Cop To Mafia

CHAPTER 7 – Call from Mclelland

CHAPTER 7 – Call from McLelland

Cherry’s POV

I couldn’t sit tight and in one place without looking for Evie’s profile. I didn’t even know her age, about her schooling life, or anything else. But not knowing how old the body I was living in was terrible. I stood up from the bed, reached out for a glass, and filled it with water. I slowly took sips from it while my eyes scanned the room. Soon, they fell on a cupboard, so I went and opened it. It was nicely arranged with some old stuff like her school uniform, shoes, and socks. Among everything else, there were also some silver and gold boxes, t-shirts with her school name printed on them, hats, and the trophies she received for her achievements.

I rested the glass on the writing-table, picked up a silver box, and opened it. It had various different colors of hair ties belonging to Evie, that she used to wear when she was a child. Undoubtedly Mrs. Clerk wanted to see her as a doll, like every other mother, but when Evie grew up she perhaps decided to change her fashion and become a tomboy. Mrs. Clerk probably collected some of them to keep them as a memory of Evie’s childhood. My heart started to fill with empathy for Mrs. Clerk. If she knew that her child was actually dead and someone else was renting her body, her heart would stop beating.

The thought about that triggered the memory of my mom. I didn’t know how she was, but she was probably still mourning my death. I knew that the situation at home was not stable and there were no relatives who lived close to my home to console them. A week had passed since my demise, but I only knew that I was still very alive. To the world and my family, I was dead.

Mom loved me a lot. In fact, when the three of us fought, Mom always took my side and scolded my siblings. A lump started to form in my throat and soon my eyes began to moisten. A lone tear rolled down my cheeks and I wiped it away.

I shut the box and placed it back inside the cupboard. Then, I looked at the symbols of her achievement. The trophies Evie achieved were all related to martial arts. There were also trophies for the inter-house sports meet, sports meet, and three national-level trophies. The years she won and the place she won them were carved on the trophies. I carefully memorized them in my mind and then I proceeded to open a drawer. Inside were some pictures of Evie’s childhood and a red-colored file.

It was labeled as Evie’s personal document. I carefully opened it to find that it contained Evie’s birth certificate, school-leaving certificates, and other school-level certificates. I picked up the birth certificate and checked the birth year. She was meant to be 23 years old and her school-leaving certificates stated that she went to Texas High School. It also mentioned that she had a character during her school days and highlighted her martial arts skills. I closed the file and shifted my focus to her childhood pictures.

She was cute and chubby when she was a child. The pictures were all taken at different places, different holiday destinations, to be exact. Among them were pictures taken of world-famous locations such as The Eiffel Tower, the London Eye, Big Ben, the Egyptian Pyramids, the Taj Mahal, the Sydney Opera House, the Great Wall of China, the Colosseum, Niagara Falls, Mount Fuji, and many more. The last few pictures were taken at places I couldn’t name, but they looked familiar.

Where have I seen them? Come on, Cherry! You have seen this somewhere. Where, where?

Closing my eyes, I started thinking hard of all the places I knew. Then I opened my eyes with shock.

“Holy f**k! This is Sri Lanka!” I muttered out loud. The famous lion rock named Sigiriya, the safari at Yala Jungle, Nilaweli Beach at Trincomalee, and a picture clicked while she was climbing Sri Padaya, the only sacred footprint of Buddha in Sri Lanka.

They were all familiar to me because I researched Sri Lanka before we prepared to encounter the Viper gang there. The photos meant that the Clerks had visited Sri Lanka countless times. I was certain that Evie looked different in some pictures, reflecting her growth in a few of them.

I arranged the pictures back into the box and shut the cupboard. The memories of my loving family started to ache my chest. Coincidentally, I recalled that I failed to take my medicine in the morning. So, I picked them up from the table drawer and swallowed them down. Sighing deeply, I dragged my feet towards the balcony and opened the ceiling-length windows. Below me, the gardeners were walking around, minding their work. I leaned forward, supporting myself on the balcony handrail, but with my body weight, the wound I got from the fight at the club started to hurt. I checked on the bandage and as expected, a few blood spots were seeping through.

