Walking In Deception

CHAPTER 4: Two burning coals extinguished by death.

"I've spoken with she didn't seem so happy to talk to us. Both of you seem to have a little history. Since I couldn't ask her, how about you tell me a little story?"
Detective Osahon and I were sitting in the living room. I have not seen both Mr and Mrs Okon since Mr. Okon arrived from the grocery store. Mr. Richard had gone upstairs to take a shower and that left me alone with Detective Osahon. He had me cornered and it was as if he planned to. Now was not the time to play 'mourning widow'. He had probably seen it all by now. He sat down right in front of the television to watch the ongoing football game, waiting for an answer from me. I decided to tell him because I was sure it would come out anyway and then it would not be pretty.
"After my husband lost his job..."
"Did he lose it or he resigned to promote your books?"
"I don't know what you might have heard but he lost it! His whole department got cleaned out because the organization noticed heavy fraudulent activity in that department. We had decided to have a baby two years before the incident so I, not him, had to quit my job so I could get used to being full-time. That was when I started writing. I kept myself busy with newspapers and that's where I saw the cases you've solved." At this point, I drew myself closer to him.
"So you can guess what happened to me, what brought me down?" Detective Osahon said and this time, he was looking sober.
"Well, no. I adopted a few of your methods for my protagonist. After that, I was more focused on my writing and my private life."
"Wow! I'm flattered but let me tell you something, flattery isn't going to get you anywhere. You can't cajole your way out of this one, missy."
"Do you even listen to yourself? You weren't like this the first time I met you in person. Maybe that's why you don't make a good father. You push everyone away because you think you're some kind of hero who swoops in and saves everyone. Look at me old man! You are not! I don't know what happened to you in the past but if you had listened to the many wonderful and caring voices around you, you'd be out of whatever this is by now!" I was so enraged and so loud that I did not notice that everyone in the room was staring at me. I was frustrated and I could not afford to do more damage. I angrily marched to my bedroom and bolted the door behind me. At that moment, I did not care for anyone's approval. I just wanted to be alone.

It was the next morning. We were all having the breakfast Mrs. Okon prepared. It seemed to be a new day as the events of the previous day seemed to be forgotten and lost in everyone's mind. The dead silence was then broken by Mrs. Okon,
"I apologize if anyone's meal isn't tasty enough. I was out of salt and I didn't want to snoop into Detective Osahon's room and get the salt I saw in his room."
"What salt?" Detective Osahon asked, almost irritated.
"I'm so sorry. I talk a lot. While I was cleaning your room the other day I couldn't help notice the salt you kept in your drawer." She replied.
"Oh! That salt! Well, it's for luck. I hope you didn't taste it? I don't want you taking away all my juice." He held up his glass of juice to show his sarcastic expression. At this point, we all got the joke and began laughing.
"You hold it like you hold your liquor." Mr. Okon chipped in. "You know, you once didn't believe in luck, all that stuff...what changed?" Mr Okon asked with a serious face.
"Well, that's all in the past." Detective Osahon answered.
I felt so relieved and thankful to Mrs. Okon. I whispered to her, "Thank you." and returned a smile.

