CHAPTER 2: DUTY CALL.

" Dad! Isn't that a wildebeest?" Clark asked with her mouth gaped open.

" It is, my dear. This place is home to over two million wildebeests. "

" Oh my… the plains seem to be endless."

" It is just thirty thousand square kilometers. " He chuckled.

" What did you call this place again? "

" We are in the Serengeti ecosystem of Africa. Okay. Stand this way so I can take a picture of my little angel. " Her father grinned at the little damsel before him. " Give Dad the smile that makes mum jealous. "

Clark's lips parted and the light of the camera flashed into her eyes.

The phone beside Clark's head cut her dream off and slowly dragged her to her life as a detective. A life she knew was draining so much energy from her. Her eyes slowly opened as her hands searched for the phone. When she saw the caller, it became obvious duty had beckoned on her again. She picked .

" Hello… this.." she yawned tiredly and rolled….. " this is.. detective —

" Clark!!" Captain Luis' voice vibrated through the phone.

" Captain." She rose instantly from her slumber. Every trace of sleep disappeared at the same instant.

" Detective Clark, what in the name of God have you been doing that has made you ignore my calls?"

" Sorry, Captain. I was—" she was cut short again.

" Of course I know you were oversleeping. If not, you would not try to identify yourself." He paused and breathed. " Where are you right now?"

Where am I? Clark wondered with her eyes staring at the window to see any trace of the sun's rays. But there was none. What sort of question was that? Of course, she was at home.

" Detective Clark, where are you right now?"

" At home. On my bed . "

" Get ready for work. "

" What? "

" We just got a murder case on our table. Now, drag your lazy body out of that bed and get busy. I will send you the location. "

" But —" it was late. Captain Luis was already out of the line. " Huh?" Such a bad way to start her morning. Captain Luis was the last person she wanted to get a call from. It is always from one life threatening case to another worse one. She would have preferred to dwell in her dreams. Clark Garcia lost both parents before she could become an adult. A year before their death, her father had promised to take the family on a trip to the Serengeti plains. A sixteen year old Clark could not wait to turn eighteen. But then, the unexpected happened when she was getting ready to become an adult. Since then, the trip has been occupying her dream momentarily.

" Captain Luis. " She muttered and eyed the clock. " It is just thirty minutes past four in the morning…. Crap." She fell back to the bed to get another ten minutes of sleep. Her phone buzzed and she jumped from the bed. The captain had sent the location to her. A call came in almost simultaneously.

" Captain Luis. "

" I just sent you the location. "

" I got it. "

" Are you on the way already?"

" Uh. Uh.. not really. "

" Be there in thirty minutes. I'm waiting. " He hung up. Clark always wondered if her Captain ever slept at all. It was just thirty minutes past four and he was already there. " Hmm.." she exhaled tiredly and came down from the bed.

Clark eyed her watch. It was already seven minutes to five. Twenty-three minutes had been consumed. She sighed. Twenty-three minutes for a lady to take her bath,get dressed and drive herself to a location where a crime must have taken place by such time in the morning did not make sense. The road was slowly getting life. After a few more minutes of her quiet drive, she was at the location. The sounds of splashing waters and tides filled her ears as she came to a stop. To her surprise, police vehicles were already all over the place. The blue and red lights coming from different angles. She checked the time. She was three minutes late. Not bad. She thought and broke the seal of her bottled water and gulped at it. Then , she opened the car and came down. The cold breeze rushed into her lungs.

" What took you so long?" A man's voice asked from behind. She knew that voice. The exact one that had commanded her to be there in thirty minutes..

" Good morning, Captain Luis." She turned.

" I doubt the morning is in any manner close to being good. You should have been here earlier than now." Captain Luis spoke with a voice commanding a level of authority he seemed not to be qualified to wield. An average man with a rigid body form. His eyes peddled fear wherever he went. Reports had it that he had been shot on different occasions to get to the position he was in. Definitely, he expected everyone to share the same level of commitment with him.

" I am just three minutes late. "

" No. You were three minutes late when your car parked. You have spent an extra two minutes and seventeen seconds. "

" What?" Clark asked out of surprise.

" That much is enough for any criminal to cover a good distance. Besides, I came to you. "

" Apologies, Sir. Why are we here?"

" Hmm. This case could be more serious than what you have handled. "

" Well, this is not the first time Captain Luis is sounding like this. I doubt there is anything so special."

