Wow Scarlett, nice job. You've succeeded in causing confusion abi? Anyways I suspected Omotola wasn't the killer. Ride on dearie, it's getting more intriguing.

swann:
Tunji is my Prime suspect....


Omotola, may just be pretending to get out of jail...


saliu abi sulia...that Seyi's henchman....is suspect...

Skarlett, come and help me cancel out the innocent ones ...Waiting for your next update to do that

Lol. The killings had started before Saliu was released from jail na

Well, I think there's more than 1 killer and Seyi's dad is one of them.

Skarlett, come show love na biko

I have missed oh... had to read as a guest

I don't think omotola is the real killer oh.. She can't be a cold blooded killer

Skarr. . Cuman show love true true

Dedicated to Jay542 and Lawlahdey to show them love


Twenty

Dr. Seyi Lawal felt a nagging headache as he hurried out of the hospital that afternoon, he knew he needed rest but he couldn’t stop himself from working. Maybe he would drop by at Sade’s place, the little minx had been keeping his fifty-eight year body in form with the sort of sexual aerobics his wife couldn’t ever perform.

He smiled to himself and his footsteps were light as he made his way across the parking lot. He noticed what a tall, trim and impressive shadow he cast on the pavement, the type that women couldn’t resist despite the greying hair on his temples. He looked at his shadow again for some appraisal and noticed another shadow beside his, burly and bigger than his. He turned back to see who had to be the darkest man in Nigeria.

He didn’t look familiar on the contrary, he looked menacing. Dr. Seyi couldn’t help hurrying to his car to escape the foreboding stranger. Another sight greeted him at the black Honda Pilot behind his Lexus jeep, a more familiar one.

“Seyi?”

His son opened the door to the car. “Get in, father.”

*****

“In terms of family, my sister and I had never been lucky. It was a classic case of total dysfunction. Our father left before I was born, or more appropriately, our mother ran him off. Although I was young then, just about three years old with Ifeoluwa being six, I can still remember our mother’s unpredictability that morphed into fits of rage for no reason. She could get angry at the smallest thing and sorry to whoever offended her because she would use whatever object happened to be at hand to inflict injuries on you. One time she used a pestle and broke Ife’s head, I think that was the time she decided to get help and abandon us at the orphanage.”

Omotola paused to take in the attentiveness of her audience that comprised Tunji and Feyi Afolabi and continued. “Her family rejected her because they hated the fact that she met our father in the university and got pregnant for him. Her father asked her to abort the pregnancy and break off things with our father but she refused and he disowned her. She had to drop out of school then because our father was a broke student with no family alive.

“When she dropped us at the orphanage, her and our father had been separated for three years. Ife still remembered our father’s name so finding him became our dream in the home until I was four years old and we were separated. I was sent to a foster home and left her behind. For the ten years I stayed with the Williams, I was maltreated and abused physically by Mrs Williams. They eventually brought me back to the orphanage when I was fourteen and they won a lottery to the US. My sister and I ran away from the orphanage a few months later in search of our father.

“We had his name and last name and when we eventually found him, he was married to another woman and didn’t want us to unbalance the harmony in his household. He gave us some money and sent us away. My sister had finished secondary school then and took up waitressing jobs in bars and hotels while I went back to school.

“Our father had given us the address of our mother’s parents so we went to see them with hopes of reuniting with our mother but her parents turned us away. They said our father destroyed our mother’s life once and they wouldn’t allow us do same when our mother was in the process of getting her life together.

“We felt abandoned and rejected again and decided we wouldn’t do anything more to search for our mother. We would try to survive together watching each other’s backs. That was about the time Ife started working at ‘The Redd Door’ Club.”

Feyi gasped in surprise.

“What? You know the club?”

She seemed uncertain. “I think I do, Seyi who used to be my fiancé had a club in Abeokuta that went by the same name. I remember he was always making weekend trips to Abeokuta because of the place.”

Omotola frowned, “Seyi was your fiancé?”

“Y-yes, I don’t know if we are talking about the same person though.”

“I think we are. I and my sister were born and raised in Abeokuta. She worked for Seyi Lawal.”

“What kind of work?” Tunji asked curiously.

“She was a waitress first and when she caught her boss’ eye, his sexual interest. It was around the same time too that I met your brother, she never liked Dayo.”

