MY WEDDING NIGHT
© Coolvalstories Production
EPISODE 8
“You have to hold on tight dear, we are getting you out in no time. The detective promised to give you special treatment. So just hold on for a little longer” my brother begged before leaving with my dad.
However my day never had a dull moment because soon after they left, two of my colleagues came to see me as if they cared. I already knew they simply came to confirm things with their eyes, but that’s one of the things in life we have no control over.
No matter what we do, we must have haters, we must have people who pretend to care and we also must have people whose only motive is to bring you down.
Later in the afternoon, my friend Nancy also came to see me. It really was painful receiving such visits in a police cell.
Yea you guys should just for a moment reflect how it feels to be receiving your friends and colleagues, days after your wedding in a police cell. Horrible isn’t it??.
Nancy shed real tears on seeing me, her face coloured deeply. The shock in her very apparent.
“I heard Rumours, I never believed till this very moment” she said quietly. I swallowed hard and nodded.
Nancy was my old time pal. We attended the same university, stayed in the same hostel and did our Nysc the same time, though in different states. Her parents were a bit wealthy and lived in the capital city. She returned to live with them after Nysc while i came over to live with my brother. However i was fortunate to get a good job while she managed a little teaching job in her neighbourhood. We still remained very close even after we disagreed over Damian. She was of the opinion that i was being overly ambitious, insisting that i was throwing away my life for money. I guess she was right?, but she merely objected to my relationship with Damian simply because i dropped my young boyfriend whom she much preferred, in order to move on with Damian.
Yea Justice was the boy’s name, we were age mates and equally served {NYSC} the same time. He was a good kid but c’mon i couldn’t waste my future by waiting for him. He was even yet to get a job till the very moment i landed in the police cell.
Justice had a lot to do before thinking of settling down and i couldn’t take the risk of waiting for him. At least i was good enough to keep him till we rounded up with Nysc unlike some of my course mates who dumped their boyfriends to get married in final year.
“Damian brought only trouble just like i feared. My God this is a terrible Nightmare” Nancy sobbed. I simply stared at her, not knowing what to say. But just that exact second, detective Jeremiah showed up with a dark smile.
“You may not like the news i bear” he announced and came forward while i almost fainted with fear…. I couldn’t bear taking another bad news.
“Officer i’m all ears, tell me the news you bear” i asked with fear. The detective threw a swift look at Nancy who shifted uneasily.
“Well i don’t think now it’s a good time. It’s something private” he replied, forcing me to smile quickly.
“Nancy is like a sister to me. She knows almost everything about me. You can say anything in her presence” i urged him nervously.
“Esther Hardey” he instantly called out, searching my face for any reaction. But the name he mentioned only drew me into another pit of confusion. The name sounded so strange and unfamiliar.
“I don’t understand, i haven’t heard such name anywhere” i breathed with confusion.
“That’s the name of your husband’s fiancee. A white lady he was supposed to Marry. The lady he left to marry you in order to fulfill the promise he made to you” he explained. A cold shiver instantly ran down my spine.
“So are you insinuating that Damian married me just to fulfill a promise?” i asked sadly,
“well I never knew he was engaged to any woman, seriously i thought all the ladies he played were just flings” I murmured.
“That’s not the problem” he continued, breathing deeply.
“the lady in question is currently in Nigeria and was among the people that came into the country with your husband’s family and equally was present at the house when the crime was committed” he explained, while i stared at him with a little hope.
“That isn’t bad news, is it?. The lady definitely killed him. She had the motive and opportunity. Unbelievable” i poured out desperately but the detective simply shrugged.
“Yes she has the motive and opportunity, but we can’t just arrest her without strong reason. All i can do is to invite her for a little questioning and equally pray she doesn’t lawyer up” he answered, breaking my worn out spirit.
“However we are still matching the DNA stuff we got from the scene and your husband’s body. I believe something positive will come out of it, but my only problem is that my superiors are putting much weight and interest in this case. They are pushing for closure and speedy trial which really will put you up as the scapegoat, if you are to be dragged to court without me finishing my investigations. You really need to pray my dear. You know how bad our Judicial system can be, moreover the Americans wants you to hang” he concluded, while my heart froze.
I instantly fell, collapsing on the floor within seconds…. I fainted.
To be continued…
Written by Nkemjika Valentine
Question: Is Esther Hardey really responsible for the murder? How can the detective come up with something reasonable within this short period of time?
