MY WEDDING NIGHT

EPISODE 13

I had to brave all odds to be here. The police believe Esther killed my husband. I had no choice than to try to get a confession out of her" I poured out. "Don't tell me you are listening to that bitch?"
Esther suddenly shouted. I turned, looked at her & smiled.

"Oh no, they won't listen to me but will listen to this" I smiled, pulled out the small recorder which surprising was still recording, stopped it & turned on the tape. The whole room went dead as everyone listened. The tape wasn't as audible & clear as I hoped it would be, nevertheless it was loud enough for everyone in the room to listen easily. My heart pounded with excitement as everyone listened to Esther's confession which really was accurate & up to point. Such a perfect confession it was...
Seriously Esther underestimated me by not thinking that I could come up with such invention. Yea just like most of the white folks in
the room, she thought we blacks were foolish & incapable of thinking straight. I never knew
what gave them such mentality, however, I must confess, none of them uttered such word to my
face but their behaviour clearly showed their resentment.

The first rule of every fight is never to underestimate your enemy but Esther clearly abused that rule & sold out herself in a way I never imagined. Seriously I never expected her to give such detailed confession to me. It was
simply amazing & unbelievable.
Her behaviour was a very stupid one but to be sincere nobody would have expected a woman in
my condition to come up with such an awesome plan. She never had any reason to believe that I
could come up with something very unique. In her mind, I was a very bitter woman who might
equally be mentally unstable due to the trauma I was passing over my husband's death.
As the tape played, she slowly coloured up while the atmosphere in the room grew tense and grim. I
forced out a smile, nodding as the message delivered across to everyone in the room. On getting to the part where the fight broke out. I switched off the tape & breathed deeply.
"That's what I came to get. That's my defence. I'm no murderer. You all heard the confession" I breathed with satisfaction. My brother came forward & took the recorder from me while the
muscular guy who fought us minutes earlier rushed to my gun which was lying on Esther's
bed, but before he could get to it, almost all the guys in the room rushed & held him down.
Esther slowly sat on the floor & cried. "This is a setup. Nooo" she cried. Damian's mother drew forward, hugged me & cried.
"you just changed my belief towards Nigerians. You went all the way to the end of the road to prove your innocence. You did what only a few women will be brave to do. While I harboured my son's killer, you took every risk to find the truth" she cried bitterly.
"mum please stop. I'm just satisfied that your eyes have opened" I breathed. It was such an emotional scene. Oh how I wish
you guys were there to witness it all.
So what happened after??...
Hmmmmmmm
"you guys should please call the
police" Damian's mother cried
on my shoulder while one of the
guys in the room left instantly
to do her bidding. I also threw a
look at my brother who quickly
brought out his phone & called Detective Jeremiah.
"The police will soon be here,
please stop crying. You got to
consider your eyes" I begged
solemnly. "let's go to my room dear, we have a lot to talk," she said softly, pulled away from me,
grabbed my hand and led me to
her room while my brother
stayed behind {with the other
men in the room} to keep an
eye on Esther and her so called cousin who hid his face with
shame.
On getting to the old lady's
room, she prepared two cups of
hot tea offered one to me and
drank the second one. "I'm so deeply ashamed of myself. I'm so sorry for everything. Seriously I have known Esther for such a long
time. I never believed she was
capable of committing murder
in a foreign soil" she apologized
softly with tears in her eyes.
"I have nothing against your
behaviour towards me. Most
women would do the same. So
please stop troubling yourself" I
begged. "we are heading back to the states in two days. Hope you
are coming with us?" she asked.
I breathed deeply & looked
down.
Seriously I wasn't expecting
such question because all my focus was on exonerating myself
to avoid standing trial in America but things now have changed. I had every reason to go with them, if not for anything else but to participate in my husband's burial. But I just felt indecisive when she popped up the question. I couldn't utter a word.
"You have to testify against Esther and her accomplice. They will stand trial in my country, moreover, you also have a big
role to play in my son's burial"
she pushed softly. "I know mom, but I do have some unfinished things I have to take care of in Nigeria. I also can't stand the courtroom. I know how the justice system in your country works.

THE END

THANK YOU FOR STAYING TUNED

COMING SOON........ "WHEN YOU FIND LOVE"

Kindly drop your comments and share the story on your time line thanks.

