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kanayoNickel:
Alright. The intro is captivating and we hope to be entertained and have our emotions toyed with...

I hope you won't mind if we critique

It's my first. So, if I want to grow in this, I definitely need the critique.

Bring it on...Lol.

Don't forget to drop your reviews.

kanayoNickel:
Thank Jesus. its not Romance...

Op, this is interesting.

Sharpening our fingers, let's see begin reading ...

Lol...Definitely not romance.

Chapter One

“Hello?” A young man slurred. With a disgruntled sigh, he sat at the edge of the bed and tried to wipe the sleep from his eyes. His head was pounding, his back hurt, and his throat felt drier than the Sahara. Exhausted, he glanced at the clock beside his bed.

“Good morning, sir. Is this an inconvenient time?” A small voice chirped from the end of the line.

“It’s 2 AM. You judge.”

“I’m sorry…I’ll make this quick…umm…” She mumbled. Agitated, Kane Bamidele abruptly stood up from the bed and walked over to the window a few feet in front of him. He sat on the chair by the window and fished a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. It was a small room, with a lamp hanging low from the ceiling. The green wallpaper on the walls was starting fade and flake off on the edges. The floor was an artful mess of old wood, covered by a large, wine-stained carpet. The single light that illuminated the room came from the small bay window facing the buzzing streets of the city

“Hold on, who’s calling?” He said as he raised one crushed cigarette to his lips.

“Cheryl. I’m a nurse from St. Peter’s Hospital.” She mumbled. He took the cigarette out his mouth and ran a hand down his face in frustration. His head was becoming too heavy for his body.

“Look, Cheryl. I am one conversation away from throwing myself off a goddamn cliff. If this is another one of those –“

“Sir, do you know a woman named Marisol Campbell?” She cut him off.

He paused, not knowing how to respond. Marisol’s face flashed before his eyes as the nurse muttered her name. He could feel the tension in the woman’s voice. He recalled the last time he talked to Marisol – how he had cut her off and disregarded her. Two weeks ago while he was at work, busy sorting through file after file, he received a persistent call from her. Now, hearing this woman utter her name in such a manner that would make anyone fear for it, his mind can’t help but wonder.

“Kane…I need your help…” She whispered.

“Marie, I don’t really have time for this.” He said as he scanned through paper after paper.

“Kane, this is very…very important.”

“I know what this is. It’s another one of your tin-foil hat experiments. Didn’t I tell you to keep your nose off that nonsense?” He laughed as he flipped through another folder.

“You don’t understand, Kane. I –“. From the other side of the line, he heard the faint voice of a man.

“Marisol?” She was covering the mouth of the phone, muffling the sounds of her conversation with the mystery man on the other side. After a few moments, she took her hand off the phone.

“Kane. Something big will happen soon – and I mean really soon – and I need you in on the frontline of it. I know you’re busy and I know you think I’m going over my head right now, but please. I am asking you as a friend. Will you please…please help me?”

He stayed silent.

“Kane?”

“Hey, I’m gonna have to call you back. I’ll give you my response in a few days. Just wait for my call.”

“Listen –“

He ended the call.

That was the last he heard of her.

“What happened?” He could feel his pulse going wild beneath his skin. Anxiety was beginning to settle in his system. Marisol Campbell is an impulsive woman, capable of things that any person with a sane mind shouldn’t do. She picks up the scent of trouble almost every single time she walks out of the door, and like an excited puppy, she runs after it uncontrollably.

“She was taken to the ER about an hour ago by a total stranger,” Cheryl muttered nervously.

“And?”

“She didn’t make it.”

“Marisol Campbell was once an impulsive woman, capable of things any person with a sane mind shouldn’t do.” He thought as he dropped the cigarette to the floor.

***

“Bleep!” He screamed as loud as his lungs could manage. A few pedestrians walking on the sidewalk jumped in surprise as he repeatedly hit his head against the steering wheel, causing his old Honda to honk incessantly with each smack against the horn. It wasn’t until an old lady knocked on his car window did he stop.

