Web Of Lies – Episode 8

Web Of Lies – Episode 8

Darren and Chilufya arived at the station. They found a group of Evelyn Hone College students who had just brought in two criminals who had stolen laptops from the hostels. Looking at the situation and how busy everyone seemed at the station, Darren saw an opportunity to visit Ayana.

“Can i use your car?” Darren asked Chilufya.

“Where do you want to go?” Chilufya asked surprised.

“None of your business.”

“And you want my car?”

“Yes.”

“Tell me where you’re going, i will give it to you.”

“I am going to see mom. She called me in the morning saying she wasn’t feeling well,” Darren lied.

“Oh that’s sad,” Chilufya said. “Here are the keys. I think you need to buy fuel, the tank is below half.”

“No problem,” Darren said grabbing the keys. “Call Clarisa and William. Don’t start the interrogation without me. I will be coming back soon.”

“Alright, i will wait for you.”

Darren drove off to Ibex Hill where Ayana was staying. He kept telling himself what to tell her as soon as he saw her. He arrived at the address his mother gave him. He knocked on the gate and heard some dogs barking. He knocked more untill a young lady came to open for him.

“Is this where Ayana resides?” Darren asked.

“Madam Ayana?” The young lady asked.

“Yes,” Darren answered.

“I doubt if she would like to see anyone at the moment, she’s busy sir. I can relay a message to her if you don’t mind.”

Irritated he answered, “What’s she doing?”

“I can’t say.”

Darren pushed the young girl aside and entered the compound. The dogs barked even more louder when they saw him. They were fierce. He was lucky they were chained.

“Sir, Madam won’t be happy please,” the young lady trailed behind Darren.

Darren ignored her and opened the front door which led him into the kitchen. He could hear a tender and slow instrument playing from the other room. He followed the instrument and it led him to an empty room with a big mirror on the wall. He saw a Dr Dre speaker on the floor with some slippers on the side.

“Hi Darren,” Ayana said.

Darren looked behind him and there she stood. In yoga pants with sweat streaming down her body. The yoga pants fitted her perfectly. He could see how curvy her body was. Small but sexy.

“Madam I told the man you’re busy,” the young lady said.

“It’s alright you can leave us,” Ayana dismissed the young lady.

Darren still startled, walked around the room trying to remember what he had planned to say.

“So this is being busy?” He looked at Ayana.

“I am sure that’s not the reason you came here for Detective,” Ayana said while slowly stretching herself.

They stood on different sides of the room with the mirror in between them facing each other.

“Who do you think you are to come and insult me Ayana?”

“If you don’t have anything better to say, leave my house Darren.”

Darren couldn’t understand why he suddenly became nervous and lost his confidence. Ayana had an effect on him which he couldn’t understand. Each word he tried to say couldn’t come out the way he had planned it. His voice was shaky. Why are you being such a sissy? He was upset with himself.

“I am about to have lunch, if you’re not busy you can join me,” Ayana said leaving the room.

Darren followed her to the kitchen where he watched her open pots and checked the oven.

“Why are you standing there like a ghost?” She asked him.

“Ghost don’t exist,” Darren answered.

“It depends.”

“On what.”

“Where you grew up from.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“You are a fully grown up man you should know.”

Who is this woman? Darren asked himself. He felt something looking at her doing her thing. He couldn’t explain it but it made all his body organs sensitive.

“I am going to take a quick shower. If you’re staying for lunch, go to the dining room instead of standing in the kitchen like a hungry street kid.”

“What?”

“If you’re leaving, there is the door,” She pointed to the doors direction and left to the bathroom.

He stood there watching her leave while in a dilemma. He didn’t know what to do; whether to stay or leave. By staying, he would show that he was tamed. By leaving, his reason for coming won’t be communicated to Ayana. He was determined to tell her why he had come to her house. He chose to say.

“This way sir,” the young lady directed him to the dining room.

He watched her serve the meal. He could tell she was a house maid or a relative Ayana got from the village.

“The madam said you can start eating,” She said.

“What if there is poison?” Darren asked.

Not knowing what to answer, the young girl stood in front of Darren embarrassed.

“Why should i ki*ll you detective? Where is the fun in killing you?” Ayana emerged from the other room.

As soon as she entered the diner, Darren recognized her scent from the day she insulted his personality and intelligence. She had worn a ripped black skinny jean with a black crop top leaving the belly button in the open for Darren to salivate on. She sat on the side of the table facing him. She put some food on her plate and started eating.

