Jeopardised Crime

Chapter 11

Jazmine enters the residence of her apartment feeling tired as her body is feeling tense; aching all over, her palms blistered due to handling the shovel, in addition;
her clothes are tainted by loam, the proof that she had been occupied with digging.

While making an entrance in the building, she encounters the landlord and brings him to a standstill.

"Mr Ferguson, just the person I've been looking for."

Mr Ferguson is astound, and most probably considers the possibilities of Jazmine requiring his attention.

"Evening Miss Travis, is there something wrong in your apartment? Leakages..."

Jazmine stops him there,  "No, no, no, everything is perfect, the only reason I stopped you, is that I want to pay my bills a little early this month."

"Really? That's it?"

"Yeah, this time I want to get my priorities straight."

"Okay, you can do it tomorrow if you are okay with that."

"No, problem."

Jazmine walks over to the elevator and heads up to the floor of her apartment.

As soon as she enters, she begins to pack her clothes into a bag.

"Wait, should I take my clothes?"

She pauses and heads to the bathroom, clogging up the bath with the stopper, so the water doesn't get drained and opens up the taps of both cold and hot water.

She goes back into her bedroom, picking up her phone and dials Kevin's contact numbers.

Her phone is on dial for some time and finally takes her to voice mail.

"It's Jazmine, listen I want us to meet tomorrow night, it's regarding your cash. Um...I'll send you details of our meeting spot and make sure you come alone. Call me back once you get this message."

She returns to the bathroom.

-

The Craig family is enjoying an evening  meal in silence, until Amanda decides to break it, first asking permission from her parents to speak as she gets up from the seat.

"Mom, dad, and Alex...I have something I'd like to say."

Everyone at the dinner table places their utensils down and look to Amanda's direction attentively.

Amanda seems nervous as she begins to fidget with her fingers that are intertwined. "Thanks for your attention everyone, there's a few things I'd like to say...I would have  waited until tomorrow but then I realized that I might not have to opportunity to do so." Amanda takes a deep breath and begins "Since like tomorrow is my eighteenth birthday, I'd like to thank you; mum, for being there, for being a shoulder to cry on." Valerie is touched by her daughter's words, smiling in advance, Amanda moves over to her father. "Dad, I'm so happy that you are here to see this day. I really appreciate that you are constantly looking out for me, keeping me out of danger and I know that you know what's best, everything you say has a reason."  Aaron seems to pull up an expression of delight.

Young girl resumes "I'm glad that you're here, here with us,  here with mom." the last bit of the statement causes middle-aged man to raise his eyebrows in disapproval, meanwhile his wife looks down to her hands that rests onto her thighs; evading eye contact from everyone at the table; particularly from her husband as she suddenly senses a gawky connection between the two of them -- which apparently no one else picks up.