He looked at the time on the dashboard. It was near 3 AM. “Have I been doing that the whole time?” He thought. Powerless, he threw his head back against the car seat and shut his eyes. It all seemed to go by so fast. One moment he was singing in an intoxicated slur in a bar downtown, the next moment, he gets a phone call telling him that one of his closest friends just died.

How could I let her go alone?

As if a spite from God, heavy drops of rain suddenly started pelting down his windshield, comically matching with his disposition. As he sat there in the comfort of his car watching each drop race down the glass, he remembered two weeks ago like it was just yesterday. He heard the desperation in her voice, and he chose to ignore it.

Some weeks ago, Marisol called him up at work. She said it was urgent news. In an excited voice, she relayed the information about a project she was working on solo. Kane thought nothing of it. To him, journalists always have a nose for things that are half the time not even there to begin with. Marisol was an impulsive, headstrong woman who would do anything to unearth secrets that no one even dared to think were even true. And that, even to a seasoned private investigator like Kane, was nonsense.

Being a low life PI was the only way he could make a living now...if it can be called a living. With his brawny figure and intimidating stature, Kane Bamidele has been dubbed as a man to be feared in the force while he was a police officer. He was constantly putting his partners in danger. He toppled down case after case with such recklessness that even his superiors thought it was best to let him go, not only for the safety of his colleagues but also for his own.

This took a huge toll on his record and he blames it on the one thing that has led him to the position he is in right now. Kane is one of the less than 400 people diagnosed with an extremely rare disease called the Urbach – Wiethe Syndrome, which has damaged a considerably large amount of his amygdale during his childhood. This untreatable disease has rendered him immune to almost everything frightening. Bugs, horror movies, and even the mere thought of death doesn’t faze him. This, along with his innate aura of intimidation, has made him a force to be reckoned with in his four years as an officer.

However, this feat also led to his inevitable downfall. Two years after being promoted to a detective, working in organized crime, he was dismissed from the force. During one encounter with a known drug lord in the Upper West side, he broke into the apartment alone, nearly killing himself and the prime suspect in the process. This is only the tip of the iceberg in his book. He also has a handful of police brutality cases on his record and a reputation for cutting corners. His bravery and recklessness eventually paved his way into the world of private investigation - with the help of a couple of his friends, of course. With the majority of his contacts being journalists, these people became his meal tickets.

They led him into jobs that no one dared to take and he gave them results in return. To Kane, no stone should be left unturned when it comes to business – but only the type of business that matters to him.

“And look where it got her.” Frustrated at the thought, he turned the keys in the ignition and drove off to the hospital. After chugging down a quarter of can beer, he had agreed to meet Cheryl by the emergency entrance of St. Peter’s. Amidst the chaos in his mind, he tried to recollect his troubled thoughts. Bits and pieces of the night before popped into his head. He remembered Freddy, his long-time friend and now co-worker, calling him up at 10 in the evening, telling him in a drunken haze to “get his black ass to The Barracks because the party is lit.” Despite the despair settling within the pit of his stomach, Kane laughed.

Freddy had always wanted to own a drinking bar, and now, after a mere 5 years of backbreaking work, he finally opened his first one: The Barracks. It was a small establishment situated under an apartment building in downtown New York, and what Kane saw inside by the time he got there that night was the epitome of your typical American party lifestyle. Booze was overflowing, the smell of cigars was in hanging in the air, and left and right, there was some couple making out. The bar now felt like a world away, and that glorious night, barely a few hours ago, now felt like a hundred years past.

After a few minutes of driving through the light 3 AM traffic, he finally reached the hospital. Standing by the large entryway to the emergency room was a small woman, with her hair tucked neatly into a bun. She wore clothes that looked as if they were a day old and her face was a deathly pale color. With a grunt, Kane picked up the jacket resting on the passenger seat and stepped out of the car. He splashed through the puddles as he ran towards the entrance.

