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Paul sat down on the couch. He looked defeated. He carried the little girl and bounced her on his laps.
Osi sat down without waiting for an invitation.
"You need to promise me you'll never tell anybody what I'm about to tell you" Paul said.
"Honestly I can't promise you anything but I'd do my best"
Paul sighed. "Okay...when I left Amaife for Lagos three years ago, I spent just two months there before I ran into trouble"
He fell silent and Osi urged him on "what kind of trouble?"
"I got mixed up in the wrong crowd...I allowed a friend of mine talk me into what he called hustling"
"Hmm....what kind of hustling was this?" Osi asked. There were different grades of 'hustling' in a city like Lagos but he was already having a bad feeling about this one.

Paul dodged the question or perhaps he wasn't ready to answer yet and wanted to delay as long as possible.
"The thing is I was carried away by his lavish lifestyle..his cars and riches..he promised to link me up and I couldn't wait, but then he introduced me to his people and I found out they were kidnappers"
"What? Please tell me you didn't involve in such" Osi was surprised. That was the last thing he had expected to hear.

Paul was silent. His silence was all Osi needed to hear. It signified guilt.
"My God..so in your quest for riches you began kidnapping people?" Osi couldn't help his voice from rising a bit.
"Yes" Paul nodded solemnly "but the truth is I was never comfortable with it and I never accompanied them for their operations..my job was always to look after the victims in the safe house"

Osi looked at the young girl clapping excitedly as Paul bounced her on his knee.
"So what changed? What happened?"

Paul took a deep breadth and Osi knew what was coming would be difficult to swallow.

"After every pay out, the six of us..we're six in number by the way, two girls and four guys...anyway the six of us would always split up..move to different states or locations till the trail goes cold and we have another possible hit then we'll team up again"
Osi shook his head in dismay "you're a very horrible man..."
"I know...I know that" Paul sighed tiredly. He had told himself that many times it was no longer news. "I always came to this village because I wanted to be closer to Amaife...and I met Chinaza and we had a relationship. And I started having second thoughts about everything"

"Oh...so Chinaza is(was) the mother of the child then?"
"No....this is the hard part, this girl is not mine...she's the only daughter of a multimillionaire, one of the top men of oil and gas in our country..."
"What! You mean you kidnapped this young girl"
As if in reply the young girl smiled at Paul. "Dada...Dada...."
Osi smiled sadly at her.
She was Adorable.

Paul went on:
"The plan was to get 10 million naira and release the child immediately with no harm, but her stupid father set us up at the drop zone, we were almost caught and when the gang found out, they were furious and decided to kill the girl...this was about six weeks ago"
Osi didn't realize he was holding his breath "so...what happened?"
"I couldn't go through with it...in the dead of the night I took her from the safe house and ran away...I ran here straight...that was why I took an extra day to arrive at Amaife because I needed to set up someone to be taking care of her in my absence"
"So the woman that answeres the gate...who is she? A babysitter"
"Something like that, I pay her monthly and offered a roof over her head in return for her services and to be fair..she loves the girl"

A short silence followed but finally Osi cleared his throat. This was crazy. By far one of the craziest stories he had heard, and he had listened to a fair share. "So are you telling me that you plan to raise someone else's child as your own? A child that you kidnapped?"
"Pastor...it has been eating me alive but I can't step foot in Lagos because just as I'm sure the sun would rise tomorrow, i'? 100% sure they would definitely trace me!"

"Why's she calling you daddy?" Osi was suspicious "she's old enough to know you're not her father"
"I don't know..honestly, ever since I started looking out for her she's been calling me that"

"Hmmm..." Osi scratched his day old stubble "but I'm convinced you've not done enough..the least you could do is drop her at a police station at least they would locate her parents or the worst case scenario you get in touch with the father and instruct him the church you dropped his daughter"
"Pastor..all these possibilities would definitely end up with me being locked up..I've been asking Sofiri for help and his opinion hypothetically but I'm yet to tell him the full story"
"Mr. Paul...I'm grateful your conscience is not yet as seared ith a hot iron as the bible put it..you still have a heart, no matter how tiny it might be, but you know the law of seed time and harvest..the covenant with Noah...what you sow is what you shall reap..you have to pay for the consequences of your actions"
"You're going to rat me out aren't you...God my mother must not hear this..she'll just die...but I did all these to be able to provide financially for my family. You see right since my childhood my father was-"

Osi interrupted him. A thought had just occurred to him and he was not ready for a history class.
"wait...did Okudili know of your actions?"
"Okudili?"
"Yes...the one you people call the village drunkard"
"Well he knew I was in the nearby village all along, I recall seeing him on more than one occasion...wait are you thinking I killed Okudili?" His eyes were wide and white now. From either guilt or disbelief. Osi could wager it was the latter.

