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.

MY WEDDING NIGHT

EPISODE 5

Don't tell me it was love, I have reason to believe something else was involved, even after the
threats and reports you got, never for a moment did you guys quarrel. Please don't use the love
bullshit on me. I need the truth?" he pushed on seriously.
There wasn't any doubt the officer did a good background check on me but digging deep into my relationship with Damian was only going to deteriorate matters for me. Some things are better left buried & unsaid but looking at his
eyes, i saw curiousity & eagerness to know all about the hidden truth..
"seriously i don't think things that happened when we were dating has anything to do with his
death, believe me," i said slowly. The officer simply folded his hands & breathed deeply.
"nothing is hidden under the sun for long. Sooner or later i still will find out, so i believe it's in your
best interest to tell me all i need to know" he pushed with a smile.
I battled with myself one more time before making up my mind to open up.
"Damian was stealing from the company. He was doing it with a colleague in the records department. I found out about the whole deal three weeks into our relationship but couldn't do
anything apart from confront him. He ended up convincing me to keep quiet, equally promising to
marry & take me to his home country. His plan was to get me established over there. I was a
woman in love with a whole lot to gain. Of course i kept quiet & helped him steal more.
He kept his word and married me, only to die before fulfilling the last part of his promise. Now what has that got with his death??" i poured out with tears.
"& the colleague in question, do you think he has a hand in his death?" he asked curiously.
"of course not, they had seperate accounts & divided proceeds evenly. No he is much more
valuable alive than dead to the man" i answered seriously.
"well in a murder case we don't rule out any possibility until the crime is solved. I admire your
honesty. You bravely confessed being an accomplice to another crime. I appreciate & will keep my promise by watching your back. It
should interest you to know that your husband might have been murdered in his garden, we saw
some drops of blood down there, which now gives us two crime scenes" he said while i gasped with shock.
"yea Damian loved smoking & probably went to the garden to heat off while i slept, but how the
hell did he get back to the bed, if he was killed in there?" i asked with disbelief. "it's time to go to your cell my dear. I'll permit
you to keep your phone. Just pray something new never comes out to incriminate you further, as for now the lastest discovery works on your side" he added with a cold smile, got up & led me to a quiet cell where I had the most terrifying night ever.
I kept seeing my dead husband all through that night. Oh it was one nasty experience.
Dear friends, I spent the second night after my wedding in a police cell. What can be more horrible than such fate??
By 8am the next day, my brother showed up with my old father & detective Jeremiah. They all look very serious and tired. My heart bled as i saw tears form in my old man's eyes.
"my darling you shouldn't be here" he breathed painfully. I forced out a smile to assure him that i was alright.

"don't worry sir, we are coming close to solving this case. I'm working round the clock to make
sure i solve the puzzles in the case. In no time your daughter will be out of here" the detective
said to him.
"Officer please tell us what you have gotten so far. Tell us how far you have gotten" my brother
asked anxiously.
"you know it isn't in our conduct to be revealing our investigations to people but nevertheless i
will tell you guys how far i have gotten" he answered, while my brother nodded desperately.
"i worked on this case all through the night & i came to a conclusion that two people were involved in the murder. Moreover one of the
security men in the house admitted seeing a white lady head to the garden at the exact time the crime might have been committed" he revealed while i jumped up hopefully.
"you should arrest the lady right away, isn't the testimony enough to vindicate me?" i asked breathlessly. The detective shook his head & looked down.
"i'm sorry but it isn't enough. The security man admitted seeing a woman head to the garden. He
never said he saw her kill your husband, moreover the knife cut in your husband's chest was strong and deep. I doubt if any lady can strike so hard. A lady equally can't be able to drag your husband's body from the garden to his bedroom unless of course she was assisted. The fracture on his nose equally brought up another fact that the murderer might have sneaked from behind, strongly cut off his breathe by covering his nose &mouth with one hand while burying the knife in his chest. Something a woman will find very hard to do.

Episode 6 LOADING........

