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  © Copyright 2012 Faizal Rahim.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

  ISBN: 978-1-4669-2702-5 (sc)

  ISBN: 978-1-4669-2703-2 (hc)

  ISBN: 978-1-4669-2704-9 (e)

  Trafford rev. 06/20/2012

  www.traffordpublishing.com.sg

  Singapore

  toll-free: 800 101 2656 (Singapore)

  Fax: 800 101 2656 (Singapore)

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty One

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Chapter Twenty Three

  Chapter Twenty Four

  Chapter Twenty Five

  Chapter Twenty Six

  Chapter Twenty Seven

  Chapter Twenty Eight

  Chapter Twenty Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty One

  Chapter Thirty Two

  Chapter Thirty Three

  Chapter Thirty Four

  Chapter Thirty Five

  Chapter Thirty Six

  Chapter Thirty Seven

  Chapter Thirty Eight

  Chapter Thirty Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty One

  Chapter Forty Two

  Chapter Forty Three

  Chapter Forty Four

  Chapter Forty Five

  Chapter Forty Six

  Chapter Forty Seven

  Chapter Forty Eight

  Chapter Forty Nine

  Chapter Fifty

  Chapter Fifty One

  Chapter Fifty Two

  Chapter Fifty Three

  Chapter Fifty Four

  Chapter Fifty Five

  Chapter Fifty Six

  Chapter Fifty Seven

  Chapter Fifty Eight

  Chapter Fifty Nine

  Chapter Sixty

  Chapter Sixty One

  Epilogue

  PROLOGUE

  SHE WOKE UP FROM HER sleep, opening her eyes. The coldness was making her shiver wildly. Something was wrong. She could feel it but could not put her mind to it. She could not move her limbs even though her mind commanded them to. She realised that her eyes were tied with cloth so tight that the back of her head was hurting. Her wrists and ankles were hurting with abrasion and skin tear from the robe tied to restrict her movements. Now she knew why she could not move her limbs. Slowly, her senses came back to her. She knew where she was. She was tied up to a chair and completely helpless. Not even her clothes were spared to protect her modesty. It was not the coldness that was making her shiver. It was fear. Fear of not leaving this place alive. Fear of not being able to save another life. Another life she knew was going to be lost in a few hours or minutes even. Fear of not fulfilling her promise. Fear of being totally helpless. She could hear the girl sobbing. Only God knew what was going through the girl’s mind. She wanted to tell the girl everything was going to be fine but her mouth would not open. She knew talking to the girl was not going to change the situation. She had to talk, that was the only way she could get both of them out of this place. She had to talk. Communicate with the person responsible for this. And she knew for sure that he was sitting somewhere in the room keeping a close watch on them. Feasting his eyes on them and thinking of all the unimaginable things he was going to do. She could hear his breaths becoming deep and heavy like a hungry lion awaiting its prey. She had to talk. Communication was the only weapon she had against him. She had to talk but now was not the time. She needs to wait for the right time. Waiting, a dangerous game she had to play…

  CHAPTER ONE

  DETECTIVE ROSSI WAS SITTING ON the couch and watching an episode of the Sopranos. Even though he never caught a single episode back to back, he enjoyed watching the show as it reminds him of the lives his father and uncles chose to take. The life he never wanted to be associated with. He wanted a different life and even during his young age, he knew he would join the Force when he got older. And just as he said, he joined the Force at the age of 21. He became a regular patrolman after passing out from training. He did the job with distinction and was posted to the Narcotics Branch within three years of his service. This is where he grew both as an officer and as a man. The things he saw made him into a hard and ruthless man who had a knack for solving all kind of cases. Everyone in the Force either hated him or loved him: no two ways about it. The ladies in the Force were all over him but he was never interested in them. He knew being in a relationship will weaken him and he will not have the same fire within him to succeed.

  All that changed one day when he got played out by some of his team members during a stake out. He got badly wounded and had to be rushed to the hospital. During the days of his stay in the hospital, he got to know Diane. Diane was a nurse and a simple person who believed in serving the needy. She took great pride in her job. She always took the time to have a chat or two with the patients she took care of. She will come and attend to Rossi every day in the afternoon right after lunch hour, always wearing her knee length white uniform dress with matching closed shoes, which compliments her brown radiating skin. Her black hair tied into a bun which made Rossi wonder how it will look untied and let down. She will give him medications and apply dressings to his wounds. Slowly they got to know each other and started developing feelings for one another. Rossi knew Diane was different from the other ladies he knew and he always felt she had the most beautiful smile. On the last day of his stay at the hospital, he waited for her to arrive as usual. He wanted to propose his love for her and he knew for sure that she will not say no. He waited and waited but she never came.

