House of secret
EPISODES 15,16,17,18
15
The night had been empty and longer without a
man to warm her bed, her father was badly
wounded and was in the hospital, she had not set
her eyes on her mother’s driver since the
accident, and she felt really horny.
‘Brand new day’ she crawled out of bed and
stared outside the window, she had to see
Nelson, she needed to feel him inside of her, she
needed to quench her burning desires.
Rose showered and dressed up and left for the
kitchen, she decided to have breakfast first, before
sneaking into Nelson’s room, she’d thought she’d
been the only one awake but was surprised to
walk in on the maid, she was crying.
She’d grown up with maids and didn’t like the lot
of them especially Grace who’d walked in on her
and her dad, but the sight of this new maid crying
had an effect on her and she was tempted to
comfort her, but she couldn’t, she wouldn’t stoop
that low.
‘What are you doing? I need my breakfast and be
real quick about it’ Rose hissed loudly trying to
mask her concern.
‘Oh, Goodmorning Ma,please what would you like
to eat’? Ajunwa rose to her feet and wiped her
face hurriedly.
‘Food’ Rose hissed loudly and left the kitchen,
she decided to check Nelson first, she couldn’t
stand a crying maid.
As she neared his room, she noticed something
strange in the garden, a bottle of scotch and two
glasses, someone had been drinking the night
before. That was when she remembered her
mother’s late night visitor, Mr Oliver, that was
how she’d addressed him.
‘Wow, mum you’re so smart, your husband is
almost dying and you couldn’t wait to bring your
lover home’
Rose clicked her tongue as she caressed the
bottle.
She had always known her mother was sneaking
around, but now, she’d found out who her lover
was.
She scoffed and continued walking, she couldn’t
wait for her dad to get well so they’d resume their
affair, she had proof that her mother was equally
cheating, so why should he stay faithful to her?
‘Nelson’? she knocked twice, but there was no
response, she pushed the door with all her
strength, but realized it was locked.
‘Motherfu-Cker’ she cursed and picked up the
note close to his door.
‘What’s really happening’? Rose wondered as she
scanned it.
DEAR MADAM,
I AM REALLY SORRY FOR WHAT HAS HAPPENED,
IT’S ALL MY FAULT, I COULDN’T FACE THE
PASTOR, SEEING HIM ON THAT HOSPITAL BED
BEAT MY CONSCIENCE AND I HAD TO RESIGN.
PLEASE FORGIVE ME.
16
‘Are you kidding me?’ Rose scoffed, she felt
stupid for even having S£x with him earlier, he
didn’t have the courtesy to let her in on his
eloping plans.
‘Bastard’ she spat angrily.
‘Mum’ ! she rushed back to show her mother the
letter.
***
It was like a dream to me, I still couldn’t believe
Mark had raped me, I trusted him completely and
he treated me like an object.
My hands shook as I washed the dishes, I
couldn’t tell anyone what had happened to me, if
only I’d listened to my mother, now I’d lost my
virginity in the most appalling manner and I had
so many fears, what if I got pregnant? what if I
got raped?
So many things ran through my mind, I was so
scared, I paused and inhaled deeply, everything in
me screamed I should leave the house and return
to my village, but the quest for revenge
swallowed the inner voices.
I couldn’t let Mark go scot free, I had to hurt him
as much as he hurt me, even his whole family,
they had to pay for what Mark did.
What if he’d raped Grace too? Was that why she
wanted to run? I had so many questions yet no
answer.
I peeped out of the window into the garden as I
heard Rose screaming for her mother, what had
happened? Had she discovered her mother’s
affair with Nelson?
I shook my head in disappointment, these men of
God had a lot of skeletons in their cupboard.
I prayed to be strong, I couldn’t cry now, I
couldn’t show Mark I was weak, I needed to fight
for myself, I wouldn’t be used and discarded like
an old doll, I had my plans.
‘Ajunwa’ the all too familiar alto called my name.
Normally, I would’ve been scared of her, scared of
her presence, but I felt nothing as I swirled and
faced the woman who was married to a pastor
and was equally sleeping with her driver.
Suddenly, all my fears disappeared and I felt more
courageous than before.
‘Goodmorning Ma’ I replied coolly.
‘Morning, prepare some food, something spicy,
you’ll tend to my husband today, I have a very
busy schedule’ Helen gave out the orders and
was about to leave when her daughter rushed
into the kitchen.
Before that, she noticed something different about
Ajunwa, the girl hardly ever looked her straight in
the eye but she did right then and that made her
uncomfortable, that wasn’t a good sign, she
waved it aside and decided she’d deal with the
rat later. She had more important things to deal
with, she needed to meet with the church elders
and she needed to pay Oliver off for his services.
She had slept like a baby throughout the night,
she had never felt that much peace, knowing the
only person capable of leaking her secret and
tearing her family apart was dead, she couldn’t
have wished for more.
‘What is it Honey’? Helen replied coolly.