" I hope so too. Meanwhile, you will need to cover yourself. I believe you have a jacket with you. Or better still a thick sweater. This weather is not smiling. Meet me over there when you are ready. " He turned and started walking away. Clark picked a furry sweater from her car, then locked it and started following her Captain.

" So, how about you let me know what we are dealing with this early morning? "

" I got a call from someone reporting a major crime. According to the lady, her soon-to-be husband had just been kidnapped from their house. " Captain Luis explained. His attention never turned to the lady he spoke to.

" This happened last night?" Clark asked, trying to keep up the pace.

" Yes. Around one or rather a few minutes to two . But then, there is a strange thing. " He stopped for a moment.

" What could that be?" She could now feel the seriousness on the Captain's face. Maybe the case will be quite different.

" Whoever we are dealing with in this matter actually wanted us to know about the evil he had done."

" I don't understand. How is that possible?"

" According to the lady, she was ordered to place the call. Besides, my official line is different from my private line. "

" Are you trying to say that it was your private line that was called?"

" I am not trying to say it. It is what I have said already." He turned and raised the crime scene tape to pass.

" But I don't seem to understand all of it perfectly. Why are we here?" She bent and passed." This is a beach. You have sealed the whole place already. "

" Not the whole place. Just this area. "

" A murder occured here," She said. The lifeless body of a fully grown man lay a few meters ahead of them .

" Yes. I believe you can see him over there. I almost did not buy into the idea because it made no sense. I mean, there is no sense in the fact that the man who kidnapped her soon-to-be husband gave her phone to contact me. But then, some moments later, random emergency calls started coming in. A few people had seen the body lying there. "

" But who will commit a crime and proudly get the cops involved in it?"

" At this point, detective Clark, it is not who the culprit is that matters most. It is his reason for doing what he or she has done. I have no idea what his or her reasons may be. But I am afraid of the answer. "

" If this person wants the police involved in this, then taking up the case will be his will."

Captain Luis nodded. " Every step we take from this moment will be what he wants. Whoever this is, he or she is dangerous. " They came to a stop. The body looked iced. Clark began a slow walk round about the corpse. Two eyes stared up at her. From the look on the face, she could tell the heart condition of the person during death.

" He was frightened by his predator. Frightened to death. It appears our friend really had no intention of killing him straight away. "

" He seemed to have enjoyed every bit of it. And I doubt whoever this person is that he was hired to do this. He took his time to perform the art. "

" What's the actual cause of death? Just drowning? This man should be able to swim his way out."

"Look at this." He uncovered the lower body of the man. Both legs were heavily tied together and a heavy mass of rock was attached to the rope.

" Jesus christ. Who on Earth did this? He attached a solid mass of rock to his legs and both hands are tied to the back too. "

" Now, you see what I mean. This shouldn't be any assassin."

" He did it for pleasure. Assassins kill for pleasure."

" Well, I can neither agree nor disagree with that for the time being. Until the body is perfectly examined, we can't be so sure of everything about the death. Right now, you have to come with me. "

" Where are we headed?"

" To see someone. " He turned to leave. " Oh. Someone is here. "

" Who are you talking about?" Clark asked and looked in the direction of the Captain's gaze. A tall and mesomorph handsome man walked majestically to them. He was dressed corporately in a white and and black trouser. His jacket and pair of shoes were black. Without being told, Clark could tell he was a cop.

" I seriously want to believe that this is not in any way what I think it is."

" Believe me, detective Clark, you will—" the remaining words were cut short.

" Good morning, Sir." A gentle voice greeted the captain.

" Good morning, detective." Captain Luis extended his hand to shake him. " You are welcome."

" My pleasure." He received the hand.

" Uhm. This is detective Clark. " He introduced Clark with a proud gesture.

" Good morning, detective. I am detective Robert. Robert Wilson. " He extended his hand.

" Detective Clark Garcia. " She received his hand.

" My pleasure to meet you. "

" I wish I could say the same about you. "

" Well, this is Detective Clark for you. A tough woman…. And she does not work with anyone."

Robert smiled. " Then, I guess we are not so different. Are we? This should be my first time working with a partner. It appears we are on an even ground. "

Clark kept mute. " Captain Luis, we were heading somewhere. "

" Oh yes. Detective Robert , your partner will explain the situation better. For now, the three of us need to see someone. "

" Has there been any information yet?" Robert asked. " I mean, do we have a lead on the case yet?"

Captain Luis smiled. " Do not be in a hurry young man. This body was discovered here a couple of moments ago. "

" I understand."

" Now, let's go and see her fiance. "

Ex-fiance. Clark thought in her head.