DECEPTION

Deception -Final

We all turned around to see the first lady walking towards the judge, the journalists were now taking images and making a live broadcast.

‘Quite!’ the judge yelled as she hit on the table

There was silence in the court room.

‘Madam First Lady?’ the judge said looking at
Mervis

‘Yes your Lordship.’ She responded

‘You have no right to be in my court room.’ She said

‘I know your honour but I am afraid I have some things to say before judgement is passed.’ She said

‘Go ahead, you have not more than ten minutes.’ She told her

Mevis walked to the stand and she was given the bible to swear, I looked at her and smiled.

‘I am sure most of you are in shock seeing me here knowing that I have no relationship whatsoever to the accused but I guess I have some things to say before she is sentenced. My husband has been parading as president and yet someone else has been behind the brains and the decision making. A certain Mr Zyangeni helped him get into power in exchange that he becomes the brains behind state house, for so many years he listened to him not until the late Vice President learnt about it and told him to go against the deal they had made. Mr Zyangeni was very upset and threatened to kill Wane if she ever interfered in the ongoing deal.’ She said

‘What was the main connection between the President and the Vice President?’ her Lordship asked 

‘My husband and the late Vice President had an affair…’

There were murmurs in the courtroom

‘Silence.’ Her Lordship yelled

‘I knew about the affair and I didn’t do anything about it because I knew somehow karma would fight for me, for a long time they drugged Mr Kunda with a drug that reduced his sperm count because they believed a child would weaken him and it was also another way to frustrate their marriage.’ She paused

‘Go on.’ Her lordship said

‘They did everything in their power to destroy them, it was late Mrs Musoni’s idea to bring in a lady from outside to destroy their marriage and knowing how Justin’s mother wanted a child; she fell for it. But Ms Hamoonga later learnt that the Kunda’s were good people so she pulled out of the deal, but knowing the kind of people the state are; she took out Mrs Musoni before they could take her out.’

The journalists were now taking more photos as the first lady paused.

‘My husband was devastated when he learnt about Wane’s death, he never really got over it and I guess that is what drove him into sending one of his men to take out Justin and Chimuka. He led them to go to stay easy hotel and I knew about the plan, he shot Justin twice but I was quick enough to save him. I killed the killer and burnt most of his body because then you would all think it was Justin, I got the ring Mr Kunda was wearing and his wrist watch and placed it on the man as the only evidence to show that it was Justin. I also put his clothes on the floor to make it look like he was having an affair with Chimuka because then it would have been easy to convince everyone that Felicia really killed them and that way the state or rather my husband wouldn’t have come for her. It’s just sad that Chimuka did not make it.’ She said
‘You know you are a great God.’ I said with a smile as I stared at the roof

‘So what exactly are you saying?’ her Lordship asked

‘Justin is safe and will be back to his wife, the man in the morgue is the man that was hired by my husband to kill Justin and Chimuka. Mrs Kunda is innocent. The state is rotten and is being ran by selfish men who just want to fatten their bellies, they steal the innocent citizen’s money and use it for their own benefit, and they make a banquet by making the poor bend over and use their backs as a table as they wine and dine. Be careful on who you put into power, be careful on who you trust with your children’s future.’ She said before stepping down

There was silence in the room, everyone was in shock. I held my belly and just smiled.

***

‘Hannah please don’t play too far from the pond.’ I yelled

‘Oh she is a black pearl.’ Felicia responded

‘She takes after you.’ I told her rubbing her belly

‘What will we name him?’ She asked

‘Jacob.’ I said before bursting into laughter

‘Eish ba Jacob almost murdered us.’ She told me remembering our life five years ago

‘Justin.’ She told me again

‘What?’ I asked

‘Our boy’s name will be Justin.’ She responded

I kissed her on the cheek.
‘When should we go back to Zambia? Our kids need to know their roots.’ She asked me

‘When they are old enough to distinguish right from wrong.’ I told her

‘I love you babe.’

‘I love you more.’

‘Us against the world.’

THE END.

DECEPTION

Deception Episode 27

‘What do you want from us?’ A scared Chimuka asked looking at the figure before us

Working for the office of the President I had prepared myself for so many things but never for once did I think that I would stare at death in the face.

The man was dark, darker than my worst night mares. He had scares across the face, scares that explained the kind of fibre he was made of.
I had heard of such men whilst in the service but never once had I met one, given a chance to retell my story I would say he was worser than the night Hallows.