‘Mum, I found this, it seems Nelson has gone’
Rose handed her the note.
My ears were erect as mother and daughter
conversed, why would Nelson run? Afterall he had
access to his boss’ body and she must have
taken good care of him.
‘What? What’s the meaning of this? How could
he just leave without telling me’? Helen
complained.
‘Mum, I think we should call in the police to find
him, he was responsible for dad’s accident and
now he has gone, I think he took our kindness for
granted, Mum please you need to arrest him’
Rose suggested. What hurt her most was sleeping
with him, and he just bailed out on her like
nothing happened.
‘No dear, we need to think this through, we don’t
need the police, since he’s already gone, there’s
no point’ Helen replied.
How could Rose say something like that? Bringing
in the police would destroy her plans.
‘Mum? Why are you defending him? he hurt
father, your husband, he confessed in this note
that the accident was his fault, then what are
waiting for’? Rose asked, her mother was acting
weird, she noticed Helen’s eyeballs were dicey,
she was hiding something.
‘I am not defending Nelson, this isn’t the time to
call in the police, let’s support your father, once
he is on his feet, we call in the police and deal
with him’ Helen replied.
This was getting interesting, first, Grace wrote a
note and vanished and now Nelson? I scoffed as
mother and daughter argued till Helen’s idea
overshadowed Rose’s.
‘Good morning all, what’s the noise about’? Mark
swaggered into the kitchen and my heart raced as
I recalled what he did to me.
It took willpower to control my shaky hands and
the urge to strike his face with a ceramic, I
needed to hurt him so badly.
‘I was just telling mother about this and I feel we
should bring in the police, what do you think’?
Rose showed Mark the note.
‘Uhmmm, not a bad idea, Mum he just confessed,
we should report him for running, what if dad
never recovers’? Mark asked.
‘You know what Rose? I need to see you in my
room’ Helen ordered and strode out of the kitchen
with her daughter, leaving I and Mark.
‘Baby….’ He neared me and encircled his hands
around me.
‘Get your dirty hands off of me’ I screamed as
tears welled up in my eyes, but I controlled them,
he couldn’t see me as weak.
‘Why the anger? We shared something special
last night’ he tried to kiss me but I slapped him.
how dare he?
‘You are a devil Mark, you forced your dirty self
on me and now you’re telling me we shared
something, are you okay? Did I offend you in
anyway? Why did you Molest me? Is that how
you raped Grace? Tell me, was that why she left
you for Romeo?’ a tear slipped from my eyes.
I noticed the surprise in his eyes as I mentioned
Grace.
‘Romeo? How did you know about him? what do
you know’? he dragged me closer to him, his eyes
brimmed with tears.
‘Let go of me you psycho, I knew that’s what you
did to her, but I am not Grace, get that into your
thick skull, I would pay you back, go and write it
down’ I pushed him backwards and ran out of the
kitchen.
‘Wait Ajunwa! I am sorry, please don’t leave me’
he cried but I was gone.
His heart raced as he cried, what had he done?
She was right, his problems started with Grace
when she fell in love with another man, how could
she have chosen another over him?
He had noticed a certain young man whom she
hung out with after church service, she had told
him his name was Romeo,he had fought hard to
win her love before she escaped and brought pain
to his world.
***
‘I saved you from the police, I buried your secret
in my garden and you dare question my authority
in this house, how dare you Rose’?
Helen poured out her anger at her daughter’s
irritable behavior. Who was she to give her
orders?
‘Mum, why do you always have to bring that
matter up? why can’t you ever let it go? Why do
you make me feel like I can’t correct you when
you’re wrong simply because you helped me that
day. Remember I didn’t ask you to cover it up, I
was scared and broken, cutting her into pieces
and burying her in the garden was your idea, you
had a choice to call the police but you dragged I
and father into it’ Rose screamed angrily at her
mother.
‘How dare you? You little ingrate, should I had
reported to the police, you wouldn’t have had the
guts to stand before me, because you would’ve
been dead in jail, your father’s reputation
would’ve been tarnished, I helped everyone, I
cleansed us all and you’re so ungrateful’ Helen
scowled.
‘Cleansed us? You’re the one who needs
cleansing’ Rose scoffed and turned to walk away
but Helen dragged her and offered her a slap
which sent her reeling on the floor.
‘Excuse me? I’m the one who needs cleansing?
When you murdered Grace in cold blood for a
reason I’d never know’ Helen chuckled.
‘I know your secret mum, I saw it in the garden,
you think you’re a saint? Wait till dad gets well
and I tell him about you and your lover, I would
tell him how you sneak him into the house and
Fork him, just wait on me’ Rose staggered.
‘How could you’? Helen smirked.
How could her own daughter whom she saved
speak to her that way?
‘So it’s the truth afterall’? Rose arched a brow.
‘I only slept with Nelson because your father lost
interest in me and had no time for me, he buried
himself in church work, why should you judge me,
you’re no better’ Helen exhaled.
