Before The Dawn

CHAPTER FIVE

The heat at the Capitol Building was burning him up, it seemed to him everyone had deserted him. Linda’s resignation, and Jackson uncalled disappearance, coupled with the threat she received from her wife to file a divorce suit if he failed to return to Bahamas in a week’s time, all in all, with many more constituted the failure of his discernment. But could he return to Bahamas in a week’s time? That was a question he had no answer to, or perhaps, its certainty was uncertain.

He drove into the parking lot with a clouded mind, the officers manning the gate saluted, but to him they didn’t exist. He picked up his portfolio and dashed toward the lobby, his Louis Vuitton shoe was usual, black and ever shinning and the knock sound it made was a rhythm that told a tale, a tale of a fallen hero and a risen villain.

The lobby was scanty, only the receptionist was present and perhaps, the other audiences were ones that spoke on the television. The suicide story had not been the hotcake of the media, so it only came once in the news. But he was happy, the incident didn’t gain more attention than it required, so he could finish it up quickly or come back to attend to it.

“Have you seen him around?” he walked up to Jessica who was busy on the intercom.

“Who sir?”

“That spoilt brat, Jackson!” he roared, flashing Jessica a gruesome smile.

“Oh! Ever since the incident on Sunday at Sheraton way, he has never reported to the office” Jessica replied and continued with the call. One of such people she hated at the consortium was Conan, his arrogance was second to none and his ways of dealings were austere to him alone, but to the people outside his world, it a complete abstruseness. Conan was still standing in front of Jessica’s desk, trying to comprehend the humiliation he had just been given without a cost attached.

“I know you’re making a fake call Jessica! And I’ll deal with you for that!” he muttered silently to himself as he dragged his feet to the executive elevator. “That, is a bad way to start up the day!” he thought, pressing a button, and the elevator began ascending to the top floor where his office was situated.

“Where is my coffee?” he soliloquized loudly in his hoarse voice as he moved toward the machine. He had forgotten Linda had resigned, so he shouldn’t expect a cup of coffee on the machine, and a newspaper on the table. But he was perplexed, his coffee had been prepared and the newspapers lay on the table. “Linda!” he called checking into her office, but she wasn’t there. She looked around the office, but no one was there, except him and resounding silence.

“You’re looking for something?” Her voice broke into his thought, “what is it? Tell me and I may be of help!” she furthered smiling.

“What are you doing here?”

“I am your new secretary Conan” Jessica answered

“But I never approved of Linda’s resignation” Conan objected

“But the board can’t allow you run your office without a secretary!” she replied “You’ll have to learn how to deal with me!” she furthered, scampering towards the office to disgorged the files in her hands.

“Jessica is such a b***h! I’ll definitely kill Linda for this humiliation she had brought to me!” He returned to his office with a furious face.

“Conan, you need to begin with this” she paused for a while until she had had Conan’s attention “Jackson has been declared missing this morning!” she furthered, and picked the remote control on the table and tuned in to the Channels, the headline sent cold shiver through his spine. The headline read “Pearson Jackson is missing from home for two days.”