Maggie
I watched the officers walk out of the room with Linda. My heart was palpitating so fast, i was afraid someone was going to see through my guise and scream ‘ murderer’ at my face. It wasn’t supposed to go down that way. I have just shot my self in the leg! I wasted my youthful days scrubbing after and taking care of a child that wasn’t mine. A child whose mother had cruelly snatched my own child from me immediately after birth. She had threatened to make my life hell if i ever come back to her house. I had gone on my knees to beg Jenny to at least allow me nurse my daughter but she had refused. Despite all she had done to me i remained loyal to them over the years until the last straw which broke the proverbial camel’ s back. I found her diary. Jennifer’ s diary. I didn’t think anything of it, i kept it back but one day out of boredom i picked it up again and the content of her diary made me realize that i had to act fast. I didn’t want my darling daughter, Victoria, to lose in two ways.
Jennifer had callously willed everything to Linda and the only thing Joseph had a right to was the company which he had foolishly signed off to Linda. I knew that once that crazy biitch had everything in her hands she would cut us all off and my poor child and i would find ourselves tossed out by our ears on the street. I decided to act fast so i got something which i mixed into the food i believed Linda had dished out. I had gone upstairs into my room and by the time i got back downstairs the gate man had informed me of the dogs death. He had also told me that it was the food which Victoria gave them that killed them. I couldn’t risk poisoning my own daughter again so i choose another tactic which had also backfired all because of that miserable Linda! I will make sure she rots in jail and by the time she sees the sky with her eyes again there won’t be anything left for her.
I picked up my phone as i let the tears flow freely out of my eyes. My joe was gone and it was all my fault. Since i couldn’t kill Linda i had gone to contact some professionals to help me. I picked up my phone and dialed the number saved as ‘ Agent’. He picked up on the third ring.
” You have destroyed me! Is that what i asked you to do?” I said, crying.
” Madam calm down” Agent replied.
” You killed my fiancé instead!” I wailed. ” I asked you to hit the groom! The groom! Oh my God! what have i done?” I wailed.” How could your boys make such a mistake after i gave you a picture of the groom!”
” Madam Maggie calm down and listen to me! Yes, you asked us to take down your niece’ s groom. We are professionals so we don’t do slobbery jobs and i assured you that our agents will never breathe out your name if peradventure they get caught which has never happened before.” The agent said impatiently.
” What nonesense are you saying? Haven’t you seen the news? Your man gunned down my fiancé! You have ruined me! My life and my years of hard work! Where do i start from?” I shouted.
” If only you would listen to me for just a second! Your man was gunned down before my staff got there! we will refund your money back to you since someone else has done the job!”
” What? You……you mean someone else killed him?” I asked, ” Hello, hello” I screamed but he had disconnected. ” You mean your staff didn’t make it to the church?” I said in wonder.
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Onyinye
I paced up and down my living room, scratching my head in frustration. Why couldn’t people take simple instructions? Why had they chosen to complicate my life when all i wanted was to get some money for my mother’ s hospital bills. Linda. It was all her fault. My hatred for Linda began some few months back when i begged her to loan me some money. I could still vividly remember that day, i went to see her at her office.
” Hi babes” Linda said, looking up from the file in her hand.” What brings you here?”
I sat down ” What do you mean what brought me here? Can’t i say hello to my friend anymore?”
She laughed.” Onyinye i know you…..you want something. See, if it’s money. Forget it, I don’t have any to give you.
” Linda, my mother is critically sick and she needs the sum of five hundred thousand naira for operation.” I said, ” I will pay you back before the week runs out.”
” Don’t tell me you don’t have five hundred thousand naira in your account! Unbelievable!. Anyway, i have a meeting to attend in thirty minutes time.”
” You didn’t even ask how my mother is faring. I thought you are my friend” I said.
” You said it yourself. You said she’s ‘ critically’ ill, that says how she’s doing.” She replied.
” You are wicked! You are very heartless!” I exclaimed. ” How could you be so unfeeling? do you think that you are better than i am? Just because you were privileged to be born with a silver spoon?”
” Onyinye if i were you i wouldn’t get on my high horse in such a hurry! How many times have i heard that line ‘ I promise to pay at the end of the week?’ Where is the 1 million naira you loaned from me for a supposed business? where is the supposed business you wanted to start? I am not microfinance bank! did i not offer you a job so you can stop pesting on me? She said condescendingly. ” You would rather spread your legs like butter for old men to eat or pest off on me! Sorry i don’t have five hundred thousand naira to throw away!”
I stood up in anger.” You are not a good friend! One doesn’t need enemies with friends like you Linda. If you can’t help me just say you won’t, there was no need to add insults to it! ”
” On your way out please grab some condoms because i’ m sure you’ll need it” she laughed.” I will say some prayer for your poor pvussy.”
I sighed heavily and sat down on my sofa. My door opened and the fool who couldn’t take simple instructions entered. I lept up on seeing, my claws and fangs were out, ready to draw blood.
” You fool! Is that what i asked you to do? I asked you to send your boys to kidnap her so we could demand for Ransome and you went to kill her father! ” I shouted, I wondered why i had taken the fool as lover, he was so dense, the only things he was good at was f* ucking and killing.
” OYi…….” He started in a placating tone.” Nwa baby”
” Shut up! Shut the f* uck up! don’t you see what you have done? you have just managed to complicate my life! how could you let such a simple thing go awry? I was going to lead her outside and you and your boys will show up and threaten to kill her, force her into a car and take her away! Then we demand for hundred million naira! we split the money fifty_ fifty and everyone is happy!” I shouted.
” I don’t know what you are talking about. I only came to apologize that we couldn’t make it. We got hint of a very tight deal and we went to bust that one instead. I came here so we could restrategize on how to abduct your friend”.
” Oh lord! So you mean you didn’t even make it to the church premises?” I asked, wondering who had gunned down Mr. Joseph Nwosu.
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Kelvin
I parked my car while Tomi walked outside, from the police station. she got into the car and kissed my lips. She sighed and pushed back her seat to rest her spine. She looked so weary, and i wanted to get her to a bed as soon as possible so she could have some decent sleep. The excitement of the day must have gotten to her. I wondered briefly if she was coming down with something because she had been so pale and she hadn’t been her usual energetic self.
” Have you found Kelly?” She asked quietly.
” No dear. We have notified the authorities, it has been such a long day for us all.” I replied, navigating my way through the street.
” How’s Tosin and his mother holding up? ”
” They are both worried sick. I don’t even want to think what that poor child is going through now.”
” I pray she’s found safe and sound.” She replied in a sad tone.
” How’s Linda?” I asked.
” She’s still strong. She was detained. For now she’s a suspect so they are treating her as such, her lawyer came and they spoke in private. He reassured me that she will be out in no time. ”
” Tosin’ s father is also a prime suspect ” I said
” Why?”
” It is a long story, love ”
She was silent and suddenly she burst into tears.
” Tomi, what’s wrong? Talk to me love”
” I am pregnant ” she replied.
” Oh my love. That is the most pleasant news i have heard today”
I pulled her into my arms while she continued sobbing.
To be continued..
