Web Of Lies – Episode 1

Web Of Lies – Episode 1

© Brian Ngoma

“Run faster Darren!” Chilufya yelled as they ran down the street chasing a suspect.

“Damn! I am doing my best, can’t you see?” Darren groaned while panting heavily.

Between the two, Chilufya was the youngest and the fastest at running and every time these two partners were involved in a chase, Darren would always be left behind. Chilufya would always catch the culprit or at least try to.

“You have caught him?” Darren caught up with Chilufya who had caught the suspect and laid him down.

“As usual, sometimes i wonder why you are my partner because you’re the laziest cop I have ever met in my life,” Chilufya grimaced.

“Respect young man.”

“Apparently you’re the longest serving detective in the Crime Investigation Department and yet the laziest.”

“Whatever. The CID veteran” Darren laughed and went on. “I hate this job, let’s get back to the station. When I started fifteen years ago, it was interesting, i was a young man not now.”

“A morning stake out is a good thing, isn’t it?” He asked him. “You’re only 38 Darren,” Chilufya said while he drove out of the street.

“Exactly my point. I am old my friend. I need desk work not the chases. There’s no fun in this anymore. A man like me is supposed to be reporting for work at 8am not go for 3am stakeouts.”

“You have forgotten that CID officers work any hour of the day,” Chilufya grinned. “How did the chief handle your last request by the way?”

“Like always. He rejected it,” Darren answered sadly. “He said he is in so much pressure with the scandal of the Minister of Defense.”

“Why is that Minister always in the NEWS?”

“It’s his children that will be the death of him. Especially the daughter,” Darren said thoughtfully.

“I think the son is much worse. No one really knows what happens with him. That boy is a mystery. I never thought having two children would be a hustle in this day and age. Just two and they act like they are ten,” Chilufya Laughed as he stepped on the gas.

The two detectives arrived at Central police station at 8am and Chilufya took the suspect in as Darren remained in the car. He looked at the entrance of the station disgustingly and wondered why he had chosen this career. Growing up, Darren always wanted to be a professional basketball player. With his tall, thick and muscular body, with a light complexion that complimented his looks, he wanted to be a professional basketballer but that’s not where life took him. Life took him where he was staring at in that moment. Basketball became a hobby. He got out of the car and went inside.

“Another successful pursuit?” Serena asked smiling while sited comfortably at the reception.

“Yes,” He answered without looking at her.

“Good morning to you too Darren,” Serena said rolling her eyes.

So beautiful but so dull, can’t she read between the lines? Darren asked himself. Darren and Serena had something going on sometime back but it was a one sided thing. Serena was way over Darren but he couldn’t give her what she needed the most; A perfect relationship. Darren was always unstable especially when it came to relationships. He went into a small office which was found at the far end of the long corridor in the station. The small office was his. He sat down and took a breath hoping he would no longer go back to the field and just remain in the office till he resigned. While in deep thoughts, he was interrupted by the enthusiastic and jovial young Jeremy.

“Morning sir, I ran down the fingerprints of the last suspect you and Detective Chilufya caught and they were confirmed. He did it,” Jeremy said proudly. “All I need is for you to sign these papers and we can corner that fool.”

Darren didn’t say anything, he got the papers from Jeremy and signed. After finishing he dismissed him. Jeremy knew better not to disturb his boss whenever he was in this kind of mood. Darren watched him leave. Why was the young man always happy? Darren wondered. He remembered when Jeremy joined the station three years ago. The first day Jeremy reported, he was happy as it gets. He was a fresh newbie from Duquesne University School of Law in Pittsburgh. He was among the few selected privileged young men to be sent away abroad to study by the police force. He studied forensics and was also very good with technology like any young man of his age. He had his small laboratory in the station. They called him the brains in the station. All the evidence from crime scenes went to Jeremy.

RING RING RING

“Aren’t you going to answer that?” Chilufya asked standing by Darren’s office door. “I have put the bas***d in the cells and that ringtone is irritating, answer the phone.”

“It’s mother again. I am tired with her blind dates,” Darren answered faded up. “I don’t need a woman.”

“Answer it. Deny as much as you want You need yourself a woman.”

“Screw you Chilufya.”

“I am just being honest. You pushed away Serena,” Chilufya smiled. “Maybe this time it will work out. Anyway why should I bother? I am happily married.”

“Get out!” Darren dismissed Chilufya.

He took a long breath and looked at his phone.

“Mother,” he answered sounding calm.

“What kind of child are you? You’re old and you don’t think of me. All your siblings have given me grandchildren but you. Do you want me to die?” a furious mother complained bitterly on the other end of the line.

Darren knew better not to interrupt her when she spoke. He waited for her to finish.

“I Have heard mother and I am fine thanks,” He said trying to cut her off.

“So next week you have to come and meet Ayana. She’s 35, beautiful, short and light in complexion and not like the rest. She’s educated and has a good family background. Anyway will tell you more when you come.”

“Bye mother,” he hang up.

Every time Darren talked to his mother, he would become furious with rage that he hit the walls of his tiny suffocating office.

