The two men stared each other down, each justifying his actions, each excusing his failures.

“You tired to kill her!”

“I tried to do what you have failed to do. I tried to get her out of the way.”

“Well, you failed! We had an agreement. Get her out of the way without hurting her.”

“You were supposed to take care of that. Drive her to the slums so she doesn’t have the power to investigate. That was the plan, wasn’t it? But you messed it up, didn’t you?”

“I did my best. If that boyfriend of hers_”

“Husband. She’s married to him now! It’s more complicated now than it was at the beginning. If you had_”

“If you had stopped the old man_”

“The old man did not do anything! He didn’t even know about Christopher’s ties with Sylvestri.”

“He managed to get the original post-mortem report, didn’t he?”

“I took care of that, see if you took care of your part of the job, we’d be getting somewhere. This is not the place or time to be getting emotional. We have to get rid of Jackie. She’s too smart!”

“What should I do?”

“You figure it out. Think of this. When she’s done reading that letter, she will not have the whole story, but she will have enough ammunition to get her to the truth. You need to stop her. I don’t see any other way how except_.”

“I cant.”

“You’ll have to. If you don’t, we are going to lose everything we’ve been working for. Everything!”

*****

 ………..I was devastated. Alice just wanted to die. During the night of October 31, Raymond showed up at the hospital with his newborn baby.

It was very easy to do what we did. Change records and babies. Raymond claimed my dead son and Alice accepted Celeste’s live baby girl. A beautiful, precious baby girl.

Raymond and Celeste were sure without doubt that Sebastian Sylvestri and his mafia links would find a sure definite way to get their revenge. All they wanted was an assurance that their baby would be safe. We gave them that assurance. Over the next few days, Raymond and Celeste were with his solicitors, attorneys and investment advisors in Europe and the US.

Within the next month, transfers and re-investments were made from Raymond and Celeste’s financial accounts…  

She just couldn’t stop crying. He was beginning to worry about her. Nothing in the last few months had shaken her as much as this letter was.

 ”I can’t read it.” She whispered pushing the letter away from her.

 ”You have to, little girl. Better to know than to always wonder. You said so yourself.” He pushed the letter back to her.

 ”Do you have any idea how it feels to learn that everything you’re believed in is a lie? That you haven’t even got a clue as to your own identify.”

 ”I don’t, baby. I don’t. All I know is that its rough for the woman I love. I promise that I’ll be here for you. I can do that for you.”

 *****

 

 Sebastian Sylvestri leaned back in his big leather swivel chair. He was getting irritated. He was used to working with professional. But he didn’t have much of a choice. Those fools had already worked their way all over the treasure. He couldn’t have it all, but he was determined to get most of it and to do that, he had no choice but to use these fools.

 ”So what do you want, Faridah?”

 ”What I wanted in the first place. The very best for me and for my son.”

 ”And you would sacrifice your niece for that?”

 ”She is not my niece_”

 ”Just a casualty in the line of fire?”

 ”Of course.”

 ”You amaze me, Faridah. You would do anything to get your way, wouldn’t you?”

 ”Wouldn’t you?”

 ”Of course.” He smiled his beg great wicked smile. He and Faridah went back a long way. They always got along. Possibly because they were so much alike.

 ”Alright, Faridah, I’ll get your son what you want for him. You get me what I want. Deal?”

 ”It’s a deal. But there’s just one little problem. The other boy. Do you still need him?”

 ”I know how much he bothers you. But I still need him for another deal.”

 ”He tried to kill my son. He has to pay for that.” Sebastian laughed. This woman loved her son too much. That would be her downfall.

 ”Patience, Faridah. Patience. All in good time.”

 ”I’m tired of waiting. Twenty years is enough time to wait for the fruits of your work, isn’t it?”

*****

 Jackie arrived at the Shah’s Thika farm around Nine O’clock. The kids were playing in the front yard with Sanjiv’s sister’s children.

 It really bothered her that her life has disintegrated so much in the last few weeks. She had vowed to do the best for the kids and it worried her that she just couldn’t do that when the kids weren’t even living with her.

 Last night, after reading the last part of her father’s letter, she’d felt so overwhelmed. She’d recalled the fight she’d fought to keep the children. She wondered what would happen now if the relatives found out that she was not even their blood sibling.

 The information her father had given her, along with what she had already learnt in the last few weeks, had convinced her that her life was in danger. For that reason, Jackie was sure that the children would be safe with the Shah family than with her. That thought laced her with despair.

 She hid her feelings all the while she was with the children. She played with them. Then she assigned them some work from the books Sanjiv had provided for each of them. She tried to assure them that things would soon get back to normal. But in her mind, she wondered just how normal it could possibly get.

 Her father’s letter flashed in her mind as she got into the truck to finally leave the kids.

 …Raymond wanted to leave a legacy for his child, even though he was sure he wouldn’t be there to raise her.

 On November 29, Alice and I returned to Kenya with our newborn baby. No one was to know that our baby was not ours. We loved this baby. We named her Jackline Wambui Otieno, after both our mothers. We had lost our child, our child, our son, but you became our love child, our joy, and our comfort.

 I know that it pains you, perhaps even terrifies you to learn about this. I just want you to know that your birth parents loved you so deeply; they could have done anything to make sure you survived what they couldn’t. 

We came to love you, too. You brought me so much joy, you made me so proud. I cant be here to see you grow into a woman, but I know with certainty that my little girl will be someone I would be proud of.

 Anyway, Sebastian finally did catch up with Raymond and Celeste. He murdered them in typical mafia fashion. Alice and I were glad we had accepted their daughter as our won. She was spared. You were spared. Interpol did pick Sebastian up, but there were never able to make any charges stick.

