Twenty Chapter 8

Chapter 8

“Do you think I should call the number?” Chioma asked Maryam whom she had called

immediately she got back to the house. They were sitting in Chioma’s bedroom, she had hurried

over after sensing the urgency in Chioma’s voice and after going through the text had been

equally as horrified as Chioma.

Maryam’s face was confused as she replied slowly, “I think this is a matter for the police, we

really need to inform them of what is going on.”

Chioma turned around sharply from the wall she had been staring at blindly and looked at

Maryam. It was like she was seeing Maryam for the first time and her mention of the police an

indication that she had lost her mind. Chioma laughed mirthlessly, “The police? You have been

watching too many Hollywood movies. How do I explain that I killed and buried a man that

miraculously found his way back to life and ended up in a hospital? ”

“He tried to rape you!”

“This is Nigeria, he tried to rape me but somehow I managed to bury him, have you thought of

that? Who would believe me?”

“That is the hard part, have you tried talking to David himself? To get information on how he got

to the hospital.”

“Do you try to kill a man and then ask him how he survived?” There was frustrated sarcasm in

Chioma’s voice as she continued, “Besides, mother has not left his side since she got back from

Abuja. Her precious David! I never got a chance to really talk to him, he was pretty shaken by the news of Matthew’s death. What I do know however is that the police is out of the option, we

cannot consider the police.”

“Give me the phone, let’s see who will pick if we call the number.” Maryam said and stretched

out her hand to collect Chioma’s phone.

They both held their breaths as the phone rang but nobody picked the call.

“Maybe we shouldn’t,” there was fear in Chioma’s voice but Maryam ignored her and kept

dialing the number. On the sixth try, a female’s voice came on the line.

“Hello,”

“Hell…hello. Hello,” Maryam stammered. Even though she had been dialing the number, after

the third try she hadn’t really expected anybody to pick. The voice coming from the other side

suddenly made her realise she didn’t even know what to say and Chioma’s tensed frame wasn’t

helping her train of thoughts either.

“Hello?” The voice sounded faintly familiar to Maryam and slowly, the wheels in her brain

began to turn as she tried to place where she had heard the voice before.

“Who is this please?” The voice was sounding impatient and when Maryam still maintained her

silence, the line went dead.

“What did the person say?” Chioma asked with a noticeable tremor in her voice. There was a

thoughtful expression on Maryam’s face as she kept on racking her brain. She had heard that voice before, she was sure of it. Where had she heard the voice before? It sounded polished and

educated. The voice had sounded a bit professional and then it hit her, “I think I know who owns

the number. The voice, it sounds familiar!”

Chioma looked as if her eyes would pop out of their sockets as she watched Maryam stand up

excitedly from the bed she was sitting on. “Well who is it? What did the person say? Did the

person say what they want? Was it male or female? Maryam who na, tell me!”

“I dunno, what’s the name of your mother’s secretary? It sounded like her.”

“Gift?”

“Yes, Gift, the voice sounded like hers.”

There was an incredulous look on Chioma’s face as she allowed the news sink in before shaking

her head. She laughed again mirthlessly laugh again. “It can’t be Gift, don’t be silly. What will

Gift have to do with all of this?” But even as she asked the question, Chioma’s mind went to the

day she had seen David and Gift laughing together against one of her mother’s car in an

obviously romantic manner. So David was linked with Gift maybe but how did that translate to

threatening her?

“I am sure it is Gift. Yes I am very sure now.” Maryam’s voice was firmer and surer now, totally

convinced that the voice had been Mrs. Ugochuwkwu’s secretary. Just like Chioma, she was

wondering what Gift had to do with all that was going on. With shaky hands, Chioma dialed her

mother’s number, “Mom, send me Gift’s number, I need to call her about something right now.” Her heart was 

beating wildly in her chest as she waited and she was unable to control her shaking fingers when 

her text message tone beeped to alert her of the message. With shaky fingers, she opened the 

message and stared in disbelief at the exact same number. It was the same number. What was 

going on? What game was Gift playing? How much did she know and what had she meant by 

that YOU MIGHT BE NEXT?