"Will you please explain why we are on a flight to my hometwon ?" Jennifer asks me, almost sulking. She has the right to sulk. I literally dragged her to the airport at 6 AM. She didn't have a chance to take a shower or brush her teeth, even less to do proper make up.
"We're going to have weekend getaway," I answer her casually.
"Really ? At my hometown ? Are you that poor ? Or you are just .." I muffle her mouth with my palm to shut her. "Hey.. you promised you won't touch me !" She says in protest.
"I won't if you don't ask too much question," I answer her then flick my fingers to her nose.
"Auch!!" she screams in pain then rubs her nose. I move my sight back to the seat infront of me. "I'm not your hostage, you know.. though now I feel like one," she is still demanding to know.
I turn my head to her. She has a pouting face now. I can't help not to chuckle. Her face is so cute. "You're adorable," I whisper to her ear that earn a blush on each of her cheeks. I chuckle again.
"I wanna know more about you," I finally answer her.
"Why can't you just ask me ?"
"Because you might not even know about it."
"What do you want to know ?"
I shrug. "I don't know. But there is got to be something about you that makes you a target."
"You said he wants a revenge.."
"I thought so at first, but.." I halt my words as a stewardess comes to offer us drinks. I give Jennifer her coffee then wait for the stewardess to pass.
"But.. ?" She reminds me what I left.
"But.. you said you've never had a case with a dead penalty, right ?" I ask her instead.
"Yes. My cases are mostly about corruption, trafficking, and drug abuse. I had only few murder cases but all are second degree, so.. nope. No dead penalty."
"So.. no one should have a revenge so huge that makes him so determined to kill you."
"How do you know that he is determined ?"
"Before he bit his tongue, the assassin told me that the mastermind would keep on hunting you down. He couldn't tell me the name because the mastermind had his daughter and threatened to mutilate her," I carefully tell her. Still, her face turns blanch in instant.
"Why he needs to hurt other people.." She covers her mouth. "I feel sick," she says then grabs a brown paper and takes the content of her stomach out.
"Are you okay ?" I ask her in concern.
She nods. "Empty stomach. Coffee." She says, cleans her lips with paper towel then rests her head on the head of her seat. She closes her eyes.
I take a sip of my coffee and read newspaper that given to me earlier.
"So what motive stronger than revenge ?" she asks after some minutes of silence.
"Money."
She frowns. "My parents didn't have a lot of money. When my mom passed away two years ago, I took all the money they left for me to buy my apartment so I could established my life. That's what she wanted me to do. All left is our simple home in the suburban."
I stare at her and smile gently. "Like i said.. I need to find out what you don't know, about you and your parents."
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"So. where are we going now ?" Jennifer asks when we are already inside the city M's airport building.
"You can access your birth certificate file, right ?" I ask, without turning my head to her.
"Uhum," she corrects me, widens her steps to match mine.
"Check which hospital were you born," I ask her, stopping my step in front of a flight schedule board. I pretend to check a flight schedule to give Jennifer a change to check her phone.
"Got it. Virgin Mary's hospital. Why.."
"Come on," I grab her hand and pull her to walk again to find a taxi.
"What is your plan ?" Jennifer asks when we are already inside the taxi.
"I want to trace you from the moment your are born up until now. Your friends, You schools, your neighbors. Your parent's workplace. You said your parents had no siblings, we need to check about it, too," I explain to her in low tone .
"Looking for what ?" She follows my tone.
"Any incongruity to your simple normal life."
"What's wrong with my simple normal life ?" she asks in disagree voice.
I turn my head to her. Her face is only few inches from mine, distract me with its beauty. Her beautiful green eyes staring at me, waiting for an answer. "You know, I want to kiss you right now," I whisper to her.
"Get off!" she says, putting her palm onto my face while distancing her face away. I laugh.
"There's nothing wrong having a simple normal life. But people with that kind of life won't likely be a target of murderer," I say to her with a voice loud enough to be heard only by her.
"So, you are doubting my simple normal life ?" she whispers back. I nod. "And why are we whispering ?" she asks again.
