Long Night

Laced

My drink was laced!

   "Damn!" She swore loudly. The other guests at the party only spared her a glance. Most assumed that she was just some bimbo who couldn't hold her champagne.

She leaned into the nearest table, pretending to inspect the snacks placed in large trays, as she found it hard to stand upright.

I only had one drink, who could've done this?

"Miss Johnson!" She heard someone call out to her but she kept berating herself for being so careless.

I need to get out of here!

"Sarah!" The same person called out to her, closer now, and she turned. It was Mr. Ajibola, her father's lawyer. He always made her uncomfortable, from his fake smiles to his creepy appearance whenever things go wrong.

He stopped a few feet from her, fake smile in place, and asked, "Sarah, are you okay?"

Despite the pounding in her head, she straightened up and answered, "Of course Femi, I just have a headache and I need to leave soon. I thought you went to get the files?"

His smile faltered a bit, "Yes, I did but you were looking sick so I thought you might want to lie down a bit? Or do you need another drink to-

"Please get the files. I need to leave now." She said curtly. He persuaded her to drink and she only did it to keep up appearances.

"Oh, I… I'll just get it then." He turned to leave and she noticed that his fists were clenched.

She stopped leaning on the table, and to the best of her limited abilities, righted her dress. Her legs wobbled and her vision blurred but she strengthened herself.

I will not go down without a fight.

   After a few minutes, Femi came back with a silver briefcase in hand and a hefty man in tow.

"Here," he said, placing the case in her hands, "All the files, relegating your father's company, estates and businesses to you, are contained in that case." Then, feigning concern, he added, "Those files are extremely valuable and if found in the wrong hands, it would bring losses and shame to the Johnson name. Please, be careful."

"I will, thanks." She said with a hard look of her own after opening the case and rechecking the files.

Pointing to the man beside him, he said, "This gentleman is Sam and I brought him here to escort you safely home. He wou-

"Thank you for your concern, Femi. But I don't need an escort. I will find my own way home." She paused, "My lawyer will contact you if he needs any clarification concerning any document. Have a good night."

Without waiting for a response, Sarah hastily left the party. In the elevator, she sunk to the floor and splayed her legs wide.  She was so tired, she just wanted to lie down. If she could just close her eyes for a minute.

Just one minute…

The ding from the elevator as it stopped on the ground floor, which also served as the carpark, brought some alertness to Sarah's mind.

I only took a gulp. Oh God! What have I gotten myself into?

   Sarah ran as fast as she could, with 6-inch heels and a foggy mind, to her car which was thankfully parked close. Although she fell twice, she made it to her car without injuries.
She grabbed a slice of cake from her bag in the backseat and quickly wolfed it down. She hoped that if she filled her empty tummy, she wouldn't feel so dizzy anymore.

Sarah was a baker and she owned a cosy shop. Her mum loved to bake, and they did so together before she died when Sarah was just 15. Sarah never knew her father until recently - a week ago - when someone contacted her. She'd never been one to hate but she really hated the man.

Having to fend for herself since she turned 15, she never imagined that she would someday own more than half of the man's property. The other half, the wretched man gave to his lawyer and right hand man, Mr. Femi Ajibola. At first, she wanted to decline the inheritance but she really needed the money for her business. The rest she'd sell and give to the orphanage or something. Lord knows she'd never use more of the cursed money than needed.

Sarah wasn't quite sure what really made her angry, the fact that her "father" knew of her existence all the while and never thought of seeing or helping her in her worsts moments, or the fact that she could guess Mr. Femi wanted her dead. And it was all her father's fault.

My freaking father! Ugh!

As she thought of the events of the past few days, paranoia set in and she strongly felt that she was in great danger.

   Once she passed the gates of Femi's apartment, she felt more at ease but a nagging thought at the back of her mind pushed her to call her lawyer, Mr. Eke.

"Ben! I have a question." She cried as soon as he picked up.

"Gee… Good evening to you too, Sarah. I'm fine, thanks for asking" He replied sarcastically.

Ignoring him, she continued, "If something happened to me, what would become of my half of the property?"

"Well, since Mr. Ajibola has the other half of the property, and your father has no other living offspring or relatives, it would all become Mr. Ajibola's property."

"Shit!" Sarah exclaimed

"Sarah, what's the matter? Have you gotten the files?"

"Yes, I have the files." She paused, glancing at the case, "Someone laces my drink at Femi's party today. I'm on the road but I still feel woozy"

"Damn! Sarah!! You should have called for help immediately instead of driving while drugged!"

Sarah could only concede that her actions were indeed foolish. Typical Ben, always the rational one. He'd been her best friend forever, and her lawyer for three years. Ben helped her through the legalities of procuring her shop and many other legal nonsense afterwards. Now, he works for a large firm but still helps her out as much as always. Femi, offered to be her lawyer but she found his behavior unsettling, creepy even. She declined. She wished she had had the good sense to call for help at the party, Lord only knows what could've happened to her.

Well, the deed's done!

"Where are you right now? I'm scared and I don't want to go home."

"I'm at the office still, you should come here. Where are you exactly?"

"I'm about 15 minutes away really. I'm approaching the intersection, along Kingsway road, right now-

As Sarah crossed the intersection, a pickup truck from the side slammed into her car, causing it to flip over twice. Glass shards from her windows littered the ground and some pedestrians stopped to watch.

   Somehow, Sarah was still conscious. Her phone had fallen somewhere and she thought she could still hear Ben call her name. Her head was throbbing fiercely. She could feel blood running down one side of her face. Her side was hurting so bad and she was finding it hard to breathe. She slowly turned to the pickup truck and found the driver staring at her, a flash of recognition hit her but her mind wasn't cooperating.

I need to get out of here.

Her survival instinct pushed her to get out of the car but not before grabbing the case. She couldn't find her phone. She kicked the door until it gave way and crawled out of the contraption that was her car.

She looked back at the pickup truck and noticed that the driver just got down with something in his hand.

Is that a gun?