It was morning within the twinkle of an eye
and with the morning came great fear, deeply etched in the intricacies of her soul. Deborah Wellington was a daunting, top notch, intelligent and witty private investigator for Smith's firm, the best in Houston, Texas. She rolled from her bed fearfully. This was one of her hardest project. She had investigated over two hundred cases successfully, but none gave her Goosebumps like this did. She had been assigned to tail Mr. Jonas, and find out if he was cheating on his wife or not. This was the most stupid job offered her, but this was surely, the highest rewarding in terms of bonus. Who pays a quarter a million just to
investigate her husband? Well Mrs. Jonas did, but the work isn't as easy as it looked on paper. Deborah was put on the tail of a senior professor of the University of Texas where he headed the faculty of Arts. He was a well known man who was dreaded by all investigators in town, not because he was evil or something, but because he was witty and a carbon copy of the devil. He could twist a case going in your favor,
against you at the dime minute, making you
look stupid before a gathering of people.
Deborah was about taking her bath, when her phone beeped thrice. This preceded any important information from the office.
She jumped unto her bed in a bid to pick the
phone, but ended up hitting her chin on the
wood. "Ouch!" she cried in pain, rubbing her
chin vehemently with her left hand. The pain
persisted for minutes, causing miniature
discomfort to her. "Oh my God!" she exclaimed in surprise. She couldn't believe the information passed to her.Mr. Jonas? Firearms?
It marveled her because she was least
prepared for a face-off confrontation, well
except you consider, having a tear gas and
jackknife an adequate equipment for a face
off. She needed to do something fast. But what could she do. The time read six, and in thirty minutes times, she's expected to be at Mr. Jonas resident. She had no choice than to lay all her eggs in one basket, the eggs being her life. She hurriedly took her bath, wore a skimpy black gown and drove to Mr. Jonas house. The gray house stood magnificently on a two acre plot of land, with state of the art facility. Heavily armed gates, surveillance cameras and what have you. You'd think the president lived there at that house on Williams street.
She parked her car meters away from the
house so as not to raise suspicion. Her wig
was well set on her head to create deception, even if she hated the smell emanating from the wig. It wasn't an excruciating smell, but it found a way of appealing to Deborah in the negative way. She watched from her car as the security men walked to and fro the compound, like the devil seeking whom to devour. Was she to be the devoured? It looked it, when her car out of the blues decided to wail. "Oh, my goodness!" She exclaimed as a guard walked up to her.
She had to think fast. And fast means fast.
She stepped out of her car, walked towards
her car's bonnet, pretending to fiddle with it.
Her head was buried thickly in her pretence,
when the guard tapped her lightly on the shoulder.
"Good morning ma. Please you can't pack
here" the dude said with a perfect flow of
courtesy. It shook her to the marrow at his
level of mannerism, but she wasn't swayed.
She had learnt long ago, the tactics used in
this game of theirs. "And why can't I pack here?" She asked trying to act stubborn.
"This is a private property, and you can't pack in Front of it, simple" the guy replied rudely with great impatience for her questioning. She wanted to attract no one to her, so she had to drive her car away from Williams street. She was unperturbed as to how she'd detect Mr. Jonas exit from his mansion. She had planted a bug on a tree, opposite his building through which she could know the exact time he left his home.She sat patiently in her car, waiting for Mr.
Jonas to leave his house. He did that some
minutes later. He was wearing a black coat
over a lemon shirt, which looked quizzed.
He stepped into his BMW and drove off, after kissing his wife goodbye. Deborah started her car, clutching the steering tightly for the perfect moment to tail him. Seconds later, he drove past her with such great speed. It was deafening, but not strong enough to shake Deborah Wellington. She stepped on the accelerator and zoomed
behind him at the same speed he went with.
She reduced her speed when he paused close to the university of Texas gate. "What does he want to do?" She asked herself,
carefully adjusting her costume which was
made up of a bone straight wig, a straw hat
and a tight fitting gown which made her feel
discomfiture, but she had no choice. In case
she was caught, she could switch to seduction easily.
Mr. Jonas stepped out of his car and began
his progressive journey to the school.
"Why is he parking his car here?" Deborah
wondered, but not for long. A girl dressed in a tank top over a mini skirt, walked up to him, and kissed him on the cheek. That was the person he came to see. Deborah guessed she was a student of the university, with just s glance at her face. She couldn't have reached her second decade. The girl locked her hand in Mr. Jonas and walked side by side into the campus. Deborah got out of her car and stylishly followed them. They'd stop to fondle each other; she'd stop as well, staring at the rose petals which adorned the university's gate. This continued for a while, until someone
bumped into Deborah. He was dressed in
white overall at looked tired. "What's wrong with you?" Deborah asked in uncontrollable anger. "I should be asking you that" the guy replied with the same level of fury as Deborah. He was Timothy Johnson, a final year medical student of the University of Texas. He was returning from a night shift and was extremely exhausted.
