Chapter 6

James

“She’s pretty,” Harper spoke over my ear and I jumped.

“God Harper, must you always do that?” I snapped dropping my drawing pencil.

“Why so jumpy detective?” She laughed while dropping a mug beside my table.

“I’m not jumpy,” I scoffed, grabbing the steaming mug before taking a sip.

“You hardly draw these days and you missed dinner so decided to get you a coffee,” she shrugged.

“You are nosy that's why you are here,” I rolled my eyes, setting my mug down.

“So, who’s the pretty lady?” she wiggled her eyebrows at me, “I have only seen you draw a pretty girl once and that was a long time ago,” she added.

Harper was just as observant with a sharp memory as me, but there was one more factor: she was nosy. She is the only one who knows how to startle me because she is a sneaky troublemaker who likes hovering over me while I draw. She knows that when I draw, I lose focus of my surroundings with my attention directed to making a drawing come to life.

“Stop being a nosy little brat. Thanks for the coffee,” I said, raising the mug at her while shooing her away.

“I know when I'm not needed,” she rolled her eyes at me with a huff, “I’m going to bed. Your food is in the microwave so make sure you eat it.”

“Why? Are you trying to poison me?” I joked with a smirk while sipping my mug.

“Too late you already drank the coffee. Not very clever of you detective,” she countered with a winning smirk of her own.

“Well played,” I nodded, almost choking on the hot concoction.

“Night Jam,” she winked before walking away with a laugh.

“I hate that name,” I said through a smirk.

“Too bad,” she responded, looking over her shoulder with a grin and I shook my head.

I placed a half-drank mug of coffee on the table before I looked back at my drawing. Harper was right, she was pretty. Her face was staring back at me as I decided to explore my mind so I could finish the drawing. She was the most beautiful woman I had seen after her. Those funny feelings I felt ten years surfaced today after I met Miss Parker. I was captivated by everything about this therapist after our encounter that’s for sure. It made me feel all silly inside.

I feel stupid for not getting her name or number. I sighed and grabbed my pencil flipping the page. I decided to sketch the moment my eyes met her and stupidly lost all the right words and made a fool of myself. A smile curled after I looked at the sketch of her eyes, they were beautiful and familiar. She also had brown eyes.

Harper was right because I have never sketched any other pretty girls. I have only drawn a sketch of that girl I met for a short while ten years ago. Wherever she ended I hope she was alive. A part of me hopes it’s true because after that accident it was as if she disappeared. I went to all the five hospitals in the city and blew my pocket money looking for her so I could return her bracelet with no luck. She is the reason I decided to be a cop like my father. Before that night our paths crossed, I saw myself as an artist and spent my afternoons after college watching other artists' graffiti while I sketched them. I had hoped that I would meet the great artist El Anatsui.

I guess being a cop was more in my blood than I expected and something about that girl has always bothered me and there are questions I can never answer. I have achieved much in my years as a detective and solved plenty of cases but this one still feels fresh. Why was she running? What does KI stand for? Those guys in suits were bad news. I didn’t need to be a cop then, to figure that out. Why would I never get rid of that bracelet? If only I had found her I bet I would have solved the mystery ages ago.

“James?” I heard Harper call out from behind me.

“Huh? Yeah,” I looked as she rubbed her eyes.

“Don’t tell me you haven’t moved from there for the past hour?”

“I got a bit carried away, why are you still up? Don’t you have exams in the morning?”

“I was down to get a bottle of water,” she waved the bottle, “Don’t forget to eat?” she said moving up the stairs.

“Yes, mom,” I responded.

“You also told me to remind you about the flash drive,” her voice came in between yawns.

“Flash drive,” I spoke as I jolted up moving to where my jacket was.

I promised Romans, I would watch the feed and close the case. I decided to heat my food and insert the flash to my laptop and watch the footage while having my dinner. Harper probably would skin me alive if I don’t finish her cooking again. She was a great cook close to mom’s cooking but I sometimes eat less food because of my late lunches. I smiled as I tasted the chicken casserole. She had made mom’s favorite dish. She was showing more of mom every day. I chewed a mouthful as I watched the footage from Parker’s Associates.