"Honestly you're a very big suspect..I'd need you to tell me where you were the night Chinaza was murdered and the day Ezinne was killed as well as mama Ozioma"
Paul thought hard. He was suddenly restless and stood up and began pacing. He carried the little girl who had already fallen asleep.
"Honestly I don't know...but I swear I had nothing to do with the murders...I'm innocent!"
"Be that as it may, if I were a cop I'd arrest you immediately" Osi replied and stood up. He was a good foot taller than the man and the result was quite intimidating even though his shoulder was not as broad.

"So what now...you're going to turn me in I suppose" Paul sounded resigned to his fate.
"Not yet...the most important thing is to reunite this girl with her family and then if you can cooperate with the authorities I believe your judgement would be fairer...especially since you saved her life"
Paul wasn't convinced "I knew this day would come...I'm so screwed!" But deep down he was glad he had bared his soul. It had been eating him from inside.

°•°•°°•°
Joy struggled but to no avail. She was fighter and very tough but the man was really strong. His hand muffled her screams as he held her mouth tightly and she couldn't see a thing every where was pitch dark.
She realized with horror that he was taking her farther from the gate and into the darkness.
She kicked madly, catching his sheen with the back of her heel, but it seemed the devil didn't feel anything.
With his left hand he tried to put a piece of clothe over her eyes and she lost whatever control she still had as thw fear intensified. She bit his palm hard and he swore in a voice that was faintly familiar.

He must have been extremely offended with her biting because he pushed her roughly to the trunk of a nearby mango tree. Slamming her face on the tree bark.
An impossible pain shot through her face and she almost lost consciousness as she slid to the floor.


Little bitch! Have a little fight in you eh?! Well good thing he had a sock over his face.. He might not blindfold her after all.
He unbuckled his belt hurriedly stopping her weak movements with his leg.
He was about to dive in...there was nothing as sweet as a Virgin and he hoped he would see blood...blood always threw him in a crazy frenzy.
But then the gate to the compound opened and Dé Nwachukwu stepped outside.
"What's that noise? Amara? Joy? Who's there?!"
He held a torchlight and the devil took off immediately before the beam fell on him.
He cursed and ranted as he ran. This was not over!

jupitre:
Abeg,na who helep me see souloho19...I don dey find am since make he con give us food...Abi Make i go meet BaBa ma he helep us do small shoutout for am?

Lol...greetings boss..food is ready pardon the lack of spices tho and the ration

Dinabella:
Where was I when this story began?
I so hate the fact that I'm late for yet another blockbuster from Souloho19.
Keep doing what how you know how to do best...

I beg who get popcorn to share?

Welcome dear..sadly its only alcohol that is available..specifically palmwine..lol
Gracias..I appreciate u

Countrygirl:
not so fast bae

souloho19, so you are cheating on me

Me??! Virgo doesn't cheat na..I have enof love to go around

kingsamm:
Souloho19 where art thou?
I need more!
Shout me out immediately it drops

Kingsamm!!!!

shurley22:
Now I'm really scared
Souloho19 oh....
Please and please come and update again oh.
The suspense from the last update is too much....biko

I'd be updating soon..I noticed you were reading delayed diagnosis..are you thru yet

DzTzl:
Oh No! Not Joy i like that character too much!

Me too...I'm already crying

Frankenstein:
Sherlock Osi Holmes. But I think as a pastor, he's taken it too far.


Lying through his teeth
Deceit
Unfounded accusations
Breaking and entering
Theft
Trespassing
Recruiting and indoctrinating people into crime
Unlawfully playing the role of a detective
Hiding criminal evidence
Etc

Lol the pastor is really something else...
By the way you must be a good prosecutor/ district attorney...nice one bro

light4life:
Awesome story tho, I'll just go ghost again, know I'm here tho, try not to make me talk! ☺

Thanks dear but endeavour to be a friendly ghost like Casper and comment now and then, I'm glad you're enjoying it

Chommieblaq:
Souloho19 you good I must commend, you got a big fan in me.
Well done bro

Thanks for your comment I appreciate 100%

Osi got more information about the murder onine. The internet trully had answers to everything.

The murder case had been a very popular one in Ukraine and he even saw some recent updates about few months old. The case was infamous. Stevenson was a professor, his wife was a doctor. They were a power couple one of society's finest and so it had been a terrible shock when the wife had been murdered and Stevenson or Patrick had fled the country. His whereabouts were still unknown till today.