 Raymond had made arrangements to give me the mandate over his estate. It was a complicated process, since none of it passed directly into my estate. Eventually, however, I was able to arrange Raymond’s estate into trusts and investments that will pass on to you when you turn 22.

 The European banks that manage your trust funds will contact you and help you sort out all the things you need to do to get control of your estate as soon as you turn 22, that is after the 26th of October…

 “You don’t think it is strange that the banks have not contacted me yet?” Jackie wondered.

 ”It’s only been a week.” Robbie pointed out. She’d come to his flat after they decided that they would be safer there. His flat wasn’t in a high security complex, but it was safer than the farm.

 ”Yeah, I suppose you are right. And it must be crazy for them to find me. I mean, I’ve been relocated more times than they can imagine.”

 Robbie moved to stand behind her, placing his arms around her waist. She sighed, covered the pot she had been stirring and leaned back against him.

 ”We’ll get through this.” He assured.

 She signed again, “I don’t know if I could without you.”

 ”I love you, Jackie.”

 ”I love you, too, Robbie. I can’t believe it took me so long to realize. I hope I have the time to live my love for you.”

 ”We will. Just believe it, okay?”

***** 

Faridah was firm with her son. Like Sebastian, she was getting irritated with his soft-heartedness.

 ”Do you or do you not want to get ahead in your career?” she demanded.

 ”Of course, I do, mom.”

 ”Then get this into your head, Larry. You have to be strong. There is no friend. There is no family. You have to do what it takes. Sometimes it takes drastic measures.”

 ”Why can’t we wait till 2007? I’ll be a little older and maybe more established as a lawyer. I mean we don’t know for sure if I can win in a by-election. And if I don’t, it will all be for nothing.”

 ”Believe me, Larry, you will win.”

 ”I hope you are calling to give me good news.” Sebastian growled into the receiver.

 ”Well do you have good news for me?” She threw back, leaning back in her living room settee. She looked around admiring the opulence of the room. She had not gotten here by chance. It had involved risks and danger, all the ay. And she was not about to give up, however smart that girl seemed to be.

 ”Let’s just say that all the plans are in place. It won’t be long before you get the good news.”

 ”I’ll say the same for you.”

***** 

“This has to be done right. There are already too many questions after everything that has happened. We don’t want to give some overzealous cop the idea to check up on things.” The older man insisted.

 ”No cop in Kenya can’t be shut down with money.” The younger man laughed.

 ”"Don’t be too sure. There is always someone too conscientious for his own good.”

 ”That would be taken care of.”

 ”Yes, well, don’t take any chances. Another mistake at this point will cost us too much. We can’t take that risk. Not when that vulture is hanging around. I bet he wouldn’t hesitate to scoop everything and get out of here.”

***** 

Robbie insisted that she sleep in the bedroom. He decided to sleep on the living room couch. She smiled to herself as he closed the door, closed himself out. Five years ago, she couldn’t have imagined that things would get to this point between them. Now, Robbie couldn’t sleep in the same bed with her, something he’d done countless times before, because he was afraid that he would violate his abstinence vow.

 It was a long time before she could go to sleep. She kept going back to her father’s letter. She still thought of him as her father. How else could she describe him, after all he’d done for her, even though she wasn’t his daughter?

 Over the next few years, I managed to establish myself in the medical circles of Kenya. I was also privileged to share in different community development projects. My personal wealth also grew, partly because of what your father passed through my account, partly because I was able to make several wise investments.

 It was a while before Alice (I prefer to think of her as your mother, she loved you as such) could get pregnant again. We had to seek fertility treatment for her in Europe and America. You probably recall, vaguely I suppose, the visits we made to the UK, Switzerland, Spain and the US.

 It was unfortunate that those visits out of the country brought me into contact with Sebastian Sylvestri. At first, I had no idea who he was, because Raymond had made sure that I did not know the identity of his pursuant. I was already doing business with this man before I found out something that led me to discover the past.

 When Sebastian realized that I had found him out, he started to threaten and blackmail me. Without my knowledge, he had involved me with some tainted business deals and I was now in danger of prosecution. Infact, I believe I was subject of an investigation for international financial crimes for a while…

 She had felt immense relief at the realization that her father had not been a criminal after all. Her respect for him was one thing that could remain intact.

 ***** 

 

Robbie hadn’t told Jackie what was going on in his mind. He hadn’t wanted to bother her with anything else, but he had talked to his CID friend again. Luke Wanjohi had promised to help him with whatever he needed to know.

 So, on the morning of Thursday, 4th November, Robbie reported to work, then left at eleven o’clock, to meet Luke at the agreed café.

 Luke was waiting for Robbie, when he arrived at the café. Almost before they could begin talking, Robbie could tell that Luke was sitting on quite a lot of information.

 ”Well?”

 ”I’ll tell you one thing, kid, this is like reading a novel. Your Mr. Otieno had one hell of a past.”

“Tell me about it.”

“As you said, he couldn’t marry Ms.Alice. That was because if he did it would be bigamy.”

“So he was married before?”

“Yes. To a Miss Faridah Omar. Now Mrs. Faridah Kaiza.”

*****

Jackie was home early. Home was Robbie’s flat now. She had bathed, fixed dinner and was working on some paperwork for the farm, when the news came on.

 Before she knew it, she was staring at the TV screen, wide-eyed and wide mouthed, as the news anchor read…

 ”And news just in. The Honorable Owino Kaiza, Minister of Justice and Constitution, Member of Parliament for Nyanza is dead. The late minister collapsed at his Hurlingham home early this morning. He was rushed to the Nairobi Hospital where he underwent treatment. He however slipped into a coma and was pronounced dead at six o’clock this evening.”