Notes and Clues
1681 Words
"So Charlotte, what's the clue?", Cassy asked sitting on my bed. We moved directly to my house after school.
"Are you being impatient or you don't believe me?",I asked moving behind my closet. Removing some clothes, I opened a secret compartment bringing out a back pack.
"Maybe both", She teased. I moved towards the bed placing the back pack on it. Moving to my door,I locked it. My dad is at work but I locked it just incase. I don't want him to know about what I am doing because he might try to stop me. When I bring up the issue,he would say the police is still investigating.
"My mom left that before she died. When I went to the flower vase,I saw a key and after series of searching,I found the lock to which the key belong. When I opened it,this was what I found",I said pointing to the bag.
"what is inside the bag?", She asked sitting up her eyes still on the bag. I sat down before her pulling the bag towards me.
"Let's find out",I said opening the bag. It contains series of papers in form of documents. In between the papers, I saw a laptop. Taking it out,I opened it. Cassy went through the stack of books while I began to booth the system. But I was frustrated when I discovered it was locked.
"These are all numbers",She said frustrated.I collected the papers from her.
"They are codes, silly",I said after studying the papers for sometime. But Cassy didn't reply,I looked up to see her glued to a note. "What's that?",
"Looks like your mom already knew she was going to die. Take a look at this",She said handing me a note. I collected it reading the words.
Dear Charlotte,
By the time you will be reading this, I might've already been dead. Not to say I will kill myself, but there are people after me. They know I have these documents and they shouldn't get to it. The documents belong to a French billionaire, who I happened to be his attorney .They contain his will and other documents about his business. Unfortunately,he is already dead and someone is after his wealth. But he has a daughter,who he willed them to. I have been trying to find her. They stay in Lagos. You need to find her before the 30th of June,this year. If she doesn't appear in court that day with these documents,her fathers wealth will be inherited by another. And she won't have any claim to it again. Unfortunately, I don't know who she is or who she's living with. I just hope she's still alive. But you have to try and find her before they do. Else,she will be dead before you even get to her.
For security reasons,the informations and documents are coded and my laptop is locked with a password too. And that was, ON THE 16TH OF APRIL 2005 BY MIDNIGHT.
That laptop contains some information or directions that you might need. Don't bother about the coded documents,her foster father knows the code. He will decode it. Please help me complete this one task. Becareful,the enemy is closer than you might guess. once they know you have these documents,they will be coming after you.
I want you to know that I am proud of you and I believe you can do this.
Much love from mom
I dropped the note on the bed wiping the tears that were on my face.
"Its alright charl.", Cassy said and I nodded bringing the laptop towards me. I tried to unlock the laptop but it kept on writing wrong password.
"What's going on", Cassy asked when she noticed my face was frowned.
"It won't open. Its saying the password is wrong",I said. Thinking of what my mom could ever use as her password.
"Don't you know her password?", Cassy asked and I nodded.
"Damn!, how are we going to know who to look out for if we don't know the password?", She murmured, brushing her palms against her thick mass of brown hair.
She collected the laptop from me and placed it on her laps. "Just tell me important dates in your mom's life starting with your birthday", She said and I began to give her dates I knew. That was how we continued for quite sometime.
"Charlotte!!!",I looked up at Cassy in surprise and she was looking at me too. That wasn't Cassy. We both listened attentively,"Charl!",
"Oh my gosh!,my dad is back",I said and we began to pack the books into the backpack. I took the bag to my closet and placed it there. Cassy rushed to the door opening it.
I ran down the stairs to meet my dad. I won't risk him coming up to my room."Hi Dad",I greeted
"How are you doing Charl?",He responded hugging me. I noticed his eyes somewhere and I turned to see him looking at Cassy confused.
"Dad, this is my best friend, Cassy. Remember her?",I introduced. He should remember her unless a year is enough to forget someone.
"Cassandra right?",He asked looking inquiringly at Cassy. I have forgotten my dad calls Cassy her full name.
"Yes sir", Cassy said the same time I said,"yes Dad". And we all began to laugh. Cassy was nervous. It was written over her and I could tell it from the way she sounded.
"Are you okay?",Dad asked her.
"Yes sir. Charlotte,I will be on my way now. bye,bye sir.",She said walking out of the house hurriedly. I could feel her breathing in once she's gotten outside.
*****
Cassy's POV
I threw myself on the bed wondering about what I have put myself into. I stared at the ceiling, wondering if I was really ready for this. I mean, this is the most important and last year, of my highschool and I needed nothing but the best. The most important thing I needed now is concentration. The money award for the Erudite Topper will change a lot in my family and help me in several ways. Not to say we are poor, but who would see cool cash and not want to have it. Stephanie was right,I wasn't doing a good job at being the being the best Student if I have started losing marks. How she knew that is what I don't know anyway or let's say,she guessed since I was the best in last years result. I just hope I will be able to handle both but if it starts distracting me,I will stop.
"Cassy", My younger sister, Melissa, called popping her head into the room. "I didn't see you after school today, that's unusual",She said entering the room.
Crap! I forgot I was supposed to go home with Melissa after school. Melissa attends same school as me. She's in her last year in junior highschool.
"Sorry mel, I went over to Charlotte's", I apologized sitting up in bed.
"Charlotte?,Is she back to Lagos?",She asked moving towards my study desk.
"Yes she's back to Lagos. Her mom died last month",I said omitting the fact that she was murdered.
"So sorry for her. Poor Charlotte, what's she going to do now?", Melissa lamented sitting down. "Oh this is so bad. Why would her mom die now? I can't imagine my mom dieing on me like that",I shook my head pulling my school bag towards me. That's Melissa anyway,she can be overly emotional and too sentimental at times. She could even mourn more than the bereaved.
Once, her friends sister was engaged in a motor accident. And Melissa happened to witness the accident. She cried from the scene of the accident to the hospital. People which included her friend have to console her and reassure her nothing would happen to the girl. It took time before she got over it. That's my Sister for you.
I looked up to see Melissa now completely Moody and lost in thought. "Snap out of it Mel, Charlotte is fine",I said
"Are you sure?",She asked not believing me.
"We can go see her tomorrow if it will make you feel okay and also believe me",I said and she nodded happily.
I opened my bag to get out my maths Textbook when something fell off it. Picking it up,I looked down at the note Charlotte's Mom wrote to her. How did it get here?
"What's that?,why are you staring on that paper as if you saw a ghost", Melissa asked looking at me with suspicious eyes.
"Its nothing. Just surprised to see it",I replied partly lying and partly telling the truth. I mean that note is something and means a lot.
"If you say so.",She turned around walking to my bookshelf. "Don't you have new books here?", she asked,her eyes searching the shelf. If there's anything Melissa and I share in common, it's our reading habit. We read varieties of books and stories. I bring most of the books we read.
"Not yet",I will get some in the library tomorrow. I said tossing the note into my bag. I will be reading it later when I am alone."Try reading some old books there. Or better still go and study",
"Thanks for your advice bookworm. But right now, I am going to watch a movie. Mind joining me, its the latest movie. My friends talk about it in school",She said stopping at the door.
"No thanks",I raised my Maths textbook indicating that I am about to study.
"Good luck, rest in Maths",She joked rushing out of the room.
- Writer