Sitting in the room, surrounded by four walls was extremely boring. So, I decided to take a look around the garden. I changed my bandage and stepped out of the room. Looking left and right, I sighed. The huge mansion was still confusing to me. All the tall white walls looked exactly the same all the way down the hallway.

Shaking my head, I started to walk down the hallway towards the right side of my room. I was hoping that it would lead me to the garden. After a while, I heard footsteps approaching me from behind. I stopped immediately and glanced around through the corner of my eye.

“Ms. Evie, do you need anything?” I heard a female voice ask from behind me. I turned around to see a middle-aged maid standing there with a smile. She was one of them who greeted me at the mansion entrance when I came from the hospital.

“Ummm… I just wanted to go out to have some fresh air,” I replied with a smile.

“But, why are you walking towards the kitchen, Ms. Evie?” she said and my breath hitched.

Great! Now answer her, you i***t! I slapped my forehead mentally and focused back on the maid.

“I…I just thought of taking a look at the kitchen first. I wanted to see how you use the freshly harvested vegetables and fruits to make the meals,” I lied through my teeth. I didn’t know how many times I had to lie in the future.

“Of course, Ms. Evie. I am glad that you took some interest to peek into the kitchen.” When we walked into the kitchen, it was busy with the staff preparing for lunch. But as soon as they saw me, everyone froze in their places and totally forgot about their cooking task. They just look at me with puzzlement.

“I am just here to have a look at the kitchen work. You guys continue your work.” I took an apple and bit into it while sitting on the kitchen counter.

There were about twelve to fifteen kitchen staff members. The kitchen was fully equipped with modern electrical equipment while the interiors were white and light blue. There were three large ovens, two microwaves, three air fryers, five large sinks that could wash large pots, two barbeque grilling machines, and a large pantry that ran all over the walls of the kitchen. The kitchen staff wore white suits and there were only three of them who wore chef hats, probably the main characters of the kitchen. The cutlery sets, spoons, and pots were shining inside a glass wall cupboard. The proof that Evie never visited the kitchen was portrayed clearly from their faces. They looked at me from time to time and I flashed them a smile.

“I’ll go outside now. You all continue your work.” I hopped down from the kitchen counter.

But how do I find out where’s the exit to the garden?

Luckily, a gardener entered the kitchen with a basket full of strawberries and oranges.

“Wait! I am also coming with you,” I called out as he walked out of the kitchen.

“Ms. Evie, are you coming to the garden?” His eyes grew wide with surprise.

“Of course! Do you not like that I come?” I asked.

“No! It’s nothing like that. Please come with me.” He bowed with respect.

I started to walk behind him and he led me to the garden.

After a while, he continued, “I heard many of them say that after the surgery Ms. Evie is quite different. The previous Ms. Evie would have never visited the garden or the kitchen.”

“You know, just sitting and being on bed rest is boring. I have to do something but I can’t do any type of martial arts practice or any weight lifting exercises,” I said, creating an excuse for my behavior.

“Anyway, coming to the garden is a good decision, Ms. Evie. Seeing how the plants grow and then, plucking fresh fruits and vegetables from your own garden without any harmful fertilizers brings a refreshing feeling to our soul,” he explained.

“Yeah, I should have come here previously. But now, I have decided to visit the garden whenever I get an opportunity. So can you show me the garden? I want to see how you plant fruits and vegetables,” I said, rubbing my palms together in excitement.

“We also have a flower garden in the corner of the mansion territory, Ms. Evie,” he informed with a smile.

“Really? That’s great. Then, let’s go!” We both started to walk towards the vegetable garden first.

The garden was wide and the vegetable plants were arranged according to size. It started from small to large plants and then the vegetables that grew as vines were planted as designs. The shelter provided by them was remarkable. I took a deep breath to fill my lungs with fresh air.

“Ms. Evie, what happened to your wrist?” the gardener asked in a concerned tone.

“Oh, this is just a small accident. Don’t worry.” I hid my wounded wrist behind my back.

