House of secrets episode 21

HOUSE OF SECRETS?

?EPISODES. 21?

THE DINNER…..
The night had come, the night he would get his pay for keeping their dirty and dark secret, he was a fulfilled man, Kachi Romeo, one of the wealthiest bloggers in the country, after Linda Ikeji, he was next and there was no stopping him.
‘How do I look’? Romeo smiled mischievously. He was confident the business with the Itas would work out just fine, with Oliver and the boys to protect him, nothing could go wrong.
‘You look okay, but we’re running out of time, it’s almost 9’ Oliver reminded him.
‘Let them wait, they need me more than I need them’ Romeo replied and he was right, the Pastor was a man of repute and he would do anything to keep that identity and that of his family.
‘My boys have taken strategic position round the Itas house, so you have nothing to worry about’ Oliver said.
‘I trust you Oliver, when I am with you, I feel safe, one day, I would reward you for your kind services’ he patted him on the shoulder and walked away.
‘Good riddance to bad rubbish’ Oliver offered him a sly smile, he couldn’t wait to strangle him later that night.
He had other plans too, once Romeo was out, others would follow, no one could ever blackmail him again.
***

I had tried to escape during the night but I dissuaded myself against such action, it could get me killed, besides, I didn’t know Helen’s plans with the rifle, what if it was meant for me? What if she was spying me?
‘Dinner is served, darling, come and eat’ I heard her call to the husband from the kitchen.
I had prepared food for everyone, Romeo was included but he wasn’t yet here.
‘What makes you think I’ll eat your food?’ the pastor scoffed.
‘She wants to poison us, sorry mum, I just gave dad something to eat’ Rose chipped in.
‘I bet you did’ Helen grinned, she couldn’t wait to put a bullet into her.
‘I’ll need you two to be nice, Mark is coming home, so let’s not ruin the family dinner with all these’ she gestured with her hand.
She had to lie for them to comply, she still had not gotten any information on Mark.
‘Fine, but we’re only having this dinner cause of Mark’ Rose replied and led her father to the dining table.
‘Thank you’ Helen replied and joined me in the kitchen.
‘Ajunwa? Be a dear and check the doorbell, it seems our guest is here, one more thing, I need that obscene video of my husband Bleeping his daughter’ she said.
‘In my room’ I replied and left for the door. Helen was up to something, there was this macabre gleam in her eyes and I prayed no one would be buried in that garden that night.
‘Romeo? What are you doing here’? Rose was surprised to see him as I opened the door.
‘I came to pay your family a visit’ Romeo smiled and took a seat.
‘Hello there Romeo, lock the door Ajunwa’ Helen smiled mischievously as she surfaced from my room with the video camera and a rifle.

?HOUSE OF SECRETS?

?EPISODES. 22?