MY WEDDING NIGHT

EPISODE 12

Together we came to Nigeria" she
stopped and blew out more smoke from her mouth.
"Do you smoke?" she asked quietly. "no just continue with the story?" I urged.
"we arrived Nigeria & I still tried my best to stop him from marrying you but no he wouldn't
listen.
So after the wedding when everyone was carried away with excitement. I discreetly told
him to meet me at the garden by 12 am. It was a long wait, but he finally showed up and I got him
distracted while my cousin slits his throat. It was a clean revenge, but the whole plan changed when
we got to the room & saw you deeply asleep. Instead of killing you, we decided to pin the
crime on you by getting your prints on the murder weapon. Unfortunately, your mother-in-law
spoiled everything the next morning by pulling out the knife from her dead son's body. Anyway,
you are still damned. I heard the case is being moved over to my country" she concluded with a
laugh while a cold shiver ran down my spine.
That exact moment, somebody pushed the door leading to the room which I earlier locked,
drawing my attention & equally making me take my eyes off Esther.
With that split opportunity, she pounced on me like a tiger, knocked me down & opened the
room door. A white muscular guy walked in & grinned at me.
"Oh what do we have here?" he asked with a cold smile. I instantly knew he was the murderer. The idiot that murdered my husband.
I picked up my gun and nervously pointed it at the huge white guy who simply scoffed, drew forward & grabbed the gun, slapping me at the same time & sending me down with a ferocious kick on my left leg.
"bitch" he cursed coldly, while Esther placed a hand on his shoulder & laughed.
"I heard noises from my room. I couldn't imagine who you were talking with by this hour, so i
decided to check up on you" he explained while she nodded.
"Yeah, I knew you would come. That was why I slightly raised up my voice when talking to the
idiot" she replied & spat on me. I stared at them like a caged animal, clueless on what next
to do.
The tape, however, was still in my jacket recording everything that was happening, but it equally added to the tension in me. I was scared they were going to search me & discover it.
"so what's she doing here?" he asked Esther who shrugged & eyed me. "the bitch broke out of detention to query me on
how her silly husband died" she answered.
"Now what do we do with her, should we wake everyone in the house & tell them of her presence?" she asked the guy.
"we have to tie her up first before thinking of what to do next. Hold the gun, let me go get a rope" he answered & passed the gun to her.
"don't try anything funny if you still value what's left of your life" he threatened & headed to the
door while I shook with fear.
Fortunately, as he opened the door to leave the room, a big stick landed on his head, sending him
back to the room with a powerful force while he screamed out in pain.
I couldn't believe my eyes as I saw my brother walk into the room like a super hero. I was over
joyed & stunned. But my joy was short lived because Esther instantly drew back with fear,
aimed & fired the only bullet in the gun at my brother.
"Nooo nooo!" I screamed and leaped at her like a hyena.... Of course, the whole plan looked ruined that fateful moment.
I pushed Esther to her bed, grabbed the gun and
rushed to my brother who luckily was still standing.
"Are you hurt?" I asked nervously.
"Thank God she missed, let's get out of here" he answered & held my hand, but instantly, Esther
grabbed me from behind & dragged me back to the bed, delivering few punches on my face.
My brother tried separating us but the muscular white guy closed in on him, throwing out a punch
which my brother dodged. In no time, the room turned into a battle field.
My brother and I desperately struggled to wade them off & run away, while Esther and her guy
did everything possible to hold us back. It really was a violent confrontation. In no time we were
all bleeding. However, the earlier gunshot & noise we made
as we fought soon attracted everyone in the house. In a matter of minutes, the room was filled with surprised white folks, the two Nigerian gate men & two other black male servants.
We were instantly separated & surrounded while Esther smiled with a triumphant look in her eyes.
"They came to murder us in our sleep. Can you imagine?. She even brought a gun" She complained breathlessly, while every other
person in the room gasped with shock. Damian's mother came forward & looked into my eyes.
"How did you get out of jail? why did you kill my son, why are you here? and what did we do to
you?" she asked coldly.
Tears fell from my eyes, I breathed deeply & controlled myself. I had to act cool. It was the first time I was being given a listening ear.
"I never killed Damian, I never killed your son. I doubt if any black woman will kill a man who has good intentions for her. I came here looking for answers.
.

