Blind Case (Completed ✔️)

Chapter Thirty-nine

   “And this here is my room!” Xena announced as we stepped into a white painted room. It was really beautiful.

“It's beautiful, Xena.” I said truthfully.

Her lips curved into a big bright smile. “I know right. I strictly told father what I wanted and how I wanted it to be. And boom! This appeared,” She said.

I laughed. “The interior...” I felt the burner phone vibrate in my pocket again and she faced me questioningly. “Er... I need some water. I'm pretty tasty.”

“Oh? I'll get you some then,” She said.

“No need for that. I can just go get it myself.”

“Let me,” She blinked gently as me and walked out. I took out the phone and read the second message.

Ian
Ignoring me won't help matters darling. You better tell me what you've found out or else, I'll kill someone.

Camy
No wait Ian! Just give me till tomorrow evening. I promise the code will be yours.

Ian
I've given you enough time baby. Someone should have died now but I'm sparing them all because of you. Now by seven tomorrow evening, if you refuse to send then, someone will lose her life.

Camy
Thanks.

I took in deep breaths and nervously ran my hand through my hair.

“Hey babe!” Xena called. Due to the unexpected entrance and my frustration, I cringed. “What's up with you?” She dropped some bottles of coloured juice on the vanity.

“Nothing...nothing,” I let out another rough breath. “My water?”

She pointed a bottle of water at me. I collected it and drank the entire content in two gulps.

“Whoa! Someone is thirty,” She said.

I smiled and tossed the empty plastic into the bin by the door. She went to the bed and packed her hair up.

“Are we having a party?” I asked, staring down at the bottles on the vanity.

“No,” She replied. “I mean, it's something like that. I just thought we should celebrate because we are now together again.”

“I guess it's worth celebrating.”

She picked up the two bottles of Janjaria and I took one.

“To our unexpected reunion,” She said and I laughed and clicked my glass with hers. We drank from our bottles and settled to watch a movie on her laptop.

Four seasons of Vampires Diaries later, Xena finally laid her head on a soft pillow to sleep. I closed her laptop gently and put it away to charge before getting up from the bed.

Thoughts of Hayden came to my mind. It was as if his picture was imprinted in my mind. I just wanted to forget him but no matter what I do, it just doesn't work.

I went out of the room in my silk nightie and went to the kitchen to get a drink. I poured some wine into a glass cup. It would help me not to think about him... Hopefully. The outside of the house was cold and I stepped into the verandah. I rested my hand on the railing and looked outside. My mum was in deep trouble, Amelia was no where to be found and the entire FBI could be killed and I still don't know what to do. In all my years as a trained FBI, I never felt so useless. Maybe because not so many people depended on me back then. Now, if I don't find out who Ian's queen is or give him the code to find her himself, everything will be ruined. And then the blank letter I got..

“You couldn't sleep?” I looked back and saw uncle Craig walk into the verandah.

“Morning uncle,” I greeted.

“Isn't it too early to be greeting me? You should still be asleep you know?” He said and I smiled.

“I was just thinking–”

“About your life? Your dad perhaps?”

I sucked in harsh breathe and returned to my former position. He came to stand beside me, resting his hand also on the railing.

“He left me at such a early stage but I could never forget the memories we had together,” I said.

“Your father was a good man. A good friend, husband and caretaker. I didn't only lose my colleague when he died. I lost my best friend and brother as well. And my dear, it was such a painful experience. I couldn't even imagine how your mother must have felt.”

“She still hasn't got over him. She pretends to have and tries to get strong but deep down, I know she wishes he was still alive.”

“Everyone that knew him does too.”

Silent settled in for a while. “Uncle, did dad leave anything for you? A book or...anything at all?” I asked.

“Uhm...” He stared into the empty space for a while, thinking. Then he snapped his fingers all of a sudden. “He did leave something. Come with me.”

He led me back into the house and I left the almost empty wine glass on the table and followed me through a dark corridor. We got to a room at the far end of the corridor and he took out a set of keys from his night robe and opened the door to the room. We entered and he switched on the lights.

The room contained some furniture and wall bookshelves. He walked to the bookshelves and I followed closely behind. His fingers traced some books on the fourth row until he pulled a red one and the bookshelves slid open, showing another passage way. I frowned.

“Uncle, why are you being sick secretive about what you're about to show me?” I asked.

“Because my dear, your father made it clear to me that no one must know about it except myself and his child,” he said smilingly. “And I don't trust my family. They can both be unpredictable at times. They can just copy the key to the study one day on clay or a tablet of soap and start rummaging through my stuff, that why I kept it somewhere safer. Now, let's go.”

I nodded and followed him through the passage until we got to another light filled room. It was so bright, I almost got blinded by it. I had to cover my eyes until I adjusted to the brightness. He walked to a wardrobe and opened it and took out a safe.

“Here you go,” He said and ended it safe over to me. It's heaviness pulled my hands down and he helped me steady it with a teasing smile on. “I never opened it. Although I tried to once or twice but I never got the code.”

“But uncle, if you never got the code, how then would I know what's in it?” I asked.

“I don't know the answer to that but your father has his reasons for not telling me, I believe. I've performed my duty of keeping it safe for his daughter. Now, it's up to you to unlock what's indie yourself,” He said.

I looked down at the safe. Whatever is in it might just help in solving this case. I had to open it.

“Uncle, how would I keep it a secret from aunt and Xena?” I asked.

“That's true. That's a pretty big problem,” He paused and thought about it again. “I do have another room you can hide it in till you leave here with it,” he said.

“I don't have another choice,” I compelled. We walked out of the study together and he took me to another room where I hid the safe safely in the wardrobe. He handed me the key to the room. I thanked him and we went to our respective rooms.