Two Princes and a choice

Chapter Nine

Will woke to the odour of cooking oatmeal. Groaning, he sat up and rubbed the side of his face. Pushing off the comforter he swung his feet on the floor, planting both fisted hands on either side of his body pushed himself off the bed. He padded to the bathroom to brush his teeth.

His dog Rufus was awake and bounded over to him. ‘Morning Rufus,’ he murmured crouching to caress him. The scent of oatmeal hit his nostrils strongly. He left Rufus and paced to the kitchen. She was standing by the cooker wearing her yesterday’s clothes - blouse and dull orange knee-length shorts – stirring oats. He walked silently to her, a few inches away from her back his head close to hers and sniffed appreciatively.

‘Smells nice,’ he said.

And she whirled around fast gasping in shock, eyes wide. Their noses almost bumping only a spare inch apart. William could see the colour of her eyes, dark brown almost black, he stared into them somewhat enthralled. Her eyes lowered and her head dipped, she looked up again. ‘Could you step back a bit? You are crowding me.’ Her voice was small and sounded nervous.

He obliged her and took a few steps back. She turned back to the bubbling pot. ‘I hope you don’t mind me cooking. I thought it was proper to do that,’ she said. He shrugged and said he doesn’t mind. She nodded and stirred the more.

Leaning against the work top, head touching the cabinet, he watched her. She was trembling slightly, her hand shook and her voice shook when she talked.

‘There’s coffee on the table for you. I don’t know if you’d like coffee in the morning but most guys drink coffee early in the morning, so I figured you too would ‘– she shrugged.

‘I like it also,’ he walked over to the coffee pot and poured himself coffee. He leant against the island counter, sipped his coffee watching her. She had a great figure he decided. She was not that tall but was not average heighted. She was thin, he observed too thin but she had a beautiful face.

‘The guys who liked drinking coffee - who are they?’ he asked.

‘My dad and Darryl. Though Darryl drinks it like he depends on it.’

‘Who’s Darryl? Your boyfriend?’

She shook her head. ‘No, a guy who is a friend.’

‘For how long have you been friends?’

‘All my life.’ She turned off the cooker poured oatmeal into a bowl and rinsed the pot out in the sink. ‘Here,’ she set the bowl and spoon on the table. ‘Thanks for yesterday, I’ll be off now.’

‘Are you going home already?’

She shook her head. ‘Work.’

‘The café doesn’t open on Wednesdays.’

‘Another one, I’ll be off now.’

‘Without eating?’

She nodded. ‘I prepared this as a thank you meal but it isn’t a thank you meal because I cooked it with your things,’ a smile curved her lips ‘so I owe you one. Goodbye.’

‘If you are going then let me take you there.’ He set his mug down on the rowan table and straightened.

‘Don’t bother,’ she held out her hand as if to stop him from moving. She tucked braids behind her both ears. ‘I’ll walk or take a cab, don’t worry.’

‘Forget it, I’ll take you.’ Before she could counter his decision, he was striding to his room’s door, opened and closed it behind him. Hayley sighed and walked about the lounge. Rufus was pushing his food bowl to her begging to be fed. She stooped before him and rubbed his furry head scratching behind his ears.

‘You are hungry aren’t you? Where does your master put your food?’

The dog glanced at the row of cabinet where he had seen Will bring food out before. Hayley followed his gaze stood up and walked to the cabinet. She found a carton of dog food tear open the box and poured a generous share into the bowl. She watched with a smile as Rufus ate and looked up as a door slammed shut.

Will came out wearing a pair of faded black jeans and leather jacket. He tossed her a baseball jacket. ‘It’s cold outside wear it.’

Hayley caught it and began to protest again. ‘I can go on my own. You don’t have to take me. Really.’

But he didn’t seem to have heard her. ‘Wear the cardigan.’ He said again and smiled briefly.

‘His majesty will see you now.’

The both men smiled at the palace servant who had delivered the message and rose to their feet. Bill Okoro and his boss the chief of Police of the capital city Lagos of the kingdom Oduduwa Henry Abimbola a tall lean man in his fifties with thinning hair. They followed the servant out of the large ante room and Bill glanced about him and grinned whistling in amazement inwardly. What a grand place! The door slid open as they approached and closed behind them.

The man in his Ankara waiter’s suit let them through a vast hallway with a plush red rug running through. Bill could almost taste the richness of it. The hallway was bathed in warm gold glow from the chandelier hanging up and wall sconces. He led them to the lift with transparent enclosing and pressed the tablet on a steel pedestal. Floor three. The third floor. The humming stopped, the door slid open and they stepped out, the palace servant first.

They went through another hallway smaller but still large. Unlike the former one, this one had seats manning some parts of the walls with large windows beside. The windows were opened to let in the morning air and sunlight. They stopped in front of a glass door which slid open and they entered.

The smell of burning cigar greeted their nostrils as they entered with the study, accompanied by the smell of rich coffee and cakes. A maid in apron was pouring coffee into a cup for his majesty; a trolley filled with cakes and orange juice beside her. His majesty was sitting on a low sofa browsing through the morning newspaper. The maid set the cup of coffee, cakes and others on a silver tray before him. The cakes on their stand, a pot of butter and a tiny bowl of fruit were also placed beside. Okoro let his eyes roam about the study. Panelled with the richest oak the room was all wood stone glass and steel. Paintings hung from the wall, from different artistes. The study desk was made from mahogany, and also the book shelves. Filled with books on every subject from different authors, a tiny computer manned every shelf for you to choose. The computer’s memory contained every book in that shelf so all you need is to scroll through and click on it. A machine then extends the book out for you. A world’s globe was beside the study desk.

‘Your majesty,’ Henry bowed and Bill did also.

James looked up and his face crinkled up in a smile. ‘Ah, you are here. Sit down,’ he waved to the two armless chairs before him. They thanked him and took their seats. The man who had brought them was gone and the woman was standing at a respectable distance.

‘Henry, you are looking fit. Exercising as always?’

Henry smiled self-consciously. ‘You flatter me your highness.’

‘You have news for me?’ he took a sip out of his coffee. ‘Coffee?’ he looked at both of them.

They both said yes and the woman poured coffee for the both of them. Henry explained everything they had found out.

James nodded thoughtfully. ‘I heard it was a girl who suggested you do those things,’ he said.

Bill frowned into his coffee. So the news had filtered into his majesty’s ears also.

Henry said yes.

The king nodded again. ‘Such an intelligent girl she must be. So’ – he bit into a cake – ‘What now?’

‘We know that it wasn’t a robbery but assassination so we’ll double check on the house and the grounds for more clues that can help us.’

‘That’s good. Tell me what the name of that girl who suggested that technique?’

Bill’s hands wrapped around his cup of coffee savagely.

The air was cold outside and Hayley shrugged on the jacket. It was big and the sleeves went past her hand. She pulled it back and the ribbed cuffs hung to her arm. She zipped it up. It was cosy. She climbed onto seat after him and he drove away. The wind was bitingly cold and bit on her face tossing her braids away from her face.

The pizza place wasn’t open when Darryl got there and so checking his wristwatch he sat down on the cold green wooden bench right outside waiting. It was eight thirty – thirty minutes more before it opens -. He looked at his watch again. The minute was moving too slow for him. He bit in his lower lip tapping his foot expectantly. He checked again, fifteen minutes more. Where is Hayley? Many thoughts ran through his mind. Had she been kidn*pped? Was she dead? What happened? She should have been here.

He heard a motorcycle’s noise in a distance.