Chapter Seven

"How do you know Celine?" Daniel asked. He moved closer to the bed dropping the green plastic bag he held on the cupboard and drew a cushion closer to himself slowly falling on it.

"Daniel!" She exclaimed in shock, resting her back on the spring end of the bed. Her back sank into the multiple springs curled into the end of the bed and she could feel the hurt and marks the poor state of the bed will leave on her skin.

"Oh! So you remember me? I thought you lost your memory," Daniel said as he reclined on the small cushion he sat on.

"The Inspector! He helped me identify each of you at the station," she replied.

"So, how do you know Celine?" Daniel asked again. Her lips were pale, dried and crusty. She would occasionally lick them wet, but they'd return back almost immediately to their dried state. She started palpitating, loud thuds of game over was all her heart sent to her. Her brain, racking its box of excuses for something. Anything. One that would get her out of the uncomfortable dilemma she had unintentionally drawn to herself.

"I don't," she replied swallowing something that had gotten stuck in her throat. "She was kind enough to pay me a visit when she heard I had been possibly endangered by your brother."

"Look I'm sorry I got you into all of this."

"No! You don't have to apologize. I was the one who wanted the job and you were just being extra nice by offering it to me. No one knew any of this was going to happen," Tessy replied and a brief nod accompanied her words by Daniel. He set out the food he had brought for her and watched her eat. She delved the plastic spoon into the accompanying plate of food and jabbed the spoon filled with jollof rice with diced carrot toppings right into her mouth. The plate was similar to the kind she saw at the uncompleted building earlier, but she was too busy to notice that as her stomach growled for more food.

*****

Celine walked into the house and trod the stairs by her right, knocking the soles of her shoes on the marbled floor. She turned towards her right and still sighted the locked room at the end of the hallway but diverted her gaze when she heard light sobs coming from Damian's room. She walked towards the door and pushed it slightly open revealing Duncan on a drawer comforting Laura with pacifying words but she was still sobbing from the pain caused by everything that had happened.

"Laura," Celine called out watching her numb face lift up from the pillow and turn to her. Her wedding dress still encircled the bed and swept a small portion of the floor around it. "Duncan, let me stay here with her." Celine walked towards the bed and watched as Duncan nodded taking his leave. His footsteps grew fainter and she presumed he went down the stairs.

Celine grabbed Laura's tacky palms which were probably as a result of dabbing her teary face, and placed them into hers. She brushed the edges of her hair still sculpted with gel and assured her everything would be OK. Those sticky mascaras on her eyelashes were flushed away with tears and some of it stuck to the pillow and drew a long wavy line on her cheek.

"Let me help you change," Celine offered and she got a quick nod from Laura in response. She held her by the forearm and dragged her up to a sitting position. She made her turn to her back and slowly untied the rope that held her wedding dress in a crosswise manner. She dragged the fitted gown down with some of her might and placed the heavy layered dress on a sofa in their room. Celine grabbed the duvet and strapped it around Laura as a make do covering and proceeded to run her bath water. If care wasn't taken, she could have washed her up herself.

After almost an hour in the bathtub washing all form of pain she could feel, she came out dripping wet. Her long black hair dropped numerous beads of water on her shoulder which joined the other drops on her skin and trailed down. Celine was seated patiently at the edge of the bed awaiting her arrival.

"I'm sorry," Laura spoke up holding her towel tightly at her chest.

"For what?" Celine asked.

"Thinking you were out trying to steal Damian from me."

"What?" Celine asked.

"Yeah I know it was stupid and dumb..."

"No no no no. Not at all. It's OK to feel insecure dear but I assure you. I'm not out to get Damian I mean he's like a brother to me." Celine smiled and muttered to herself, "literarily."

"What was that?" Laura asked stepping aside from the damp foot mat and reached into the wardrobe to get a change of cloth.

"Nothing. You have absolutely nothing to worry about," Celine replied. She double tapped her screen and a flashing image of herself came into display along with the digital clock on the top of her screen which she looked at. It read 8:42. "I need to go," she replied, standing. Her full posture came into display and she sauntered towards Laura who appreciated every act of kindness she had shown. "It's fine. As women, we need to be there for each other. Especially in a house filled with men," she added bursting into a chuckle and Laura joined in. "Make sure you sleep. We'll get your husband out of jail," she assured and went through the door and into her room.