We were all done with our breakfast and I was chatting with Mrs. Okon in the kitchen but we could overhear the conversation of Detective Osahon and Mr Okon. Mr. Richard was there too but he hardly contributed and his voice was so low that we could hardly hear him.
"Are you a fan of football?" Mr. Okon asked Detective Osahon
"Yes. You know, we should really talk. I got a bitter kola we could chew while we are at it." Detective Osahon changed the subject.
"Sure, we could talk but I don't want to go back into bitter kola. I used to spend half my weekly paycheck on that and I'll leave the dirt for my wife to clean it." Detective Osahon and Mr Okon both chuckled.
"You just stopped eating them?" Tell me, how is the child coming up?" The conversation between them was getting more intimate than I thought it would. They really hit it off. It was as if they knew each other before.
"No kid" By the fall in Mr. Okon's tone, I could tell that this question really turned him off.
"I'm sorry about that."
"Are you still in for the talk?"
"It's what I do. How about someplace private? Like madam's study?"
"Get her approval first."
The conversation seemed to end there. I could hear Detective Osahon's footsteps getting closer to the kitchen.
"I'll be on my way to get a pack of salt. It's just two streets away. I don't see a reason to... Oh, hi." Mrs. Okon acted as if she was not listening to the conversation when she saw Detective Osahon and bailed.
"You were listening to the whole thing, weren't you?" Detective Osahon asked.
I smiled and said, "Yes, we were. The study is all yours." "Regarding what happened yesterday, I'm very sorry." I was sincere in my apology and I was glad he saw the sincerity in my apology. Just then, out of nowhere, "My husband died of overdose. The autopsy results will be here in three days. I suspected foulplay because my husband has been using the same medication for years. The police had nothing to pin on his physician because he showed the prescription he gave weren't in anyway harmful unless taken above the prescribed dosage." I began sobbing. "I called on you, not to pin the death on someone else but because I believe in you. So if you tell me that my husband died of overdose, it is I who killed my husband. I didn't make him happy."
Detective Osahon came closer to and knelt on one knee, "It is going to be okay." Those simple words, I found the most comforting at this point. "If I may ask, what drugs were did he use and why?" Detective Osahon asked.
"I think you're shifting focus here. Finish your interview with Mr. Okon and we'll talk." I replied as I wiped away the little drop of tears. I took out the key from my pocket and handed it to him.
"No problem. Thanks for the key." Detective Osahon replied with a smile. This was the first time I'll see him smile.
All three went to my study for Mr. Okon's interview. It seemed to be more serious than I thought it would.
"You've been his driver for years now?" Detective Osahon began.
"Three years." Mr. Okon replied with all seriousness.
"I believe this isn't your first time as a driver, is it?"
"No. I worked for the Johnson's previously and believe you know how that ended."
"This is getting to tense. No one likes a tense interview. Mr. Richard could you get us water?" Detective said as he brought the bitter kola he promised, "Here it is. Don't worry, I'll peel it off for you."
I was still in the kitchen when Mr. Richard came to get water.
"Is Detective Osahon taking it easy on him?" I asked Mr. Richard.
"He is. In fact, too easy. I don't think he has anything on Mr. Okon." Mr. Richard replied while he fetched two glasses from the cupboard.
"That's Detective Osahon for you, the lion. He'll stalk you until you break and he gets what he wants. I'm surprised you didn't know this side of him."
"Well, I always thought of him as 'Johnny's dad's. By 'Johnny', I mean Mr. Jonathan. I haven't seen for a while now. He should have come to visit." Mr. Richard and I were chatting and he did not when cup overflew. He shut the tap and headed back to my study.
"This bitter kola seems to be the good stuff. Where did you get it?" Mr. Okon asked as Mr. Richard walked in.
"I'll never tell you. I don't want you spending half your weekly paycheck on it." Detective Osahon cracked up Mr. Okon. "So what happened with the last family" Detective Osahon continued.
"Something similar to this. The husband had just died and anyone who knew too much died too. I had to leave on that account."
"And as soon as you left, the murders stopped. It's not what it looks like. You should know."
Suddenly, he began choking. Detective Osahon and Mr. Richard both thought it would as a nut allergy or the nut was stuck in his throat. Detective Osahon quickly laid him down. He did everything he could think of. He gave him water and the other one on Mr. Okon face, hoping it was stop. Both men kept yelling for help until Mrs. Okon who had just arrived ran to the study. She was to see that I was not the one who needed help.
She bagan wailing, "No, no, no." She saw it was and she was devastated. It was as if she had gone mad. Mr. Richard and I did our best to hold her down but she overcame the both of us and rushed to her husband's side. She pushed aside Detective Osahon and held her husband tight. He tried to reach for her face, to touch her one last time but his body contorted in agony, limbs twisted like gnarled branches, as terror etched his face and eyes bulged with fear. Muscles rigid as steel, skin slick with sweat, his back arched in an unnatural pose. Convulsions wracked his frame, like a puppet on a string, and a silent cry of anguish escaped his lips.
His expression twisted in a grimace of pain, eyes darting wildly as panic set in. His face was a map of torment, etched with lines of suffering. His body trembled like leaves in an autumn gale, life force ebbing away like sand slipping through an hourglass.
Soon, his eyes froze, two burning coals extinguished by death. His limbs relaxed, twisted in unnatural positions, and his chest ceased its frantic struggle for air.
I also was in tears. The man who I looked up to as a father at this such time had just left us.