Loose end

I was waiting near the pool the next morning when Kan’s guards brought Akira in, and shoved her to her knees. 

I winced, and Kan, who was ever attentive to every tiny cue from me, scolded them with a charring look.

The men bowed and stepped back. 

I turned my eyes back to the woman, blindfolded, her hands and legs bound behind her and remembered how she had smiled at me just before I had walked into that room.

I had ignorantly thought she was just being kind and sweet where domestic staff here were usually not, but now that I knew the truth, I felt chills all over my arms.

Her smile had been a farewell.

I stood up from the couch on the open backyard porch, overlooking a deep blue swimming pool, and padded barefoot towards her. 

Kan said nothing and just remained sitting quietly.

She sensed me close to her, because she looked around her blindly, tilting her head up to sniff since she could not use her eyes.

“Stay still,” I said, and her whole body went stiff as a stick. 

I pulled out a knife from one of the large pockets in my long flowing dress, and I watched her body begin to tremble as she heard the sound of metal against the gold sheath.

Before, I was adverse to any form of violence. 

But I had learned that the world was black or white. Gray is an illusion. 

Not everyone was like me, and continuing to shy away from any form of violence immediately made me the prey, and all the others, predators.

There was no appealing to a wicked person’s conscience, or trying to make them see what they were doing was wrong.

Mostly they were well aware that they were wrong, and if they were convinced in their delusion that they did nothing wrong, you cannot get them to have a change of heart by pointing this out to them.

The only language evil understood was more evil.

I slipped my finger beneath her blindfold and stretched till the elastic cut. 

She opened her eyes in fear and quickly closed it back again. I suspected the light was too much for her.

I did not move, but remained squatting beside her till she opened her eyes again, the terror raw in them. 

I cocked my head to the side, and waved.

“Hello.” 

Her eyes widened more as she caught a look of the unsheated dagger in my waving hand. 

“I will take that response as you remember me.” I finally stood up.

“Please. I’m sorry.”

I pouted. “What are you sorry for?” And she went quiet at that. 

I walked behind her quietly. 

I had not expected her to talk so easily. Good thing, I had all day.

“Please don’t hurt me.” She shouted in panic as she felt me bringing the knife closer to her. 

Kan winced in irritation, and lightly tapped his ear.

“Who said I was going to hurt you?” I giggled as I grabbed the rope tied tightly around her legs, and began to cut. 

It was an exerting exercise, but I did it myself, knowing how terrified this would make her, and just how much more willing she would be to talk when I began my investigation.

I stood up again and finally walked back to the couch. “I believe you feel a little more comfortable having a conversation now?” I asked in a gentle voice.

I could see she was quite confused about the way I was acting. Her hands were still bound, but she was able to comfortably settle on her knees.

“Why were you at the Tucker mansion yesterday morning?” I asked calmly.

Her head snapped up, but her face fell back just as quickly into a confused, terrified mask. 

I chuckled softly at the act she was pulling.

Why did she think that would confuse me? Kan and I shared a look, and then we smiled. 

He pulled out his tablet from beside him, and handed it to me.

“This might interest you,” I said, placed the tablet on the floor, and pushed it to slide across the floor with my foot. 

It stopped right in front of her. Her eyes almost fell out of her head as she watched.

“The details are sketchy. Is he your husband or boyfriend?” I asked, and she looked up at me with wide eyes. 

I waved dismissively. 

“Does not matter as long as you love him.” I smiled, “How would you survive without him though?”

“I went there to ask for protection from Mrs Tucker. The police have been at the house and were asking difficult questions.”

I nodded, as if in sympathy and understanding with her. “And why would you need protection?”

She went quiet again.

“How do you know Ophelia?”

She still said nothing. 

I relaxed back against the couch with a smile. “I am not particularly in a hurry, since I am still recovering from the accident.” 

I gave her the I-am-sure-you-know-that-already look. 

“But the men tailing your man are not so patient. You see, it’s blazing hot outside and discomfort can make people act irrationally.”

Akira broke down in tears. “I did it. I got outside help with the security footage and creating distraction, but poisoning the air vent was all me.”

I did not ask her how she managed that all on her own. That kind of skill was not at all something I cared for.

“On whose order.”

She looked up at me, “I don’t know.” 

“Do you not know now, or when you went to Ophelia’s house?” I was staring at her ,and I could already see Kan getting irritated with all her lies. 

I placed my hand on his, and we stared at each other, before I turned back to Akira.

“On whose order?” I repeated, and she hastily said, 

“The National leader. One of the things handed over to me still had the receipt attached to the inside part of the box, and when I confronted Mrs Tucker, she did not deny that the National leader was behind this.”

Kan and I shared a look. Even the most careful criminals always leave behind at least one loose end.