Well that wasn't quite true, Osi knew where he was and it seemed Steve had brought his thirst for murder along with him.

When he left Amara's home, Osi was a bit confused. He asked himself what now?
Now he knew what the man had been trying to hide but how could he link it with the recent crimes that had happened in Amaife.
Should he confront the man again or should he meet with the elders?

He brought out his phone to look at the picture once more. He studied it for minutes wondering what would have made Stevenson kill his wife and rape her brutally also.

He swiped the screen and Paul's face glared at him. He had almost forgotten about the leather jacket man.
He was fully convinced the European was the killer but what if he was being too hasty? This man was a prime suspect in Okudili's murder after all...
He considered the factors for some seconds then changed his direction and headed for the bus park.
It was time to open the closet and have a glimpse at the skeletons.

°•°•°•

It took Osi precisely 30 minutes to locate the village. He marveled at the closeness and he was beginning to see sense in Amara's earlier suspicions.
It would be possible for Paul to strike in Amaife and retreat back to this village under the alias: Emeka.

At first he moved around quite aimlessly as he sought someone he could show the picture to.
He noticed an elderly man standing walking at a snail's pace. He had a walking stick in his hand and used it to support his weak limbs.
"Good day sir...sorry to disturb you..please I'm looking for my brother...its very important, we lost touch for years and I managed to trace him here. His name is Emeka"
As he talked he held up the phone for the man to see the picture.
The man didn't even glance his way but kept on wobbling about.
"Sir please help me out..have you seen this man?"
The man still ignored him and Osi gave up.

Next he targeted a road side mechanic shop.
He showed him the picture and offered him the same story. This time the man was willing to help but unfortunately after studying the picture for minutes he decided he had never seen the face before.
After showing the picture to two more men and getting negative replies, Osi knew what he must do. If anyone would recognise Paul Emeka there was every possibility it would be a female.
As if to prove his thought, he approached a young girl Wheeling a barrow full of cassava, no doubt to grind it and process garri.
"Excuse me, please I learnt my brother has been here all along and I've been searching for him..there's something extremely important I need to discuss with him"
The girl was friendly, she stopped moving and collected Osi's phone to observed the picture closely.
After some seconds she asked: "what's his name?"
"Pau-errm Emeka"
"Hmmm.." She studied him again "you're his brother you say"
"Actually first cousins..please can you help me out?"
"Okay..there's a big catholic church few miles away. The third compound opposite on the right, knock on the gate and explain yourself"
"Oh, thank you..I'm grateful"

°•
On his way to the Catholic church his phone rang. It was reverend Okonkwo.
"Osi, what's going on son..how are you?"
"I'm doing great sir..I believe I'm on the edge of an important discovery"
There was a short silence then the reverend said in a solemn tone: "Osi..we are interceding for you fervently from this end, but also you must endeavour to remember...don't be yoked to anything else apart from God if not you'll miss the fertile soil God wants you to plough"

They spoke throughout the duration Osi used to locate the church. He located the third house on the right just as the lady had described and then quickly but stylishly ended the call.
He knocked on the gate.
He knocked again and waited. He could hear approaching footsteps from inside.

°•°•°•
"Oluchi believe me Stevenson is a killer...I'm 80% sure he is responsible for the crimes" (the other 20% was reserved for Paul)
Amara had gone to visit her friend as she couldn't stand Oluchi being mad at her.
To her dismay her friend was dressed in an outrageously skimpy costume and she had told her rather boldly that she planned to seduce Steve.
"Oluchi snap out of it! This man killed his wife in his country and ran all the way to Amaife. He's a writer all right but his primary objective here was to lay low and stay undetected"
"Where's your proof? Where did you see such? Or are you that desperate that you revert to lies? Eh Amara...when did you develop feelings for Steve but even though the noble thing to do would have been to step down if you truly take me as your friend and know how much I love him"
"Oluchi why are you like this? Am I speaking French? That man is a murderer and I can't allow you go and see him!"
Suddenly her voice broke down "I can't afford to bury any of my friends again"
That seemed to strike home and Oluchi sat down defeated. "My God what am I doing...I've been so blinded with jealousy...please Amara forgive me"
"Its okay...its okay(sniff)"
Both girls hugged themselves and cried softly.
Their tear ducts was far from dry and it was a waterfall.

