Inspector David knew for sure that Esther was keeping some things from him. Nevertheless, he was satisfied with his latest discoveries; he now knew that the drinks were taken to the hotel room on the day of the hotel, even though he had doubts that Esther was alone in the room that day. The wrong address given to David by Jannice appeared conspicuous, while Josephine’s meeting with Esther that day seemed like she was trying to cover her tracks.

David left Esther’s place with a gratifying sense of accomplishment as he now had a stronger lead to chase. He set out to pay Jannice a visit, but first, he took a detour.

Later in the evening, David arrived at the Johnsons’ where he met Jannice as well as a middle-aged woman whose elegant appearance made her look like she was in her mid-thirties. As David made his entrance into the living room, both women hugged each other passionately, like they were celebrating something.

As David strolled across the passageway, he could hear the other woman whimper, “Oh my God! Oh my God! This is just…just too good.” She said as she held Jannice by the neck and kissed her all over the face while a few drop of tears escaped her eyes.
“Good evening ladies.” David greeted.

“Hello Inspector. How are you doing today?” Jannice asked, but before David could respond, she added, “Pardon my oversight. Please meet Joyce, Samson’s mum and my mother-in-law.”

After exchanging pleasantries, David stated his intent of wanting to have a word with Jannice about the case. Jannice was going to usher David to a private room when Joyce insisted that she would like to know the latest developments in the investigation since she hadn’t been involved so far.
“Firstly, is your sister at home? I’d like to ask her a couple of questions.” David asked.

“No she’s not. She’s been out all day. That girl…she only got back to the country last night, and she’s roamed around half of it already” Jannice trifled while David chuckled wryly.

“So, I was told that Josephine wasn’t around for the wedding. When exactly did she travel?” David asked.

“She traveled the day before the wedding. Why? What is the matter?” Jannice asked, looking concerned.

“Just putting things into perspective ma’am.” he assured.

David was going to tell Jannice about the discovery of the second cup and ask whether she drank from it or not, but he didn’t want to sound too specific and give her the opportunity to fib, so he asked her a more open question instead.

“Ma’am, please I need you to recount when and how your late husband drank from the juice that eventually killed him on your wedding night.” David demanded.

“Oh my God! Poisoned? My son was poisoned? By who?” Joyce asked in succession as she wailed as though Samson had died all over again.
David wondered why Jannice hadn’t told Joyce about the cause of her son’s death, but since it wasn’t in his place to question her on the matter, he got it off his mind.

“Yes ma’am, your son was poisoned, and my mission to find out who poisoned him will be greatly aided by Jannice’s answer to the question I asked.” David remarked as he observed Jannice who seemed like she wasn’t present with them in the room.

After a few seconds of silence, Jannice spoke: “It was after he had an allergy attack.” she began. “He told me that his throat was getting dry, and demanded for a drink, so I poured him a cup of his favourite juice. The drink did soothe him, and he felt a lot better afterwards. We fooled around and talked for a bit before we both slept off. And in the morning…in the morning” Jannice repeated as she broke down in tears. Joyce drew nearer and tried to comfort her in her embrace, while David watched on, rather apathetically, waiting to fire on with his questions.

As soon as he noticed that the whimpers had subsided, David asked: “Did you at any point drink from the juice?”

“No.” Jannice replied.

“Well, we found a second cup in the room, but you failed to mention it in your account.” David noted.

“Yes, there was a second cup. David poured me some of the juice after he felt relieved. He wanted me to have a taste, but I wasn’t in the mood for it, so he ended up drinking it by himself.” Jannice explained.

David didn’t seem convinced, so he asked; “But why did he have to get another cup just for you just to have a taste when he could have easily used the one he was drinking from?”

“I don’t know. Samson liked to do things his own way. All I know is that if I had taken the drink that night, I wouldn’t be seated here, and be tortured by having to answer questions that make it seem like I had killed my husband.” Jannice fired, as Josephine stepped inside the house.

“Apologies if I had unsettled you ma’am. I’ll take my leave now.” David said as he got up.

As Josephine stepped into the room, she walked past Inspector David and inquired why the ladies were looking so gloomy. She was about to make another remark when Inspector David greeted; “Hello Miss Johnson”. “Hello”, Josephine replied without turning to look at the inspector.
Joyce was asking Josephine if she had heard the good news when David cuts in.

“Miss Johnson, you are under arrest for the murder of Samson Coker.” David declared.

To be continued…

‘There were two cups!’

David repeated to himself as he tried to get his head around the latest revelation in the murder case. A lot of questions and theories swarmed around his head, but being the man of logic he’s always been, David chose to focus on getting answers and facts, rather than dawdle on questions and theories. He picked up his phone and called up Jane.

“Hi Jane. Did you check the cups collected from the Coker’s murder scene for traces of poison?” David asked.

“Hold on, let me check the report Emmy filed.

Uhm…no we didn’t. Emmy was supposed to handle that. We split the work and he was supposed…” Jane was about to explain when David cuts her short.

“Just get it done, okay? Call me as soon as you finish up.” David instructed.

David knew very well the importance of being tactful at such a point like that. Despite what he had seen in the picture, he still didn’t have anything strong to convict Jannice for the crime.

The second cup might have been empty. Even if it did contain the drink that night, Jannice could easily deny drinking from it.

Even though it wasn’t much, David regarded the latest revelation as the biggest lead he’s gotten so far into the case.

The next morning, David went to the station to sort out some paperwork. Once he finished, he hopped into his car and drove off to visit Esther. Jannice had given him her address the previous day, when she mentioned her as the person who was responsible for setting up the couple’s things in the hotel room.

After a long drive, David arrived at the front of a bungalow apartment which was supposed to be Esther’s residence, according to the address Jannice gave him.

David knocked several times, but no one responded. After a while, he decided to check around the back for any opening or any presence in the house. He was just walking around the corner when someone opened the door.

“Hey, who are you and what do you want?” said the grumpy-looking lady who opened the door.

