Chapter 19: The Offender

“What’s going on? What did the doctor say about Mr Gray,” Ella inquired while they made their way back to the Gray mansion.

“You would be extremely shocked to hear. You’re not ready, trust me.”

“What’s going on?”

Eve gritted her teeth and snapped. “There is a goddamn betrayal switching father’s drug for the past months? The doctor’s confirmation is proof and it means one thing, someone at home messed with the drugs. And when I find that person, it will not be funny.”

“Oh my God,” Ella exclaimed, her hands closing around her mouth. “The fuck we’re going to do now? How do we find the culprit?”

“Don’t worry, I have a plan and I swear when I find that person, he or she is going to experience living hell with me.”

Finally, the car came to a halt at the circle drive of the mansion and they both made their way out, heading up to the double doors in a hurry.

“Welcome back, Miss Gray.”

“Welcome back.”

The servants lowered their heads in greeting. Gazing at each one of them, Eve nodded. Their innocent faces were going to make it difficult to identify the culprit but her desperation was extreme and one way or the other, she vowed to find the culprit.

She planned to make a scapegoat out of the person because why, why would anyone try to take someone else’s happiness? To take someone’s life. The man that she had only met for just a year and some months. She hadn’t even bonded fully with him and someone’s trying to take him away? That’s not going to happen.

“Where are my father’s drugs kept?” Her question was directed to no one in particular.

“This way, ma’am,” the head servant gestured. She led her to the study room where all the drugs were kept and walked to Mr Gray’s drawer to pull the box of drugs out.

“These are all the drugs that were given to Mr Gray on a daily basis. Do you want me to pack some for you at the hospital? By the way, how is Mr Gray’s health?”

Eve glared at the middle-aged head servant and snatched the box from her. She didn’t see any good reason why she should answer this woman. Although they were on good terms and she really liked her, she could trust no one anymore. Considering that it wasn’t the first time that someone was breaking her trust.

Placing the box on the table, she opened it and took out the drugs one after the other to examine them.

“Ella,” she called.

“Yeah.”

“I’ll call the names of the drugs and you’ll help me search what it is for. Some of these don’t have their packs anymore.”

“Okay.” Ella fished out her phone and readied herself.

They started, ignoring the servants who stood at the door wondering what the fuss was all about.

Eve slammed her hands on the desk in anger as Ella showed her the tablet picture of the last three drugs and they were different from the ones in the drug containers. The picture showed white and black and the ones in the container were yellow and red. She clenched her fist and turned abruptly to look at the servants.

“To the living room everyone,” she yelled, her chest heaving up and down as anger washed over her every being. The culprit must pay for this and if she doesn’t find the culprit, everyone would pay.

At the living room, she strolled before the fifteen maids who had their heads down, their legs trembling in trepidation.

Eve had the three drugs in her hands and she waved them to their faces.

“Anyone recognize this?”

In a flash, they shook their heads.

“Who is in charge of giving my father drugs every day?”

“Kathie is,” one of the servants answered. Kathie stepped forward with her head down, not daring to stare at her boss’s daughter in the eyes.

“I’m in charge, ma’am.”

“So you give him drugs every day unfailingly?”

“Yes ma’am,” her breath cut up in her throat and she hiccuped.

Eve nodded.

“Do you realize that you are the prime suspect here? You are in charge of giving him drugs and that makes you the no 1 suspect. Did you switch the drugs?”

Kathie hiccuped again and this time, it was followed by a stream of tears.

“I’m not a patient person, Kathie. I’m asking for the last time. Did you switch my father’s drugs?”

She fell quickly on her knees.

“I know nothing about this, ma’am. I don’t know anything,” she cried. “I…I only gave the drugs that I saw in the box and…and followed the instructions written on them. I don’t even know what they are for.”

“Stand up when I’m talking to you. Who asked you to kneel? If you want to prove your innocence, stand the fuck up.”

Eve had just gotten a flash of herself on the girl. A year ago, she’d fallen to her feet like this and had pleaded her innocence. If she was given a chance to go back in time, there was something she’d do differently. She would stand up and fight for her innocence. She wouldn’t. She proved that she did nothing as was accused of without an ounce of fear.

Kathie immediately sprang to her feet.

“I did not switch any drug, Mrs Gray, I swear. The only thing I did was give him the drugs I saw in the box.”

Eve sighed.

“Now that everyone is claiming that they did nothing, who did then? Who is that bitch that switched the drugs? Move aside,” she ordered the already crying servant.

“You, tell me your work in this mansion,” Eve asked the next girl who stepped forward almost immediately.

