A/N:
If you've noticed, I have tried to make my characters racially/ethnically ambiguous because despite the fact that I like many of my characters to be Nigerian and speak some pidgin, I don't know how feasible it is for my villain to be a Nigerian. Yes, all sorts of crazy sh.t happens everyday and violent people abide among us in this country but is his type of crazy a norm here? I don't think so, I hope not. Anyways, enjoy the draft.
**********
Chapter 2
He made his way to the bar, pushing through the drunk and highly excited ocean of people gyrating on the dance floor. The disco lights flickered on and off, as if dancing to the beat of the song blaring from the loud speakers; its erratic illumination of the people on the dance floor made the sweaty bodies seem as if they were glowing.
"Come dance with me, sweetie" a tipsy girl leered, grabbing his hand and pushing up against him. He smiled at her, deliberating on whether to dance with her or move over to the bar. He liked his girls drunk, flirty and tall. She was all that except tall.
"Aren't you one naughty vixen?" he asked in an amused tone as he felt her palms cup his bottom.
She giggled, resulting in his nostrils being assaulted by a malodorous mixture of alcohol and cigars. Smoking was a no-no for him. He gently inched her away from him and continued towards the bar.
"Hey boo, why you playing hard to get?" He heard her yell above the noise at his retreating figure.
Balling his fingers into a fist, he muttered under his breath "I wouldn't be playing hard to get if your breath didn't smell like lung cancer."
Too bad, she would remain Unsaved.
"Scotch, on the rocks" he signalled the bartender and slipped him his credit card. The skinny bartender with a ridiculous moustache nodded and busied himself with the order. He scanned the bar, looking for his date.
Having done his research on her, he discovered that Dara Barra was as shameless as they came, he knew her early life had been rough perhaps that was why she lived her life with careless abandon. As a teenager, she was molested by her father; her mother had shot him dead when she found out about the abuse resulting in her imprisonment. Dara's mother died in prison, she had been killed by a fellow inmate.
He felt a flutter in his stomach as his eyes rested on her, she was leaving the dance floor and walking towards the bar. He turned to the bartender and added a glass of vodka to his order.
'Don't worry Dara, you're about to be saved.'
********************
Her feet were hurting and her head throbbing, she had been gyrating on the dance floor for an hour. At first, she had sulked when her date had failed to show up but the lure of the music had been too much for her to resist. She wasn't one to feel sorry for herself for longer than necessary, Dara had marched towards the dance floor and managed to steal a few dances with men she fancied; much to the annoyance of their significant others.
She sauntered towards the bar in a daze. "Enjoying yourself?" A familiar voice asked. She turned to see Bobby smiling mischievously at her. "Bonny Bobby" she yelled pulling him into an embrace "You look good, what are you doing here? Angela said you were working late."
Bobby tore her away from himself to assess her "You don't look bad yourself. I haven't seen you in ages."
Dara's grin widened, she was almost as fond of Bobby as she was of her best friend "You haven't seen me in ages because you have been working late all the time...so why are..."
"A drink?" He hastily handed her a glass of vodka.
"Sure" she grabbed it and took a sip.
"Someone's checking you out" Bobby whispered, tilting his head in the direction of the secret admirer before gulping down the remaining of his scotch.
"They better" she giggled between sips "I'm not wearing these heels just to destroy the nerves in my leg."
"Excuse me" the secret admirer had approached and was waving his hand in front of her face. "I'm sorry to interrupt you but you look strikingly familiar...Are you per chance Betty Sherman?"
Dara smirked as she downed another mouthful of her vodka. Her eyes assessed him quickly before she remarked "You look like you should have game, I mean...a handsome guy like you shouldn't be pulling out pick up lines from my grandfather's repertoire."
The man was puzzled "What?"
"You don't know me at all." She said emphatically, her fingers combing through her hair before returning to the table. " If you want to buy me a drink and know me better, then say so or come up with a better pick-up line." She finished impatiently; her eyes were already searching for her next dance partner.
A look of amusement crept up his face. "Yeah" he said in a defeated tone that returned her attention to him, "I suck at..you know..this" his hands travelled to and fro the distance between them twice before settling at his side. "Anyways, I'm George."
"Nice name." She smiled "I'm Dara and he is leaving" her fingers patted Bobby's shoulder twice before she shot him a 'get lost' look. Bobby complied, partially disgruntled that he had been banished and couldn't eavesdrop on their conversation anymore. He stood up and blended with the crowd.
"Well, sit down George and let's get to know each other." She patted the stool that Bobby had vacated.
"Why don't we get out of here?" He asked as he sat beside her, "We could get to know each other better without all of this." He gestured to the noisy bar by tilting his head slightly.
"Hmm" she murmured, taking another slurp of her vodka "Well, people are getting lost these days. How do I know you aren't some psycho."
He smirked and reached for his ID "Could this help?"
She took the ID from it and observed it. "You're a doctor?"
He nodded."We are one of the most trustworthy groups of..."
"Yeah, I don't think so" she interrupted "That profession of yours harbours some of the craziest fuckers ever. I read of some dude that went in for some minor surgery and got his hand amputated. If that's not crazy, I don't know what is."
A peal of laughter escaped George's mouth, "That's a funny story but it's not true..you shouldn't trust everything you read online."
She shrugged.
"If anything goes south at least your friend over there" he pointed to Bobby, "Who is making a piss poor attempt of pretending not to be watching us has seen my face."
Dara thought over it for a moment before nodding " Fine. Let's get out of here." She stood up "But first, let me hit the ladies room."
************
Bobby watched Dara's retreating figure apprehensively. He needed to act fast.
****************
22 January 2023.
Morning