David observed the woman who seemed to be in her fifties or sixties as she stood still with arms akimbo, waiting for him to vindicate his disturbance. ‘This could be Esther’s mum’ he thought to himself.

“Morning ma’am. I am David.” he said, showing her his ID.

“I’m here to see Esther. Is she around?” David inquired.

“Which Esther?”, she asked, rather rhetorically.

“There’s no Esther here. You must be lost or something. I live here alone, and if you don’t mind, I’d like you to step off my land.” she demanded impudently.

“I’m sorry for disturbing. I’ll be on my way now. Do have a bright and colourful day. You need it.” David sneered as he walked away.

David got back into his car and tried to call Jannice, but was unsuccessful in doing so. Each time he dialed her number, he got the prompt that her line was busy.

David was getting quite agitated, and he had to calm himself by checking out some comedy clips on YouTube. He had intended to pay Jannice a visit, but he wasn’t sure if she could be trusted, so he opted for an alternative, and called up James.

After getting the real address from James, David realized that Jannice had given him the wrong house number in the address she wrote, and Esther actually lived in the same street where he was.

Just as David approached the front door of Esther’s apartment, he saw two ladies emerge from inside the house. David introduced himself and announced his mission of wanting to have a word with Esther. One of the ladies who identified herself as Esther ushered David inside the house, while the other lady hurried off.

“Hello Inspector. Please have a seat.” Esther said as she motioned to a chair.

“Jannice told me that you would be coming.” Esther pointed out.

“Is that so?” David asked.

“Yes. She asked me to answer all your questions honestly.” she added.

“How thoughtful of her, but she didn’t have to. Who would want to lie to an officer of the law in the course of investigating a crime, and risk being punished with a prison sentence of up to fourteen years?” David asked rhetorically.

“I was made to understand that you were responsible for conveying drinks and other items to the hotel room where Samson Coker was eventually murdered.” David recounted.

“Murdered?” Esther repeated, looking shocked.

“Yes. Samson was murdered. Poisoned actually. And the poison was contained in one of the drinks you dropped off in the room. So, do you have anything you want to tell me?” David asked.

“What do you mean?” Esther inquired, looking perplexed and worried.

“When did you drop off the items at the hotel room? Where did you get the drinks? Did you convey them to the hotel alone? Did anyone else have access to them aside from you?” David asked in succession.

“It was on the day of the wedding. I took them from the bunch that was bought for the wedding. Mrs. Johnson was the one who bought all the drinks. I hired a car to convey the drinks to the room, and no one else accompanied me. I don’t know who else had access to the room, as I returned the room key to the hotel receptionist once when I was leaving.” Esther explained.

“I didn’t poison the drink. I don’t know who poisoned it.” Esther added, looking rather nervous.

“Be at ease ma’am. I haven’t accused you of poisoning the drink, have I?” David pointed out.

“See, I just want you to help me here. Is there anyone else who had a business in the room on that day? David asked.

Esther was hesitant in giving a response, as she looked even more troubled.

“I really need to get something from our meeting ma’am. So far in the web-like situation of solving this case, the strongest thread points at you at the moment. Now, for both our sakes, tell me something I don’t already know.” David implored.

“I can’t tell you what I don’t know. I’ve already told you everything I know.” Esther replied, looking more assured.

For some reason, David was of the belief that Esther knew more than she admitted. However, he got up and thanked Esther for sparing some of her time to answer his questions. David was almost at the doorway when he suddenly turned.

“Pardon my inquisitiveness, but may I know who the lady I met earlier with you is?” David asked politely. And for some reason, Esther seemed startled on hearing his question.

Esther wasn’t sure whether to tell David the truth, as she didn’t want to invoke anyone’s wrath. She reasoned that David would later figure out the identity of the lady, since he had seen her face earlier. She however concluded that it would be irrational to lie to the Inspector.

“That was Josephine.” Esther confessed.

“She’s Jannice’s twin sister.” she added.



To be continued…

David felt like he needed some aspirin. He was having headache, and had barely slept in a week.

Since he took charge of Samson’s murder case, he had been busy unraveling the life Samson lived. But it seemed like the more he appeared to have uncovered, the more there was to uncover.

Samson’s life fascinated him. He wondered how a man could get intimate with three women from the same family and do so successfully. ‘Well, he was murdered, so he wasn’t so successful after all’, David concluded.

He swallowed some aspirin and sat lazily on a sofa in his apartment. He knew he needed some sleep, but he felt sleep was a luxury he couldn’t afford. He was yet to get a strong lead in the case, much to his frustration.

As he had done severally that day, David replayed all he had gathered so far about Samson.

‘He moved in with the Johnsons when he was 13. Started having an affair with Mrs. Johnson when he was 16. Began his relationship with Jannice years later, when he was in the university. Started having a thing with Josephine at an unknown period. A week before his death, both Stella and Josephine found out that they were having affairs with him, yet they were strangely unperturbed about it.’ David recounted.

David couldn’t think of a motive for Stella to kill Samson. Samson had an affair with her first, and if she didn’t want Samson’s union with her daughter, she could have stopped it years back.

David had doubts over the likelihood of Chief Johnson being the murderer since he was just recuperating during the period leading to the wedding. Barring that, he theoretically would have had a motive to harm Samson, who had slept with his wife and two daughters.

David was yet to get much information about Josephine, and it bothered him. Since he knew very little about her, he couldn’t think of a motive for her.

David however had his money on Jannice. She could have found out about Samson’s whole escapade and decided to get back at him. ‘She might have planted the specks in the bag, thus making her mum fall for the crime in retribution for her sins.’ David thought.

‘No. it doesn’t add up. Why would she get him the inhaler that night if she was trying to kill him? She could have tarried and let him die.’ David countered.

‘Someone planted the specks. Someone removed the inhaler Jannice claimed she had kept in her bag. Someone eventually poisoned Samson, but who?’ He wondered.

‘It was someone close to the family. It must have been. Someone who had access to the gifts, knew about Samson’s allergy, and had access to the bride’s bag she took to the hotel.

