Roses and Thorns – Episode 42

Roses and Thorns – Episode 42
Journalists and reporters rushed Ezenwa as he was been brought out of the court room, while some ran to meet Joel who was at the back with the detective and Chidiebube.
“Sir, did you really rape those ladies and also kill your father?” one of the reporters asked bringing the microphone close to Ezenwa’s mouth.
“Get this stinking mic out of my face before i break your bones” Ezenwa thundered. The reporter ran away in fear. “Fool” he barked.
“Ezenwa” Ambler called out walking towards him (Ezenwa) who stared at him disinterestedly “please give me a minute with him, i have something i want to talk with him about” Ambler told the police men. They shifted a bit.
“You promised to make me a free man, Ambler, so why are we where we are now?” he muttered.
“Damn it you nitwit, you never told me you were careless enough to rape those ladies without a c-ndom. Are you not aware that the world is now modernized, semens can be tested nowadays” Ambler bellowed.
“Okay, so how are you going to get me out then? because i can’t die, no, am not seeing myself dying yet” he asked and twisted his face, his hands were still cuffed behind his back.
“Are you really asking me this right now? were you not there when the judge gave you the death sentence? see man, there is nothing i can do, my hands are tied, maybe if you weren’t careless, i would have defended well enough in court today” he sighed, removed his gown and folded it, placing it on his arm.
“Ambler, don’t forget you have your own secret too, if you don’t get me out this night before tomorrow morning when i will get killed, am going to expose you and let the wh0le world know that you are not a reputable lawyer as they thought” Ezenwa sneered.
“Come on Man, don’t do that, it will cost me my career, think it through” he pleaded.
“I already thought it through Ambler, you have this night to get me out of that cell, or else, your name will appear on news papers and televisions, don’t even dare me” Ezenwa warned.
“Wait a minute man, i thought we were friends?” Ambler asked in shock.
“Am a beast, and beasts don’t have friends, you have this night only” Ezenwa replied walking towards the Black Maria already parked.
Ambler sighed, removed his wig and started walking towards his car, he was about unlocking it when Okenwa tapped his back. He turned around swiftly ready to punch whosever it was.
“Woa woa, easy man, it’s just me and no one else” Okenwa said raising his hands in surrender.
“What do you want?” Ambler sneered “I heard you were running cocos, are you okay now?” he smirked.
“You heard wrong Ambler, i wasn’t running cocos, your client did everything, but that is by the way, i want to confirm something from you” He went to lean on the car.
“What is it Mr Cocos?” Ambler hissed.
“You were my father’s lawyer for a very long time before he dropped you, which means you know our family very well?” he put his hands in his pocket.
“Can you go straight to the point young man, am running late” Ambler barked dropping his gown and wig on the top of his car.
“Who is my biological father?” Okenwa asked indifferently.
“Oh, you heard?” he chuckled briefly and then added “You were picked by the road side and don’t even feel all fly because you got all the properties, remember, you are just someone an old man helped, the rightful heir should be your brother and not you” he picked his gown and wig from where he kept it and tried unlocking his car again.
“So can you tell me who my biological father is?” Okenwa asked holding his hand.
“I wouldn’t know, that is your cross to Carry and not mine, if you would excuse me Mr Cocos, i need to be on my way now” he hissed, got into his car and drove off. Okenwa sighed and walked away dejectedly
Episode 43
Okenwa got home tired. he parked his car and came down, he looked at the black Highlander that used to be his brother’s but later became his. He entered the sitting room and stood for a while looking around. He couldn’t still comprehend the fact that he had been released from the asylum. He shook his head and walked to a large portrait of his father hung on the wall. He carressed it with a smile, held it with both hands firmly and carefully brought it down. There was a h0le in the wall as small the small h0le in cars referred to as the “Pigeon h0le”. A big brown envelope was in the h0le, it was squeezed because the h0le was small for it. He brought it out, dusted it and went to sit on the sofa.
“Stupid Ezenwa, the doc-ments have been right under his nose all these while but he never noticed, he must really be a dunce” Okenwa chuckled shaking his head. He brought out the contents of the envelope, the company doc-ments, followed by the landed properties doc-ments and then the hotel doc-ments, he looked into the envelope and saw a small black object, he brought it out and stared at it for a while “Recorder” he spoke out loud. He pressed the button and 40:6 came up on the tiny screen.
“What could have been said in 40 minutes and 6 seconds time” he wondered and pressed the play button, it was his father’s voice, he relaxed fully on the sofa placing the recorder close to his right ear.
“Okenwa my son,” the old man’s voice began “How are you doing? and how is life as a corper treating you? I hope you are feeding well?, don’t forget to always call to my attention if you need any help financially, although I know that by the time you would be listening to this recording, you must have passed out from NYSC, but nonetheless, i have very important informations to share with you.” Okenwa sighed, he didn’t even pass out before he was taken to the asylum.
“Okenwa am sorry am breaking this news to you like this, but with the way things are going in this house, i might die before you come back so i think i should tell you now. You are not my biological son and i don’t know who your biological father is either,i picked you up from the roadside and then planned with my late wife to adopt you and that has been the best decision so far because you turned out to be a blessing to me. You are my son and nothing can change that, i have already willed everything i have to you.” Okenwa sniffed, the tears were already gathering.
“Ambler, our family lawyer, is not a good person, i have dropped him though but i still need to tell someone about his evil doings. Ambler is a murderer, yes, a murderer and a rapist, he is the one teaching your brother how to rebel against me. He has never won a case without killing either a witness or the opposing counsel’s client. He has killed three people and do you remember Aisha? his secretary then that was found dead in the bush? yes, he killed her after raping her brutally. How did i find out right?” he chuckled briefly and then continued “I had gone to his house then to hand him my property doc-ments as my lawyer, Ezenwa your brother was there already and Ambler was bragging and recounting his escapades to your brother, telling him how fun it was to be a rapist, especially the part where the ladies would beg for their lives. I was shocked, i ran home and decided to hide the doc-ments in the h0le covered by my large portrait in the living room, i will tell you about the h0le and the doc-ments on Whatsapp” Okenwa paused the recorder and
Sighed, remembering the morning he woke up to his father’s Whatsapp message, he was shocked at first because his father never bothered about social media, but when he read the contents “My doc-ments are in a h0le on the wall covered by my large portrait in the living room. Do not tell your brother or anyone, not even Ambler, our family lawyer” he had called his father immediately but his number was switched off and then the next minute, he got a call from home saying his father had died in a car accident. He pressed play on the recorder.
“A week after your brother received the lectures from Ambler, he killed Ego after raping her, you remember Ego okwaya? (Right?) yes, he has killed her” the old man’s voice came up again.
“What? he killed Ego? I never knew about that” He said to no one and paused the recorder. “i only know about Ini Archibong and Adesua Jones, which was because we were all in the same department then and they never got along with Ezenwa, nobody did infact” Okenwa spoke out loud “seriously? Ego was his victim too? damn it Ambler, you spoiled my brother and you won’t go free from it” he added but when he remembered the recorder, he calmed down and pressed play again.
“But i have had enough of their madness, i will report them tomorrow to the authorities, let them face the consequences” the recorder stopped at that minute.
“Oh my God, Ambler, no, you must be punished alongside Ezenwa, the detective must hear this” Okenwa said, scurrying off the living room with the recorder in his hand.
TBC