MY WEDDING NIGHT

EPISODE 4

.
"This is bullshit, we are heading to the embassy" Damian's cousins threatened &left with anger.
It was obvious I had a long case ahead of me. Luckily I had a brother who equally had the
means to defend me & catch the culprit....
As we got up to leave, I passionately pleaded to the detective to help me out.
"Seriously I have no hand in my husband's death. You have to help me. You have to do something"
I pleaded desperately. "as long as you are innocent, you have no
problem with me. I'm a good cop. I promise to get to the bottom of this case" The middle-aged officer promised while my brother smiled with relief.
"Now you are talking officer. Don't let them intimidate or stop you from doing the right thing" he advised as they shook hands. On our way out of the force headquarters, my brother held me on the shoulder & whispered
in my ear.

"You have to be strong my dear. Everything happens for a purpose. Please you have to be strong when facing our parents, they are very devastated" he begged quietly while more tears fell from my eyes. I really didn't know how to face my old parents, most especially mom who braved her sickness to witness my wedding ceremony.
Nevertheless, we first headed to Damian's house after leaving the police headquarters in order to
pick up my things, but on getting to the house, we were stopped by four policemen who told us that they had orders not to allow anyone pick up even a pin from the house. "madam this place is now a crime scene. You can come back tomorrow to pick your things. As for now, we have orders not to allow anybody pick up anything from the house" one of the officers said, leaving me speechless.
"I think it's a good development. A piece of evidence might still be lying around who knows.
The police are really correct with this decision"
My brother's lawyer said in agreement. And so we had no choice than to turn back & head to
my brother's house where every member of my family was waiting for me. It really was such a painful scene as everyone of them cried on sighting me, especially my poor mother who sobbed uncontrollably.
"This marriage was just a huge mistake. oh no," she cried painfully.
However, another big development occurred at exactly 5 pm when Detective Jeremiah showed up once again with a team of policemen & a white-man who looked like a lawyer to arrest me.
"I'm sorry, the order came from the I.G's office. It has nothing to do with me" he said as a
handcuff was thrown around my wrists, putting my entire family into another wave of shock.
My brother, as usual, tried to defend me by creating a scene but had to shut up when the white lawyer threatened to arrest him as an accomplice in the murder charge I was facing.
"don't worry, I will protect you" the detective whispered to my ear as he led me away.
This time, there wasn't anything to save me from cooling off in a police cell.
On getting to the police headquarters, I was taken to the detective's office where I stayed
& nervously waited for him while he entered another office with the white lawyer.
He came in about fifteen minutes later, smiling calmly.
"I'm really sorry things got so bad as to bring you back here. Your husband's family are trying
everything possible to make you pay, but don't worry, an investigation has commenced. I'm already
working on a theory. You should also know that I have seized the traveling passports of everyone
of them that spent the night in that house. You shouldn't worry about anything, the culprit will be
caught. I equally had a good cell prepared for you" he said seriously, while tears dropped from my eyes. I couldn't imagine myself spending the night in a police cell no matter how comfortable it was made to look.
"one more thing. I need to hear the whole truth from you since you want me by your side. That's
all I ask" the officer added curiously, drawing out another shock from me.
"what do you mean by the whole truth?" I gasped, while he smiled.
"you see, that's one problem with Nigerian women. You all like keepings secrets even in a
terrible condition. You have a cop trying to help you, the least you can do is to come out clean
with him. I spoke with some of your colleagues today & their answers were quite shocking.
Most of them said that your relationship & marriage to late Damian wasn't ordinary. So you
got to tell me things I need to know since you want me by your side" he pushed on while I
swallowed hard & fought with myself.
The officer wanted me to open up something well buried in my heart, a secret I told no one.
"How do I go about it?" I wondered.
"I know you didn't commit the murder but you have to help me unravel many things. What made Damian marry you so quickly, you guys had just a short Romance & Mr. Damian I was told messed up a lot of ladies in the company before getting to you.
Something made him marry you??,

Episode 5 NEXT

Click here to see episode 3.

MY WEDDING NIGHT

EPISODE 3 Continued.......

