Chapter Twelve

"I was leaving but... Was that Daniel?" Tessy queried.

"Yeah, so?" Celine cut in.

"Listen Celine. You might not want to trust me, but please believe this hunch one last time. I think Daniel is the abductor. I think he knows about your mum." The power supply had been cut and the light from the shaky bulb died, cloaking the whole room black followed by a energetic and subduing clap of thunder.

"OK but of course! Prim and proper Daniel is the suspect now?" Celine asked as she gently caressed her arm to smoothen the hairs of her skin as they stood erect, poking their fine strands out of the outer skin and causing small rashes to erupt on her skin.

"Don't you see? It might be a trap! You said it yourself that he told Duncan about the possibility of you being his sister. Did you ever stop to think about how he found that out?" Tessy asked.

"No," Celine replied darting her obsidian black pupil around then settled it once again on Tessy. "But I'm not buying your story so please don't try to put thoughts into my head."

"I'm not! Think about it... Why did he stop at the hotel to see the Nanny Margaret?...Your mum. Did you go back to the room to check it?" Tessy asked. Her words were slow and in low tunes almost like she wanted every word to sink in.

"I didn't... God! I was so stupid!" Celine walked about a bit and slapped her forehead in regret.

"The receptionist said she was gone and I never went back to check."

*****

Duncan ran his fingers on the thin bristles on the black comb Damian had given him and stared into thin air wondering if he should conduct the DNA test after all. A part of him was scared of the outcome. What if the test results changed everything? Would he ever be close to Damian again if he figured out they weren't brothers? What would this mean for the winery?

He heard steps approaching and quickly plunged the comb into his pocket and fiddled with a cream container on the top of his drawer when Daniel entered after a short knock that is. His squeaky slippers clapped the floor with every step when he let himself into the room.

"You wanted the car keys?" Daniel asked tossing a small bunch of keys on the bed. It bounced once and crashed at the centre of the bed. "Where are you going to? It's raining and late," Daniel asked.

"Uh- nowhere really important. Just to run errand," Duncan replied. Daniel looked dissatisfied with the response but nodded either way. He turned around and shut the door behind him quietly and then Duncan seized the opportunity to slide out Damian's comb and that of Daniel he had taken earlier.

He knew Daniel wouldn't look for it until he returned it and so wrapped them separately in plastic bags. He tore out a portion of the masking tape and inscribed the names 'Daniel' and 'Damian' respectively over them. That was not all, coils of black hair strands were also placed in a different plastic bag and the name 'Celine' graced the top.

That night of the date, he had helped her put on a pendant he had bought for her and tucked the hook end in between her dense thick hair intentionally, but of course, had said it was an accident. A part of him wanted to believe Daniel and so fired the question unexpectedly at her during the dinner before she resulted to a throbbing cough. He was glad he had few strands of her hair to test the validity of Daniel's statement with the hope and assurance that he had not just fallen in love with his sister.

He stared deeply into the mirror in front of him. His torso upwards and a portion of his legs were what came into sight, a slightly skinny but yet padded with his muscles forming a thick array of striated muscle. He draped a black shirt over and a black hoodie knotting the neck with the ropes that dangled out freely. He grabbed his bag filled with evidence and the car keys which Daniel had dropped on the bed. Luckily, the rains had reduced from the energetic claps of thunder at intervals, to mere drizzles enough to walk under without being soaked.

He trod the stairs to the living room and then pushed open the front door slowly intending to make no sound, but the old rusty hinges gave him away. He quietly closed the door behind him after leaving and jumped into the Peugeot car flashing the headlights until a warm hue glow of orange came up. The rusty old gate man rushed to lift the end of the gate fixed unto earth and opened wide the black gate. He flapped a shirt of his, across the side of his slightly slouched shoulder. Duncan drove out and then the gate closed up after him.

The streets were slightly empty with occasional one or two cars gracing the tar. The street lights stood in perfect harmony being connected by long strings of electric wire. Small puddles of water were on each depressed pot hole and shrubs lined out by the sides of the street. He made one final U turn and slowly reduced his pace to a halt, alighted from the car and looked around before balancing one strap of the school bag he had tagged along on one shoulder, took quick steps into the bungalow he had recently gotten used to visiting, Regina's.

The response was swift after he had given a knock on the door and she came out covering her self with a slightly faded wrapper. Her eyes were sunken and an extra shade of dark outlined her eyelids. Between intermittent coughs, she welcomed him. Unknowingly to him, Daniel had followed him and peered through the windscreen observing who he had visited.

"Mum are you OK?" Duncan asked.

Sniffling, she replied, "yes my son. It's just this cold that is having the best of me." A cough erupted from her guts and a slight sniffle before she added, "did you bring it?"

"Yes," he replied and brought out the items that belonged to Damian, Daniel and Celine which he had wrapped in a plastic bag.

"Should I stay with you?" He had asked, " you know, to take care of you for the night. You seem really sick," he said.

