The knock was sharp and swift. The knuckles rapped the door three times causing a kind of tense vibration in the still silence that followed. Ezinne paused as she listened, trying to tell her beating heart that the knock hadn't sounded from her door.
As if to prove her wrong it sounded again. Maybe it was Oluchi, or one of the girls..they might have forgotten something and come back. But still she remained on her bed, steady and unmoving. The knock sounded again impatiently this time and she gave herself a mental kick. Whoever was at the door was knocking like he/she had every right to be there. It would have to be one of her friends..maybe even her mother.
"I'm coming...who's there?" She Asked as she stood behind the door, her hand on the bolt.
"Ezinne...its me, I left your mother a little bit at the market and she said I should deliver something"
She recognized the voice immediately. Everybody knew that voice, or almost everybody at least.
She opened the door as her pulse returned to normal and smiled.
"So nice to see you.."
"The pleasure is all mine..how are you?"
"I'm fine.." She glanced at his hands and noticed he didn't hold anything in them.
"What..what did Dada give to you?"
His eyes grew serious as the warmth escaped from them "you have something that belongs to me"
Osi and Amara stopped at the gate while Joy entered.
"I can see you're suspecting somebody...but you don't want to tell me" Amara said
"Its not like I'm suspecting anyone..its...its more like a feeling..I have ways to confirm and be sure, then I can freely tell yoj"
"Just be careful..I have a feeling whoever it is would be very dangerous."
"Me too..."
"Just today in Oluchi's house somebody was outside listening to us and he ran away immediately Oluchi called out which is very strange"
"Hmmmm.." Osi frowned "when was this?"
"Earlier today"
"Did you get a look at him?"
"Nope...he took off immediately"
"What were you people talking about"
"Lemme see..." She tapped her foot as she thought back "I think Ezinne was telling us about the letter"
"Wait a minute..you said it was Ezinne who handed it to you earlier?"
"Yes..." She saw his eyes change and she got worried "what is it?"
"Where is Ezinne's house?"
"Its not too far from the market square" she replied
He began to run.
She joined him. Her heart was beating madly.
"What's going on?" She panted as she tried to catch up. His legs ate the ground quickly and three of her steps equalled just one of his.
"Your friend is in danger"
From far Amara could see the door was locked.
Oh thank God! Her friend had obviously locked the door when they left.
But then she saw the door open as Osi knocked on it. It hadn't been locked after all, it had just been slid shut.
As she reached the door finally, Osi came back outside. His eyes were strange and he blocked the door with his body as he used his hands behind his back to close the door.
"I don't think you should go in there" he said sadly.
"Why..what do you mean...?" But she could see it clearly in his eyes. She felt like her world was tilting upside down.
"What happened! Where is Ezinne?!" She screamed.
Pastor Osi surprised her by gripping her with surprising
strength and clamping his hand over her mouth.
"Shhhhhh" Osi snapped harshly as he covered her mouth with his hands.
He strained his ears as he listened. He heard the noise again, a peculiar sound, like the soft slamming of a window.
"Is there any road leading from the back of this house?" He asked her.
She nodded, he removed his hand after she bit him...hard but quick.
"There's a shortcut to the market square from the back..."
"Please don't go inside..stay outside" with that Osi ran
through the house, closing the door and running through the parlour, he jumped the dead body on the floor( the third dead body he was seeing in three days...he must be going mad) and ran to the first room. This one didn't even have a window. He noticed it had been turned upside down and hurried to the second
room. He saw the window and knew the sound he heard must have come from here.
He hurried to the window, pushing the wooden board open and leaping out. As he landed, he heard the door to the parlour opening. Amara must have entered.
Women!! They never listened!
Well he couldn't turn back now..the devil was running away and he just needed a glimpse of whoever he was. He took off running down the path.
The devil had never been as scared of exposure as he was right now. He ran with speed as he ducked between bushes trying to stay out of sight.
He didn't know which was more annoying, the fact that he didn't get to rape Ezinne or that the letter wasn't in his possession.
The girl had confessed when she saw the knife that the letter was with Amara.
Amara...well that would be taken care of soon enough...maybe sooner than expected because he couldn't rest until the letter was in his hands.
Those two letters...P.O jeopardized his identity more than anything.
He smiled when he saw the beginning of the market square. But his smile disappeared when he thought about Ezinne...he hadn't done with her like he wanted to...he had been forced to use
his knife..just imagine! Using a knife wasn't his style...it wasn't his modus operandi.
They said what goes up comes down. But the height in his trouser would need to be pacified....oh yes, Amara's time was definitely up!
"Oh my God...!" Amara put her hand over her mouth as she burst into unbelievable tears. It was like a dream nightmare to see her friend bleeding on the floor.
She fell to her knees as the tears rained freely.
"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...oh my God!"
"Amara...Amara...."
Her eyes flew open as she heard the words...which sounded more like a whisper.
"Ezinee..Ezinne..." Ezinne had been stabbed rather horribly in the stomach but miraculously she wasn't dead...not yet.
"Amara..please help my mother to.....help...help my mother....to...lock...up...her...sh....s...shop"
Blood spilled from her mouth as she struggled to talk.
" Ezinne...I'm so sorry...forgive me please..."
"Its..all...its alright..." More blood from the mouth.
"Ezinne who did this to you...who did this?"
"Its...its...its......" Her eyes went blank and lifeless.
She was dead.
Osi stumbled into the market square running like a mad man...he felt eyes on him from every direction but he felt a certain kind of eye on him. He turned round as he looked at the faces. Everyone was busy with their respective business.
"Heey...did you see anyone run out of this bush?" He asked a young boy shining shoes.
"Yes"
Ahaaa! Finally!
"Who was it...who did you see?"
The boy pointed at him and burst out laughing "you"
To be continued...
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