Zara - S01 E10 (Story Episode)

4 years ago

Zara - S01 E10 (Story Episode)

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 10

Shocked as she was to see him, she didn’t
dare show that she was afraid. What if he
doesn’t know that we are on to him yet?

Could this be – could I be the help needed to
bring my daughter back?
“Dede, where have you been? I have been
trying to reach you for ages.” She decided to
take the approach of a neglected mother and
wife, albeit, an ex-wife she presently was.
His right eye arched in surprise. “Really? Is
that so? Well, I never thought that this day
would come. You! Miss me? Wonders do
never end.” He laughed lightly, feeling
pleased.

“Don’t flatter yourself, Dede. I have never
entertained such lofty thoughts, not since you
decided to become a beast.”
“Watch your mouth, woman! Do not let me
get upset. You know what happens when I get
upset.” A frown now framed his face, erasing
signs of mirth.

“Only too well.” Letting out her breath, she
decided not to antagonize him. “Dede, our
daughter is missing.”
“Ima is missing. That’s why I’ve been trying
to reach you. She’s been missing for almost
three months now. No ransom note has been
sent. I don’t even know if she is alive or
dead.” Easy tears of sorrow trailed her cheeks,
slowly undoing minutes spent in front of the
mirror.

Opening her purse, she brought out her petite
handkerchief and dabbed her cheeks.

“When did she go missing, Emem? When?
Why didn’t you tell me?” Emem detected
anger in her ex-husband’s voice. Could the
police be wrong?
“She never returned from her vacation.” Her
head bowed, she absorbed the anger from
him.

“Which vacation? The one to that African
country? Since? Jeez! Emem, sometimes, you
make me so angry. How can my Ima be
missing and you haven’t deemed it fit to
inform me? What? You think I don’t deserve
to know?”
She felt like winding down the windows but
didn’t want to risk their conversation being
out in the open.

“What do you expect? I never have your
phone numbers with you changing them per
second. I tried to reach you through your
commander or boss, whatever you call him.

He said you were on leave and couldn’t be
contacted. So, tell me. How else was I
supposed to let you know?”
“That’s not possible. He can contact me. Did
you tell him why you were looking for me?
Because I don’t be-“
“Of course not! Why would I tell him? You
always said you didn’t want anyone at the
service to know about your domestic affairs”
“And you chose this all important time to obey
that instruction?” He shook his head in
disbelief.

“Oh well… let me leave you to attend your
event.” He made as if to leave the car. “Just
like that, Dede. Won’t you do anything about
it?”

“God! Emem! Of course I will. Do you want us
to start discussing tactics here?”

“No. It’s just you were going to leave without
saying anything.” “Well, I haven’t ever been a
man of many words. That’s one of the reasons
you divorced me , right? For not sharing?”
He did the quote and unquote signs at the
mention of the word sharing. “Anyway, I will
do something about it. I will find our
daughter, Emem. You can go to the bank with
that.”

Emem sighed in relief. “Thank you, Dede.
Please I have one more request.” She raised
her teary eyes to him. Hoping he didn’t sense
her distrust and act.
“Your phone number. So that I can call you
for updates. I promise I won’t disturb you
anything. I’ll call at night or in the morning.
Whenever you prefer. Just please.”
…
It had given him a heady feeling to be begged
by Emem. Emem begged me. This world is
truly coming to an end.
He watched her go back into the house,
pleased that he had ruined the evening for
her. Given time, this plan of his could turn
out right.
…
A little over three months ago…
Dede sat in a lonely corner of the famous Pub
9. Its fame came from being visited by prison
officials and ex-convicts alike.
He was with a glass of his favourite beer
wondering how his life had deteriorated so.

Without the love of his daughter, he felt cut
off, like a discarded limb. No amount of
awards or accolade earned in the line of duty
could make up for the loss.
As it stood, she was ignoring and shutting
him out of her life and it was all his ex-wife’s
fault. She hated the very sight of him. Dede
was pretty sure she had planted evil thoughts
about him.

Unfortunately, there seemed to be nothing he
could do about it without getting caught.

A shadow blocked the already dim light. “Is
this seat taken?” Dede looked up. It was
obvious that the man in front of him wasn’t a
colleague. People, even colleagues alike,
avoided him. So, who was this dude that
looked so sure?
Peter took the seat before the nod came. It
didn’t matter. He needed to work some things
out with the man. The man had something he
needed. His sources had informed him on his
release from prison where his girl was.

His twenty years in prison had been spent
dreaming of his girl. He didn’t blame her for
his incarceration. All that was in the past.

“You are Dede, right?” He started, skipping
the pleasantries.
Dede relaxed in his chair.
Peter took that to be a yes. “You don’t look
okay. Hope all is well.”
He wasn’t sure if it was the drink at work or
the confident manner with which the man sat
in front of him but he found himself talking.
By the night’s end, they had come up with a
plan, to help each other. What was left were
the fine details that needed to be taken care
off.
…
It was three days since Emem saw Dede in her
car. He’d had no updates so far but she was
hopeful. If anyone could crack the case it
would be her ex-husband. While there was no
love lost between them, his deep seated
affection for their daughter couldn’t be
mistaken.

As the thought crossed her mind, she
remembered the allegations. What would he
have to look for if his daughter was already
with him? Had he taken both of them? Why
would he come to see her? Perhaps he was
just playing her for a fool.
Emem sighed. Who was she to believe? Her
husband who hadn’t given her any reason to
suspect him or the security camera which
clearly put him at the time and place of the
kidnap of her daughter’s best friend.

She sat on her bed cradling the phone,
deciding whether to call him or not. AIG had
asked her not to do anything stupid and she
wouldn’t but she was tired of waiting, of
doing nothing, of crying herself to sleep.

The feeling of despair was gone from her. It
seemed like the appearance of Dede had given
her hope. Perhaps if he was with Zara, Ima
could be traced as well. Perhaps, there was
something connecting both kidnappings.
Quickly, she made two calls before placing the
all-important call to Dede.
…
Ima and Zara cherished their time together. It
was obvious from statements made by Ima’s
captor. The man still wore a mask around
them not wanting to risk anything.
Their days were being spent talking, sleeping,
playing games, laughing, praying. They both
rotated depressed days with one always being
able to comfort the other. While their kidnap
wasn’t a good thing, they were grateful to
God that they had each other, if only
temporarily.