DEEP SECRETS
EPISODE 32
10:40 AM, MR. NATHAN’S HOUSE
“What was she talking about Eve?” Helen, Eve’s mother asked. Helen,
Mr. Nathan and her children were happy to have Eve back. But the thought of her having anything to do with whatever led to their shooting was way too staggering for them to bear.
“Give us a moment to talk Mrs. Nathan,” Stanley requested.
Eve led Stanley upstairs to her room, while her family members waited with baited breath down stairs.
“Eve, you have to be careful how much you reveal about who you are and who you work for. We must find a way to lie our way out of Idara’s trap. She must never find out who you are. I don’t want to lose you, baby,” Stanley said after he and Eve had locked themselves inside her room.
“What do I tell her? What do I tell my family members? I am scared baby,” Eve said hugging Stanley firmly.
“I can handle your parents and siblings; it is Idara that worries me. She must never find out the truth.”
“But Stan, what was Jimmy thinking when he sent those things to my parents’ house?”
“Perhaps he hoped no one would look your way, after all he tried killing you once.”
“Idara thinks he is still alive, if he is, that would mean he was working together with Maxwell his half-brother. This is a mess. Think of it, it was Maxwell who supposedly shot him at the nightclub.”
“I can’t explain Jimmy’s game plan, but it is beginning to look like he wanted your cover blown up, Eve. We have got to find him quick. I don’t like that guy one bit. First he tried to kill you, and again he somehow broke out of South African prison. He may have faked his death and put us right back where we were, but this time I am going to make sure he dies for real.”
“Let us call Chucks for help, Stan.”
“Good idea. Let’s get Chucks to do some underground work for us. Maybe we can put Stella and Clara to some use now. They owe us a lot.”
“Yes, let’s do it,” Eve said as she began to fiddle with her phone to place a call to Chucks.
“No baby. Don’t make that call from your phone. Idara may have bugged our phones,” Stanley cautioned.
He went over to the door, unlocked it and shouted Abel’s name. “Abel! Abel!! Come upstairs please!”
In a jiffy Abel was with them still brandishing his gun. The moment Stanley saw the gun he asked,
“Is that gun loaded?”
“Yes,” Abel replied.
“I think I need it more than you do. Let me have it.”
Abel handed it to Stanley and he shoved it into his waist.
“We need to make a call and we can’t use our phones. We need to make use of your phone, Abel.”
Abel reached into his jean pocket and removed his phone. Stanley took it from him and punched in Chucks’ phone number and dialed it.
Eve led her brother Abel to the door and asked him to give them a minute. Abel stepped out of the room and ran down stairs. He had a small Nokia phone in his room. He went for it and placed a call to a friend of his.
“Damina, we have found my sister and her husband, but she is in some trouble. I know it. She won’t tell me, but I know it.”
“What do you want me to do Abel?”
“I want cover for my sister and her husband. I also heard the name of a man I want you to find. The man is Jimmy, he is related to the famous Maxwell family.”
“Did you just say Maxwell family? Common Abel, trying to meddle with the Maxwell will be suicide. They are way above our league. You have got to find someone to do that for you. Haven’t you heard? The Maxwell family eats from the same plate with the devil!”
“Then get me someone else who can do it. Please Damina.”
“Abel I hate to say no to you, but right now, all the homies are in the streets shooting at designate targets. Some high placed politician wants us to make the nation ungovernable. His pay is good.”
“But can you send someone to tail my sister and her husband when they leave our house?”
“I can do that.”
“Thank you.”
Upstairs Stanley was on the phone with Chucks,
“Chunky (nickname for Chucks), I need you to put your men back on the street. Put everyone you can find back in there…”
“What’s going on Stanley? Where have you and Eve been all this while?”
“Jimmy, the guy who was shut at the nightclub might still be alive. This is much more than the videos. That guy had damning information about the high and mighty in the nation. The videos have been found. Jimmy mailed them to Eve’s mother using Eve’s name. I don’t know what his game plan was. Right now Idara Maxwell thinks Eve and Jimmy might be working together. We know that is not true; but if we don’t do anything, many are going to come after Eve when they find out who she is.”
