Chapter 29 Threads Of Truth Unraveling
Rowan's expression changed immediately and he quickly approached Amanda. He took the watch from her, avoiding Amanda's gaze
"It used to be my favorite watch," Rowan said, casually.Trying not to sound suspicious.
"So you kept it? Is this a study or your museum?" Amanda teased. "It reminded me of something though. I didn't know rich people also like cheap things.
"What do you mean? This isn't cheap." Rowan explained. "It's a very expensive piece, Amanda. Handcrafted, with a history dating back to the Qing Dynasty. A collector's item."
"Really?" Amanda was confused. She had seen the same watch before and she remembered that Mabel told her it was worth nothing.
"You said it reminded you of something." Rowan interrupted her thoughts. Have you seen something like this before?"
Amanda knew she could not possibly explain the situation about the watch to Rowan. She quickly came up with something to say.
"My boss in one of the places I have worked used to have something like this. It didn't fit his wrist and we would make fun of him. I didn't know it was worth a thing."
"I see," Rowan said.
"So, how much is a watch like that worth?" Amanda asked again.
Rowan smirked. "If it were to be sold at auction, it could fetch several million dollars."
Amanda was shocked. She could not believe her ears. "It is that expensive?"
"Yes, it's quite rare and highly sought after. It could be more, depending on where you are getting it from." Rowan answered.
"Then why do you have it locked up on the shelf in your study? You locked up a fortune." Amanda exclaimed.
"That's because there is a history with it. It was a gift." Rowan said.
"A gift from someone? It still doesn't make sense that it's locked up here." Amanda retorted.
"No, it is a gift for someone I used to know." Rowan replied.
"You took it back or you never had the chance to give it to them." Amanda asked, curiously.
Uncomfortable with the question, Rowan played with his hair.
"Life is not always as we planned." He said, trying to avoid the question politely.
Amanda didn't press further, sensing that Rowan was intentionally steering the conversation away from the subject. Instead, she decided to change the topic.
"Your mom left already?"
Rowan sighed heavily. "Oh yeah! I am sorry about that. She tends to drop by unannounced sometimes. It can be a bit overwhelming."
"It's alright." Amanda said casually.
"And I am really sorry I had to keep you in here. I am very sure you would prefer that than to meet my mom. She can be a pain in the ass."
"I…" Amanda was interrupted by a call on her phone.
"Excuse me" She removed the phone from her blazers. "It is from the office," she told Rowan before picking up.
"You are needed at the office. Detective Wills is there with an order requesting information on Mrs. Laura's contact that I claim to have. Amanda explained when she dropped the call.
"Oh really? We should get going then. I have some questions for the detective too."
At Xi Telecommunications, Detective Wills and another police officer sat in the waiting room, waiting for Rowan. Rowan entered the room with Amanda.
"Thanks for coming, Am sorry for the inconvenience. I just needed you to approve my order but your manager said you were coming." Wills said as he extended his hand for a handshake.
Rowan shook him. "I wanted to get an update on this case so I decided to come myself."
"Have you gotten the information you asked for?" Rowan asked.
"Not yet," Wills said. He glanced at Amanda occasionally.
Belinda walked into the room with a brown envelope. She greeted them and handed Detective Wills the envelope.
"The number was registered in Mr. Kenny's name," Wills said after going through the document hastily.
"Does that mean anything?" Amanda asked.
"That means Mrs. Laura was right. The line isn't hers but Mr. Kenny's and you said you got the number from his profile. Is it possible that he filled in his number in his profile where he ought to leave his wife's contact? Do you also know if he had two phones?"
"As at that time of employment, it is not possible. Our policy at Xi is strict. You have to drop your partner's information if you are married since they are your first referee." Rowan explained.
"And yes, he had two phones." Amanda said.
"That's correct. At Xi, we give phones to top employees strictly for work purposes. We also give them registered lines, so the number in his second phone would be registered under our name." Rowan added.
"But Mr. Kenny was the manager and was in charge of employees' profiles at Xi Hotel. It would have been very easy for him to change that." Amanda said.
