The Voice Episode 14 – 15

The Voice – Episode 14

A story by Alabede Jude

Mr Akinola sniffed and adjusted himself before the cameras for the third time. He would go live on all stations but he wasn’t just okay. It was more of being afraid or the fear of being shown live on all stations in the wh0le of Nigeria but it wasn’t his first time and he couldn’t attest to why he was feeling awry. He comported himself for the last time and faced the cameras, he had to appear calm before the cameras . The director sensed his anxiety and gave him a reassuring smile.

“All is well” she muttered to him and smiled.

And that was all he needed, he smiled too and he braced himself up. He looked at the lady who sat in front of him, she would interrogate him but he wasn’t sure and ready for the questions she would ask.

“One” ..

“Two…”

The camera men counted when he would go live.

“Three”…

The Lady faced the cameras and spoke into the set of microphones before her.

“Good morning, am Kyle Florence and right here beside me is Akinola Richærd, the director-general of the state Criminal Investigation Bureau.

This is another interview showing live on AIT.” Kyle faced Mr Akinola and the cameras shifted to their side.

“Mr Akinola, what would you say about the recent murders happening in Cross River and your investigations so far”

“Good morning great people of Cross River. We are sorry for the recent murders and bomb blast which occurred months ago in rivers state.

We beg the family of the deceased immensely to please accept our condolences. And with our investigations so far, the culprit behind the murders is not just killing because he wants to or because he likes it, it was known to us through different devices that a spectacular voice do emanate from. In one of its voice messages, he made it known to us that he was killing because he had to and he was being compelled by a monster.” Mr Akinola said with a cool but gruffy voice.

Kyle hummed, tilted her head towards the camera and shifted her gaze back to Mr Akinola.

“But sir, why would a monster compel him?”

Mr Akinola smiled. “I really don’t know why a monster would compel someone to kill but with the way I viewed it, I think he is killing for revenge”

“Revenge? But the killer may not just be killing for revenge, there might be more to it.”

“Yes that’s true” Mr Akinola nodded his head.

“Sir, with the killer out there free won’t there be more murders?”

“I pray there should be none and we will do our very best to impede any impending attack by the killer.”

kyle heaved a sigh and faced the cameras “This would be the end of today’s interview with the director general of the CIB.”

she gazed back at Mr Akinola, “Sir, what message do you have for the people of Cross River”

Mr Akinola faced the cameras. “Great people of Cross River. I have nothing to say but I will say this, I assure you that we will catch the perpetrator and justice will be done like the previous serial killer that was convicted. Thank you.” he finished saying and faced kyle who smiled at him.

“Thank you sir for coming and we will sure reach you some other time” Kyle said and they shook hands.

The camera light blacked out and the scene faded away.

Mr Akinola stepped out of the AIT station and slid into his car, he ignited the car engine and sped off.

••••••••••••
Cole opened the case file on his table for the third time, he flipped through the pages but nothing made sense to him.

He closed the case file and heaved a sigh of frustration. Inpector kunle couldn’t allow him do anything on the case and he was worried. Inspector kunle wasn’t and would never be the hero but he was and he would be again this time.

The credits are meant for the CIB and not the CID. He wouldn’t allow things to continue that way. He heaved another sigh of frustration, he was fatigued and exhausted. Probably because he was already missing his heartthrob.

Cole stood up and walked out of the office. Agent bola stepped out of the elevator while he stepped in, he spun around and met agent Bola’s gaze, she winked at him and scurried away. Cole shook his head, that wasn’t good.

The elevator door dinged open and he stepped out and walked into Mr Akinola’s office. He pushed the door open without knocking, he had forgot his manners. He abruptly stopped in his tracks, Mr Akinola wasn’t present in the office, he spun around and made to go but he didn’t. He just felt like checking Mr Akinola’s personal investigations. He sat down heavily on the swivel chair and looked at the two laptops at his front. He saw the logo of the CIB on one and the other was the logo of the CID. Inspector kunle might have left his system there but he felt like checking it. He opened the system and powered it on. He couldn’t operate it as it was passworded. He shook his head, he never thought it would be passworded. He closed back the system and stood up, he felt weary and he needed to rest.

An hour later, Cole got to his house and opened the door, it was locked but he had a spare key. He opened it and stepped in, the house was eerily silent.

That wouldn’t be the order of the the day again. Soon enough there would be kids flooding the house. Cole brought out his phone and dialed Nora’s number, probably she had gone to the clinic for check up. It was now an open secret that Nora is two weeks pregnant, and he would be a father soon.

Cole smiled, the baby would be a girl. He knew it, his guts were never wrong.

He dialed her number again but he kept on hearing the annoying words of the network agent.

‘The number you dialed is switched off, please try again later or you…”

Cole angrily clicked the hangup icon and slipped the phone back into his pocket.

Why would her phone be switched off?

He had to go check for himself. He entered his car, poured life into the engine, and sped off. He sped past several cars, speeding like a maniac as if he was one. He got to the hospital in five minutes’ time which on a normal day would cost him nothing less than thirty minutes’ drive from his house.

Cole pulled into the carport and stepped out of the car. He raced in,side the hospital and walked over to the receptionist attendant.

“Sorry nurse” Cole said raising his index finger.

“Is Nelson Nora registered here?”

“Yes sir, she registered here but she hasn’t check in for today.” the receptionist replied.

Cole shook his head, where could she be?

“My problems are over now” Cole’s phone rang out loud.

He brought it out from his pocket and checked the caller, hoping it would be Nora but it wasn’t.