  Rossi got back to the Force only to learn that he was no longer with the Narcotics Branch. He has been posted back to Patrol Unit. The truth was hard to take for Rossi. He felt that he had gone back to where he was when he started. It was meant to embarrass him and he felt utterly disappointed with the Force for treating him in this way. But deep down he knew the Force was not to be blamed for the wrong doings of those who were not in favour of him. He accepted his new posting and went on with his job as always. Years on, he was posted to Crime Investigation Unit. His knack for solving cases earned him back his reputation and he was promoted as a Detective. He was given the Gold badge for his service to the Force.

  Now sitting on the couch, Detective Rossi was looking at the Gold badge in his hand and thinking if everything he had been through was worth it. He leaned forward to his coffee table and opened the drawer where he kept old newspaper articles. He took the first one out and looked at the a
rticle… NURSE FOUND DEAD IN ALLEY . . . A nurse, suspected of being raped, was found to be dead in an alley . . . She was found with an identification card which read Diane Moss . . . No suspects found . . .

  Detective Rossi’s mobile was ringing. He looked at his watch. 3.00am. He let his mobile ring another few more times before he answered.

  “Rossi…”

  “Detective…” The voice from the other side.

  “Proceed.”

  “Detective… This is Sergeant Morris from Patrol. I’m afraid we might have something for you. If you could please come down to the location…”

  “Where is it?” Detective Rossi interrupted him. He disliked people who beat around the bush.

  “Hmm… Lake Victoria…”

  With that Detective Rossi disconnected the call. He looked at the newspaper article and at the Gold badge in his hand. He closed his eyes for a few seconds and opened them. He clenched the Gold badge in his hands and got up from his couch to do what he knew best.

  CHAPTER TWO

  “WHERE ARE WE GOING DADDY?” The little girl asked her father.

  “We’re going fishing my princess.”

  “But Daddy . . . I thought we were going to the mall. I hate fishing.” The little girl was disappointed.

  “Well… well, do you remember what happened yesterday?” Her father asked her.

  “I choose not to remember Daddy.” The little girl turned her face away from her father and was looking out the window.

  Her father with one eye on the road looked at her. How fast she has grown, he thought to himself. He absolutely loved his little princess. He always knew his daughter would be the one to change his life after his wife.

  “Well my princess, since you chose not to remember, let me remind you. You did not go to school yesterday and you had ice cream without Daddy’s permission. You know ice cream makes you sick right?”

  “But Daddy, it wasn’t my fault. Grandma bought for me the ice cream.”

  “Are you sure? I heard from Grandma that you bought the ice cream by yourself.”

  “Daddy, look at me. I am only four years old. How can I buy ice cream by myself? I am still a baby.”

  “Ah . . . so someone is still a baby? In that case, since you are still a baby, no ice cream for you till you grow up.” He knew exactly what his daughter was going to say next.

  “DADDY! You cannot say no to princess!”

  He parked the car at the petrol kiosk and looked at his princess.

  “Wait for me ok. Daddy’s got to buy things.”

  The little girl did not say anything back. She just looked at her father blankly. Her father smiled at her and closed the car door. He was walking into the shop when someone ran to him and started holding him. The little girl saw what was happening and her face turned pale. She did not know what was happening but she knew that it was not good. The unknown man let go of her father and was now running away. Her father turned towards the car and the little girl only saw blood and not her father . . .

  “God! No!” She opened her eyes in a state of panic. Her breathing was heavy and she was having a cold sweat. She looked all around her and only saw darkness. Her eyes took sometime to get used to the dark surrounding. For a moment, she did not know where she was at. Slowly, her senses came back to her, her breathing returning to normal. She realised she was still in her room and she had gone to bed a few hours ago. She looked at her LED alarm clock on her desk and saw the time: 2.55am. She let out a huge sigh and rested her cheeks on her palms. She looked at the newspaper article which was framed up on her bedroom wall… FISHING TRIP GONE WRONG . . . man while going on a fishing trip with daughter . . . wallet was taken from him . . . . throat slashed open with suspected butter knife . . . Police investigations . . . No suspects found . . .

  Her mobile phone started to ring. She picked it up at the first ring.

  “Hello…” She looked at her alarm clock: 3.05am.

  “Hello darling. Did I wake you up?”

  “Morris, do you know what time it is now?”

  “Sorry Shirley, but I was just thinking about you and I had to call.”

  “Yeah right! Stop flirting and get to the business.” Shirley and Morris joined the Force at the same time. After training, Morris was posted to Patrol while Shirley was posted to Crime Investigation Unit. It was the first time a woman officer was posted to Crime Investigation Unit right after training.