"If that is the case. The information we have here at the headquarters in his profile will be different from the one at the hotel." Rowan assured.
"Can we have access to his profile? And the line assigned to him at Xi?" Wills asked.
"Sure," Rowan responded. He then turns to Amanda, "Can you inform Belinda to get you a copy of Mr. Kenny's profile?"
'Alright," Amanda responded and left immediately.
"Is there anything else we can help you with at the moment?" Rowan asked
"Not in particular. I will have to go through everything in the file to detect whose contact it was.
In Belinda's office, Amanda approached her and made her request.
"Please make it quick. It's urgent." Amanda said and made to leave.
"Miss Amanda!" Belinda called.
"What is it?" Amanda asked sharply. Her demeanor was different from when she came in. She does not want to have anything to do with Belinda since she realized the kind of person she is.
"I wanted to apologize for what happened yesterday, I didn't mean to let that happen to you. Who would have thought that you would not be able to handle the fancy doors at our workplace," Belinda said, her tone more conciliatory.
Amanda was disgusted at the way she manipulated her apology with such a tone. "It's alright. We can leave that in the past."
"Really? You are such a nice person. I heard that is one of the reasons Mr. Rowan helped you out." Belinda said.
"Helped me out?" Amanda asked, confused.
"Yes. I heard you are involved in Mr. Kenny's death and if not for Mr. Rowan, you would be in jail by now, I would not have been able to meet such a nice person as you." Belinda mocks.
Amanda's face turned red immediately but she remained cautious. "Did your informant also tell you that I don't care about what people say? Oh, I forgot they only feed you with lies."
Belinda bit her lips and clenched her fists so right that she was hurting.
"Amanda, I was only trying to be nice." Belinda said in a deceiving tone.
"Good. But you should know I am only nice to people who mind their business." Amanda said before walking away.
At Mrs. Laura's home. Detective Wills oats her a visit. He had been to the hospital but was told she was discharged already.
Mrs. Laura was heading out when Wills arrived at her residence.
"Hello, Mrs. Laura." Wills greeted her at the door. She appeared surprised to see him again.
"Detective!" She called out.
"Good day. May I come in?" Wills asked firmly.
"Of course, Detective. Please, come in." Mrs. Laura said and without hesitation, she led him in.
"Once again, I am sorry for your loss. We are doing everything we can to reveal the myth surrounding your husband's death." Wills affirms.
"Thank you, detective. I see how hard you are working." Mrs. Laura responded.
"I have some questions for you though. It is about your husband's phones. Remember I asked you earlier if you received messages about his Infidelity. It turns out that those messages were sent to a number registered in his name."
"Really?" Mrs. Laura asked. She does not seem surprised.
"Yes. I have confirmed that myself" Wills answered, trying to study her expression.
"Does that mean he planned his death with his killer?" Mrs. Laura asked, impatient.
"That is hardly reasonable." Wills answered. "I want to know if you can identify the number.
"Detective, I have told you before, I do not meddle in his work or anything related to his business. He won't even let me if I wanted to. I guess I now know it is because of his infidelity." Mrs. Laura answered firmly.
"I understand, but I checked the records of that number and I realized it is linked to your credit card which you used to purchase items like wigs, shoes, and other household items." Wills said.
"My husband and I run a joint account. He never allowed me to access our money, he made all the purchases you saw. I thought I would be free without him but it is hell knowing that someone killed him and the person is out there walking freely." Mrs. Laura began to weep.
Wills offered her the box of wipes on the center table. He waited for her to clean her face before he continued.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Laura. One last question, do you know where Mr. Kenny dropped his work phone? Wills asked.
"Of course, it should be in one of the boxes I packed his belongings. Mrs Laura answered.
"Can I have it? It is for investigative purposes." Wills asked.
"Of course." She stood up immediately and was back with the phone after a while.
Wills noticed the phone on the stool vibrating for the umpteenth time.
"Why are you not picking up your calls? Wills asked.
"It is not important." Mrs. Laura replied, nervous.
"If I may ask, who is the caller?"