‘Who could it be?’ David wondered for a while as he slowly blanked out.

Moments later, his phone rang. He was startled, as the ringing had just woke him up.

“Hello.” David said as he picked up the call. It was Jane from the forensic team, and he hoped they had uncovered something big.

“Really?” David questioned over the phone as he got up, picked up his keys and stormed off his apartment.

“Hello Inspector.” Jannice greeted.

“You sounded very urgent over the phone.” She noted.

“Yes, I’d just received a call from the forensic team, and I thought of sharing the news with you.

“When we removed your husband’s body from the hotel, there was a carton of fruit juice on the table beside the bed. Can you please tell me where the drink came from?” David asked.

“I got the drink, along with a couple more that were in the refrigerator. That was Samson’s favourite drink, so I included them in the items that were taken to the room we booked.” Jannice replied.

“Who took the items over to the hotel?” David asked.

“Esther did. She was the one in charge of setting up the room. What’s the matter, Inspector? What did you find out?” Jannice queried.

“We’ve discovered the poison that killed your husband ma’am, and it was in the juice he took on your wedding night.” David explained.

Jannice appeared numb for a while, before tears began to trickle down her eyes. She tried to hide the tears and quickly wiped them from her face.

“I’m sorry ma’am, but I’m going to need Esther’s contact detail.” David announced.

“She’s a suspect, huh.” Jannice asked, rather coldly.

“Yes ma’am, and I’d have loved to ask you a few questions about her, but I’m not sure you’re in the right state to entertain them.

“I’ll be taking my leave now ma’am.” David said as he rose to leave after Jannice wrote down Esther’s address.

“Inspector.” Jannice called.

“Yes ma’am.” David responded.

“Please stop.” She pleaded.

“Excuse me?”, David remarked, looking perplexed.

“Please stop your investigation. It’s too much. Every time you come, it’s like I’m experiencing his death all over again.” She explained.

“I’m sorry it’s weighing so much on you ma’am, but I’m sorry I can’t do that. I have to do my job. Goodbye ma’am.” David said as he stepped out of the house.

It was already late in the day, so David chose to return home rather than visit Esther who lived far across the city.

As soon as he got home, David crashed on his bed. He was feeling exhausted. Even though he would have thought it impossible, he dozed off minutes after getting home.

David had been sleeping for a couple of hours when he suddenly woke with a start.

In frenzied motion, he rushed over to his study room, scurrying through a file on his table. It was Samson’s file.

He brought out some photographs. Pictures taken at the scene of Samson’s murder. He picked one out and scrutinized it delicately. He had only looked for a few seconds, when his face lit up.

David saw a tumbler on the table, just beside the fruit juice that was poisoned. However, it was the second cup that lay on the floor that was his great revelation.

‘They both drank the juice. How come only Samson died?’ David wondered.



To be continued
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It was a dark and quiet night.
Alone I was, or so it seemed
Until I heard voices, to compound my plight
In the eerie evil forest as I dreamed.

In bolted motion, I marched on
Swiftly across an ocean of fallen leaves.
Running to what could be my ultimate destruction,
For I heard the piercing cry of a miss.

Arriving at the scene, I stood still;
With blood boiling and nerves raving in rage.
Savagely, I picked up a weapon with intent to kill
As I saw you in tears, trapped in a cage!!!

* * *

There they stood, grinning deviously;
Those who had you imprisoned.
I held my blade firm and dashed fearlessly
To fight against an enemy by the thousand.

As I surged towards the advancing army,
All my thoughts were centered on you.
I quickened my steps in haste and hurry
As my rage sparked like an igniting fuel.

Alas! The enemies were within a yard
Then a brilliant idea flashed through my mind.
Immediately, I woke up, giving a sigh...
""I cannot coman die""!!!

A week before the wedding, Stella and Samson decided to have a farewell getaway to wrap up their affair that had been going on for years.

They both planned to cook up lies about traveling out of the country so they could be together, while they actually meant to remain in the city, at an exquisite resort that Lizzy, one of Stella’s friends had recommended.

They spent the first couple of days doing things Samson’s way. They spent most of the time in bed, which Stella had no qualms with, but lounging by the poolside or taking a stroll round the park in the evening wasn’t Stella’s style.

Being quite eccentric, Stella wanted to have some fun. She tried to talk Samson into having some wild adventures together, but Samson wouldn’t have it. He tried to play safe, given what had happened over the past days with Susan.

On the day Jannice had her shower, Stella and Samson were feeling cosy, while they trifled about unconventional places where they’d had sex in the past. They both made out individual lists, and it was with little surprise that Stella came ahead.

“An operating theatre? Really?”, Samson said in awe as he checked out Stella’s list.

“Yes! It was back in my university days when I was seeing this medical student. He didn’t want to do it there initially. He kept on whining just like you always do about playing safe, but in the end, he thanked me for talking him into it.” Stella narrated, while she gave Samson a sly wink.

“You certainly are crazy.” Samson declared lightly.

“Crazy? Not even close. What’s crazy is that we made out in the theatre while an operation was ongoing.” Stella boasted.

“Gosh!” Samson exclaimed.

“What if you’d been caught?” Samson queried.

“It wouldn’t have been the end of the world.” Stella replied with a shrug.

Samson was still checking Stella’s list when she received a text from Josephine, informing her that her husband just had a heart attack, and that they had all moved over to the hospital to be with him.

Stella paused for a while, turned towards Samson, and said: “Let’s do it in your house”



* * *

After Stella confessed of having an affair with Samson, Inspector David remembered Susan’s recorded call, and everything made more sense to him. Susan must have found out about them, and tried to blackmail Samson for it.

For a moment, David wondered whether Stella knew that Susan had found out about the affair or if Susan’s accident wasn’t an accident after all.

“Did anyone else know about your affair with Samson?” David asked what seemed a tricky question for Stella. Again, she wasn’t sure of what the inspector already knew, and didn’t want to risk playing smart with the man who had thus far outsmarted her.