*****
Dayo looked at the liquor he was swirling in the glass. He was not typically a drinking man but with the way his thoughts seemed to be going in the same direction as his drink, he couldn’t help indulging himself. His thoughts were divided between two women, especially one young girl whose smile had him smitten.

Three years earlier…

“You know my sister does not like you,” Tally said, her brown eyes dancing in merriment.

They had just finished having a steamy round of sex in his hotel room and they were still naked underneath the bedsheets. He was amused, “really?”

“Yes really, she hates you because she feels that you’re taking advantage of me.”

His eyes glinted mischievously, “if she means I cant seem to get my hands off your sexy as hell body, then I’m guilty.”

She giggled excitedly, “you’re not serious.”

“Try me,” he said and drew her face closer for a kiss. She pulled away a few seconds later and frowned. “What is it?”

“I feel she has a point. I mean if we look at it, I barely know anything about you, you’re far older than me and all we do in this relationship is spend time in bed.”

Dayo’s face grew serious, “I’ve told you all you need to know about me, I’m Dayo Kehinde, a business man and I didn’t know you were uncomfortable with our eight year age gap,” he rose up from the bed and fished around for his boxers.

Omotola sat up from the bed, “Look Dee, its not as if I’m uncomfortable with the age gap or anything, its just that…”

“Its just that what? She may be right, I only want to use you?”

“But her opinion isn’t without merit, we’ve never been out on a proper date like I see them do in the movies and we’ve been together for almost six months now. We always meet only in your hotel room and never in the public, its almost like you’re ashamed to be with me.”

“But Tally can’t you see? I’m giving you all I can give at the moment. I’m afraid of getting committed to anyone.”

“Right,” she said and folded her arms across her chest.

Dayo knew she was hurt by his words and too young to understand. He cursed himself for getting involved with her in the first place but he knew a little part of him had began to really like her. He went to her side of the bed.

“Alright, lets work on a compromise, I’ll come around one of these days to take you and your sister out on a date just like you see in the movies.”

Her face lit up instantly, “you will?”

He nodded solemnly. “I don’t know when I’ll be available but lets look at sometime in the week. I don’t know when yet so it’ll be a surprise. I’ll just come by one evening and take you and your sister out.”

She squealed in excitement and hugged him, “that would be wonderful! Thank you!”

“You’re welcome dear.”

“My sister isn’t always around every evening though. She goes to work every Thursday to Sunday evening.”

“Alright, we’ll be looking at Monday to Wednesday evening then.”

When he’d come to their house for the date night, Tally was the one absent. He had been greeted by a frosty as ice Ife.

“Tola is not around,” she said without letting him in.

He had been taken aback by her beauty and the cold attitude she was putting up. “Wow, that’s too bad. I thought she would be, we made plans to go on a date.”

She looked surprised. “Really?”

“Yes really, we were planning to have you come along with us too.”

Her whole features became warm at that, “That’s very generous of you and it would have been really nice. But Tola went for evening lessons and won’t be back until later.”

“Shucks, that’s too bad and I made exclusive reservation at Golden Tulips Hotel, seems we’ll have to do this some other time.”

“Actually, we can both go on the date and bring back stuff for Tola, it wouldn’t be nice if your reservation went to waste. I’m sure Tola would understand and I will get a chance to know her ‘Mr Dee’.”

Dayo chuckled at that, “that won’t be bad then, I’ll be waiting for you in the car.”

****
I knew time was running out and desperate times called for desperate measures. After the plan to kill Dr. Lily in the hospital had been botched by that cheap LovePeddler Omotola, I knew it would only be a matter of time before my cover was blown. I had to act quickly.

I ran long fingers over the picture of Dayo Gbenga Cole. Everything I did was because of him, it was because seeing him with another woman hurt just as it had hurt those many years ago to see him walking out of the expensive hotel with Ifeoluwa Martins hanging on to his arm like a strumpet. The surge of hate that had flowed through my veins had felt like acid.

I hadn’t planned to kill her then just threaten her and slap her around for a bit. I had taken a three days leave to see my sick sister. The first thing I'd done was to check at the hotel he was usually lodged on his trips to Abeokuta. I hadnt been availed the opportunity to see him because just as i got into the lobby, i saw him exiting the lift. It had been one of my wisest decisions yet to follow him until he'd led me to the woman who wanted to steal him from me. She was a tramp and I needed to tell her to stay away from my man. But when I got to her house the next day, Ifeoluwa was unwilling to cooperate.