“I’m…I’m in charge of the kitchen. I cook and I clean the kitchen. I haven’t been to the study room since I started working here.”

One after the other, the servants told her their jobs in the mansion and she listened attentively, hoping to catch the offender. Whoever the person was amongst the girls, she was a good pretender. She thought.

Eve nodded after they were done.

“Since everyone’s claiming that they knew nothing about this, I guess it’s high time I take things into my hands. I was hoping that you would tell the truth yourself and spare me from this drama but since you’re strong-headed, I better put you in your place. Ella?” She called.

“Should I get it?”

“Yes, please.”

Ella rushed into the study room and soon came out with a flash drive. Two chairs were brought for Ella and Eve and they both sat down as a laptop was placed on Eve’s thighs.

She inserted the flash drive and a video started playing. After they were done watching the video, Eve passed the laptop to Ella and stood up to stand in front of the servants.

“I don’t know what to say after watching this video. It’s a good thing that I was smart enough to make sure there was a camera in that room.”

While moving out of this house some months ago, she had come up with a smart plan to be able to watch her father sometimes if she was missing him. She never knew that it would come to this. Her aim was simply to watch him and make sure he always agreed to take his drugs. But now that it came to this, she couldn’t help but feel that it was the best decision that she had made in her entire life.

“Since no one is agreeing to the fact that they switched my father’s drugs, I’ll call out the offender. Do any of you have anything to say?”

The servant's legs shook at her words. They were hoping that they wouldn't fall into trouble and even though they were innocent, they were still afraid that things may go haywire and they would be blamed for doing shit that they knew nothing about.

“Kathie, file out.”

“Wh…what?”

“You heard me.”

Kathie burst into more tears and she took steps away from the other servants. Her legs shook, in fact, her whole body trembled. She wanted to fall on her knees and plead but she knew that Miss Gray didn’t like that.

“Ma’am, please I’m innocent.”

“I knew you were the one. Who else would it be?” The middle-aged head servant spat. “I’ve always told you that your thirst for money will land you somewhere you don’t like. Why did you do this, ehh? You wanted to kill your employer.” Her yell reverberated through the living room.

“Please belie….”

“Shut up, you lowlife.” The woman turned to Eve. “Just throw her out already. I hate seeing betrayers. We should deal with her for trying to get rid of our employer.”

Kathie’s cries grew louder.

Eve clamped her eyes shut for a second and let out a frustrated breath. “Calm down, Crula,” she muttered. “it’s on me to decide.”

“You don’t understand, Miss Gray. If this girl had succeeded in killing Mr Gray, what would have happened to us? I mean, we have our daily bread here and feed our families here. I always knew that she was not a good girl.”

“But I never said that Kathie is the culprit, did l?”

Everyone clamped their mouths shut and gaped at her in horror. Eve continued.

“I only called her out to get me the drugs from the chair I just stood up from. Kathie, get me those drugs.”

Kathie’s mouth fell open at her words and she tried to read her expression.

“Wh…what?”

“You didn’t hear what I said? I said get me the drugs. Do that quickly.”

Immediately, she nodded and rushed to get the drugs from the top of the chair and brought it to Eve.

Eve took them from her and took slow steps to the servants. She stopped when she got to Crula. Sighing, she placed her right hand on her shoulder.

“You’re sure you don’t know anything about these drugs? Come on, look at them. You should know something.”

“I…I don’t know.”

“Stare harder, look at it very well. It should jog your memory.”

“I re…really don’t…”

“I said stare harder,” she yelled, causing the woman’s eyes to stay glued to the drugs. She stared intently at it, not daring to raise her head.

“You remember, right?”

Eve got hold of her arm and threw her on the floor. She wasn’t in for baseless accusations. It’s a good thing that she had proof that this woman was the culprit. Acting all innocent and kind ever since.

The woman immediately got on her knees.

“I did nothing, Miss Gray. I’m sure it’s Kathie. She is the culprit.”

“You know what I feel right now?” Eve asked.

“I asked you a question.”

“No…no.”

“I’ll tell you. I feel like raising my foot and letting it hit your damn face and I swear, I won’t hesitate to do that if you don’t mind yourself and tell the truth. I will forget that you are way older than me.”

What hurt the most was that her father trusted this woman. He trusted her with his life and he handed the mansion to her as the head servant. He placed everything in her care but all she did was try to kill him.

“You know, my father trusted you and that will be one of the reasons why I’m not going to spare you. The camera caught you red-handed. Stand up, Crula. I asked you to fucking stand up.”

Hearing her yell at her to stand up, Crula immediately stood up.

“Madam, you have to believe me. I know nothing about that.”

“You’re still going to lie, right?