They bent to pick up their properties which
fell on the floor, causing their heads bump
together. "Ouch!" She cried in pain, rubbing her forehead intensely. What an asshole." She cursed after him, dusting her gown
vehemently as if she had just come in contact with an evil spirit. She looked ahead, searching for Mr. Jonas, but he was nowhere to be found. She broke into a light run, searching for him everywhere but he and his girlfriend had suddenly vanished into thin air.She cried in despair at her clumsy attitude. "If only I looked at where I was going I wouldn't have bumped into that asshole" she chided herself. But the deed was done.
She returned to the office, with a downcast
spirit. It weighed her down throughout her
drive to the office. It knitted itself into her entire being and was evident on her face, long enough for all employees to notice.
"How was it, Deborah?" Mr Smith asked as
soon as she entered his office. His face was
green with happiness and joy, but this was
soon cut short, when Deborah announced the bad news. "I'm sorry sir. I couldn't get him sir" Deborah announced with creased brow, her head bowed beyond necessary.
"Why?"Mr. Smith shrieked with a pang of
sorrow."I bumped into someone who made me loose Mr. Jonas and his girlfriend" "Okay. That's no problem. I'd give you another
chance" He announced suddenly. Her head shot up in excitement. Her smile was contagious even to Mr. Smith who offered her a handshake, a gesture he rarely
gave. She dashed to her cubicle with gladness encrypted on her face, and began to plan out the next activity. She was so determined to catch Mr. Jonas right in the crime. The success of this job, would earn her a whooping fifty thousand dollars, as bonus for her work. The thought alone thrilled her and sent sweet sensations down her spine. She made a list of everything she'd need- Accamera glass, which could capture everything before her, a tear gas in case, things go wrong, A mini camcorder attached to her watch, which she could easily throw into a building and then access activities going on,
where the camcorder is .After minutes, she was satisfied with her list,band then headed towards the warehouse to get what she needed. She walked hurriedly into the warehouse, only to Meet Chris, the assistant warehouse staff on duty. She hated him for his continuous stressing and demands.
"Where's your ID card, Mr. Smith's signature,
and what have you." he'd ask at all times to
make you frustrated before leaving the
warehouse. He was a sharp contrast to Jeff, the main warehouse staff.Jeff would give you no headache of any sort, and ensures you're answered on time. He was the favorite of all the investigators. "Good morning Deborah" Chris greeted with a wide grin, stretching his neck, like he wanted to plant a kiss on her lips. "Good morning, Chris" she replied hurriedly, passing the list of what she needed to him. "Where's your name tag?" He asked suddenly. She placed her hands on her chest, but it wasn't there. She hurried back to her desk, searched everywhere but didn't see it. "Where could it be?" she asked herself, thinking deeply for where she kept it. "Did I drop it at home? No I didn't. I signed in this morning, using it"
She racked her brains for where it could be.
It was after fifteen minutes, she remembered it fell, during the bump with the stranger at Texas University. "Oh! No, she exclaimed, slowly. How do I get him?" She ransacked her files, and saw a book, with the name TIMOTHY JOHNSON written boldly on it. It was his project file. She flipped through the pages and found a phone number. She breathed an air of relief, at the discovery. "Who's this? The voice asked, as it picked up the phone. It sounded sleepy and tired. It was a man's voice. She couldn't understand, how a man could own such feminine voice. It was strange. "Please, am I on to Timothy Johnson?" she asked calmly. "Yes. And who's this?" "I'm Deborah Wellington, the lady you met this morning, at the University of Texas gate. What do you want, and how did you get my number?" he asked saucily with little patience as to why she called. "I need to retrieve an important property of mine from you."
"And what could that be?" "My official name tag,I really need it urgently" she replied.
Timothy was already enjoying the game
before it started. From the tone of her voice,
he guessed that property of hers was so
important. "And if I say, I don't feel it giving it back, what would you do?" "You've got to give it back," she replied sharply, venting her anger through her voice. "And why?" "You want to know why? Why you've got no choice than to give me my name tag? Well,
I've got your project file, with you and I guess that's important to you as well." His face shot up in surprise. "How did you get my project file?""The same way, you got my name tag" she
replied sarcastically. "Can we meet? I really need that project file?" He asked, sounding worried. "Nope. I don't want to meet you again" she replied and hung up. His own game had just been turned against him.
"Hello! Hello!" he called out to her, but she
already cut off the call. He tried her number, but she refused to pick. He got off from bed, thinking of how to retrieve his file from her.
"Why did I play hard to get in the first instance?" He chided himself.