“Yes.” Stella confessed.

“Names?” David asked, picking up his pen.

“Lizzy, Susan and Josephine.” Stella responded.

“Josephine, your daughter?” David queried.

“Yes.” Stella replied.

“Where is she by the way? I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting her.” David noted.

“She’s not in the country. She travelled for an urgent engagement on the eve of the wedding.” Stella explained, while David scribbled down some things on his notepad.

“The names you mentioned; how did the three of them find out?” David asked.

“Lizzy knew from the start. She’s my friend, and we share everything with each other.

Susan caught me with Samson in his apartment a couple of weeks before the wedding, and Josephine caught me kissing him after she got back from Canada last month” Stella confessed.

“Did you know of Susan’s blackmail attempt?” David inquired.

“Yes, I did. And we were going to pay what she demanded for, had she not died from that horrible accident.” Stella replied, looking forlorn.

David thought for a while; so far, he couldn’t think of a motive for Stella to kill Samson. She was his lover, and they had both tried to keep their affair from being exposed when Susan blackmailed them.

David became very curious. He was yet to find a strong lead so far in the investigation, and couldn’t help but feel like he had missed something important; perhaps a vital clue, information or an incidence.

The forensic team’s full report had been behind schedule, much to David’s frustration. He had hoped to get a strong lead from the report in helping to solve the case.

He thought about the entire case all over again, attempting to pin down those who had motives of harming Samson.

Even though James and Samson had a brief scuffle, David didn’t think James would murder his friend as a result, given the fact that they settled their differences almost immediately, as confirmed by Jannice. As for Stella, she hadn’t shown any indication of having a reason to harm him, so David was hesitant to put her in the red zone just yet. However, David had his concerns with Jannice.

David noted how she was quick to sell out both James and her mum, when she could have easily protected either of them. In the end, David came up with the theory that Jannice found out about the affair, killed Samson, and tried to peg her mum for the crime.

Just as quick as he came up with the theory, David rebuffed it. He needed facts, and dealing with theories wouldn’t do him any good.

David had a deep think again, analysing all the characters in the picture. Alas, he realized he had made a big oversight.

“Tell me, how did Josephine react when she caught you and Samson kissing?” David queried.

“She was …”, Stella paused briefly, then continued; “She was shocked”, Stella lied.

“Really?” David remarked.

“Is there a chance that she might have told your husband or her sister about what she saw?” David asked.

“No.” Stella said, rather confidently.

“You sound pretty sure that she didn’t tell on you. Why is that?” David queried.

“I didn’t. I mean, I don’t know if she told anyone.” Stella defended, but was betrayed by the fear in her voice.

“Mrs. Johnson, as a person and an officer of the law, I pride myself in two things above others. First is my ability to read situations, while the other is my ability to read people. And you? You’re making it all too easy for me to read you. So whatever it is you’re playing, please quit trying, for your sake.

“I don’t know who you’re trying to protect; yourself or your daughter. What I do know is that you’re putting yourself in a difficult situation here.

“You know what I think? I think you got worried when Susan found out about you and Samson, so you arranged her accident. I also think you and Josephine tried to kill Samson in a desperate attempt to bury your affair with him completely. Josephine sent you the text to inform you that Samson’s apartment was empty, so you could sprinkle the gift with pollen specks. And I’ve got enough evidence in your recorded confession of being in the apartment after the shower, coupled with the card you tucked into the bag, as well as the text you received from Josephine.

“Now that you know what I think, I’d suggest you dissuade me from reaching a conclusion from my deduction, and tell me what really happened.” David bluffed.

Stella felt cornered. She knew she had to give David what he wanted so he’d get off her neck, so she did.

“I knew Josephine wouldn’t say a thing because she was sleeping with Samson too.”



To be continued…

Susan started making plans for the bridal shower a couple of weeks before the wedding. She always had a thing for planning such events, and Jannice knew that. Susan had previously overseen the planning of five other showers, as she easily became the go-to girl for planning wedding showers for her friends due to the kinky nature of her events; and Jannice wasn’t expecting any less.

Susan was quick to send invites to the chosen few who were wanted at the shower. She had carefully screened all of Jannice’s friends, and only sent invites to those with the ‘right kind of vibe’. She however reluctantly included two of Jannice’s more reserved friends after the bride-to-be insisted on their attendance.

Susan didn’t work alone, Josephine agreed to help out, following her return from Canada. However, Susan’s death meant that Josephine had to carry on with the planning; and she didn’t disappoint.

The venue of the shower was originally meant to be Jannice’s apartment, but it was moved over to Samson’s place, since he would be traveling to South Africa for a conference, coupled with the fact that his apartment was bigger.

On the day of the shower, friends arrived with gaiety, gifts and booze. The ladies had rounds of merriment, games and photoshoot. Everything was going as planned until Jannice got a call from home that her dad just had a heart attack, and was being transported to a hospital. Immediately, the party ended as they all moved over to the hospital. Both Jannice and Josephine ended up spending the night at the hospital, tending to their father.



* * *



Mrs. Johnson was invited to the police station for questioning following the discovery of the note in the bag. She did little to conceal her displeasure in being called to the station for questioning, as she ignored Inspector David’s greetings while he ushered her into his office.

“Can you please tell me why I am here?” she asked coldly.

“Of course. You’re here for questioning in relation to the investigated murder of your son-in-law, Samson. Nothing serious. You’re just a few questions away from leaving here.” David explained.

“Alright, shoot”, Stella said, crossing her arms while staring callously at the inspector.

“How would you describe your relationship with Samson?”, David asked.

“He was my son-in-law. Next?”, Stella responded.

Inspector David smiled briefly, then said; “According to report, you had a relatively hostile relationship with Samson. What would you say about that?”

“Nothing. And it’s a pity Samson’s not here to tell you his own side.” Stella said snidely.

“Pardon me for my lack of perception here, but I can’t seem to find any linkage between your questions and finding out about the cause of Samson’s death. So please, quit wasting my time. I’ve got somewhere to be.” Stella fired.

