To read the
previous episode, click here
******
The body of
Newton was taken to a medical examiner. Adebiyi planned to see the doctor the
next day for details. He was not able to drive and Popoola took the keys from him.
“Should I be
worried?” Adebiyi asked as Popoola drove to the destination of his home.
“You think
the heart-taker did this?”
“Yes.” he
replied. “If he is not the one, who did it?”
“I don’t
know. He has a partner.”
“We have
nothing to help us track him. Samson has not seen…” The sound of the phone
stopped him from speaking further. He took it and answered his caller. “I was
just talking about you. Have you seen her?”
“I’m sorry
boss. She had already left the occasion before I got there.”
“Damn it!!
Do you know if she has a house in Calabar?”
“No. I asked
a guest, she said Mrs. Danjuma lodged into a hotel but she does not know which
particular one.”
“Do you
still have enough money with you?”
“Enough to
last me for a year sir,” Samson replied.
“You have to
wake up very early tomorrow morning, and check all the expensive hotels around
the vicinity of where the event took place. She must have booked a room in one
of them so that she would be close to the place.”
“What if no
one is willing to talk?”
Adebiyi
shrugged and answered. “Use what you have to get what you want.”
“I understand
sir. I hope to give you good news tomorrow.”
“You have to
or I will sack you.” He ended the call.
“You don’t
have to be harsh on him,” Popoola said and looked at him. “It’s not his fault.”
“I know.” he
said in a saddened tone and he took a deep breath. “I can’t believe Newton is
dead. I had plans to help him if he changed and I believed he listened to me. I
don’t even know what to believe anymore. Do you think he still went back to
drugs?”
“I wasn’t
there with you that day so I don’t have the right answer to give you. You can inquire from the examiner tomorrow.”
Adebiyi
rubbed his face and rested his head on the seat. “I am so tired.”
“I
understand. You need to sleep.”
“How can I
sleep when Tiwa is suffering?” Tears pumped out from the
corner of his eyes. He let them flow. He wasn’t ashamed to cry because of a
woman in front of Popoola.
Popoola
removed his right hand from the wheel and touched Adebiyi’s left shoulder.
“Don’t lose hope. We will get her.”
******
“Can someone
tell me what is going on?” Tiwa asked, with her eyes opened.
“I will have
to clean you first.” Joyce said.
“Don’t touch
me!!”
They erupted
into laughter. Asante and Monday left the room.
Tiwa glared
at Joyce. “Why?” she asked. “Why are you doing this?”
Joyce went
away, brought a bucket of water, and towel and pulled Tiwa’s trousers down to her
knees. She began to clean her thighs.
“Please
answer me. Tell me what you know. I deserve to know the truth before I die.”
She stared
at her muddled. “You are ready to die?”
“I will not
beg for my life because I know Asante will never change his mind to kill me.
Why are you working with them?”
“Can you
remember the day I told you and your handsome partner that all I did at the
party was welcome the guests, eat and dance alone?”
“Of course I
remember.” she said softly.
“At the party, no man
has ever asked me to dance with him. None looked at my direction. They always focus on the models. I have always wanted to
be a runway model but it never worked out. They would say, I was not tall enough. I searched
for a job to be close to models but those girls neglected me! None of them
wanted to be my friend!!”
“And that
made you angry. Did you discuss it with Monday?”
“Of
course!!” Joyce bellowed.
“And he told
you to do what?”
“To assist
Asante to locate the homes of the models, I also get to watch them die! I am
delighted to see them beg for their lives and their hearts taken from them!”
“They are using
your weakness to manipulate you. They are using you. Can’t you see what they
are turning you into?”
“A good
actress?”
“What do you
mean?” Tiwa asked.
“It was part
of our plans for me to wait at the security post because they knew you would
come looking for the secretary to ask questions.”
“You
pretended to us that day. You cried as if you truly cared about the victims.”
She laughed.
“I think I will make a fantastic actress.”
“No. You
will turn into a cold-blooded killer. You are young and you still have the time
to change for the better. Let me go and I will make sure you get the help you
deserve. I will not allow anyone put you in jail.”
“I don’t
need help.”
“You need a
psychologist.”
“I am
perfectly fine!!” She hit her on the face, dragged the trousers back to her
waistline and called out Asante and Monday. “I am through with her!”
Asante came
forward with a cup of glass in his hand, took a sip and gave Tiwa.
She sighed, drank
and said. “I thought you were going to starve me to death.
