CHAPTER 1 Good morning Sir!, the security men at the black steel gate said, waving their hands to the man seated at the back seat, and in response, gave only a slight nod. The driver then drove past the gate, now taking the left side of the roadway meant for incoming vehicles and which led straight to the parking lot, circumventing a central pavement situated in the parking lot. The driver then killed the engine having stopped at the reserved parking space of the CEO and founder of Furnimat group of companies. Highlighting from the white range rover was Mr Williams Parker, a middle-aged man in his late fifties. His presence was mostly attributed to a man wearing a black or brown Bruno Capelo designer hat as this was customary in his dressing to work. Some employees in the office thought maybe he frequently wore hats in order to conceal his already receding hairline but to him, he saw it as just simply dressing to match. His deep brown eyes and slightly wrinkled face spoke of and could only relate to his hustles back in his late twenties when he just founded Furnimat group of companies. A company that began with furniture making and interior decorations. He had only learned carpentry and upholstery during his high school days as a personal vocational skill when he volunteered to learn at Tom's woodworks back home, mostly during the holidays. After completing his college education having read Business administration, he wasn’t actually inclined to living a life of six working days with a compulsory suit and tie to match every corporate action taken. He wanted something more liberal and inviting but lucrative. And he was compelled to rather start up with something he already knows than to work out all his life under some ruthless boss who doesn’t care about their employee. As carpentry and upholstery being the only thing he was already a master of at that time, he got himself a space, with the little money and contributions from close and trusted personnel, gathered the very necessary things and he needed to start. He made cushion chairs for the living room and sampled some of the masterpieces in a showroom. With help from friends and loyal customers, he was able to garner more public awareness towards a new brand of furniture making. Soon he was headed for stardom in his business, His works having been showcased and talked about by satisfied customers sparked a series of contracts for him and hence, an expansion for a larger business. After some few years, Furnimat furniture was domestically and nationally recognized as a leading brand in the market. As with every blooming and fast-expanding venture, it was necessary that he diversified in order to gain more grounds and obtain more baskets for his eggs so he then decided to venture into logistics and exportation of his products both internally and externally. Within a period of seven years, he was already worth hundreds of millions. Having gained fame and recognition he was in touch with other influential businessmen who partnered with him in venturing into other business investments such as the creation of other subsidiary holdings and companies, hence came the name Furnimart group of companies. Along the line, Williams had to employ the services of his sister, Veronica Parker and his younger brother, Allen Parker, who upon the death of their parents in an infamous plane crash at that time, decided to unite his siblings and make the bond of family between them closer as they are all they have left. Veronica supervised the accounting department, as was her line of career, while Allen, on the other hand, was a dropout and so he managed the Labour department. Though he has always been recalcitrant right from childhood, and also mischievous, Williams has, however, obliged to put up with his acts, besides, family is all that matters and he would want to keep it so.
Mr Williams Walked briskly into the Furnimat headquarters building, accompanied by two guards from behind. He paced through the walkway of the ground floor, a wide and spacious part of the building with receptionists at various ends answering phone calls, private guards watching sternly at every ounce of movement made. Random people also seated at various located sofas waiting to be called upon. The Furnimat headquarters building, primarily built as the base where all activities of the company’s internal and external advances are enrolled, heads and regional supervisors assemble for meetings with the CEO and also contractors meet there to discuss business. On the exterior, the building was of a bent rectangular block shape, the outer face of the building was the part that bent inwardly and was of glass pane mirrors all through while the sides and the back of the building were made of bricks and their usual window settings and was painted with a dark bluish grey paint. The inside consisted of up to fifty office compartments and four large conference halls on each floor of the building.