Things were falling out of place, if only she knew
she would’ve reported Grace’s murder to the
police, now the daughter she spared was now
challenging her authority.
‘You slept with Nelson’? Rose was shocked, so
her mother was having an affair with Nelson, no
wonder she was reluctant to report him to the
police, that did it for her, she would work straight
into a police station and report Nelson’s
elopement.
‘Just get out of my room, I buried your secret in
the garden and I regret every bit of it’ Helen
dismissed her.
‘Whatever’ Rose hissed and walked away.
‘God, I’m dead’ Helen sank into her bed, truly,
there was no peace for the wicked, if only she
knew, she wouldn’t have spared Rose, now
everything would fall back on her.
She hadn’t closed her eyes for a five minutes just
to take a short nap, when her phone beeped and
she checked it, it was a message, one whose
words left her terrified and she wished the earth
could crack open and swallow her up.
‘I KNOW WHAT YOU DID, IT MAKES ME SICK, I
AM GOING TO TELL. A SECRET IS BURIED IN
THE GARDEN’.
‘Lord save me’ she cried and buried her face in
the pillow, Oliver had shown her the text before,
someone was after her, she could feel it strongly.
***
He had tried a number of businesses but none
worked out well than that of blackmailing people
and getting them to pay heavily for it.
He had blackmailed lots of Nigerian politicians,
most of them made the mistake of being mean to
their domestic staff, and that was the easiest
means to get to them.
‘Why didn’t you take pictures, how could you be
so stupid? Now we have no evidence, she could
easily deny it and claim nothing happened’ Kachi
Romeo yelled angrily at one of his agents.
He not only owned a blog, he had numerous
connections with different secret cults as well as
assassin groups, so anytime a big fish ordered for
the death of someone, he knew, except for very
top officials. Helen was not close to the top, she
played into his hands very easily.
‘Take a picture after shooting him? she was right
there and if I tried that she would’ve killed me too
and buried me in her sweet little garden’ Oliver
scoffed.
Working with Kachi Romeo was good business,
most times they both connived and blackmailed
those that had hired him to kill.
‘Bury you? You were the one with the gun’ Kachi
poured himself a drink.
‘So what? There are many ways to kill a man,
trust me, Helen Ita is a very dangerous woman.
Nelson was foolish to have S£x with her even
after you’d revealed to him the woman that had
sent men after his life’ Oliver replied.
‘Well Delilah killed Samson, how much more a
smaller fool like Nelson?’ Kachi scoffed.
‘You call him a fool, but what about you who is in
love with Rose, a woman that fu-Cks her own
dad, who does that’? Oliver grimaced.
‘In love? I used to love her once, but now, I see
her as a means to a very rich end,this would be
our biggest job, a family with secrets, each would
pay to keep their abnormalities from the world’
Kachi laughed heartily.
‘What about Helen’s son? Mark, he seems to be
clean, you have not said a thing about him’ Oliver
asked.
He’d worked together on the Ita family case with
Kachi for a long time.
‘Mark is no angel, in fact, he is the reason Grace
really opened up to me, we’ll talk about some
other time, now I need all the information to find
Grace, I need to know she is okay, she helped me
very much’ Kachi sighed, Grace had really
suffered, she had gone through hell in that cursed
house, he was glad she had opened up to him.
‘Nothing much, the pastor is still in the hospital
bed, and I think Grace has returned, I saw her last
night serving the Ita’s’ Oliver replied. He was sure
of it, the girl that served dinner was Grace, he’d
seen her many times when she met in secret with
Romeo.
‘Are you sure about this? Then why didn’t she
contact me? Why are her numbers not going
through, this would be the greatest news ever’
Kachi dialed her numbers but they weren’t
reachable.
‘I swear it, maybe I could go back to the house,
and instruct her to meet you’ Olive suggested.
‘No, that would be dangerous, stay away from
the Itas, now, we have to get evidence that the
pastor is sleeping with his own daughter, we
already have a voice note of Grace telling me how
Mark raped her a lot of times, after which I
convinced her to fix this a tiny video camera in
the house to catch Helen and Nelson in action,
which she did, now all what remains is our
biggest fish, Pastor Ita and Rose’ Kachi clapped
his hands excitedly.
‘You’re very smart, but I think we should take on
just one person, too much of everything is bad’
Oliver advised, he wasn’t too comfortable with
Romeo’s idea.
‘No, one person wouldn’t make me as rich as I
want, so we take them all down’ Romeo replied
not too pleased with Oliver countering him.
‘I still don’t support it, I say we take the pastor
down, he was what to lose most, he has a
ministry,we have to think very clearly’ Oliver
insisted.
‘Since when did you start giving me advice on
how to run my business’? Romeo snapped angrily
at him.
‘Well, mind the way you speak to me, we’re still
in this business’ Oliver warned.
‘Partners’? Romeo scoffed, he knew how just to
deal with Oliver, with the snap of his fingers, the
fool would obey him.
