CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT THE PLAN

         "That's when I hatched the plan to kill my husband." Angela's narration ended with her eyes filled with pain and regret. Ella was still shocked. "You are not done with your narration though. (Trent looked straight into her eyes), how did you get Anastasia's poison?" 

     "I can not say though, I was a faithful customer of Natalia, why don't you ask me how I know that she will go over to Rosa's house?" she had a smirk on her face.

  "You knew that Natalia is a very jealous and possessive person, so you must have spiked Rosa's drink, that's why she became dizzy and you got a picture of them. It is also the same with the hospital scenes." Trent replied.

   "Bingo! You got that right." she clapped her hands. Ella was still trying to come to terms with everything. How did the innocent-looking woman change into this?

       "My initial plan was to feed my husband with the poison and later on burn down his company together with him, no one would have suspected anything. But THE STUPID NATALIA DIDN'T KILL ROSA AND MY STUPID HUSBAND DIDN'T EAT THE FOOD BUT TOOK IT TO HIS WHORE." She yelled before banging her hand on the center table. 

     Trent's face was expressionless, he just sat there and looked at her. "Why did you kill her yourself then?" Trent asked. "After the little fight between her and her best friend. Betty, my nosy neighbor, came to gossip about it. She even wanted to go visit Rosa. I had to convince her to not go over to her house and that we should wait till the next day if we hear nothing from her we call the police.

    "So you visited her to find out if Rosa is dead or alive," said with a stoic look.

  "You are one, smart man (she smirks and crosses her legs). You are right about that, I should thank the district head and the magistrate of this town for not fixing the CCTV cameras. Am I right or what?" she laughed maniacally.

    Trent remained unfazed, Ella on the other hand has suddenly developed an early stage of depression. 

   "On with my story. Angela wore a pair of thick black hand gloves. She had to be very careful not to be caught. She knocked on Rosa's back door. Rosa opened the door and let her in. 

   "Good day Mrs.Philip." she smiled showing her deep dimples and open teeth. "Good day to you too, I see you're not hurt or dead." She gave Rosa a disappointed face 😞.  "Thank you" Rosa smiled to hide her discomfort. "Why are you here Mrs. Philips?" Rosa asked. "Can't I visit my husband's whore." The smile on Angela's face scared Rosa. Rosa wasn't this scared when Nat threatened her life.

    "I don't know what you're talking about?, you should leave." Rosa stammered. "This is my house you bitch!" Angela roared at her. Rosa's legs were shaking in fear but she tried not to show it. "I am paying for it and you do not have the right to accuse me of such atrocity!" she yelled back. 

    Angela started laughing like a mad woman, "You really are something, Rosa. How can you shamelessly try to come between a married couple, you lowly scum?" Angela sneered at her. "Says the woman who drugged a man and forced him into a marriage he doesn't want!" Rosa retorted. Angela was shocked she staggered back. She supported herself on Rosa's chair.

    "He told you that?" Her voice came as a whisper. "Yes, he did. I am the woman he always loved. You came between me and him!" Rosa shouted at her. "How is that possible? He went to school in Greyhound town." Angela wanted all of this to be a lie.

     "I was a waitress in the coffee shop he loves to visit, it was love at first sight, and he promised to marry as soon as he graduated. But you ruined everything!" Rosa's breathing became heavy and she started to feel an internal burning sensation.

  Angela didn't notice any of that. "I can not let the two of you win, '' she saw Rosa's kitchen knife and decided to grab it. She went through the kitchen entrance and her sight landed on a baseball bat. She carried it, she smiled to herself before walking out of the kitchen. At that the burning sensation Rosa was feeling increased. Angela swung the bat with great force and it landed on Rosa's parietal.

    Rosa held her head before falling to the ground. Her blood slowly flowed out and the smell of blood wafted in the air. She started laughing. "Let's see how the two of you will be together." she continued to laugh. Through the open window, Angela finally noticed the lunchbox she gave her husband. It was supposed to be his dinner and death and she was supposed to go and burn down his hard work. Why was the flask there?

    She went into the kitchen and opened the lid. Rosa only had a spoonful of the rice and she drank a little from the chicken broth. Angela ran back into the living room and was contemplating what to do next when she heard a knock on Rosa's front door. "Rosa opened up, it is me Elijah." he banged on the door again. Angela was angry but she fled out of the house through the back door.

     "That is how it went down. And the rest was easy, pretending to be a weak woman, and you two falling for it."  "No, him falling for it, (he pointed at El, who remained quiet since the conversation started). I suspected you from the beginning." 

   "Just like how I knew you two are from HOJ. Sorry, Timothy, it was not easy for me to sneak back in and pin my husband's medal on that rug. I even made a backup plan. My poor innocent daughter will do anything to help mummy." 

   Ella looked at the woman. "You are a monster!" Ella growled at her.

        IN THE INTERROGATION ROOM.

    I felt guilty for adding the abortion pills to the food of the woman, that I love the most, so I dialed her number but she didn't pick up any of the calls. Once I reached the house, I knocked on her door but she didn't open it, so I went into the house and I found her lying in her blood.

     I was so scared so I ran." he started to cry. "I am truly a coward. 

          Philips residence.

"Now that the conversation is over it is time for you two to die." she quickly scratched Trent's hand. Trent's brows plucked into a frown while Ella looked confused.

  "Explain this?" he raised the hand she scratched up. "Of course, the real term isn't Anastasia's poison but Venenatum tongues (poisonous nails). Ella gasped 

  "Trent you have been poisoned!" Ella said to him. "I know." What he did next surprised both of them. He tore off his arm and threw it away. They watched his veins and bones forming into a baby's hand, the little child's hand than that of an adult within ten seconds. 

  "  you aren't human." Angela's eyes were dancing in fear. "Yeah, I am a special kind of pure-blood vampire." he looked at his new arm. 

  "Is your husband the same as you?"  Angela found herself nodding to his question. She was so scared her legs gave up on her and she fell bottom flat on her chair. 

    "Can the poison from the nail kill your kind?" Angela nodded her head. "Does that mean you were going to use his nails to kill him?" Trent asked and Angela nodded her head again.

  "Mummy" Gabby looked scared and she stood by the threshold of her bedroom. Angela looked at her daughter, tears kept falling like rain and she could do nothing to stop them.

    "For the sake of your daughter, I hope you comply with us," Trent said in a low voice. Angela closed her eyes and nodded. She seemed to have lost her voice. 

   The ride was quiet. Ella was in the front with Trent while the mother and daughter pair sat behind. "I just wanted him to love me." she choked as she continued to cry. Her daughter hugged her. Ella's heart was squeezing in pain. They handed Angela and her daughter to some agents.

 Ella leaned on her car as she looked up at the sky. "You have lost this case, you have one more case if you lose you leave the organization. Deep down I hope you lose." Trent's words were like arrows and they kept piercing her, every word was like a stab.

        He turned to leave. "Wait!" Trent stopped and turned to look at her. 

  "Why are you like this?"

   "Like what?"

"One minute you're nice to me, the next minute you become so cold and mean to me. Why are you doing that to me? I thought you liked me, you sometimes give me the feeling that you do?" Her heart was beating so fast that she could feel it all over her body.

  "I don't know, what gave you the impression that I like you"

  Ella felt like her world was crumbling. She staggered back and leaned on her car, her tears were threatening to fall.

  "I am sorry, I misread your intentions. From now on the relationship between us will be of a leader and his teammate and I promise to win the next case. Just wait and see." She entered her car and drove off.

   Trent held his chest, seeing her in pain brought a discomforting feeling inside him. 

       "Ella Patterson, this is for the best," he murmured to himself before leaving.