The Sergeant was in a bad mood, for one his relationship with his only living relation was getting worse. Last night, the tracking app he had secretly installed on his daughter's phone had shown her to be at home the whole night despite her text saying otherwise. Then, on his way to work this morning, he had found out that Haister dailies; the city's most read newspaper and TV station had slandered his police department.
So when he walked in on his detectives playing games and eating pastries instead of working, he lost it.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, McCarthy?" he thundered as he approached the desk of his senior detective.
"Nothing sir" The young man had answered, instinctively sitting upright.
“Exactly" Sergeant Charles hissed, his tone a decibel higher "You all sit on your asses doing nothing whilst this profession is dragged through the mud." His eyes scanned the other detectives whose countenances had suddenly turned somber. He threw the newspaper on McCarthy's desk. "Do the needful, people are getting lost and newspapers are saying that the smily bastard is back. Get to the bottom of this." With that, he turned and walked to his office.
It was not until his office door clicked shut that the detectives could exhale.
****************
Meanwhile last night...
She fought the drowsiness and fogginess repeatedly until she succeeded. The first thing she was aware of once she regained consciousness was the throbbing pain in her neck. She must have partied too hard, she thought to herself as she made to soothe the pain with her fingers. It was then she realized that something was binding her.
Her eyes flew open and panic coursed through her as the events of last night trickled back to her. Her eyes took in her surroundings quickly, she was strapped to a chair in front of a dinning table in an oddly plain room.
"Dara, you're awake. I thought the drug had knocked you out for good. Are you hungry?" A familiar voice asked.
It was then she looked up to see a man in a ski mask smiling at her. His smile was something bordering on insane, the smile didn't reach his eyes and yet his eyes twinkled with emotion. She felt a shudder creep up her spine.
"Who are you?" She asked weakly. The voice was familiar but she couldn't place it. It was almost as if the person was purposefully disguising his voice.
"It's me. I told you I would cross oceans to find you" he mocked.
James?
Dara slipped into unconsciousness just as her phone beeped with a message from Angela.

Dara, u ve enter gbege ooo. Weldone seunnla, kudos to u

Nice storyline

ADECULATE:
Dara, u ve enter gbege ooo. Weldone seunnla, kudos to u

Thank you, ADECULATE

eROCK247:
Nice storyline

Thank you.

Seunnla where is u na, we re eagerly waiting 4 update na. Hapi new year dear

ADECULATE:
Seunnla where is u na, we re eagerly waiting 4 update na. Hapi new year dear

Happy new year ADECULATE
Why did I go and join writing challenge to motivate me to write when I have you sef?
I already have 1 chapter ready. I want to have like 3 first before I start posting.
Thank you for the motivation.

seunnla:



Happy new year ADECULATE
Why did I go and join writing challenge to motivate me to write when I have you sef?
I already have 1 chapter ready. I want to have like 3 first before I start posting.
Thank you for the motivation.

Keep it up bae, you good.

Tosinex:
Keep it up bae, you good.

Thank you dear.