‘Of course, I do your dirty work’ Oliver replied.
‘Well that’s because you’re dirty, you’re a pig and what wedding items to wear for mature brides over 50/60
I am the clean one, next time you challenge me, I
shall leak your secrets and trust me, the Nigerian
police would treat you just find and all the clients
you blackmailed’ Romeo hissed loudly and walked
out of the room.
Romeo’s words stilled Oliver and scared him too,
he suddenly discovered he was a slave to Romeo
like everyone else whom he blackmailed.
‘No way, I wouldn’t be your pawn’ Oliver rose to
his feet, he needed to get out of Romeo’s clip,
and he knew just how to get out.‘Goodmorning
Ma’ I replied coolly.
‘Morning, prepare some food, something spicy,
you’ll tend to my husband today, I have a very
busy schedule’ Helen gave out the orders and
was about to leave when her daughter rushed
into the kitchen.
Before that, she noticed something different about
Ajunwa, the girl hardly ever looked her straight in
the eye but she did right then and that made her
uncomfortable, that wasn’t a good sign, she
waved it aside and decided she’d deal with the
rat later. She had more important things to deal
with, she needed to meet with the church elders
and she needed to pay Oliver off for his services.
She had slept like a baby throughout the night,
she had never felt that much peace, knowing the
only person capable of leaking her secret and
tearing her family apart was dead, she couldn’t
have wished for more.
‘What is it Honey’? Helen replied coolly.
‘Mum, I found this, it seems Nelson has gone’
Rose handed her the note.
My ears were erect as mother and daughter
conversed, why would Nelson run? Afterall he had
access to his boss’ body and she must have
taken good care of him.
‘What? What’s the meaning of this? How could
he just leave without telling me’? Helen
complained.
‘Mum, I think we should call in the police to find
him, he was responsible for dad’s accident and
now he has gone, I think he took our kindness for
granted, Mum please you need to arrest him’
Rose suggested. What hurt her most was sleeping
with him, and he just bailed out on her like
nothing happened.
‘No dear, we need to think this through, we don’t
need the police, since he’s already gone, there’s
no point’ Helen replied.
How could Rose say something like that? Bringing
in the police would destroy her plans.
‘Mum? Why are you defending him? he hurt
father, your husband, he confessed in this note
that the accident was his fault, then what are
waiting for’? Rose asked, her mother was acting
weird, she noticed Helen’s eyeballs were dicey,
she was hiding something.
‘I am not defending Nelson, this isn’t the time to
call in the police, let’s support your father, once
he is on his feet, we call in the police and deal
with him’ Helen replied.
This was getting interesting, first, Grace wrote a
note and vanished and now Nelson? I scoffed as
mother and daughter argued till Helen’s idea
overshadowed Rose’s.
‘Good morning all, what’s the noise about’? Mark
swaggered into the kitchen and my heart raced as
I recalled what he did to me.
It took willpower to control my shaky hands and
the urge to strike his face with a ceramic, I
needed to hurt him so badly.
‘I was just telling mother about this and I feel we
should bring in the police, what do you think’?
Rose showed Mark the note.
‘Uhmmm, not a bad idea, Mum he just confessed,
we should report him for running, what if dad
never recovers’? Mark asked.
‘You know what Rose? I need to see you in my
room’ Helen ordered and strode out of the kitchen
with her daughter, leaving I and Mark.
‘Baby….’ He neared me and encircled his hands
around me.
‘Get your dirty hands off of me’ I screamed as
tears welled up in my eyes, but I controlled them,
he couldn’t see me as weak.
‘Why the anger? We shared something special
last night’ he tried to kiss me but I slapped him.
how dare he?
‘You are a devil Mark, you forced your dirty self
on me and now you’re telling me we shared
something, are you okay? Did I offend you in
anyway? Why did you Molest me? Is that how
you raped Grace? Tell me, was that why she left
you for Romeo?’ a tear slipped from my eyes.
I noticed the surprise in his eyes as I mentioned
Grace.
‘Romeo? How did you know about him? what do
you know’? he dragged me closer to him, his eyes
brimmed with tears.
‘Let go of me you psycho, I knew that’s what you
did to her, but I am not Grace, get that into your
thick skull, I would pay you back, go and write it
down’ I pushed him backwards and ran out of the
kitchen.
‘Wait Ajunwa! I am sorry, please don’t leave me’
he cried but I was gone.
His heart raced as he cried, what had he done?
She was right, his problems started with Grace
when she fell in love with another man, how could
she have chosen another over him?
He had noticed a certain young man whom she
hung out with after church service, she had told
him his name was Romeo,he had fought hard to
win her love before she escaped and brought pain
to his world.
***
‘I saved you from the police, I buried your secret
in my garden and you dare question my authority
in this house, how dare you Rose’?
Helen poured out her anger at her daughter’s
irritable behavior. Who was she to give her
orders?
