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AARON ANSAH-AGYEMAN
DARK LIGHT
A ChrisEffe Bliss
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The Author
EPISODE 38
[passster password=”flair”]Elaine knew it was going to be hell convincing Wailer that she had messed up badly, and so she used the only means open to her: she lied about Frank Williams being anonymous.
That was how they operated; they picked on easy prey, or people with great emotional distress whose deaths would not raise too many eyebrows.
Frank Williams had been a prime candidate because he was extremely rich, and did not have any close friends or family in the country.
Elaine’s only escape was to make Frank Williams a high-risk candidate.
Wailer was waiting for her when she got to the villa in the morning. He was in the pool area, reclining in a lounge chair in only a pair of white shorts. He sat up when Elaine approached, and his cold eyes fixed her a deadly stare.
“What happened?” he asked coldly. “You better have a good reason. I was waiting last night to transfer fifty million dollars into my account. It only needed you to tell me that Mr. Frank Williams, who has been hitting that expensive pussy of yours, was dead!”
Elaine forced herself to look at him with equal coldness.
Wailer was like a killer snake, and could sniff fear and uncertainty in a second, and what usually followed that was instant death.
“He had a party last night, Wailer,” Elaine said calmly. “He has friends, lots of friends. And he introduced me to some of them. A few parliamentarians, two Ministers of State. His best buddies whilst in Ghana, it seems, are two army officers and three high-braid policemen. I could not call you because he had me by his side the whole time, claiming his friends could not be trusted. So, I told him there are things I must attend to, and that I would see him this evening. Your call, boss. Should I go ahead with the plans?”
“Motherfucker!” Wailer cursed and kicked at a low table in front of him, sending plates and cups and food scattering on the deck.
He got to his feet and threw the cigar in his hand into the pool.
He picked up a knife from the deck and pressed it sharply against her throat. A stab of panic assailed Elaine, but she forced herself to remain calm.
“Don’t fuck with me, Elaine!” he hissed dangerously. “Are you shooting straight with me?”
“He had some recordings, Wailer,” Elaine said calmly, but her intestines were twisting with fear. “I can ask him to send me copies so that you see for yourself!”
“And why the fuck didn’t you record them yourself?” Wailer asked coldly.
Elaine pushed him away fiercely, pretending a fury she did not feel.
“Because he warned me his friends are powerful and I should not try to take photos of them!” she shouted angrily. “If you want him dead just tell me, Wailer! I’ll meet him this evening and finish the damn contract!”
Wailer threw the knife away with a scream of fury.
“Get the fuck outta my sight, Elaine,” he said coldly. “Frank Williams is closed, do you hear me? Call him, tell him you patched up things with your fiancé and so it’s over with him!”
Elaine shrugged noncommittally.
“As you wish, Wailer,” she said and began to walk away from him.
“Elaine!” he called tightly.
She stopped and turned to face him.
“Yeah?”
“If I find out that you fucked up about this, I’ll cut off your head,” Wailer said coldly. “Do you understand?”
“Sometimes you make me sick, Wailer!” she hissed furiously, as she was supposed to, and turned away from him again. It took all her willpower to walk away normally without breaking into a run or looking back.
She expected a knife in her back, or a bullet smashing into her head any minute, but she walked away normally without turning around.
She rode the elevator upwards and only exhaled when she got into the bedroom. Steve was not around, and her lips curled up bitterly. Probably out there pretending to be looking for another prey, but hanging around Effe’s crib, the bastard!
Elaine loved Steve with all her heart, but she knew the time had come to take very drastic decisions. There was a drug inside her which was slowly killing her. There was Wailer breathing down her neck. She knew Wailer could find out if she lied about the whole issue, and then he would indeed cut off her head.
The time had come for her to cut her losses.
It was not as if she lacked much. She had enough saved that she could live on in moderate luxury the rest of her life. The trouble was that there was no where safe from Wailer’s reach. If she left without his permission, there would be nowhere safe for her.
He would find her, and kill her.
But Frank was proving to be a man in his own right with a hidden agenda she could not fathom out. Maybe, if she played her cards right, and shifted allegiance sensibly, she could just manage to escape the wrath of Wailer.
The trouble was with Steve.
Lately, he had been distant, and she had felt him withdrawing from her gradually. His extended years spent with Effe had affected him, and clouded his brain. More and more, he was drifting towards the hope that Effe had survived, and it was something that filled Elaine with great fear and jealousy.
She wanted Effe dead, but there was still no confirmation of the star designer’s death, so there was the probability that she might have survived. That was frightening because no one had ever survived the venom.