David realized that he wasn’t going to get anything from Stella with the subtler approach he had employed, so he decided to hit her hard with the serious questions.

David folded his sleeves, leaned over the table and said; “Tell me Mrs. Johnson, where were you on 3rd of November, the day your daughter had her bridal shower?”

“I was in Dubai to procure some goods”, Stella replied confidently.

“Do you know that telling a lie to an officer of the law in the course of investigation constitutes an act of perjury; a serious offence which is punishable by imprisonment for fourteen years?”, David asked.

“What I know is that I have told you the truth, one which I can prove.” Stella said, with her usual charisma.

“By proof, are you referring to the flight ticket to Dubai your daughter booked for you? Already seen that.” David rose from his seat and went over to the dispenser to get a cup of water before adding; “You see, I took the liberty of checking out with airline where you booked the flight to know for certain whether or not you boarded the plane, and we both know that you didn’t. So, I’ll advise you to think deeply and think well before answering my next questions, lest your indictment includes perjury.”

For the first time in David’s office, Stella was truly worried, and it was evident. She quickly lost her previous arrogant demeanour and now appeared vulnerable. Her hands were no longer folded, but were now entwined on her laps, as she looked up at the inspector rather nervously.

“Were you ever at Samson’s apartment?”, David asked.

Stella hesitated. She knew the answer to the question but was conflicted on whether to answer truthfully or not. She looked at David suspiciously, wondering what exactly he knew.

“Ma’am, please answer the question. Time is of essence. You’ve got someplace to be, remember?”, David reminded.

“Yes. I’ve been at his apartment.” Stella responded.

David brought out the note from the bag, presented it to her, and asked; “Did you write this and place it in a gift meant for Jannice?”

Eagerly, Stella collected the note and took a glance. She stopped for a moment, then responded; “Yes, I did. I got her a gift for the shower.”

“Ma’am, do I need to impress on you again the importance of being truthful during this session?”, David asked rhetorically.

“I know that you didn’t get Jannice the gift, and she confirmed that. Susan got her the gift. Now, I want you to tell me when and how you were able to put the card in the bag.”

A line of sweat trickled down Stella’s temple, as she began to feel uneasy. For a while, she processed the question, thinking about how to respond.

Stella was hesitant to talk, so David decided to give her some motivation.

“Let me explain your situation here, maybe it’ll help loosen your tongue. So far in Samson’s murder case, the most tangible evidence I’ve got points at a failed attempt at killing him. You see, the lingerie that came with your card was coated with specks of pollen grain, which the deceased was allergic to. He had an asthma attack in the aftermath of inhaling the specks, but that wasn’t what killed him. However, attempted murder is a serious crime which is punishable by life imprisonment.

“Right now, things aren’t looking too good for you, as the evidence points directly at you. It’s possible that you didn’t coat the dress with the specks, however, the onus is on you to prove your innocence. And if I were you, I wouldn’t complicate things by telling more lies.“ David concluded.

Stella was becoming more worried than before. She knew nothing about the pollen grain. In order to clear her name, she would have to let out a dark secret about herself.

“I was there. I was in Samson’s apartment on the day of the shower.”, “Stella confessed, dreading the question that would follow.

“When and why were you at the apartment, and how come Jannice and the group weren’t aware of your presence?”, David asked.

Stella’s eyes wandered briefly around the office, before settling on her trembling hands that rested delicately on her thighs.

“I got there after they all left for the hospital where my husband was admitted.” Stella confessed.

“Why were you there?”, David asked, as he gazed intently at her like a predator that was just a leap away from pouncing on its prey.

“I…I…I was in the apartment with Samson. We were having an affair”

To be continued…

A couple of weeks before the wedding, Samson felt the weight of the entire world was on him. He was under a lot of pressure. The idea of wedding his lover and best friend was thrilling, but at a point, he started having second thoughts about everything.

Josephine, Jannice’s twin sister arrived from Canada for the wedding. It had been a little more than six years since Josephine left for Canada, and she was heartily welcomed back, even by her dad who banished her back then. No one was as thrilled as Jannice to have her sister back, not even Samson who couldn’t help but have recurring flashes of memories he had with Josephine.

Samson and Josephine kept their affair a secret back then, and even after all those years, he still kept it a secret from his wife-to-be.

Arrangements for the wedding went swiftly, but to Jannice’s frustration, Samson wasn’t involved in it just enough. Jannice could see that Samson was distracted and it didn’t help matters that he played little part in the wedding planning, so she arrived at the conclusion that he didn’t care.

On the day of their big fight, Jannice tried to give Samson the report of how she had made arrangement for the band that would perform at the wedding reception, but Samson focused more on the report he was drafting on his laptop, as his response was limited to occasional nods and grunts. Jannice, raving in rage, kept her cool, as she chose to see for certain if Samson was paying any attention to her.

After giving her report, Jannice added that she had invited Kenny to the wedding, and in response, Samson lazily said “cool”.

Kenny was Jannice’s rebound boyfriend back in school, when she and Samson had a brief breakup. Samson never hid his dislike for Kenny, even after he eventually patched things up with Jannice. Back then, he forbade Jannice from being in contact with Kenny, who he saw as a potential threat to his relationship with her.

In full mode rage, Jannice slammed Samson’s laptop shut, ranting about how lackadaisical he had been about the wedding, while also accusing him of not caring about her or her feelings.

Samson always knew how fiery Jannice was, and had always managed to calm her down during moments when she had a feat, but on that day, he was in no mood for diplomacy, so he fired back. He accused her for being petty, focusing more on the wedding, when other ‘more intelligent’ women focus more on the marriage. He accused her of not inquiring diligently about the reason for his distracted state. In anger, he told her blatantly that he didn’t care about who sang during the wedding, or who’s in attendance, but only about her, and their future together.

Jannice, picking up selected words where Samson admitted that he didn’t care, left his apartment in anger.

