(Continued from Deadbeat Father I)
Purity stops screaming when she realises that it is an exercise in futility. No one is going to rescue her. She has no idea where they are going, but they are now moving through a wooded area. The motorcycle is moving so fast that her most immediate concern is that they will get an accident. She clings to her captor even though it is the last thing she wants to do.
She has heard stories about people who have disappeared without a trace, only for their mutilated bodies to be found later. It is all over the news these days. Is that what will happen to her? But what has she done to deserve this? She doesn’t have any enemies, at least none that she is aware of. She tries to live peacefully with everyone. Why then would anyone wish her harm? Could it be a business rival? Or maybe one of Boniface’s enemies?
Recently Boniface has become quite active politically. He wants to vie for the Juja MP seat in the next election, and so he has been reaching out to various groups to mobilize support. He has been visiting different churches, women groups, boda boda associations, farmers etc. Less than two years to the election, his campaign is already rolling and gaining traction. His rivals, including the sitting MP, are not happy. Could they be behind this? The sitting MP is a certified thug. He is known to hire thugs to intimidate his opponents. He did it in the last election, and there is no reason why he cannot do it again this time.
He must be behind her kidnapping; but towards what end? If she is reported missing, Boniface will get a lot of face time on TV. And if she is killed, he will get sympathy votes. Or perhaps they want to bully him out of the race. Purity doesn’t understand politics and politicians. But she has been supporting her husband because she knows he is a good man.
Boniface has been good to her for these two years-actually it is almost three years since they first met. Other than helping her complete her studies, he also paid for her father’s treatment. Her father died anyway, and it is Boniface who footed the funeral expenses. When they started dating, Boniface moved her from the hostel she had been staying at and rented a one bedroom apartment for her. And then he later invited her to live with him in his house as his wife.
Boniface is a honorable man. When they started making love, he went to her home and made his intentions clear to her mother. A dowry ceremony was organized, and he came with his people and paid dowry. Last year he built a two bedroom house for her mother and started a chicken project for her. Now Nancy sells eggs and broiler chicken for a living.
Boniface opened Pury Beauty Parlor for Purity when she was in fourth year. He coached her on how to run a business and helped her hire competent staff. Now she can confidently call herself a businesswoman. Although she still consults him from time to time, she no longer needs him to guide her day to day. She moved in with him around the time he opened the parlor for her. Every morning he would drop her at school as he went to work. She would leave school at 3 pm and head to the parlor to see what her employees were doing. She mostly does managerial work, but after she completed her studies at KU, Boniface encouraged her to take a course in hair and beauty therapy so she can understand what her employees do.
Boniface is a good husband and she loves him dearly. He has promised to buy her a car, but she does not pressure him. He has already done so much for her. Some of her classmates are still tarmacking, and here she is, living in a huge house and priding herself as an entrepreneur. She might even buy the car herself if the business continues doing as well as it has been doing in the last two years. But for now, she is comfortable. She has been taking motorcycles and matatus and it is not a problem for her.
That is, until she was kidnapped by this monster.
The only regret she will have if she is killed today is that she won’t get the opportunity to tell Boniface that she is carrying his child. She missed her periods this month, and since they are usually very regular, she suspected that something was happening in her womb. She took the test yesterday and it turned out to be positive.
He has always told her that he desired to have a child with her. But she has always put it off because she felt her plate was full, since she was juggling school and a new business. But this year she felt ready so she got off the contraception. And now she is pregnant. She planned to share the news with him tonight during dinner but due to the turn of events, it seems he will learn about it from Dr. Johannsen Oduor, the government pathologist, after her autopsy.
The thought scares her. She can only hope that this monster will kill her quick. She does not want to suffer.
*
The motorcycle stops at an abandoned house in the middle of nowhere. The place is not exactly a forest, although there are trees and thickets all over. There is no sign of habitation anywhere. As her captor switches off the engine, Purity gets off quickly, acting purely on impulse, and starts running away while screaming. She is an athletic girl, having grown up in a rural area. She has also been going to the gym regularly with Boniface. But she soon realises that she cannot run far with the high heels she is wearing. As she bends down to remove them, she feels her captor’s powerful hands upon her. She starts screaming again prompting him to cover her mouth with his hand.
He drags her into the creaky house and pushes her to the floor. She stops screaming momentarily. She expected it to be dark inside but there is a window that is ensuring that it is well lit. The earthen floor is dirty though. Other than the soil, there are dry lumps of faeces that may belong to a human being or a dog. She cannot be sure. After the initial shock is over, she starts screaming again, at the top of her voice.
“Just shut your beak,” he replies calmly. “No one ever comes here so you are wasting your time and energy.”
Purity freezes. The voice stops her cold.
If this man had sneaked into her house and spoken without her seeing him, she could have sworn that it was Boniface talking. She cannot see his face because he is still wearing a helmet.
“Who are you?” she asks softly.
He slowly removes his helmet, and she is even more stunned. He is a younger version of Boniface. The face is the same, but younger.
“I am the man whose mother you killed.”
“What are you talking about? Are you Boniface’s son?”
“Of course I am! My mother died in pain and anguish because of you.”
“Me? I have never met her. Besides, the day I met your father he told me that your mother died from breast cancer when you guys were teenagers. He even showed me her grave!”
“You are a liar! You have been spending my father’s money while we suffered in the village. My sisters and I did not complete our studies because of you! My mother died a painful death last month because she could not get treatment, and that was because of you. But today you will pay! I will make you pay for what you did to us, and you will pay with your blood!”
Tears are now rolling and down the man’s cheeks. Seeing him cry, Purity reckons that she can reason with him and save her skin. Hardcore criminals don’t cry.
“Please understand. I had no idea that that is what was happening. Boniface told me that he was a widower, that his wife died years ago from breast cancer. He told me that all his children are grown up and are university graduates…”
“Shut up you liar! You are a home breaker and a filthy parasite! I will kill you and then I will hunt for him and kill him. Both of you will die like dogs for what you did to my mother.”
He now has a crazed look in his eyes, and Purity instantly knows that she is dead meat. He has gone beyond the reasoning stage. He grabs her and lifts her up with one hand. He is surprisingly strong, considering his slight build. He pushes her to the wall and that is when she sees the knife. She screams one last time as he drives the knife towards her stomach.
(CONTINUED HERE)
Image by Leeroy Agency from Pixabay: https://pixabay.com/photos/construction-worker-builder-build-569149/
*
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