Episode 9
THE UNDERCOVER
“Are you sure?”. I asked the widow after she swore she had seen the shadow of a woman standing beside me before I got into the car with her.
“Yes. I saw a woman standing beside you”. She said.
She flashed the light once, but there was no one in sight.
“Where?”. I asked, doubting. .
“There. At that spot”. She said. She began to flash the light again and again and again…
“It’s okay. Stop that”. I almost raised my voice at her
“Sir, you have to believe me. I saw someone standing beside you. I saw a figure standing beside you” . She said, I could sense the fear in her voice.
It was unbelievably complicated. Because like I have said in the previous episode, I ensured to secure the gate from the outside to prevent anyone from coming after me from within. So how come I was followed? Or this woman?.. I quickly turned to look at the widow
“Can you describe what the figure looks like?”. I asked.
“I can’t. All I know is that It was a woman. And she has a nose mask on”. She confessed.
“A nose mask?. Same woman with a nose mask?”. I muttered.
“Do you know her?”. She asked.
My mind flashed back to the incident in the bank the previous time. Speaking of the bank incident, the bank staff haven’t been found at the time of this incident. The search was still ongoing, though not really serious anymore.
“Talk to me. Is someone following us?. The widow’s voice interrupted my thoughts.
She quickly added before I could reply.
…Sir, are you sure someone is not trying to find out our secret?”. She asked, almost in a whisper.
I nodded.
“I sense that”. I said.
“Ohh!. She covered her mouth with her palm.
“I think we have to be very careful. There should be no meeting until the spy is fished out”. I said.
“Oh! Please, sir, do everything possible to get to the root of this. I don’t want to go to jail. I don’t want to leave my children”. She cried, grabbing my raincoat.
I brushed her hand away from me.
“Go home first. Please, be careful. Do not call me, don’t send an SMS. Let me do the callings myself”. I told her.
I opened the door, got down, and quietly slammed the door.
She turned on the ignition and drove away as I watched her drive away. After that, I hurried home.
At that moment, I doubted if the spy was actually living in my house because there is just one entrance to the house and that was through the same gate I was sure I had locked from without.
“Who is this unfaced spy?”. I was asking myself as I hurried home.
The gate was just the way I locked it. I gently unlocked it and walked in. I waited for a few minutes before I paddled it again.
With my phone serving as a torchlight, I inspected the house. I walked around every corner of the house, looking for a clue to how the spy left the house. In the process, I heard the door of the boys quarters click open. This was followed by a flashlight on me.
“Stop that!”. I screamed at whoever it was. The flashlight went off instantly.
“Oh, sorry oga, I didn’t know it was you”. That was madam Mary’s voice.
I walked closer to her. She was only tying a wrapper around her chest. And rubbing her eyes like someone who has been sleeping.
“Is there any problem, sir?”. She asked.
“Was there supposed to be a problem?”. I asked.
“Sorry sir”. She apologized and went back inside.
I sighed and proceeded to go into the house.
Samuel was in the living room, reading as usual. He looked up immediately when he heard the door open. He continued watching until I walked up to him.
“Where is Stella?”. I asked as soon as I walked in.
“Aunt Stella? She should be in her room sleeping”. He replied abruptly, like he had been waiting for the question.
“Celina?”. Came my next question.
“In the room sleeping”. He replied again.
“And you?”. I asked again.
“Me? He looked at himself and back at me.
…I’m here. I’m reading”. He said.
“I mean when did you come out here?”. I asked.
“Oh! Not long ago”. He replied.
“Why do you always come out here every night?. You can read inside your room”. I said.
He hummed.
“No. Aunt Celina will not let me turn on the light while she sleeps”. He replied.
“So did you see anyone passing here? Like did anyone come out or walk in?”. I lowered my voice to ask this last question.
“No one. I didn’t see anyone”. He said, shaking his head.
“Are you sure?. Why do I have this feeling you’re lying to me?”.I asked.
“Me?. No. There is no one. Nobody passed here”. He said, shaking his head continuously.
I shook my head and went upstairs quietly. First, I went to the kids room. The twins were sleeping peacefully in their cots, but I wasn’t there to check on them. I had another agenda…Stella.
Her room was located next to the kid’s for the purpose of watching over them during midnight
Through the connecting glassdoor, I could have a glimpse of her room. I could see her leg lying motionless by the foot of the bed… she was sleeping.
“Stella is here too”. I muttered disappointedly.
I sneaked out again to the Master bedroom. Judith was still lying the same way she laid before I left. She didn’t move until I was done with drying myself, switching SIMs and getting back to bed.
“God, what is happening in my life?”. I muttered silently.
I found it hard getting back to sleep, but I did anyway.
I skipped breakfast the next morning because I had to leave for work earlier. At work, I kept to myself as everyone around me at that very moment was a suspect.
That evening I returned earlier. On passing through the passage, I saw Madam Mary’s grandchildren gathering clothes from the lines.
“Welcome, sir”. They greeted me in unison.
“Hmmm” I hummed for a response and continued moving. But then, my eyes caught sight of something among the heaps of clothes they were gathering.
