Chapter 3

Robert brushed aside the greetings being given to him by Daphne. He knows that many people in town don't like him, but then, there has to be a villain in every story. He loves acting as one since the role suits him to perfection, not regarding the ugly potbelly in front of him, at least, that one is not acceptable to him.

He noticed that the lady was wiping the coffee cups so that she can replace them, but it was of no importance to him, so he brushed his mind away from it, not wanting to focus on that part since that is not why he is here.

Clearing his throat, he pulled on this hard ragged voice that speaks of authority, of dominion, and as he started his speech, the lady in front of him was startled.

"Where is your boss, Mr. Peterson?" he said.

His words startled Daphne and as she raised her head to look at him, she, unfortunately, allowed the ceramic coffee cup In her hand to fall to the ground, shattering into millions of several pieces.

This shock made the people at the club raise their heads in alarm, starring at the show which is slowly developing. They wanted to know what had happened since they were inactive when the things had happened, so they looked at them in all shades of wonder.

The people present at the club started chattering amongst themselves as they looked at Robert with wide eyes. He is notorious for the worst sins in town, and anything suspicious is eventually tied down to him. They thought this was his fault too.

Daphne who had broken the cup started apologizing immediately.

"I am sorry about this, I am sometimes clumsy," she said.

It didn't mean anything to Officer Robert so he asked his question once more, brushing aside her silly excuse.

"The apology will do justice only to you. Now reply to my question, will you? Where is your Boss?" he inquired again more firmly.

He doesn't like when things are trailing this way, the moment the question is being asked, that should be the same time he expects an answer, and not moments later. That would serve as some sort of disrespect to his ego, and the manner in which he is, he might cause trouble by trying to correct the lady now.

Lucky enough for Daphne, he replied to the question that was asked to her as soon as possible.

"Mr. Peterson is at home, he is not feeling fine, so he has stayed at home to have some rest," she replied.

That was a simple thing to do, she didn't need to receive slaps before actually answering the question, maybe a little determination was enough to do the trick, and Robert had given her what she needed by startling her.

Officer Robert tasted the weight of her reply and thought if it was wise to go and see him at his place. Well, that is a decision he has to make with his colleagues.

Sitting on the high chair that boarded the counter, Robert leaned gently towards it making sure that his weight did not crash on it. As he did so, he opened his mouth to talk while fixing his gaze at the girl.

"I want a cup of iced tea, and if you do not mind, come to the table at the end with a pen and notepad, we have orders to give," he said.

The level of authority that officer Robert exhibited via the terrific sounding of his voice served as an alarm to Daphne's sensory organs, it caused her to startle, especially as she did not expect this to happen. Sighing, she brushed it away from her mind.

Nodding, Daphne rushed to serve him.

When Robert grabbed the cup containing his tea, he walked towards the group of officers at the end of the hall.

As he approached them, whatever they seemed to be saying got ripped in their throats as a dead silence was presented to Robert.

He noticed it too, and as he closed the distance between them, he eyes them wearily.

"What am I missing here?" Robert asked sitting at the corner of the table.

His companions glared at one another as if they didn't want to talk, and as such, they all remained silent.

This signal was transmitted to all of them, and it gave Officer Robert a sense that his colleagues are talking behind him, therefore causing him to get annoyed.

His culprit was Lewis, and since he is easygoing, he targeted him to know what they were talking about.

"Officer Lewis, can I know what this meeting is about?" Robert asked sweetly.

His voice was soft, and hard an ugly tinge at the end of his voice. It is quite taming, and provocative at the other end too.

Lewis who sat directly opposite the side of the room from Robert, felt like a lump was growing in his throat. Not that they were even saying something bad, just that Robert's overzealousness makes him want to oppress all his colleagues, and he did a great job to maintain authority between his folks.

"Now, tell me," he added tying the knots at the edge of his words.

Lewis had no choice but to react to him, giving him the response he seeks for.

"Officer Robert, we were just talking about... those three young men sitting at the other end of the shop. They look extremely suspicious, especially as we are still finding suspects for the robbery these days," he concluded.

That was part of what they were saying, and the rest of it has to do with them talking about Robert and his macho attitude. There is no doubt that they hated him, and as they were all wimps and doormats, they could not even dare talk to his face because they feared their lives so much to make him forget a bullet in their heads.

Well, Robert wouldn't kill all of his colleagues, but then, he might use one as an example.

Standing, Robert walked towards the boys the guys had said were suspicious.