Jamaica

Chapter 15

Duke wasn't happy that he was receiving a phone call from his brother-in-law. He had last seen him on his wedding day when he appeared briefly to talk to his sister before leaving. Duke hadn't expected his brother-in-law to treat him with contempt. But like him, other family members showed their disregard for Duke even though they reluctantly accepted his marriage to their daughter. 

Duke felt humiliated that day and only wished then that the wedding ceremony ended quickly. He sighed, as he remembered this humiliating past and told his brother-in-law,

"Mr. Daniels, for now she is not complaining."

"Hmm, I know my sister too well that I can tell when she is worried about something."

"Oh, is that what she told you?"

"Well look at it this way. When you are bothered by something, and you don't know who to turn to, would you not go to the people closest to you?" 

"You mean, family?"
"Yes, family." Mr. Daniels replied.
"Oh. And when was the last time any of her family members visited her since she got married? I mean, do you all hate her that much?"

"We only hated her choice of the man she got married to." Duke smiled, as he now knew why none of his wife's family members ever came to visit her. He was a businessman, but they never really knew what kind of business he did, and they had a problem with that. 

"Well Mr. Daniels, I only realize now that your family has a problem with people like me. But in all honesty, your sister is in good handd. Should I be worried about my marriage now, after all these years?"

"I don't think you need to be worried about your marriage. I'd be worried about your plans to rid the scums from the face of the earth."

"Oh, I get it now. She told you about the little conversation we had over a bottle of wine."
"That was a little daring of you."
"Over a bottle of wine, sweet words can flow out quite easily. Take them to be the words of a man whose blood was filled with alcohol."
"A  license suspension is enough to have enemies-scums, as you call them." Duke's face changed. He wasn't expecting to hear his brother-in-law go into such details.
"I never discussed that with you."
"You don't need to, because I keep an eye on threats. Of course you know I've been doing that for a very long time. It's my job."

"In the interest of, what do you call it, National Security?"
"Citizens of this great nation must sleep peacefully at night and be free to go about their normal lives by day."
"Without being threatened, abi?" Duke added.
"Duke, your threats may cause sleepless nights."
"And you believe I can run this nation down?"
"Duke when you think of those people you consider your enemies as scums, you'll find a way to get rid of them."
"Mr. Daniels, I'm an honest citizen of this great nation. I'm not the threat you should be looking for." Duke replied.
"It's why I sent you that file. You haven't looked at it."
"What's inside the file, Mr. Daniels?"
"Take a look at it briefly, if you may."
"I'm not at home right now."
"Fine, there's a name, and the photo of a man."
" But why should I waste my time reading files?"
"Duke, If I were you, I would make some effort." Duke sighed and breathed into the phone. 

"Why, Mr. Daniels?" Duke got up and went to a corner of the pub. Soon though he came back. He dropped the phone on the table and looked angrily at Alex and the young man that had brought him the file. Alex saw the anger in Duke and couldn't help but ask him,

"Duke I hope everything is alright?" Duke ignored Alex and left the pub angrily carrying the file with him. As he listened to Frank he gave out a faint smile. He was fully certain that the man Frank mentioned as being Alex, was his best friend. He slowly nodded his head convinced that Alex had not turned down the offer that his former employer had made to him. Duke remembered that Alex had told him how he had come home one afternoon, and spotted Leslie opening the front door and closing it back again.