Chapter 11: Chapter 11

When all hope seems like it's lost, always remember bad times do not last forever.

- Grace Chanbee

[Author’s POV]

Gilbert and his wife sat at the dining but were unable to touch their food. It had been three days since they disclosed to the public that their daughter was missing without hearing a word from anybody even though there was a price attached to finding her.

The whole environment was silent and even the servants dared not utter a word as there was very high tension and any slight mistake could provoke Gilbert.

“What if our baby is never found?” Eunice suddenly asked out of the blue.

“And where is that coming from?” Gilbert asked in a very harsh tone.

Eunice shrugged. “I don’t know, I’m just saying what is on everyone’s minds,” She said.

“You’re the only one who thinks that way, darling……”

Eunice scoffed. “Really? Okay, everyone, show of hands,” She said, addressing the servants that guarded and waited on them in the dining room.

“What are you doing?” Gilbert asked.

“I’m proving to you that I’m not crazy,” She responding, shooting him a glance.

“By involving our servants in our personal matters?” Gilbert asked with disgust.

Eunice ignored her husband and turned back to face the servants. “There will be no deduction of your salaries. In fact, I’ll be very much happy if you can be honest with me……”

“Eunice, stop!”

She however went on with her statement, unperturbed. “How many of you think that my daughter will be found?” She asked.

Inasmuch as the servants wanted to raise their hands and say they believed Amber was going to return home, they couldn’t as they had no faith she was going to surely return home someday. For all they knew, she could have already been dead with her body decayed.

Therefore, they simply bowed their heads without saying a word.

“You see, Gilly? My precious daughter actually decided to leave her mother childless and all alone. I have been keeping the faith all along and hoping that my baby will come running to me and I’ll scoop her in my arms and pat her blonde hair. You know something, Gilly? I hid it from you but Amber could still not sleep without listening to bedtime stories even before she left us. Who will I tell bedtime stories to now? Is it Daisy who does not care about such things? Who, Gilly? Who?” She asked in tears.

Gilbert wanted to hold his wife in her arms and console her but he knew he’d be moved to tears should he do such. He missed his poor Amber greatly and he felt it was sort of his fault because he had been too self-centered to bring the news to the public as soon as it had happened.

A maid rose her right hand, seeking permission to speak.

“What is it?” Gilbert asked in a coarse tone.

“I have something to tell you in private, please,” She said, looking around timidly and as if she was afraid of something.

“Why do you want to tell him something in private?” Eunice asked, doubting the woman’s intentions.

“Not just him, both of you. It’s about your daughter, Amber,” The maid said, her eyes facing the floor.

“Everyone, leave!” Gilbert ordered.

All the servants dispersed in different directions, finding one thing to do or another.

“So what do you have to say?” Gilbert asked when there was no one left in the room.

“First of all, sir, you have to promise that my life will be in perfect hands,” She said.

“Why? Did someone threaten you?” Eunice asked, worriedly this time around.

The maid who was a petite middle-aged woman with crooked hands and legs from overworking nodded her head rapidly.

“Who was it?” Eunice asked.

The woman stammered, unable to make out a reasonable sentence.

“I did not send everyone out for you to waste my time,” Gilbert said in his usual impatient manner.

His wife touched his shoulder, a sign that told him to take things easy and calm down.

She rose from her seat and walked over to meet the maid who was shivering terribly.

“I commend you for being brave enough to want to speak up, and I promise you with everything I own that no harm will come to you, okay?” Eunice stated.

The woman slowly looked up, meeting Eunice’s eyes and after noticing how genuine she was in her promise, gave her a nod.

“Now, speak up,” Gilbert told her.

The maid cleared her throat. “Honestly, it’s one of your family members who threatened to kill me should I say a word about what I heard a few days ago,” She said.

“Who was it? Daisy?” Eunice asked.

The maid’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as she nodded her head rapidly, confirming that it was Daisy who had tried to silence her.

“She told me no one was going to believe a total stranger over their own relative and promised to deal severely with me should I say a word concerning the discussion I had overheard,” The maid explained.

Gilbert stood up at alert and motioned for the woman to continue speaking.

“While I was mopping Miss Daisy’s bathroom the other day, about two or three days ago, she was on the phone with somebody and they were having a surprising conversation,” The maid said.

“Okay? What next?” Gilbert asked.

“She didn’t know I was in the bathroom. She said that she had gone out with Richard to celebrate the fact that she’s going to be your new heiress, sir, and she told the person that she and Richard had seen… they had seen…. They…”

“They had seen what?” Gilbert asked, getting impatient.

The maid shook her head. “Not what sir, but who. She told the person that… that they had seen Miss Amber,” She said, finally dropping the bombshell.

Gilbert’s eyes became wide with surprise and his wife staggered then leaned unto the handle of the chair for support.

“Are you sure of what you’re saying?” Gilbert asked after a moment of dreadful silence.

The maid nodded her head in the affirmative.

Eunice slumped into one of the chairs as her brain could barely process the information she had just heard concerning her daughter while Gilbert remained silent, thinking hard about what to do.

