*EPISODE 11*
((CHANGE OF RULES))
“But why did Chief Afolabi freak out when he found out who my late parents were?” Oye asked.
“Is it not obvious?. From what I’m seeing, it is either he has a hand in their deaths or he knows someone who has a hand in it,” Abeni said.
“But why are you opposing your father?. I mean, this is strange. I still do not believe that you are actually taking our sides instead of his.” Oye said looking at Abeni in complete surprise and disbelief.
Hearing Oye’s words, Abeni got up and took a few steps back and forth. Then, with a deep sigh, she said, “That’s because I know the evil he’s capable of. That man made my mother start behaving like a mentally deranged woman before he finally strangled her to death.” she revealed.
Hearing this, Oye and Bayo gave her a quick look filled with surprise and disbelief.
“What?.” They both chorused in astonishment.
“How come you’ve never mentioned this to anyone?” Bayo asked, standing up in disbelief.
Abeni couldn’t help but burst into tears.
“Because I was scared Bayo. I was afraid of what he might do to me if he found out I saw him strangle my mother to death. Besides, I was only 7 years old. My mother never supported his shady activities. So that night, my mom had threatened to report him to the police when she caught him with a gun and a cloth soaked in blood. And all hell broke loose that night. He dragged her into the living room and there he strangled her to death. I was so scared of what I saw when I peeked through the door. He killed her wife but I guess those politicians he worked for helped him in covering up his crimes by making it look like a suicide case. But you see, the shock and trauma from what I saw that night, affected me so badly that I couldn’t talk, eat, or find pleasure in anything for days. I became afraid of my own father, who was desperate to make money by any means necessary. He was always seen with politicians and rarely came home after my mother’s death. But luckily, he brought you home. And thanks to you I was able to get out of my shells.” Abeni revealed through tears.
Bayo and Oye couldn’t believe their ears. As they stared at her, with jaws dropped in disbelief.
Oye got up and hugged Abeni, patting her gently on her back.
“Now I know why you were always quiet and lost when I first met you as a kid. And it was weird how you never mentioned your mother all the years I was with you. And when I asked your Father, I noticed how he didn’t want to talk about it. But it all makes sense now. And that certainly proves that Chief Afolabi knows something about my parents’ deaths and Oye’s. Which is why he was afraid I would find out first place.” Bayo Said.
“So what do we do now?.” Oye asked, still patting Abeni’s back.
“We can’t confront him without plans or proofs to back up our claims. So for now, we should focus on changing the rules. For I believe that, if we can’t win the game, then we have to change the rules,” Bayo said.
Hearing this, Abeni freed herself from Oye’s embrace. She then wiped her eyes and said:
“Speaking of rules, Bayo, don’t you think we have to send Oye and her grandmother to a safer place?”. Abeni asked.
“That’s true. But first, I think we need to find out what caused our parents’ deaths and who actually killed them,” Bayo said, leaning back on the sofa.
“And how do we achieve that?” Oye asked.
“Let’s start by reaching out to all of your late mother’s colleagues and close associates at work,” Bayo said.
“In this case, I think the photos in the photo album can help us discover some of her old friends and colleagues,” Oye said.
“But how do we know their names and where to find them? It’s been 18 years already.” Abeni said.
“That would definitely be a problem,” Bayo said, rubbing his beards.
“In that case, I think we have one option left,” Abeni said.
“Which is?.” Bayo asked looking at her.
“We have to go through Ahmed,” Abeni said.
“Your father’s personal investigator?” Bayo asked looking at her.
“Yes. He’s just the perfect man for this job. Otherwise, we will keep walking in circles without achieving any results” Abeni said.
“So how can we be sure that he won’t go to your father and tell him everything? He’s your father’s right-hand man for heaven’s sake.” Bayo said.
“Relax. Every man has his weakness. And Ahmed is not an exception. But Bayo, didn’t you notice anything?” Abeni said.
“Like what?.” Bayo asked
“Didn’t you notice anything before your parents died? Like wasn’t there anything out of the ordinary that you can recall?” Abeni asked.
“The only thing I remember was my parents arguing about a case my father was working on at that time. And if I’m not mistaken, I think I heard my father saying he doesn’t give a damn whether the offender was a politician or not. That, as far as he is concerned, justice must be served.” Bayo said.
“Hmmm.” Abeni sighed deeply and said, “Then maybe a politician was somehow involved in this crime. But the question is, who exactly is it?.” She asked.
“Wait a minute,” Bayo said, remembering something.
“What is it?.” Abeni asked.
“If true, both of our parents’ deaths are somehow related, then we just have to find out which politician your father worked for 18 years ago,” Bayo said.