* * *

‘Something doesn’t seem right’, Inspector David thought to himself as he drove over to pay Jannice a visit, following his chat with James. James showed him Susan’s chat with Samson, where she mentioned that she “enjoyed last night”, and was looking forward to receiving the “arranged”. The recorded call was more mystifying, as David played it over and over again in his mind. The call, which barely lasted a minute, had Susan rant about how Samson had defaulted in making the arranged payment, while making threats. David remembered the words she said; “pay me the arranged money or else I’ll leak out the secret…You’re a pig. No wonder Mrs. Johnson was always so mean to you.” That was when the call ended.

Even though James was convinced that Susan slept with Samson, and tried to blackmail him for it, Inspector David had his doubts. ‘Why would Susan threaten to expose her affair with Samson when she had something to lose as well in her relationship with both Jannice and James, her boyfriend’ David wondered. It didn’t quite add up.

As David waited for Jannice to join him in the living room, he eavesdropped on Jannice and her mum, Stella, as they conversed mellowly in the dining hall, while the latter encouraged Jannice to go out on a date with a ‘Williams’.

After exchanging greetings with David, Stella stepped out of the house and drove off.

“Mrs Johnson seems gay today”, David noted.

“Oh yes. She’s going to see an old friend who just got back in town”, Jannice explained.

“Tell me Inspector, any news regarding the autopsy?” Jannice inquired.

“Not yet ma’am. Although I’m expecting some update from the forensic team for any lead on the case. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you posted when we’ve got something.”, David assured.

“Thank you.”, Jannice said, as she sipped some coffee from the mug a house help had just brought for her.

“What can I offer you, Inspector?”, Jannice asked.

“Oh, don’t trouble yourself on my account. I’m just here to ask a few questions. I’ll be gone in a bit.”, David responded.

Inspector David noticed how radiant Jannice was looking, which was in contrast to how she looked when he first saw her. She appeared to have gotten over the gloom of her husband’s demise, at least in appearance. David also noticed that there was no ring on her finger anymore.

‘Curious. Very curious.’, David thought to himself.

Without making a fuss, Inspector David asked Jannice about her fight with Samson before the wedding.

“Yes, we had a little fight before the wedding, about the planning. It was a simple misunderstanding, really.”, Jannice said.

“Yh, so I heard. But what happened afterwards, and how did you come to settle?”, David asked.

“Well, Samson seemed uninterested in planning the wedding, so we had an argument. Things got a bit heated along the way. I stormed out of his apartment and went to stay with my girl, Susan. I told her what happened, and she pointed out some of my faults. I was reluctant to go back to sort things out with Samson, so I asked her to go talk to him first.

“When she got to his apartment, she told me he was very drunk. I couldn’t leave Susan’s place as she had a couple of her nieces staying with her, coupled with the fact that it was very late that night. I asked Susan to stay with Samson, and help me look after him until morning. Susan returned to her apartment very early the next day, and told me she had spoken with him. So I left for his place. When I got there, he apologised, and we were fine”, Jannice explained.

“When exactly did Susan pass away?”, David asked, scribbling somethings down on his notepad.

“Ehm…she had an accident two days after the fight, and passed away a day later”, Jannice replied.

“Is there anything th…”, Jannice was saying when Inspector David’s phone rang.

As he hung up after the call, David wrote down more things in his notepad. He paused for a moment as his eyes danced around for a while as though he was trying to wrap his head around an idea.

“The lingerie you wore on your wedding night, was it new or an old one?”, David asked.

Jannice raised her brow on hearing the bizarre question, and decided to ask one of hers instead.

“Please help me understand how such a question is any helpful”, Jannice fired.

“The forensic team just informed me that the lingerie you wore on your wedding night was coated with specks of pollen grain.”, David explained.

Jannice was shocked. ‘How can that be?’, she wondered. The lingerie was new, or at least she thought.

“It was new. It was a gift I received at my bridal shower”, Jannice declared.

“From who? Who gifted it to you?”, David asked.

“Susan! It was delivered from Susan posthumously. It came with a bag.”, Jannice announced.

“Do you have the bag here?”, David inquired.

“Yes”, Jannice replied.

“May I have a look?”, David asked.

“Of course. I’ll be right back”

Inspector David was hoping to check if he would find more specks in or around the bag, as that would help him determine if the dress was coated with pollen grain before or after the gift was delivered.

Jannice returned after a while. She was holding a red handbag, which she handed over to Inspector David for inspection. Just as he had predicted, David found specks inside the bag, but there was more. Stuck between a contracted portion of the bag, David found a folded note which read;

“A sexy lingerie for my sexy baby – Love, Mum”

“I thought you said it was a gift from Susan.”, David queried.

“Y..ess”, Jannice responded, looking baffled.

“I don’t understand.”, Jannice confessed, looking more confused.

“What is that?”, David asked.

“This note. It’s my mum’s handwriting, but it couldn’t have been there. Mum never visited. She wasn’t even at the shower!”



To be continued…
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Just as he started to choke on his own blood, Samson expected the worst, knowing the end was near. He made futile attempts at screaming for help as he felt paralyzed. Within seconds, his life flashed before him.

Samson remembered his father’s death and how the event changed his life. Following Paul’s death, Samson had come to believe that he was very lucky, that nothing would go against him. Over the years, the universe backed his belief as he lived his life without facing any reality check. Samson rode on his luck and often acted without caring about consequences, and he never had to worry about it. His life was simply perfect.

For the first time in his life, Samson was truly scared, lying next to his new wife. He wondered how he got to point of being poisoned as he began to struggle for air. He wished for a second chance; another chance to do things better, to make better use of the opportunities he’d been afforded all his life. At exactly 4:15 am, Samson gave his last breath.

Jannice couldn’t believe her luck. She had become a widow less than 24 hours into her marriage. The police were already present, along with some medical consultant, who were of the opinion that Samson had been poisoned. The police took pictures of the room and wrapped up some items from the room as potential evidence.

Jannice was in the comfort of her mum when Inspector David approached her for some light questioning.