What changed your mind?”
He smiled
broadly. “Ripping out your heart will be better.”
“You can ask
me anything now.” Monday said to Tiwa.
“How long
have you been working with Asante?”
“For a very
long time,” the agent replied. “We’ve been friends even before his heart was
broken.”
“Does that
mean you planned it together?”
“Yes.
Although, Asante was the brain behind the way he would kill those girls.”
“I thought
you have a family! A conscience.”
“Of course I
do have a family. They are not here in Abuja. The police in charge of the case never asked
for anything. They only wanted to confirm if the girls worked with me. When you
came with that man and started asking about the list, I knew both of you would
eventually know the truth. I had to lock up my office and acted as a scared
boss.”
“How would
your wife feel if she finds out the kind of person you are?”
“She will
never find out because after Asante kills you, I will find your boyfriend and
stab him to death.”
“What
happened to your ear?”
“You ask a
lot of questions.”
The tears she
fought to hold came out.
“Are you
ready to beg for your life?” Asante asked and moved slowly to her.
Tiwa sniffed
her nose. “No…” She coughed. “Can I speak with my mother?”
Asante and
Monday stared at each other and laughed sarcastically.
“No.” The
heart-taker said. “You cannot speak with anyone. The day you will beg for your
life, is the day I will kill you. Let’s go guys.”
“Are you
leaving me again?”
No one
offered her a reply.
******
The next
morning, Adebiyi drove alone to the hospital and asked after the examiner in
charge of Newton’s autopsy. A nurse led him to the office and he introduced
himself and explained the reason that brought him.
“I was told you would come, Mr. Gold. You should know he was stabbed to
death.”
“Was it a
knife?”
“Yes and it
was a very sharp one. The knife penetrated into one of his ribs and he lost a
lot of blood. I also found traces of skin in his mouth. The victim was able to bite off part of his assailant’s ear.”
“Does that
mean whoever killed him should be having a serious injury in one of his ears?”
“Yes. I have
told one of the policemen involved in the case.”
“Okay. I
will like to know if another test was carried out.”
“What do you
mean?”
“Newton was
into hard drugs and I wanted to find out if he stopped. Is it possible for you to
check his system?”
The doctor
sighed. “We have done that but the result is not out.”
“When will
it be out?”
“It won’t
take long,” he replied. “I will advise you to wait for thirty minutes to one
hour.”
“Thank you.”
Adebiyi stood and shook his hand. “I will be outside.”
“No problem.”
He went out
and called Samson. He didn’t have any update on the former beauty queen yet. He was
still searching for her. Adebiyi decided to check on the examiner one hour
later.
“The test is
out and I am so sorry to announce that there were drugs in his system.” The doctor said.
“Thank you
for letting me know.” he said in a disappointed tone.
“You are
welcome.”
Adebiyi left
the office, walked towards his car and thought of Newton. He was not happy
about the news and still felt sober. He thought Newton was
stubborn to have continued to take hard drugs but he didn’t deserve to die like
that.
******
Adebiyi
arrived home and told Popoola about the result of the test.
“I am so
sorry.” Popoola said.
"Thanks." He glanced
at his wristwatch. “It’s ten already. I thought Joyce should be here by now.
Donald will follow her the moment she arrives.”
“He knows
that. He is dressed already.”
Adebiyi
called Samson’s phone but it was unreachable. He began to get worried. By 3pm,
Joyce came to the house and Donald followed her. Few minutes later, Adebiyi and
Popoola heard the sound of car and they rushed outside to check. It was Samson
coming out from a vehicle with an attractive woman. She appeared to be in her
thirties.
“What
happened to your phone?” Adebiyi asked him.
“The battery
went down. I and Mrs. Danjuma had to board the available flight back to Abuja
after I found her and briefed her of what has happened.”
He hugged
him cheerfully. “Thank you!” He welcomed her and thanked her for coming. All of
them went inside and sat down.
“I could not
believe Asante could do such a thing.” Nkiru said to Adebiyi. “I had to follow
him and ask you.”
“It’s true.”
“Is he going
to kill me too?”
“We think so
but we can avoid that if we catch him on time.”
“Okay. What
do you want from me?”
“We believe he
has a partner and it might be someone he knew a long time ago. Do you know
anyone he was very close to before you broke up?”
“Asante was
close to his mother and a childhood friend. He’s name was Monday but I can’t
remember his surname.”
