Chapter Eight

The residence of the Bellos were filled with cars trooping in and out and filling their driveway. Amanda and Jude had gone together to visit and pay their tributes to Bello who had passed on. The news came as a shock to everyone who had received it as it was unexpected for Bello who had no previous illness, to have just dropped dead at his residence while every other person were at work.

Amanda opened the door to an even larger crowd that loomed the living room dressed in black some wailing while others remained silent. Tolu was in between the crowd that cried over his loss as she sat on the floor moping into thin air.

Amanda rushed towards her and hugged her tight while mumbling consoling words into her ears. Tolu's eyes were bloodshot red you'd almost fear they had been stabbed by a sharp object and her teary face and soggy nose destroyed her graceful look.

"Amanda I'm sorry. I'm sorry I sent you away.. I know the truth now," she said and Amanda hugged her again.

A lady who was surrounded by police officers walked over to Tolu requesting to see her briefly. Amanda and Jude exchanged a brief eye contact and soon, Tolu was back to where she stayed.

"Let's go outside Amanda. We need to talk," Tolu suggested and they stepped out together.

"Babe let me hold your purse for you while you and Tolu talk," Jude said and Amanda handed over her black purse to him. Jude watched them leave and sit on one of the rented chairs outside and then dipped his hands searchingly into her purse and took out her phone. Pressing the right combination of characters, he unlocked it and immediately searched through her call logs searching for a contact saved with Daniel and found a single incoming call from few days back. Only one call for the past week and no text from him, but still he was furious with rage as to why a man would call her at all.

****

"Daniel thank you for coming over. I know you're very busy but I hope you understand why I need to question you too?" Uju asked courteously.

"Yes I do," Daniel replied.

"OK.. You knew Jude didn't you?" Uju asked.

"Umm no! Not personally I didn't. I've just heard Amanda say so much about him and the not so good things he did to her. I wasn't even in town when he was killed... I was at a convention and you know that," he replied.

"You're right, I know about the convention." Uju sighed and stood up pacing about in her red shirt and striped pants with matching flats and a police jacket. She faced the wall with her back at Daniel as she stretched her creased back and body. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'm just tired and frustrated. This investigation is taking me in circles."

"You know my sister is in jail where she's serving time for a crime she didn't commit," Daniel said.

"How did you know she didn't kill Jude?" Uju blasted back.

"And how do you know she did?" He replied. "You're keeping someone hostage without valid evidence of being proven guilty. That is so unprofessional," he banged his hands on the table as he stood too and stared at Uju eyeball to eyeball. The room was silent for seconds and it seemed that heat had stirred between them.

"You heard the conversation she had with someone we were able to track as the man who works at Bello's hospital where Junior was. That was the same day Junior was admitted into the hospital. All fingers pointing to the fact that she had something to do with his unconsciousness," Uju said.

"Again, that proves nothing. I know her and if she says she didn't do it, then she didn't," Daniel replied.

"You're allowing sentiment overrule an investigation Daniel. I know she's your sister but she committed a crime. Let it go," Uju said.

"Fine, I'll let it go if you let me investigate too and see what I can find. If it's indeed true that she killed Jude, I'll let it go and have her dance to the music of the law," Daniel said.

Uju hesitated for a bit, staring at Daniel and then at the piles of papers and books on her desk then replied, "Fine! By all means help me find out who killed Jude Williams."

****

Amanda sat with Tolu by her side staring into the air and sobbing intermittently. Nothing but a loose taril of tears rolled out from her eyes as a million thoughts ran through her mind. Amanda would occasionally rub the back of Tolu's palms and soothe her aching shoulders but yet they said nothing for a long time. The only sound that was heard were the chirps from the birds which seemed a little too sad too.

"Tolu who was that lady that came to see you?" Amanda asked breaking through the air of silence enveloping them.

"A detective and the lady in charge of solving the murder mystery of Bello," Tolu replied.

"Murder? I thought you said he died of a heart attack?" Amanda asked.

"Apparently it was induced. I'm really sorry I doubted you. I saw the video of Bello trying to molest you. Please forgive me," Tolu said.

"It's OK," Amanda replied. "I'm just so happy the truth is finally out," she added.

"Yeah. You and Jude are finally getting along quite well he even offered to hold your purse," Tolu started sobbing a lot lightly.

"He's still a little on and off with his anger but it's a lot better than before. At least now he lets me go out for spa treatments and a new hairdo," Amanda said.

"Not fair... I don't get to do that these days," Tolu said.

"Well you're the one that chose to do doctor stuff," Amanda replied and laughed while Tolu joined in afterwards.

"Speaking about Doctor stuff, do you or Jude have any relative named Daniella?" Tolu asked.

"Daniella.. Hmm no. I don't know about Jude but I know that his family is distant. Why?" Amanda replied.

"Well.. A Daniella came to visit Junior at the hospital and it was all suspicious you know? I saw a bottle water and the television on while Junior was still surrounded by the drip and my nurse told me he had said someone visited him. I checked the footage and found something but it didn't show her face," Tolu said.

"Let me see," Amanda said and Tolu brought out her phone swiping pictures till she got the one she had taken at the hospital. She bent the phone so that Amanda could see it and yet she couldn't make anything out from the image. "I don't know this person," she replied but suddenly saw something. "Zoom in a bit," she said and noticed a scar on the arm of the lady. "I know that mark anywhere. This is no Daniella, it is the lady that Jude brought into our house... Angel."

"I knew there was something off. I fired Christian, the guy who works at the ICT unit because he wouldn't agree to tell me anything about her. Why would she want to see your son?" Tolu asked.

