Linda
” I murdered Jennifer?” My dad asked.
” I saw you! She threatened to cut you out of her will and the next day she was dead!”
I whirled around and bumped into Victoria.From the ashen look on her face she must have heard the whole conversion. She turned around and ran up the stairs. I followed her up the stairs and knocked on her door. I could hear her crying, i pushed the door and entered the room. I sat down next to her on the bed while she scooted further from me.
” Vick I am sorry you heard that. That wasn’t the way i planned on telling you ” .
” You are both the same! You are both murderers”
” Please hear me out little sis”
” I am not your sister! and i am glad now that i am in no way related to you!”
” What are you saying? you are my sister! I know you are angry with me now…..”
” He poisoned my food! why? what is my crime? ” she cried out.
” What?” I was stunned.” What are you saying?”
‘ Few minutes ago i dished my food but i lost my appetite and i took it out for the dogs” she sniffed back tears.” Tara and Tania are both dead now”
I gasped. ” Oh my God! they…..they are both dead?” I stood up.” Why would he want you dead?”
” Because i am not his child!”
I sat immobile while she relayed everything to me, i couldn’t help the tears drifting down my cheeks.
” Are you certain about the result?” I asked when she was done.” I remember Mom being sick a lot and when she told me i was going to have a baby sister i thought she was pregnant besides i was only a child then ” i said.
” Yes i am certain about the DNA result and i guess he found out somehow and that was why he tried to poison me” She shivered.
” I am sorry for all i have done to you Victoria and you will always be my sister. I was jealous of the love and attention they showered on you as a child. I felt neglected and i was bitter because i knew my mother’ s murderer yet i didn’t do anything about it.”
” You shouldn’t have confronted him that way! What do we do Linda?” She asked in fear.
” Grab a few clothes. We will go to the Adediwuras”
” They don’t want to see you Linda”.
” I know but they will take you in and there’s something i think you should know but i will tell you on the way”.
I helped her pack a few clothes and we went into my room while i also took few clothes and we stole out of the house. On the way i stopped the car and prayed she will understand what i was about to tell her.
” Vicky there’s something else that i didn’t tell you “.
She looked so vulnerable and scared that i felt a tug on my heart.
” I am listening ” she replied quietly.
” I……i was behind your abduction ” i gave her a quick glance to gauge her reaction but she looked so still and i let out a weary sigh.” I had my reasons and i did it in our interest.”
” OK”
” I found our mom’ s diary. Several pages was torn out, but in her last entry she wrote that she had called her lawyers on that night she died and she had gone to change the content of her will. I was to be given all the properties after my wedding. She only left the Lagos branch to dad as his punishment. ”
” What did he do?”
” That i don’t know but she felt betrayed by him” i replied.
” So why was i abducted?”
” Dad doesn’t know this. He assumed everything was his after her death and he never contacted the lawyers and they also didn’t contact him because of her instruction” i said, ” Unknown to me, they kept a tab on me all these years, waiting for me to come of age before contacting me and we arranged for a meeting at Abuja. I didn’t want to arouse dad’s suspicion so i lied that i was meeting with some potential clients and i didn’t know if i could trust you with all these so….”
” So you had me abducted ” she finished for me. ” If you are getting all the properties, why were you fighting for the Lagos branch?”
” I wanted to beat him at his game! he doesn’t deserve to get a pin out of her properties!”
” Is that why you were keen on marrying Kelvin? why him? Why not anyone else?”
” I know dad will want to contest the will and Chief Adediwura being a greedy man will give me the back up i need as his daughter_in law” I explained, ” Secondly, that is the only way i could get him to sign over the Lagos branch to me which he has already done”
” In all of these you thought of only yourself and how it will benefit you. ” she said, ” You didn’t give a thought to how emotional stressed i would be before you ordered me abducted. You never even spared a thought for the poor innocent guy you want to drag to the altar! neither did you spared a moment’ s thought for Poor Tomi! how are you different from dad?” She spat out. ” Do you know how many tortures you have put Auntie Maggie through? even asking her to lie that she ordered Tomi to be arrested just to make you look like a saint before everyone else!”.
” I know i am a terrible person! I know! but i was doing it for us! you and I”.
” You and that Onyinye you make me sick. I don’t think i will ever forgive you both for Tomi’ s death! You pushed her into getting on that bus! never will i forgive the both of you!”
” I regret it Vicky. Believe me i do! i was doing it for us” i cried, my cheeks was drenched with my tears.” I am not asking for your forgiveness, no i am not that heartless. I don’t expect you to forgive me despite all that i have done. I am only asking you to understand.”
She nodded. ” Can we go now?”
I drove down to Kelvin’ s house. Fortunately, his parents had gone back to their place and the only person with him was Tosin. We met him in the living room watching a football match, he stood up and helped us with the bags, he pulled Vicky to his side protectively.
” Linda i don’t think Kelvin want you here” he said.
” I know”
” Tell him Linda. Tell him everything you told me” i heard my sister say. ” He’s a good guy. Trust him”
We sat down and i poured it all out to him. By the time i finished he had a tight expression on his face and his hands were knotted in a fist. I looked up to see Kelvin staring at me intently. He looked like a man inflicted with madness, his beards and hair was shaggy, his eyes were puffy and red and he looked starved. I silently went on my knees, begging his forgiveness. I was selfish and i thought of only myself. I let Onyinye fuel and feed my anger and it grew into hatred. He kept staring at me, his eyes boring holes into me.
” You can’t go back there” Tosin spoke out.” You should both stay here while we figure out what to do”.
” I couldn’t save Tomi’ s life and even though i hold you responsible for her death, i will stand before a preacher and give you my last name and protection.” Kelvin said solemnly, ” After that you are on your own” He walked back the stairs.
I stood up and picked up my bag.
” What are you doing?” Vicky cried.” Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
” I will stay in a hotel tonight and i will go back home tomorrow. ” i said, ” He doesn’t see me as a threat yet because he didn’t read her last diary entry. I only become a threat when he finds out that he won’t be getting anything and he had foolishly signed off his only inheritance to me”.
I walked out of the house into the darkness.
TBC
To be Continued..