‘You know, I am a man of a few words. I don’t explain myself to my victims much less make small talk with them.’ The killer began

‘But the two of you intrigue me, how exactly did you manage to kill the late vice president? He asked his gun pointing at Chimuka

There was silence in the room.

‘We can be here the whole day, I don’t mind spending the last few hours of your miserable lives with you.’ He said

‘I don’t regret ending her life, she was an evil woman and deserved everything that came her way.’ Chimuka said when she gathered strength

The man lifted his gun and pulled the trigger without even thinking twice.

I watched as she battled with her life, trying to grasp for some air but the bullet hit its intended spot and the killer knew just that.

‘Now you, what do you have to say about yourself?’ He asked me

I looked at him then my eyes shifted to Chimuka’s lifeless body, a young lady that had sacrificed her life just so Felicia could live. I wasn’t going to beg this maniac, he had killed a lot of people and seeing his victims beg is what gave him zeal to kill.
He didn’t care about anything or anyone.

‘You want to act tough?’ He asked without even looking at me.

‘I have served this country right, I have no words to tell you.’ I responded Felicia’s image filling up my mind.

‘Walk.’ He ordered

‘What?’ I asked

‘Walk.’ He said angrily

I stood up and opened the door, I was half way in the corridor when I felt a bullet hitting my side; I held it and noticed the blood. I turned around and he pulled the trigger again hitting my other side.
Just then I felt a weakness in my legs, memories rushing back as quickly as they had happened. I saw my wife dressed as a bride on our wedding, the moments we had been happy. I thought of my child who was on the way, was it going to be a girl? One who would turn out to be as beautiful and intelligent as her mother? Or maybe a boy, who would carry my wisdom? Calculating his words before speaking because he knows that words spit can never be swallowed again? I smiled as I breathed my last, my child would be safe with a mother like my Felicia.
I woke up at around 23hours because I was feeling sick to the stomach, I rushed to the bathroom and threw up. I stayed on the toilet bowl for some time before getting up, I went to the sink and washed my mouth when it suddenly dawned on me that Justin wasn’t on his side of the bed when I woke up.

I went to the living room to check on him but he wasn’t there, every other room and still there was no sign of him. The doors were all locked and his phone wasn’t in the house either. I grabbed my handset and tried dialling his line but it took me straight to voice mail.

‘This is so unlike him.’ I thought to myself

Never in the years that we had been married had he ever gone out without a word and much less his phone going off. Nerves were getting a hold of me so I decided I should call Chimuka, a part of me was worried that maybe something was wrong somewhere. I tried her number once and it gave me the same response.

Tears filled up my eyes, I for one have instincts that have never failed me and at that moment I knew that something was wrong somewhere. I sat impatiently on the couch waiting for him to enter the house and tell me that he had just gone out or something. The minutes kept ticking, turning into hours, until night turned into morning and yet there was no sign of him neither was his phone on. As the first rays of light hit the curtain drapes, I quickly opened my doors and went to stand in the street because maybe he had fallen and there was no one to help him up but there was still no sign.

I must have dozed off after an hour because I was disturbed with the sound of my phone, I looked at the caller ID and it was Justin’s number. My heart skipped a beat and I was relieved that he was finally calling.

‘Baby.’ I said immediately I picked up

‘Mrs Kunda?’ the voice that wasn’t my husband’s said at the other end of the line

‘Where is my husband?’ I said firmly tears threatening to fall

‘Please come to stay easy hotel now room 04.’ The voice said before dropping the line

I was in a state of confusion, why would someone call me using my husband’s line and ask me to meet them at stay easy hotel. I called Lindile to meet me there and drove quickly, I switched on the radio and tuned in to Hot FM where Chi and Hope’s voices were on the air waves.

‘It’s really sad you know.’ Chi said

‘Yes it is, I wonder how the wife will react.’ Hope responded

‘I hear the cops have called her and she is on her way to the hotel.’ He responded

‘What I don’t understand is how the bodies caught fire, Stay easy hotel is fully secured.’ She told him

At that moment I must have lost it because I drove like a mad person, what exactly was happening?

‘God please spare my husband.’ I whispered slowly realizing there was a greater being than myself.

I got to the hotel and there were a lot of journalists and cops, I rushed to the entrance and I was stopped by some police officers who had put a yellow line.