I was brought back to the present situation when I felt a hand on my shoulder ;
It was as if they were all waiting for such news... I couldn't believe I was married only for one night...
I really can't write how hurt &empty I was that fateful morning. I can't describe how devastated I was nor how my heart bled. I was
totally broken & dead. I couldn't even call my brother to tell him the bad situation I found myself. In fact, my soul & my spirit ran away from me. I was just a shadow of myself. The devil just took time to urinate on my destiny.
Damian's mother never bothered nor cared about my feelings, instead pulled out the knife from her son's body when my cries brought her to the room & almost stabbed me with fury, screaming some incoherent words, until other members of the family came in & held her.
"I said it; nothing good ever comes out of Africa. She stabbed him, she probably did it in her sleep, or maybe it's witchcraft. God save my soul" the old woman screamed & cried.
I simply sat beside the bed & cried out my heart. I was just like a cornered rat. I was simply in the midst of foreigners. In the midst of people who saw me as a second-class animal or probably a gold digger.
None of them spoke to me nor asked how it all happened.
I barely had changed my nightwear when an ambulance arrived with men from the force
headquarters. Before I knew what was happening, I found myself at the back of a police SUV while the perpetrator of the crime walked
freely, probably watching the unfolding events from a safe distance.
Another problem I had was that I didn't know who to suspect nor accuse. They all looked the
same to me. They were all a bunch of conspirators
I felt like taking my life as the police took me away because there wasn't any need living
again. I knew the justice system would easily convict & close the case than investigating.
"Who am I among a bunch of whites all accusing me of murder?''. I had nothing to prove my innocence. I was the only person in the room with Damian. The murder weapon which might
have saved me through fingerprint test was already compromised by Damian's mum.
My life was nothing but over. Kiri Kiri prison awaited me with a dark smile. How do I save myself? how do I prove my innocence?
As soon as I got to the police station, I called my elder brother who couldn't believe all I told him.
"hold on tight my dear. I'll be there shortly" he assured me.
I was quickly led to an office where I was asked to write a statement, which I nervously did while Damian's two cousins who came along with me kept talking to each other. After writing all I knew on the notebook, a female officer showed up to question me. I tried my best to convince her.
"just look at me. How possible do you think a Nigerian girl would murder a husband taking her
out of the country to celebrate their marriage?. I didn't do it. One of them did. You got to help
me" I begged. She shrugged & shook her head.
"of course I believe you. You have no reason to kill him but you see I'm just an ordinary officer taking orders from my superiors, anyway I believe my boss. S.P Jeremiah will know how to handle your case. He's a good man & a crime expert" she assured me.
My brother showed up minutes later with his Lawyer who quickly took over my case. I told them all I knew & the events that happened after I discovered the dead body. My brother was totally shocked. "don't worry my dear. I know this is going to be a tough case. I smell the American Embassy getting involved but be rest assured that I will go any length to prove your innocence, even if it means getting experts from abroad. I have friends who can examine the case & get results" he promised seriously. I breathed deeply & hugged him, thanking God for giving me a wealthy & intelligent brother.
Officer Jeremiah soon showed up at his office & requested for our presence. Damian's cousins officially accused me before him, asking that I should be detained but my brother's lawyer intervened quickly.
"officer I hope you know everyone that passed the night in that house is a suspect?. They all
had access to the bedroom, anyone of them could have committed the crime. If you guys are going to detain my client without proper evidence & reason. You equally should detain all the
people present that night, else I will be the person to file a lawsuit against the police, after all, none of them can come forward to testify
seeing my client murder her husband" the lawyer threatened, putting the officer in a tight position.
"fine I'm not going to detain her, but you will have to sign a document which places her in
your custody. This is a murder case" the officer said strongly, while my brother's lawyer nodded
in acceptance, Damian's cousins protested.
The document was signed in no time & I was free to go.
"We are also getting a court permit which will enable us to get our own team of investigators &
go through the case. We are not going to take any chances" my lawyer said to the officer who
shrugged & smiled.
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