‘Mum, why do you always have to bring that
matter up? why can’t you ever let it go? Why do
you make me feel like I can’t correct you when
you’re wrong simply because you helped me that
day. Remember I didn’t ask you to cover it up, I
was scared and broken, cutting her into pieces
and burying her in the garden was your idea, you
had a choice to call the police but you dragged I
and father into it’ Rose screamed angrily at her
mother.
‘How dare you? You little ingrate, should I had
reported to the police, you wouldn’t have had the
guts to stand before me, because you would’ve
been dead in jail, your father’s reputation
would’ve been tarnished, I helped everyone, I
cleansed us all and you’re so ungrateful’ Helen
scowled.
‘Cleansed us? You’re the one who needs
cleansing’ Rose scoffed and turned to walk away
but Helen dragged her and offered her a slap
which sent her reeling on the floor.
‘Excuse me? I’m the one who needs cleansing?
When you murdered Grace in cold blood for a
reason I’d never know’ Helen chuckled.
‘I know your secret mum, I saw it in the garden,
you think you’re a saint? Wait till dad gets well
and I tell him about you and your lover, I would
tell him how you sneak him into the house and
Fork him, just wait on me’ Rose staggered.
‘How could you’? Helen smirked.
How could her own daughter whom she saved
speak to her that way?
‘So it’s the truth afterall’? Rose arched a brow.
‘I only slept with Nelson because your father lost
interest in me and had no time for me, he buried
himself in church work, why should you judge me,
you’re no better’ Helen exhaled.
Things were falling out of place, if only she knew
she would’ve reported Grace’s murder to the
police, now the daughter she spared was now
challenging her authority.
‘You slept with Nelson’? Rose was shocked, so
her mother was having an affair with Nelson, no
wonder she was reluctant to report him to the
police, that did it for her, she would work straight
into a police station and report Nelson’s
elopement.
‘Just get out of my room, I buried your secret in
the garden and I regret every bit of it’ Helen
dismissed her.
‘Whatever’ Rose hissed and walked away.
‘God, I’m dead’ Helen sank into her bed, truly,
there was no peace for the wicked, if only she
knew, she wouldn’t have spared Rose, now
everything would fall back on her.
She hadn’t closed her eyes for a five minutes just
to take a short nap, when her phone beeped and
she checked it, it was a message, one whose
words left her terrified and she wished the earth
could crack open and swallow her up.
‘I KNOW WHAT YOU DID, IT MAKES ME SICK, I
AM GOING TO TELL. A SECRET IS BURIED IN
THE GARDEN’.
‘Lord save me’ she cried and buried her face in
the pillow, Oliver had shown her the text before,
someone was after her, she could feel it strongly.
***
He had tried a number of businesses but none
worked out well than that of blackmailing people
and getting them to pay heavily for it.
He had blackmailed lots of Nigerian politicians,
most of them made the mistake of being mean to
their domestic staff, and that was the easiest
means to get to them.
‘Why didn’t you take pictures, how could you be
so stupid? Now we have no evidence, she could
easily deny it and claim nothing happened’ Kachi
Romeo yelled angrily at one of his agents.
He not only owned a blog, he had numerous
connections with different secret cults as well as
assassin groups, so anytime a big fish ordered for
the death of someone, he knew, except for very
top officials. Helen was not close to the top, she
played into his hands very easily.
‘Take a picture after shooting him? she was right
there and if I tried that she would’ve killed me too
and buried me in her sweet little garden’ Oliver
scoffed.
Working with Kachi Romeo was good business,
most times they both connived and blackmailed
those that had hired him to kill.
‘Bury you? You were the one with the gun’ Kachi
poured himself a drink.
‘So what? There are many ways to kill a man,
trust me, Helen Ita is a very dangerous woman.
Nelson was foolish to have S£x with her even
after you’d revealed to him the woman that had
sent men after his life’ Oliver replied.
‘Well Delilah killed Samson, how much more a
smaller fool like Nelson?’ Kachi scoffed.
‘You call him a fool, but what about you who is in
love with Rose, a woman that fu-Cks her own
dad, who does that’? Oliver grimaced.
‘In love? I used to love her once, but now, I see
her as a means to a very rich end,this would be
our biggest job, a family with secrets, each would
pay to keep their abnormalities from the world’
Kachi laughed heartily.
‘What about Helen’s son? Mark, he seems to be
clean, you have not said a thing about him’ Oliver
asked.
He’d worked together on the Ita family case with
Kachi for a long time.
‘Mark is no angel, in fact, he is the reason Grace
really opened up to me, we’ll talk about some
other time, now I need all the information to find
Grace, I need to know she is okay, she helped me
very much’ Kachi sighed, Grace had really
suffered, she had gone through hell in that cursed
house, he was glad she had opened up to him.
‘Nothing much, the pastor is still in the hospital
bed, and I think Grace has returned, I saw her last
night serving the Ita’s’ Oliver replied. He was sure
of it, the girl that served dinner was Grace, he’d
seen her many times when she met in secret with
Romeo.