"I'll be fine my son. Expect the result very soon, but I ask... Are you really sure you want to know the truth? The result to this DNA test will change everything. Do you really want to carry this out?" She asked.

"I do."

*****

The bulge on Laura's stomach increased with each tick on the clock surpassing the assumption of a fat lunch, to actually revealing that a child grew within her. Her face had extra fat and was slightly swollen and puffy. She was seated in the living room pulsating and perspiring, thinking of what she had to do. Something heavy disturbed her... It was the reason the food at the house felt tasteless... The reason colours around her lost its shine... The reason everything seemed pale. It could pass as the signs of pregnancy, but only she knew her worry.

She rose to her feet and took progressive steps up the stairs, carefully holding unto the banister as a propeller to push herself upward. Her hands shook as she tried opening the door to her room. She could perceive the fresh scent of musk and knew Damian was about leaving. She pushed open the door and saw him coating his shirt with a suit jacket.

"Damian there is something I need to tell you," she started. "It has been disturbing me and I feel you should know the truth."

"...and there is something I need to tell you too," he walked over to her and the strong fragrance from his perfume cloaked her alveoli. Grabbing her forehead, he planted a soft tender kiss. "I'm sorry for ever doubting you. If you say you did not know how the statue got into your bag, I believe you. I trust you would never do anything to hurt me and I love you." He released a short smile and walked towards his drawer removing a cufflink, "what did you want to tell me?"

"Oh! Err... Nothing serious.... It's nothing," she replied, soothing her abdomen. He gave her a short stare and smiled again, leaving with a briefcase. He walked towards her and fixed another kiss on her forehead and one on her abdomen before leaving the room. "How am I going to tell him the truth?" She asked within a short breath.

Damian stopped at the top of the stairs and drew out a buzzing phone from his pocket staring at the body, it wasn't his. "Babe your phone is rin-" he started, staring at the name in bold letters on the screen. Daniel.

Opening the door in a startling bang, he frightened Laura who was calmly seated on the bed plunging her fingernails in between the grits of her teeth.

"You have five missed calls from Daniel," he said. "I wonder why he's been calling."

Laura slowly stood up and reached for her phone with shaky hands and the vibrations from the buzz came up again and then stopped.

"Six missed calls now. Call him back," Damian said. His eyes were fueled with disdain and worry which he covered up with anger. "...and put the call on speaker.

She tapped his name on the contact list and slowly tapped the green icon by the right.

"Hello," she spoke into the phone with a slightly dried throat. She swallowed a heavy lump that formed on her throat which made speaking difficult awaiting his words.

"Hi Laura! I'm sorry for disturbing, can you please bring out the soup from the fridge?" He had asked.

Her eyes closed shut and she released an inward sigh of relief. Thank God!

*****

Duncan packed in the clothes he had laundered into the wardrobe, flapping the lot of them while whistling to a song from his head. A chime indicated a message had popped in and looking into the phone, he could read what the message was. It was from Regina.

Son, the results are ready. Do well to pick them up later.

He stared into space biting his lower lip ruminating which action to be carried out first. The anxiety that gushed over his nerves pondered on how he was going to tell Damian that he could not be in charge of the winery if he was not a Richards. The fear that Celine might be his sister.

*****

Celine drove her black jeep which occasionally gave off purring sounds and small whisk of black soot as she approached the big black gate that belonged to the Richards. The hooting sound made the gateman to rush out to the gate and poke his head through the smaller gate and back inside when he recognized the car.

He pushed open the rest of the gate and watched as her car drove in in grace. He saluted her and the large protrusion on his stomach looked greatly distended and rippled as he did. Celine chuckled, and reached into her purse folding ten thousand naira into his already stretched out hands. He bellowed praises, showered glory and wished her well.

"Are they in?" She asked.

"Yes but Oga Duncan no dey," he replied. Poverty is really saddening. A man that old, should be with his family and taken care of by his children and definitely not calling someone that could stand in as a grandchild, Oga.

She nodded and proceeded a step at a time towards the main entrance and placed light knocks on the door. She clutched her designer bag which had some pictures of she as a baby and Margaret her mother. Nothing could stop her from finding out the whole truth at that moment. She pressed the door bell and Damian opened the door. He wore only a tank top and a short.

"Celine! We weren't expecting you," he said as he led her in. "Apologies for my appearance. Let me go change into something more appealing."

"No it's fine! I won't be long. I need to tell you something," she replied under a short breath before adding. "I'm Diane, your sister. My mother is Margaret, the nanny who worked with you. I know this is a lot to take in, but where is my mother?" She turned beside her to see Daniel standing by the stairs and clutching tightly to the banister.

Celine gasped like she had been strangulated and holding her neck, she sat up from the moist bed drenched with her sweat and looked around trying to find her breath. She saw Tessy at her own end of the bed smiling while she slept.

"Oh my God! What a dream," She said.