(Season 2): GENEVIEVE COLE. E4

Sorry oooooo! Abeg make una no vex!
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To read the previous episode, click The Unknown.

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Episode 4 title: Broken

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I reached the location of where Aunty Bimbo’s elder sister was. Calling her my mother was of no point. She never raised me up but left me to suffer. It was a hotel and I went to the reception and asked after Bimpe. The male receptionist gave me the number and the direction of the room. I got there, room 12. I wanted to knock but held back. What was I going to say or do when I meet her face to face? I have not seen her for the past 18 years. What will be her reaction when she sees me? I knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

I took a deep breath down to my lungs and licked my lips before opening the door. I saw her seated on a blue plastic chair. She smiled at me. Her face remained the same. She was aging graciously. She rose on her feet with the aid of a walking stick. I widened my eyes in surprise but refused to ask what happened.

“How are you Genny Genny? Please sit down.” She offered me a chair positioned opposite her.

I obliged, said nothing and gazed into her eyes.

She wanted to say something but held back. We were both looking at each other without uttering a single word.         

“Can I offer you something to drink?” she finally said something to me after the long silence.

I shook my head as a reply.

“How are you Genny Genny?”

“Fine.”

“I am very sorry for everything that you went through.”

“I am not here to hear your apology,” I said. “I want to know why you left me with your husband. Why did you leave me?”

“You might not believe me, but it’s nothing but the absolute truth.”

“What is the truth?”

“I never planned to leave you that day,” Bimpe said. “Your sister and I had arranged for the three of us to run away that fateful night but we were caught when I was about to wake you up.”

“You were caught by who?”

“Your father.” She replied. “He stopped me from waking you up and noticed the bags on your elder sister’s hand. He knew we were running away. He gave me the options of running with Jennifer alone or he will behead me.”

“He was going to behead you?” I asked stunned.

“Yes and your sister. Genny, I had no choice but to leave.”

“Why didn’t you look for me after you left?” I questioned her. “You should have come back to take me along with you.”

“I came back but this is the reward I got.”

She touched her leg.

“What happened to your leg? Why are you leaping?”

“I came back three months later to check on you in the house. I was stopped close to reaching the house by a police officer who recognized me as your father’s wife. He dragged me into his van and took me to meet your father. He threw me into the cell where they kept four male prisoners. I was raped Genny, those heartless men raped me and your father never said a word, instead he came and laughed at me. He said I deserved what I got. I was beaten with a stick and that was how my leg got affected.” 
She burst out weeping hard.

I could not hold myself from shedding tears, I wiped my face and went to console her. 

Her body was shaking and I understood the pain and fright she must have gone through in the hands of those wicked men that raped her.

“Mother I am sorry! I should not have blamed you. I never knew you , you went through terrible torture in the hands of my wicked father.”

She looked at me and held my face. “I regret leaving you. I should have endured the pain, beatings, maybe he would not have raped you! My daughter you have to forgive me. I am sorry!!”

Then, I knew my aunt told her my animalistic father took advantage of me during my childhood days. What I did not know, if she was aware of how my father died.

“Bimbo told me your father died in his sleep.”

I felt relieved! “Yes..”

“I am so happy he finally left this world without knowing. I made a mistake for getting married to him, he pretended to be a nice and gentle during the time of our courtship. After we became husband and wife, and I gave birth of our first child, he changed.”

“Did he complain about you giving birth to a girl instead of a boy?”

“Yes.” She replied in a teary tone. “He wanted a male child.”

“Why do some men behave like this? Are girls not children? Men who think-having girls are not valuable are nothing but daft and they have no respect for God. He is the maker of everything, he has no right to question you about the sex of the baby.”

“Your father would have beaten me up on the hospital bed when I told him female children are the best. A nurse stopped him and walked him out of the room. I was very lucky, if not maybe I would have been no more and I will not be able to have you has my second child.”

“I think we should stop talking about the man that made our lives a living hell when he was alive. Let’s talk about my elder sister. Where is Jennifer?”

My mother sighed glumly. “Your sister knew I was searching for you but she is unaware that I have seen you. Jenny will be very happy to see you. She cried that night we left you alone. She was sick for two weeks after I was not able to get you back.”

I smiled.

She continued to talk. “But Jenny is having a serious problem right now.”

“What do you mean?” I asked curiously.

