Walking In Deception

CHAPTER 1: It's a ride or die, right?

Sitting in the small unventilated office was Mr. Johnathan. There was only a 2×2 window from which he could barely see the cars and passers-by outside. There were a few opened dusty boxes and papers flying everywhere. Apart from the desk and two chairs, of which he was seated on one, nothing else was to be considered valuable in the room. His office was formerly a shop built to face the main roads of Blue Grooves, Bariga but he modified it to face the other way due to the constant distraction he was getting. Out of his leftover capital, he extended his office by a room so as to accommodate a receptionist and a hired receptionist.
It was a usual day for Mr. Johnathan. The same old here and there. He was left to count the remaining days left of his father's legacy, which used to be one of the best private investigating companies in the country. And on that same seat, same position, he heard a knock; one that will certainly turn things around for him. He was surprised and at his present condition he would accept any offer that guaranteed a substantial amount of money. Uncertain of what fate has for him on the other side of the door, he quickly dressed his desk and nervously called the person at the door to come in.
He sighed in disappointment when he saw that it was his receptionist.
"Sir, there's someone outside who is interested in hiring us," his receptionist said.
"Really?!" Mr. Johnathan squealed with delight. "Uhm...let her in" he said as he adjusted his chair. He hadn't gotten an offer in a long time. He stopped getting offers after most of the facts and evidence presented by his workers were nullified by higher authority. Due to this, he had little money in the bank and he had to lay off all his staff, leaving him only his receptionist. When he did get an offer, he would hire someone or take up the case himself. He was the son of the renowned nationwide Detective Osahon after all.
His receptionist left and I arrived at his office soon after. I knocked and opened the door to meet Mr. Johnathan. He was all smiles to meet a 'customer' as he would put it. He immediately gestured to me to sit. I was bitter and full of tears but I had to hide it so as not to scare Mr. Johnathan away.
"Good afternoon, ma'am. You are welcome and how can I help you? You suspect your husband is cheating on you?" he said. Perhaps, I wasn't so good at hiding it. Mr. Johnathan could guess that I was in pain right away.
"No... it's none of that, it's..." I answered. Before I could tell my cover story Mr. Johnathan had already gotten up to take out some paperworks from a dusty box behind him
"Okay, just sign here and there and pay..."
"I'll pay you anything...just help me with this, please" I cut in before he could finish. I knew I sounded desperate and rather odd, but what would I have done? My husband just died and everyone keeps telling me it was a natural cause. I need someone as desperate as I to ride this wave with me.
"Okay... Would you like to go over the reporting procedures?" He asked while he was still standing and perhaps, on edge. He sat on his chair and dusted the papers below his desk and handed them to me.
"Just do what you can." I said as I went over the contract.
We both signed the contract and he was about to stand up to shake hands with me when I broke out.
"He's dead!" I broke out. This caused about , besides my loud sobbing, a minute of silence as if it were a silent tribute to my husband.
"If I may ask, who are we talking about?"
"My husband, " I said as I buried my head in his desk. "I'll pay you 5, no, 8, ugh... who am I kidding ? I'll pay 12 million naira if you can find the culprit and 5 million naira if you choose to undertake this case." Ironically, it was then he sat down and came back to his senses; and began to think as he should have done when I first walked in.
"How did he die? Why didn't you take it to the police?" he asked
"I have and they already visited the scene. Further autopsy confirmed that he died of Deep Vein Thrombosis, DVT, I'm not sure if you've heard of it "
"Yes, I have," he said as he listened carefully.
"All eyes fall on the driver but I know he is innocent."
"Really? How?"
"Instinct, I guess...I don't know but that's why I want Detective Osahon on this "
"What!?"
"He's good, isn't he? You know he's all you got and I know he'll be happy to have a shot at saving his own fallen legacy "
"First of all, this company is a very formidable one. And second, you don't know him that well." he said as he angrily stamped his fisted hand on the desk. If only I knew why, maybe that would have saved us all a lot of trouble.
"I do, believe me, I do. He's my original source of inspiration. He's the reason I write detective stories."
"Ha ha! I thought I recognized you. You are Mirabelle, Mirabelle Oluwatoyin! So Kayode Oluwatoyin is... Oh my God!" He suddenly got hysterical and I was getting tired of it. He kept on gasping in between his sentences with his hands over his mouth.
"Ugh... I need a detective on this and will you give me one? I can only hide it from the press for about a week, I need to find out who did it by then."
"A week is not enough but what can I say, it's a ride or die, right?"
"I have two people in mind already. I'll send you their names as soon as they agree to the terms." he said like a defeated soldier begging for mercy at the hands of his enemy.
"So it's a deal? Will your father be involved?" I asked. I scribbled my phone number on the back of the contract. I knew I wasn't supposed to but we both needed something from each other so we had to put all unnecessary formalities aside.
"Yes, he will." He agreed reluctantly and grumpily. After all, he didn't have much of a choice.
I left Mr. Johnathan's with a flick of hope in my heart. I know my husband didn't die naturally and I know I will find out who did it. However, I have heard that issues like this usually dig out dirty truths, truths that I wasn't sure I could handle but I followed my instincts as my husband had always told me. Now, all I could do was to sit and watch Detective Osahon perform another shocking upset right in front of my eyes.