Three years earlier…
“Who are you?” she asked looking suspiciously at me.

I smiled at her, “that’s not a nice way to talk to a new neighbor, you know,” I lied smoothly. “I just moved into the apartment down the hallway and wanted to greet my neighbors.”

“Oh right, I’m sorry. I didn’t know we had a new neighbor. I just feel tired these days,” she said opening the door and allowing me enter.

I noticed she had a towel tied to her chest and held a bar of soap in her hand. “Its all right, I can understand. Are you about to have a bath?”

*****
“I was always gone during the evenings for tutorials. I was planning to write my WAEC and needed the extra classes to help me prepare. On one of those evenings, I got home to meet my sister’s naked and lifeless body.”

Omotola’s eyes looked glassy through the dimness, “That was my alibi for the night she was murdered.”

“So what was the cause of her death?” Tunji asked.

“Asphyxiation, a bar of soap was forced down her throat.”


Tbc
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suzan404:
chai! I've missed a lot oo I've been so busy with exams,I couldn't follow the updates....lemme read

Erhmmm,Just read through,hmmm the suspense nor be here at all,almost had HPD....tot feyi died for real,I'd have stopped reading.....well I'm very sure the killer is someone close to feyi.....it could be tunji You know he doesn't like feyi's father......he could be killing those innocent souls and using it to destroy her father reputation cos I remember he called tunji and told him to continue his relationship with feyi to save his image and tunji was not really happy with it though he loves feyi......or seyi Dunno why he visited salau,does he know something about it?well I can't say much,ermmm why did omotola lie to tunji and feyi,there must be something hidden between her and tunji....but I just don't know,.....well tunji is just the prime suspect.....someone said salau is dull and daft....well you can't say oo he might be pretending.....seyi too is a suspect.....tunji,seyi and omotola have different motives.....but all they wanna do is to destroy feyi's family


Lest I forget.....Happy birthday in arrears skar lett....As I missed your birthday so I used the google to find
some late birthday wishes to send you ..... But the best one came from my mind and I want to say “hope you enjoyed a lot on your birthday"?

Welcome back dear, i hope your exams went well. Thanks for the sincere birthday wishes, i had fun

suzan404:
Not done with the exams though....you are welcome hun

Alright dear, I wish you success

Smellymouth:
She is great at sentence structure, spelling, Grammar, Format etc...

Infact she is good at writing! She is got good writing skills...

Cc : Skar lett..

Awwn, thank you dearie

Wonderful update dear, can't wait for the next. So the killer is Dayo's ex or a secret admirer cos we only know of his involvement with two ladies.

Thanks ma'am

All these flashbacks and flashforwards are getting kinda confusing

One thing is almost certain though, the killer is female.

See as I dey scroll up and down to link updates... well dis kain death wey skarlett bring up no be here o, aphrocasia abi wetin dem cal am

yorhmienerd:
See as I dey scroll up and down to link updates... well dis kain death wey skarle tt bring up no be here o, aphrocasia abi wetin dem cal am

Lol, asphyxiation or lack of air aka suffocation

dominique:
All these flashbacks and flashforwards are getting kinda confusing

One thing is almost certain though, the killer is female.

Lol, sorry about that but if you notice some scenes have to be told from the participants point of view so we can understand better ie Dayo saw Ife before she was murdered so he told it from his standpoint. The murderer told us of things leading to Ife's death and Omotola ended the narration with how she saw her sister when she came back. All of it is sorta important if not I'd have done without it.

Its really almost certain that the killer is female

skarlett:


Lol, asphyxiation or lack of air aka suffocation

Okay, abeg show me too some love na I have been seeing people with over 200 dedication to dem alone

yorhmienerd:
Okay, abeg show me too some love na :-] I have been seeing people with over 200 dedication to dem alone

Awwwn, dedication coming right up

Scarlett oh! So after all the permutation and combination we've been bugging our heads with, it's someone somewhere we've never even heard of that's the killer. Issorai, Kwantiniu, we dey pollow.
Such a great writter you are.

skarlett:


Lol, sorry about that but if you notice some scenes have to be told from the participants point of view so we can understand better ie Tunji saw Ife before she was murdered so he told it from his standpoint. The murderer told us of things leading to Ife's death and Omotola ended the narration with how she saw her sister when she came back. All of it is sorta important if not I'd have done without it.