‘Are you sure about this? Then why didn’t she
contact me? Why are her numbers not going
through, this would be the greatest news ever’
Kachi dialed her numbers but they weren’t
reachable.
‘I swear it, maybe I could go back to the house,
and instruct her to meet you’ Olive suggested.
‘No, that would be dangerous, stay away from
the Itas, now, we have to get evidence that the
pastor is sleeping with his own daughter, we
already have a voice note of Grace telling me how
Mark raped her a lot of times, after which I
convinced her to fix this a tiny video camera in
the house to catch Helen and Nelson in action,
which she did, now all what remains is our
biggest fish, Pastor Ita and Rose’ Kachi clapped
his hands excitedly.
‘You’re very smart, but I think we should take on
just one person, too much of everything is bad’
Oliver advised, he wasn’t too comfortable with
Romeo’s idea.
‘No, one person wouldn’t make me as rich as I
want, so we take them all down’ Romeo replied
not too pleased with Oliver countering him.
‘I still don’t support it, I say we take the pastor
down, he was what to lose most, he has a
ministry,we have to think very clearly’ Oliver
insisted.
‘Since when did you start giving me advice on
how to run my business’? Romeo snapped angrily
at him.
‘Well, mind the way you speak to me, we’re still
in this business’ Oliver warned.
‘Partners’? Romeo scoffed, he knew how just to
deal with Oliver, with the snap of his fingers, the
fool would obey him.
‘Of course, I do your dirty work’ Oliver replied.
‘Well that’s because you’re dirty, you’re a pig and
I am the clean one, next time you challenge me, I
shall leak your secrets and trust me, the Nigerian
police would treat you just find and all the clients
you blackmailed’ Romeo hissed loudly and walked
out of the room.
Romeo’s words stilled Oliver and scared him too,
he suddenly discovered he was a slave to Romeo
like everyone else whom he blackmailed.
‘No way, I wouldn’t be your pawn’ Oliver rose to
his feet, he needed to get out of Romeo’s clip,
and he knew just how to get out.
17
I had prepared breakfast for everyone and now I
was preparing myself to go see the pastor at the
hospital. I had already made something hot for
him to drink, I hoped he was okay.
I decided to go through Grace’s things once
more, I had never met her in person but I felt I
had known her my entire life.
I fetched her album and stared at her pictures
again especially the one she stood with Romeo,
they looked so great together, I was sure Mark
started raping her when she fell in love with
someone else.
‘Bastard’ I cast the album aside and wept on my
bed.
I cried for about fifteen minutes, my eyes were all
foggy and swollen, I stopped the minute I heard a
strange sound. You know when your battery is
about to be exhausted and it makes a sound,
exactly what I heard, but I was quite sure it
wasn’t from my phone.
I rose up immediately, what if Grace had left her
phone behind, I heard the sound again, it came
from the cupboard where I’d found the photo
album and the note, how come I’d never seen or
heard it?
As I pulled out the last drawer, a huge rat
climbed out and I screamed for my dear life.
‘Jeez, that wasn’t funny’ I laughed for the first
time that day.
‘Here you are darling…’ I wondered what it was, it
wasn’t a phone, I realized it was a mini sized
video camera.
‘What’s this’? I pressed a button and waited for
the device to show me something, but it didn’t,
so I tossed it aside.
I slipped on my shoes ready to move when I
heard sounds that resembled m0ans from a
woman in pain, this time, pain wasn’t the case,
what I saw was going to haunt me for eternity.
My phone rang and I picked it up hurriedly.
‘Hello’ my voice was shaky from what I’d just
seen, how could that happen?
‘Ajunwa? Have you forgotten me so fast? This is
your friend Joy’?
‘Joy, I’m sorry, I’m just not feeling too well’ I
lied, how could I have forgotten Joy, my best
friend whose uncle I worked for.
‘I’m sorry sweetheart, guess what’? she sounded
excited.
‘Wow you sound happy, what’s that’? I asked.
‘I know my uncle just had an accident, the news
is everywhere so I am at the hospital with him,
later I’d be at the house and we would gist
throughout the night’ she replied.
‘Wow, I’m coming there soon’ I replied and
dropped the phone in my bag.
Joy was in town, I wondered if I could let her in
on what I had encountered in the house.
I turned the video camera off and hid it safely, I
had watched enough. Pastor Ita was making love
with his daughter Rose, truly, this was a house of
secrets.
***
18
She smiled mischievously, her mother’s plans
was for them to keep their dad’s accident secret
but she’d tweeted it and the media had carried it,
she would have Helen begging for forgiveness for
slapping her like that.
‘Rose, open the door’ Mark pounded her door.
‘Come in bro’ she answered sweetly.
She had dressed up, things had changed, she
needed to see her father, they needed to save
themselves from what was to come.
‘How could tweet about dad’s accident? Have you
forgotten about mum’s orders? Why did you
disobey her’ Mark was annoyed with his sister.
