𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 96 : 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐀 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧.

𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚’𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬°°°

During Breanna's long absence, things ran smoothly… from science revisions to maths and so on.

Sophia's phone dinged, one glance at it, she excused herself and left. 

After a while, she came back walking cold, Nevena snapped a gaze at her sensing something wrong. “Did something happen?. You look moody”

Junior tilted his head at Sophia then went back to his book, uninterested. 

“Can I see you out for a few minutes?” Sophia beckoned on Nevena.

Nevena gave a curt nod, understanding that whatever it was, wasn't for Junior. She singled out a word problem and instructed Junior to practice with while she was gone.

In the enclosure of Sophia's room, Sophia summarizes the trouble Breanna was in and the disturbing information she got about the possible outcome from a colleague.

“Maybe we should call her up?” Nevena suggested.

Sophia hesitates— a phone call during a panel hearing could go south, but Nevena's persuasion won. She dials but it goes straight to voicemail.

She left a quick message “Ma'am. How's the situation there?  We're good here.”

They waited with troubled hearts but got no response. “Her phone must have been confiscated” Sophia whimpered, eyes already glistening.

“Let’s not be negative” Nevena comforts her. “She must have not gotten a chance to reply us” 

After what felt like eternity, Breanna texts Sophia mid-session, 

>They're digging hard on my connections. Mentioned old names. If they subpoena… then I won't be coming back in a while. Keep Junior safe.

Sophia and Nevena exchanged a conflicted gaze at the end of the message. As a detective, Sophia realizes the panel could lead to a home visit or worse, child services involvement—dirty tactics. “Junior! I need to keep him safe”

They both didn't linger, they rushed back to Nevena's room and met the boy dully engrossed in the exercise Nevena gave him. 

Immediately Junior noticed them, he dropped his pencil and faced them. 

“Aunt Sophia… please call Mummy. Tell her to grab crayons on the way.” pre-suspicion was bare in his voice. 

Sophia freezes for a second, completely out of commands for the request. Nevena kneels and pulls him to her bosom. 

 “I'm right here now, sweetie. We’ll get the crayon instead.”

The enticing proposal distracted the innocent boy and he nodded with a whisper. “Can we get ice creams too?”

Sophia got her key and drove them to the mall. 

 

*******

PANEL HEARING.

Meanwhile at the panel—stark room, internal affairs investigators and external reps returned from break.

“Stewart! Records showed you overlooked leads in case file 43201 from your previous district. Organized crime figures involved. The panel is open to explanation."

Breanna stared subtly at their faces, fraud tactics, repeated accusations. Implied evidence which is not before them, she needed no soothsayer to tell her that all this was to minimize her freedom. 

 

Her long silence triggered a warning. “Stewart! It'd be better if you cooperate now, else there would be consequences.”

Overwhelmed by the sessions which had turned dirty, her voice fell flat. “I wish to turn in myself for proper probing” She dropped the bombshell.

“Set up a proper channel for my investigation and prepare a prosecutor. Trial me in court if it gets worse.”

The panel whispered a few words amongst themselves before one cleared his throat. “From your mouth to this disciplinary table.”

 

A bell chimed. Two fellows walked in and escorted her out.

*******

MALL — EVENING

 

Junior held a cup of ice cream in his right hand and a flake of Pringles in the other.

 Any random child on junk shopping would be buzzing, but he was a contrast, his mood was gloomy, cheeks drawn in —wrinkled.

Sophia approached with an action figure she picked for him. “Junior…. Look what I found” She smiled, waving the box.

Junior raised his head and blinked at her. “Did Mummy get in big trouble?”

Sophia paused, scrambling for a lie to distract him like she'd be doing all afternoon but Nevena busted into the scene with a ball. “Who's going to play some ball?” 

Junior diverted his gaze to her, though a child but he could clearly read it on her face, “I’m no more a baby. Quit playing me and let's go home.”

Having been stripped of their false charade, the two women dropped their act and returned the gifts, and then went back to their car.

On reaching home, Junior went straight to Nevena's room, showered, and burrowed onto the bed, accepting his fate.

When Nevena and Sophia walked into the room with his dinner, he was already snoring away —though it was pretence.

“Poor boy” Sophia remarked, dropping the tray softly on the nightstand. “He must be so sad he went to bed on an empty stomach.”

“Should I wake him?” Nevena opted, reaching toward him but Sophia shunned her attempt.

“Let him be— He figured it out too soon.”

There was a heavy silence between the two women for some minutes that Junior even began to doubt if they were still there.

“Can't something be done to avert her from facing charges?” Nevena whizzed like a broken pipe. 

“Ma'am is so stubborn that she wouldn't stoop to ask Antonio Hunt for help. I suggested it but she shunned it away”

“Meaning this will take longer than just charges and court cases?” Nevena asked, Junior pounded as he awaited Sophia's response but he heard none and it deepened his worries.

After a while he heard Sophia's footsteps as she exited the room. “Call me if he creates trouble— you need all the rest you can.”

“Don't worry!” Nevena chuckled, holding the door open for her. “I can manage.”

Shutting the door after Sophia, she went back to the bed and dropped weakly beside Junior, holding him close to her.

***DAWN***

By the first break of dawn Junior was already sitting up, he watched Nevena for a while and tapped her repeatedly. 

“Junior?”, Nevena stretched, mindful of her sore arm. “You're up so early.”

“Good morning bestie” Junior whispered like it was a secret. “I want us to go somewhere.”

Drowsiness snapped out of Nevena once, she sat up and scrutinized him for a while before nodding. “Okay! Let's wait a little more, it's still dark outside —moreover Sophia must still be asleep.”

Junior cocked a gaze at her. “It's a secret mission. Just us— I don't wish to involve Aunt Sophia.”

Nevena repeated, “Secret mission?” Unsure what the boy was planning.