10. Stress

At The Auxiliary Armory PLC

When Tim informed the Head of State that he did not want to inherit Gen. McDonald's staff members, he planned to investigate and lay off those who would not be loyal to him. Apart from that, he wished to find out if he had accomplices among the staff members. All the same, he continued following up the meeting. So, far, George was representing him well.

“I wish to thank you, for your cooperation. The President would be happy to hear this,” George smiled and appreciated them after the meeting. 

They smiled genuinely and answered one after the other, “It is my pleasure, Sgt. Young.”

“Wow! I am glad to have you, Sergeant."

“It was a wonderful time being with you. I have learned one or two things,” the Personnel Manager stated happily and the people laughed. 

Although he coded the new thing that he learned it was obvious that he meant how he put Laura where she belonged.

“I'm happy that I added to your knowledge, Capt. Jaja,” George responded cheerfully and requested, “One more thing, General Manager.”

Capt. Bolton leaped forward immediately and asked, “How may I be of help, Sgt. Young?”

“I need to visit your departments or my report to the General will not be complete.”

“That is good enough,” he answered gleefully and waited for him to get up but he did not. Rather, he looked at the other managers and announced, “You can return to your offices. The General Manager will bring me soon.”

The proposal was suitable for the managers because the little time would give them the chance to keep their offices in order.

“That is good enough,” they responded simultaneously and got up at once. They walked briskly out of the office and Laura wondered why they were rushing.

“Is the meeting over?” She murmured and called on the janitor.

“You called me, Miss Dickson,” she announced when she arrived.

“Yes, Mabel. The meeting in the President's office is over. Kindly clear the table.”

“Okay, Miss Dickson,” she accepted and moved.

George was still at the conference table with the General Manager when the door opened and they were attracted to it. Mabel walked in and he requested at once, “Call the Secretary for me?”

The startled janitor who was seeing him for the first time because she was busy cleaning when he arrived answered fearfully, “Okay, Boss,” and walked back in trepidation.

“The man with the General Manager wished to see you, Miss Dickson,” she informed her. 

Laura gave her a puzzled look before she got up and walked into the office.

'Is that small boy the new President?' she asked herself and waited for Laura to come out before she would go in and clear the table.

Meanwhile, the moment George saw her, he instructed, “Clear the table quickly, Secretary. We are going to the Personnel Department. 

“I got it, Sgt Young,” she accepted and cursed him in her heart.

'Stupid boy,' before she began to clear the table. 

She carried the used cups to her office and the janitor was surprised.

“Take this from me, Mabel,” she said and handed the tray of cups to her. 

She looked at her angry face before she complied. Although she was not aware of her reason for clearing the table for her she believed that it was odd.

“Thank you, Miss Dickson for helping me out,” she appreciated her, collected the tray, and walked away. 

Laura did not respond rather, she walked back to her seat in despair and began to wait. Shortly, the duo walked out of the President's office and George shut the door.

They walked past her without a word and she got up and followed them. When George said 'We are going to the Personnel Department' she misinterpreted it. She believed that he meant that they would go together.

“We can use the staircase, Capt. Bolton. It is part of my familiarisation tour,” he declared and moved towards it.

“I have no problem with that, Sgt. Young,” the General Manager said and they moved.

At Laura's House

Gerald and Samuel were distraught when they did not get through with their call. They felt that they should get additional information about Tim's death and plan how to go about their search.

“Your food is ready, Gerald and Samuel,” the chef who assumed that they should be starving, informed them. 

“Thank you for that Madam Ella but it can wait,” Gerald answered and stormed out of the house. 

Samuel followed him to the boys' quarters and they met their parents relaxing and watching the television while waiting for lunch.

“Mom and Dad, do you know the person who killed my Brother-in-law?” Gerald inquired and they waited for their answers. 

Truly, they cared less about Tim and he was disturbed.

“Why do you bother yourself about that?” His father asked nonchalantly.

However, Samuel tried to explain, “We have called his number and the person holding his phone did not pick up the call.”

“I don't get it. Why are you bothering yourself with that insignificant man? He is dead and gone,” Madeline added.

“Allow us to bother about him, Mom. We want to know the identity of his killer and plead that they should release the corpse to us for burial,” Gerald stated, and their parents hesitated.

 Samuel was lost and wondered why the question was difficult for them to answer. To make it easier for them, he asked, “Which car did they come with? I mean, did you see the number plate?”

“They came with a helicopter,” his mother looked away and answered curtly. 

The information was better than nothing and they looked at each other.

“Let's go, Samuel,” Gerald requested and they walked back to the room. 

Their parents looked at them and hissed.

“They have the energy to waste.”

“Can you imagine that? How can they leave school for nothing?” their father asked.

“Let's call his number again and see if the person would pick up the call this time,” Gerald proposed.

“That is a good idea,” said Samuel and watched his brother dial the number.

At The New President's Apartment

He was following up on the events at his office and was pleased with George's leadership attributes. However, his eyes beamed when he said that they would use the staircase and he thought of his precious baby.

“Can she go through this stress with the pregnancy?” He lamented and continued to watch them. 

Meanwhile, George took no notice of her. They got to the Personnel Department on the fifth floor and met the staff members waiting to welcome him. Then, Capt. Jaja introduced his key staff members and George encouraged them, “The President will be happy if you continue to work as a team and support your Manager. Together, we will achieve our common goal.”

“Thank you for your encouragement, Sgt. Young. Let the President know that we will not fail him," Capt. Jaja responded on behalf of his staff members to his short speech. 

At that point, Tim's phone rang and he frowned his face. He looked at the caller and wondered, “Why is he calling me? He should be receiving lectures by now.”