‘Sorry ma’am but this is a restricted area.’ One of them told me

‘I was called to come here.’ I responded as calmly as I could

‘Show me your phone.’ He requested

I gave it to him and he dialled using Justin’s phone and it rang.

‘Follow me.’ He said

I walked quietly behind him, my worst fears being confirmed. Kindly hi ish on+233544142683 to be added to his story room to enjoy more episodes from there. We got on the elevator and got to the second floor. The corridor was full of police officers.

‘We need you to stay strong because only you can close this case.’ He said when we got to a room
He opened the door and what I saw shocked me, laying there was a man fully bent and on the other side was Chimuka who only had burns on her sides and the stomach.

‘Can you identify the lady?’ he asked

‘Yes, I knew her. She was brought in by my mother in law some time back.’ I said my eyes focussed on the clothes that were laying on the floor, Justin’s clothes.

‘Ma’am and the man?’ he asked

I looked at the image again then something caught my eye, his ring and the watch I had bought him on his 30th birthday.

‘No!!!!!’ I screamed as I held the burnt body

‘Baby please don’t do this to me.’ I cried shaking the man

Some officers came to pull me away as they got a black tent and wrapped him

‘Prepare the bodies for the mortuary.’ The officer said

Just then some ZAF officers walked in.

‘Leave everything as it is, we will take it from here.’ One of them said

‘Mrs Kunda you are under arrest for the murder of Mr Justin Kunda and Ms Chimuka Hamoonga, you have the right to remain silent because anything you say may and will be used against you in the caught of law.’ He said after turning towards me
I couldn’t believe my ears, how was it that I had killed my husband? They got the cuffs and put them on my arms as they led me to Central police.
tbc

DECEPTION 

Deception Episode 26

I held my belly again not able to believe that I was finally going to hold my own child, I had been sick the last thirty days and I was convinced that it’s because I had witnessed Chimuka murder the vice president. I took a bold step the previous week and was told that I was five weeks up. Five months since my husband discovered that his tea had been drugged for I don’t know how long, five months since I started living in fear and along the way I guess the drug must have lost its strength because how then can you explain my being pregnant.

I kept debating if at all I should let Justin know or maybe keep it to myself, we had by all means avoided the President and I had finally resigned because I did not want anything to do with the state after all the secrets I had discovered along the way.

‘You have been lost in thought.’ I heard Justin say

‘Well hai, I did not hear you come in.’ I told him as I pulled on my Jersey

‘How are you feeling?’ he asked as he came to kiss my cheek

‘I am good thank you, how was work?’ I asked him

‘It was the same.’ He answered with a sadness

‘What exactly is happening to you?’ I asked him

Justin had been acting strange of late, despite the fact that we were trying to patch things up I knew that he was not the same. And I was really getting worried

‘It’s nothing baby, I don’t want to worry you.’ He told me

‘No babe tell me, you haven’t been yourself of late and that is enough reason for me to be worried.’ I responded

‘Well.’ He began

‘I am all ears.’ I answered

‘It’s the President babe.’ He said

I sighed, I dreaded anything to do with that man, and I didn’t want to hear anything concerning him. He had turned out to be the worst nightmare.

‘You see why I didn’t want to mention his name.’ he said lifting my chin

‘We better get it over with, sooner or later I will find out.’ I told him

‘He has been giving me a hard time, I don’t know what to do to please him.’ He responded

‘Babe, I think it is high time you let go of that job.’ I told him

‘Well I have been planning to talk to you about that.’ He answered

‘It is just the right thing to do, how long are you going to suffer under the mercy of that man. We have already seen enough.’ I told him when he lay his head on my laps

There was a silence between us, we were both in our own world, I guess what happened to the vice president was hard on the both of us.

***

‘Yes sir.’

‘Kindly come to my office.’ I said before dropping the phone

She walked in as soon as possible, she looked scared. I had instilled fear in almost everyone I worked with because Wane’s death had been hard to accept.

‘I have been calling Justin’s phones and they keep taking me straight to voice mail, I have not seen him in here. What the hell is happening around this place?’ I asked furiously

‘Sir I thought you read your mails.’ She responded
‘What do my mails have to do with his reporting for work?’ I asked pacing around my office

‘Mr Kunda resigned a week ago, I forwarded the emails.’ She told me

I got my laptop and entered the password, it was flooding with mails and it looked like a trash can. I went to my mails and there it was.