Its really almost certain that the killer is female

Scarlett you're confusing me oh! There was no mention of Tunji seeing Ife before she was murdered na nor any narration from his standpoint. Or is he the killer?

Confusion haff set in from back, front, left, right. I think I'm lost. Yep, I'm definitely lost!

Good one skarlet. Keep getting complicated.

skarlett love,
Good Morning
gosh,I forgive your birthday
happy birthday in arrears to you this prolific writter
more dollars(until naira becomes useful again)to your account
I wish you all the best thing of life
And most especially I wish you all that you wish yourself
also,am really sorry I didn't notice that you dedicated a chapter to me
am really sorry,my bad.But I think it's your fault sha,lol.U write so good a story.That once I see your update the next action that follow for me is to finish..lol
once again,thank you for the dedication.
U don't know how it made me feel.I feel honored.
I think the killer is Blessing.Tomiwa's nanny.Come to think of the dogs and the easy access she has to the house and car.She probably has a score to settle maybe Dayo had a fling with her.because from Wat I understand the killer was supposed to kill Omotola.She was vexed because she saw Ifelo and Dayo.not knowing that the real girl was Omotola because Ife stood in for Omotola for the date Dating already made reservations for.Also Stephanie dated Dayo.Dr Lily was killed because her picture was found in the detective's card box of investigation.wat do u fink?

skarlett:


Lol, sorry about that but if you notice some scenes have to be told from the participants point of view so we can understand better ie Tunji saw Ife (was that Tunji's narration or killer's. U re getting me a little confused)before she was murdered so he told it from his standpoint. The murderer told us of things leading to Ife's death and Omotola ended the narration with how she saw her sister when she came back. All of it is sorta important if not I'd have done without it.

Its really almost certain that the killer is female

that Was not Tunji narrating now.It was the killers

LovelyUdy:
Scarlett oh! So after all the permutation and combination we've been bugging our heads with, it's someone somewhere we've never even heard of that's the killer. Issorai, Kwantiniu, we dey pollow.
Such a great writter you are.

Lol, the killer is still not known

Amenya96:




that Was not Tunji narrating now.It was the killers

That was Dayo and the killer, sorry for the mistake

LovelyUdy:

Scarlett you're confusing me oh! There was no mention of Tunji seeing Ife before she was murdered na nor any narration from his standpoint. Or is he the killer?

Sorry dear, that was Dayo not Tunji, I hope its clearer o.

Amenya96:
skar lett love,
Good Morning
gosh,I forgive your birthday
happy birthday in arrears to you this prolific writter
more dollars(until naira becomes useful again)to your account
I wish you all the best thing of life
And most especially I wish you all that you wish yourself
also,am really sorry I didn't notice that you dedicated a chapter to me
am really sorry,my bad.But I think it's your fault sha,lol.U write so good a story.That once I see your update the next action that follow for me is to finish..lol
once again,thank you for the dedication.
U don't know how it made me feel.I feel honored.
I think the killer is Blessing.Tomiwa's nanny.Come to think of the dogs and the easy access she has to the house and car.She probably has a score to settle maybe Dayo had a fling with her.because from Wat I understand the killer was supposed to kill Omotola.She was vexed because she saw Ifelo and Dayo.not knowing that the real girl was Omotola because Ife stood in for Omotola for the date Dating already made reservations for.Also Stephanie dated Dayo.Dr Lily was killed because her picture was found in the detective's card box of investigation.wat do u fink?

Lol, thank you dear. You're really following, remain small thing I'll pack my bag and go back to Abia state out of frustration, okay I'm kidding. But you're right, in that house there are four people ie Feyi, Tunji Omotola and Blessing and like Feyi said, the killer is in that house because the killer had access to Feyi's room and then the dogs thingy so that narrows it down from all the other characters to only four people. It would be easy for me to just say so-so person is the killer but that will spoil everything. I made a mistake in my earlier comment to Domi.nique, Dayo was the person having a flashback and not Tunji

csamii:
Confusion haff set in from back, front, left, right. I think I'm lost. Yep, I'm definitely lost!

Why na? oya try find yourself kia kia

Update at noon