“Helios! Helios!!” Gilbert called his personal assistant, a tall Black American in his forties, who also lived in the same house with them.

Helios came running from the living room where he had been discussing with some journalists who wanted to have more information concerning the accident which led to the disappearance of Amber Sanders.

“Yes sir,” He responded.

“Call on Detective Shawn. Tell him to come to my house with his team,” Gilbert ordered.

“Okay then, I’ll do just that right away,” Helios said, and went to make the phone call in a hurry.

“What are you planning on doing?” Eunice asked.

“Getting the truth out of Daisy,” Gilbert said, his fists clenched.

His wife did not want to push it further and pretended like she understood what his intentions were before turning her attention back to the maid who was still shuddering with her head bowed.

“Hello, what’s your name and when did you start working here?” Eunice asked.

“Agnes, ma’am. I started working here early this year,” She responded.

Eunice gave her a warm smile. “I had already given up on ever finding my baby again. Do you have children?” She asked.

The maid nodded. “I have three sons,” She responded.

A tear slid down Eunice’s eyes. “I was blessed with only one daughter and trust me when I say she’s worth a million children to me. She had straight As, a facial model, a low-key fashion designer, could cook well even though I didn’t want her around the kitchen. She had always aimed to have a million subscribers on YouTube but was stuck at 800,000.”

Eunice chortled. “I wish I could tell her now that she finally hit a million subscribers, she’ll be so happy. My baby girl’s not proud and she doesn’t waste money even though she has more than enough to throw out. I think her only flaw is her brutal honesty but still, you have a perfect daughter in all areas like my baby girl and suddenly, she’s gone into thin air without any warning or goodbye.”

“Eunice, we’ll find her soon enough. At least, now, we know she’s still alive,” Gilbert said.

“My baby will be so pissed if she ever finds out I thought for once that she was never going to come back. I hope she will be able to forgive me,” Eunice said to no one in particular.

“Of course, she will,” The maid chipped in.

Eunice forced a smile. “Thank you so much for renewing my hope,” She said.

“You’re welcome, ma.”

“You may go now and you needn’t be scared of Daisy’s threats. She’s an empty vessel,” Gilbert said with a grin.

The maid nodded and smiled back then walked away.

Helios came in about five minutes after Agnes, the maid, had left with Detective Shawn, a very tall officer with broad shoulders and large muscles, with his teammates.

“Detective, good to have you here,” Gilbert said, standing to his feet and shaking hands with the cheerful light-spirited detective.

“Good morning sir, you sent for us,” Detective Shawn said.

Gilbert nodded in the affirmative. “Yeah, there’s something I need you to do for me,” He said.

“And what is that, sir?” He asked.

“Remember Daisy?” Gilbert asked.

“Definitely, isn’t it the brunette who is your niece?”

“You’re very much correct. One of the maids overheard her discussion over the phone….."

“And who was she talking with?” Detective Shawn asked, taking out a small jotter and pen from his breast pocket.

“The person she was talking with remains unknown,” Gilbert replied.

“Okay? So is there anything significant about this supposed phone conversation?” Detective Shawn asked, jotting down a few things.

Gilbert nodded.

Eunice quickly spoke up, not letting her husband say what was on his mind. “It’s simple, detective. She overheard Daisy telling someone that she saw Amber when she went out the other day,” She said.

The detective’s pen clattered to the floor as his mouth flew agape. “Seriously?”

“Of course. We need you to help us get the truth out of Daisy,” Gilbert said and his wife nodded in agreement, now understanding why Gilbert had wanted the detectives to come around.

“Definitely. Where is the girl now?” Detective Shawn asked.

“In her bedroom,” Eunice responded.

“Let’s go,” Detective Shawn said to his teammates and they proceeded out of the dining room while Helios looked on in amazement, surprised that Amber was actually alive.

*********

Daisy sat on the bed, crying so hard as she shivered and hiccupped uncontrollably, her nose running with catarrh.

Eunice and her husband, Gilbert watched as she was being interrogated by Detective Shawn for the past one hour without saying a word, they only let the detective do his job.

“I swear, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve not seen Amber since the prom night,” Daisy lied.

Detective Shawn ran his hands through his hair in frustration. Being unable to get anything out of the worrisome girl was taking a toll on his nerves and he hated getting angry.

“Daisy! Have you heard of juvenile prison before?” He asked, trying a different approach.

Daisy looked up, trembling with fear.

“We have proof that you have seen Amber already and since you are denying it, it’s likely that you were behind her disappearance in the first place, but because your uncle and aunt are good people, they’ll let you go scot free if you agree that you have already seen Amber,” Detective Shawn said.

Daisy calculated quickly about what to do. She certainly didn’t want to end up in prison like her father neither did she think she could escape it by lying since the detective claimed to have evidence.

“I… I saw her,” Daisy finally admitted.

Eunice heaved a sigh fully convinced that her daughter was alive with renewed hope of finding her again.

“Can you give a detailed explanation on where, when and how you saw her?” Detective Shawn said, opening his jotter and getting set to write.