‘Well, I did the right thing, your mother is a very
selfish woman and she doesn’t care much about
either of us, how could she defend Nelson like
that’? Rose hissed angrily.
‘Oh, this is still about Nelson? I’m sure you were
Bleeping him, how could you disobey mum?
Though she seemed off, but I saw the good in her
suggestions, now, dad’s members may lose faith
in him, I hope you’re happy now’ Mark hissed and
turned to walk away.
This was her chance and she seized it.
‘Why do you think so highly of your mother? Let
me tell you something sweet bro, mother was
having an affair with Nelson, what if they
connived to kill dad to afford them more time to
be with each other, have you thought about that’?
Rose asked.
‘Is that all? Mum is sleeping with Nelson, is that
a bad thing? What of dad, what if he’s sleeping
with other people? How is that your business, see
Rose, this is their marriage, we’re the children,
we’re not supposed to take sides, we’re to let
them work things out on their own not to judge,
I’m not perfect, I just did something that’s eating
me up which I may pay for later, I don’t think
you’re perfect too, let’s just be united now more
than ever’
Mark hoped she’d see reasons with him, he
wasn’t surprised to hear about his mum’s
infidelity, Grace had mentioned it before they had
a fall out and Ajunwa had told him the night
before.
‘Bravo, nice speech, I see, Helen has gotten her
claws on you, but before you go, I had this feeling
you and Grace had something you guys shared
and I’ll love to tell you something about your
sweet dear mother’ Rose rubbed her hands
together.
‘What about Grace’? Mark sighed.
‘Grace isn’t missing, she is dead, she walked in
on mum and Nelson and mum killed her and
buried her in the garden, I could show you where,
if you promise not to flare up’ Rose said.
‘You’re bluffing’ Mark swallowed hard. How could
Rose cook up such a lie?
His mother was many things but not a murderer.
‘Go find out, beneath the roses, midnight, check it
out’ Rose patted his shoulder.
‘Beneath the roses’ he whispered the words,
Ajunwa had found Grace’s necklace beneath the
Roses, he swallowed hard and prayed it wasn’t
true, he needed to confront his mother.
‘Yes bro, you’ll have to excuse me now, I have a
call to answer’ Romeo was the caller and she
couldn’t wait to answer it.
‘Hello my darling…’ she pawed sweetly. She had
set her plans in motion, she couldn’t wait to see
her mother go down.
‘Hello red rose, guess what’? Romeo answered in
the same manner.
‘What is it my love’? she asked.
‘I’m at your gate, please let me in’.
***
‘Mum, open the door’ ! Mark was infuriated,
different emotions ran through him, how could his
mother betray him like that? Why did she have to
kill Grace and lie to him about it?
‘Mark, what happened?’ Helen had just woken up
from her sleep.
‘Mum, please tell me this isn’t true, please deny
it’ Mark stared deeply into her eyes.
‘What is it dear’? she wondered why her kids
wouldn’t let her be in peace.
‘Did you kill Grace because she found out you
were having an affair with Nelson? Did you cut
her into pieces and bury her beneath your roses’?
Mark asked.
‘I see, Rose is twisting this story, trying to paint
me black, was she the one who told everyone
about your dad’s accident’? Helen felt deeply
hurt, calls from her church members had awoken
her, somehow they got to know the pastor was in
the hospital.
How could Rose betray her like that?
‘Mum?’ Mark called her.
‘Thank you for coming to speak with me first
before doing anything stupid, come in and have a
seat, let me tell you everything but first swear
you’ll forgive me and trust me again’ Helen
invited him in.
‘Just tell me the truth’ Mark sat at the edge of
her bed.
‘I kept this secret from you because I didn’t want
you to get involved in something so dirty, I felt
you saw me like a saint and I had to keep it that
way, I’m sorry darling, I should’ve told you
everything, but know this, I love you from the
bottom of my heart,
I protected your sister who had turned against me
now for some reason, just like I protected you’
she paused.
‘Just go straight to the point mum’ Mark was
getting impatient.
‘No, I’ll take this step by step so you’ll judge for
yourself who’s guilty or innocent. Your sister
came into my room one day just like you’re doing
now and begged me to save her, she was so
scared, I followed her and found Grace on the
floor bleeding from her head, she was dead. Rose
claimed they had a fight and she hit Grace too
hard, I knew reporting to the police would destroy
your father’s reputation, so I cut the body into
pieces and buried it in a place where no one
would ever know, under my roses, and now she
accuses me of being the one that murdered that
girl’ Helen scoffed, she would destroy Rose with
her hands.
‘Mum, how could you do something so
gruesome? What’s the difference between you
and Rose, you helped her cover her sin’?
Mark was still confused on who to believe.
‘I had to protect her, she is my child, even you, I
have protected you before, when I had the chance
to turn you over to the juvenile court, I saved you,
don’t you remember Mark? What happened when
you were sixteen’? she rose to her feet.
