Consequences

Chapter 40

The meeting with Kemi was something I couldn't afford to miss. I wanted so much information into the cause of Ola's death that I kept aside the fact that she had gone with him to the hotel.

As  I left the house, I got into my car and drove down to her house. Once I got there I parked the car outside. The gate man saw me and  was startled.

"Ah, welcome madam, long time." He greeted. The startled look on his face got me a little worried. But I forced a smile and asked,
"Is your madam in the house?"
"Yes." He said, opening the gate for me to come in. When I entered he closed the gate and led me to the front door and knocked.

The door opened and to my surprise a man of average height, probably in his thirties, with a few muscles on his shoulders came out and closed the door.

He was dressed in a black suit and when our eyes met, he frowned. The next thing I knew he was going for my handbag.

" Excuse me where is Kemi?" I asked surprised. He ignored me but held my hand and took my bag. I tried to make some resistance, but with one hand, he pushed me against the wall by the side of the front door.

I  was shocked by this approach and wondered what he wanted to do.  He opened my bag.

"What are you carrying in your handbag?" He demanded. He had started searching my bag and this made me angry.

"Give me my bag. Give me my bag you idiot!" I shouted. Just then the front door opened and Kemi came out in time to see us struggling with each other.

" Jerry, no! Please leave her, she's my friend." She shouted at the man. The man immediately stopped his search and looked at me.

"She's clean, Kemi." He said as he gave me back my bag.  I stared at the man terribly worried about my visit.  The man left me and went inside leaving me and Kemi standing outside.

"Kemi what is the meaning of all this?"

"Sorry my dear for his behavior. I didn't tell him you were coming. "
"And who is he to handle me like that?"

"Let's go inside and I will explain. It's not something that I can tell you outside." Without saying a word I followed her in and looked around.

"Don't look around Tola, it's still the same house you used to come."

"Except as I see it, you now have a bulldog." Kemi frowned.

"A bulldog? What are you talking about?"
"You need to see how that man attacked me outside. Only bulldogs attack like that."

"Actually Tola it was my mistake like I told you the first time." She said, as she beckoned me to sit down. I sat down opposite her in the sitting room and the same man that grabbed my bag came over to her and whispered something in her ears.  When he finished he gave me a menacing look and then left the sitting room.

"So who is he, Kemi? And why was he looking at me like that?" I asked.

"It's a long story but he's here for security reasons."

"Security?" She nodded.

"Well he's a sort of bodyguard if I can put it that way." I stared at her and gulped. I couldn't imagine why she needed a bodyguard. But it made me remember the words of Chuks the hotel manager who said a woman was carried out of the hotel by gunmen. 

"A bodyguard?" I asked.

"Yes, Tola."
"And why do you need a bodyguard?" She stared at me and suddenly her face melted into sadness.

"Like I said it's a long story. And it's something I just have to get off my chest."
"Is that why you wanted to see me?" She nodded. I still had the pictures  she took with Ola and brought them out and showed them to her.