BLOOD AND MONEY

BLOOD AND MONEY EPISODE FOUR

Robert came in just in time to find the pathologist finishing up his findings and I had to brief him after the officer and the pathologist stepped out.

I stared at my mothers dead body and I felt my heart break. I loved my mother more than I ever did my dad because she always stood in the way of my dad when things got out of hand and I remember a day she threatened to leave him should he have laid a hand on me. Like I mentioned earlier, I was a difficult child and all that was influenced by the life I saw my parents living.

Do you remember when my mother said she and my late father had memories in the place my father was to build, right there was our little house?...

Robert nodded..

My father had built it after he had left his father's compound. In that house I witnessed fights of all kinds. I was not a kid really, so I had an idea of what was going on. My father had an affair with some other woman who didn't come far from where we lived and as a result she got pregnant. The father of the woman brought her to our home and forced my father to marry her. My mother on the other hand took an axe and threatened to chop the girls head and anyone who tried to get close if they didn't leave her home. I was taken away from the scene by willis on that day so i never knew what transpired but a few days later my mother packed and left with me to the city leaving the woman with my father. She was in tears and by then, I was too young to understand what was going on.

Months later my father traced us and when he found us he came begging on his knees and he was also in tears. I'm not sure if I thought it was funny but my entire life, I had never seen a man cry, my father was the first.

Gerald: Sophia please don't take away my son from me.

Sofia: Go inside Owen, I need to talk to your father.

I did as my mother had asked and I heard her command him to get up.

I was young but very sensitive to situations and because I had seen my father beat up my mother severally in my face. I didn't go far. I went to the kitchen picked a knife and stood there with it waiting for him to attack again. Back then, I hadn't known how bad it was to hold a knife in my hand as a weapon but I saw mother do it several times when dad beat her up and when he saw the knife, he would move back meaning whatever magic the knife performed worked....

Sofia: what do you want from me Gerald, didn't you get another woman pregnant because I was not enough?

Gerald: Sofia I don't know what got over me. Tabitha just happened last year when I went home and I didn't know she would get pregnant for me.

That was the most useless explanation Sofia ever heard and just as she was about to get in and lock the door. Gerald asked her to wait and she stopped and looked back.

Gerald: she is dead!

Sofia looked at him shocked. How was she even dead when a few months ago she was heavily pregnant for him. Did she die while giving birth?

Sofia: what, did you kill her so that she could stay out of your way?

Gerald: how can you even say that, she was pregnant for crying out loud.

Sofia: yes she was and I know you better than anybody else Gerald. I know you are capable of murder.

Gerald: she killed herself. She came to our home and hanged herself near the window to our bedroom Sofia. She killed herself with the baby inside her.

Sofia took a few steps back then leaned on the wall holding on to her chest in shock. She had a few tears drop and the moment was confusing. Wasn't it a good thing that the woman who came between her and her man died and after all she killed herself what was a big deal about that? but then again there was an innocent child involved. A child that never got to see the light of the day and who was to blame for that, what really happened?..

Sofia: what about the child, was it saved?

Gerald: The child was dead too by the time Tabitha was found. The village gynaecologist confirmed.

Sofia: I'm sorry for your loss.

She said moving towards him as if she was going to hug him or something but on second thought got inside and locked the door finding me standing with a knife a few steps away from the door...

Sofia: what are you doing with that?

She didn't let me respond but took the knife away from me and took my hand then walked me to the couch. She sat me down on the sofa and turned my face to her..

Sofia: it is dangerous to carry a knife around so let me not catch you holding a knife ever, do you hear me?

I nodded. I wanted to challenge her to the fact that she always carried a knife to but my mother was fire! Asking a question would be considered talking back at her and a slap would be put across your face for it.

My mum and dad worked their issues out and I'm not sure how it went with the dead woman or how many more memories were made in that house but they got back together after dad was forced to marry the dead woman and by that I mean he was forced to pay the bride price and bury Tabitha as his second wife together with his dead kid. Was Tabitha and her dead kid part of the memories they made?

I have no idea....

Robert: when are they conducting the DNA test, they think we killed your mum?

Robert's voice brought me back to reality and I turned to look at him.

Me: crazy right, but somebody did. Somebody got to my house, killed my mother then made it look like she committed suicide.

The pathologist came back and told us we needed to leave so that my mothers body could be stored and so Robert and I walked out.

Robert opted that we have lunch and because I had not eaten anything the entire day, I agreed. Since my parents died I had no appetite and even though I knew how to cook, I never bothered. On our way to the restaurant I called Della and asked her to come to my place after work and she said she would. Della worked as a receptionist in one of the companies in town. They majored in importation of fabrics from Ghana, Nigeria, Congo and even south Africa.