Episode 13 next

MY WEDDING NIGHT

EPISODE 11

It’s already charged” he said with care, as he gave me the recorder
with little lecture on how to
use it. “here are the gloves as well.
You need no lecture on how to use them” he joked.
“please don’t disappoint me” he begged. I nodded, gave him a reassuring smile & alighted from his car. The detective was just a perfect gentleman.
“so what now?” my brother asked as I joined him in his car. “let’s go home first. I want to see mum” I answered quietly. He gave me a long look, licked his lips & drove me home without another word.
___
10pm arrived much faster than I expected. I soon found myself at the back of my husband’s house with my heart pounding furiously while my eyes examined the fence as i prepared to scale it. Yea i was born & raised in the village among boys. I knew how to climb perfectly well. My only fear was on how to achieve my mission without being detected.
I surveyed the area for the last time, reached inside my black jacket & touched the pistol my
brother gave me minutes earlier.
"it has only one bullet. You are not going in there to shoot anybody but i'm giving it to you
because no knows what might happen when you get there" he said as he gave me the little
weapon, equally giving me a quick lesson on how to use it.
With one quick breathe, Ii scaled the fence, wounding as barbed wires tore my trouser. But
the injury was nothing compared to the wound in my heart. I pushed on, very determined to finish the task ahead. In no time i was at the backyard. I quickly
headed straight to the garden & stopped for a minute to take a look at the crime scene where
the detective believed my husband was murdered. Tears instantly fell from my eyes.
"Damian i believe you are watching. I know you are right here. I know a murdered spirit is always at the spot where his life was taken away. Yes i believe in it. I believe in superstition. I can't do
this without you. Please help me" I cried quietly, picked up myself and walked into the building with determination.
All the security lights were glaring as I made my way into the big house. But instead of being
caught with the help of the lights, I was guided to the guest rooms by the same wonderful lights.
However it really wasn't easy knowing the particular room to check. I had to start from the
first room downstairs, but luckily the first three rooms were locked, leaving me with no choice
than to move over to the fourth room. I slowly opened the door but the room was very dark
inside. I couldn't see anything.
I drew back to the corridor, closed the door & checked my recorder which was in good working
condition. I smiled with satisfaction, safely tucked it back into the breast pocket of my
jacket, pulled out a small touch light from my trouser & slowly walked into the room, flashing
my torch light.
"Who the heck is that?" a lady suddenly screamed from the bed, switching on the electric table lamp by her side, & revealing her face in the process. She was no other person than Esther Hardey. The lady I came looking for. I breathed deeply, drew back, locked the door & switched on the main lights of the room which equally revealed my face to the frightened lady.
"Oh shit, you?? You got to be kidding me" she instantly smiled on seeing my face, equally
regaining all her composure as if she was sure I wouldn't do anything to her. I quickly pulled out my gun from the jacket while she scoffed on seeing it.
"Oh please," she hissed, sat up on her bed, grabbed a stick of cigarette & lighted it.
"what the hell do you want?" she asked coldly
"You have to tell me how you did it or I swear, I will blow off your head right now. I didn't come
all the way here to laugh with you" I threatened seriously. Esther breathed deeply, stared at me
for some seconds before shrugging.
"Fine, sit down you will have your story," she said cautiously.
"don't worry about me, just talk" I pushed on harshly.
"but why the fuck do you want to know how your husband died?. Anyway here is your story. You
are still going down no matter what" she said with a smile, reached for the bottle of strong
wine by her side poured out a shot & gulped it all down.
"you Africans are very dumb. You are nothing but an opportunist. You deserve whatever that is
coming to you" she breathed fiercely.
"do you know that I've been with Damian since my childhood. We were together all through high
school and college. We were together till a silly friend of his dragged him to Africa. Everything
changed from that moment, but I still waited & hoped. Then what?" she stopped, shook her head, sucked on her cigarette & blew out thick clouds of smoke, equally studying me cautiously.
"I heard that a fucking black like you have gotten him completely off the hook. It was unbelievable.
I couldn't take it. I swore to ruin everything" she poured out while my hand trembled.
"I made plans with my cousin who agreed with me in everything. We all joined Damian's mother & her train.