“That would be a difficult task,” Abeni said shaking her head in disagreement.
“Then why don’t we search through my late mother’s blogs and posts to see the last politician she wrote against before she died,” Oye said.
“All right then. Let’s have her blog name,” Abeni said, bringing out her phone.
Oye revealed the name of her late mother’s blog. And without further hesitation, Abeni punched it into her phone, and when it appeared on her phone, she scrolled through the page. And the first post she saw was the last post Oye’s late mother made 18 years ago before her demise. And the post had a lot leveled against the then governor candidate, whose name was Adekunle Lawan.
“Adekunle Lawan?.” Bayo asked staring into Abeni’s phone.
“Yes. Does the name sound familiar?” Abeni asked, looking at him.
Bayo shook his head and said, “Not at all. But can I see his pictures?” He asked.
Abeni searched the internet for his pictures and showed them to Bayo and Oye.
“Now looking at his pictures, I think I’ve seen his face somewhere,” Abeni said.
“Where?.” Bayo asked.
“I can’t really say. But his face looks familiar.” Abeni said, staring at the picture on her phone.
“I think we should just use the help of Ahmed. Because just like you said, I think we could keep going in circles at this rate. So for now we just need to find out if this politician is connected to our late parents’ deaths.” Bayo said, staring at the picture on Abeni’s phone while clenching his fist.
“There’s no point in wasting time. If we change the rules about what controls us, then we will be able to change the rules about what we can control,” Abeni said.
“In that case, Let’s change the rules and take over the game,” Oye said.
Later that night, Abeni, Bayo, and Oye couldn’t sleep. They were uneasy as they kept trying to figure out what the politician had to do with the crime.
The next day, Abeni contacted Ahmed and had a conversation with him in her car.
“You sent for me,” he said as he got in the car.
“Yes, I did Ahmed,” Abeni said.
“May I ask why? Is anything the matter?” Ahmed asked.
“Yes. I have a contract for you,” Abeni said.
“Okay, what is it about?” Ahmed asked.
“I want you to uncover the whole truth about the deaths of Mr. and Mrs. Ade Akinwale and Mr. and Mrs. Shegun Adesola,” Abeni said, handing him an envelope that had their pictures in it.
Ahmed took the envelope from her and took out the pictures inside. And as he saw the pictures of Oye’s late parents, he quickly recognized their faces as he had seen their pictures when he ran a background check on Oye. Seeing their pictures, he immediately gave Abeni a questioning look.
“What’s wrong?.” Abeni asked, pretending not to know why he was looking at her like that after seeing the pictures of Oye’s parents.
“Nothing,” Ahmed replied, putting the pictures back into the brown envelope.
“Just in case you’re thinking of telling this to my dad like you are used to, then I think you need to see something,” Abeni said, playing a video on her phone.
As Ahmed watched the video, he was shocked to see his wife and two children being held hostage.
“What’s the meaning of this?.” Ahmed asked pointing at the phone.
“Just a little reminder that I hold your weakness in my hands. And if you’re thinking of fooling me, don’t blame me for what I would do next. And don’t forget that I’m the daughter of a drug lord. And I don’t make empty threats. You only have three days to give me results. So until then, your family will be under my care,” Abeni said with a straight face.
“Why are you doing this? What does my innocent family have to do with this?” Ahmed asked.
“They have everything to do with this Ahmed. Remember, you only have three days to get me everything I need to know about the deaths of all those in the picture which I gave you,” she said.
At Chief Afolabi’s house.
Driving into the compound that night, Abeni saw three exotic cars parked outside with some military men guarding the entrance to Chief Afolabi’s home.
“Which guest of honor is my dad hosting today?” she asked as she got out of her car. She kept looking at the military men with lots of curiosity on her face.
When she finally entered the living room, she saw her father discussing with a man who from his appearance looked familiar like a high-profile man.
She walked towards them with confusion and curiosity on her face. When she finally stood before them, she greeted them respectively. Afterwhich her father introduced her as his daughter to the man who shook her hand.
“Wow. She’s all grown now.” The man said with a broad smile.
“His face looks familiar.” Abeni kept saying in her heart. As she kept racking her brain to recall where she had seen his face before.
But to her greatest surprise, the man introduced himself as ex-governor Adekunle Lawan.
“Adekunle Lawan?.” She asked in her heart with disbelief on her face. And to satisfy her curiosity, she turned to her father and asked:
“Daddy, how long have you known each other?” she asked.
“We’ve known each other for 18 years now. Why do you ask?” chief Afolabi asked with a smile.
“Oh my God!.” Abeni exclaimed in her heart.
And at that moment, she could hear her heartbeat racing faster as she continued to stare at her father with disbelief and curiosity.
