Matilda Begot lay on a comfy sofa alone at home doing nothing, expecting a hello from one of the numerous trampling feet outside of her house but none was forthcoming.
She stayed there in silence with her eyes closed, even though the Television was on, pleaded god that at least, even if nobody was coming to visit her, sleep should, but even that eludes her.
Not too long, sleep did come, taking along with it her consciousness so that she lay there motionless like a breathing corpse. Then from nowhere came a sabotaging knock that ratted her to the core of her being. Matilda woke up, looking wild and confused, scampered to the safety of her bedroom.
"Who is it?" She asked as the knock persists.
"You've got a visitor, come and open the door."
"Just a secooooond!" She cried. Matilda rushed to the bathroom and got her face washed in the sink and dabs it with a towel. She then walks lazily to the door to open it. Detective Morley Rocque cleared his voice and strike a pose as he heard footsteps approaching the door.
"Hello, my name is Louisiano Perez, I work with the Milan Academy of Arts as its director of Photography; am here to discourse business with Matilda Begot, are you she, ma'am?"
"Yes, I am; have we met before, Mr Perez, and how did you get to know my house?" While Mr Perez talks, Matilda was looking at him, trying to figure out where she knew the face but could not therefore, she begin to be suspicious of him. She never had a friend nor an acquaintance linked to such a profession before. His saving grace was his tact with the word use of words.
"It's not possible to hold this meeting here," said Matilda Begot.
"How about coming over to the LaBuenosares hotel to hold the talk there?" Matilda mulled over the invitation and the venue and thought to herself, what do I have to lose, after all, I am at home alone doing nothing. "That would be better, Mr Perez,"
"14:00 GMT, Miss Matilda." Said the detective. "Okay then, see you soon."
Matilda kept to the appointed time; she showed up at the bar as directed by Mr Perez, wearing a checked buckle Pinafore and a clutch bag. She almost loses her composure to the sea of eyes that greeted her. This particular guy watches the French braid she dons on her head down to her white converse and then whistled a long flute, tapping his friends to check out her killer legs. Matilda did not mind them,
She casts her eyes in another direction, looking for Mr Perez. Not too far from where she stood, there was a raised hand waving vigorously, vying for her attention. Her eyes caught it and she began to move in that direction. It was Louisiano Perez. He rose to his feet and flashed the whole of his tooth in a smile. "Miss Matilda, am glad that you honour the appointment, please have a seat." "Thank you, Mr Perez, but am sorry; am not entirely comfortable with the idea of sitting in this crowded place. I would rather prefer an outdoor setting."
Detective Louisiano honoured her wishes and took her on a walk in a green reserved area of the city covered with flowering ivies and willow trees dotting the topography.
"Miss Matilda Begot," he began, my employer, the Milan Academy of Arts, is looking for a suitably qualified candidate to fill in a lead role in a soap opera that has been forced to stop due to the exit of its major character. Verona, an acquaintance of yours recommended that I check you out; that you could be a perfect replacement for the ousted star lead, and you know what? I think I found you worthy to take over that lofty role. that's why I searched all over for you to make you an offer but first, you must be willing to attend an audition."
"I never told Verona I fancy a career in the theatre arts, how could she say that?"
"Of course you did, Miss Matilda. She told me how passionately you used to talk about acting; and how great it will be for you to attain your childhood ambition. That dream is about to be fulfilled."
"That was right, we did hold a discussion of that nature, but that was a very long time ago; Verona has a sharp memory, don't she, Mr Perez?"
"Before he answers her question, there were couples that have just left a park bench and Mr Perez suggests they occupy it. Matilda endorses the idea and they did.
"I think she has a soft spot in her heart exclusively for you." Said Mr Rocque after he has settled down on the bench.
"How comes Verona never told me about you, Mr Perez?"
"Well, I guess Verona is a woman of the people; you wouldn't expect her to tell you every single acquaintance she had come across every day, you will be bored if she does that, won't you, Miss Matilda?" Matilda looked at him intently into the eye as if she was looking to pick a fault in it. Mr Rocque too wasn't comfortable with that probing glare, thinking she is about to burst his game plan.
"I will make consultations with my confidant and get back to you as soon as possible, Mr Perez."
"You are most welcome, Miss Matilda; but whatever decision you are making, make it snappy as the offer may not hang there for too long."
Till now, Matilda Begot refused to believe Mr Louisiano Perez is a director of photography as alleged by him. She sensed something fishy about the whole thing. He has this hardened face and a somewhat mean and reserved attitude instead of possessing the sensational type of aura and fluidity of the lifestyle that usually surrounds actors.
Unknown to Mr Rocque, Matilda Begot has put a call through to Miss Verona and has picked the call. They spoke in French. That, left Mr Rocque puzzled.
Without salutation, Matilda began to hammer on Miss Verona for recommending her to her acquaintance for a job placement without contacting her first.
"I never recommended you to anyone," said the angry Verona, "You know me very well, Matilda, if I did, I would have alerted you. By the way, what does this guy looks like?"
Matilda faced Mr Rocque and began to give her a vivid description of him.
"It's that son of a b…ch! Barked Miss Verona. If he told you his name was Mr Louisiano Perez, he lied to you. His real name is Mr Morley Rocque. Be careful around him; I guess he has been paid to sniff around you for some information, Lady Stefflon Don could be behind it". "Thank you, Mrs Blanche."
At the mention of Miss Verona, detective Morley Rocque realized his cover has been blown. The threatening looks on her face sent chilling waves over his body.
"Mr Morley Rocque?" She asked. Her boyfriend who has been trailing her appears from nowhere together with his friend after seeing his Matilda spit on the detective and lands him a dirty slap on his cheek, then ran to her man and hugged him.
"He spied on me," she said to him while crying.
Antonio, her boyfriend, almost twice the size of Mr Rocque, clenched his fist, ready to reduce the detective to rubble, but for the timely intervention of his identity card, he would have been pummeled by the cruiserweights.
"Let today be the last day I will see you around my girlfriend," warned Antonio, "if I do, you see this my good friend?" Antonio taps his friend on the shoulder, "he will shave you, and I will have you castrated."
Me Rocque picked what remains of him after the damning disgrace and moved himself to the hotel room.
Mr Morley Rocque has gotten all that he searches for related to his assignment but decides to try his dating skills out on Matilda. Those skills were not good enough and have earned him the risk of being castrated.
"This is the end of the road for me as far as this investigation is concerned; there is nothing left to be investigated anymore but at least, this one is enough evidence to pin Matilda down." He said this as he wags the Blu-ray disk.
To round up the job, detective Morley went to a pub in the townships and had an all-night fun and was back at the early hours of the morning clutching Vallery in his armpit, both of them drunk to stupor. Efforts to get the key out of his pocket proves difficult. What took Mr Rocque eternity to pull out, took Vallery seconds to come up with.
She slots it into the card reader only to find out the door has been opened. "Rocque, oh my God! Something seems to be wrong with your door; I think we've been burgled,"
Vallery left him at the door fumbling with the keys and seconds later, Rocque heard a scream from Vallery calling out his name: "Mr Rocque, you've been robbed!"