" We weave tales like tapestries, deception is our thread "
Chapter # 12
Adeline closed her eyes, deep in thought, as she gently patted her cheeks. It seemed as though she had something important on her mind. After just a few seconds, her eyes shot open, filled with determination. She moved silently, making her way towards a waste bin trolley that was filled with tied garbage bags near the store. Adeline carefully inspected her surroundings, taking note of every detail.
"How many times does it take to collect and bag the garbage?" she pondered, mentally calculating the time and steps required for the task. She exhaled a breath, readying herself for what lay ahead. With a decisive motion, she set the trolley aside, knowing she was prepared for her daring plan.
As Adeline patiently waited, anticipating the arrival of the police, she suddenly heard the sound of approaching footsteps. It was the same nurse who had delivered Dr. Danielle's message to her earlier.
Adeline held her breath, her heart pounding in her chest, as she pressed herself tightly against the wall. She desperately hoped that the nurse wouldn't notice her presence. From her hiding spot, she could see the nurse approaching the door, hesitating for a moment before finally knocking.
Inside the office, Dayylam and Danielle were checking the money stored in the locker. Relief washed over them as they confirmed that the money was still there, safe and secure. Danielle couldn't contain her joy, expressing it through every action and word.
" Ah, my dear money," Danielle exclaimed with a deep sense of contentment. "Soon, you will be in my loving embrace."
"Dayylam, my sweetheart, thank you. If it weren't for you and your unwavering support in every decision, I wouldn't be this happy today," Danielle expressed her gratitude to her loving partner. Dayylam simply smiled, looking at her wife's actions which was much like a child who had received their favorite toy.
Just when they were cooling their eyes with the currency bundles, their beautiful moment was shattered by harsh knocking sounds reverberating through the room. The knocks were forceful, conveying a sense of urgency that couldn't be ignored.
They were startled by the urgent knocking on her door. Danielle exchanged a puzzled glance with her husband, Daylam, who was equally clueless about the situation.
" Dr Danielle it's urgent could you please open the door " nurse said
Dayylam knotted his brows in annoyance Danielle motioned for him to securely shut the locker, which he did, and then proceeded to discreetly cover it with the painting to conceal its presence from prying eyes.
" Dr. Danielle " Nurse called out " Are you in there? I have a message for you. I don't really want to disturb you but it's urgent."
Danielle opened the door and found the nurse Stella standing there " What is it ?? Have I disappeared from this world? Why were you banging the door this harshly? "She asked with a stern voice.
Stella hesitated, taken aback by Danielle's response, before finally speaking. "Ma'am, the police... The police have come to meet the owner of the clinic. I asked them to wait in the waiting area."
Danielle felt a surge of panic upon hearing the word 'police.' "What?! Why did you let them enter the clinic? And how dare you respond to them without my permission? " she exclaimed, her voice filled with a mix of fear and anger.
Stella became even more confused by Danielle's unpredictable questions and reactions. Just then, Daylam noticed his wife's distress and walked over to her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. He calmly addressed the nurse, "Okay, we are coming. Just let them wait there a bit. ." Stella nodded and left to inform the police.
Adeline had been quietly observing the situation, waiting for the right moment to step forward.
Once the nurse had gone, she emerged with a waste bin trolley
Danielle's heart raced as she processed the news of the police's arrival. Fear and worry gripped her, wondering what could have prompted their visit to her clinic.
" Dayylam why police is here? " She asked, her heart was bouncing. " What should we do now Dayylam?? " . Dayylam stepped forward and cupped her face " Danielle, why are you behaving like this? Maybe they came here for some other reason. If you keep behaving like this, they will suspect that there is something wrong. And I'm sure you don't want it, do you?? "
Danielle instantly nodded her head in denial. Dayylam kissed her forehead "Danielle, we need to face this situation head-on," he said firmly
Danielle swiftly gathered her composure, realizing that panicking wouldn't solve anything. With a deep breath, she looked at her husband, Daylam, who stood by her side, his presence providing a sense of calm. " Yeah, we cannot afford to be afraid right now. Let's go meet the police and find out why they are here " She said, her voice laced with determination.
" Hmm," Dayylam hummed and nodded in response.
When they stepped out of the office they saw her new nurse, Kara, in the middle of the hallway with a waste bin trolley, she was coming to their office. They didn't say anything to her as they saw the waste bin trolley and kept moving toward the waiting area by crossing the hallway.
"Kara" When she passed by their side, Danielle called out her name Dayylam stopped too and looked at Kara. Adeline's feet stuck in the ground she slightly turned back to face Dr. Danielle. "Yes Doctor, " Kara said politely with a humble smile.