“I am the main gardener who looks after the vegetable garden. I’ll drop you at the fruit garden after this. We’ll go with this buggy cart, otherwise, you have to walk a long way.” He escorted me to the parked buggy carts and once I got in, he drove it between the tracks of the vegetable garden to reach the fruit garden.

“Hey George, I hope you can spend some time with Ms. Evie.” He stopped in front of a grey-haired man. He was kneeling and checking on some plants but when he heard the vegetable gardener’s voice, he turned towards us and removed his hat. He scanned my face and narrowed his eyebrows at me. Then, when the realization hit him, he quickly bowed to me.

“Sorry, Ms. Evie! Because of the strong sunlight, my eyes couldn’t recognize you immediately. I will help her, Mike,” he replied, wiping his sweaty face.

I spent about two hours in the garden and finally, a guard came to call me because Mr. Clerk was waiting for me to join them for lunch.

I walked with him to the dining table and before washing my hands, I rolled up my shirt sleeves to avoid them from getting wet.

“My God! Evie, what happened to your hand?!” Finally, I got caught by Mrs. Clerk. I had covered my wrist since morning with a long-sleeved shirt.

“It’s not a big deal. It’s just a small accident.” I wiped my hands on the towel.

“Evie, what happened, angel?” Mr. Clerk raised his voice.

“Nothing. A few guys started to play with me and Ana. So, I taught them a good lesson.” I linked my fingers together and stretched my arms forwards.

“Evie, I love you being tough, but it’s not good for you with the situation you are now in. I agreed with Ana because I knew that sitting in one place would be boring for you, but it doesn’t mean that you need to get involved in fights. Where the hell were the bodyguards?” he roared like a distressed lion.

“Dad, it’s okay. Actually, I asked them to stay outside.” I took the blame because otherwise, I didn’t know what he would do with the guards. I didn’t want to see anything bad happen to them.

“Evie, this should be the last time. If you continue this, I have to limit your freedom,” he warned, picking up a fork and a spoon. I nodded quietly.

“Dad, did you find out who gave the heart to me?” I asked in the middle of our meal.

He stopped his eating and looked at me. He kept his fork and spoon on the plate and drank a sip of water.

“That’s none of your business, Evie. You should be glad that you are still alive with a heart!” he stated.

I gritted my teeth at his words. My breathing started accelerating heavily and I closed my eyes to control the rage that was starting to bubble within me.

Such an ungrateful bastard! I mentally cursed him.

Exhaling sharply, I replied, “Dad, I wanted to thank them. We should be grate—”

“Evie, I would appreciate it if we never talk about this matter. I hope you understand.” This time, his voice was deep and firm. His facial expressions contorted into a stiff and stern look.

I was not satisfied with his answer. “But—”

“Evie, have your meal, sweetheart,” Mrs. Clerk interrupted before I could say anything further.

I wiped my mouth and stood up from the table. The air around the dining table was hostile and no longer peaceful. I threw the napkin on the table and loudly moved my chair as I stepped away to go back to the bedroom.

“Evie, where are you going?” Mrs. Clerk asked.

“I’ve lost my appetite. Enjoy your meal.” I walked away, keeping long strides, and headed to my room without giving them a second glance.

I know who are they, Mr. Clerk. I will go to them one day.

Shaking my head, I walked towards the bed. I pulled out a book from Evie’s library cupboard and laid down on the bed. While reading, my eyelashes soon started to feel heavy.

“Cherry! Don’t move” I heard the Chief’s voice. I was pointing my gun around, aimed at nothing but complete darkness. My night vision glasses had dropped on the floor and I had gone blind. But, my ears were sharp enough to identify from where he was calling out to me.

It was right from behind me!

I turned around to face him, and then he shot me!

He shot me, he shot me to death. Both the pain of the bullets drilling into my body and the memory of my loving family started to ache my chest. The sound of shoes tapping against the ground and the continuous firing of bullets were the last loud noises I heard on this earth before I took my last breath. My teammates came running towards me. Still, my body was breathing its last breath as it hugged the dusty floor of the building. My final few tears rolled out of my eyes, over my cheeks, and crashed on the floor.