Chapter 3
Detective MCarthy and his partner walked briskly across the tiled floor to the office of Louise McNelly. The minute she laid eyes on them, her lips curved into a knowing smile.
"Detectives," she said beaming, her arms shot out in an attempt to shake hands with them. "..so good to see you."
McCarthy smirked, refusing to shake her hands, his partner on the other hand shook her hand whilst returning her smile. McCarthy scowled at him.
"I'm Detective David McCarthy " McCarthy said still holding his stern look and this is my partner "Detective Caleb Long" he paused, partially taken aback by the smile plastered across her face.
"I know who you are Detectives, why the formality? Anyways, what can I do for you?" she asked sweetly as she gestured for them to sit down. The men continued to stand.
He ignored her first question, he was sure she knew that new protocols had been put in place which required the police to always introduce themselves, "For one, you can start by telling us why you decided to publish something just for the sake of publishing." She tapped her glass desk softly as she listened. His eyes briefly took in her long legs. Her left leg was draped over her right leg. He had a soft spot for women with long legs.
She cleared her throat, causing his eyes to return back to her face. "We could have you arrested for publishing lies and misleading the public."
"What my partner is trying to say..." Caleb interrupted quickly "..is that, it is very unbecoming of a reputable news network like Haister Dailies to be reporting on something that can get the general populace worked up over nothing. "
"It isn't nothing." Her voice was smooth, "I received an anonymous information about something disturbing and I believe it is something the entire populace should be made aware of, don't you think?" She looked from one Detective to another.
"..and you didn't think informing the police about it was something you should have done?" David snarked.
"Well, knowing how things are done in your department...you would have tried to quiet the news" she uncrossed her legs and recrossed them "News that could keep people on the alert and maybe, save them. If the smily-face killer is responsible for the disappearances...."
"He's not" Caleb interrupted.
"If.." Louise said with emphasis "...then his MO has changed, because so far no bodies have turned up, have they?" She looked at the men expectantly.
"No." Caleb said.
Louise shrugged, "We have to figure out why...and if he is not responsible for the disappearances, then we have a bigger problem..because it means there's something insidious going on and we are none the wiser."
"First things first" David said in an annoyed tone, raising his index finger to punctuate his words "There's no us in this matter. If anything is going on, the police would do their job and bring the culprit to justice. If you stand in the way, you'll be arrested for obstruction of justice"
"I'm an investigative reporter, things like this concern me."
He ignored her statement, "We would like to see the so called anonymous email."
She nodded, typed briefly on her laptop and spun it to face the men. She watched as their eyes scanned the email, frown lines deepening on their foreheads.
Caleb sighed and said, "We would have to take your laptop with us, for evidence."
David nodded, obviously enjoying the look of displeasure that had sprouted on her face.
"That is where I do all my work..." She said dismayed.
"We would return it to you as soon as possible." Caleb said calmly, "We need our computer forensic analyst to see what they can find ok?"
She nodded.
*******
A few minutes later, the men were driving back to the station.
"So, what was that with you and Louise? You were so laid back." David queried
"What?" Caleb was astonished "I should be asking you, what was all the ball busting stuff you were trying to pull with her. It didn't work by the way."
David scoffed, "She's a nosey one that one. Journalists are the worst."
Caleb guffawed. "Is it because of the time she recorded you sleeping when you were supposed to be on a stake out? Because dude, you should let it go."
David frowned, "I just dozed off for a minute. I still don't fully understand how she tracked me down. Journalists are like vultures, I tell you. They sniff anything newsworthy, they appear out of nowhere."
"They're just doing their jobs."
David's mouth twisted in mockery, "Why are you defending her, you have a crush on her or what?"
"No." Caleb's laughter filled the car, "She reminds me of my sister. If anyone has a crush on her, it's you. I caught you checking her out."
"Jesus Christ!" David chuckled, "I wasn't. What you saw was me taking in the body language of the person I was supposed to interrogate."
"We didn't go there to interrogate her." Caleb said, his disbelief clearly displayed in his tone.
"Whatever, man."


*********
Angela emptied the contents of the blender into her cup and returned back to her working desk. She took sips of her smoothies as she replied emais. Her agent had sent a text informing her that her photoshoot had been moved to the next day and that she had been booked to walk the runway of an upcoming designer. She was elated that she could spend the day with Bobby but tired of his constant disappearances as a result of his new job. Bobby was working for a new research institute in town. The company was currently in the developmental phases of a new drug and as a result she hardly got to see him. Her mind drifted to Dara, she hadn't texted her back since last night. She sent another text to her inquiring about her night and returned back to replying emails.
"Babe?" She heard Bobby call for her as he let himself into the apartment.
"How was work?" She asked, her gaze moving from the computer screen to the doorway.
"Hectic, I didn't get a moment's rest. Science is a jealous lover."
"True, I've seen you like what? Five times this month? I miss you." She pouted.
He approached her, held her face in his palms and kissed her lips "I've missed you too."
She gently shrugged him off, "When is this work of yours rounding up?"
"Six months or..."
"You're kidding" she frowned, "We're more like pen pals than an engaged couple."
"I told you the nature of my work when we started seeing each other. Sometimes I'm free, other times duty calls."
"No. When we started seeing each other, you were a lecturer. You had a stable job but then you quit because some company asked you to."
"Not some company.." He said, a little anger colouring his tone "This company could prolong the life span of mankind...and since we're talking about work schedules, what about the times when you had to travel for fashion shows and all those things" He was exasperated, "I didn't complain. I'm actually doing something important...we could really prolong life by cell regeneration..." He threw his hands up, "...not that you would understand."
As if realizing that he had gone too far, his tone softened. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be." She slammed her laptop shut. "I have to go on a run anyway...keep this body in shape for my not so important job."
She was out of the door before he could stop her.