“Damn this woman!” He growled. “How dare she thinks can order me around? I am 38 years old for crying out loud. I don’t need a woman to complete my life”

“Is everything alright?” Serena asked Darren standing on his office door.

Embarrassed he answered, “how can I help you Serena?”

“If you want to talk you know I am always….”

“State your business not that nonsense woman,” he cut her.

“The chief is asking for you,” She ran off hurt.

Without even recognizing what he had done to Serena, his mind drifted off to the chief. Was this the breakthrough that he had always wanted? Was this it? Did the chief reconsider his request? He quickly got up and walked to the chief’s office.

The previous day in the early evenings sat a girl on a balcony staring at the bright city of Lusaka. She admired the view and it gave her so much to think about. The view looked innocent and beautiful it reminded her of how innocent she once was. She sipped on some red wine and thought how blessed she was. She didn’t work for anything in her life, whatever she needed, it was provided for by her father. She checked her watch impatiently, grabbed the phone and dialed.

“Clarisa where the hell are you?” She asked irritated. “You know i don’t like waiting.”

“Be patient Fiona,” Clarisa answered calmly. “I am outside your flat.”

“The door is unlocked, Come up, I am in the balcony,” Fiona took another sip of the red wine.

As soon as she put the phone down, it rang. She checked who it was, it was her father. She felt her stomach turn. She knew she was in deep trouble.

“I am here,” Clarisa said sitting down.

Fiona looked at her and then the phone.

“He knows,” Fiona said shaking.

“Better answer him and explain everything,” Clarisa advised.

“You know nothing about my family Clarisa. Moreover, What can I explain about a sex tape? A daughter of the Minister? One of the respected man in this country and me as his daughter caught up in such a scandal? I won’t answer the phone.”

“Some ex boyfriends can be cruel Eish,” Clarisa said thoughtfully.

“I don’t understand everything. I didn’t know he could stoop this low to release the sex tape. I don’t even know what I saw in that junk, I trusted him with the tape.” Fiona hit her head.”

“Maybe your brother can handle him. I hear he’s one of the most feared people in the city,” Clarisa looked at Fiona.

“You don’t know my brother. That bas***d and me don’t get along,” she said with hate in her voice. “I don’t even know where he is and I don’t care.”

“Where’s Christopher by the way?”

“He doesn’t want to talk to me. I understand him, he must be hurting. He loves me. That sex tape has ruined everything for me. I feel like killing myself.”

“Don’t say that, everything will pass. You better start attending class. The lecturers have been asking about you by the way.”

“So that they scold me? My face is vividly clear in that tape. Everyone knows it’s me,” Fiona stood up hiding her pain.

“Enough of this, let’s go out,” Clarisa said.

“An outing would do yes,” Fiona carried her handbag.

The two girls went to club 101 as always. The duo had a great time. They met a fine gentleman who seemed interested in Fiona. The two girls were too drunk to even ask for his name. Having fun is what mattered at the time. The man drove them around town from club to club. Clarisa got tired and remembered they had an 8am lecture in the morning.

“Let’s get going!” She shouted as the music was too loud.

“No let’s enjoy the night, you only live once” Fiona yelled as she danced to her favorite song Despacito.

Clarisa tried to convince her friend to go back to the flat but she refused. She seemed comfortable with the stranger in her waist dancing with their bodies tight to each other like glue. On nights like this when Fiona refused to leave a club, Clarisa would just leave her and go back to the flat. She did just that.

The following morning, Clarisa woke up with a terrible hangover. She didn’t remember how she got to the flat. She reached for an aspirin in a drawer. She looked at the time and it was 08;45. She was late for her lecture and she knew how tough Mrs. Hillbilly was. No matter how much she would beg to enter the classroom, she would never be allowed. Instead, She threw herself onto the bed and hit the covers with frustration. Why do i allow Fiona to use me like a puppet? She asked herself forgetting she was the one who suggested an outing.

“I depend on this and she has everything even without an education,” Clarisa moaned.

After spending an hour on the bed, she decided to go downstairs to have some coffee. As she was about to leave the room, she heard a doorbell and thought it was Fiona though That was unusual because Fiona had a key. She left the bedroom and just as she stepped a foot on the stairs, she saw Fiona laying in a pool of blood with lingerie only.

“Fiona!” She screamed. “Help!”

She checked for a pulse and there was none. Fiona was not breathing. Being a medical student, Clarisa knew there and then that her friend was dead.

“Help!” She shouted again.

The door opened forcefully. A man in his 60s and a woman stood on the door shocked and in disbelief. Clarisa looked at them and could recognize them from the newspapers and TV. She had seen them before but she was in shock to remember them.

“Who are you? What are you doing in our daughters house? What have you done to our daughter?” The woman cried out. “Don’t just stand there, call 911,” She looked at the man who was trying to figure what he had just seen.

“Get away from her,” The woman shouted at Clarisa. “You will pay for this.”

“I found her like this too,” Clarisa cried out moving away from the corpse.

To be continued

 

ALL EPISODES

6 Comments

  1. Oyin plz help I can't seem to save my name n e-mail anymore, it's frustrating always going through d process of typing name n e-mail every time I want to comment not like I don't save it
    I'm using opera mini plz

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