There was no number, Cole immediately feared the worst. He answered the call and pressed the phone to his ear without uttering a word like he did the previous time he answered the unknown call..

“Hello detective, don’t disturb yourself much, Nora your wife is trapped in here. I told you, I will take my revenge and don’t come looking for me because you will never catch me.” the voice threatened and hung up.

Cole went cold immediately, his face went pale and he gasped with fright.

“What’s the problem sir?” The receptionist asked as she noticed his sudden demeanor.

“Am screwed” Cole replied.

Episode 15

Emily sat on a swivel chair in her spacious office, pile of files graced the desk at her front not excluding a laptop system. She was working on a news article for publication but her mind was far from it. She had edited the news article countless times but yet, it wasn’t just perfect.

She re-edited it for the last time but to her it wasn’t yet good for publication. Something was certainly missing, she shook her head and closed the system . She was done for the day even though, she hasn’t done what she ought to do.

Emily crashed back on the backrest of the swivel chair and it swirl around in rotation. Her thoughts wandered off again, this time it was Ben. She couldn’t think of anything else except him.

Ben wasn’t back since the day he left, it was now a week since she had last set her eyes on him all in the name of work. She just can’t sit idle watching fire burn her roof. Nora should be of help, so she thought.

Emily picked her phone on the desk, she squinted her eyes at the phone.

There was a message, she opened it hoping it would be from Ben but it wasn’t. The message had no sender and it looked bizarre.

The message was encrypted in numbers, Emily couldn’t understand what it meant.

“4151420 – 21598518 – 2515211819518 – 1415181 – 919 – 715145”.

Emily was puzzled and confused on what to do, an idea suddenly crept in and she smiled. She scrolled through her contacts and dialed a number.

“Hello, please help me decode this numbers and get back to me as soon as possible” Emily hung up and send the coded numbers via messenger.

Within a minute, a message popped up on her phone.

She opened it, the message had been decoded and it reads.

“Don’t bother yourself, Nora is gone”, a confused look appeared on Emily’s face.

~

Cole sat down at the corner of the ever wild Miracles bar.

He hummed and nodded at the groove of the music being played as he opened another bottle of beer. He drank it all in one gulp and dropped the empty bottle on the table.

He took another bottle, opened it and gulped it in again. He sighed and belched loudly.

Drinking wasn’t his thing but he had to and he did anyway.

He consindered drinking as the best thing to do. Nothing could ever make him good, except he drinks but this wasn’t going well at all.

He looked at the dancers on stage, he squinted as his eyes was very blurry and obscured, he could only make out hazy figures dancing but he couldn’t distinguish between a male and a female.

Cole looked back at the empty bottles on the table, he counted it and smiled. He couldn’t have believed if he was told he drank 20 bottles but he did anyway, the killer made him do it, just the way the monster possessed the killer and now, he was possessed by the killer.

Nora is gone but he’s gonna find her one way or the other.

Cole drooled over the bottles, he saw a figure hovering above him. He looked up, looking straight into the eyes as though he was looking for a lost treasure, he couldn’t see anything rather than a blonde hair and a hidden face.

“Who are you” Cole asked in a gruffy and drunken voice which was barely audible to the ears.

Agent Bola sat down ignoring his question, he had called her himself to meet him at the bar only to show up and ask her who she was.

She opened her mouth as she saw the bottles littered on the table. Something was amiss, Cole doesn’t drink that much.

“What’s wrong Cole?” Agent bola slammed the table and two bottles rolled over and crashed on the tiled floor.

Cole could recognize the voice but not the face, he knew who it was. She was clad in a red gown which looked like blood to Cole.

“Please fix me” Cole said with pleading eyes.

“What?” Emily furrowed her eyebrows in surprise.

“You heard me right?”

Agent bola still looked on with surprise written all over her face.

She knew he was drunk but never the less, he knows what he was doing.

“Please…” Cole drooled over the word, like its a life saver.

Agent Bola shook her head, he really needed to be fixed because he looked distraught like he just lost something valuable.

Agent Bola smiled, the moment she had been waiting for has finally presented itself. She just had to play her card well.

“Let’s go” Agent Bola muttered to him as she stood up.

Cole stood up and fell back on the chair. He was heavily drunk, hærdly could he lift himself.

Agent Bola walked over to him and gave him a helping hand and both managed to get out of the bar. She pushed Cole into the back seat while she sat at the front seat.

She ignited the car engine and stepped on the throttle of the car as she sped off.

“Where are we going?” Agent Bola asked glancing back at Cole who was half asleep.

“Anywhere” Cole muttered drunkily.

Agent Bola slammed on the brakes and pulled over to her house. She helped Cole out of the car and they both walked into the house staggering as they walked. Cole’s body was w-t as he had spilled the drinks on his body. She dropped Cole on the settee in her sitting room, the house was pitch black and void of light. Agent Bola switched on the lights, the lights flickered and came on.

She looked at her body, it was messed with Cole’s body.

She undressed and pulled off her gown.

Cole watched as she undressed, he gulped in the lump that came to his throat as he stared at her not too massive b-obs fighting to be freed in the tiny b-ra she wore. His sight became clear as he looked on downwards to her backside which was turned to him.

Cole looked away immediately their gaze met, he felt tempted but he couldn’t resist the urge.

Bola smiled, she would surely get what she wanted. She walked over to him smiling sed-ctively.

“Am gonna fix you now”, she said as she unbuttoned his shirt.

Agent Bola couldn’t help it, a wide grin appeared on her face. It would definitely be a long night.

To be continued…