****************
Later that night...
She opened her eyes to the smell of tomato sauce and rice. Her stomach growled shamelessly, looking around she realized, she was still strapped to a chair but this time, she was in a spacious kitchen. The kitchen was similar to the other rooms. Bland.
'How long was it until Angela knew something was wrong?' Dara pondered.
"Good, you're up" her captor said excitedly, he was still wearing a mask and talking in a funny voice. "We have a lot to achieve tonight, Dara."
"Please let me go." Dara pleaded. "I won't tell the police anything."
He grinned as he set down the pot that was beginning to boil. "Won't you eat first?" Dara shook her head.
"Your stomach seems to disagree. Don't think I didn't hear that loud growl." He walked over to where she was seated, she had started to cry.
Stooping next to her, he wiped her tears with his thumbs and licked them. "Don't cry, Dara. Salvation is yours."
He walked over to the large aluminium fridge and took out a bloody heart. Turning on the tap, he let the water wash away the blood before setting it on a wooden chopping board.
"Is that a human heart?" Dara asked, she was beginning to feel sick.
He nodded. "She was one of the chosen ones. She would lead you to the right path in the afterlife."
Dara began to sob again, "What are you going to do with the heart?"
He smiled, "Cook it for you."
"I'm not eating that." She tilted her head forward and emptied the contents of her stomach on the clean white tiles.
His eyes narrowed in anger for a few seconds before he said, "That's the evil talking Dara, you're lucky, for most people...I had to make do with blessed animals. You get the real deal, Mother Cecil."
Dara strained to wipe her mouth, "I don't want Mother Cecil. Please let me go."
He shook his head as he approached her with a wet napkin. "That's the evil talking, Dara...that's the evil talking."

**********
Meanwhile
The moment Ima woke up, she knew something was wrong. There was a sharp pain in her neck and her mind was foggy like she had been drugged. Also, the front door was slightly open. She stood up and smoothed down her uniform. Nurse Ima was one of the geriatric nurses employed to watch over Mrs Cecilia Jackson. She took unsteady steps to the old woman's room.
"Mrs Cecil?" She peeked into her room. It was empty.
She inspected the toilet and the rest of the house for any signs of the woman to no avail.
With trembling hands she dug out her phone from her pocket and called the emergency line.
"I need to report a missing person."

Check out this new story by Award winning online writer! You will love it. He takes us to life in boarding school with so much expertise! I enjoyed it and so would you! Click the link below to read!

https://tospress..com.ng/2018/01/life-in-boarding-school-story.html

Seunnla I really missed reading ur updates. Very very busy schedule. Happy new year in arrears. I await more updates. Arigato.

FreshestManny:
Seunnla I really missed reading ur updates. Very very busy schedule. Happy new year in arrears. I await more updates. Arigato.

Thank you for dropping by despite your busy schedule.
Happy new year.

seunnla:



Happy new year ADECULATE
Why did I go and join writing challenge to motivate me to write when I have you sef?
I already have 1 chapter ready. I want to have like 3 first before I start posting.
Thank you for the motivation.

lol seunnla dear, dis ur comment got me cracking up nd my head don dey big wella oo. Lol. Just kip d updates flowing. God is ur backbone dear, ur well of knowledge wil never dry up

seunnla:



Happy new year ADECULATE
Why did I go and join writing challenge to motivate me to write when I have you sef?
I already have 1 chapter ready. I want to have like 3 first before I start posting.
Thank you for the motivation.

lol seunnla dear, dis ur comment got me cracking up nd my head don dey big ooo. U always welcome dear. Pls just kip d updates rolling in. God is ur backbone nd ur well of knowledge wil never run dry. Amen

seunnla...this is not cool o! It's been like forever since you last updated