‘I am sorry to inform you Sir that I can no longer work with your office, it has been a great pleasure serving both you and the Country. I wish you and your office happiness in your future endeavours. Mr Kunda.’

I grabbed my laptop and threw it to the ground, causing it to crush.

‘Get out of my office!’ I ordered

She rushed out and I was fuming, I grabbed my phone and punched the one number that I had dreaded.

‘Well, well. What do we have here?’ the voice said at the end of the line

I kept quite not sure if I had made the right decision by dialling the number

‘I need your help.’ I said whilst panting

‘Of course you do, otherwise why would you be calling me?’ the voice asked

‘I need you to take two people down.’ I said

‘Who?’ he asked

‘Justin Kunda and Chimuka Hamoonga.’ I responded

‘You know how I do my work, I need to know why I am doing what I am doing.’ He said

‘I am just settling an old score.’ I responded

‘Don’t bullshit me, either you tell me or you can sort it out yourself.’ He said

‘The girl took out Wane.’ I responded

‘Wane? The late vice President?’ he asked

‘Yes.’ I answered

The man let out an evil laugh

‘I thought she was the smartest woman in your office, what happened?’ he asked

‘I don’t have to explain myself to you.’ I said the laugh piercing through my heart

He kept quite

‘Make it look like a murder case, burn them to ashes.’ I said

‘Wow, someone is becoming evil.’ He said

‘I don’t want anything to remain, but make sure to frame his wife; Felicia. I will send you everything you need.’ I said before hanging up the phone
I watched as Felicia slept, I wish she could find the courage to tell me about her pregnancy. But I had promised myself that I wasn’t going to push her, her gynaecologist had called me the day she did her test to inform me about the pregnancy. I had never been so happy in my life.

I was disturbed when I received a text from Chimuka asking me to meet her at Stay easy hotel room 04, she sounded like it was an urgent matter. I pecked Feli on the lips and locked up.
I was out partying when I got a text from Justin asking me to meet him at stay easy hotel room 04, I had not heard from him since we buried the vice president and I guessed it was urgent. I got on the first cab I saw and asked the driver to take me to stay easy hotel, I was there in 10minutes because I had been at Lusaka hotel where my friend was holding a bachelorette party.

I rushed to the room and found Justin inside pacing up and down with his hands in the pockets.

‘What is the problem?’ we both asked at the same time

‘Wait what are you talking about?’ I asked him
He removed his phone and showed me the text, I also removed mine and showed him the text. We looked at each and I knew that we had fallen into the lion’s den.

‘Call your wife now.’ I ordered him

He got his phone and it was not connecting.

‘Here try mine.’ I said handing him my phone

He tried it and it also took him straight to voice mail.

‘We need to get out of here.’ I told him

We were about to leave when the door opened.

‘Well look who we have here.’ The person said 

FROM PROLOGUE
‘Mrs. Kunda, can you once again tell us your relationship to the deceased before judgment is passed’, her Lordship asked me.
I looked at her with my blood shot eyes. I didn’t know what to say to her. I had exhausted all my energy and I didn’t have anything else to say. Either to the jury, the court or the Judge herself.
‘Mrs. Kunda, this is your last chance…any last words’, she asked again.
I stood up from my seat, I could feel all the eyes crawling on me. I could feel the hate and hurt, the pain, the hunger to kill me was intense. Justin’s mum was also in the court room, she came to bid farewell to her son’s surviving widow and coming here today was the only way to avenge her son.
‘You can start by telling us your relationship to Mr. Kunda and Ms. Hamonga, both in question are deceased.’
 ‘Thank you Mrs. Kunda, court adjoined to Friday.’ The Judge announced.
 The guards led me to my cell and locked me up. In the three months I had been here, I had cried, prayed, talked to lawyers but all seemed in vain.
Two days from now my fate would be decided, I loved Justin so much I would never hurt him and I know he would never cheat on me. What was killing me was how he got in that bed with Chimuka, I had so many questions and it seemed to me that he had died with all the answers.
Justin’s parents had refused to bury his body until they saw to it that I was behind bars; two months of my husband’s body being in the morgue. Now here I am, alone in this cell and at this point am starting to believe that maybe I did kill him.
When the world is totally against you, even your inner voice sounds like a liar. Maybe I did murder him, or maybe am just going insane.
DECEPTION…LIES…DEATH
What do you do when the man you trusted is the one that kills your trust?
When the government you trust is the one that is rotten.
Who really killed Justin?
tbc