“Cheryl?” He said as he reached the young woman. Her head snapped up to meet his dark gaze. As if forgetting where she was, she looked at him with curious eyes.

“Kane Bamidele. You called me an hour ago.” He said quickly, trying not to choke at his own name before flashing his PI ID.

“Oh yes…right.” She blushed. “This way please.” She led him to the waiting room inside the hospital and sat him down. The interior of the hospital was not so impressive to Bamidele. The walls and floors were a dirty white color, and the chemical smell of the hospital hung in the air like perfume. The whole room smelled of death and despair.

“So what’s your relationship with the patient?” She said as they sat down in the row of chairs next to the hospital triage. Kane hesitated. It’s been a long time since he and Sol went out for a beer and talked like old pals, so he can’t really call himself a friend. His ethnicity is obviously a dead giveaway if he says that he’s family. “Husband” is also out of the question since neither of them carries a wedding band. He lowered his head and gave a quiet sigh.

“I’m just a co-worker.” She nodded at his remark.
“Cheryl, I need you to tell me what happened.” He told her, his dark brown eyes instinctively searched her for answers – clues for something that he himself doesn’t know yet. How did she die? She lowered her gaze to the floor. With a tremendous amount of difficulty, Kane tried to search any hint emotion in her deep-set eyes and found nothing.

“What is it?”

“The hospital has a non-disclosure policy…” She said.

“And?” He felt the blood rushing to his head.

“I’m not supposed to tell you anything…” She whispered. This immediately infuriated him. The last thing he needed was someone getting in the way of things like this. With heavy hands, he slapped his own thighs and laid his head back. During his time as a police, Freddy always told him that if it doesn’t help, he doesn’t need to yell. At that brief moment in the hospital waiting room, Kane almost forgot everything his friend had taught him. Sometimes uncontrollable anger can be a bitch.

“Okay then, Cheryl. Do you mind telling me why the Bleep I drove down here at three in the morning?” The hoarseness of his voice made the hairs on the back of her head stand up. He could feel the anger beginning to settle down beneath his skin. The sight and smell of the hospital did nothing to help that.

“I’m sorry…”

“Oh so now you’re sorry?” His eyes snapped open and looked at her. He felt his blood boiling in his veins.

“All the information about the patient should only be relayed to relatives and close friends.” She said, looking at him straight in the eye.

“WHY THE Bleep AM I HERE THEN?” He blurted out. Suddenly, every eye in the waiting room was looking at him. Conversations stopped to hear his own, and the whole room hushed at the sight of his angry face. He sighed and sat low on the chair. In his head, he started to recite the alphabet. He did this ‘til his blood ran calmly again.

“I’m sorry for yelling, but do you actually think she would waste her dying breath to contact someone that she doesn’t see as a close friend?” He whispered after a few moments. Her face burned bright red as she nodded in agreement. Her hands found themselves fiddling with the frayed ends of her scrubs. Her eyes tried their best not to meet his own.

“You’re right…I’m sorry.” Kane slowly neared her face and forced her eyes to meet his.

“Cheryl, look, I know I look scary, but please, help me here. I know I am in no place to tell you this but get a damn grip.” He took a deep breath before continuing, “I just lost someone an hour ago. I don’t need this kind of bullshit. So if you’re not interested in opening your mouth, I will walk right into the office of the Chief of Medicine and have your ass thrown out of this god forsaken hospital. Do you understand?” Blood suddenly left her face. Her bottom lip quivered in fear as Kane looked deep into her eyes. Somehow, she knew he meant it.

After a few minutes of deafening silence, she finally spoke up.

“She was admitted – sort of – into the hospital at around 1:45 in the morning.” She muttered through her thin lips.

“Sort of?”

“Well, no one exactly knew how she got here…” She drawled.

Confused, Bamidele shook his head and looked down at the tiled floors. With all the energy that’s left in his hung-over body, he tried his best not to break anything – especially a couple of bones.

“Okay…and how did you find her?”