“She is married to a man that treats her like a piece of rag. I have no clue why she can’t leave just like I did. She will die if I don’t act fast and take her out from that dump she calls her matrimonial home.” She began to weep.

I was dazed. “But she should understand that, if she does not leave the abusive marriage, things will get worse.” I rubbed my mother’s back mildly and cleaned her face with my right palm. “Does she have children?”

“No.” she answered. “She has been looking for the fruit of the womb ever since she got married.”

“For how long?” I asked.

“Seven years.” she answered. “The problem right now is that she does not want to end up alone. She said if she had only one child she would leave, but as for now, no way!”

“How can I see her?”

“She lives in Imo state.”

“So my sister married omo Igbo.”

My mom gave a low laugh. “I had no power to stop her and besides she’s old enough to know what she wants. I cannot choose for her.”

I thought of Freddie and his son, they were also from the East. “I am not against the tribe but the behavior of her husband.”

“I have tried everything possible to try and persuade your sister but she is very stubborn!”

“I will find time to visit her with you.”

My mother’s face brightened up! “You will do that for me?”

“I will do that for the three of us.” I replied her. “I fight for those who are not even my relatives and I will do the same for my blood sister. I only hope she will listen to me.”

She held her walking stick and managed to stand up. “She might listen to you. Remember she has not seen you for a very long time and that is an advantage.”

I nodded and agreed to travel with her when I am less busy. She asked for a hug and I embraced her and we sat down on the bed.

“What will you eat my daughter?” she asked in a concerned tone.

“I am not hungry at the moment.”

“Please eat something. I am not poor, despite my bad leg it never stopped me from working or having a business.”

“How did you find Aunty Bimbo?”

“This world is really a small place. I have searched and searched for the both of you, you won’t believe we met in a market buying foodstuffs. That was six months ago.”

“You have been in contact with my aunt, your sister six months ago?” I asked in a shocked manner.

“You can’t blame me and Bimbo. She was scared you will hate her for trying to bring the two of us together and I was ashamed of myself. I was also afraid you might discard me as your mother and you will not allow me explain what really happened in the past.”

“I understand now.”

“I would have been able to locate you if I knew you were a detective working at the NIB. But the problem is you changed your surname.”

“I frowned. “That surname reminded me of my father. I had to change it to an English name.”

“Why the name Cole?”

“I wasn’t thinking straight at that time and I was very angry to be called Genevieve Lawal. I saw the name Cole in a novel and I decided to bear it mother.”

She smiled ear to ear as I called her ‘mother’. “I understand my daughter. Can you spend more time with me?”

I rose up and touched her on the shoulders. “I will stay here with you and leave tomorrow.”

She closed her eyes and began to cry. Tears began to fall from her hazy eyes. I tried to console her but more tears came falling. “You won’t understand my daughter, you don’t know how happy I am today. I think this is the best day of my life. I am very proud of you, what you have become today without the help of your ruthless father and me.  You are a very strong woman and my prayer for you now is to meet the right man that will take good care of you and give you the respect that you deserve.”

Quincy Harvey’s name instantly crossed my mind. I beamed. “Thank you.”

I went into the bathroom, called my director, and informed him that I have decided to stay and spend the night with her. He begged me to be careful and take good care of myself.

“Send my regards to your mother!”

“I will.’ I lied.

******

The next day on Sunday, I went back home in the evening and met Quincy seated on a chair at the dining. He was pressing his laptop. He welcomed me with a charming smile and he directed his hand to the chair close to him for me to sit by his side. I joined him. I noticed another laptop on the table.

“I hope you have sorted everything with your mom?” he asked and took his hands off his system.

I nodded before I answered. “Yes we have.”

“And what are her reasons for not coming back for you?”

I replied by saying she came back, but my father saw her, threatened to kill her if she comes close to me. I felt bad that I was lying to him and I could not reveal the truth to him. I was only being careful with my heart. He might reject and judge me for being a killer and a victim of rape.

“Your father was a very heartless man before his demise,” Quincy spoke. “How could he threaten your mother? She was the one that gave birth to you so she has every right to see you. It hurts that I never knew your family and I was not a grown man at that time so I could help your mother.” He beamed blushingly. “Well, it ended this way because you would not have been by my side now and I would have been far older than you.”

I smiled at him. “You always amaze me with your words.”