°•°•°•
Osi smiled at the woman that answered the gate.
He offered the same excuse this time adding a smile he hoped was charming and not scary.
"Hmmm...Emeka never mentioned a brother..I know he has a sister"
"Actually we're cousins ma'am"
"Well come in...come and see him for yourself"
Osi blinked "you mean he's in?"
"Yes"

Paul was astonished to see Osi. He stood up in disbelief "you...what are you doing here?"
"I came to see you of course.."
Paul scratched his head "why...what business do we have together"
"For starters I'd like you to please explain why you've been here all along but lied to your family that you were in Lagos"
Paul seemed worried but then he gave a resigned sigh "okay...but its getting dark..I'd tell you tomorrow morning...or better still if you could wait for me and we walk to Amaife together"
Osi wanted to tell him to just spit it out and get to the point but then a little girl ran out from one of the rooms.
"Daddy...daddy carry me"
She must have been about two years and there was no mistaking who her father was as she hurried to Paul and hugged his legs.

°•°•°•°

The devil had just settled in his new hiding spot and seconds later he heard voices.
Female voices laughing and drawing closer.
This was it...amara was going home and she would pass by him and he was going to strike. He grew hard in anticipation


"Okay dear..see you tomorrow...please don't forget that Nora Roberts book you promise me o" Joy waved her friend as they split up.
She walked happily to the house. Life was indeed romantic and her recent yearnings for romantic novels had increased recently majorly because of young George. The teenager had asked her out and she was very attracted to him, his cute smile and dreamy eyes, and his lips...
"This must be love oh, this must be love, I fall like a sparrow fly like a dove...it must be the dream I've been thinking of, oh what a feeling it must be love!"
She sang the lyrics to a Don Williams song as she got closer to her home.

Suddenly she felt a presence behind her. Not just any kind of presence, an evil presence..she half turned but strong arms grabbed her from behind holding her in place. She managed a short scream before the hands clamped over her mouth.

[quote author=Slimberry123 post=60037482][/quote]Don't worry I've fallen already too
@ pinkfeet oya my commission is 40% ooo

marvwhite:
hmmmmmmmm
Interesting..... Steveson now the killer


Everything now falling to place
i believe Patrick Kristenssen (also stevenson) knows Amara saw something that would bring him down

I think Stevenson might have a mental disorder and something might have triggered it,which he finds appealing.

But what if Stevenson didnt killed his wife?

What if he ran away just like Okudili did since he was already convicted before judged?

I doubt that though.
The writer can still make a story outa the above question... Like making in longer



ASIDES: mehn this story is about to end,i'd miss this great piece

Souloho19 i know you hear/see this everyday, But i want you to know that AM YOUR BIGGEST FAN

Bro Jah bless you greatly...I always look forward to your analysis...I'm your biggest fan also

Wapapod:
Lets start putting down our odds.

WHO IS THE DEVIL??

Stevenson (3.28)-The European

Paul(1.99)-The Lagosian.

Benedict(1.42)-The butcher

Okwudili(0.0)-Dead

Pastor Batholomew(1.56)

(Souoluho)(153.00)

Is anybody with me?

Kai bro my odds no be here ooo

The briefcase contained documents and pictures. Amara was very hasty as she leafed through the contents. The notepad was the first thing she saw but there wasn't time to go through it. underneath the notepad were some newspaper clippings. The newspaper was foreign and she guessed it was from Steve’s country.
However the headlines made her blood run cold.
Man stabs his wife to death
fresh evidence as police discover slain wife was brutally raped
Underneath the headline was the picture of a beautiful woman. She had a lovely smile.
What on earth is Steve doing with these newspaper clippings? She thought to herself

A particular page caught her attention
College professor still on the run; by Salander Ljunberg

College professor Patrick Kristenssen is still on the run after strangling his wife to death. Police determined the cause of death to be asphyxiation and further investigation determined Christie, 32 was brutally raped and the semen fluid matched D.N.A of her husband Patrick, 43. It is unclear as to what caused the murder and friends and families have professed their shock stating that the couple was very much in love and hardly fought. Police have offered a handsome reward for anyone with any news concerning the whereabouts of Mr. Patrick.
Last spring Mr. Patrick was involved in a scandal when his nudes ending up in his female students possession but managed to hold onto his job by claiming his phone was hacked…

If Amara had any doubt as to who Mr. Patrick Kristenssen was then the attached picture cleared the doubt. It was Stevenson alright. He wore his hair in a ponytail and wore medicated glasses and had very long goatee.
According to the newspaper he was 43 when this had happened. A quick scan at the date confirmed her suspicions. It was two years ago.
Stevenson was a killer, and a rapist. He must be the devil and she was sure it wasn't just research that had drove him here.
She leafed through the contents hoping to see the love letter but then she heard the voices getting closer. She could hear her father laughing as both men approached the living room.
She hurriedly replaced the documents and snapped the case close.
She had seen enough. Stevenson was definitely the killer, case close!