‘I don’t want to talk about it mum’ Mark was
evasive.
‘No, let’s face it, judge me, I’m the bad one here,
but in my badness, I protected you, Joy, your
cousin had come visiting and you raped her in
this house and I covered for you.
I should’ve reported you to the police, but I
sheltered you, look into my eyes and tell me you
believe Rose’ Helen pressed his head to her face.
‘I’m sorry mum, I judged you wrongly’ Mark cried.
‘That’s my boy, now, your sister has drawn the
battle line and we must fight her, if she leaks that
secret, I would go down for nothing, so I need you
on my side, I need you to support me, we have to
be clear with each other, no secrets’ Helen
instructed him.
‘I raped Grace many times and Ajunwa last night,
please forgive me, I don’t know what came over
me’ Mark sobbed like a baby.
[B] ‘You raped them?’ Helen was scared and
disappointed.
‘Yes, I’m so sorry’ he nodded.
‘Don’t worry, we’ll fix this’ Helen replied. Mark
could be trusted, she had bought him over, now
she had to draw him into her own darkness.
‘I killed Nelson and buried him in the garden,
somehow he knew about Grace as I asked him to
bury her decaying hand so I felt he was a threat
to that secret, so I killed him last night’ Helen
sighed as she let her son in.
‘Mum? How could you’? he was about to judge
her when he recalled his own sins were equally if
not more grievous.
‘Good. Now we understand each other, we have
to fight for ourselves first’ Helen fetched her
phone, someone knew her secret and she had to
protect herself from going down.
‘What’s this’? Mark asked as she handed him the
phone.
‘I KNOW WHAT YOU DID. IT MAKES ME SICK.
I AM GOING TO TELL. A SECRET IS BURIED IN
THE GARDEN’.
‘Mum’? he called quietly.
‘Yes’? Helen wondered why he seemed shocked,
did he know anything about it?
‘I received this text last night, what’s happening’?
Mark was terrified.
‘Really’? Helen chuckled, not even the situation
she found herself could kill her sense of humor.
Someone was blackmailing them, mind games
was this person’s style.
‘Mum, this isn’t funny, what if they know all our
secrets? We are all dirty except Rose and dad, we
have to find a way out of this’ Mark sighed.
‘No, we can’t be the dirty ones, maybe your
father is clean but I’m sure your sister isn’t, she
killed Grace for a reason and that’s your job to
find out. I need to speak with the maid you raped,
I need to bring her closer to me, so she wouldn’t
be used against us, most times, blackmailers
could get information out of domestic staff, one of
the reasons i took out Nelson’ Helen paced
nervously, there was a lot of work to do.
***
She had not set her eyes on one of her admirers
for a long time, Kachi Romeo was as hot he’d
been three years back.
‘Hello Cherie’ he presented her with some flowers.
‘Hmm, they smile nice, thanks Romeo and do
come in’ she smiled and offered him in.
‘It’s been so long Romeo, thanks for paying me a
visit, sit here, let me fetch you something to
drink’ Rose dived into the house and left her
guest in her mother’s garden.
‘Roses everywhere, garden of Roses’ Romeo
looked around the garden, it was really beautiful
and smelt very nice but held a dark secret.
Oliver had done a good job by telling him about
Grace, now all he had to do was find her and get
her to give him evidence of the pastor’s affair
with his biological daughter.
‘I am back’ she returned with a bottle of red wine
and glasses.
‘Your mother’s garden is beautiful’ Romeo
smiled.
‘Thank you’ Rose wondered how he knew the
garden belonged to her mother.
‘So how’s everything? How is Grace?
It’s been long I haven’t seen her or your brother
Mark’ he poured himself some wine.
‘They’re fine’ Rose replied hurriedly, why did he
ask about Grace?
Her heart raced, no one could know she was
dead.
‘Good. I was just in the neighborhood and I just
wanted to visit, I’d see you some other time’
Romeo rose to his feet.
‘Thanks so much Romeo’ she replied.
‘Can I see Grace before I go? And Mark too’ he
quickly chipped in.
‘Uhmmm, they’re not around, Grace isn’t here,
she’s at the market’ Rose stuttered, why was he
so keen on Grace?
Rose knew Romeo from church and he’d met their
maid too, but it made her uncomfortable to recall
what happened that fateful day.
‘Really? How nice, see you later then’ Romeo
smiled and walked away, deep down he felt it,
something wasn’t right.
He’d observed the evasiveness that lay prominent
in her eyes whenever he mentioned Grace, had
Oliver lied to him?
‘Bye….’ Rose waved at him. Fear engulfed her,
soon, more people would ask questions about
Grace, questions she wouldn’t be able to answer
and she knew how dangerous her mother had
become, what if her mother turned her in to the
police?
‘No, she has to go down for it, for everything’ she
hissed loudly, she had her plans, Helen would go
down, she needed to see her father.
***
To be continued