Episode 12 next

MY WEDDING NIGHT

EPISODE 10

But she's married to an American citizen which somehow makes her an American as well, moreover, I learned her dead husband already procured all necessary traveling papers for her before his death, which makes everything a lot
easier for the Americans" he answered. "damn" my brother cursed.
"But we still have till morning to come up with something new" he added while I cleared my throat and spoke out for the first time.
"I think I have a plan" I suddenly announced, surprising my brother & the detective with the cold smile which appeared on my face with the revelation.
Of course, I had a new plan in my mind. A plan which was nothing close to the suicide attempt the detective proposed earlier in the day.
So what kind of new plan came to my mind that crucial moment?? Hmmmm
so tell us what you have in mind?”
the detective asked curiously. “well before I say anything, I’ll like to know if the so called Esther
that got me into this mess is still staying at my husband’s house?” I asked while the detective
nodded. “yes she is at the house. She chose to stay there with your mother-in-law & four other people while the rest moved to a hotel but my department is still in possession of all their passports. So what has that got to do with your plan?” he answered & asked seriously. “a lot officer. It has a lot to do with my plans” I answered calmly. “yes go on” my brother urged desperately. “I can sneak into the compound,
sneak up on Esther & make her confess. I know the house very well & I very much know the weak spots I can use in gaining access to any room I so desire” I poured out breathlessly.
My brother scoffed while the detective laughed.
“you must be kidding, how on earth can you get her to confess?” my brother asked with disbelief
“have you forgotten that I'm a woman. I know how to get a fellow woman to talk. Moreover
Esther won’t find it hard opening up her mouth, since to her, I'm good as dead & it equally
would be her word against mine. But if I can record everything with my phone without her knowledge won’t the case be solved?. Please
just allow me to have access to the house, I'm very sure I can do it” I pleaded desperately. The
detective scratched his head & breathed deeply. “have you forgotten that you are supposed to be in police cell?. How do I explain your disappearance?. No no no, even though your plan sounds tempting, I can’t allow it. I can’t put my ass on the line in such way” he said slowly, while I grabbed him strongly. “this is the only chance I got, please help me. If things go bad you can say I escaped from jail. You can
fabricate anything & put on me. Please, I beg of you” I begged passionately. He breathed deeply & nodded. “fine I'm in but if things go bad, you are on your own” he accepted, drawing a great smile from me with his words. I hugged him with gratitude. “just pray it doesn’t go bad. This is the only shot you got to redeem yourself.

Don’t waste it” he advised while I nodded. It all appeared too easy to say but deep down I knew
it was a very difficult task with a high risk of failing. However, I was very determined to carry it
out. After all, I had nothing to lose trying.
“so when do you plan heading to the house?” the detective asked seconds later.
“it should be tonight, by 10 pm. The neighborhood will be dark & lonely by that time” I answered
quickly. “that’s okay but without a
good recorder & hand gloves, I doubt if your mission will be successful. I can get them for you.
Thank me later” he offered
with a smile. “oh thanks very much. You are indeed an angel” I
thanked him. “I think we are forgetting something. We are yet to come up with a plan on how to get her out of this place without your colleagues noticing” my
brother queried suspiciously.
“Leave that to me. I’ll get your sister out myself, but you will be right outside the premises to pick her up. You will be the person to drive her to the house” the detective said while my brother nodded in agreement.
“Now get ready, in thirty minutes we should be out of here” he added.
“But it’s still 6:30 pm I thought she’s breaking into the house by 10 pm?” my brother asked with
surprise.
“yeah she is, but I can’t be able to get her out of this place by that time. I can only get her out in thirty minutes while you then
take her to your house or
anywhere till showtime” he
answered. I breathed deeply. I really was nervous.

