Robert greeted her when he came into the house. This was the first time he met Billy, their mum at home.. Then he went with Jason who was also downstairs to Jason’s room. Dave was in his room. He was in Jason’s room for some minute and decided to check up on Dave. When he got to Dave’s door he tapped the door, no response at first so he tapped again. This time he heard sounds of objects falling on the floor and the opening and closing of a drawer. Probably Dave was hiding something. When he finally opened the door Robert went in.

“Hi.”

“Hey, Robert, giving him a handshake. How long Have you been standing at the door?”

“Not quite long.”

“Have you seen Jason?”

“Yeah, he’s in his room I just left him to check up on you”

“Oh, great.”

“Hope you enjoyed the dinner last night at my place?”

“ Sure I did. Your dad, what does he do for a living?”

“He’s a detective.”

“Awesome,  With the way he was asking those questions yesterday I thought he was a lawyer.”

“ Yeah, that’s the same way he asks questions,'' Dave said smiling, and added, ``He has a way of knowing if I was lying or telling the truth.”

“And your mum, she cooks really well, you know.”

“ Thanks, man, hopefully, I will get to taste your mum's one of these days.”

“That would be nearly impossible. Dave said as he reached out for his phone on the other side of the bed. I was ordering food online from the cafeteria down the street before you came in.”

“Why? Your mum didn’t cook?”

“Nope, once every blue moon. We either prepare something for ourselves or get them from the restaurant.”David replied as he dialed a number on his phone. Robert paused and allowed him to make calls before speaking.

“Seems my dad loves your company and Jason’s.”

“ Oh?”

“Yeah, he is also inviting you both to come over next Friday.”

Dave paused for a while staring at the roof before responding to Robert. He was not sure he would be around as he had to run some errands for his boss.

“I'm not sure if that would be possible.”

Why?”

“Would be off to work somewhere. But I will be back on Saturday.”

“What if he scheduled it till Saturday when you would be around?”

“Yeah, that would be fine.”

That day at the office Detective Daniel and M.r James met to discuss at great length. if he comes for the dinner they would be direct with some of the questions to get information on what Nicholas left at home as Dave has told them. since he left several years ago Before these crimes were committed. There may be papers and documents that would lead to his whereabouts. On that dinner night Mr. James the cop would also be around to take recordings of some of their conversations.

That evening when detective Daniel arrived home, Robert informed him that Dave would not be around by the next Friday. He would be on duty. But if they could schedule the dinner for Saturday evening that would be fine. Daniel agreed to it.

Dave had been working for his boss Kelvin Brian for the past seven years and he knows Kelvin Brian, what he was capable of doing. He was a man who hated disappointment. He was dreaded and feared by all his boys. Kelvin Brian has what he called “the game’s Ten Commandments. and the number 4th of it says “you waste opportunities, you bear the burns”

This was well known by all his boys. Those who have broken any of his rules in the past bore the consequences. Dave had seen some pay with their lives or that of their loved ones.

That Friday night Dave was to act as a Bartender at the clubs' house in the new location they moved into. Kelvin Brian would be having a meeting with some of his top clients. He was to poison the drink that was served to this client. However, he was outwitted as the client exchanged drinks with one of the men that followed him. When he saw the effects a fight ensued that night and the whole clubhouse was turned upside down. The police got alerted but before they arrived the men had escaped. There was a secret inner chamber in the clubhouse that Kelvin and his men ran into. When the police left Kelvin and his men converged again. Dave was blamed and was to be punished. He was tied down without food or water that Friday until Sunday morning.

Meanwhile at home the following day Jason expected Dave to return as usual but he did not. And so he waited till Sunday morning when he alerted Roberts's dad. He already know his dad was a detective. Detective Daniel had also been waiting for Daniel and Jason the previous day but they didn’t show up. He understood the reason behind their absence when Jason called that Sunday morning.

“Where does Jason work?” Detective Daniel asked when Jason told him of Dave’s absence. 

“I know he formerly worked at a cafeteria but he changed jobs. I don’t know where his current job is.

“What kind of job is that?”

“I do not know also”

“Have you tried calling his number?” Detective Daniel asked.

“Yes I have, it’s ringing but not picking”

I am worried and my mum has been calling too but it’s still the same thing. No one is picking “

“Alright, you both should keep trying I would be at your apartment soon”

That Sunday afternoon detective Daniel left for their apartment followed by Robert who had been there before. When they arrived there detective Daniel tried calming them down. He suggested they go visit the cafeteria where he worked before if they could get any clue to his whereabouts. When they got there they were told that they had no information about his whereabouts. He had stopped working there several years ago. I faced most of the workers there who didn’t know who they were talking about.

Meanwhile that Sunday morning after David had been tied down for two days he was Beaten with a rod and then dumped beside a building about three streets away from the clubs' house. They left him there for dead. Fortunately he was just unconscious. After Detective Daniel left the cafeteria he called the station and described Dave and five patrol cars were dispatched to search the whole city.