“Wait a minute, but this Jimmy guy is dead, Stanley! What makes you think he is alive? Maxwell put nine bullet holes in his head. He is dead! What information does he have about Idara Maxwell?”
“I don’t know. Idara didn’t let us know. But you have to know that Idara Maxwell is mother to both Jimmy and Maxwell…”
“What!!!” Chucks exclaimed. “Believe me she is their mother. She killed her husband because of Jimmy and now Jimmy has some information about her which he should not. In fact, it maybe that Maxwell helped Jimmy fake his death. It also means that Maxwell might still be alive…”
“Jesus! Slow down Stanley. My head is spinning.”
“There is no time Chucks. I want you to question the club owner who told Billy Sekwa that Maxwell killed his half-brother, Jimmy. That club owner might be part of all this. The videos may have been about power and control. By 5 pm this evening, Idara will retake Eve and I. She wants to make sure Eve and Jimmy are not working together.”
“By 5 pm, I will bring hell down on Idara’s men…”
“No Chucks don’t do it! It will put a lot of people in danger. My family members and those of Eve might be wiped out by Idara. You don’t know her; she is a rabid dog. Leave us to handle her with mind games.”
“Okay, I see your point. I guess I have to swing into action now.”
“Yes, please do. But remember not to tell Annabel any of the things we just discussed. I just don’t trust her at the moment.”
“Okay.”
After the telephone conversation with Chucks, Stanley took Eve down stairs to explain things to her family members.
“What took you so long, please tell us what’s going on? Why would anyone shoot the two of you on your wedding night? Why does the lady want to keep you people even after she had found what she was looking for?” Mr. Nathan asked.
The entire family crowded around them to hear their explanations.
“Let’s put it this way, Eve and I happened to have friends who were involved in the making of videos which contained the worst form of morally bent content. I am afraid I cannot speak of the content of those videos. When those in the videos found out about them, they went on a bloody hunt for them. The lady who just left here, Idara Maxwell; one of her sons was involved in the making of those videos. When the original copies of those videos were traced to him, he sent them to Eve using this address. The young man is the same person who attacked Eve in South Africa some years ago…”
‘What!! I thought he was locked away!” Mr. Nathan exclaimed.
“Oh God! This is not happening again. Eve, what does this guy want with you? Why you again?” Mrs. Nathan asked.
“I don’t know mama, but we are going to find out soon.”
“Please do and end this quickly,” Mrs. Nathan pleaded.
“Is there something you need me to do, Stanley? Like take my family into hiding?” Mr. Nathan asked. Stanley read fear in his voice. The man was scared.
“Is there a good place you can hide?” Stanley asked.
“Yes, I have got some high ranking officer friends in the army. They have just the right place to put I and my family until this blows over.”
“Get in touch with them now. That old lady who just left here, she is KGB trained. She has power, money and a small army. She can kill whoever she wants. Make sure your army friends give you good protection. You all must leave as soon as Idara’s men take Eve and I away. There are some people outside who already know the videos were found here. I expect them to come asking some questions soon.” Switching the subject, Stanley turned to Abel and said, “I am afraid, I will be making use of your phone from now on. I don’t have the confidence to make certain calls from my phone or Eve’s phone.”
“No, uncle. I need that phone do handle my own moves at this time. I have got a smaller Nokia smart phone I can part with it,” Abel said, handing the Nokia phone to Stanley.
“Thanks Abel, can you arrange to have it loaded with air time?”
“Of course,” Abel replied as he stood to his feet.
“Musa!! Bring some Etisalat recharge cards!!” Abel shouted from the door.
“Stanley, I forgot to mention something while the old lady was here,” Mrs. Nathan said.
“What is it mummy?” Eve asked.
“Another parcel arrived yesterday for Eve. It was not amongst the ones I presented to the old lady. Should I bring it?”
“Where is it?” Eve asked, springing to her feet.
As Mrs. Nathan ran upstairs to get it, Eve and Stanley followed her. In a brief moment, the entire family were in Mrs. Nathan’s bedroom. She found the parcel on the floor of her wardrobe and tossed it at her daughter.
