[Story] A Case Of Three Sinners – Episode 2

As my phone rang, I was drowning in an abyss of fear. I froze like someone who was being electrocuted from an AC power source.
“Whose phone is that?” Tolu’s husband called out, “Did you just get a new phone?”
The ringing stopped before Tolu would answer. My hairs stood still like a battalion of army being addressed by a commander. It was judgment day here, and I wasn’t expecting any miracle. I could feel the effect of the adrenaline as it was jetting from my adrenal glands to all parts of my body. The throbbing of my heart increased as if my heart wanted to break loose from my ribcage. Tolu’s husband could insist on seeing the phone that rang, and if he isn’t too daft which I don’t think he is, he will start searching from the bed. By then, I had grabbed hold of my phone and removed its battery.
“Oh, that should be my phone. I got bored of the old ring tone, so I changed it this afternoon,” Tolu lied.
“So many new things about you today dear.”
“Change is the only constant thing in life dear, let’s go.”
The door closed, and I felt relief spreading throughout my body. It had been a terrible day, perhaps the worst in my thirty five years of existence. It has been two years, two and half years since I caught my wife sleeping with our driver on our matrimonial bed. It really pained me because I was faithful to her. I wanted to divorce her, but I didn’t because I would gain nothing. I would lose all the things I flaunt as wealth and relocate to Mushin where I came from. The thing is, my wife is wealthy, while I’m otherwise. So to punish my wife, adultery was the key. To me, adultery wasn’t a sin, because my wife drew the first blood.
The door blew open
Tolu entered and bent under the bed.
“Dare, stay put, I will give my husband sleeping pills as soon as he is done eating. He will come and sleep in the room, and we will turn off the lights. When I am sure he is fast asleep, I will give you the signal. Stay calm, I have this all covered,”
“Okay,” I replied.
She stood and was about going when I called her back.
“Hey, here is the pen,” I said, handling over the pen I picked up between my toes, “You don’t want your husband to get suspicious.”
“He won’t,” she said, collecting the pen from me.
The door slammed close as she left the room. The throbbing of my heart reduced, but it was still faster than normal. I didn’t really understand what went wrong. I am sure Tolu can’t also. I saw it in her eyes when she spoke to me. It had so far being a bad day for both of us.
She was the one who called me in the morning that her husband had travelled and that I could come over for the night. Luckily, my business partner too, Kelvin, had travelled and the time we long craved for was dangling before us. I left the office in the evening, leaving the job to be done unfinished. The worse Kelvin could do was to shout when he returned the following day. As soon as I knocked at her door, my horniness reached its zenith. I didn’t give her a breathing space as I began to kiss her right from the door. She managed to say, “Let’s go to the bedroom,” but I kissed her all the way there as she pointed the way. I was unclad, and the manliness in me was up in full power. Then she heard the damn honk. I felt cold between my groins as trepidations began to set in.
I must have spent close to an hour under the bed after Tolu told me of her plan, but it felt like eternity. The door opened, and Tolu’s husband entered, accompanied by Tolu. They climbed unto the bed almost immediately, and the lights went off.
“Why did you switch off the light,” Tolu husband asked. I feared he had begun to suspect something fishy.
“Nothing. I just wanted you to sleep quickly since you’re tired,”
“Yes, it is true I was tired, but the drugs you gave me relieved me quickly. It worked just like the Tylenol pills Mr Ojomo gave me when he returned from America few days ago. I kept them inside the sleeping drug container. Did you get from there?”
“Yes,” Tolu replied. Her voice sounded surprised.
“Then you must be a mind-reader. I just transferred the Tylenol pills inside it this morning, and I didn’t tell you about it.”
“Oh God why is all this happening this night? If you’re going to save me, please do it gracefully without these irregular heartbeats, but it you aren’t really going to help me which I think is the closest, please cut me loose now.”
Tolu was quiet.
“I will try and get some sleep. I’ve got a long day tomorrow,” her husband finally said.
Relief reigned once more over my heart. Very soon, Tolu’s husband would be snoring, and I would gently and quietly sneak out of the house. About fifteen minutes past, and I didn’t hear anything from Tolu. Had she slept and forgotten me?
The lights went on again.
“Why aren’t you sleeping?” Tolu asked her husband, “I thought you might have slept not knowing you sat up on bed all these while. Is everything alright?”
Her husband didn’t reply.
“Your face is all warped up. Are you sure everything is alright,” Tolu asked again.
“I’m alright.. em.. no… yes.. I’m fine,” he muttered.
“What are you saying? Speak out, remember we are a couple, and up, down, we are together.”
There was silence; a spell of seconds. Then he spoke.
“I have been given an assignment to kill my business partner.” He said quietly, “It’s a hard choice, but I think I’m going to do it.”