He took my left hand and squeezed it carefully. “I hope it will continue this way. I want to be the man in your life Genny.”

“But I have told you…”

“You don’t need to explain anything,” Quincy said and released my hand. “I will not tell you to think about it, I will only remind you on the day you will say yes to be my wife, that you are the one that delayed our children.”

I laughed and laughed, tears clutched my eyelids. I wiped my eyes and gazed at him. “I delayed our children?”

“What stops us from making babies now?” he asked as his bright eyes glimmered. “You and I are old enough to have children.”

“I know but I am not ready!”

“No problem but I will surely wait for you.”

I sighed.

“I think you should tell your mother to move in here instead of staying at a hotel.”

“She has travelled and will be back when I need her.”

“Need her?”

“We are planning to go see my elder sister together.”

Quincy  said okay. He took the other laptop and handed it over to me. I stared at him surprised. 

“For what?”

“I noticed you don’t have one,”’ he replied. “I decided to buy for you.”

“But I never asked for it.”

“You don’t need to ask me of anything Genny, I know what to do when it comes to you.”

I carried it from my partner and put it down on the table in front of me. “If I wanted one for my personal use, I would have bought it for myself. I have a desktop on my table at the office, this is not necessary.”

”Well, to me it is my darling.”

“Thank you very much. I will keep it safe.”

“Don’t mention.”

******

My partner and I went to work very early in the morning. We had a short meeting at the conference room. Our boss informed us we were going to have a prominent visitor this week. He thanked all the detectives for their good work and encouraged them to keep working. He gave us the good news that everyone’s allowances have been increased. We were happy and after the meeting, we left to our various offices.

At noon, I went to Quincy’s office. He was speaking on the phone and I waited for him to finish his conversation.

“I came to remind you about the prisoner.” I said to him after he ended the call. “When am I visiting him?”

“The call I just received is from the supervisor of the cell. You can visit him tomorrow afternoon.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t be harsh on him. If he refused to talk, let him be.”

“Okay sir.” I left his office.

*****

Detective Leroy and Oscar went to an eatery together to have lunch. It was Oscar idea for the two of them not to eat at the NIB diner. They ordered for African dishes and one bottle of coke each. The waiter served their food and they began to eat. Oscar had eaten half of his food when he started a conversation with Leroy.

“I am not happy with you detective Leroy.”

Leroy stopped to chew his meat, stared at his colleague and friend. “Have I don’t anything wrong?”

“You know how I feel about Genevieve and you have refused to help me get her.”

Leroy chewed and swallowed his meat. He drank the remaining coke and washed his hands inside a bowl of water on the table. “Who told you I have not spoken to detective Cole about how you feel about her?”

“Did you speak to her about it?”

“Of course I did!”

“That means you did not put more effort for her to say yes.”

“Why are you talking like this?” he asked in a surprised tone. “I have tried my best!”

“But your best is not good enough.”

Leroy grabbed the napkin, wiped his hands and put the bib back on the table. “If it’s because you are going to pay for the meal that gave you the audacity to talk to me in this way, I will pay for my food!”

“I am very sorry detective Leroy.” Oscar apologized. “I didn’t mean to insult you, I am frustrated!”

“What makes you think I can change Cole’s mind about you?”

“Everybody knows you are very close. She respects and listens to you because you are far older than Jasmine and I. if you beg her to say yes to my proposal she will definitely give me a positive answer.”

“I know you love her, I know you have told me several times about it but I don’t have a hold on detective Cole like that. I know she respect me a lot and we consider ourselves family but she is old enough to know what she wants. I cannot force her to do what she does not want.”

“I promise to love and protect her for the rest of my life. I want her so bad that I have been having sleepless nights ever since she moved in with that nonentity of a boss!”

Leroy laughed. “Now I know you are frustrated. For calling that man a nonentity after he made sure our allowances has been raised truly means you want detective Cole has your wife.”

“I don’t care about the allowances but Genevieve. If she was living in your house, I would not have been bothered, I will also move in with my daughter.”

He laughed again. “Even if I speak to her about this, I doubt she will agree.”

“Then it must be because of Quincy Harvey!”

“I don’t think they are romantically involved with each other. They are only partners.”

“You do not live with them,” Oscar said. “I will surely dig into the director. I must make sure I know personal things about him. I want to be able to get dirt on him!”