‘Yes Madam’ I swallowed hard, it would take a miracle for me to stay alive.
‘What is this? Are you crazy’? Romeo was terrified.
‘Mum? What are you doing? You think you can kill us all and bury us in the garden’? Rose went wild with curses.
‘Shut up you little Bytch, I am not your mother, I couldn’t have birthed you, you’re sick, your father too’ Helen dropped the Camera on the table and pointed the gun at Romeo.
‘Play it, and I want pin drop silence, come this way Ajunwa’ she ordered me and left for the door.
‘Helen you don’t have to do this…’ the pastor wondered what had come over his wife.
She didn’t say a word, Romeo obeyed and played the video.
‘Mum…I can explain’ Rose was shocked, I could see it on her face.
‘Helen, please, it was the devil’ the pastor fell on his knees.
‘the devil? Funny’ she laughed.
‘So you were Bleeping your own daughter, how nice is that? You connived with her to destroy me, you told Romeo I was the one who’d killed Grace and I should be shamed, after everything I did for you Rose, why?’ Helen’s voice cracked.
‘Mum, I’m so sorry, please forgive me’ she cried.
‘When did it start’? Helen wiped her face.
‘I am sorry Helen, this is all my fault, I forced myself on her’ The pastor crawled near her.
‘No dad, let’s tell her the truth, that we love each other, no one would fathom this but it is real.
Mum, I know you wouldn’t kill me, I’m your daughter, all I ask is for forgiveness’ Rose begged.
‘My daughter? Sorry Rose,I would put a bullet through you, and I wouldn’t feel a thing’ Helen replied and pulled the trigger, without hesitation, Rose lay dead.
‘Jesus!’ we all screamed, this woman was crazy.
‘Shut up you all, now let the dinner begin’ Helen wiped her face and pulled a chair.
‘So you set me up”? Romeo laughed.
‘Call it whatever you want, but you’re dying tonight and I am burying you underneath my roses’ Helen smiled.
I watched as the pastor wept aside his daughter.
‘Helen, I would never forgive you for this, you killed our only daughter’ he cried.
‘Oh shut up and stop acting the saint, and by the way, you killed her, I wore gloves remember?
So it’s your fingerprints the police would see when they come’ Helen laughed.
‘What are you talking about’? Pastor Ita wondered.
‘Well, let’s say, you touched the gun while you were asleep, I kind of pressed your palms to it, so start weeping for yourself, because I would ensure you end up behind bars for the murder of our daughter’ Helen exhaled and faced Romeo whose face was a cloud of fear, shock and disgust.
‘So Romeo, how much shall I pay you? You are the cause of everything, why didn’t you keep your nosy self out of my family business? You threatened me with those lame messages, now it’s time to end you, any last words’? he asked.
‘If you kill me, you’ll die too’ he sounded confident.
‘Why is that’? Helen raised a brow.
‘Oliver and his boys have surrounded the building,they would kill you if I don’t come out alive’ he said.
‘How stupid, now Ajunwa, tell him about our little plan’ she pointed the gun at me.
‘Grace? What is going on here? and why does she call you that’ Romeo asked.
‘I’m sorry Romeo, I am not Grace, just a look alike and Oliver is working with us’ I explained.
‘Oh my God, Helen, please don’t kill me, I promise to stay off your family, please’ he begged, so Oliver had betrayed him?
‘No, too late, next time you come into this world, just choose a better occupation, don’t be a snitch or a blogger, you could be like me, a rose gardener’ Helen smiled and pulled the trigger.
‘No’ her husband screamed.
I couldn’t, it was so easy for this woman to shoot people, I knew I could die any minute, so I started reciting prayers.
‘Shut your mouth you dirty bastard, else you’ll join them’ anger flashed her eyes.
‘Just kill me, I accept, take this pain away,, you monster’ the man cried.
‘No, death is too easy for you’ Helen smirked, he deserved to live without his precious daughter.
‘Please don’t kill me’ it was my turn to beg her.
‘No, I’m not killing you, your job is to bury these bodies in the garden, now get to work, let me deal with Oliver’ she gave her orders carefully and I obliged, I had no option, clearly, Helen Ita was a psycho.
Coincidentally, Oliver stepped into the house as I moved over Romeo’s body.
‘Oliver’ she drawled his name, but he ignored her, he scanned the bodies on the ground in disgust and before one could say Jack Robinson he pulled out a gun at Helen.
‘Oliver’? I fixed my eyes on him, what was he doing?
‘I’m sorry I have to do this Helen, but it’s the only way to have my freedom, If I let you live, you may blackmail me in future, so goodbye’ He was about to pull the trigger when we heard gunshots outside.
‘You’re surrounded by the Police, everyone step out with your hands on your head’ the police radio echoed and we all froze.

It seemed like the world had stopped.
Oliver pointed the gun at Helen and Helen Pointed hers at him, while the Pastor widened his mouth in shock.
‘Did you snitch on me’? Helen asked weakly, she hadn’t expected the police.
‘Let’s go outside’ Oliver lowered his gun and placed his hands on his head and we all followed suit.
‘There she is, please don’t hurt her, she is innocent’ Mark pointed at me.
‘Mark? What is going on here? what are the police doing here’? Helen was stunned to see him with them Coolval stories .
‘All of you must remain silent, anything you say or do may be used against you in the court of law’ a police man barked and I watched in sheer horror as they were handcuffed, one by one.
‘Mark what did you do’? Helen asked.
‘Something that was necessary, you, dad and Rose killed Grace and buried her in the garden, you killed Nelson too, even when I raped all those girls, you did nothing to correct me, I left to think about my life and I realized I have a mental disorder, and I had to see my therapist who encouraged me to report you all to the police, luckily I found dad here too, a pastor who is a murderer. I am not sorry Mum, I don’t regret this, as I would be joining you guys too for assaulting women’ Mark sneered at them.
He had decided to report himself at the police station, maybe that could absolve the guilt he felt for hurting Ajunwa.
[B] ‘Where’s Rose’? Mark asked me.
‘Two dead bodies’ a police man shouted from the house.
‘Who killed her’? he asked.
‘Your mother, Helen’ I replied.
……………………..
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EPILOGUE
I was stunned that Mark could offer himself to be arrested just to show he was remorseful about what he’d done. I had forgiven him and told him his actions were unnecessary but he was hell bent on being punished so I left him.
There had never been such a scandal in Nigeria such as the Ita family scandal, not even Miss Anambra’s cucumber saga could beat it, theirs was on a higher level. How could a Pastor sleep with his own daughter?
‘How could my Uncle sleep with his own daughter’? Joy dropped the newspaper in disgust.
‘If you ask me, na who I go ask’? I replied.
.
‘I’m just glad you came out of all these alive, Grace wasn’t that lucky, Nelson too’ Joy sighed.
She was as shocked as many Nigerians to discover the dark side of a man they all looked up to, his wife was an icon to many but they both were sentenced to life imprisonment.
‘It was really a house of secrets’ I was glad I had made it home. Grace had died, Nelson followed, then Rose and Romeo, I was just lucky
No, it is a house of monsters’ Joy said and we burst out laughing.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** *****

This got me thinking, do you really know your house? Is it a house of secrets? Or monsters? Are there just roses in your garden? Or something dark waiting to escape? Show me your house….
THE END