Just in his mid-thirties, Inspector David had a physique that would deceive others into believing he was at least 10 years older. Tall and stout, David James would have passed for a weight lifter or a male model but for his bulging belly.

Inspector David is a scrupulous observer who pays attention to the tiniest of details. He once solved a break-in case in just a minute after reaching the crime scene.

John, a cooperative savings collector went to the police to report a break-in in his apartment, where a huge amount of money had been stolen. When the police got to his apartment, they noticed that the window was broken, and there was a total mess inside. However, Inspector David arrested John almost immediately for fraud as he believed that the crime was staged. Apparently, Inspector David was the only one who noticed that the glass from the broken window was all outside the house, instead of inside, thus disproving Johns’ claim that there was a break-in from outside.

As Inspector David approached Jannice, he cleared his throat. “Accept my condolences ma’am”, he declared, bringing out a small notepad from inside his jacket.

“Please can you run me by what happened?”, he added.

“Sure”, Jannice responded as she sniffed softly in evidence that she had been in tears.

“We arrived here at around 8pm. James drove. Then we had dinner, since we were both starving. After…”

“Where did the food come from, and did you eat together?”, Inspector David cuts in.

“The food came from the wedding reception. Mother packed it for us, and yh, we ate together. We fed each other. It was a mess.” Jannice added, trying to smile when she remembered having dinner with Samson. Instead, tears rolled down her cheeks. She wiped her eyes with the handkerchief in her hand, took a deep breath and continued.

“After dinner, we both went to have a shower. Samson returned to the room immediately afterwards, while I remained to change into a… a night dress. I returned to the room, and we only made out for a couple of minutes when Sam had an asthma attack. We checked through our things but couldn’t find his inhaler even though I could have sworn that I kept one in my bag”

“Has that ever happened before? Did he ever have an attack while making out?”, David queried.

“No. Never.”, Jannice responded.

“What about allergies? Did he have any?” David asked.

“Yes. Pollen grains always made him choke. He suffered attack twice when we once went hiking.”, Jannice explained.

“Is that what he was wearing when he had the attack?”, David asked, pointing at Samson’s body that was now being moved.

“Yes, it is” she replied.

“What about you? Is this the dress you wore when it happened?” David queried.

“No. I had to change when I went to find him an inhaler. I was wearing this.” Jannice said, handing over a red satin lingerie.

Inspector David examined the dress closely, then jotted something down. He then asked Jannice if he could hold on to it for a while for better examination, and she consented.

“Is there anyone who had reasons to harm your husband or one he had a recent spat with?”, David queried.

Jannice took a while to process the question. Samson was quite lovable and rarely got into fights, so it was a difficult question to answer. However, about a week before the wedding, Samson had a spat with James, his best friend who left Samson with a black eye. When Jannice asked what they had quarreled about, all Samson told her was that it was a simple misunderstanding. Even though she wasn’t satisfied with the response, she decided to drop the matter when she saw both Samson and James later that day, acting like brothers again.

In the end, Jannice told Inspector David about the fight before he left.

Jannice returned to her parents’ house after her mum insisted that she stayed with them. Jannices’ mind hovered around the possibility that her husband had been poisoned. ‘Who would poison Samson?’ she wondered.

James was invited by the police for questioning, and he obliged.

David isn’t one to beat around the bush, so he asked James what the fight was about.

“It was nothing…just a fight over a football argument”, James explained.

“Mr. James”, David called, looking unimpressed. “I have a not-so-strong friend who I always argue football with. You see, he’s a Madrid fan, and I’m team Barcelona. Some of our arguments over team selection or player abilities would go on for hours, but not once did either of us barge into the others’ house to give them a beating over one of such arguments.” David said as he strolled over to sit on a table in front of James.

“And as I’ve come to understand, you and Samson are more than ‘not-so-strong’ friends. Some would even call you brothers. So cut me the football crap and tell me what went down between you guys, cos in case you haven’t noticed, you’re a prime suspect for his murder. So in your best interest, tell me what really happened and we’ll see how innocent you are”, David added.

James panicked. He looked into Inspector David’s eyes and was terrified by the sheer sternness he saw.

“Alright”, James yielded.

“I attacked Samson when I found out that he had an affair with my girlfriend, Susan less than two weeks before the wedding, and few days before she died in a car accident. I found out about the affair after her death, when I checked through her phone and listened to one of her recorded calls which sounded like she was blackmailing Samson.

Naturally, I got mad that he betrayed me, and I paid him a visit to give him a piece of my mind, but that was it. We met later that day, and we were cool. Jannice was there. She later came around; you can ask her.” James confessed.

“How close were Jannice and Susan?”, David asked

“Very close. They were best friends. I met Susan through Jannice after she and Samson started seeing each other back in school.”, James responded.

“Did Jannice find out about the affair?”, David queried.

“No. I don’t think so. Samson asked me not to tell her. Moreover, their big fight happened before the affair”, James said.

“What big fight?”, David asked, looking interested.

“Samson and Jannice. They had a big fight before the wedding. It was so huge that the wedding was almost called off. I bet she didn’t tell you that huh.”, James explained as he examined the bemused look on David’s face.

“Jannice is not who you think she is. That girl is crazy!”, he added.



To be continued…

Samson always felt lucky. His life had been quite eventful, having experienced both good and bad days. No matter how bad things got for him, opportunities always emerged amidst the settling smoke of the chaos.

Samson was born shortly after his father started working for Chief Johnson. His birth marked a new era for his parents who had previously lived from hand to mouth since Paul, Samson’s father lost his job a year earlier. Paul was working as an Accountant in a reputed business firm but lost his job when his name found its way into a misappropriation probing. Paul was later found out to be innocent only after he got the boot.

Paul got recommended by his Pastor to become Chief Johnson’s personal assistant as things changed for him and his family. Growing up, Samson saw very little of his dad who only came home on weekends. Chief Johnson always wanted Paul around, as he found him very industrious, so he gave him a private flat to stay in his residential compound, but Paul’s family weren’t allowed to stay there with him.

