The following happened between 8am and 9am
Jasmine’s phone was ringing.
Who is that?
Her hand moved to her bedside table and searched for the nuisance that was disturbing her sleep. She was sure that the call was work-related.
If she dared sat down to contemplate, she was certain she wouldn’t remember the last time she slept for eight hours straight. The police force was underpaid and yet over-worked. Still, she wouldn’t give up her job. She loved it.
She answered the call, rubbing her eyes.
“What’s it?” She asked.
“Richard Harrison had no girlfriend or mistress” The caller said.
“Impossible!” Jasmine fired. Her eyes opened widely and her feet were no longer on her bed. She couldn’t believe it. Richard was a man who loved fun like no other. “Are you sure…?”
“I’m cocksure, ma” The caller said and added “His last girlfriend was in secondary school”.
She shook her head. Was her assistant trying to say Richard had been faithful to Kim Harrison? That was hard to believe, not only for Richard but for any man on planet earth. Her adulterous dad and her dad’s brother taught her that lesson at an early age.
“What of one night stands?” She asked.
“It’s possible. But no one saw him chase any particular woman around”.
****
Connor stared at his board again. Something was not right. First, the housekeeper’s testimony. He didn’t believe any word that came out from her mouth but, he didn’t want to doubt her in front of Jasmine.
Meryl Maina claimed that she arrived at Kim Harrison’s compound at 10:45pm. And she said that she walked straight ahead to the guest house to pick her son’s drawing book which she forgot while cleaning there.
On getting there, the door wasn’t locked. So, she entered immediately went from the living room to the kitchen. And on getting to the kitchen, she found the Richard’s body in a pool of blood. Out of fear, she grabbed her phone at once and called the police. And so, she waited outside the guest house until they arrived. Nice story. He thought. But, it wasn’t brilliant.
It was too obvious that she lacked creativity when it came to lying. He played the tape of Meryl’s call for help to the police. “Help! My employers are dead”. “Help! My employers are dead”. Why did she say ‘employers’, if it was only Richard that she found lying on the floor of the kitchen? Anxiety? Panic? He shook his head.
Was Kim also lying on that floor? He wrote the question on a paper and pinned it on the board. In addition, if truly Meryl arrived at 10:45. She would walk from the gate to the guest quarters for ten minutes, at most twelve minutes. He had gone back to the Harrison’s home and timed him and Jasmine’s walk. That meant that at 10:55, Meryl was at the guest quarters.
Then, if she walked through the living room and entered the kitchen, it would take at most five minutes. That is at 11pm, Meryl Maina witnessed the crime scene. And if she was as scared as she claimed, and called immediately, (she said the call went through at once), then, the police would have gotten the call at atmost 11:02pm.
However, Meryl phoned the police at 11:30pm. What happened within the twenty-eight minutes that she didn’t talk about? He thought for a moment and wrote down his question, before pinning it on his board.
Twenty eight minutes. Who was she with during that time?
****
“Do you have the money?” Felicity asked.
“No but I’ll…”
She slapped Tony’s mouth as he brought his lips close to hers. “Don’t dare touch me until you’ve the money I need”.
“I’m trying, Feli dear. I’m really try…”
“You’re not trying hard enough!”
“If I had it, I would…”
“Why don’t you ask Kim?” She said.
“She won’t give me any money until next year when she pays me again” He received annual alimony from Kim despite the fact they were married for only a month.
“You have to find a way!” Felicity yelled.
“What do you want me to…?”
“The paintings” She said.
Tony’s eyes bulged.
“If you’re not man enough…”
“I can do it!” He thundered.
“They are worth a lot. The paintings will…”
“Felicity” Jean called, “we’re already leaving”.
Felicity and Tony were standing behind a restaurant where the four of them came together after they left the gallery.
“You were talking about Richard’s paintings?” Arnold asked, walking with Jean towards Felicity and Tony.
“No” Felicity replied sharply as Tony shivered. “We were talking about paint. The normal paint on a wall”. It was obvious Jean and Arnold didn’t buy it.
But one of them was already pondering, so, I’m not the only one thinking of it. The paintings at Richard’s gallery were worth millions.
And God knows, there is nothing I won’t do for that sum. Even… kill.