A few hours earlier and after Jas had been thrown out of the premises...
"You did not see anything happen here. This was all a dream... A vivid one. The lesson learnt remains the sa -"
Currey’s voice bood strongly around the receiving room. The workers had been left not knowing what to do after Ian had unceremoniously left them. They still held their place in their long, neat lines, except the two who had initially fainted. They had regained consciousness but were seated on the ground. Most still had weak knees, struggling to hold themselves up from the ordeal they had just witnessed.
Currey let his eyes glean over each of them as the changes he had expected took place. He nodded. He was quite pleased with himself. He then added,
"You can take the rest of the day off. Chairman Ian would like you all to take care of yourselves. After all, a healthy mind makes a healthy body!"
Currey smiled. The workers’ confusion, fear, and uncertainty were shed off. Small smiles made their way to their faces, and all workers erupted in a loud, wild cheer, including Suzie, who was at his back and had been clearing up the teacup used by her mistress.
Currey noticed Katie at the corner of his eyes as she also smiled widely, shaking her head at the gimmicks of the workers.
Gone was all the tension from what they had witnessed earlier.
"Sir, did Master Ian really say so? Is he really okay with all of this?"
Currey nodded, his eyes cringing up in a rare show of a happy smile. For a mont, he had thought that sothing had been wrong with him from young Gabriel’s reaction to the sa.
What had that boy even said, ’that I was a weird man and a liar! He even had the audacity to say that he would report to his ’Mama Shelby’?’ Currey shook his head in amusent and thought, ’The likes of the things we hear from kids...’
"Can we dismiss them now?" Katie asked from the side.
"Of course, Katie. You are in charge of the estate and whatever you say is what will be done."
"You flatter , assistant Currey. We all know that Master Ian is the true force of the estate. No matter the length of ti that he has been off the scene, he is still the master. So, I have to follow your lead!"
Then Katie leaned closer to him and whispered,
"I know how to change with the tides!"
"Hahahahaahaaaaa.... You are indeed a smart woman, Katie! I am looking forward to our work ti together as we did previously."
Katie nodded at him and then turned to face the workers.
"Listen up, everyone, we will be having an evening dinner-like banquet for -"
Currey lost the rest of what she was telling them as he moved out of earshot, disappearing when he got to the corridors.
****
In a basent sowhere in the estate, the man Currey had brought out was lying on the cold dump floor. The place was so dark that one could barely make out the dark outline of the man in there.
The earthy scent with the hint of decaying wood and animal excreta remained in the air. No one would believe that that place also existed in the sa beautiful and airy estate, for the room had no windows.
One mont, he had been in the corridor begging for his life, and the next mont, he had been dumped unceremoniously there. He did not have a clue as to how they had gotten there, and most importantly, he was scared shitless even to let his brain help him understand that.
There was one thing that stood clear to him then though, ’I shouldn’t have listened to Pedro! I don’t know how many tis I ignored myself because of so of the good stuff Pedro gave !’
It’s always at the last monts when one feels their life trying to slip through their fingers that life’s regrets co to the forefront of their mind.
He struggled up, grunting as he slipped on the muddy floor, the dump earth seeping moisture into his clothes. He thumped the floor, trying to make sense of where he was as he got accustod to the basent.
After a while, he started regretting his wish to see better where he was.
He finally made it and stood up.
"Ahhhh!" He scread as he felt sothing brush across his face, imagining the worst. Stumbling back on the floor and on his bum, he realized that it was just cobwebs.
"W-hat i-s this place?" He crawled back on the floor until he bumped into sothing. He let out another deafening scream as he realized what it was.
’Are they human?’ He wondered, scrambling to make his brain grasp and understand his predicant. It looked to be a couple of skeletons.
"Ho-w lo-ng have th-ey been there, and most imp-ortantly, ho-w did they get here?"
He said aloud, not expecting that he already had company.
Currey had been leaning on the opposte wall, watching the man struggle to make aning of his surroundings.
"For soone about to die, you sure have a curious mind!"
"Ahhh!" He scread again, holding onto his thumping heart.
"You should really consider lowering your voice. It’s too loud." The man kept screaming until Currey added rather calmly,
"If you expect soone to save you, you are sorely mistaken. You are so far off from everybody that if you scream till your throat tears apart, not even a mouse will co to your aid."
That did the trick as the place fell into absolute silence.
Currey went around the place and switched on an overhead light. However, the man was so scared and out of his wits that he did not even bother looking around anymore.
"So, how long have you been using?"
"Eh?"
"I don’t have ti for your gimmicks, so if I were you, I might consider telling the truth, and who knows, maybe I might consider releasing you."
That was all the hope that he needed. He saw a light at the end of his dark tunnel: the possibility of life! Without holding anything back, he started,
"On-ly a f-ew months. Jas Wendover, he told us that ...."
About half an hour later, Currey nodded his head and said,
"You’re a rat, on top of all this? A rat does not deserve life...."
His eyes widened as he realized the implications of Currey’s words.
"No, please!"
However, Jas took about his phone and watched sothing intently for a mont, his face not showing any emotions. It was as if he enjoyed the ntal tornt that his victim was going through. He squatted in front of the man and looked deep into his eyes....
****
Currey had visited the cold room afterwards, his hand running fast over the keyboard. He watched intently what he had searched and nodded slightly. He got up, stretching his neck, and then headed out to the scene in the receiving room, already abreast with what was happening there.
After Katie’s voice died down, Currey stepped up to Detective Leon.
"Maybe, this might help?" He said, handing him a small tablet then just as Katie added,
"Pedro has been out of our employnt since a few weeks ago, as you can see from the docunts as well."
Leon was so angry that he had not noticed that the story did not match. He flipped through the papers, ntally beating himself up at his stupidity.
"That, t-" Jas began, but Leon held up his hand to stop him.
He flipped through the tablet’s contents and then raised his head to et Currey.
"Thank you, erhm..."
"Please speak freely," Currey said, sending a small, encouraging smile.
"May I keep this contents to aid in my investigations?"
"Of course! I will also assist in any way I can. Just let know. As a loyal citizen of T-Vino Island, I will uphold the law as best as I can!"
Leon sent a look of gratitude to him, and Jas wondered what the hell was going on.
Then Leon turned to Ian, making sure not to look at his wife lest he be found wanting again.
He had committed a grave error for coming in there and hoped that he might still be able to keep his job.
With a forty-five-angle degree bow, he said, "I am deeply sorry for bothering you on this day, Master Ian Thornston."
Ian nodded and replied, "I understand; you were only doing your job, and I comnd you for holding your ground even when the culprit was . You are indeed a good officer."
His respective address of Ian had not gone unnoticed.
Still in the sa position, he turned in the other direction and repeated, "My sincere apologies for disturbing your rest, Mr and Mrs Thornston. I will take my leave now. Also, I am thankful for letting go about my job."
Leon was so apprehensive as he waited for them to acknowledge this. He tried to maintain his composure, but it was proving too difficult.
"It’s all right, young man, you may stand. Don’t bruise your precious waist because of old people like us." Alex was the one who had spoken.
Geneva was badly shaken, and her mind started to wonder, a single thought on her mind,
’Is it because of that? That can’t be right?’
*********
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