05/02/2025
The Suspect
©️ Nzubechi Queen Ozabor
Part 7
“Ruby, talk to me. What is wrong with you?” her mother asked.
“Mum, I had a nightmare.”
“Do you care to share it?”
“No mum, it is not necessary. It's nothing serious,”Ruby told her.
“A nightmare that made you wake everyone in the building is not serious? Then you need to explain the meaning of seriousness to me.”
“But mum. It's just a mere dream. A masquerade was pursuing me. It was about catching me and I had to scream,”Ruby lied.
“Now listen to me. If you don't open up to me concerning what is happening to you, that masquerade will catch up with you in real life,” her mother threatened.
“Mum! Are you laying a cu.rse on me? What is my offence?”
“I will never lay a cur.se on my child. I only told you the truth. A child doesn't hide things from her mother. Unless that mother is a bad mother. I’m I a bad mother to you?”
“No mum. But how did you come to the conclusion that I am hiding something from you?”
“It is obvious. Something is happening at your place of work. That is the reason you want to leave the job.”
“Mum, how did you know?”
“I am your mother. I should be able to add one plus one to get two,” her mother responded.
“Mum, you are right. Something actually happened but I didn't know how to tell you. I decided to keep it to myself because no one would believe me.”
“Can you tell me what happened?”
“I went outside our office to get something. But when I came back, I needed to pass information to Uzo, one of my colleagues. I decided to speak to her through the window of her office. As, I looked through the window. I was surprised to see Linda, our MD’s sister, in Uzo's office. She was trying to add a substance inside Uzo's water bottle. I quickly left the window. Throughout the day, I continued to think about what I saw. Later, I called Uzo.on the phone to tell her what I saw, but fear couldn't let me say it. The next day, we heard that Uzo was po!soned. I am sure that what I saw was real but I couldn't tell anybody. No one will believe me. The worst was that they might turn it against me; she is the MD’s sister. I am even afraid to continue to work there. If she could do it to Uzo, who knows her next target.”
“Now, I understand. The mistake you made was that you should have informed Uzo of what saw. You should have told her not to drink the water.”
“I was afraid that she might not believe me. I was actually trying hard to convince myself that what I saw was real.”
“Is the incident connected to the nightmare?”
“Yes. A woman had been tormenting me in the dream. She said that I must say what I saw, in order to set an innocent person free. But mum, where do I start? This people have money and connections but I have none. I don't want trouble,” Ruby cried.
“Could it be that someone else is being accused of the c.rime?” her mother asked.
“Yes. I heard that one of Uzo's friends is being accused of the cr.ime because Uzo ate food in her house on that day.”
“Ha! My God, what we don't know, will not know us. May we not be victims of circumstances,”Uzo’s mum prayed.
“Amen”
“My daughter, God wants you to tell the truth. It is the prayer of the innocent lady and her family that is causing you to have the nightmare. God will direct us on the way to go.”
Ruby and her mother declared prayer, asking God to tell them how to handle the situation. After the prayers, Ruby’s mum got an idea.
“Did the lady notice that you saw what she was doing?”
“No ma. She didn't see me.”
“Good, we are going to write an anonymous letter to your company, Uzor and the culprit. You will narrate everything you saw and threaten to send a video of what happened, if she fails to tell the truth. If Uzo read the letter, she will be able to recall if her challenge started after drinking water. The culprit will also be afraid when she hears that a video will be sent. Maybe she will confess. This is our own part. We will allow God to do the remaining part,” Ruby’s mum concluded.
Nzubechi Queen Ozabor