•⁰•₀⁰
The ministers meeting consisted of four individuals: pastor Batholomew, his brother Sofiri and two other men Osi didn’t know. Although he could remember seeing their faces from the virgil service. Pastor Batholomew was pleased to see him and introduced him excitedly to the rest.
Osi took a seat beside Sofiri and tried to focus on the ‘matters arising’ as pastor Batholomew put it.
“So, according to our budget we can kick off our building project next month, our plan to move to an even bigger premises, the architect has submitted the plan and everything is in place”
“Please….sorry for interrupting but I feel this current location is still very okay” Osi said
“yes I understand…but you know this place was once a supermarket with stalls? The walls were taken down to make it bigger but its time for the church to grow”
Osi shrugged. It wasn’t his church afterall.
One of the young men who Pastor Bartholomew had introduced as Michael spoke up. “Sir, one other thing that has been bothering my spirit…I feel the people might have shifted from their faith. Ever since the death of Okudili they have gone back to their traditional ways. They believe some kind of deity carried out vengeance on their behalf. Take last Sunday for instance, we’ve never had such a low turnout on a Sunday before and I only fear its going to get worse”
Pastor Batholomew was nodding “I admit it didn’t escape my notice and I’ve been thinking of the different ways we could counter it…on the bright side the killer is gone and its only just a matter of time and things would get back to how it was before”
“actually I believe Okudili was not the killer” Osi spoke up “He was murdered and I believed he was killed by the killer because he knew something”
“What! But that’s ridiculous” Sofiri sounded surprised “Everybody knows Okudili was responsible for the hideous crimes”
“What exactly is the evidence? The declaration of a dibia? unless God himself assures me that Okudili was the killer then I’m not buying it”
An uncomfortable silence followed as everyone seemed to chew on what he said. Finally pastor Batholomew sighed “Honestly pastor, I sincerely hope you’re wrong”
Osi nodded “So do I”

He skipped lunch after the meeting offering the excuse that he was pressed and didn't eat yam porridge.
“you’re missing pastor, my wife is a terrific cook”
He didn’t doubt it. The aroma was something else, but he couldn’t wait to see Amara. The lesson should have been over by now and he earnestly hoped that Steve hadn’t gone through with his promise to kiss her.

₀•₀•⁰•
Osi shouldn’t have worried. Amara didn’t know what her father had told the European but he had entered the house, carried his briefcase and bade her goodbye. She couldn’t even escort him or reply because the words she had read kept on dancing behind her eyes. At first she wanted to tell someone so bad. She was jittery and almost spilled the news to her father immediately Steve had left but she controlled herself. That would be very rash and her father might not believe her and the worst case scenario it would be her word against his.
She almost blurted it out to Joy but then she thought: why burden her sister with such news. Although she could see it as a strategy to get the gossip mill turning because Joy was bound to talk to her friends and the bush fire would spread no doubt but that still didn’t seem wise. Steve was a man of the people, the people’s favourite so she held her peace.

When Osi came by later in the afternoon she waited impatiently as her father joked with him. “Young man I can see you no longer want to leave us…you’ve fallen in love with my village haven’t you?”
Osi smiled and looked at Amara “Actually sir I’ve found something priceless and I can’t afford to leave it behind just yet”
De’ Nwachukwu seemed to read the hidden meaning and he laughed heartily. He really liked the sharp young man and he could tell his daughter did too.
“Okay Amara, let me go and see Pa Kenneth…we are making plans for a general meeting”

The minute they were alone Amara asked Osi: “Did you find anything?”
He shook his head in disappointment. “Nothing…its like he knew I was coming” he brought out his phone and scrolled through the pictures “Actually I saw this photograph in his drawer…what are your thoughts?”
Amara studied the picture and gasped. She could see the clearer picture now. “Its her…it’s the same woman”
“What woman?” Osi asked. He was getting confused
“She’s his wife…or she was his wife…she’s dead”

marvwhite:
i think you are wrong. When Okudili and Stevenson as a character was introduced,they had the below conversation ....
"This drink is for real men! Your type should
drink ribena and leave this for men" Okudili
replied him rudely. The only thing that had
kept him from beating the man to a pulp
was because he knew he would be in
trouble with the community.
"Ah..I'd bring by a bottle of SCOTCH later,
you'd enjoy it" Stevenson said"

scoth is an ACHOLIC drink...or is it not?