*****

Kioni

“What is up with you?” I asked Nick who was sitting across from me at the restaurant.

“Why would you let a detective into our security room without a warrant?”

I cursed myself for lying about having dinner with my parents tonight because after their lunch dad decided to drag Nick out here with me. I think he was punishing me for lying because they were supposed to meet us at Julie’s at 7:30 PM and it was two minutes after eight and they were still not here. I was glad I had worn my watch after I went to change because constantly pressing my phone was probably going to annoy Nick more. There was something off about him since he burst into the security room feeling entitled. 

“I don’t see what the problem is, you were the one who insisted on installing them all over the building,” I looked at him.

“For a good reason.” He responded without looking at me.

I waited in vain for him to explain but he raised his hand and a waitress came almost instantly as if Nick was royalty. “Whiskey double neat,” Nick spoke, the waiter left with a nod.

“Are you regular here?” I asked and he scoffed before smirking.

“You could say that,” he looked proud and I chose to ignore it.

“Excuse me,” I said.

“Where are you going?” he scrunched his forehead.

“I need to find out where mom and dad are. It's almost a quarter past 8.” I pushed the chair back without giving a second thought to his disapproving look.

I was getting a bad vibe from Nick and mom and dad being late, was unlike them. I walked out of the expensive restaurant feeling the breeze. I dialed dad first, but his phone went to voicemail, and I dialed mom and it was the same. 

“That’s odd,”  I said my thought out loud dialing the landline instead but there was no answer. I was worried and looked back to where Nick was before I decided to leave a message on the answering machine.

*****

Unknown

I couldn’t believe I was looking at her after so many years. Kioni was mere meters away from me. My whole body wanted to run and take her and bolt, but I knew we would not go far before they found us. I barely made it out alive and besides, I haven’t planned this far as I watched her with a phone in her ear. Something was wrong with the expression she had on her face. That was always her thinking hard and panicking face. I decided to move closer as she placed her phone on her ear for the third time.

“Mom? Dad? Are you guys there? It’s almost an hour and I’m stuck here waiting on you guys. I know dad is trying to punish me but-,” she said with worry, “You guys know I worry a lot so please get back to me or else I’m coming there if I don’t hear anything in the next 15 minutes. I hope you are alright,” she hung up the phone.

I took a chance as she was making her way inside pulling my dark hoody off as I walked to her. I needed to look her in the eye. I moved faster before she reached the entrance as the breeze blew over her face and she pushed back her dark curls which had been covering most of her face. I didn’t realize I had blocked her path as I saw her face fuller, her right hand still holding the curls back before she spoke.

“Excuse me,” she smiled looking at me in the eyes.

“What happened to your forehead?” I asked, horrified.

“Not a lot of people get to see this scar. Guess that means I can tell you something I never tell people. I was hit by a truck ten years ago and well the scar is proof plus the memory loss,” she shrugged. 

‘What!?” I blinked at her causality.

She smiled at me before walking back into the restaurant leaving me standing in shock. I managed to pull back my hood and push the cap closer to my eyes. This explains a lot of things as I walked further down the street avoiding all the open areas. If Razor and Jay were to see me, I would be dead, and all this would be for nothing. Those two never quit. I barely made it alive the second time they tried to kill me. They blew up the wrong person thinking it was me.

Guess the mystery of Kioni’s silence is solved. She looked at me like I was a stranger and there was never a hint of her remembering me. I didn’t notice I let my rage take over as I was punching the wall before my hand was shaking with my knuckles bleeding. I should have taken her bracelet before she ran. She probably looks at the bracelet without any idea there is a small memory card that would change her life and mine, not to mention the power it holds. 

All her memories are within her grasp if only she could remember how to unlock them. A lot of people have died for the information that is in her possession. I punched the wall with new rage not caring about the pain. My body had suffered way worse than this. I needed to come up with a solid plan to get Kioni Turner back no matter the cost. I wish I knew where Sebastian was. I sure need his help now more than ever.