Adebiyi
stared at her shocked. “Is he tall and fair?”
“Yes. Have
you met him?”
“Is it
Monday Okorie?”
“Yes!!
That’s his full name. Do you think he is Asante’s partner?”
He speedily
rose on his feet. “Oh my God! I can’t believe this!! I trusted him. I thought
he ran away because he was afraid of the heart-taker. No one must be trusted!”
“Wait…”
Popoola said and stood. “If we can’t trust him, we can’t trust Joyce too.”
“Jesus
Christ!” he grabbed his phone and dialed Donald’s number.
Donald and
Joyce were seated at the backseats in a taxi. The driver was taking them to the
address she described to him and when Donald asked where it was, she told him someone
sent the address of the agent and she believed he might know where Asante
lived.
“Who is
calling?” Joyce asked him.
“My boss.”
“Don’t tell
him anything yet,” she said with a smile on her lips. “Just inform him we are
still on our way to ask questions.”
He nodded
and answered. “Hello sir.”
“I want you
to stop following her and turn back. If Joyce start of ask any mischievous
questions, tell her Mimi has been rushed to the hospital.”
“Okay sir.”
He said, ended the call and spoke. “Driver, please stop.”
Joyce looked
at him shocked. “Why?”
“Something
happened.” The driver parked his vehicle.
“But where
we are going to is important. If you don’t follow me we might never be able to
save Tiwa.”
Donald
didn’t say anything to her. He simply unlocked the door, came out and search
for another cab to go home. Joyce immediately sent a text message to Monday,
informing him their plan had failed to capture Donald.
******
Adebiyi
received a call from one of the officers in charge of the heart-taker’s case.
“When your
friend sent us your chef’s picture,” he said to Adebiyi. “I asked an old friend
to find a way to locate where he lived. He has an address but we are not sure
if it’s really the place. My boss is getting me a warrant to go there and
search. It might take a while but we will surely go there today.”
“That’s
good. Send me the address, I will meet you there.” He said, cut the call and
told Popoola.
“What if we
don’t find her there?”
“I will have
to put a ransom that if anyone knows where she is, I will give that person
twenty million naira.”
“You would
do that?” Mrs. Danjuma asked surprised.
“Yes. If
Monday hears about it, he might betray his friend because of the huge amount of
money. I am ready to do anything to get Tiwa back.”
******
Tiwa had
been alone throughout the day. She tried to sleep but it was difficult for her
to do. She needed the strength to carry out her plans to escape. She hoped what
she strategize would pull through. If she failed, Asante would definitely be
angry and kill her. It was already getting dark, and Tiwa thought it was better
that way.
Asante,
Donald and Joyce came over to see Tiwa. This time around, no one offered her
water. She decided to stay mute and prepared her mind to do everything possible to
leave.
Few hours
later, Adebiyi received the location and he hopped into his car. Popoola and
Donald was with him. On their way there, close to their destination, Popoola surveyed
around to see if there was an abandoned or uncompleted building. When they
arrived there, police was already inside but were disappointed not to find
anyone. Adebiyi joined them to search inside for evidence. Pictures of Asante were placed on the walls in the living room and bedroom.
Asante and
Donald told Joyce they wanted to go outside for a smoke and she should watch Tiwa. She was very angry but never complained.
Tiwa waited
for few minutes before she said to Joyce. “I need to go to the toilet.”
“You can
urinate there and I will clean you up later.”
“I don’t
want to urinate. I want to defecate.”
“Yuck!
That’s disgusting!! But there’s no toilet here.”
“You will
have to take me anywhere except you don’t mind. I could do it and you would
eventually clean me up.”
“Never! I
have to call Asante and Monday.”
“Oh, I
forgot you have to ask for their permission. You are their puppet.”
“Excuse me?”
"Don't you know you are their slave?"
"Watch your tongue!"
“Is it
difficult for you to untie me and take me to where I would defecate? I am even too weak to
walk. Or are you scared I might be more powerful to take you down?”
Joyce was
furious and her eyes sparkled. “You are worthless! You can't do anything.”
“Then prove
it that you are capable of handling things without them.”
She dipped her
hand inside her pocket and took out a small and sharp knife. Tiwa widened her
eyes. Joyce moved closer and cut the ropes on her hands and legs. She pointed
the knife to Tiwa.
“If you make
any suspicious move, I will kill you.”
“I won’t.”
