in, and I close the door.

"I'm sorry, I had to ask you to come all the way up here." I apologize.

"It's alright. Nothing out of the ordinary." He doesn't seem so uptight, and I like that about him already.

"Please sit down." We settle on the small dining area, which has only two seats and a table at the side of the window.

"So, let's get down with it. What can I do for you?" He asks, taking out a notebook and a pen from his black leather jacket.

"Well, I hope you don't run away when you hear what I want you to do for me, detective, because it's quite a lot."

"Try me," he says.

"I suppose you know what happened to me, right?"

"Yes. It's all over the media. I am so sorry about that." He says it nicely.

"It's alright. I want to know everything about that accident that contributed to my memory loss. How and where it happened, help me capture the people involved.

"Allow me to cut you short, Miss Gia. According to your statement, you already have a group of investigators doing that, am I right?" He asks.

"There is some truth in the statements I put out there, but there are a lot of lies in them too. Lies that I want now to put into light." I state.

"So you got nobody investigating your case?"

"No."

"Why? I am sorry, but for me to agree to take up your case, I need to know the absolute truth. You should not withhold any information, however irrelevant it may seem to you." He says.

I clear my throat. "I have no intention of keeping anything a secret, detective. I have done that for far too long, and the secrets are choking me. I admit that I lied, but I did it for mine and my loved one's safety."

"What exactly do you mean?" He focuses his attention on me.

"A man has been keeping me against my will ever since I woke up in a hospital. He is supposedly the one who saved me the day I encountered that accident. He doesn't want me to investigate anything, and he also does not want to let me go." I narrate to him all about Ejay and his dirty businesses while he notes them down, not hiding anything, including the last thing that happened the last time I was in the Wells club.

Remembering Nora made me shed tears again. He keeps silent for a moment. I don't know if I am sensing it right, but he seems taken aback by my story.

"This is serious. Do you know the name of this man you are talking about?" I take out a printed photo of his identity card. I thought it wise while I was in Mombasa to have all the evidence I had against him printed just in case of anything.

"Here." I handed it to the detective.

"Matthew De’Mario is his real name, but everyone knows him as Ejay Wells? Ejay Wells? So, the club we are talking about here is the Wells club." He asks, his expression and tone of voice changing.

He sounds a bit scared, and he seems worried all of a sudden. Why does he know Ejay? Even in the way he is reading that name, it's like the name reminds him of something. "Yes. Are you familiar with it? Or him, the owner?" I ask, and he closes his eyes, murmuring curses that I can't make out. "Detective?" I call, and he breathes heavily through the mouth, opening his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"He is not just a dangerous man, Gia. He has a strong connection with the higher authorities who make his dirty business run smoothly."

Shit!

So that is why he has never been arrested. That is why he is untouchable. What son of a bitch would protect such a killer? I don't care whether he has connections or not; that is not going to scare me. I won't cower down.

"How do you know that?" I ask with curiosity.

"I went after him once, because he had taken away something so important from me." He pauses for a moment. "But I ended up losing all my team because the people I worked under could not afford Ejay being caught because he would surely expose them. He killed my partners all one by one, and he had the guts to send me their dead bodies as a warning."

God of heaven! What? I must admit that I underestimated this monster. I mean, I knew he was a murderer and everything evil, but I never could have thought that even the authorities would fear him. He has even the authorities under him. Why do they protect him? Does he have something against them, or are they just greedy to offer to be partners with him in his dirty businesses?

"I am so sorry about that, detective. If I may ask, why do these authorities protect him?"

"I couldn't find a clue about that. I had to quit his case for personal reasons." He says.

Hurt. I see hurt in his eyes. His voice denotes hurt. It must have been worse for him.

"Okay. So, what now? Can I still count on you?" I ask, crossing fingers in the hope that he won't ditch me now.

But even if he does, I would understand. It's more risky than I thought. "We shall discuss taking down Ejay later, because for that, I need to make sure of something. But I will start working on investigating that incident and looking for your family at once. Since you have stated a war with Ejay, we should first prioritize finding your family and keeping them away from him as far as possible. He won't think twice about hurting anyone just to get what he wants. He is a cunning animal. The details of your ID are enough to locate your home." He explains.

"Okay. Thank you so much, detective. And on finding my family, this could be the key, if she turns out to be true. Do a background check on her before you talk to her, please, just to be safe." I hand him the details of that Facebook lady claiming to know me.

"Let's hope she turns out to be true, then." He says this, folding all the papers I have given him and tossing them in his small notebook, and stands up. "I will take my leave now. I will let you know of every progress."

"Okay. Be careful, okay? No one should know you are doing this." I say this as I walk him to the door.

"Don't worry. I will be extra careful. You should be on guard, too. I don't want to worry you, but Ejay is vicious, Gia. Don't be fooled by his silence. He might be preparing a bombshell of your life."

"I know detective. I will be careful." I say.

"Just asking, does Mr. Moore know about this? I mean, the issue between you and Ejay?"

Damn!

"No. I know he is your friend but I suggest you don't mention it to him. If he has to know, I want it to be from me. Keep this between us, please, detective?" I say.

"Sure. No need to worry."

"Thank you."

"See you." He walks out, and I walk to lie on bed for a while.

Damn you wretched Ejay!