My alarm rang so loud and I woke up and turned it off lazily. It was 7 AM on a monday morning. I got up from the bed and stretched a little bit, the thought of going to work coming to my mind.
"It won't be so bad though"
My leave was going to end the coming week and I think I was going to grab it with all my heart. I mean, staying home all these while hasn't even changed anything at all.
I washed my mouth before heading downstairs to grab myself a cup of coffee to start my morning.
I sat down legged crossed on the dinning table sipping my hot milk coffee. The weather was quite cold so the feeling of having the hot liquid slide down my throat gave me this soft, warm sensation.
When I was done with it, I washed the cup in the sink and dropped it in the rack. I started walking upstairs, before I noticed that Mom wasn't up yet, which was a little strange.
I went to her room and knocked twice, but I didn't get any response. So, I pushed the door open and walked inside the room. Mom wasn't there either and the bed was well dressed, showing that she didn't leave anytime.
My heart skipped. I was really scared and didn't know what to think. As I walked out of the room hurriedly, perhaps to go search for her, I saw her walking in.
"Mom! Mom where are you coming from? You almost scared me." I said, stamping my feet so hard on the ground.
She looked startled, seeing me walking out of her room that morning."Scared you? But how? I just went out to jog, is that forbidden or something? She asked.
I sighed "Mom, atleast tell someone where you're going to before you leave the house, instead of running off like that." I complained.
"Hmmmm, really. Just as you left the house yesterday morning? Huh? Still same way? She said sarcastically.
"Yesterday? Ohh, that. I just went off to get my head cooled off. I was becoming depressed then." I said, trying to explain myself for going against myself.
"Young lady, I think you just need some more sleep. Go get yourself busy with something. Get out of my way." She said lastly and walks out on me, to her room and shuts the door loudly.
"Darn it! Well, I was only trying to be nice and see where it got me." I grumbled as I left the place and headed upstairs.
As I walked to my room, I stopped by at Marvin's room. I opened the door and walked in. I started touching some of the toys they used to play with. I saw some of the books they loved reading, about aliens. I took it and sat down to read, tears dropping from my eyes as I took notice of some of the things they highlighted.
I don't know how long I spent in the room when I heard my mother calling my name. I quickly dropped the book and hurried downstairs, whilst dabbing my eyes with the back of my palm.
"Didn't you hear the door bell ring? Mother asked as I came downstairs.
"No, I didn't. Who's at the door?
"It's a mailman. He says you have a new mail and you need to sign to take it."
"A new mail? Interesting. I can't remember the last time I got a mail. I wonder it came from." I said, walking to the door. Hi, good morning."
"Good morning. Mrs. Sonia Tinket? The mailman asked.
"Yeah, you're talking to the right person."
Just then, Mom comes outside and says she's going for her weekly class. So, I waved casually at her as she left and I continued to talk with the mailman
"So sorry for the interruption. So, what were you saying?
"Well, you need to sign here." He said, giving me a book to sign.
I took it from him and signed it, then gave it back to him and he gave me the parcel and left. As soon as he left the compound, I locked the gate and went back inside to check out what was in the parcel.
Immediately I got into the house, I went to the sitting room and sat down. Then, I tore the mail open and took out everything that was in the envelope. As soon as I had done so, what I saw next kept me dumbfounded and scared for the moment.
It was pictures, pictures of someone. The first picture was the leg snapshot. So, I started checking the other pictures till I came across one. It was the snapshot of the full body and it was Frank, shot many times on his chest and lying lifeless.
I started trembling where I sat. A lot of pictures of his dead body and I allow them fall to the ground. I wondered why he was shot dead since he was among them. Something is not right somewhere.
I cried for sometime as I looked at the papers on the floor. It looked so unreal, Frank our driver death, Frank dead!
I felt my world chattering. I took my phone and dialed Detective Jide's number. Luckily, he picked up and answered the call and I explained everything that just happened to him. I asked and pleaded that he comes down to the house.
I was starting to feel so cold and my hands were like something that was about to get chilled. I rubbed my hands together to feel warm, buy it looked like I was only wasting my time.
I waited for Detective Jide to come around the house, for only then will I feel a little safe here. I thought about Bianca and her three or four children, with the one that was yet to be born. That would be a big disaster for her.
Perhaps, it had been planned already, that was why she was sent that money some days ago. She wouldn't be herself if she finds out about this. I can't say anything to her yet, till I feel it's the right time. Maybe, it will be nicer if the detective handles that himself.
I felt there was something missing in this mail that I received. The other ones always had a note in it, especially the last one that was sent a day ago.
I took up the envelope that was used in wrapping the pictures and checked inside. I saw that there was a white paper folded. I took it, but I was afraid to open it, so I dropped it on the table and waited for the detective.
I arranged all the pictures properly and dropped them on the table also. I couldn't remember how it was arranged the first time I opened it and didn't bother about it, so I kept it the way I could.
About thirty minutes big waiting, I heard a car horn infront of the house, so I went to check it out, to confirm if my guesses were right. The detective and a new colleague drove into the house, while I locked it after them.
I greeted them formally and ushered them into the sitting room. When we got to the sitting room, I showed the pictures to Jide and he took them and looked closely. After a close examination, he confirmed that those pictures were real and not faked.
That scared me more! I thought about my kids, what if they try to harm them. I gasped for breathe for a while, before getting my balance back.
"Detective, do you think they'll harm my kids? If they could do this kind of thing to Frank." I asked, almost amidst tears.
"We cannot tell for the meantime, but from our recent findings, we observed that they are using your kids as bait, so there's a very thin chance of them trying to get them hurt. You have a upper hand here, so it's left for us to plan well and execute it." He explained.
I nodded when he was done. "I saw this paper on the envelope." I said, showing it to him. "But I haven't opened it, so I don't know what's inside. I want to do so now."
I opened the paper slowly as my heart beat raced so fast. The foldings were thick, it took me longer time to open. It came open finally and I saw when was written. This it read,
"I gave an instruction and you, Sonia neglected it and that led to the death of that young guy, so literally, you're the one behind his death! You have only few hours to do the next task.
The task, is to go the train station by 5pm today. You have to be there with your office passport and some cash.
You have all the time in the world to make plans before the said time. Failure to do as instructed warrants me taking the life of someone else here."
After reading it loud enough, for them to hear. I tossed the paper on the floor and sat down dejected.
I made up my mind to go, that I was going to the train station, whatever it would take.