Assistant to the CEO

Chapter Thirty-Two: I'm Here to See Clarke Watson

"Rory, you need to wake up. Now."

I groaned as Ava's voice filled my dark bedroom. I had no desire to get up this morning. In fact in the last couple of days, I had gone in to auto-pilot as I tried to make a decision on what to do. I had decided sleeping longer was a good way to deal with things.

"Rory, I'm serious," Ava said as I heard her walk in.

"Why?" I said into the pillow. "I don't work anymore remember, and I don't have a class."

"I know," Ava said annoyed. "You need to see what's on TV, right now."

"I don't care," I said.

"You will once you see it, now wake up," Ava said, pulling the covers from me.

It forced me to open my eyes and I saw Ava standing at the end of my bed. The look on her face was very serious and that's when I realised something was wrong.

"What? What it is?" I asked her, sitting up.

"I...you need to see it. Just come and see, please," Ava told me.

I got out of bed pretty quickly and followed Ava into the lounge room where she had the TV paused on the news. She picked up the remote and pressed play and the news report started.

In shocking news today, reports have come through about Henry Watson's death. The former CEO of Watson Industries passed away last year from a heart-attack, but news has spread this morning that evidence has been brought to light that Watson was in-fact murdered.

I swear I felt my heart stop. "Murdered?"

What has started these reports is unclear but we do know is that the police have re-opened the investigation. No comment has been made, and Henry Watson's son has not been seen since this news has come to light, and access to his apartment complex is cut off. We will have more on this story as this unfolds.

I was frozen for a second, but then I realised I was shaking. Murdered? Henry, murdered? How, who...why? He was the nicest man I had ever known, and I just couldn't imagine it. His death was hard enough as it was, but it to be because someone murdered him, ended his life short, it angered me.

"Oh God," I choked out. "This is awful. I don't understand...how this happened."

"I don't know, Rory. It's been circling the news all morning. They wouldn't even say murder when it first started showing up," Ava explained. "I didn't want to alert you at first because I thought it was nonsense. Then it turned into this."

I felt shocked still, I felt the pain of it. I needed to sit down because I felt like my legs were going to give out in front of me. I walked backwards until I found one of the dining room chairs and sat down.

"Are you okay, Rory?" Ava asked, leaning down in front of me.

"It's just....the thought of Henry having a heart attack was terrible enough, but...to think someone did this to him, is awful," I spoke without looking at Ava. "Who would do this? And to Henry? I don't understand."

"I don't know," Ava said quietly. "Parker said the same thing."

"Parker," I muttered as I suddenly had a thought. "Oh God, what about Clarke? Did he talk to Clarke?"

"No," Av shook her head. "He can't get a hold of him, he think he's turned his phone off."

"He...he won't handle this very well," I said quickly. "He shouldn't be alone."

Before Ava could say another word I had gotten out of the chair and rushed into my room. I grabbed my phone and immediately started to call Clarke. I know we hadn't talked in a while but I knew he still had my number.