Game Changer | Lakeview Community √ (Completed)

Chapter 23: The Plan

Vicky's POV
It's been days since Tammy's dissapearance and I know better than to keep staying at Teresa's. The weeks spent with her were my period of healing.

I remember the night dad had brought her home, she was his late uncle's daughter and though I hated the divided attention I soon warmed up to her. Five years later, before my younger brother was born she relocated to live with aunt Bibi, her late mother's cousin.

Her relocation was a big blow to me and that's when I met Tammy. Sweet Tammy had just moved to town and needed help getting around, sadly we went to different schools. But that did nothing to mar our friendship, it rather brought us closer and soon we were joined by Esther and Nancy making a complete circle.

"Vicky, are you done?" Teresa shouts from the kitchen.

"Almost," I reply, looking at the mirror one more time.

I have no excuses for the girls, not like I can come up with one anyway. Just which they'll forgive me for running away.
Taking a deep breath I strap my backpack on and go down the stairs, taking two at a time.

"Victoria."

"Oh please Teresa I'm down already." I roll my eyes.

"What took you so long?"

"Let's just say if the stairs weren't spiral I'd have been down two minutes earlier."

"Oh please, you always complain about the stairs. It's aunt Bibi's you know, if not she wouldn't have made here her vacation home," she smiles, packing a lunch box for me.

"Speaking of which, where is she?"

"In the garden, watering those flowers that never grows."

I laugh at this, swatting her hand. Aunt Bibi's garden was one of the things which kept her sane. Pulling the screen door I get a notification.

You need to get here right now. Trouble is brewing and whatever happens is inevitable.

I freeze by the doorway, if I'm getting this text, that means the girls knew where I was.

Esther, I groan. How do I always forget she's a personnel's daughter. It's either she just tracked me down or she purposely left me to enjoy my stay.

"Are you going to keep staring at your phone or you'll come give me a hug?" Aunt Bibi ask, wiping the dirt off her glove.

"I'm sorry ma, just got lost in the moment." I hug her with my mind far away in Lakeview community. My friends were in more danger than I left them.

Way to go Victoria, best friend indeed.

#

I pause at the door, giving it another rapt knock. Rubbing my palms on my skirt for the umpteenth time I take deep breaths unsure of their reaction when they see me.

"I'm coming." Esther barely answers, taking another sip or two of what I guess will be milk.

I feel a lump in my throat as I glance back across the street, I could probably walk away before she gets to the door or I could stand here and face my fears. Rubbing my palms again I hear the key click in the key hole and standing less than five metres away was my best friend.

"Ol boy."

"Hey." I look anywhere but her.

"Vicky," she scream almost breaking my ribs in a tight hug.

Thank you Heavenly Father for the last minute breakthrough.

"Uhm... Esther. You're killing me."

"Sorry love," she breaks free and I breath peacefully once more.

Pulling me all the way to her bedroom upstairs I'm met with a familiar site that I've grown accustomed to over the years. Family pictures and others most of which were her dad donned in the full millatry attire of the naval force grace the walls.
Who would believe these same walls led to a secret room.

"Vicky," she tugs on my sleeve as we near her room. "Stop acting like its your first time here."

"Sorry."

"I must warn you, my room is a bit messy." she pulls the door and I'm rooted to the ground.

Boards, pictures, posters and what have you all lined on the walls. The bed was another cluster of wireless devices and pieces of paper. Not to mention the food wrappings and coca-cola cans all strewn around.
A mess was an understatement this was a dunghill.

"Esther!"

"I warned you."

"This is a thrash house. What got you into this detective slash food junkie mood."

"Tammy did. We've got to track her down before the cops or we'll have a lot on our hands."

I watch her disappear to the bathroom only for her to appear with a small basket filled with threads and coloured buttons.

"And what this for?" I scratch my head, she was making me rethink her sanity with countless trips to the bathroom coming out with something else.

"Why don't you help out?"

She hands me a blue thread and we set to work on the wide Abuja map. Just like the movies, she had outlined Tammy's movement up to the point of the last signal.
God bless Mr James, our geography teacher for taking map reading serious.

Hunching over her work bench, we trace ther movements with the threads; blue buttons were for suspected destinations, yellow for passed trails and red for victim's real location.

The point were she lost contact was Orlando's, the last building on the outskirts of Lakeview, leading to Ocean breeze.
Ocean breeze was popular among the getaways, but, nothing good ever comes out from the shores of Ocean breeze. It was like a disaster waiting to happen.

Right now I don't know what or how Tamuno got there but whoever did get her there was no child killer. Taking her to Ocean breeze means he meant business and if that's his aim, his victim meant nothing to him.
I know what it's like to be on those shores.

"Do you think she's here." Esther points to the point with the red button.

I nod in reply, knowing what's to follow.

"We're tracking her."

I swallow noisily, I'm not going to spill the beans. I'm not ready for another confrontation, I can't let Esther know what happened there.
She doesn't know the story behind Orlando's
I can't let her know the truth about Orlando's, not to forget the dangers of Ocean breeze.

Sorry for the delay in updates. I've been very busy.
Newsflash: we'll be calling it a finished work very soon so relish in the experience.
Enjoy.