“And you think that is the solution?” Leroy asked. “I will only advice to put more effort.”

“How?”

“Use Yvonne.”

“I have tried my best to use her but Genny keeps on frustrating me! Sometimes I think she does it on purpose.”

He smiled faintly. “Detective Cole will never, never ever frustrate someone on purpose. Maybe you should forget about her and look for someone else. Detective Jasmine is single and searching.”

“I want only Genevieve and Jasmine has eyes for the director.”

“I suspected but never asked. The director should give her a chance.”

He gave a scornful look. “I doubt that. I believe his eyes are on my woman.”

“Don’t classify her as your woman yet,” Leroy said and rose on his feet. “She is not in a relationship with you.”

“I know but she will. I believe she will say yes to me.  Why are you on your feet? Are you going without me?”

“No.” he replied. “I want to get a bottle of beer to drink.”

*****

At 5:15pm, I saw Jasmine heading towards where I was standing outside. I was waiting for Quincy by the side of his car for us to come home. I took my phone from my handbag and pretended to answer a call and spoke on it as if I was actually talking to somebody. She came to stand in front of me and waited. I had no choice but to end the false conversation.

“Are you going home now?” she asked.

“Very soon.” I replied with a faint smile on my lips. “What about you?”

“I am leaving soon but I came to find out how far with you convincing the boss to consider me his girlfriend.”

“I have tried my best to convince him but he said he is not interested in a relationship. I am the wrong person to do that.”

Her facial expression changed into a frowned one. “So you can’t help?”

I was not comfortable with her tone. “If it’s something I am capable of doing, I will help. I am human without having supernatural power over a man that I barely know. He is my boss and partner.”

“Is he not your friend?”

“Of course he is my friend. He gave me a roof over my head when I needed one.”

“So that is what you will say?”

“Jasmine what do you want me to say?” I queried her. “Should I lie to you that he wants to have an affair with you? Will you be okay with that?”

She focused her gaze on me and eyed me from head to toe. Quincy came to meet us.

“How are you Jasmine?” he asked.

She turned her direction at him and smiled broadly. “I am doing okay and you?”

“I’m good.” He said and looked at me. “Get into the car, let’s go home.”

“Take care.” I said to my colleague, she snubbed me by walking away. I entered the vehicle.

“Is everything alright with you and Jasmine?” he asked after he turned on his ignition.

“Yes.”

"If you say so." He played the CD player in his car. ‘Drunk in love’ by Beyoncé played. “This song is for you.”

A smile glimmered on my lips.

*****

The next day, at 12:15pm, on my way to leave the NIB premises with my own car, detective Akin ran towards my direction. I was confused and asked what the matter was.

“I did not know you were leaving now,” he said. “I have something about the prisoner Julius.”

“What do you have?”

“The boss is unaware I did some findings about the personal life of the prisoner. Quincy Harvey did not give me the permission to do that, I only want to help you.”

“I won’t tell him,” I said. “What did you find?”

“You can use the information to get what you want from him. His aged mother is very sick and she is currently at a central hospital battling for her life. No help from anyone to pay her bills and the hospital might discharge her very soon.”

“Like how much does the mother want?” I asked.

“I heard is two hundred and twenty thousand naira.”

I sighed. “That is a lot of money but I can raise that with the help of an aunt of mine. I have savings too so I can pay the bills. Let me go and question him. I know what to do. Thank you very much detective Akin. You once told me we don’t have to be partners for us to work together. You sounded like a prophet and now it is happening. Thank you once again for all your efforts.”

“I am only doing my job.”

“But what you have done has nothing to do with your job.”

“Let’s just say I only want to help unravel the mystery behind the death of the former director of the NIB here. I heard you two were very close.”

“I smiled at him. “He was like a father to me. I should be going.”

“Okay ma.” Akin said. “Drive carefully.”

“Thanks!” 

We shook hands and I hopped into my vehicle and zoomed off. I arrived at my destination, met with the prison supervisor and he took me to a small room with a table and two chairs. I waited for a minute before Julius came with one of the prison guard. The guard left us alone.

Julius recognized me and glared at me with a stunned facial appearance. I slapped him hard the day he confessed; he was the armed robber and shooter. He was dark skinned and a slender man. The handcuffs were still round his wrists. 