MY WEDDING NIGHT

EPISODE 9

The only bad side of this plan is that it may take more than two days to accomplish which then leaves us with one option which you must do yourself to avoid trial.
If I fail to meet up with the deadline" he concluded seriously.
"so what's the option?" I asked.
"Oh, it's very dangerous. A very dangerous option" he murmured
"I can do anything to free myself. Please just speak up" I pleaded. The detective shook his head, bit his lips & stared at me.
"hmmm, if I'm unable to make any breakthrough within two days, you will have to harm yourself in a way that it will be impossible to put you up for trial. That's the only way out" he said cautiously.
"Wait a minute, I don't understand. You mean I should harm myself? in what way officer?" I asked with disbelief. He drew closer to me & squatted by my side.
"that's the only way to escape trial for some days. I can smuggle in some pills that will knock
you out. So instead of finding yourself in the courtroom, you will find yourself in the hospital.
However, it can be added to your charges but I believe your lawyer won't have a hard time winning over the charge. But you also have to swear to keep your mouth shut if it comes to that. You know I can equally end up in prison over it" he said seriously, while I nodded.
I couldn't even find the voice to talk. The plan was just so terrible to hear. Of course, it was nothing but a suicidal plan. I knew the health implications of such deed, but it was a better option than prison. Seriously the detective was
going out of line just to save a clueless lady like me. It wasn't as if we paid him to help me. He simply was doing it for free.
As if he knew what was going through my mind. He reached out & held my hands.
"When I joined the force newly. A young male student was picked up by our patrol team some
miles away from a robbery scene. We all knew the boy was innocent but still held him just to prove a point that we were working. Unknown to us, the boy was asthmatic and as soon as he
was thrown into the cell, his health condition goes very bad and before we could run around. He
died. Since that moment, I decided to help the innocent. But you see, in police work, it's not always easy to be on the right path because we all obey orders & answer to our superiors whether we like it or not" He said softly.
"You are a bright young woman but I'm afraid if I fail to get good results. You will have to take
your destiny in your hands. You will have to harm yourself. That's the only thing that can buy us
more time. Yes, you will try committing suicide but I'll be right on time to save your life. Anyway
let's pray it doesn't come to that" he concluded & stood up while my head swelled with thoughts.
"God please don't allow things to get that bad.
Don't allow me to try out suicide as an option" I prayed softly. It was such a difficult moment &decision to take. However, i still had two days which was enough time for a miracle to happen.
Later in the evening, my brother came visiting with a flask filled with food, but the food really wasn't what I needed that moment.
"I'm sorry for coming late, I really was held up with work. Dad is now safely home. I spoke with
him a few minutes ago" he said pleasantly while I ate slowly.
"so what's up, any breaking news?" he asked when I was done eating. I forced out a smile, thanked him for the food before telling him all that happened earlier in the day. He listened
eagerly, frowning when I got to the suicide part of the plan.
"No no no I don't support that. What's the detective thinking by suggesting such nonsense?
No that's bad" he said seriously, but before I could answer, Detective Jeremiah showed up
that moment with a heavy frown on his face. "I'm afraid I brought more bad news," he said as
he stopped before us. "the Americans are now pushing for the case to be moved to their country" he calmly announced.
My brother and I gasped with shock.
"I got a call a few minutes ago to prepare and document every thing I have on the case. We don't even have the two days anymore" he
explained seriously.
"But that's impossible!. The murder was committed on Nigerian soil. The trial should be
here" my brother protested seriously.
"I think you should take that up with the federal government if you have the right connections. I
really had the feeling such a thing could happen but kept it to myself. Our leaders hardly deny the American government anything & this case is nothing different. Seriously many things have been happening which are swept under the carpet without the public knowing" he summarized with resignation.
"but I can go to court. I can stop them legally?" my brother asked seriously. The detective breathed deeply & shrugged.
"Well if you can get the court to sit before your sister is moved out of the country. Then yes you can
.

Episode 10.... Coming Soon....

MY WEDDING NIGHT

EPISODE 8

Esther tried opening her mouth to say something, but the lawyer quickly held her hand, stopping
her. "don't say anything. The officer is bluffing. He's trying to make you say something that could incriminate you" he said to her before facing Detective Jeremiah.
"If you really have the evidence to arrest my client, then go ahead, arrest her. But if you don't, then shut the fuck up and do your goddamn work. Mind you, time is running out and you have only two days. The next time you will see me will be in court" he threatened, shocking the detective with his words.

Of course, not only the detective was shocked, I equally was very shocked because Esther was
probably seconds away from confessing or making an unguided comment before the lawyer
recovered himself to stop her.