"Just a precaution," I say to her, pointing my chin to the driver.
"Aren't you being a bit paranoid ?" she asks still in whispering. I laugh inwardly. It's only an excuse so I can be this close to her. But I eventually pull my self away from her when I can feel my buddy is starting to react to her scent.
"How much further ?" I ask the driver with normal voice.
"Just a couple of blocks away, Sir," the driver answers with a thick Hindi accent. I pat her thigh for no reason.
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Following the administrative nurse's direction, we are finally able to find the archive department building that located behind the hospital. We enter the building and approaching the information desk.
"Hi, I was told that someone in this building can help me on my birth certificate ?" Jennifer says to the receptionist once he greeted us.
"Sure, if you were born here, we definitely can help you," the receptionist friendly replies.
"My apartment was.. burnt, so I lost my birth certificate. I need it for..," Jennifer rounds her arm on my waist, "our marriage."
The receptionist raises his eyebrows. "My father insists we have a prenup," I continue her lie and give him a defeated grin. The receptionist smiles to show his sympathy.
"Will you write down your name and date of birth, Miss ?" he asks, giving Jennifer a piece of post it. She writes what are asked. "It will cost you 50 dollars to print and re-legitimate it," he adds.
"That won't be a problem," I answer him with polite smile.
"It will take around thirty minutes. You can wait at the lobby," the receptionist says after Jennifer finish.
"Thank you," Jennifer and I say in the same time then walk to the lobby to sit on one of the couch there. It is less then five minutes later, the receptionist approaches us.
"I'm sorry, Miss.. but they can't find your birth certificate data," he says.
"What ?! That's impossible !!" Jennifer says in shock. "There must be a mistake!"
"We've checked a couple of times. We do have few medical records of Jennifer McCourtney, bone fracture in 1997, overdose in 2008.."
"Y..Yes.. those are mine," Jennifer says in stammered. Her face is red.
"Well.. but we can't find your birth information here," the receptionist continues.
"But.. I was born here! I'm sure of that. My mom told me about it all the time.." Jennifer insists.
"Can you help us searching whether.." I turn to Jennifer, "What's you mother's name, Babe ?"
"Sophia," Jennifer answers.
"Yes.. can you help us searching whether Sophia McCourtney was hospitalized here in that date ?" I ask the receptionist, handing him some money, "Please.."
"Sure," the receptionist says with a tight smile. He returns to his desk and making a call.
"So my mom lied to me.. ? Why.. ?"
"We don"t know about it yet, okay," I calm her down, ask her to sit on the couch again.
"But they said they don't have my birth record here. So my certificate.."
"Babe.. calm down. No prejudice, okay ? We only gather facts," I tell her, rubbing her back circularly. She covers her face.
The receptionist approaches us once again. "Excuse me, Sir.. Our head of department wants to meet you," he says.
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"Please, come in," a voice inside the room replies the knocks on his door. The receptionist opens the door and let us in.
"Hello, Miss McCourtney and Mister .."
"Bennet. Scott Bennet," I introduce my self while shaking his hand.
"I'm Ashton Bredley, the head of Archive department of this hospital," the man introduces himself. The door once again is knocked. "Come in."
A middle age woman is coming in. "What a coincidence, Nurse Seafield comes," Mr. Bredley introduces to us the woman indirectly. "Please, all, be seated."
We sit on the couch in front of his work desk. "I was told that you are searching whether Sophia McCourtney was hospitalized here on 28th of December 1991," Mr. Bredley gives his introduction. I nod to confirm.
"Well, she came here at 27th of December with a heavy bleeding. Nurse Seafield here was one of paramedics who gave her first treatment," Mr. Bredley continues. Our heads autonomously shift to where Nurse Seafield are.
"That night.. she was eight months pregnant and was unconscious," Nurse Seafield speaks up. "The woman who brought her here said that she found her lied on an alley. Her stomach was stabbed. She lost a lot of blood. She was lucky she was found on time. We could save her. But.. we couldn't save her baby."
"What do you mean ?" Jennifer asks.
"Her baby died. She died on my hands," Nurse Seafield says.