“Good morning sir”,....... Miss Linda, a receptionist close to the elevator Mr Williams was about to make use of greeted, he swiftly said “ hello dear” without looking at her direction and moved on. He walked into the elevator with the two guards, one of which hit the ‘UP' button for the last floor, where Mr Williams office was located. On arriving at the first floor, the guards stopped following him and turned differently, probably to secure the perimeter. Mr Williams strode to his office door, waving at his personal receptionist, a young and new employee Miss Emma, who jerked up from her seat to greet him.....suddenly and like a glint of memory recap about a lady he once knew, seeing Miss Emma reminded him well of her. He had been experiencing such for a while and has been having dreams of her. As troubling as it was, he always assured himself that he was okay. He went into his office, removed his hat and unveiled his receding hairline, hung it on the coat rack alongside his coat. He walked towards his seat and sank himself into the chocolate coloured leather chair. Paused for a while, then reached for the telephone on the well-designed Oakwood table which costs a doctors' annual salary. He picked up the telephone and spoke softly “.......hello Emma, please get Allen and Veronica into my office”... In a short time, Veronica came in first, a well built, and sturdy woman in her late forties, short blonde hair which she inherited from her mother, strong-looking legs and light brown eyes. Mrs Veronica was a widow, her husband died of pancreatic cancer about seven years after her son Jason was born, and presently serving his country in the army. Mrs Veronica spoke with a voice as pacifying as her appearance, “...hello Williams'', she said while having her seat on one of the two office chairs on the opposite end of the oak wood table. “And how are you today, sister?”...he asked, “well, not bad, you made it good for all of us”... she replied with a light smile. Williams grinned, then turned to her wearing a different expression on his face, looking weary he said “I still see her, I still have those nightmares, it doesn’t stop coming”, he said, sounding more acute and having a short reflection of how Miss Anderson died. She looked at him with concern and said “I understand, but you have to let go, It's way past twenty years now Williams, you couldn’t have done anything either so it's not your fault. Be strong and look ahead”, she said, sounding more reassuring. She went on to say “ Besides her death was......” Mr Allen suddenly came in, and she swallowed her words. “Hello everyone, good morning,” Mr Allen said out loud while closing the door behind him and with a big smile on his face..... So what brings us here together, “family or business?” he continued while taking his seat. Mr Williams then began, “I am sure you both know what tomorrow is, it’s”....... “Mrs Jennifer parker, your wife’s birthday” Allen interrupted, seeming more acquainted and raising his hands in the air in a “we know'' manner. Mr Williams and Veronica smiled at Allen’s gesticulation. Then he went on to say “Yes, thank you Allen, tomorrow is my wife’s birthday and there’s going to be a dinner party in commemoration of that, and therefore I want you both to be there at 9:00 pm prompt”. Veronica and Allen did not fully reside at the Parker’s mansion but they had their personal room there and most of the time they spent some days of the week there. He stood up and continued, “I want it to be a family thing, I’ve called my sister also to be in atten
dance, she doesn’t know about this though but its part of the surprises, it’s going to be fantabulous”. Allen and Veronica watched amusingly as Williams spoke with excitement in his voice like a young child about to play with his new toys. He's occasionally this happy, Allen thought. Okay then, that is that, no excuses tomorrow, okay? He said, pointing to nothing specifically, I relieve you both of any paperwork by tomorrow, so you both must be there. Veronica and Allen nodded in agreement, looking at each other with a light smile.
“Now back to business”, Mr Williams asked them both, “How are your various departments doing?”.......
CHAPTER 2
The dispatch rider rode into the parker’s residence on his bike having passed the tall fanciful black gate. He rode in further and came to a stop on a portion of the garlet-wood floor tiles which surrounded the walkway close to the building. The compound itself was large and vast with some part of it tiled and a greater part of it was green but with flagstones. Two mighty pillars with a magnificent appearance stood gallantly like guardians to the entrance door of the mansion. On the far right of the property were flame trees and around it were professionally pruned shrubs of various kinds such as the Bluebeard, Rose of Sharon, Andromeda and the flowering quince. The shrubs were properly aligned on the property and were arranged with each kind of shrub forming either circular, straight or bent patterns. There were large antique vases that beautified the landscape and were placed at strategic positions on the compound. On the other hand of the property was a fair large swimming pool, not obviously the Olympic size.