bro infact i call you patrick jane the mentalist + colombo + Sherlock holmes

bossy512:
De john is d devil

thank you!
Cc: Meneski one crate of gulder for this madam pls

Lyrink:
Its pretty obvious... Steve is not the devil
The devil saw osi hiding outside Amara's house at his "hiding spot", when steve was inside....
So steve ruled out
who then is this okrika wearing devil??
Oga souloho19 wehdone sah!

thamks bro...nice observation...but its possible Steve saw Osi before he entered the compound

Tolezy001:
What if the devil is a transgendered.........
(A female with dick)?

kai...this one is strong ooo

rachealfst:
NAIRALAND TOP STORY OF THE YEAR:

'The Devil Wears Okrika'


Souloho19, me I don't know what to comment again o. I'm short of words.

madam Rach thank you...you're wonderful

Slimberry123:
Souloho19, u are tooo goooooooddddd.... its like am falling for u sef ahah... more ink to ur pen....thanks for d update

you're welcome dear.,..i'd catch you don't worry stay tuned

renybenks:
this was supposed to be a short story oøooo. d suspense e Yaf want to deaf pelzin now. by d way I hate u for removing Stevenson as d prime suspect.

lol but Stevenson is still the best bet na...according to tillaman [1.5] odds...about the length bro i'm just going with the flow o, but i think its tuesday in the story by the weekend something should have happened, either the devil is apprehended or he finally gets Amara...

That night the devil hunted. He didn't roam around the village like before, not this time. He had a specific prey on his mind.
He positioned in the bush- the very same bush he had seen the tall pastor hide this morning and smiled at the irony. The very same man who saw himself as the defender of the universe had been responsible for showing him such a promising spot.
Now all he had to do was wait, Amara could come out this night. He really hoped so, because he was ready to pounce and seize any little chance he might get.
As if his mind had conjured it, the gate opened and his pulse began to race. He blended in the shadows as he waited eagerly. Could it be?

He was a bit disappointed when he saw it was Joy.
She held a big nylon bag and
She stood to the side of the gate as she dumped the nylon in a big dustbin and covered it.
He wondered if he should settle for her, this was not the main prize but she was pretty close. He could imagine it as an appetizer..before the main dish which was her sister.
She was very beautiful also and he loved beautiful women.
He watched her as she reentered the compound and locked the gate.
Hmmm...he smiled wickedly, whichever one that fell his way he would take the opportunity and strike. He had a perfect hiding spot after all.


°•°•°•°•
Early the next morning, Osi locked his room door and removed his experiment from the wardrobe. The key had solidified and he carefully broke apart the soap and retrieved it.
He took his time to clean it until all the soap particles were off then he studied the outcome.
Honestly it looked ugly and was quite shapeless but he was optimistic. The most important part was the teeth of the key and he thought it had turned out pretty well.
Satisfied, he placed the key gently in one of his shirt pockets.

°•
"Pastor, I was hoping you'd like to accompany me to church today" pastor Batholomew mentioned over breakfast.
Breakfast in question was cereal. The pastoe had more than enough cereal.
Batholomew had explained that someone always prepared lunch and dinner for him. She brought it home at times and sometimes to the church. So he really didn't cook much.
"Who is this person...I smell wedding bells" Osi joked.
"Ah...actually its my sister in law. Sofiri's wife"
"I didn't know your brother was married" Osi was mildly surprised.
"Yes..he is, almost two years now"
"Wow.."
"So since Sofiri works in the church office with me he comes with a very large flask with enough food for the day"
"This past week must have been an inconvenience" Osi wondered if the couple had kids yet. But then he thought: maybe the house was very big and could contain them comfortably and besides they were family.

"So...would you follow me for the ministers meeting today?" Pastor Batholomew asked him again.
"Errr...actually I have something to do this morning...I'd catch up. Before noon I should be done"

°•°•°•°•
Steve woke up very early that morning. He brushed his teeth and shaved his jaw. Whistling softly as he observed the mirror. He had always had an eye for Amara but then again who wouldn't? And to be fair he had always had a thing for dark skinned girls...
He bided his time a bit and then decided 8:35am wasn't too early.
He was already out the door when he stopped.
He thought hard. Two days ago, he had dodged a bullet and since then his mind hadn't really been at rest. Especially with the pastor still around.
He decided not to risk it. He entered his room and opened his wardrobe.
He dug inside, and retrieved a slim case.

Stevenson opened the case, using a 4 digit combination code and stared at the contents. Satisfied, he locked the briefcase and carried it with him.
He didn't feel he should let it out of his sight today.

°•°•°•°•

Osi had it in mind to stroll by Amara's place, talk to her before taking up his new found 'hiding spot' just as he had done the day before.
However from a distance he could already see the European talking to Amara as they stool outside the gate.
He suddenly remembered the kissing statement and frowned. At least it was too early!