Laura saw her leave and reached into her bag of clothes, underneath which the brass statue of liberty was. She held it up in her hands and sighed, looking up into the thin air lost in thoughts. It was the exact same one that had knocked Tessy down.

*****

Celine stayed awake all night, punching the keys of her laptop while her reading glasses shielded her eyes from the strain and discomfort the light rays from the laptop caused. Papers were scattered everywhere on the bed and she would occasionally toss some squeezed ones into the bin. She took out her glasses and ruffled her hair with her fingers, sighing. She was distracted. That was not what she wanted to do at that moment. She slowly stood up from the bed and made for her door looking both ways to see if truly everyone were in their rooms. She had kept herself busy with her work until she was sure random movements around the house had ceased.

Slowly poking a feet through her door and unto the corridor, she snuck out and took a step at a time towards the door by the end, the locked room. She stared at it for a while and reached for the knob hoping it would open but it didn't. She held the knob, and forcefully pushed her back to the door making thumping impacts but still it remained locked. She bent her head to look through the keyhole when a voice behind her startled her.

"Celine?" It was Daniel. He squinted at the blurred image he got from Celine's appearance and walked closer to her to certify his doubt. "Celine, what are you doing there?" He asked. His thick maroon coloured robe swayed sideways as he approached her.

"Uh- this is not the guest toilet?" She asked bursting into a short chuckle.

"The guest toilet? It's downstairs. What happened to yours?" He asked as he walked closer to the door to examine the knob.

"The light bulb just flickered and stopped working and I was really pressed so I thought this was a toilet."

"Oh no it's not. Let me quickly go get an extra light bulb from the storage room for you," Damian offered and left to get them.

Celine quickly snuck back into her room and pushed the toilet door open. She stood on the ceramic toilet seat and holding the rails of the window for support, slowly unscrewed the light bulb until the white glow died. She heard him knock on her door and jumped down and unto her bed quickly picking up a file.

"Come in!" She said and put up a smile as he entered. He lit up his phone and stuck the flat end into his mouth using his lips as a support for it. "Do you think Damian would have abducted that girl?" Celine asked watching his expression. He had not expected that topic.

"Damian is full of surprises. I won't be surprised if he did," Daniel replied. He tried removing the bulb, but it rejuvenated to a short flash and then died again. He then twisted the screwed end of the bulb on its holder until it remained lit. He stepped down from the toilet seat and into her room. "All done! It wasn't a serious problem," He said.

"Thank you very much," Celine replied and he turned to leave. "That room, the one at the end. What's in it?" She asked and he froze on his feet.

He turned towards her and replied, "nothing of much relevance."

"Storage room I presume," she added and broke into a short chuckle, but his face remained plain, expressionless. "Why is it locked then?" She asked. Daniel parted his lips to let words out, but they failed him and thank God for the timely intervention of the main door's entrance as the door closed shut with a forceful impact making them both to shake.

They quickly went down the stairs to see who it was and were perplexed to see Damian standing right in front of them. His tie was loosened and hung lazily on his neck. The sea blue colour still shone even at the dead of night.

"Family meeting time! Where's Duncan?" He asked as he placed the jacket over the dinning chair.

"Over here!" Duncan replied, walking out of the kitchen with a glass of wine from the remains of the wedding. "Damian you're home?" He asked surprised. "How?" His eyes lit up in shock.

"The girl later confirmed that she could remember another face." Duncan bit his lower lip and cautiously guided his shaking hand from crashing the glass cup on the ground. Damian sighted Celine by the wall close to the dinning and added. "Celine please this is strictly family only."

Celine nodded and retreated into the hallway but stood behind the kitchen door. She was still able to hear them whisper.

"The Inspector had Nanny Margaret's picture there. It was the forth picture on his desk," Damian said.

"Oh my God! I haven't heard that name in years," Daniel replied.

"Why does he have her picture?" Duncan asked.

Damian's voice felt sunken as he added the next words, "I heard that her body was not found in the cemetery. Do you think...."

"....that she's still alive?" Daniel completed. He stuck his index finger into his mouth and bit the skin beside his nail as he pondered deep in thought.

"No! It won't be good for us. We need to find that out ourselves and end all of this," Damian finalized.

Celine, still standing behind the kitchen door, wrapped her palm over her mouth to keep her gasp from escaping.