"To poison him maybe.. I don't know. I'm so sorry I really have to leave," Amanda said and hugging Tolu, she went inside to inform Jude that she had to go and he left with her. He drove her home and headed to his office or so he had said to 'handle' something. Nothing good ever comes out from Jude getting to handle stuffs, but she was caught up with another issue to care.

The journey back home was quiet and unusually disturbing. Normally, when they had to make an appearance together without wanting to say much, Jude would turn the volume of the music up to reduce the tensed air but that day, he didn't. She would occasionally look him in the face but would look away immediately when his face and expression sent shivers down her spine. When he dropped her home, she had plans of walking right up to Angel and starting up a fight for coming for her son but stopped shocked when she met her in the living room with her things packed up in a bag.

She had worn a blue denim jacket and a matching blue jean trouser. Her hair was curled up but had few strands fall and stick to her face. Her eyes were sunken and all Amanda read was worry but couldn't be too sure it was not a deceptive trick.

"Amanda I need to talk to you," she started standing up and pleading Amanda sat down but the latter didn't.

"How dare you Angel? How dare you go over to my son's ward? What did you go there to do?" She asked slowly rubbing her lower abdomen and the silk black gown that covered it.

"To visit. Believe it or not, I would never hurt your son," she replied.

"Yeah sure! Because suddenly what you say is true and it matters. Your fight is against me so stay away from my little boy," Amanda warned as her index finger popped out and darted across Angel's face. She was about walking up the stairs as she felt weak and decided to sleep but Angel's next words placed her on a halt.

"Jude raped me."

Amanda had decided to return to Jude after the conviction that he'd be a better person and send Angel away but instead he had moved her to the boy's quarters on the note that until their major project was completed, he needed her on a strictly professional work basis. He had however changed drastically as he regarded Amanda a lot better than before and had even invited her to move back into the Master's bedroom which she obliged to. The whole all of a sudden switch seemed very unreal, but she was down with it.

"What?" Amanda asked as she turned and faced her.

"Please I need to talk to you," Angel reached out as she grabbed Amanda's hand. "My name is not Angel, it is Daniella."

"I know... Figured out. Why did you lie about your identity?" Amanda asked and sat beside her. She felt pity for the distraught Angel but wasn't willing to lose her head being compassionate.

"I came here to get my revenge and destroy Jude's life after he raped me and left me for dead when I was just fifteen," she stopped to clean her tears as they flowed effortlessly and let out a sad laughter. "You know, the both of us are alike in many ways..."

"How so?" Amanda asked.

"Men... How they treat us. I heard about what Doctor Bello did to you. It is so sad he has passed away," Angel said.

"We are nothing alike. I would never wreck a marriage just to get revenge," Amanda replied.

"About that... My plan for destroying Jude was to be spectacular. I had it all planned out since I was ten. You know, my family tried to sue him but somehow he paid his way off the hook and turned the tables around blaming me for what happened."

"Maybe we have some things in common after all... I can totally relate to the turned tables but Jude didn't have money before I met him," Amanda said.

"Exactly, I wonder who he had been duping for money," Angel said.

"No wonder why back in college, he always came up with crazy reasons to borrow money. He had been using me long enough," Amanda said.

"You wouldn't believe I had to study engineering and apply for the same job as him. I had to do a face surgery and change my name so that I could come into his life and make him fall for me then I could crush him like he did me and everything he ever loved including his wife and son. That was until I met you and Junior and discovered I didn't have to be that person anymore. All these years wasted just to take revenge for ruining my life. You really need to run away. That man is a beast and you can't predict his next move. I succeeded in having him wrapped around my fingers but I don't want to be with him. He doesn't beat me up because I know all his secrets but I've seen what he did to you and wouldn't advice you to be with him either. You need to run fast."

"Why are you helping me?" Amanda asked.

"As girls we need to stick together..." Grabbing Amanda's hand she added, "all the time." She stood up and taking her bags up, she turned to leave. "Oh by the way, my brother is a good man so please don't hurt him and yes I'm talking about Daniel. We are twins."

****

"Hey hey hey! What's the law boy up to?" Amanda asked walking towards Daniel holding a wine bottle and two identical wine glasses.

"Just paper work... As always." He turned around and beheld her in her gracious silk nightwear holding the drink. "What are we celebrating?" He asked.

"Oh you know, we've gone through a lot these past few weeks and I don't think we need a specific reason to celebrate," she had said.

He sighed and placed his palms over his face and then rubbed his weary eyes. "I'm sorry but I can't celebrate yet. Not while my sister is still in prison for what she didn't do."

"Your sister killed Jude. She faked her identity, stole my husband from me and nearly killed my son. What more do you want as proof?" Amanda asked.

"I know her... She is anything but a murderer and I'm very sure she's innocent. Please help me find out who killed her." He held her wrist and carefully took the bottle and glasses from her. She replied to his plea reluctantly and listened as he showed her the papers and clues Uju had given him which had reported speeches of every suspect's testimony. "So from the interrogation, Ella told me and the detective that she left the house at about six pm in the evening to a friend's house. The murder took place at about few minutes to nine and Tolu had said she stopped by later in the night at your place...Why would Tolu stop at your place? She had just lost her husband that day," Daniel said.

"I don't know," Amanda said forcing herself to forget events from that night.

Daniel looked up at her stroking his chin and then back into the notes before he continued, "Oh my God!" He exclaimed staring into Amanda's face again.

"What is it? Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked.

"I know who killed Jude," he said and Amanda swallowed hard.