Despite not being readily available, Paul provided for his family and ensured they lacked nothing since he was being generously paid by his boss. Samson was enrolled in one of the nicest schools in town, and he grew to be quite the brains, just like his dad.

Paul passed away when Samson was just 10 years old, and Joyce, his wife became very worried for the future. A trained accountant just like her husband, Joyce never worked for anyone since she got married. Paul didn’t let her. He always went on about how female workers are undermined, seduced and exploited at work, and always argued that both of them working with a tight schedule wasn’t the best thing for a young marriage. In the end, one of them had to make a sacrifice.

Back then, Paul was being well paid in the business firm where he worked, and believed he could cater for the needs of his young family quite comfortably. He set up a shop for his wife who was also a trained makeup artist, in order to keep her from being absolutely idle. After Paul lost his job, Joyce’s makeup business sustained the family for several months.

When Paul started working for Chief Johnson, Samson was already around, and Joyce had to finally put down her dreams of pursuing a professional career. This time around, she made the sacrifice for her son.

Following Paul’s passing, Joyce knew that certain adjustments needed to be made if she was going to depend on her makeup business to cater for her family. Samson was disenrolled from the school went and got registered in a less expensive one. Joyce also made arrangements to relocate once the lease of her current apartment expired. Even though things weren't as rosy as they once were, Joyce was confident of ensuring a good life for her family.

On a fateful day, Joyce received a visitor who introduced himself as Chief Jim Johnson; Paul’s former boss. He explained how one of his daughters, Jannice, told him that Samson got disenrolled from school. Jannice, Samson’s friend and former classmate told her dad about his absence from school. Soon after revealing his identity, Chief Johnson disclosed his intentions of sponsoring Samson’s education, among other needs.

With Chief Johnson in the picture, things got better for Joyce and Samson. Samson got re-enrolled into his former school, while Joyce got appointed as a Manager in one of Chief Johnson’s newly established hotels.

Over the next couple of years, Joyce got entrusted with more and more duties, that she barely spent time with her son. Samson was 13, and was doing just fine. He was growing up to become an independent young man by taking care of himself. His mother knew this, but was worried all the same about his lack of parental attention. As a result, she readily welcomed the idea when Chief Johnson suggested that Samson should stay with him and his family.

Samson wasn’t sure of how to feel about living with the Johnsons at the time. He knew that his mum was always busy with work, but he never complained as he spent his free time frolicking with his neighbourhood friends. Samson knew he would miss them, but not nearly as much as they would miss him. Samson was the brain and life of the bunch. He always came up with exciting and adventurous activities to keep them engaged. Even though he was an atypical ‘good boy’ Samson always had the tendency of being mischievous when he wanted to.

At the Johnsons’, Samson became strongly acquainted with Jannice and Josephine; Chief Johnson’s twin daughters, and only children. The sisters were quite unlike each other; while Josephine was quit reserved and tactical in making decisions, Jannice was extroverted and quite impulsive. The trio of the twin and Samson looked after each other, and as the years passed, their bond became stronger.

Chief Johnson took good care of Samson, treating him as his own child. But for some reason, Stella, Chief Johnson’s wife never liked him. She often treated him harshly and would punish him at the slightest offence. At first, Samson thought she was bitter and treated him harshly because she had no male child of her own. Instead of hating her, all Samson felt was pity. He tried to get closer to her and accepted the maltreatments without qualms. He even tried calling her ‘Mum’, but she was quick to rebuke him, warning him against ever regarding her in such a way.

Despite the animosity he had to endure in the house, Samson had the twins to provide him some sort of respite. Samson soon learnt that Mrs. Johnson might have disliked him for a different reason from what he thought when he found out that she treated his dad the same way. Even though he didn’t know what his dad did to have made her hostile to him, he determined to cope through it, just as his dad did for 10 years.

Between the sisters, Samson fancied Josephine more, even though he found Jannice more interesting, since she was just as adventurous as himself. During their freshman year in the university, Samson had a secret romantic relationship with Josephine. They kept their affair hidden, even from Jannice. However, the relationship was short lived as Josephine got expelled from school after being caught with illegal items on campus. Outraged, Chief Johnson got her enrolled in Canadian University, while she was not to return home until after she had obtained her Bachelor’s degree. Josephine pleaded and wept, but there was no going back as her dad had already made up his mind. She travelled to Canada, and would not return home until after 6 years.

Years passed and Samson got his undergraduate and Masters degrees. Chief Johnson made him his personal assistant and he proved to be even more efficient than his dad.

By the time Samson was 25, he had already become financially independent and was in a five-year relationship with Jannice. Chief Johnson declared his approval once he learned of their relationship, and so did his wife, even though her hostility towards Samson remained the same.
Samson felt he was ready to settle down, so he decided to pop the question. Samson knew that Jannice had a hunch that he was going to propose soon, so he decided to do something rather unconventional.

It was on a Friday. Jannice was getting ready to meet up with Samson for a pre-arranged photoshoot when her friends, Susan and Esther came in to her apartment and confiscated her phones. Jannice was quite puzzled as to what her friends were up to. As soon as they had her phones kept in a bag, Susan handed her a note which was the first of many clues in a scavenger hunt that would end with a proposal.

The note said:

“Dear Jannice, I have a confession to make; there won’t be a photo-shoot today. Instead, today is dedicated entirely to you, LOML. I’ve been thinking about how I would ask you to marry me for quite some time, since I realized that you’ve had hunches that it was on my mind. So, instead of popping the question out of the blue, I’m opting to let you embrace the fun and excitement of getting engaged, and have planned a scavenger hunt for you today.

Rules:
*You are not to use your cell phone or borrow any other cell phone to make calls, text, or make posts on your social media accounts.
*Follow the clues you will be getting strictly, and above all, have fun! Today is all about you.
PS: When you complete the scavenger hunt, then I will reward you by asking you a very important, life-changing question.
Love Samson”


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