“Please sit down.”

He sat down and balanced his hands on the table. 

“Are you here to slap me one more time?”

I forced myself not to laugh, I was here for something important. “I am here to rescue you.”

His left eyebrow rose. “Rescue me? What does that even mean?”

“This is between you and I. I want to help you because I know you are innocent.”

He looked at me expressionless. His lips were sealed.

“Please say something. I want to know the truth.”

“You already know the truth, I killed that man.”

“There was no record of your arrest in the past, it tells me this is the first time someone told you to do something.”

“There is nothing more for you to know. I robbed your former boss and killed him.”

“You killed a man without ransacking his house for valuables? Armed robbers don’t do that.”

“Well, consider me the first to that!”

“Julius you might be protecting the master minder behind Freddie Arinze’s death but he did not fulfill his wish.”

“Wish?” he asked in a puzzled tone. “What do you mean?”

“Whoever you are covering up for must have promised to take good care of your mother, right?”

“Continue.” he said.

“Your mother is on the hospital bed battling for her life. Doctors have neglected her condition and she will die if her bills are not paid soon.”

“You are lying!” Julius barked at me. “My mother is no longer sick!”

“Whoever gave you that report, lied to you. Your mom is still sick.”

“I don’t believe you!”

“I will never lie to you. I am ready to help if you give me what I want, the truth.”

I saw how his eyes changed into a sad one.

“Can you testify in court that you are not a murderer and you know who killed Arinze.”

Julius sniffed his nose and peered into my eyes. “I will find out the truth myself! I have nothing to tell you.” He stood up.

“You are still young,” I said and rose on my feet. “You have a choice to be free. Let me help you, please.”

“I want to go back to the cell,” he said. “Whenever I want to see you, I will ask the supervisor to let you know.”

“Does that mean you want to help?”

“I want to know the truth first.”

“But I have told you what your mother is passing through.”

“I can never believe you. Leave me alone!!!” A female warden ran inside to ask what the matter was.

“You can take him away.” I said and moved towards him. “When you find out the truth, do not forget to tell your supervisor to contact me.”

He whispered nothing.

******

I reached the office and narrated word for word to Quincy.

“How did you know about his mother’s health?”

“I investigated about Julius personal life.”

“He believes his mother is no longer sick because that is what the actual killer told him. The earlier he finds out the truth soon, the better for you and I to end this case and put the scum into prison for the rest of his life. And has for the traitor, I will make sure he or she pays!!”

I sat down. “I think I know why you don’t want to go into a relationship with Jasmine.”

“Really?”

“Yes. You don’t want to have an affair with her because you think she might be the traitor.”

“She is a suspect.”

“What if she’s was not a suspect? Would you have dated her?”

Quincy replied quickly. “No! I'm not attracted to her, period!"

“What if I was a suspect?” I asked. “Would you have professed your love to me?”

He tightened his face. “I don’t know because I have never thought of it. The only thing I know is that it will hurt me deeply.”

I got up. “I should be in my office.”

“See you later Genny.”

He watched me with his adoring eyes as I left his office.

******

Before my boss and I went home, Akin informed us that Oscar did not go to anywhere. I told him to keep an eye on him following day. I went home exhausted. Quincy volunteered to make dinner. He gave me a cup of  hot tea and left me in my room.

After he finished cooking boiled plantain, yam and fresh fish pepper soup, he served the both of us and we ate in my room. We chatted as we ate. My partner told me jokes to make me laugh. I was very happy to be around him. I slept off, woke up the next morning, and saw him on the long sofa in my room.

He opened his eyes and smiled. “I had to watch you sleep.”

“You should have slept on the bed with me.”

“You gave me no permission to do that.”

I smiled. “Good morning.”

“Good morning beautiful.”

He left the room. The both of us got ready to go to work. We decided not to eat breakfast but eat during lunchtime. We entered into his car when his phone rang. He answered and spoke for few seconds when he exclaimed in shock.

“What!!! Are you serious?!” he said and listened to the caller. He spoke. “This is really sad news. I appreciate the call.” He hung up.

“What happened?” I asked anxiously.

Quincy stared at me with a gloomy look.  “I don’t have good news.”

“Please what is it?”

“Julius is dead. He was stabbed to death by one of his cell mate at midnight.”

******

To be continued….. on Saturday. 8pm!