The dispatch rider removed his headgear and hung it on the anterior end of his bike, he went behind to reach for the ten inches cake that the Parker’s residence had ordered. He proceeded to the entrance and pressed the doorbell then waited patiently while turning around to embrace the peaceful ambience of the compound's atmosphere. After a few minutes Mr Richard, the butler opened the double mahogany front door “Oh, you must be the delivery man, right?”...... “Yes I am”, the dispatch rider confirmed, almost stuttering. The butler then ushered him in and pointed to him where to drop the cake. “Please give me a moment,” said the butler, then off he went. The delivery man stood in utter astonishment as he beheld the majestic masterpiece of the parkers’ home. The interior of the house had a large walkway serving as the main avenue of traffic and entrance area to the adjacent rooms. The walkway flows into a large, wide staircase that provides the main means of egress from the entertainment area of the house to the private rooms on the second floor with eight formal rooms with sixteen-foot ceilings, pocket doors, fireplaces and tall windows form the main block of the building. The hallways and living rooms were furnished with the original wallpaper from 1882 with classic Anglo-Japanese asymmetrical designs and exotic motifs. ......... “sorry for keeping you waiting” the butler stated out loudly from a distance on returning to the dispatch rider. “oh, no problem sir....just sign here sir and I’ll be on my way”..... He presented to the butler some paperwork and specified where he was to sign after which he left. A few hours later, a corporate black Mercedes drove into the parker’s compound. The driver parked and killed the engine, he hastily came down and rushed to open the passenger’s door. Highlighting from it was Mrs Gabriella, Mr Williams daughter and first child. She was a physically endowed woman, one whose shape would easily be noticed in any dress. She recently got married to Mr Zik Smith, a pilot of AirLander Airways in Auston City where they lived and so she seldom comes over to see her family. But today was her mother’s birthday so she was sure not to miss, unfortunately, her husband Zik, won't be coming due to work-related issues. As is almost characteristic of the women in the parker’s bloodline, they always seem to have short blonde hair, and in Gabriella’s case, she inherited her blue eyes from her mother’s side. Gabriella had just flown into town after a ninety minutes flight, luckily for her, the driver was in time at the airport on her arrival. She headed for the door, walking swiftly and swinging each leg forward before the other with ease while the driver struggled to get her things and catch up with her from behind. He only managed to be on time and opened the door for her. She flounced herself in, swinging her hands in the air with happiness as if trying to inhale a new kind of air that only existed in the Parker’s home. “where’s my birthday mother?” She said out loud. Gabriella and her mother had grown up with a strong mother and daughter bond and like best friends, they always enjoyed each other’s company. Mrs Jennifer Parker was at the top of the large staircase in the walkway giving instructions to Bella, the assistant maid when she heard her daughter’s voice. With joy, she exclaimed, “over here sweetie!"... she then beckoned to the maid, dismissing her. Gabriella dashed across the terrazzo of the walkway, approached the large central staircase and carefully minded her steps. She threw herself at her mother and gave her a big hug and whispered happy birthday mom". “Thank you so much darling, and how are you, Ella dear? You look ravishing my dear..... I hope Zik isn’t putting you through a lot With his job schedule, and obviously, now he’s nowhere to be found” Jennifer said looking around..... “mom!, I’m fine, we've talked about this”, she said smiling and swinging her shoulders like a little girl. “Mom, I’ve got good news for you, but first lets go inside”... “ wonderful my dear, can’t wait to hear it”, said Mrs Parker enthusiastically, “you’ve had a rough day coming down here, let’s go to the living room shall we"..... They went through the hallway and entered the living room. It was a spacious marble-floored room with assorted furniture’s that would remind one of the business Mr Parker was into. There were suede, leather and royal flower designed chairs. On each side of the wall were paintings of different sizes, kinds and nature. There were also wooden drawers and exotic tables at different positions. A centre Spanish-made rug with a fiery looking wildflower that matched the coffee brown marble tiles on the floor. They went in, took their seats on one of the leather couch and started chattering away. “Oh...my...God! Ella, you are pregnant. I am so happy for you, your father would be so happy too. Such wonderful news on my birthday”......”aww" Gabriella exclaimed! “But mom, don’t tell dad yet and I’m serious”. “Ok dear, as you wish” Jennifer said with a clumsy smile” Come on dear! Look at you, you are blessed and endowed, but Zik? He looks like you are the one who is going to