But Amara must have been standing outside on purpose maybe for him to see them and know the 60 minutes countdown had begun. However he maintained his position until they entered the compound.
He hoped Dé Nwachukwu was indoors today.

Maybe he wasn't really observant or maybe it was his many thoughts but he didn't notice the slim case in the Europeans hands.
Although to be fair, Steve had both hands in his front and held the case up to his chest.

°•
Amara asked herself for the thousandth time what was in the case Steve held a little too 'dearly'. When she couldn't take it anymore, she had to ask the man himself.
"Stevenson" she settled on the bench beside him. The lesson would be outside today. Dé Nwachukwu was around. (Praise God!)
"What's in your suitcase...research materials?" She asked him innocently.
He smiled. "Ah...noooo, everything I need to tell you is right here" he touched his head.
"Oh..." Amara wouldn't relent "Are you going anywhere from here? You look like you're going to work" she said it jokingly but she was burning with suspicion.
"Aaah..no...actually..it contains the manuscript for my books...I'm working on the final editing"
"Ohhh..." She didn't believe him one bit and she suddenly thought whatever Osi was supposed to find today wasn't in his house, it was in the case. She flashed him a charming smile "can I read it...you've been here for like a year now, I'm dying to see the output of all your research. Let me see what you plan to tell your people about my people"
"Ahhh..." That seemed to be his favourite word this morning. "Actually...I'm a very strict kind of writer...I don't normally allow people view my work until its in print..especially at this final stage...its a superstition of mine"
"Surely you can make an exception" she batted her lashes at him.

°•°•°•°
The key required a little support, a little tug on the door handle, and a slight push while turning the lock simultaneously but it worked.
Osi was in. He removed the key and closed the door.
He checked his watch. He had roughly 48 minutes left.

The first thing he did was to bring out his phone and snap pictures from every angle. He couldn't afford to miss anything. Stevenson was very specific in his arrangements and it would be a clear giveaway if he didn't leave everything the exact way it was.

The notepad was nowhere to be found. But there was no hurry, he was sure he would see it. He started from the drawer first, the top drawer didn't really contain anything of importance. A paperback novel, some coins that looked alien, a bunch of fountain pen with about 5 colours of ink and a piece of paper. There was nothing written on the paper.
The second drawer contained a deck of cards, a bunch of keys and a photograph. There was no sign of the letter!

Osi studied the photograph. A much younger Stevenson with his hair longer in a ponytail smiled at the camera. His chin rested on the shoulder of a young and beautiful smiling woman. It was apparent they were a couple.
They wore matching clothes and they looked happy and in love.
Osi studied the picture for minutes as he wondered where the woman was. The European had specifically told him he had no family to leave behind if he recalled correctly so who was this? And where was she? In fact when was this?
So many questions...

Finally Osi brought his phone and took a picture of the picture. He could study it later.
He replaced the picture carefully and when he was sure he had replaced everything the way he met it he closed the drawer.

Next he went under the bed, nothing. No box no bag, not a single thing! Not even a speck of dust!
He opened the wardrobe and smiled. The wardrobe held much promise.

He took a picture first freezing the arrangement in pixels before he dug in.
He brought out each clothe from its hanger.
He looked for any matching clothe with the torn pink material he had discovered at the scene of Chinaza's murder or the green material from the stream.
No such luck, but one thing was certain: Steve had a lot of second hand looking clothes.

Next he searched the pockets, the shirt pockets and the trouser pockets. He found some notes, a foreign currency he didn't have time to contemplate and a bunch of rubber bands.
He didn't see any important paper, no letter nothing.

This was impossible! He looked round the room and scratched his head in puzzlement.

°•°•°•
By now, Amara had decided that something extremely important was in the case. In fact she was sure that Osi wouldn't find anything in the house.
Just from his body language she could tell he didn't want the case out of his sight.

Even now he held it in his laps, drumming his fingers on it softly as he rambled on.
"....So you see, that's the best format I feel you should use in this case"

"When is your birthday?" Amara asked him suddenly.
He blinked "what?"
"Your age, how old are you?"
He shook his head "you mean you were not paying attention to me"
"Actually.." She smiled "I was just listening to you speak and I couldn't help thinking...you've taken up a lot of my thoughts lately and I hardly know anything about you" God she must be possessed with some kind of seducing spirit but it seemed to be working.
"Errm..I'd be 45 later this year" Stevenson licked his lips.
She smiled at him and spared a quick glance at his briefcase. She did the maths and hoped that somehow on some stroke of luck the combination of the case would be 1-9-7-2 even though she didn't have any idea how she was going to get the chance to try it.