“This is it Eve,” she said. Eve wasted no time to tear it. Much to their dismay, it contained the same documents as the parcel Idara Maxwell left with. In the DHL parcel were two DVD plates and a document signed with the name Jibril Samuel. Stanley, Eve and Abel went into Abel’s room to check the contents of the DVD plates on Abel’s DVD player. Their hearts almost stopped when they found out it was the same videos from Mayo’s fun house. These ones had extra scenes and shots from other locations. New faces like Manga Idris and Idara Maxwell were in the new scenes.
***************
12:05 PM, MORGAN BAILY HOSPITAL
Emilia slowly opened her eyes, squinting severally. The light in the hospital room was too strong for her eyes which had been shut for days. Her survival from the gunshots was nothing short of a miracle. A female doctor stood beside her, she was waiting for Emilia to wake up fully before letting her know her new health condition. Around her bed were her bodyguards. They had rushed her down to the hospital when they found her in a pool of blood. There was something odd about her body, she was beginning to realize it slowly. It was as though one half of her body was alive while the other was dead, especially from her waist down. She could see her legs but could not feel them. Her eyes widened in shock, she looked from the doctor to her legs.
“What happened to me?” she asked the doctor.
The doctor took a step closer and said,
“You are a tough woman, Emilia. We just can’t figure out how you beat death. Though you cheated death, you lost some things in the process. You are partially paralyzed at the moment. You suffered paralysis in the lower part of your body as a result of the gunshots. You may never make use of the lower parts of your body again. You are possibly going to be in a wheelchair for the rest of your life,” the doctor explained, with a plastic frown on her face.
Those words were the last things Emilia wanted to hear. She could not believe them. The consequence of being paralyzed in the lower parts of her body were way too much for her mind to handle. At first she ran her hands over her b–bs which stood invitingly on her chest, they felt alive and good. Then she reached her right hand toward her thighs and struggled immensely to open her legs apart. She had to shove her hand into her virginal region and touched her private part, the feeling she got was next to nothing. She touched herself frenziedly in front of the doctor and got nothing. Her eyes moistened and then the reality of her paralyzed condition hit home. Flood of tears flowed from her eyes. She could not believe it.
“Is there nothing more you can do for me?” she asked.
“I am afraid there is none. You are lucky to be alive. Actually you were on the threshold of death when they brought you here. You have so much to be thankful for,” the doctor replied with a tone of finality in her voice.
Emilia shut her eyes and more tears flowed out. Her lips moved, the word she said were inaudible. The doctor could not hear her clearly and so asked,
“What did you say, madam?”
“I am a fighter. I am not going to live the rest of my life paralyzed. I will walk again, believe me, I will,” Emilia said as tears soaked the pillow under her head.
01:15 PM, THE PRESIDENTIAL VILLA
Manga Idris and his wife Julia Idris, were on the move to get out of the country. They had heard the Parliament were in the process of removing Manga as the executive head of state. Men loyal to Billy Sekwa were everywhere waiting to seize power and hand it to him subsequently. Manga and Julia knew that if they were caught, they would be killed without delay. More of their secret deals were coming out in the open by the minutes. In every quarter of government, their allies were betraying them. Julia could not believe it that the videos she paid to be made so she could use them to bring down her enemies were being used to bring her down. Already the parliament had begun an inquiry into the death of her legal husband and how her only surviving son wound up in a prison with no criminal records.
People the almighty Julia had stepped upon to rise in power were doing their bit to see she fell heavily. The final nail on Julia Idris’ coffin was the emergence of a video, supposedly shot in a hotel room in Dubia, showed Julia begging a Nigerian student to make love to her. In the video, she actually used the F word. In her frenzied plea for s*x, she begged the boy who was not more than nineteen years to make love to her while she was nvde on a bed. Her enemies were numerous and so were the secrets being made public about her and her husband, Manga. As they ran for dear life, their destination was Sierra Leone, a place where they had used public funds to train a local militia for clandestine purposes.
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