Well, if Steve had fallen for Effe for real, then maybe Elaine should cut her losses and cleave to Frank. It would be a painful horrendous period trying to get over Steve, but Frank was fun to be with and absolutely insatiable in bed, so maybe she could forget Steve quickly with Frank by her side.
She locked the door and then took out her phone. The battery was low, and she sat for a long time staring at the brand-new charger Frank had given her.
Well, maybe this, whatever it was, would help her escape Wailer for good.
Elaine finally stood up and inserted the charger into the wall socket, and plugged her phone in.
She waited with bated breath, waiting for a sound, the lights to dim, something to crash, to explode… but nothing happened.
The phone was charging normally.
She went to her bag to make sure she had not taken her old charger by mistake, but it was already on the floor at the far corner.
She hesitated for a moment, and then went to the bathroom to take a shower.
***
Five days passed for Effe.
It was extremely blissful to be back in Takoradi.
First, she checked her accounts and confirmed that Steve had indeed cleared her out. She was extremely furious about it, and decided to make a formal police complaint about it, but she was glad she did not have to return to the house.
If that house had been available, she would have sold it herself.
And then, a check on one of her smaller accounts with a different bank showed that a huge amount of money had been deposited recently by Mr. Steve Hollison.
This had caught Effe off guard.
It was not up to all that they had taken from her, but it was considerable, roughly a third of what he had stolen from her.
So, why had he made that deposit? To prove what? Effe quickly forgot about him.
Luckily, she had a separate account, unknown to Steve, where she had been depositing some of her money towards the eventual marriage to Steve, and so she had that as backup for the mean time.
Rupert had agreed to help her find Eden, and so he had taken the cheque Eden had left to pursue it. That had crashed in a dead-end because the cheque was drawn from an account that termed ‘benevolent’ fund at the bank.
According to them, a wired transfer had arrived at the bank with the instructions that an account be opened and maintained as a fund for special needy people. The bank had been alarmed at first, thinking it was an attempt at money laundering, but a directive had come from the Minister of Finance then to clear the account.
That had been about fifteen years ago.
Periodically, monies were wired into the account, and once in a while a cheque was presented by individuals or group of individuals to make a claim on the fund.
As a result, the bank had no names or addresses of persons associated with it, and had opened the account on names and signatories provided by the Finance Minister at that time.
The said minister was not in the country anymore. Following a shift in political power, he had left the country ten years ago. Rupert said he would let his boys get in touch with the man in Switzerland to elicit more information.
Luckily for Effe, her personal effects, designs and most of her wardrobe had been brought to the headquarters of EK Klaz Lines. Steve had ensured that she got her personal belongings, at least.
The hype was back, and journalists chased her everywhere she went. The rumours had been that she had suffered a debilitating illness. To see her back, more beautiful and more alluring, sparked off Social Media trending interest and made a great buzz in the media.
She reported to Eden Hospital where Doctor Gabriel Anaman had broken down completely when he saw her. The medical team had been in great wonder, and Doctor Samantha Sanders, in particular, had pressed her earnestly to give her details of the doctor who had treated her.
As promised, her parents moved into her new house, and so she was spared the agony of being alone.
And then there was Roger Mann, the darkly handsome, lithe customer that Mirinda, her second personal assistant, brought to the office to meet Effe on her second day in the office.
That day had started in a horrid manner!
Effe, who was using one of her office cars – a Mercedes ML SUV – had stopped at a traffic light and had been searching for her eye drops in her bag. She still had niggling pains in her eyes, and although Doctor Ray Annan had advised her to take it easy for a couple of weeks before going to work, she could not bear the silence of living without Eden.
Feeling the pains increasing and remembering she had not applied the drops before leaving home, her head was bent as she looked for her medicine and suddenly, she heard a bark!
A dog’s bark!
She looked up frantically.
Dezzy!
But the dog that had barked was a Dalmatian on a leash, held by a white lady going for a walk.
Effe’s heart beat horribly with sudden despair and sadness.
“Oh, Eden!” she whispered. “Stop doing this to me!”
And when she finally got to the office, she avoided speaking to the press people that had gathered and waiting. She was too despondent to pretend to them, and so she took the elevator to the top floor.
She dropped her bag in her plush office and then she took off her coat and went straight to her huge designing parlour.
Effe sighed as she took the small black photo pad in her bag. She had attached the six pieces of notes she had found at the cabin inside the pad. For several moments she looked at them with tears threatening to spill, imagining Eden writing them with such despair.
Who was he?
How did he look like?
Oh, Eden…my Eden!
