"Sleep with my sister? Don't be crazy! l would explain the term "in kind" later on, not now."
"But whatever "kind" you are talking about, l know money was involved. So, where is my own share?" Mrs Alex demanded.
"You are not serious! l alone provided the poison with which William's mother terminated her husband life. The blood is also on my head. l can always give you any amount you demand for, but your hand shouldn't get dirty like mine."
A cold shiver ran down my back, and my lips quivered uncontrollably as a dart of fear gripped my insides. "Daddy was poisoned? It can't be possible! Mummy couldn't have poisoned Daddy. This man is insane," l muttered as my heart throbbed in my chest.
"But that woman is hardened; she actually had the heart to kill her husband and doing it so neatly without a trace. I heard William's Dad died of HIV or was it AIDS? Was that made up?" Mrs Alex asked.
"The fool had HIV for real, but he didn't die of the disease; he would still have though. It was only righteous for his wife to put him out of his misery. What still perplexes me was how William mother knew her husband was HIV-positive and made use of that to her advantage." My uncle replied.
At this point, l walked slowly back into my room and lay on the bed. l didn't feel the warmth and comfort l had felt when l had lain on it initially.
It now felt more like the cold hard floor of the cell in the prison. My mind raced back to the past as tiny droplets of tears crawled down my cheeks.
The first time l had seen Daddy and Mummy abusing each other was when l was just eleven, and thinking through what Mum had said, l began to understand why everything had happened the way it did. l had watched them both in silence, hoping they would stop, but they just kept talking.
"Foolish man, you are really shameless," Mum shouted furiously as she sobbed.
"Woman, mind your tongue or l would pluck it out for you," Daddy growled, trying to defend himself.
"You are really shameless! How could you have raped Maria, a girl of nine, old enough to be your granddaughter? Is that what you were told by your cult?" Mum continued.
"How dare you? How could you have believed that your dear husband did such an abominable thing?"
"Husband indeed! Look me in the eyes and mark my words. This lust you have for women will kill you untimely. You will die in the hands of a woman, useless thing!" Mummy threatened and walked briskly out of the house.
l kept thinking about why Mummy was threatening him in that manner, but now it was no longer a threat. l, also, came to think of what the medical laboratory scientist had said when he had assured me that Daddy was going to be alive and everything began to make sense and the hatred l had for Mummy increased. l swore, within me, to take revenge on Dad's behalf, starting from my uncle.
The silence was heavy and brooding. A film of sweat coated his entire body; his eyes were so yellow; they look dyed.
"Why are you not talking? What about Mother? Wasn't she supposed to come back with you?" Mary asked impatiently. She already had a bad feeling about her father's awkward behaviour towards answering her questions.
"Your Mum, well, em," Mr Alex seemed confused on what to say. His pupils rather seemed to dart around the whites of his eyes as he directed his gaze at me, and then at his daughters.
"Daddy, why do you have blood on your hands? l don't understand, you are scaring us," Linda, the last daughter, said, sobbing.
I stood quietly, hoping my first plan had worked out perfectly. This was the best way out.
There was no way Mr Alex would have felt miserable if he were dead.
"Your mum was found bleeding profusely. She was found dead around 11:00a.m., about the time l dropped her in the office."
Something lurched in my stomach; l thought l had wanted this, but I didn't understand why I felt the way I did. I gazed at the three young ladies who stood mouth agape, with tearful eyes and I felt guilty.
The silence this time was heavier than the first time.
Then Linda burst out crying.
"Daddy, are you trying to say that Mummy is dead? You are not serious," Mary argued.
"Your mother is dead; I'm so sorry," Mr Alex said. He shot me an irritable look and l blanched.
"No! no! Mummy can't die," Patricia sobbed, rolling carelessly on the floor.
"I'm so sorry for your loss," l managed to say to Mr Alex.
He didn't seem to hear me; instead, he left the house shortly.
l left some minutes later for James apartment.
James smiled on seeing me and he beckoned the lady beside him to welcome me. "William, how is it going?" James asked.
"Better, l would say."
"I think by now you should have received the good news," James said as he smiled broadly.
l had gone to him for help, knowing he was capable of eliminating Mrs Alex. l felt that was the only way I could get back at Mr Alex for being involved with Dad's death. l couldn't think straight anymore. The rage had taken over me. l didn't even know who l was anymore, nor who my parents were.
"Yes, l have. Thanks, man; l believe you did a clean job."
"Of course, and don't thank me. What are friends for? If the idiot had assisted in killing your father, then he shouldn't be forgiven."
"l would still need to eliminate his first daughter before eliminating him. l need him to experience what it feels like to lose a loved one before killing him."
"That is not a problem. You can't imagine how Bryan and Adrian raped this woman before they shot her to death. Those boys were really hostile," James stated.

Bryan and Adrian were James errand boys.