C12 The Set of Pictures

Nicholas sat in his office looking at the file in front of him. he'd been staring at the contents of the file for half an hour and still, it did not make it easier with each passing moment.

the results from Grace's blood work were back and he was more confused about his cause of action than he was a week ago. in front of him, he was staring at the paternity test results of Grace's unborn child. their unborn child.

he took in a long breath to calm himself.

underneath the medical file was another file he wanted to look at, which was thicker than the first.

since Grace sneaked out from his home a week ago, he had hired a private investigator to track her down and stationed his private security team outside her block to keep an eye on her. the idea that Grace was out there with what was then his potential child gave him sleepless nights. the last time they spoke she didn't look happy and he didn't know what her next move was. And

he knew he was in no position to talk to her face-to-face, but he could keep an eye on her from a distance or at least until she had recovered from her shock. now that the paternity results were back. he had to make arrangements for the child and the mother to be taken care of. regardless of their history, he needed to get hold of the situation before it spun out of control. his child was his priority at the moment. putting the first one aside, he picked up the second file. it was compiled in chronological order with accompanying pictures. the first picture revealed a block of flats in a busy part of the town. a close-up focused more on a particular flat unit. the place looked deserted except for a lady who was photographed once in the afternoons leaving the flat and back again in the morning. Nicholas did not recognize the lady in the pictures. after a handful of pictures showing the mysterious lady, he picked up a picture with a familiar face leaving the same flat five days later, the time on the copy said 5:15 pm.

she looked pale. as if she hadn't seen the sun in weeks. she had lost weight. he wondered if she had been sick the past few days. that would explain the lady that was in and out of her flat. there was a close-up of her as she crossed the street, and he could see dark circles under her eyes and the color from her chicks was gone.

he felt a sharp pain in his chest,

'what had he done?' he could not take his eyes off her bony structure. he had always felt protective of her and now he could only watch from afar. the rest of the pictures were taken at a gallery and on her window the same night. then another set of pictures indicated that they were the latest because in the pictures she had changed into a different outfit. she was photographed in and out of the doctor's center in downtown London. in one of the pictures, she could be seen sitting on a bench outside holding what appeared to be a photograph or piece of paper. he could not make out what it was. from the look on her face she looked as though she had been crying.

the last picture in the pile trapped his attention so much that he got up from his chair to study the photograph with intensity. then picked up his phone to make a call.

****

His secretary picked up at the first ring

"Please get hold of Luther. tell him to come to my office now." his voice was shaking. sweat was forming at his temples.

Luther walked into his office after a tap at the door. Nickolas was standing by the window. Luther could tell how tense he was without seeing his face. he was holding an A4 photograph in his hand, he could easily guess that the tension had something to do with that photograph.

he stepped further into the office and cleared his throat. Nicholas turned to face him. his eyes cold. Luther was taken aback.

it was unusual for Nickolas to get angry in front of his staff. but these past few days he'd been edgy.

"When was this picture taken?" he spat the words out.

"This Morning sir" looking at his feet. he knew exactly what picture that was. it was taken this morning with Grace getting in a taxi with large bags. the size of the luggage indicated that she was not coming back.

" Did you get information on where she was headed?"

"We followed the driver to the airport. we couldn't get any details about her trip."

" I need you to find out where she is," he said,

"I want to know who's she meeting with and I want daily reports on my desk on everything. the color of the food on her plate and the name of her cat, everything!" he was fuming now.

Luther made a quick nod and left his office.

Nicholas sat, still staring at the picture. she looked weak and vulnerable. And she was leaving him. again, probably for good this time.