" I have some papers under my desk, throw them in the trash too" Danielle ordered her then they both made their way towards the waiting area, where the police officers patiently awaited their arrival.
Adeline sighed, with a quick glance around she slipped inside the room and locked the door from inside. She checked her watch and she knew she had to act fast, so she made her way to the locker.
She removed the painting from over the locker, luckily she knew the code of this locker, she got to know about this code by putting the small camera in Dayylam's pocket so she didn't need any lock-picking tools.
She carefully lifted the painting off the wall and set it aside, revealing the small safe behind it, and dialed the code. Upon dialing the code the lock clicked open and Adeline breathed a sigh of relief. With a steady hand, she entered the combination and the safe door swung open.
Adeline opened the safe door. Inside, she found stacks of cash neatly bundled. She took out the folded black plastic garbage bag from her pocket and unfolded it . She quickly grabbed the bundles of cash and put it in the garbage bag.
She then closed the locker perfectly as it was and carefully re-placed the painting in its place, making sure it was perfectly aligned. Adeline knotted her garbage bag in which she hid money and tied her sky-blue handkerchief on it as a mark. Adeline moved fastly, she collected the trash from the trash can and under the table. Putting that trash in another garbage bag, she put both garbage bags in the waste bin trolley.
Adeline had successfully taken out the money from the locker now she wanted to let out a long breath but no, she couldn't waste a second in exhaling a breath of relief as her task wasn't complete yet.
She took a good look at her surroundings as if checking if she left any clue. After satisfying herself she came out of the office, pushing the trolley carefully. Adeline closed the door behind her and moved forward.
She was in the hallway when her ears heard the police officer's voice.
Adeline peeked through the side of the wall and saw a man in a police uniform standing outside there near the waiting area and some other
men wearing police uniforms were standing in the waiting area along with Dayylam and Danielle, they were anxiously looking at the police officer's back .
Judging from their faces she could tell that they hadn't talked to the police officer yet .
She judged it right . The police officer was on a long phone call that's why they had to wait there but internally they were happy and preparing themselves for the questions. The call ended now, and the police officer turned to face them.
As the police officer approached them, she mustered a professional demeanor, ready to address whatever concerns they had. "Good afternoon, officer," she greeted him politely. "I am Dr. Danielle, the owner of this clinic and he is my husband. How may I assist you ?"
He was a stern-faced police officer, he gave a slight nod and introduced himself " Good afternoon, I'm senior officer Johnson. We've received some anonymous tips suggesting illegal treatment of criminals here," Senior officer Johnson explained, his tone was measured and professional
Dayylam and his wife pretended to be shocked and confused, internally their heart was thumping so fast but they kept their faces calm and determined.
" Criminal treatment in our clinic? No sir it couldn't be possible. We respect the laws of our country. How can we treat any criminal here? " Dayylam said with a determined voice
The police officer continued, "We have reason to believe that you have been providing medical treatment to known criminals, some of whom are wanted by the authorities. This is a serious offense, and we need to investigate this matter further."
"Officer, we are medical professionals, and we must treat anyone who comes to us in need of medical attention. We have not knowingly provided treatment to any criminals. Moreover, you just received the news you don't have any evidence, sir" Danielle said firmly keeping her demeanor calm and strong.
The police officer looked skeptical and replied, "We have news, that's why we're here to gather information and conduct a thorough investigation to determine the truth. The long line of patients telling me that you are really professional and respectful of laws. It's our duty to investigate, we received the news that a member of the brown mafia is here for treatment who is the most wanted criminal.
We have to check your clinic and keep an eye on your clinic . We also have to check all the people who come in and go out from the clinic, you both have to share the details of yesterday's and today's patients' appointments details. I must remind you that failure to cooperate with this investigation will result in severe consequences." Johnson said sternly with a blank face.
Dayylam listened attentively, her mind racing to comprehend the situation. he responded, " Officer Johnson, I assure you that we maintain the highest ethical standards in our clinic. We have nothing to hide, and we will fully cooperate with your investigation." Dayylam and his wife realized that they had no choice but to comply with the officer's demands and allowed the search to proceed.
" Yes officer, If there's anything we can do to assist you and provide the necessary information, we won't hesitate. But kindly make sure that it does not cause any problem to our patients because their well-being is my responsibility. " Danielle said
The police officer gave a stern nod in response to Danielle's statement. "We will conduct our investigation discreetly and try our best to minimize any inconvenience to your patients. However, we must do our job and get to the bottom of this matter," he replied.
" Kara, what are you doing here with this waste bin trolley? "