45

Doctor Richard stands in front of the roof to floor window in his multimillion dollar home. He is sipping liquor and is lost in thought. He stares into the distance until his phone rings.

"Well, hello madam Governor. What is the occasion? You rarely ever call." Richard says with a sly, mocking tone.

"Hello Richard, cut the bullshit. I have done as you asked. I owe you nothing." Ruth warns Richard with a stern voice. Richard only laughs at her warning. Ruth does not find it funny.

"She went down easier than I thought. I knew she was not worth my strength. Well, it was nice chatting, wasn't it? It is always a pleasure to hear from you, Ruth." Richard says, Ruth does not know when he is being sarcastic or when he is being truthful.

"Can't say I feel the same. Good bye, Richard." Ruth hangs up the call.

Richard smiles to himself and sips at his liqour. He is waiting on his messenger. He is late, as usual. He takes a glance at his watch and huffs impatiently.

Soon a scrawny man walks into his living room with his head bowed. His limbs appear to be trembling and his feet make no noise when he steps on the plush rug in Richard's living room. Richard senses his presence and turns to face him.

"Where have you been?" he asks in a menacing tone.

"Master, I was trailing the young Miss as you ordered me to. She goes to a thousand different places everyday." He speaks slowly in a very quiet tone. He is deathly afraid of Doctor Richard.

"I do not care about any of these. What do you have for me today?" Richard asks sternly.

"The young Miss was around the Gucci store with an unknown figure, then to the beach with her friends. A visit to the dentist, a Botox appointment. I think that is about it." He says, his head is still bowed.

"Show me the pictures…" Richard orders him. He scrambles around to get the pictures he took of Emily during her day. He hands then over to Richard with shaky hands. He can not even maintain eye contact with Richard. Richard goes through the pictures and he throws it to the floor.

"The Gucci store pictures, you moron."

"Uhm, of course. I have it somewhere around… it's right here." He hands over the Gucci store pictures and Richard puts on his medicated glasses to get a good look at Lewis.

"Who might you be, stranger?" Richard says to himself. He strokes his jaw and wonders if he has met him anywhere. He does not seem to have any recollection of ever meeting Lewis. He hands over the picture to the trembling man with his head bowed.

"Give this picture to HR, I need a background search on him. Every detail, every information. Hell, tell them to put in his astrological sign if they can. No information is irrelevant. Leave my sight, you smell of baby poop." Richard turns from him and waves his hand to dismiss him.

"I am sorry about that, Master. I will do just as you have ordered." He scurries away from the living room and only when he is finally out of the house does he breathe deeply and sniffs at his sides.

****************

Lewis calls Amber twice and she refuses to pick his calls. After a long period of intensive work out, his nerves had calmed a little and he no longer feels angry. He knows he reacted the way he did because he remembered his father. Memories of his father always take away the cheerful facade he is always showing off to people. Lewis's mother had never been in the picture. When he was three, his mother and father had gotten into a fight and she left. She never came back. His father was broken by chose to stay strong for his son who looked up to him like he was a superhero. He worked as a labourer at a construction company and one day a man was shot. It was the early hours of the day and the murderer drove off in his car with his friends while they laughed and high fived each other. Lewis's father had found the body and had reported to the police. He was held by the police for questioning and that night, their neighbor took in Lewis and told him his father could not come home that night because there was something he had to deal with. Lewis knew something was wrong while he sat in front of her TV trying to pretend everything was okay.

His father came back the next day explaining to their neighbor that the police thought he had killed the man he found at the site. A ransom had been sent to the deceased's parents a week before and he had conveniently found his body. They thought if Lewis's father did not do it, then he knew who did but did not want to snitch on them. He was poor and had a shitty job. He had a motive and he could have gotten a share from the ransom after throwing the police off the scent of the original murderers. That was what the police concluded and they threw his dad in prison. He never stood trial. Just a poor, heartbroken father with the society against him.

Lewis tries Amber's number for the third time. This time she picks up.

"Oh, thank God." He blurts out and takes a sharp breath.

"What do you want, Lewis?" Amber's tone is short and clipped. She is not ready to go over another conversation about her being a coward. She will not put he family in harm's way regardless of what Lewis thinks of her.

"I deserve that. I just want to say I am sorry." He apologizes.

"Why?" Amber asks. She is not letting him off the hook so easy.

"What?" Lewis is confused with her question. Why is he apologizing?

"Why are you sorry?" Amber asks sternly.

"I am sorry for calling you a coward. You are nothing close to that."