The Bodyguard ✔

Chapter Twenty-One

My mouth slightly parts as I stare at the computer screen in disbelief.

Frank lied to me. He said he was sitting in the living room when I stormed out. What does he want to hide? I rewatch the clip. The door opens, I run outside, my dad's BMW pulls over with Frank behind the wheel and I run into the woods.

Frank almost immediately jumps out of the car and rushes inside the house. A couple of seconds later, he runs back outside in the direction I went. He's holding something in his hands, but the recording is too blurry to make out what. It must be a flash light. Or a gun.

No, Frank doesn't have a gun. My dad wouldn't approve that and besides, I would've noticed that by now.

Don't be so naive, Elle. What bodyguard doesn't have a gun? And why would he hide it?

He's not hiding anything. The only thing I have, proving he has a gun, is this blurry image of something in his hands. It could be a hundred different things.

Maybe he hid it in this office...

I hesitate. It's not like I really believe he has a weapon without telling me about it or intentionally keeping it from me, but if he's really hiding something, it could be in this study. Afterall, he has spend some time in here.

I open the drawers of the mahogany desk, but I only find documents belonging to my dad. Until I reach the last one.

It's locked.

My dad never locked up his drawers. I know, because as a kid, I spent some time in here, pretending to be a judge in a courtroom. And only a couple of weeks ago, when my dad was still home, I searched his study and opened all drawers in order to find ink for the printer. I swear the last drawer was unlocked.

I start pacing up and down the room. The key can't be far away, right? I search between books and bookcases, but I can't find it. The desk is covered with papers and blue files. I search underneath them and find a peculiar file. It has a yellow color and exists of a cheaper kind of material than the blue ones my dad usually uses. It has to be Frank's property.

A quick look inside doesn't harm anyone, does it?

My curiosity takes over. I open it and I find different kind of documents: application forms, a map, inquiry forms... Hmm.. Why would Frank keep stuff like this? Something slides from in between the papers and falls onto the ground. I bend over to pick it up and take a look at it.

What in the world...

It's a picture of Lucas. It seems to be taken for his yearbook.

I don't understand, why would this be inside one of Frank's files?

I investigate the other documents with more concentration. Now I understand what they have in common. They all have something to do with Lucas: his application form for the university's swim club, a list with his grades from the past five years, a list of library books and his address...

Well, well. I knew I hadn't told Frank where Lucas lived when he drove to the party. But why would Frank go to all this trouble, collecting information about Lucas?

I keep investigating the file until I find even more pictures. These ones are taken without Lucas knowing it: he's talking with someone, but I can't see who, because his back is faced to the camera. The unknown person has a tattoo in the back of his neck. Chinese symbols, I think. The overall picture looks like one you see in spy-movies. But Frank isn't spying on Lucas, that's ridiculous. Why would he?

I stare at nothing in particular while I try to make sense out of this. First of all, who could've taken these pictures? It has to be done by Frank, by someone else for Frank or someone who has nothing to do with Frank. But why would he keep a file on Lucas?

I can't answer that question right now.

But now I know for sure:

Frank has secrets.