Joyce helped
Tiwa down from the bed and the moment her feet touched the ground, Tiwa
overpowered her, placed her hand on her mouth and grabbed the knife.
“Don’t make any
sound or I will kill you.” Tiwa said. “I can help you if you come with me.
Let’s run away together.”
She shook
her head angrily.
Tiwa pointed
the knife to Joyce’s throat and she took away her hand from her mouth. “If you
shout, I will cut your throat. You are going to lead me to an exit door.
Do I make myself clear?”
Joyce became
afraid and nodded.
*****
The police
had given up when they could not see anything linking Asante has the
heart-taker. Adebiyi went over to meet Popoola and Donald outside and explained
nothing was found.
“What if he
kept the hearts in his mother’s house?” Popoola suggested.
“But his neighbors
said he abandoned the place. The only way he could preserve those hearts is to keep
them in somewhere that is cold.”
“Like a
freezer?”
Adebiyi
dimmed his eyes. “We have to check his fridge!”
They went
back inside, told the officers and motioned towards the fridge in the kitchen.
When they opened it, they saw the victim’s hearts inside some containers. Their
names were written on them. Some of the policemen took them away.
“This is
disgusting!” Popoola exclaimed.
“The next
thing we have to do now is find Tiwa before Asante knows about this.”
“On our way
here, I noticed an abandoned building three streets away from here. He could have kept her
there so that he would be close to his house.”
“What kind
of building?”
“I think a
hospital but I am not sure.”
An officer
overheard their conversation and went to meet them. “I know about that
hospital. It was burnt few years ago and the owner slumped into a coma when he
heard what happened and ever since then, nothing was done to get it back in
order again.”
“Can we go
there and search?” Adebiyi asked.
“Why not?
It’s a perfect location to hide someone. Let me inform my team.”
“Thank you
so much.” Adebiyi said happily and looked at Popoola. “You’ve been a good
friend. Thank you.”
“Thank you
too for believing in me.”
*****
Tiwa tiptoed
with Joyce as she threatened to strike her with the knife if she made any sound to
alert Monday and Asante. She moved quietly to the left when she heard their voices on the right side. She peeped at the hallway searching for a back door that could lead her
outside the building.
“You will
regret this.” Joyce said quietly.
“Shut up.” Her
frightened eyes travelled around and she was able to detect another hallway.
She entered and found an exit door. She murmured. “Thank God.”
“You won’t
be able to run far. They will catch you. You don’t have enough strength to escape.”
Tiwa took
away the knife from her throat and looked at Joyce directly in the eyes. “Come
with me. You can change and be a better person.”
Joyce opened
her mouth to yell. “Asan….!”
Tiwa struck
her in the abdomen to stop her and tears flew out from her eyes. “I am sorry.” Tiwa dropped the knife and left Joyce
on the floor as blood drained out from her stomach. Joyce's mouth moved but no words could come out. Tiwa began to run as fast as she could in the dark.
Her heart pounded faster, her
legs ached and her body was weak but she wouldn’t let that stop her from
finding help. She ran and sighted a tarred road. She began to breathe faster,
she thought of resting but reconsidered. Tiwa ran towards the middle of the road
and a car coming in full speed stopped.
Tiwa was
tired. She had no power to run anymore. An angry young couple came out from the vehicle
and wanted to scream at her but they halted when they saw the way she appeared.
“Are you
okay?” the lady asked.
Tiwa burst
into tears. “I need help." she said in a shaky voice. "I want you to take me to the hospital.” She fainted.
*******
To be
continued.
this is simply ....
ReplyDeleteoh my !
This is looking like my best episode right now
carina dear you are simply amazing.
more more inspiration to your pen
I love you plenty
Love you too!
DeleteAm so scared for Tiwa right now. I just hope she escape finally.
ReplyDeleteI hope so... Lol
Deletethanks carina....am so scared for tiwa right now, hope she get home safe...and they should be able to catch those bloody murderers....thank you ckj.
ReplyDeleteThank you Gloria. *hugs*
DeleteI hope they take her to the hospital. Good job Carina!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteThank God she escaped. i don't want anything bad to happen in the next episode
ReplyDeleteOkay oh
DeletePhewwww!
ReplyDeleteCheck out my adrenaline pumping.
Literally had to hold my breath.
Kai! CKJ, see what you do to me, is it fair???
I can barely wait for the next episode. Please consider my tender heart though. Lol!
Well done again & again, you rock!!!
You rock too!
Delete