Chapter 23: Secretary Sandra Amos
Chapter 23: Secretary Sandra Amos
When Jason had wanted a reliable secretary, and had advertised for it and alot of people had applied.
Yound and old alike but he had felt that Sandra would be just well. So he had chosen her and anyway,
she had not disappointed him during the interview and all through the years, he had had no cause to
regret his decision.
She had really served him. When her husband had died about five years ago, he had taken it upon
himself to foot the bills for his burial. Jason had considered it the least that he could do for such a loyal
and dedicated member of his staff.
Their relationship had become even closer since then. That was where he had come to know about her
daughter and who had come with her husband and two sons.
Mrs. Amos had buried herself in her work, not wanting to dwell over much on the death of her husband.
She had loved her husband so much that if not for the demands of her job, his loss would have taken a
great toll on her.
Her job had become her solace and Jason's friendship and support had gone a long way to helping her
recover or so Jason had thought be ause how could Mrs. Amos have a medical condition and not tell
him about it, when he thought they were almost family and had assumed that she had taken him as her
so ?
She was a strong woman and could not have died suddenly like that. Anyways, the post mortem results
would soon be out and he would know for sure.
He found Suzanna's number for that was her daughter's name and called.
'Hello, mum?' she answered on the other end of the line.
Jason was never one to back down from a task but the death of Sandra his secretary had affected him
in more ways than one and he could just imagine how it must affect her daughter when she came to
know that her mother was no more.
'Hello? Mum are you alright? Why aren't you speaking? I am grateful, you eventually called because I
tried to speak to you last night but you wouldn't pick your phone. I thought it was unusual but then I
considered the fact that you must be tired and had gone off to bed exhausted. You do not take care of
yourself at all. You over exert yourself. But thank goodness you have eventually called. I was so
worried'.
'Suzanna, your mother is no more'. Jason said, trying to sound matter of fact.
'Mr. Campbell, is that you? How is mother?' Then what Jason had said sank and she said in a
deceptively cool emotionless voice, 'Sorry, what did you say?'
Jason knew that she had heard him perfectly and kept quiet but said after a while.
'I'm sorry, Suzanne'.
'You mean, mum is no more, as in dead?'
'I'm afraid so. I didn't see her yesterday. We tried contacting her but couldn't reach her. I was busy
yesterday, else I could have visited . So when I got yo the office this morning and she still didn't report
for work, I knew I had to visit to find out what the problem was. I broke into the apartment and found her
dead as though she had been struggling for breath. Did she have a health problem I do not know of?'
he asked still perplexed.
'I do not know. She does not like us being too bothered about her. So most times she keeps her
problems to herself but I cannot believe she is gone.She had looked so strong the last time we saw. I
should have paid more attention to her,maybe then, I would have discerned that she was not really
fine', Suzanne sobbed on the phone heartbroken.
Jason understood her feelings. He had been wondering why he had not gone yesterday to find out why
Sandra had not come to work. Just maybe he would seen her in her condition and rushed her off to the
hospital and hence saved her life.He had been too preoccupied with his own problems. Damn!
'Suzanne, you do not have to blame yourself you know. You could not have known and you did all you
could to be a good daughter to your mother. We are all witnesses to that. Get a hold on yourself and
get over here so that you can know what to do about her corpse'.
'Where is it at the moment?'
'It will be transferred to the morgue as soon as the post mortem has been conducted'.
Suzanne nodded but realising that he could not possibly see her, said simply, 'Okay. I will be down
there soon'. And rang off before he could say any other thing. She was overcomed with grief and
needed sometime to herself to
express her grief. The tears flowed uninhibited.
As Jason put the phone down, he was list in thought. He wondered if he had done the right thing to tell
her the news on the phone. Maybe he could just have asked her to come over because her mother was
ill and then tell her in person. He hoped she was not going to do anything stupid. Suzanne was a
sensible girl and she knew that her husband and two sons needed her, so she was not going to harm
herself in any way. Jason felt that both for her husband and sons, she was alone in the world. She was
now an orphan and felt a pang of regret again because he felt that he would possibly have been able to
save Sandra had he got to her earlier.
This led him to remember Nancy and his promise to give her a job. He was going to ignore that
because of the guilt he was already having in his heart concerning Sandra Amos but he felt that since
he could do something about Nancy, he had better fo it and not regret that later as well. He was sorry
Sandra was no more but he could do nothing to bring her back bit to help see that she gets an
honourable burial.
Jason asked the men who had come with him to go back to the office but that he would soon join them
there. He paid for the cab that drove them back to the office.And went to where he had left Nancy, the
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