Silently Deep- Episode 8

SILENTLY DEEP Episode 8

2 months later….

I couldn’t sleep, I walked to the backyard, pulled a chair and sat down my face lifted up. A bottle of a cold beer in my hands

The images of Cedrick’s body smashed to the wall with blood all over, the body of Lucy, tied to a tree in the bushes and Tasila mutilated whilst tied to a chair going round my head.

Drinking rapidly the cold beer, I let its scotch burn my gullet in the hope it’s effect would awake me from what I was hoping could be a dream.

“Dammit Cleo!” I whispered to myself. Feeling so overburdened by everything.

My boss, didn’t like the fact that I of all people was not able to tell Cleo was the killer after all the past months. He personally pointed out I was supposed to know earlier given I had told him I knew Cleo and Cedrick better.

I was lost in thoughts when my phone rung.

“Hey man, where are you?” Came Mwila’s voice from the other end.

“At my Place, why?” I responded without much interest.

“Come over to the club”

“Oh man, I don’t feel like driving. Am a bit tipsy, been drinking for a while so, I bet I will pass “I declined

“You have to take a break off this case my friend, come on Theo come here” he insisted.

“Okey, give me some few minutes I will join you” I placed down the bottle which was in my hands and walked to my car.

Mwila and some other guys had ordered some rounds, he walked towards me the moment I entered the club.

“Hey! Good to see you, come on there is something for everyone here” he pulled my hand. The whole time as we drunk my mind was somewhere else. I needed a distraction I knew that but the drinking and chats with the guys didn’t seem like what I needed. I sneaked out after an hour and went home to sleep.

The following morning I woke up with a bad hangover, I took a cold shower and walked outside to take some fresh air with my towel wrapped around me. Sitting on the door step I looked ahead of the yard facing the road side.

I was lost in thoughts when I saw a woman waving at me. I tried to ignore her thinking she was referring to someone else but when she shouted her greetings to me, I knew she was actually talking to me.

“Can I help you?” I asked standing up from where I sat getting closer to the wired fence to talk to her.

“Yes sir, am looking for some Job to do” she responded in a low vulnerable tone.

“Hm. I don’t think I have anything for you my dear sorry” I responded without second thoughts.

“Anything I can do sir, please, I have nowhere to go, my husband divorced me and went away with everything and I have no family to run to. I can do anything sir, sweeping your yard, cleaning your house, washing or anything just to earn a little money to buy myself something to eat, please Sir, have mercy” she pleaded.

My heart went out to her. I felt I needed to help her and so I ushered her in.

“You can help clean my house, there are some dirty clothes in the washing basket too.” I indicated to her. It being a weekend, I went back to my room watching some soccer on the bedroom TV. After an hour or so, I heard a soft knock on my door.

“Yes!” I turned down the volume and walked to the door.

“I have finished sir and I have served you breakfast too” she announced.

“Breakfast?” I asked surprised cause I could not recall telling her to make me breakfast.

“Am sorry, I just figured you must be hungry and so since I saw the food when I was working on the dirty plates, I thought I should help make breakfast” she quickly explained almost going down her knees.

“its okey, thank you I will come have it.” I exhaled dismissingly.

She didn’t move, it was like she wanted me to get to the kitchen that minute.

“Well, let’s eat” I sighed walking to the Kitchen. The sandwich she had made for me was delicious, the bacon and salad added was just what I had longed for in some breakfast.

My mind went back to a few years back when I visited Cleo and Cedrick. She had made me a similar sandwich and I loved it so much.

“Sir, are you okey?” she asked seeing I zoomed out lost in thoughts the sandwich in my hand.

“Yea, yea am okey, just remembered a friend of mine who made me a similar Sandwich years back. Where did you learn to do this?” I asked her looking at her calm face.

I saw her smile, and for the first time that day, I took my time checking out her face and body, she was actually beautiful, a calm long face with a small black dot on top of her cheek. She was of a medium height and her figure great. Brushing off the stupid ideas of checking a vulnerable woman, I cleared my throat.

“I used to work as a house worker for some rich family for a good number of years but they moved to another city so now I have no job “She smiled.

“I learnt how to cook from there sir” she added looking down, I noticed she seemed shy.

“I see, well thank you for the food and the cleaning, I will just get you your money” I stood up and walked to my room to get her the money.

“Excuse me sir, can I be coming to help you with the house work? I mean if you don’t mind. “She giggled shyly.

“Yeah why not” I shrugged casually watching her as she stood by the door almost leaving.

“By the way I didn’t get your name” I smiled

“Am Natalie sir” she responded.

“Well Natalie good to know you and thanks for the works and the food” I smiled and watched her leave.

“hm” I murmured seeing how she was shaking her soft behind, if I knew her well, I would say she was leading me on.

A week later, she came back, on a weekend again. I assigned her the chores and like she did earlier she cleaned up and cooked my lunch before leaving. The following weekend she showed up in the same manner.

“Tell me about this newly found maid my friend” Mwila asked me as we had our lunch one afternoon.

“She is cool man, she works so hard just see how neat my house has become” I pointed around as we were seated in my kitchen having lunch.

“yeah I noticed, though I wonder what`s with praising her all the time man, don’t tell me you digging a maid huh?” he laughed shaking his head at me.

“um no it`s not that, just that I feel for her man, she seems lonely, from the stories she told me of her ex-husband, it’s like she has had it the hard way you know. Am just saying though nothing more to that but compassion” I smiled and Mwila hit my shoulder playfully.

“Compassion it is!” he teased and right that minute my phone rung.

“Yes boss!” I responded immediately I picked it up.

“They found Cleopatra’s body” he announced and I dropped the plate I was holding in my hand standing up.

“What’s that? “ I asked just to be sure I heard him right.

“Yeah, she is dead Theo, they found her body hanging on a tree and I need you and your partner to go check out the site” he added

I was powerless, I sat down slowly my mind confused.

“What is it man, you look pale” Mwila asked standing up close to me.

She killed herself” I told him.

“Who? Who killed herself Theo?” he asked shaking my shoulders.

“Cleopatra was found hanging on a tree and the boss wants us to go check the site.” I explained to him.

“Oh that woman, what the hell is wrong with her? We have been running around to get her in months and she turns out dead? This doesn’t make sense at all” he shook his head.

Right that minute we took off and we confirmed Cleopatra had hanged herself. Close to the dead body was a note where she asked for my forgiveness and said she wanted to rest as her conscious was haunting her day and night.

I turned her around just to make sure I was seeing the right person, it was her, in her beautiful face as though she was just sleeping.

“I don’t understand this too Mwila” I spoke after coming out of the shock.

“Why did she have to ki*ll herself after running around for months? I mean what’s the point of running if she knew she was going to ki*ll herself? Why now? She could have done this some time back. Why now” I wondered trying to make sense out of everything.

“Well. Karma maybe, she got tired and her conscious, like she has indicated in the note was on to her till she gave up” he sighed

“For some reason I don’t believe that Mwila, there is more to her death and I will find out what it is” I answered..

Story continues…

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