  “Lake Victoria…”

  “What… Oh come on Morris, I am not going to meet you at Lake Victoria. Especially at this hour…”

  “Hey… Cool it. I know you want me so much right now but work first darling.”

  “Shut up. What’s at Lake Victoria?” Shirley got out of her bed and was searching for her robe.

  “You better come and see. I’ve already informed Rossi, the Grumpy.”

  “Shit! Why didn’t you tell me earlier that Grumpy already knows?” Shirley hung up and was practically running into the bathroom not bothered about finding her robe.

  CHAPTER THREE

  LAKE VICTORIA WAS NAMED AFTER a widow called Victoria. The lake was a private property which belonged to a wealthy man. He drowned in the lake while swimming. The man had a wife named Victoria. After her husband’s death, Victoria inherited all his wealth. In his memory, she donated the lake to the state and the state named the lake, after Victoria as a symbol of gratitude. Rumours have it that the drowning was actually a staged plan executed by Victoria herself. Lake Victoria is a place patronized by couples of all ages. They find a sense of privacy which they cannot get in the bustling areas of the city. Every couple believe that their love will strengthen when they stand in front of the lake and profess their love at exactly midnight; the time Victoria’s husband was suspected of drowning.

  Normally at this time of the hour, Lake Victoria was practically a ghost town and no one can be seen loitering around the vicinity except for one or two couples who are looking for a quick fix. Today though, the place was filled with human traffic and the entire place was brightly lit by police cars, the media lights and flash from cameras’ belonging to the curious minded onlookers who were trying to get a glimpse of the action. As Shirley entered the entrance to the lake, driving her second hand blue Ford, she looked at the signage which read: Lake under maintenance. No trespassers allowed. Shirley continued driving her car until she saw what she was looking for. She parked her car beside a black Camry and got out from her car. Two patrolmen came towards her. Before they could come to her, Shirley showed them her ID and walked past them. The two patrolmen looked at one another and started catching up with her.

  Shirley turned to them and said, “Look boys. I mean thanks for the escort but really… I think I can find my own way around.” With that, she left them where they were and walked towards the scene of the crime. The place was cordon off in a huge rectangle shape around four big sized trees. Just as Shirley was going through the cordon wearing her ID, Sergeant Morris came up to her.

  “Wow! Someone’s all dressed up for the occasion. I could stare at your long legs for hours.” Morris was staring at Shirley. Shirley was in her mid twenties. She was tall and slender, with thick and rich brunette hair. Her distinctive facial features; hazel eyes, sharp nose, rosy cheeks and lips which are already red without lipstick, made her look exotic. Some times, people could not define which ethnic she belonged to. Her snow white skin and well endowed body always made guys take notice of her. Sergeant Morris always thought of Shirley to be all beauty and no brains. He thought she will fall for him just like the other girls who were with him during training. But Shirley was not like any one of them. She was a beauty with brains and every time she rejected his date requests, it only made Morris try even harder.

  “Don’t make it sound as if I’m not wearing anything. Gosh… next time I should wear a skirt instead
of jeans.”

  “A mini skirt would be great.” Morris winked at her.

  Shirley smiled at him and shook her head in disapproval. She knew Morris was interested in her but she has always considered him to be a good friend and nothing more.

  “Who was the first one to report in?” Shirley asked him.

  “That would be me. I was doing my regular patrol along the area and since the lake was closed for maintenance, I decided to look for anything suspicious…”

  “Anything suspicious or you wanted to watch a free show?” Shirley interrupted him and winked at him.

  “Well that’s the unofficial reason. The official reason is that my partner and I were doing regular patrol. I was walking around the area and I started smelling something foul. I decided to check it out and well… why don’t you go and check it out yourself. After that I notified the Ops Room, I personally called you and Grumpy to come over.”

  “Ok Morris. I will handle it from here. Thanks buddy.” Morris was admiring Shirley’s bottom as she walked away from him.

  Shirley walked a further 20 metres or so before she came to the actual scene of crime. She noticed Rossi, wearing a denim jacket over a white shirt and jeans with brown boots, smoking his cigar and waiting for her. Rossi was her partner since the first day she got posted to Crime Investigation Unit. Though she was grateful to learn from the best, there were many days she thought of asking for another mentor to guide her. He was harsh with her when she made mistakes and he never praised her when she did well. Even though Rossi was nearing his early fifties, Shirley had to admit that he still looked way much younger than he really was. Probably due to the time spent at the gym. The little strands of grey hair mixed into his black hair made him attractive and no wonder the women at work were all over him.

  “You’re late.” Rossi spoke in his stern Italian accent.

  “I’m not.” Shirley responded back.

  “I reached here 30 minutes ago and I didn’t see you.” Rossi challenged her.