get him pregnant”.....Jennifer said bursting into laughter, Gabriella smiled and joined her with a burst of forced laughter. By the way mom, how’s Vincent?.... “Your brother is fine dear, still living his youthful fantasy. He got arrested a few weeks back along with his friends, the police say they were drunk while driving. Your dad was so pissed when he heard" Jennifer said sounding dramatic... “Vincent doesn’t seem to be serious with school and that’s what exacerbates the whole issue about him. He wants to be like his uncle Allen who just happened to be the way he was while in his youthful days. Your father once told me how Allen stole their mother’s little jewels just to get a room at a bar with a whore. Sometimes , your father out of anger would ask me if Vincent was truly his son. It was a terrible statement that burrows my heart”. Jennifer said, looking lost. Mom!, mom!! .. ..Gabriella yelled, what are you thinking of ,what’s wrong mom?.... oh nothing my child, just these thoughts. You know, someone once said Vincent looks a lot more like Allen than dad, and I find that hard to debunk, Gabriella stated. “Bunch of figurative speeches, of course, Allen is his Uncle, the same blood, so it's very likely that should be so” Jennifer retorted. You know I barely put up with Allen, well yes Vincent is being a heck of a boy than the young man that he should be and father is probably just angry which is a normal human thing. So mom, forget about it all okay" Gabriella said.....just as they were talking, Miss. Lilian came in, the oldest worker and maid in the Parker’s mansion. “Good day Mrs Gabriella, Lilian said, “welcome home”....”Thank you Miss Lilian" Gabriella responded. Miss Lilian turned to Mrs Jennifer and said “ma'am, I am sorry for the delay, I came in as soon as Bella....... “shhhhh, Jennifer interrupted”. Stood up from where she was and approached Lilian
. Gabriella watched, puzzled at what might possibly unfold. Jennifer then asked her softly, “what day is it today Lilian?”, your birthday ma'am, Lilian answered calmly looking away. Jennifer continued, “you know what poor preparation means don’t you?”, now get yourself out of here and get the dining room decorated properly” she yelled out loudly possibly alerting everyone in the building. “Yes ma'am”. Lilian apologetically replied and left hurriedly. Gabriella watched her mother, stunned by what just happened. Mom? she cried out, “why..........” Ella dear, her mother interrupted, everything has to be perfect tonight, you seem tired and need rest, why not go to your room freshen up and rest a little, we've made some changes in your room too while you were away, her mother said and winked. “okay mom”, Gabriella said, giving a confused look. She stood up to leave, her mother then said, “oh, and Mrs Veronica have longed to see you, don’t worry, you’ll be meeting the whole family tonight”... yea, ok mom, Later then. “Alright sweetie”, her mother replied.
Gabriella left her mother in the living room and found her way to her room. It was already past 4:00 pm. She had to settle down and take a rest before anything. She opened the door to her room and went in. The wallpaper had already been changed to something more of a classic design of patterns. The room was spacious on its own, plus the extension for the bathroom and toilet. Her bed seemed higher unlike she remembered before moving to her husband’s house in St. Joanne. On her bed were her medium-sized bag and another travelling bag that the driver brought in. Judging by the size of the bag it looks like she would be staying for a week or so. She sat on the edge of the bed while trying to remove her high heels. She then remembered her mother’s behaviour towards the maid Miss. Lily, as she fondly called her while growing up. “Mother seemed different”, she muttered to herself. Still wondering if there was more to what she just saw..... Bzzzzzzzzzz, her phone vibrated for a moment, she reached for it on the bed, it was a message from her husband, it read “hey baby, hope you had a safe trip. My regards to your mother. Love you!!! Kisses”........ Couldn’t he just wait till he had the time to call. Men, they don’t know calls are more romantic than texts, at least for me, she thought. She remembered how she and Zik met, just when she went out with her friends one Saturday noon to the mall. They were having a group photo then she noticed an eye watching her. She looked, but the person swiftly looked away. She then urged her friends to hurry up so they could leave. While they were all leaving, a pale-skinned man in his late with bloodshot eyes came from nowhere and snatched her emerald green purse, the one her mother got for her. She just couldn’t run after him, but stood there alerting the public “he has my purse". Luckily for her a young man overhead her from a distance, and on sighting the thief oncoming, he advanced and made a defensive block with his right shoulder, colliding with the thief and sending him staggering to the ground in the opposite direction. The purse fell off out of his hand, the young man reached for it and off went the thief for fear of being caught.
The Case of the Parker's Page 1