"Two days officer! You have just two days, else I will tear you apart in court" the lawyer threatened &dragged Esther out of the office.
"we were just close to making a breakthrough damn" the detective hissed with despair after
they left.
"so what next?" I asked with fear. He breathed deeply, opened the case file on his table, went
through it and shook his head.
"Things are slowly adding up in your favor but we don't have time on our side. We surely need
a miracle" he replied, looked up at me and smiled to make me feel relaxed but I surely wasn't.
"remember we talked about the possibility of your husband going out to the garden the night
he was killed to either smoke or see someone?" he said while I nodded.
"according to the report in this file, there wasn't any cigarette stick, ashes or even anything
similar found at the garden which then leaves us with one theory. He went out there to see someone, probably Esther before a stronger
person grabbed him from behind & stabbed him" he concluded.
"How then do we find the mystery man that struck the fatal blow which killed my husband?" I
asked desperately. The detective shrugged. "that's what I'm saying, we need more time, as it
stands, Esther alone probably holds all the answers but we can't touch her" he replied with
resignation
Tears instantly dropped from my
eyes. The police had every reason to detain Esther but couldn't because she was a foreigner. Instead, I was the person being detained without due process. How bad can things get??
"I know you are helping me officer but you got to do more, you have to try every necessary means to free me. Please I beg of you" I cried, kneeling before Detective Jeremiah who quickly looked away with embarrassment"
"please madam stand up, don't kneel for me, I'm
not God" he begged but I still knelt, shedding more tears. A junior officer came into the
detective's office that moment bearing a file.
"here are the rest of the results sir," he said to the detective who quickly snatched the file from
him while I looked on hopefully.
"You can leave now" he dismissed the officer before going through the file.
"nothing new jeez, this case is really something else," he said to himself as he went through the
file while I swallowed hard, confused on what next to do.
"does it mean I'm going to hang for a crime I didn't commit?. Can't you run more tests" I asked curiously.
"my dear our police department is one of the best in Africa. I have conducted all the necessary tests including fingerprint & DNA
matching. The people that killed your husband had it well planned out & left no trace of anything. The only clear prints found on your husband's body belongs to you, the rest is blurred. The murder weapon had only your
mother in law's prints on it. So you see there is nothing we can use the test results, we
have nothing. The person that killed your husband probably wore gloves, only if we can
get those gloves" he concluded, while I cried out with the last strength in me. "hey shut up! you are in the police station, don't you know?" the detective frowned and stood up. "please shoot me, shoot me, shoot me" I begged with tears, forcing him to look away once again.

"Seriously madam, this is slowly slipping from me. I have only two options left, which are pretty
hard" he said and swallowed hard while I stared at him hopefully, wiping my tears.
"Number one. I play the good cop bad cop tactics on Esther, by secretly getting another audience with her. This time with another officer.
We will then present some selling lies and my colleague will ask for money to keep us quiet. Most whites think we are all corrupt. So I feel she will buy my offer, & through that opportunity, I can get her to talk. The only bad
side of it is that if it goes bad, I can be fired from the force. The second option is presenting
my facts to your mother-in-law, get her to reveal more details about her white guests to me. I'll
then do what we call profiling, which will enable me to get the man who killed your husband. Esther
is no fool, she had no time to hire a local hitman.
She probably brought the killer along with her brother, cousin or friend.
.

Episode 9 on the way.......

MY WEDDING NIGHT

EPISODE 7

"Well I never knew he was engaged to any woman, seriously I thought all the ladies he played were just flings" I murmured.
"that's not the problem" he continued, breathing deeply. "the lady in question is currently in Nigeria & was among the people that came into the country with your husband's family & equally
was present at the house when the crime was committed" he explained, while I stared at him
with a little hope. "that isn't bad news, is it?. The lady definitely
killed him. She had the motive & opportunity. Unbelievable" I poured out desperately but the
detective simply shrugged.
"yes she has the motive & opportunity, but we can't just arrest her without a strong reason. All I can do is to invite her for a little questioning & equally pray she doesn't lawyer up" he answered, breaking my worn out spirit.
"however, we are still matching the DNA stuff we got from the scene & your husband's body.
I believe something positive will come out of it, but my only problem is that my superiors are
putting much weight & interest in this case. They are pushing for closure & speedy trial which really will put you up as the scapegoat, if you are to be dragged to court without me finishing my investigations. You really need to
pray my dear. You know how bad our Judicial system can be, moreover the Americans want
you to hang" he concluded, while my heart froze.
I instantly fell, collapsing on the floor within seconds....
I fainted.
I soon regained myself to see two female police officers & Nancy by my side. Detective Jeremiah stood a distance away, watching me
with great interest.
"hope you have eaten today?" one of the female officers asked me.
"yea" i nodded, breathing heavily.
"you have to get a grip of yourself if you ever want to win this case. You got to be strong. Esther Hardey will be here in few minutes for questioning" the Detective said to me.
"please i want to be present when she's being questioned. I want to see her face" i begged weakly.
"no i can't do that, i have already broken a lot of protocols for you" he answered quickly.
"I beg of you. Remember we are talking about my husband's murder. Help a widow" i pushed
passionately. He breathed deeply & shrugged.
"i hope i don't get fired for all i'm doing for you. Well you have to freshen up first, secondly you
must promise not to say a word to the lady when you meet her" he said seriously.
"oh yes, i promise not to say a word" i answered, while he smiled & left.
"the detective is a wonderful man. He will help you out" the second female cop said to me, nodding with a smile.
_______
After freshening up in one of the bathrooms, I was led to the detective's office, where I sat &
waited for the so called Esther Hardey to show up.
She showed up precisely ten minutes later with the

