*** #CLARA (The State Governor’s Daughter)
Episode 18
Val’s side of the story continues from the last scene of the previous episode
I slowly remembered how she(jenifer) caught my fancy the first time I met her at the camp. Her beauty really captivated me in such a way that I had the courage to ask her out there and then.
Back then it looked like love at first sight but unfortunately she played with my feelings. She never said yes to me neither did she say no. All she kept saying was that I should give her time to make up her mind. For five months she kept saying the same thing and I needed no one to tell me that she really wasn’t into me. Moreover even when I tried lying to myself that she really needed the time to make up her mind, I kept seeing her hanging out with different guys, something that surely was a big turn off to me no matter how harmless it looked because I was a very jealous and possessive person.
Yes I found it very hard to break out from her charms and when I finally did break out, it took a whole lot of energy to pull off. In fact it was months after I settled down in Owerri that I was able to forget her.
‘’hmmmm I see you are suddenly speechless’’ she breathed, breaking into my mind.
‘’you know with the way you were acting back then, I thought by now that you would have been married. You played with my feelings’’ I muttered while for the first time she looked a bit disoriented. My phone rang that moment, interrupting us. It was agent mike calling.
‘’I guess you are with Jenifer?. The governor wants to see you guys now’’ he informed me and hung up.
‘’the governor wants to see us. Is there anything else we are doing here?’’ I asked her.
‘’no we are done here. I will take the weapons to my team to run prints on. Tomorrow we will be back here to check out the surrounding streets and question the people living around’’ she breathed while I shrugged.
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Thirty minutes later we arrived at the governor’s lodge where my director, agent mike and a senior police officer were waiting for us in the sitting room. We barely had settled down when the governor walked in, looking very anxious and weak.
‘’so the idiots are demanding a hundred million naira?. How on earth am I getting such a ridiculous amount today?’’ he breathed angrily. No one said a word.
‘’but sir is there anyone you are suspecting?. Are you owing anyone?. Are you having problems with anyone?’’ Jenifer suddenly asked, getting the governor’s attention for the first time.
‘’young girl a man in my position has a lot of enemies. Yes I’m suspecting everyone including you’’ he fired angrily at her.
‘’you should calm down sir’’ agent mike softly pleaded.
‘’I believe the kidnappers very well know that it won’t be possible getting such an amount of money today. I do feel they are using it as a distraction. I feel there is more to this’’ my director guardedly chipped in.
‘’that’s why you are in service. Do your godamn work. I need my daughter back. But please I want her back in one piece. I’m even ready to pay the ransom to get her back. I can get the money on Monday. Once my daughter is safe you guys can do everything possible to get the people behind this’’ he nervously added while we all shrugged in agreement. Of course the most thing important thing was saving his daughter’s life first before any other thing.
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As Jenifer and I headed out of the lodge after the meeting, she softly grabbed my right hand, gaining my attention.
‘’I feel the governor is hiding something and the director is right. There is more to this’’ she muttered.
‘’come on every politician has a dirty secret. Do you think he knows the person behind the kidnap of his daughter and is keeping it away from us?’’ I asked. She looked down.
‘’yes you are right, I don’t think he will keep such information from us’’ she breathed. I said nothing else till we got out of the main building. I stopped and looked into her eyes.
‘’what is in your mind Jenifer?’’ I asked. She scoffed.
‘’I feel like having a private chat with the governor. I believe he could help more by saying everything he knows. Who knows he might even be in contact with the kidnappers without letting anyone know his real plans. I believe we are really missing out something’’ she replied.
‘’listen Jenifer you are here to get back the old man’s daughter and not investigate him. There are many ways we can get to the root of this case. Moreover he has already agreed on paying the ransom and with the money we can track them if every other plan fails’’ I advised. She shrugged and breathed deeply.
‘’very well then if you say so’’ she softly accepted.
‘’I guess I should take you to your hotel now. It’s already late?’’ I asked.
‘’no val, let’s go somewhere to eat and discuss. We have a lot to talk about our past don’t we?’’ she answered playfully making me smile. Unfortunately we were interrupted that moment by Charles who showed up from nowhere and pounced on me like a hungry lion, gaining everyone’s attention as he cursed and choked me, embarrassing me tremendously.
‘’you b—–d where is my woman. What did you do to Clara?. I tried warning her but she never cared to listen. After banging the poor girl you got her kidnapped huh?. You lowlife what did you do to her?’’ he barked as Jenifer tried desperately to push him off me. Other agents and policemen soon rushed down to the scene.
There wasn’t any doubt Charles was out to humiliate me and he was really doing a good job of it. Of course I was expecting his confrontation but I never prepared to face him in such a place in the presence of other agents and security personnel. The last thing I wanted was anyone else knowing about my affair with Clara and the only option for me that moment was to deny his accusation in a very convincing manner as everyone waited for what I had to say about his accusation.
Charles Just wasn’t anyone to the governor. He was a trusted family friend and I needed no telling that the show he put up was really convincing enough to make even Jenifer doubt me.
Perhaps it was his own way of getting back at me or was he truly concerned about Clara’s safety?.
To be continued
