(Season 1): DEEP! Episode 7

Sorry for posting this today. To read the previous episode, click here
*****

Adebiyi looked for his phone where he sat down. He saw it, grabbed his mobile and called the number of the agent. His face collapsed. “I can’t believe his number is switched off by this time. What do we do now?” He shoved the phone inside his pocket.

“We have to wait tomorrow and go to his office.” Tiwa said.

“How I wished I knew his home address, I would have driven there.”

“This night?” Tiwa asked surprised. It wasn’t going to change anything.

“Of course! You said the heart-taker is enraged and I believe he might go after another girl tomorrow. Do you want a fifth victim?”

“No! However, that does not mean he will kill the next day. He has to observe the next victim before killing. It might take three to four days or even weeks to monitor the movement of the Hausa girl he will take out next. I want the names of all the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba models. There must be a reason or reasons he is going after these particular tribes.”

“I won’t be able to sleep tonight.”

“I still have the drugs that can put you to sleep.” Popoola said.

An enormous frown wrinkled his forehead. His heartbeat increased at the thought of the danger he sensed was coming eventually. He glimpsed at Tiwa and saw how disturbed she was. He began to feel a little regret of bringing a woman into the case. He would have listened to his friend and never brought her into it. The fact that he wanted to hurt her physically was beginning to disappear from his mind. He wasn’t supposed to have thought of hurting a woman who defended a little boy. He was not a violent man but a man of peace. He heaved a loud sigh and looked at his longtime friend. “It won’t be useful.”

“Don’t do it tonight, it will not solve anything.”

“Leave me alone.” He said, stepping away and heading towards his office.

Tiwa felt light inside her body. It seemed as if something had drained from her. The man she thought had a heart of stone appeared to be softhearted and actually kind. She was wrong. The way he was taking the loss of the girls meant he was a very caring human being.

I don’t hate you anymore, Tiwa said silently as she observed his facial worrisome appearance. She was beginning to feel she misunderstood the kind of person he really was and thought of getting closer to him just like her mother suggested. Still, she was determined to unravel the murder case and dig into the source of his wealth. She didn’t trust him yet. She couldn’t take her eyes off Adebiyi until he was nowhere in sight. She faced Popoola. “You said don’t do it? What will he do tonight?”

Popoola cleared his throat and dipped his hands into his trousers pocket. He sighed lightly. “He will get himself drunk tonight.”

Her face fell. “That won't solve anything.”

“You were here when I told him the same thing.” He said, went to the living room and sat down.

She joined him. “I know Adebiyi and I are not really in good terms but I am ready to work with him without fighting. You should tell him.”

He raised his left eyebrow and looked at her. “You and I don’t need to tell him that. Just show him. I know he has his bad sides but his good deeds covers up for that. He needs affection and he is a lonely man and I assure you that if that man falls in love with a woman, he would do anything to protect her but I don’t even want that for him.”

“Why?”

“Because he won’t be able to handle a heart-break,” he replied. “I love my friend and I want the best for him. There were times when I was scared he would fall helplessly with one of his numerous girlfriends but it didn’t happen. I was happy, those women might like him, but one thing I also know is that they love his money.”

She shrugged and clasped her hands together. She lowered her voice. “He must have worked hard abroad to be every rich in a short period.”

Popoola smiled. “Let’s just say he was lucky.”

They heard the sound of the gate opened and heard someone’s footsteps.

“Is the gate not locked?” Tiwa asked in a surprised tone.

He rose and moved towards the door. “Have you forgotten Mimi served us lunch and dinner today? The chef said his mother is sick and Adebiyi gave him permission to see her.”

“Oh, I thought he was back.” She dimmed her eyes, looked around her and spoke. “I didn’t see Donald today.”

A knock came on the door, Popoola requested for a name. It was Asante. He unlocked the door and opened it. The cook entered, greeted them and left to report to his boss.

“Donald went out but he is not yet back.” He answered her and sat down on the sofa opposite her.

“He didn’t say where he was going to?”

He gave her a look she could not describe. “Donald has the right to his privacy. That guy is old enough to have a family.”

“What does that mean?”

“That whatever you are thinking is wrong. He doesn’t look like someone that can kill. The fact that you don’t like the way he looks at you does not make him a suspect. He has been working here for a long time and I have never suspected him of any wrong activities. Look elsewhere for your killer.”

“My killer?”

“I’m sorry.” He said with concern. “I meant ‘the’ killer.”

“If we were living with the heart-attacker, he won’t come after us. None of us is classified to be his prey. I believe you are protective of the workers here and I know I might be wrong for suspecting him but one of these days, I would confront him if I ever catch him staring at me in an uncomfortable way.”

“You can do whatever you like but don’t categorize him as a suspect.”

“I won’t anymore.”

It didn’t take long before Donald arrived. Popoola was the one that opened the door for him. He saluted Popoola, and looked at Tiwa. “Good evening ma.”