As the patrol vehicles scouted for Dave one of the patrol cars eventually found a man who was lying lifelessly beside a trash can when they came closer to the body they found out it was Dave. He was still breathing and was bleeding from the mouth and nose. They carted him to the hospital.

By the time Dave eventually recovered he had been at the hospital for two days. When he finally opened his eyes he couldn’t speak at first. Jason Billy, his mum Robert, and detective Daniel were around but they didn’t force him to speak. Billy the mum had gotten him something to eat which he did slowly and painfully. When he was done eating. He lay back on the bed. After about an hour he was up again and the detective was waiting alongside Mr. James. They wanted to ask him some questions but they were giving him time to recover.

“Hello Dave”

“Sir” Dave said in a faint voice.

“How are you feeling now?” He asked.

“Pain, sir pain”

“Sorry, you would be fine,” detective Daniel said, tapping his left arm gently. They were both standing at the left corner of the bed. When he became a bit strong to talk they began asking him questions.

“I want you to talk to me, ok?”

“Yes sir,” Dave said in a languid tone.

“What happened?”

Dave who by now knew he was a detective was at first reluctant to talk. He knows his boss, Kelvin Brian, what he is capable of doing if he finds out he is not dead and has reported to the police. Kelvin Brian would go any length to put down any of his opponents. That night they dropped him by the street, although he was almost dead and had no sign of life, he could still listen to their conversations faintly. They had thought he would not survive the beating and had left him for dead by the building they dropped him. When detective Daniel observed that he didn’t want to speak up, he drew a chair closer and sat beside him. Robert, Jason, and Billy, his mum, had been told to go wait outside.

“You have nothing to be afraid of Dave. This is Mr James. Detective Daniel said pointing to Mr. James who was standing by his side. He’s a cop and I’m a detective. If you would allow us whosoever ever did this to you would be brought to book.”

“ My boss,” Dave said in a teary tone 

“Who’s he?, I mean your boss?”

Dave again paused for a while, turned his face upward to Mr. James, and then slowly back to detective Daniel.

“Kelvin Brian,” Dave said.

When he said this Detective Daniel looked at Mr. James and then back to Dave.

“Which work do you do for Kelvin Brian?”

“I run errands for him sometimes”

“Errands to where?”

“To deliver packages to some of his clients. and then sometimes work as a Barman at his clubhouse”

“How did you come in contact with Kelvin Brian?”

“I was working in a cafeteria some years ago not too far from my apartment. He came to the cafeteria of the company with his right-hand man and some other men who worked for him. they came with some other groups of people who were his clients. I was at work that day so I took down their orders and attended to them. Before he left he called me and asked for my name. Gave me some cash and an address to come see him. I went to the place the next day which was the clubhouse, I ended up becoming his runner boy. I didn’t know what it was at first when I finally knew there was no way I could back out. and the money, I needed them to support my mum and Jason”

“So you couldn’t back out or report to the police?” Detective Daniel asked.

“That would be like signing up for my death”

When Dave responded he whimpered in pain and stretched his hand to the water on the table beside the bed. Detective Daniel handed him the water and he sat up and drank the water. When he was done Detective Daniel continued.

“How long have you been working for Kelvin Brian?” 

“Close to seven years. I had dropped out of high school then but later went back to complete”

“You just became a student at Orwell  university right?”

“No sir, Jason just resumed. I’m in my second year”

“Oh, ok. So why did he do this to you?” Detective Daniel asked, pointing to Dave’s face.

“I fucked up, broke his rule”

“Rule?“ Detective Daniel asked, wondering what the stat statement Means.

“Yeah, he has rules everyone follows and in breaking any of them there are punishments attached to it”

“Beating you to stupor was the punishment you deserved?”

Dave shook his head in an agreed manner.

“What rule did you break?”

David paused and drank some water before answering.

“One of his clients came to the clubhouse. Both had an agreement that the client had breached. I was told to serve as a bartender that day and I was to poison his drinks. He however outwitted me and the drink was exchanged with another. When he found out the person who drank the poison died, both groups began exchanging gunfire. ``My boss left unhurt before the police came. When he came back after the police had left he ordered his boys to tie me down. I was there till Sunday morning by 1a.m when they began battering me. by daybreak I was dropped at a building where the police came to pick me up”

“So he has no idea you are still alive?” Detective Daniel asked.

“I don't think so”

“Has this ever happened before? I mean have you broken his rule before?”

“No I have not, this would be the first time.

All this while Mr. James was recording their conversations. Detective Daniel continued.

“Aside from drugs, do you know anything he does?”

“I don’t know sir. But he has other boys who do different jobs for him”

When Dave said this the doctor came in, signaling to Detective Daniel and Mr. James to allow Dave to rest. They went out and the doctor came in to check how he was responding to treatment. When the doctor left they came in and told Dave they would come the following day to check up on him.