MY WEDDING NIGHT

EPISODE 6

Anyways, we are still running DNA tests which will help us put more things together" he concluded, while I sighed with desperation.
"C'mon can't you just drill the woman that was spotted at the scene instead of wasting the time
we don't have. Who is the woman, who is she?" I asked curiously. The officer shrugged.
"the security man, unfortunately, couldn't identify her. According to him all the white women in the
house that night looked the same to him" he answered, shook hands with my brother & left.
My father came forward & stared at me for some seconds, tears blinding his vision
"I'm going to the village today. I'm going to visit the only living soothsayer in our clan. He can
reveal the murderer for us" he informed me slowly. I couldn't believe my ears.
"dad no! you can't do that. You can't abandon your Christian belief for my sake. You are a strong Catholic dad. It hasn't gotten to that" I pleaded.
"I can't sit, watch & do nothing. Your mother barely managed to survive the night. I must do
something, I'm still the head & protector of my family" he said strongly. I bit my lips & looked
at my brother for support, but all he did was just shrug.

It was obvious they had all agreed on it before visiting me.

"You have to hold on tight dear, we are getting you out in no time. The detective promised to give you special treatment. So just hold on for a little longer" my brother begged before leaving with my dad.

However, my day never had a dull moment because soon after they left, two of my colleagues came to see me as if they cared. I already knew they simply came to confirm things with their eyes, but that's one of the things in life we have no control over. No matter what we do, we must have haters, we must have people who pretend to care & we also must have people whose only motive is to bring you down.

Later in the afternoon, my friend Nancy also came to see me. It really was painful receiving such visits in a police cell.

Yea you guys should just for a moment reflect how it feels to be receiving your friends &colleagues, days after your wedding in a police cell. Horrible isn't it??.

Nancy shed real tears on seeing me, her face colored deeply. The shock in her very apparent.

"I heard Rumours, I never believed until this very moment," she said quietly. I swallowed hard and

nodded.

Nancy was my old time pal. We attended the same university, stayed in the same hostel and
did our Nysc the same time, though in different states.
Her parents were a bit wealthy and lived in the capital city. She returned to live with them
after Nysc while I came over to live with my brother. However, I was fortunate to get a good
job while she managed a little teaching job in her neighborhood. We still remained very close even after we disagreed over Damian. She was of the opinion that I was being overly ambitious, insisting that I was throwing away my life for
money. I guess she was right? but she merely objected to my relationship with Damian simply
because I dropped my young boyfriend whom she much preferred, in order to move on with Damian.
Yeah, Justice was the boy's name, we were age mates and equally served {NYSC} the same time.
He was a good kid but C'mon I couldn't waste my future by waiting for him. He was even yet to get a job until the very moment I landed in the police cell.
Justice had a lot to do before thinking of settling down and I couldn't take the risk of waiting for him. At least I was good enough to keep him till
we rounded up with NYSC unlike some of my course mates who dumped their boyfriends to
get married in their final year.
"Damian brought only trouble just like I feared. My God this is a terrible Nightmare" Nancy
sobbed. I simply stared at her, not knowing what to say. But just that exact second, Detective Jeremiah showed up with a dark smile.
"You may not like the news I bear" he announced and came forward while I almost fainted with fear.... I couldn't bear taking another bad news.
"officer I'm all ears, tell me the news you bear," I asked with fear. The detective threw a swift look
at Nancy who shifted uneasily.
"Well I don't think now it's a good time. It's something private" he replied, forcing me to smile quickly.
"Nancy is like a sister to me. She knows almost everything about me. You can say anything in her presence" I urged him nervously.
"Esther Hardey" he instantly called out, searching my face for any reaction. But the name he mentioned only drew me into another pit of confusion. The name sounded so strange and
unfamiliar.
"I don't understand, I haven't heard such name anywhere" I breathed with confusion.
"that's the name of your husband's fiancee. A white lady he was supposed to marry. The lady
he left to marry you in order to fulfill the promise he made to you" he explained. A cold shiver
instantly ran down my spine.
"so are you insinuating that Damian married me just to fulfill a promise?" I asked sadly,

Episode 7 Next.