She picked up her pencils, sat at her table, and began to design.
She was late for the next big season in fashion, and she had some great ideas to put down, ideas inspired by a strange man and his dog!
The door opened suddenly, and Mirinda came in with the darkly handsome Mr. Roger Mann.
According to Mirinda, Roger Mann had made very expensive purchases and sent them to his outlets in South Africa and Kenya. He was interested in the Sahara Expo which was going to be an international African fashion event for the sub-Saharan region.
Roger Mann wanted to work out a deal to purchase in bulk for his stores in the two African countries.
Effe looked up slowly from her sketches and sighed, and then she stood up and smiled.
Mr. Roger Mann just stood transfixed and stared at her with a look that bordered on shock and absolute admiration!
***
Steve Hollison, who was in his real form, and who had taken the name Roger Mann – which, incidentally, was the name he had been born with – stared at Effe with his heart in his throat!
He could not believe what he was seeing!
The last time he had seen Effe Kedem, she was almost dead!
Her eyes had protruded so alarmingly, her face had been twisted out of form, her nose was bulbous and pimply and ugly! She had been swollen in the face with her mouth severely twisted out of shape!
Effe had not been human!
She had been a most horrible gargoyle!
But here she was…an angel!
Sure, she had lost a bit of weight, but she seemed to be glowing even more fiercely than he ever remembered!
Her skin was so smooth and beautiful, devoid of any imperfections. She was wearing her hair long over her shoulders, and Lord…her face!
She was glowing with an inner light that took his breath away!
Her cheeks had colour, and her eyes shone with the allure of diamonds! Her smile had always been beautiful, but it now had an added quality, a depth of life and beauty blended and made almost divine!
Steve’s legs were unsteady, and tears almost came to his eyes as he watched her, this wonderful creature who had loved him in his other form unconditionally! This woman he had trampled on and hurt in the worst possible way!
His heart thudded heavily in his chest, and for a moment he almost passed out. He had proposed to her, and she had accepted! This woman, this fantastic woman, could have been his!
Indeed, it was true that humans really did not appreciate what they had until they lost it! He was reminded strongly of a story he had heard once about a rich man standing on the deck of a shape with a large diamond in his hands.
The man would toss it up and admire the moonlight hitting the gem and making it glow so brilliantly. He would throw and catch, throw and catch, and the people on the deck looked at this display with awe!
And then, suddenly, the man sneezed as he threw the diamond, and its curvature was suddenly changed! The diamond hit the deck and began to role fast!
The man screamed, and many tried to stop the rolling gem, but it slithered off the deck and hit the roiling sea water. The rich man rushed to the railing and stared down. The last sight he had of his diamond was it glowing in the sea, and slowly sinking down!
And that was exactly what Steve was finding out as Effe glided towards him.
Poise, elegance, style, and beauty!
Steve almost wept and hugged her.
Lord, he had missed her so much!
Oh, Lord, what had he done?
What a fool he had been!
He loved her!
He loved her so much!
Dearest, loving Father above, please help me out here! I’ve leant my lessons, Lord, please…give me her love once more, Lord, I beg of thee!
Effe had reached his side and seemed to find her avid stare a bit embarrassing.
“Mr Mann!” said Mirinda. “Are you okay? Is there something wrong?”
No, Mirinda…I’m mad! I’m stark raving mad!
Effe! Oh, dear Lord, dear Lord!
He wished there was another entrance to flee through, but alas there was nowhere to go, and she looked at him squarely!
His hands moved forward instinctively, like he always did when they stayed together, with his palms slightly crooked to hook her solid as he hugged her tightly.
But he checked himself when he saw her look of terror as she stared at his hands, remembering harshly! She took a step backward and stared at him with sudden horror!
The thought was like an exploding volcano in Effe’s head…
Dear Lord, that’s how Steve hugs…Jesus!
Steve looked at her face and saw the deep revulsion, and then he looked down and saw his hands, fingers bent to claw her to him, his familiar hugging posture, always followed by the words:
My darling Effe, let me claw you to my soul!
Jesus, old habits!
He was giving himself away, damn it!
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Premium Story: A ChrisEffe Bliss :: DARK LIGHT :: EPISODE 37
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U r now a dead goat wai Steve. Don’t worry urself cos u will not win her this time
[…] February 14, 2020 Posted by Aaron Ansah-Agyeman Dark Light No Comments Previous Episode […]
Oh Steve Hollison Roger Mann, know that changing names doesn’t change attitude and character. Old habits don’t die.
Chris, knows how to cover his tracks. Damn.
Ohh Steve. .different face, same mannerisms. ..