Episode 19

It had been 3 days long into the last week for the last task. Nonso sat wondering what to do next, the Oracle had appeared to him and had given clear instructions on what the last task was to be. He brushed his right fingers against his head. He was sad, confused, angry and scared all at the same time. His mind reflected on the words the Oracle had said and even though it was said as in proverbial, the meaning was crystal.

"To get what you most greatly desire, you must lose what you most greatly love. " the Oracle had said.

Nkechi was his sister and therefore loved her but she was not the one he most greatly loved. There was someone who meant a whole lot more to him than Nkechi and the Oracle had demanded for her.

Cyril - sat beside him - was lost in his thoughts, for him the the Oracle had asked him to collect a specific plant called 'titan arum or corpse flower' It was said to grow on or around dead bodies. Cyril was to go collect some that had grown around Veronica's grave.

That was not the only thing that worried him, the Oracle had asked for someone dear to him - his friend Abiola. He was to take Abiola to the shrine. He was distraught about this sudden turn of events, why would the Oracle ask for Abiola? He couldn't do this to his friend.

He decided to go for the corpse plant first and then later for Abiola.

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The detective woke up that morning brimming with enthusiasm, he believed he had hit a substantial piece that would definitely vivify his investigations.

It had been two weeks four days since he was assigned to the missing person case and for the first time things were moving up towards the closing of the case. The office was bustling with a lot of paper work from one desk to the other.

Counsellor Michael got into his office and on his desk was a brown paper file - it was the autopsy report. The medical examiner had compared the DNA of the dead body to a strand of hair gotten from Veronica's comb that her friends had given to the detective. The body after it was exhumed had lost its face, since it was not laid in a casket. The pressure from the sand had pressed against the body and as it rotted, the flesh went quite quickly.

The detective opened the file and read the report - it was a positive match. Veronica had been found but not alive. The detective immediately called her father to relay the new development.

One could only wonder what transpired on the phone call the detective had with Mr. Olumide but he sure didn't like the news. It broke him but the detective promised to find whoever was responsible and have them behind bars for life.

Things were looking quite good for the case but not good for Alice, she was the only lead that connected to Cyril and now that there was no Cyril to prove her guiltless, she was definitely going to prison.

The detective went by her cell one evening and told her that Cyril's girlfriend - Veronica - had been found but she was dead.

"Miss Alice, being an accomplice in Abiola's abduction, the court will definitely link you to Veronica's death if you do not tell me where your cousin is and you could spend a long time in prison."

"I have told you that I do not know." She replied.

"I have no hand in whatever crime he has committed." She added.

The detective looked straight at her, he knew she was innocent but he had to do things by the book and that means processing Alice for court. Her fate would lie on what sentence the judge finds befitting.

She laid on the floor of that cruel building called police station, she wept bitterly. Her voice rang through the whole station as she wailed and cried. Her fellow inmates would scold her and sometimes it got a little physical.

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Nonso got home at 7:30 pm on the fourth day of the last task, he had three days remaining to complete his task. He had been too scared to come home earlier, he chose to reach the house during the night to avoid too many eyes.

When he entered the compound, like normal his mom and sisters were inside. He knocked on the door and one of his sisters came outside, fright crept up her spine when she saw him. She froze for a moment and could not speak and after she got herself, in a stuttering voice she asked him in. He got inside and his mom was sitting in the living room. Her eyes were red and dim, it looked like she had not slept for days. She got up and walked towards him as her eyes caught him, and she told him about the situation lurking in the atmosphere.

" my son, Nkechi has not been seen since the day you left. Tell me the truth Do you have any hand in it?" His mother asked.

"Mama I do not know what you mean by that. How could you think that I had a hand in her disappearance?"

She looked into his eyes trying to decipher what lies behind but she was no expert in behavioural analysis so could not figure out the truth. She breathed deeply and gave a long sigh as she turned around to sit down. Everyone in the room was tense but no one said a thing.

At midnight he tip toed out of his room to carry out his task, he had squeezed out a potion of valerian root and sucked the liquid into a syringe. He was going to inject his target with the potion before carrying out his dreadful task. As he entered her room, she had slept with her face towards the wall. He brought out the syringe and was about to inject her when someone screamed from behind him.

"Somebody help!"