Daisy nodded, still shaking terribly. “I had gone out with Richard to Patina Restaurant and we had come across a boy and…. A boy and girl of the same age as us.” She swallowed hard then continued, “They seemed to be a couple because they were wearing matching t-shirts……”

“Wait! How does this concern us?” Gilbert asked, losing his patience as usual.

“The girl was Amber, goddammit!” Daisy yelled. She shook her head softly, realizing her mistake. “I am sorry for shouting,” She said.

“You saw my baby with a boy?” Eunice asked, puzzled.

Daisy nodded.

“And you’re certain they were in a relationship?” Detective Shawn asked, also puzzled.

Daisy nodded again.

“But how is that even possible? If Amber was hale and hearty in Los Angeles, why hasn’t she come home? And who is this boy?” Gilbert asked.

“I’ve never seen him before,” Daisy replied.

Detective Shawn wore a blank expression, confused.

“The thing is the girl looked like Amber in all ramifications, but she didn’t even seem like she knew either me or Richard,” Daisy explained further.

“Are you suggesting she may be a lookalike?” Detective Shawn asked.

“Lookalikes aren’t real. That’s my daughter, I’m absolutely certain,” Gilbert said.

“How can you be so sure?” Detective Shawn asked.

“Amber has always wanted to live a normal life away from the affluent, I’m guessing all these was a stunt,” Gilbert replied, looking slightly relieved.

“Amber will never break our hearts and make us worried on purpose,” Eunice argued.

“Then how do you explain this? She was seen with a boy having a swell time,” Gilbert said, raising his voice.

“How can you believe what she says? She’s a pathetic liar,” Eunice said, eyeing Daisy with so much disgust.

“I’m not lying this time around,” Daisy objected.

Eunice scoffed. “So you admit you’ve been lying before now?”

Daisy ignored her sarcastic statement and faced the detective.

“We had a sort of confrontation with the guy she was with. He told us to come to Calisto, Arroyo Grande and ask of Justin, the guy who lives in a stick-built house with his grandmother and sells clothing materials,” Daisy disclosed, an act she regretted later because in all sincerity, she didn’t want Amber to be found.

Detective Shawn gestured to one of his teammates and whispered something inaudible to him and he nodded then left Daisy’s bedroom with agile steps.

“I’ve ordered my men to search for this Justin and come back with information. This time around, we’ll do our job perfectly well,” Detective Shawn said.

“Thank you so much, detective,” Eunice said.

“It’s I who should be grateful to you for helping us out in doing our job,” Detective Shawn said with a smile as he rose from the chair he had been sitting on.

“Inform me whenever you find out this so-called Justin’s location,” Gilbert said.

“Of course.”

Turning to Daisy, Detective Shawn gave her a smirk. “Looks like you won’t have to see the four walls of prison anymore, thanks for your co-operation,” He said and walked out of the bedroom.

Gilbert sent Daisy a threatening message with the fierce look in his eyes then left the room, with his wife by his side.

Daisy wiped her tears then stood up, heavy with anger.

Taking the flower vase from her bedside table, she threw it on the floor, scattering it into many different pieces, venting out her anger and uttering various cuss words feeling defeated and enraged.

******

The man who was keeping an eye on Amber's family dialled his partner's number feeling frustrated.

After the fourth ring, his partner whom we all know as the psychopath answered the phone call.

"Hello, you dummy, were you finally able to succeed?" He asked in a harsh but low tone, looking around to ensure no one saw him.

"Calm down for once, will you?" The psychopath said from the other end.

"Calm down? It's been two weeks since I gave you the assignment of dealing with that girl who refused to die and you're asking me to calm down?" He barked.

"I found out it's the same girl, not a lookalike," The psychopath disclosed.

"How is it possible that she's alive and has refused to return home?" The impatient man asked, puzzled.

"I successfully trailed the boy but got into an accident and had to stay in the hospital. On getting back to my feet, I went back to the stick house I had seen him enter with the girl and the thing is she lost her memory," The psychopath said.

The harsh man didn't say a word as he was thoughtful for a minute.

"So? Do you expect me to praise you?" He finally spoke.

"When will anything ever satisfy you? I just found out the girl has no memory whatsoever of who she really is and you're still acting like a grumpy old man. Say thank you for once, will you?" The psychopath said, really frustrated.

"Listen, you have to kill the girl," The man said.

"Why? I just told you she doesn't know who she is. Why kill her when she poses no threat to us?" The psychopath asked, not getting it.

"What if she recovers?"

"She won't."

"Simply say you don't have the stomach for it, coward. Go check the news, a search has been launched for Gilbert's precious daughter. It's over if she comes back here," He said.

"What? Really?"

"Yes, really. To be clear, they've already found out the city they're in. You better get to her before they do for your own good," The man said.

"Don't worry, after overhearing their conversation today, I know exactly where they'll be headed tomorrow. Get ready for my masterpiece," The psychopath boasted.

"For your own sake, better hope tomorrow isn't too late," The man said and hung up.

He cracked his neck sideways, kept the phone in his pocket and went about his duty.