Rodrigo came back to the mansion, he parked outside the mansion thinking of the right word he can use to inform Lucio of his inability to find Camilla. He closed his eyes, draw in a quick breathe and exhaled. He messed this assignment up, things where not supposed to be this way, he thought.
This is the second time a mission went wrong because of him, first it was Antonio, now it's Camilla. He wished he never followed her when he saw her driving out of the hotel premise. He should have come back and tell Lucio that he missed her but he had done that because he wanted to make up for his first mistake.
“I should have told Lucio that I missed her or better still, I should not have left her on the accident scene like that.” He thought, still wondering what he is going to tell Lucio now.
“And where could Camilla be, her car was no longer there at the accident scene and it wasn't cleared by the police either, then who cleared it?” He asked inwardly and drew in another quick breathe and exhaled, feeling his chest tightening from pain of his failures.
He was sure Camilla wouldn't have survived that accident on her own, she was lifeless when he last saw her, then who could be the one that would clear such accident scene within a short time like that without the knowledge of the police or did Camilla plant a secrete spy to watch over her.
That would be the case now that he thought of it, everything now made sense to him. He knew that, Camilla is a very smart and clever woman, so she could have asked someone to follow her.
With this new thought in his mind, he stepped out of the car as he now has something to tell Lucio. Rodrigo stood by the study, he inhaled and exhaled again before knocking at the door, hoping not to get into trouble with Lucio.
“Come in.” Lucio said authoritatively after a while, peering at the door and wondering who it was thims time.
Rodrigo opened the door and walked in.
“Did you find her?” Lucio asked immediately he saw Rodrigo walk into his study, standing up impatiently too, peering hard at him and hoping to get a good report this time
“I didn't find her boss.” Rodrigo said as he walked to a chair and sat down, feeling exhausted already from the work he had to do and guilty mind.
“How do you mean, you didn't find her?” Lucio asked sitting down heavily back on his chair, his heart sinking into his belly as Rodrigo’s words replayed in his head.
“I have searched the hospitals and mortuary around the area, but I didn't find her, boss.” Rodrigo told Lucio, his eyes fixed on nothing in particular as it was still baffling to him the speed at which that place was cleared, knowing that if Camilla had someone watching the person must have seen him and this could cause trouble for Lucio and himself.
“What about the police, did you check if the police had her, like I told you?” Lucio asked Rodrigo who lifted his gaze and nodded in reply.
“Shit.” He said, cursing out loud, clapping his hand on the table that was in front of him.
“Where could she be? Who could have taken her?” he asked Rodrigo looking rather furious than inquisitive.
“I don't know boss, but I think Camilla must have done it.” Rodrigo said, his eyes fixed on Lucio’s table.
“What do you mean by that?” Lucio asked peering at Rodrigo intensively.
“I think she planted someone to look out for her incase anything goes wrong.” He replied now looking at Lucio who stared at nothing in particular like one who is lost in thought, as he tried to process what Rodrigo just said to him.
“How do you mean? Did you see anything suspicious?” Lucio asked, raising his brows after a deep thought and after he processed his words.
“Tell me, how else can she and her car disappear without any trace and no one seeing her, not even the police.” Rodrigo replied still peering at Lucio.
“You have to look into it.” Lucio told Rodrigo, as he thought now that he was being fooled by Camilla, and he does not want any surprises.
“I already did boss, that's how I know, it must have been Camilla’s doing and this is a neat job.” Rodrigo told Lucio, who paused his lips as he peered at Rodrigo, feeling rather restless at the new development.
He paced up and down his study in deep thoughts for a while, wonder if Rodrigo’s assumptions are correct, there's no way to find out if she’s dead or alive.
“What about the cctv footage in the area, even the hospitals and mortuary?" Lucio asked Rodrigo abruptly. Rodrigo shrugged his shoulders as he spoke.
“I destroyed the one on the highway near the accident scene before coming here yesterday, so there's no way to find out what happened with her or her car.” Rodrigo answered.
“I checked the ones at the hospitals and mortuary but found nothing.” He continued still shrugging his shoulders.
Lucio gave him a disappointing look, and shook his head frantically.“First Antonio now it’s Camilla, what's the matter with you lately? These are simple tasks, simple tasks Rodrigo.” Lucio told Rodrigo not know how to contain his anger.
“This is my city for Christ's sakes, I run this town and Camilla can't just disappear into thin air without me knowing.” He snapped, sounding more furiously this time and Rodrigo lowered his head in shame, even though he peeked at Lucio from under his lashes.
Rodrigo is right he had never made such mistakes before and that's why he was appointed his right hand man.
“I am sorry for disappointing you like this, boss.” He said, his head still lowered to the floor.
“Camilla can't vanish into thin air just like that, make sure to find her whereabouts, and make sure to do it quietly.” Lucio said to Rodrigo as he walked back to his chair, then sat down heavily and brought out a cigarette and a lighter from his table drawer again, he lit it immediately afterwards and then, started smoking. “Find her because I do not want any surprises, he added authoritatively, peering hard at Rodrigo
“Yes boss.” Rodrigo replied and almost immediately, he left the study, leaving Lucio by himself to wallow in his thought.