“I was just about to start my shift. I saw her right there” She pointed at the chair sitting right next to the door of the entrance. “I thought she was just a visitor taking a nap until she started coughing. She had hard time breathing and her skin…her skin looked red.”

“Was anyone else with her?”

“Not that I know of.” Kane sighed and took out a notebook. She wrote down the symptoms she enumerated for him, before looking back up at her tired face.

“Okay. So she was admitted at around 1:45 am but she has been sitting here for some time before someone got to her?” He asked her. Her face turned red as she slowly nodded her head.

“Has anyone else seen her here aside from you?”

“Well, some of the nurses on call did, but none of them thought much of it.”

“And how did you guys react when you saw her coughing?”

“At first, we thought she just had the chills but when I got near her to assist, I saw that she was about to pass out.” She looked back at the chair. “When I touched her shoulder, she started yelling. She kept asking where she was and she called out a name – your name, I believe…” Kane lowered his head in guilt.

“She started going on about something…I don’t really remember what it was. Then, she collapsed on the floor and had a seizure. That was about the time we took her to the ER.” She said. Kane could hear a smidge of guilt in the young woman’s voice – the same guilt he could hear in his own labored breaths as he listened to her story.

“It’s okay. You didn’t know…” He gave a reassuring pat on the back. He could tell by the sight of her that she was inexperienced. Her face was young and still free from the scars of hard work.

“I could have saved her…” Tears were starting to pool around her eyes.

“No. You couldn’t have.” He abruptly added. ”But I could have.” He thought to himself.

“What?” She looked at him in disbelief.

“Cheryl…I’m guessing that this is your first time seeing a case like this…but I’m pretty sure you know the symptoms. Heavy breathing…confusion…seizures…Cheryl, she was poisoned.”

“We thought so as well…but it was too fast. If it was food poisoning, the symptoms – “

“Cheryl, this isn’t food poisoning.” He stopped her. He looked around the ER. There were a few people walking about but so far, none has turned a curious eye. In a low voice, he added, “I don’t know what it was, and I don’t know how it happened but I’m pretty sure no one dies that quickly from food poisoning…at least not as quick and definitely not as mysterious.”
She gave him a weak nod.

“I need you to do me a favor. After the autopsy is conducted, I need you to directly give me the information, call me” He whispered. “Also, if the cops come sniffing around, leave out the part where you called me. Just, leave my name alone in general. Can you do that? I need to find out what happened to her and I don’t need distractions”.
There was a moment of hesitation in the girl. Kane could practically see the gears turning in her head. When she didn’t answer, he gave her the look. It was the type of look he gave to people who wouldn’t comply. It was the look that meant business.

“Okay,” she meekly replied. All color was gone from her face as she averted her eyes and looked down on the floor.

“Good. That’s all I needed to hear. I’m sorry if this night has been a hassle to you.” He said as he got up from the chair.

“It’s alright.”

He closed the notebook and shoved it back in his jacket. He took his wallet from the backside of his jeans and took out a small card.

“Here. Take this. This is her card. The phone number written here is her family’s home phone number. I trust you know what to do next.”

“Yes.” She mumbled.

“And take this as well.” He gave another card. “This is my number. Contact me when you have details. I’ll be heading out now.” As he was about to turn around, Cheryl stopped him.

“Wait…there’s something else.” She handed him a small, crumpled piece of paper from her pocket. “She gave this to me before she died. It could be useful.”

His heart dropped to his stomach. Messily written on the paper was the name of the church that Marisol talked to him about.

“The Power Assembly Church of God”
A part of him prayed that it was far from the reason for her untimely demise…but now the picture is clear. He shoved the paper deep into the pocket of his jacket.

“Thank you, Cheryl. I’ll contact you when I need more information, alright?” He said as he walked out of the hospital. As he got into his beat-up Honda, he can’t help but wonder when was the last time he visited a church.

“Time to pay a visit to good old’ G, this Sunday. It’s been a while since I’ve said a prayer.” He thought as he turned on the ignition and drove off.

chrisbaby24:
Nice one ...making sense..

Thanks.

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