“No poison you see?” She looked at Darren.

“Give me your plate,” he demanded.

Smiling, she obeyed and passed it to him. “Here you are boss.”

“So the reason i came here was not to eat but….”

“I know your reason detective,” she cut him. “Aren’t we old enough to hold grudges? Let’s just move past all the nonsense.”

“Nonsense?”

“Yes. You insulted me i also did the same. Let’s end there. We got on, on the wrong foot. Can we atart again?”

Darren was motionless.

“I am Ayana Davids Zimba.”

“Davids?”

“Yes, that’s my father’s name.”

“Darren Sampa.”

“Junior,” she laughed.

“How do you know?”

“Your mother told me a lot about you detective.”

“Enough with the detective.”

“I love calling you detective.”

Darren felt his stomach move. He didn’t understand what was happening to him. The nervousness and sweating was overwhelming. He couldn’t stay an longer, he decided to leave.

“I am leaving now Ayana.”

“You haven’t even touched your food.”

“I lost my appetite. Thanks anyways,” he stood up.

Ayana also stood up, “I won’t force you but i believe you came with a car. Can you drop me in town.”

“Sure.”

“Let me grab some things from the bedroom, i will be right back don’t move.”

Darren decided to take a tour of the living room. It was femininely decorated and a lot of dolls on the sofas. Darren saw some photos on a table and moved closer to take a look. Mostly were Ayana’s but there was one that caught his attention. A portrait of Ayana and a man smiling. They all looked young Darren could tell.

“What are you doing?” Ayana asked standing behind Darren.

“Nothing, i was bored waiting for you i decided to take a tour,” Darren answered nervously.

Ayana looked at him without saying a word.

“Let’s get going then,” Darren said walking past her.

They drove to town in silence. He dropped her at Cairo mall. Before she dropped off, she sat in silence thinking about something to say. Darren waited for her to get off but she wasn’t.

“That was my brother Davids on the photo. He died a few years ago. He was also a junior.”

“Sorry to hear about that.”

She got off the car and closed the door behind her. Darren hesitated to start the engine. Ayana came back and leaned against the door.

“We should do this again,” she smiled.

Darren didn’t say anything.

“You are a coward you know?” She laughed and off she went disappearing in the crowd of people.

“Ayana what are you doing to me?” Darren yelled causing pedestrians to stare. Feeling ashamed, he drove off to the station.

“Why would they lie?” Darren asked Chilufya as they were planning to interrogate Clarisa and William.

“I guess we will find out in a just a few minutes,” Chilufya said while grabbing some documents on his desk.

“So we stick to the plan. You interview William and I will interview Clarisa. Same questions as planned,” Darren emphasized.

“No problem and i got in touch with our private investigator. He will be coming by the end of this week. He is in Malawi,” Chilufya laughed.

“He better hurry, we need to find out why that Wayne boy lied too,” Darren headed to the interrogation room.

Before he entered, he saw how nervous and uneasy Clarisa was. He had to play the game intelligently because she was intelligent he inferred from the last interrogation they had. He took a deep breath and entered the room.

“Why was i brought here? I told you last time I don’t have anything to do with Fiona’s murder,” Clarisa yelled.

Darren didn’t say anything but sit and look at her face to face.

“I told you last time that i want a lawyer. I know i cannot afford one but the government provides for people like us,” Clarisa said assured.

“Why are you afraid if you didn’t do anything?” Darren asked ignoring everything she said.

“I am not scared,” she responded.

“Then don’t act like a stupid brat.”

Clarisa couldn’t belive her ears.

“Now listen to me, if you don’t cooperate, you can go away for life and i believe you are just a poor kid from the hood whose hope is to finish school amd probably take care of her family,” Darren said.

Clarisa’s eyes became teary but Darren didn’t care.

“I am going to be as precise as possible. Why did you lie to us that you booked a cab to Fiona’s place?”

“I did,” Clarisa answered shaking.

“We have a witness who has identified you with another man outside Clarisa’s flat and you two were arguing.”

“I don’t know anything about that sir i swear.”

“Don’t swear. The witness is even here,” Darren lied.

Realizing the implications of her lies, Clarisa opened up.

“I was with William. We met at club 101 and we were communicating all along till he came to pick me up at the last club we were. Fiona was refusing to go home so i had to leave sir and William said he would take me home,” Clarisa cried.