“Welcome Donald. How was your day?”

He took his eyes away and stared on the floor. “Fine, good night ma.” He quickly said and swiftly hiked away.

Is that fear or agitation? She asked herself. She wondered why he behaved the way he did. She decided to take it off her mind after she saw Popoola looking at her sarcastically. She burst out laughing. “That face makes you look funny.”

He laughed too and informed her he was tired and ready to hit the bed. They bid each other goodnight.

******

Adebiyi had just finished a glass of red label, when Tiwa joined him. She was holding a highball glass and poured herself some whiskey.

He gazed at her astounded. “What do you think you are doing?”

She sat beside him on his couch. This was the first time they were sitting close to each other in the house.

“Drink myself to stupor.” She replied.

“Please go to bed. You have to wake up early. We will be going to the agent’s office first thing tomorrow morning.”

“I know but you should go to bed too so that you will be able to rise up on time.”

“I will stay awake.”

She tasted a little whiskey, and set the glass on the stool beside her. She pressed her lips together and glared at him. “Is this a way to punish yourself?” He didn’t answer her. She speedily seized his cup as he was about to take another mouthful of alcohol.

Adebiyi was stunned and his eyes flashed with an incredible anger.  “Give it back to me!” He barked at her.

“I will not exchange words with you because it will take us to nowhere.” She dropped it aside and looked directly into his furious eyes. “What if Mr. Monday does not release the list to us. What are we going to do?”

The eyes he saw staring back at him made him to look another way. He rubbed his knees gently and sniffed. “I don’t know.”

“I was thinking deeply before I came to meet you.” Tiwa said. “Few persons are aware you and I are after the heart-taker. He must have gotten the information from one of us. Apart from me and you, my father, mom, Mr. Popoola and the agent knows we are working on the case. You and I are partners on this. The three of us were at home today and there is no way my mother, father, the agent or your friend is the killer.”

He swiftly looked at her with a surprised mien. “Don’t tell me there was a time you thought Popoola was a suspect.”

“Not really. All I am saying is that, the killer must have gotten the information from one of us.”

“Don’t you think Mr. Monday must have discussed it with his secretary? She could be connected to the killer after all she’s not a model.”

“Let’s not conclude on that but I will speak with her about it.”

He relaxed his back and appeared to be calm, talking to Tiwa. “The victim’s families also know we are investigating the case.”

“The ruthless heart-taker doesn’t know these families personally. He goes after his targets, the models. I doubt they must have spoken to any man about it during this period. They are mourning their loved ones."

“Except Mrs. Aisha.”

She smiled at him.

It surprised him. Tiwa spoke, “You have not forgotten about how unaffected she displayed at the loss of her daughter. I doubt she was there for Mariam when she was alive. You are correct, money is not everything. I think you should forget about….” She paused and peered into his deep eyes. The smile disappeared. “Does she remind you of someone?”

Adebiyi made a face. “Someone?” He asked in a confused tone.

“Yes. You can talk to me. We are partners.”

“There is absolutely nothing to talk to you about.” He said and stood up. “I am feeling sleepy already.”

“Sleepy or you are trying to escape.”

“Escape from what?!” 

“The truth,” she said and rose on her feet. “You have to let go of what you could not have stopped. I know you might have thought of stopping your father from going out that day. I know what your mother did to him and what….”

He pointed at her and enthused towards her infuriated! The way his body stimulated, she shivered but wasn’t afraid of what he would likely do. “Don’t you dare mention her! You must be out of your damn mind! How dare you Tiwa!! Who gave you the right to mention my parents?!”

“You have to let go of the past. I know you haven’t forgiven her for what she did. You must have blamed her for making your father helpless and drove him to kill…”

“Shut up!!! How could Popoola tell you my story?! He was the only one I told about what truly happened. Everyone thought it was an accident! How could he involve a third party? A stranger!”

She suddenly felt bad for calling her a stranger, and quite sad he was mad at her. She didn’t understand why she was having such feeling. If it was before, it was a pleasure seeing him in a fuming attitude but she felt different now. She swallowed a big lump. “We can be friends and I am only trying to help.”

“Trying to help or mock me! I thought Popoola was my friend.”

“He loves you.”

“Christ!! I thought I could trust him and I was beginning to like you. I thought you were different from the others but you are all the same!!”

“I am different!! I am sorry!”

“You are selfish. You want to know everything about everyone around you and use it against them! It was supposed to be our secret, my secret! Are you going to tell the press it wasn’t an accident? To bring shame upon my father's name? Is that what you really want?”

“Oh my God! Do you really think of me that way? I can never do such a thing! What do you really take me for?”

“A nosy ingrate and an incompetent woman,” He said, stepping away. “I don’t think I might need your services again. You can leave tomorrow morning but that won’t stop me from paying the balance into your father’s account. Stay away from me!”

Tiwa watched him disappear from her presence. She knew she had crossed the line.

****

 To be continued….On Wednesday's episode will be longer.