THE WIDOWER.

CHAPTER 7

She was running along a very narrow path. Her feet were cut with deep bruises but she could not stop if she wanted to be alive. She was horrified but she kept on running deeper into unknown road. Her limbs were tired but she could not stop now. The path was dark , full of thorns but her mind was screaming not to let herself stop.
She was falling apart and her breath was becoming short. She gasped for air but the road turned more uglier as thick roots started to tag her feet. Her strength was failing and she could feel being trapped.
"Help!" She whispered and fell into an abyss full of darkness and for the first time in a long while she was afraid.
She was falling down too fast. She closed her eyes waiting for the worst only to land on a soft part of the earth...

Nora woke up gasping for air and sweat dripping down her quivering body. She looked around her one bed room apartment searching for familiarity.
"It was just a dream." She told herself throwing away her covers to go get a glass of milk. It always worked whenever she had nightmares or a bad day. It did not make sense but she loved milk.
"Quincy!" She called out for her cat. It was a grey furred cat With very exotic eyes. It was her companion and the only other roommate she had. It was easy for her to care for a feline more than a human being "They are complicated." She always argued.
She sat down on her kitchen counter savouring the taste of milk. Slowly she sipped it and watched the dark night wondering where the kidnapped girl could be. It was unlikely going to be an easy case but she hated when it all led to no where.
She hated vagueness and blankness that came with life. There had to be an answer to every question. There could not be just a vacuum in this life. Everything had a reason and motive that is why she never trusted nice people.
Behind their smile, they always wanted something from you and most of the time it was not all good.
That is why she has never forgiven her father. She never talked about her childhood for she hated it to pieces. Her father left them when they were little. Nora and her twin sister Lora. Their mother decided to give them rhyming names. It was clear that their mother maybe cared about them. It is their father who walked out one day and never came back.
Lora being the most sensitive one cried the entire night asking her sister 'why?' she could not find an answer for her and she resented that.
She watched their mother fall into depression forgetting that she was also responsible for them. Nora became the older sister and started taking care of Lora.
Her mother became so irresponsible and a drunk. Nora was so angry at the fact nothing made sense,their father left them and their mother neglected them.
After sometime their mother brought a new man who she introduced as their 'new dad '. Nora was not so welcoming but Lora accepted it because she wanted to fill in the void she felt after their father left.
Nora was so cold towards the man to a point of spewing it one day at how she hated him during their dinner. She was only nine and had learnt to live and accept that the strongest always survived.
Lora adored their step father and he seemed to like her too. She was obedient while Nora was rude and rebellious. Things did not work so well for her as she received beatings from her stepfather and this drove a wedge between her and her mother.
She wanted her mother to protect her and throw the evil incarnate of her husband out of their home but her mother always argued that he was the breadwinner of the house and she was expected to be more respectful.
Nora could not find in heart to love the man only to resent him the more and her disobedience was punished by whips and cigarette burns.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a phone call. She wondered who it was and checked the ID
It was Richard her partner .
"You have to come now at the office." She was shocked at his curt speech which was odd.
"Hi Richard,it is only three o'clock. Whatever it is can it not wait?" She asked .
"No! It is about the case we are working on. There are some leads." He replied.
"Okay, I will be there" Nora said as she hanged up.
She walked back to her bedroom to take a shower and change her bunny PJs.
She was done within fifteen minutes taking a last look at the mirror she was satisfied. She always never so any need to fret about how one looked especially when it came to their faces hence no or subtle makeup which most of the time was Jade's doing.
Her already diamond shape face did not need too much facial products something Jade bemoaned when she suffered acne in their teens and Nora's face was smooth.
She tore her eyes from her large brown eyes staring at her and left the house.

*********
She walked through the tiled office with her brown leather boots. Richard was sitting on her desk which she constantly reminded him not to.
"Get your behind off my desk ." She said nonchalantly as she closed the door behind.
Richard smiled and hopped off the table.
He was a large built, tall dark skinned man with tiny eyes which contrasted his body size. He was not obese but a heavily built man. He took his time in the gym which made ladies in the office gush over him.
He was a charmer and had a way with words you could call him a smooth talker.
"What is the lead?" Nora asked professionally.
"A man was seen near Joseph Mbale's house. The report says he had been keeping an eye on the house for quite sometime."
Richard said as he handed Nora a file with the suspect's profile.
Nora went through it scanning carefully.
"Who told you about this?" She asked.
"A neighbor living close to Joseph's home." Richard answered as he sat on the opposite chair.
"We have to find this man." Nora said with a deep frown.
"That is the problem,we found him shot dead near Strathmore university just across the road." Richard said with a disappointed voice.
"Any fingerprints or DNA?" Nora asked with a frown.
"No,it was a clean job." Richard answered.
The case was getting complicated.

*******

Finally I was able to better my descriptions.
So there is an opening to our case.
What do you think of Nora's childhood?
Let us see more of the case next chapter

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