“Why were you arguing then?”

“He wanted me to take him in and have sex with him, i refused.”

“That’s the reason you two were arguing?”

“Yes sir.”

“Where was Fiona?”

“We left her at the club.”

“Doesn’t this club have a name?”

“East point in Kabwata sir.”

Standing up, Darren warned Clarisa that if she was lying she would be in deep trouble. After some minutes, Chilufya brought in William.

“What is he doing here?” Clarisa asked nervously.

Darren and Chilufya left the two alone and went outside. They discussed their interrogations but one thing was amiss and Darren was determined to find out.

“So Clarisa have you slept with your best friends ex boyfriend before that fateful night your friend died?”

Clarisa was taken aback by the question.

“No,” she answered.

“Yes we did. Twice sir,” William said. “Why are you trying to deny Clarisa. I thought you liked me.”

Darren and Chilufya looked at each other amused.

“We did it at Fiona’s flat and at my boarding house sir,” William continued.

“So the best friend was hooking up with the ex boyfriend of her friend?” Darren touched his head in disappointment. “Do you know where this places you?” He looked at Clarisa.

“I am sorry i lied,” Clarisa said sincerely.

“Not only is lying to an important case like this an offence but it also gives us motive why you could have wanted your friend dead,” Darren said. “We don’t know what happened in the flat. Maybe after your friend came back, you snapped and killed her because you wanted to be with her ex.”

“No sir. I wouldn’t do anything to harm Fiona. She was my only close friend and she helped me a lot.”

“But you were sleeping with her ex boyfriend whom you know, she didn’t get along with,” Darren looked at William. “I don’t know what to do with you two but i have a strong feeling there is something you are not telling me.”

“I have said everything sir,” William said.

“And me too sir,” Clarisa added.

Without saying a word, Darren and Chilufya left the interrogation room and went to Darren’s office.

“What do you make of that?” Chilufya asked.

“I am not sure,” Darren paused. ” Something is missing here.”

“Sir Good afternoon,” Jeremy said. “I am cracking it before the end of the day sir i promise.”

“Alright i will wait for you,” Darren said.

“The ever enthusiastic Jeremy. I admire him. He has a bright future,” Chilufya looked at Jeremy go.

“He’s a bright kid,” Darren added.

“Darren the chief he’s asking for you,” Serena told Darren and left as quick as lightning.

“What’s wrong with her?” Chilufya laughed.

Ignoring Chilufyas question, Darren said, “Go and check on William and Clarisa and if you can, please find some more missing pieces to our puzzle.”

Darren went to the Chiefs office and found him waiting for him. The chief didn’t look happy at all upon seeing Darren. He pointed him to a chair.

“So i heard you caused a scene at the Ministers house,” the chief looked at him.

“The Minister snitched,” Darren said in a low tone.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing sir,” Darren said and went on. “Sir i was just doing my job.”

“Your job you mean; Twisting the Ministers son’s hand ah?”

“The child was being disrespectful sir.”

“I dont care. Have your own children to make them respectful. If it wasn’t for your progress with the case, you could have been sucked.”

“It won’t happen again sir.”

“It better not. Now tell me, how far are you with the case?”

Darren told the chief about William and Clarisa and other information related to the murder.

“I must say you’re doing a pretty job,” the chief commended him.

“Thank you sir. I need that promotion,” Darren laughed.

“Alright if you need anything let me know.”

“I will sir.”

Getting out of the chiefs office he bumped into Jeremy who apparently had been looking for him all over.

“Sir i need to talk to you,” Jeremy panted heavily.

“What is it Jeremy?” Darren asked concerned.

“Can we talk in your office sir?”

Darren led the way into his office and closed the door behind him.

“Sir i have managed to bypass the iphone and i have discovered something which I don’t think you will be happy to hear.”

“What is it?”

“Sir i can access the call log and messages. I have found calls and text messages from her brother, mother and father and some few friends. Most it was chats and the family was just trying to find out where she was and how she was doing. I also found the chiefs number but being that he’s part of family, nothing to suspect.”

“Tell me something interesting Jeremy, you’re making me uneasy.”

“Sir Detective Chilufya’s Number is the last number our dead girl called and it’s showing on the call log a number of times.”

“What did you just say?”

“You heard me sir.”

“Chilufya?”

© Brian Ngoma

To be continued

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