Robert: I was at the main office today. The strike is still on so I don't know what you intend to do about it.

Me: I said I'd let Willis handle it but you refused so you give me the plan.

Robert: I didn't stop you for no good reason and if you think its wise to let him run the show, go right ahead. Listen a lot of things have happened within a shot span of time. Your mother is dead who killed her? Somebody shot at you the other day who did?

Me: what are you saying?

Robert: there is only one person that would want to kill you and your mum and for selfish gains.

Me: Willis?

He didn't say yes but his face agreed with me.

Robert: use Willis but be very careful. Your Father's office stays locked and only him can open it with his thumb that's the reason why there are things that has not been accessed yet.

Me: what things?

Robert: bank details, his will etc. You can get those things and file a case against Willis to take over your father's position so that he doesn't get you off guard and take over leaving you with nothing.

Me: the only way to get that open is to get my dad's thumb to open meaning...

Robert: you will have to cut it off.

Me: cut off his thumb?

Robert: do you have any other way?

Me: that's an offense.

Robert: not if the police knows about it.

Robert was right but how the hell was I supposed to cut off my fathers thumb in the name of saving his company?

We had lunch then Robert told me he was going to the office where he had been posted to make sure things were running as usual then he would be back the same day..

I also asked him if he could come camp at my parents place because staying there alone was just a reminder of everything that had happened to them.

Robert cleared the bills then we left in his car since he had to drop me home first. I had my car and mums as well but there was just a fear that had creped in after being shot at that made me a bit scared of driving myself. What if I got followed and got killed without anyone knowing. If someone could come to my house and kill my mum, I wasn't safe in the house alone in fact I wasn't safe anywhere and especially on my own..

Agrippina called Willis who was in his car watching out for Owen. He had camped a few metres away from Owen's home hoping to see him drive in and out because he was not sure if he was around.

Willis: mum, now is not a good time.

Agrippina: I don't know what the good time is but you should know that the boys are here, they want their money.

Willis: what money, I had paid them off and they did the job. What money do they want again?

Agrippina: they are claiming that.....

One of the guys grabbed the phone from Agrippina's ears before she could finish talking.

Him: listen dude, we are the ones who makes all the rules here and you should keep to your end of the bargain. We want twenty thousand for us go forget about everything you made us do.

Willis: what are you taking about, I paid you guys the agreed amount.

Him: and you will pay what I'm asking for or we will make you go to jail for what you did.

Willis: easy boy....calm down. I will pay the twenty thousand no need to make a big deal out of it.

Him: now we are talking. I'm waiting for the money and if you fail, I will do the same to your mother.

Willis: that will not be necessary. I will make the payments as soon as I can.

Him: good.

Willis hanged up then punched the dashboard real hard and checked his fist.

Willis: Damn you fool!

He said finding a way to send the money...

Agrippina: I told you I know how to deal with Willis just wait and see, he will send the money.

The guy who had called Willis was his mothers lover in fact, she was the one who suggested for him to call Willis. His name was Sankara. Sankara was the one who organized the guys who beat up Gerald to death...

Sankara: you sure do know your son better than I do.

He said smiling and kissing her on the forehead..

A few minutes later, the money came through Sankara's phone and Agrippina hi fived him as they celebrated on the act of Corning her own son.

Sankara: this is what we call making money. No sweat needed at all.

Agrippina: be careful with Willis. Don't threaten him again or he will feel the need to retaliate.

Sankara: why do you have to use such means to get money from him, he is your son. Can't you just ask?..

Agrippina: getting money from Willis is like digging gold. He wanted Gerald dead so that he can take all his money. My son is the greediest person I know and he never parts with money easily, not even when i am the one asking and where else does he expect me to get the money?...

Willis saw a car drive into Owen's compound and he noticed it was Roberts car.

Willis: this son of a b***h. He is everywhere.

He picked his gun from the seat and looked at it brushing it with his hand then focusing on the entrance to Owens home. He had a Beretta 92fs inox pistol that no one really knew he had or where he got it from. By looking at Willis, one wouldn't say he was a killer leave alone knowing how to handle a gun.

He put the gun on his laps got his phone and made a call to an unknown person.

Willis: have you found the phone?

Voice: no but I'm working on it. The person who they say had it disappeared and I'm trying to trace him.

Willis: does he have a wife or kids?

Voice: yes, a wife and three children.

Willis: get hold of the wife, make her call him. If he refuses to cooperate, kill the wife to send him a message.

Voice: yes sir.

He hanged up then threw the phone on the seat, got his gun and got out heading to Owens house after he saw the car that brought him leave.. Willis had the gun in his hand with a finger ready to pull the trigger as soon as he set eyes on Owen...