“Boss, why did you shoot her?” the rest of the team yelled out at him.

“Somebody call for an ambulance! F**k! We are in a foreign country too. Contact the headquarters immediately!” However, it was too late. I felt my soul get ripped out of my body. My weak heart started to beat slower and my pulse was getting weaker.

No God, please! I don’t want to die now, definitely not today. I have to stay longer with my family.

But luck was not on my side. A white light appeared above me and slowly started to pull me up. It was not a divine force strengthening my heartbeat but it was there to drag me to my end. The light was too strong; I couldn’t fight it with my weak body.

My soul was finally pulled out of my body and I heard my last heartbeat in my ears.

Within seconds I felt like I was floating and suddenly I began to hear the sound of a phone ringing.

What’s happening? It kept on ringing. I wanted to open my eyes, but they were too heavy to open.

Come on, Cherry, open your eyes! With great difficulty, I finally opened my eyes and found that I was drenched with sweat. My throat was dry, so I drank a glass of water and kept it back on the table.

It was a dream about my last day as Cherry Wayne on this earth. Once I was fully awake, I found myself disturbed by the ringing tone of my phone. Feeling around the bed, I found it under my pillow and checked the screen to find that the call was from an unknown number.

“Hello?” I answered the phone but there was no reply from the other side.

“Hello, who is this?” I asked again.

“Is this Ms. Evie Clerk?!” The eerie voice raised the hair on the back of my neck and sent a creepy tingle down my back.

“Hello, is this Ms. Evie Clerk?” the male voice repeated again when he received no response.

Now, who could this be? It was definitely a new number since Evie had not saved the number as a contact on her phone. All that flashed on the screen was a phone number.

“Yes, this is Evie. Who is this?” I sighed and prepared for a conversation with the unknown person.

“Hi, Ms. Evie. My name is Zane. I am calling from the New Jersey Personal Security Training Academy. If you are not busy, I would like to confirm a few things,” the stranger replied professionally.

Did he dial the wrong number? Who is this? Why would I need personal security training?

Sighing to myself, I replied, “I think you’re mistaken. I didn’t request or inquire for any kind of personal security training.”

Without delay, I prepared to end the call, but the caller stopped me.

“No No, Ms. Clerk. Please don’t hang up. Actually, this is about your physiotherapy session,” he explained at the last second.

Then it hit me. He was calling about my physiotherapy session.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot about that. Please go ahead, Mr. Trainer,” I said, breathing a sigh of relief.

“It’s Zane. Zane McLelland,” he introduced himself over the phone.

“All right, Mr. Zane, go ahead with your clarifications,” I replied but my response was met by silence.

“Hello, are you still there?” I asked.

After a few seconds, his voice filled my ears again. “First of all, we would love to welcome candidates like you to our academy, Ms. Clerk. Secondly, your dad has made the right decision to send you to us. Don’t worry, you will enjoy your time with us. Oh, I have to say something special to you, Ms. Clerk. Since you are the only female candidate in this training program, we have decided to give you a separate single room as your accommodation.”

“That’s fine. I prefer a single room anyway,” I replied politely.

“I have a few reminders for you, Ms. Clerk. The first one is to bring all the necessary clothes and devices you would need to use during the three weeks. We would provide your food and accommodation. Also, you can meet your parents once a week, and no other visitors are allowed,” he briefed.

“Don’t worry, I don’t have a boyfriend and I don’t think I going to want to see my parents during the physiotherapy sessions,” I responded immediately.

“Is there anything else you want to know about, Ms. Clerk?” he asked.

“No, there’s nothing else,” I said bluntly.

“Great, then see you on Wednesday,” he declared. I quickly took a peek at the desk calendar on the study table. It was already Sunday.

“Bye.” I ended the call and kept the phone away.

Then, suddenly, my whole body jolted as tingles ran through my body.

Wait, what did he say his name was?

Zane McLelland?

The only son of my chief?