They spent almost an hour under the tree. Steve spent too much time talking about 'rules' it seemed there was too many rules in writing, at least according to him and she was actually fed up.

He wrote a draft and she studied his writing trying to recall the pattern from the letter. She could see the similarity in both writing and he was getting fully convinced that this man might be the killer after all.

°•°•°•°
Locking the door was easier than opening it but the key did the job.
Osi left the house feeling disappointed. Steve must have transferred whatever it was he didn't want him to find somewhere else.
He was angry. All that stress for nothing! Well it wasn't for nothing, at least now he knew whatever it was, Steve was determined that no one find out his secret. And Osi had the picture to think about. He felt it was very important.
He considered going to Amara's house but decided against it. He was sure he had put everything in order back at the house but just in case, it was important that Steve not see him that morning.
Instead he headed for the church.

°•°•°•
Amara received help from an unlikely source: Dé Nwachukwu. She had forgotten he was around till he called her. His deep voice rang out from the parlour "Amara!"
"Yes papa" she replied hurrying into the house.
Her father was seated on the couch. He had an arrangement with someone from the town and received a copy of the newspaper twice a week. He liked to stay home on those days and enjoy every bit of the news. Dé Nwachukwu prided himself on knowledge and he was greatly interested in other events happening outside Amaife.
"Yes Dé" Amara entered the parlour and greeted him.
"Who has that male voice...is it Paul?"
"No papa..its Steve"
Her father frowned "Again? What's he doing here this time?"
At first Amara was about to tell her father the writing excuse but then she was struck with a wicked plan.
She sat down beside her father.
"Actually papa...the man is disturbing me for my hand, I told him he'd need to see you but he kept on telling me that in his culture, the man courts the woman straight without seeing the parent"
Her father sat up immediately "but that's impossible...that's a very bad behaviour..its a taboo...how old is he?"
She shrugged "papa I don't know ooo..but I think you should talk to him"
Her father nodded "you're right...call him for me"

°•°•°•
"My father would like to see you"
"Is there any problem?" Steve asked in a surprised voice.
"I think he wants to know your intentions...please be free with him, go in"
The European stood up and walked rather stiffly to the house.
Amara sighed when she realized he had carried his briefcase.

She counted up to ten then entered the parlour.
Her father broke off in mid sentence as he saw her.
"Amara..we're having an important discussion." He signaled with his head that she excuse them.
The irony was not lost on her. They were supposedly having an important discussion about her but she was not supposed to be there.

However when she turned to leave her father said: "you know what, these walls have ears..let's take a walk come with me"
Stevenson made to pick up his briefcase from the table but her father stopped him.
"Don't worry leave it son, I won't take much of your time"

The man didn't seem pleased and Amara thought he was going to insist. But finally he shrugged in acceptance and followed Dé Nwachukwu outside.

°°••
Immediately the door was locked, Amara attacked the case. She rolled the combination, fixing the digits that stood for his date of birth. She knew the first thing that would come to her own mind when thinking of a code was her date of birth, she hoped it was the same case here.

She set the date 1972: 1-9-7-2 and couldn't believe her luck when it clicked open.

cyber5:
Omo pastor sef na gangster



cloning keys

i must learn am

Lol..na gangster pastor which key you wan clone..cyber I don dey suspect you oo

Anaselizzy:
I duff my hats for u sir souloho, I started reading this story, along the line I heard of ur other story delayed diagnosis, I abandoned the devil and his okrika just to have a peep @ the other story and that's how I got glued to it. I must say it was an exceptional read and I appreciate your zeal to reel out stories for free. More crazy ideas to your head Baba.

I'm glad you enjoyed it..I'm missing the characters myself.. Amen to the crazy stories please keep your seatbelt strapped...you know the drill
Jah bless you for this

kingsamm:
This is by far the craziest, mind-boggling story I've ever read on NL.
Souloho give me a shout when you update abeg

*shouting* "Kingsamm!!"
Update is landing soon oooo
Gracias bro

MzzTega:
Souloho19, you are just too good.

Killed me with Delayed Diagnosis, Resurrected me with this one. Wehdone sir!

Lol..thanks dear..so my hands are clean now..thnx for reading

swankmee:
Huhm........ DE John and his 5 liters of Palm wine..... OK ooo (is anybody seeing wat am seeing....)


Anyways weldone soul more grace

I'm seeing it too o..I'm ready to say I told you so

marvwhite:
hmmmmmm.....

Mehn,am so confused now.
am even suspecting myself now

I trust sherlock Holmes na..I'm sure the confusion is only temporal