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TONYE001:
....Continued...

I jumped off from the bed in shock. I could not believe my eyes. Was it my picture I saw on TV? Did the police just declare me wanted? I knew this was inevitable but I never expected it this fast. What else did they say about me? Did the police trace me to my home? Is mama OK? This was becoming too much for me; I lacked the technicality, experience, and courage to stand this battle. I was out of my league.

Thank God for this inn. The cabman that helped me locate a place like this did me a great good without knowing it. I remember how I met him at Dan’s. Outside the premises of Dan’s were unmarked, executive cabs waiting for potential customers. As I made my way through the gate, he was the first to call on me asking me if I needed his services. I told him I needed to leave town, that I was to make a trip the next day – today – so I wanted a place to lodge close to the outskirts of the city. This was the beginning of my journey to Raphael’s Inn, my new haven.

I was sure that if I remained in Raphael’s, I would be safe. Its location was strategically important to me; it gave me easy access to the neighbouring states. It was out of the city core, out of whatever extent of perimeter the police would form when they got hint of the killings at Dan’s. It was substandard, almost unannounced; it certainly would not attract undue attention.

I decided that I would remain indoors for as long as it was possible while I waited patiently for Tiger to come out of his hiding.

I was exhausted and hungry. Flashes of the images of last night’s killings intruded my mind. I felt like I was still at the scene; a wave of fresh fear travelled through my spine as I shuddered. I could still see Juliet with her head stuck to the nail on the wall, motionless in death, her last words echoing in my mind’s ears. My heart was laden with guilt. I was responsible for her death, and Mark’s.

It was bad that they had to die. It was never my intention to kill anyone at Dan’s. It was Mark’s fault. If only he had welcomed me, offered me a seat, and asked me why I was there. I would have told him I needed to get to Capon. He would have put a call across to the Capon and we would have met. I would have requested for my share of the money, Capon would have obliged my request. Things would have been this simple but Mark had to complicate everything. In the case of Juliet, well, she was working for her money. She needed the cash and I was willing to pay her; I never planned double-crossing her. She died trying to make money – like a rig worker that gets drowned in the open sea, a commercial bus driver that dies in a road traffic accident. Occupational hazard. She could have tripped and fallen, hitting her head on a broken bottle while trying to serve a customer at the bar.

I reached for the phone at the bedside stool as I placed a call to the reception.

“Good morning Sir, this is the reception. How may we help you please?”, a lady said as she picked on the second ring.

“Good morning. Ahmmm, something just came up, I think I’ll be staying here a little longer.”, I said.

“OK Sir.”

“Send someone down here to get my payment for a week.”

“Alright Sir, my colleague will be there shortly. Would you want us to come tidy your room up?”

“Oh..no, thanks. Everything is OK over here…and please, I don’t want to be disturbed. I’ll call if I need anything.”, I said.

“OK Sir.”

“Please, I’ll be in the bathroom. The money is on the table, ask your colleague to come in and pick it. He shouldn’t bother knocking as I won’t be able to answer the door.”, the less of me they saw, the better.

“I’ll tell him that Sir.”

“Thank you very much.”, I said as I returned the receiver.

I placed another call to the kitchen and ordered for some food. My body needed some fuel.

...To be Continued...