Beautiful mask episode 23 & 24

Beautiful Mask
Episode 23

Simon:

“What the-” caroline’s brother’s words get cut off as he sees me. He l!pis cut and i smile in satisfaction.

“s-s-s-ir”he stammer.

“You animal. Why the fake tears? I know everything you did to your sister.” I say punching him again.

“Am sorry. I really am. plea-se lets talk else where. I don’t want my mom to hear this. She just had a heart surgery she isn’t strong enough to hear more badnews” he pleads while clutching his bruised jaw. I am tem-pted to tell his mother about everything he did but i don’t want her to suffer because of this miscreant so i agree.

“Follow me, i have been wanting to reach you for some time now but i am so scared of sir Kelvin. I don’t want to end up like khalifa.” he says. At the mention of kelvin i st©p following.

“Wait! What do you mean Kelvin? What does he have to do with all this?”

“come with me and I’ll tell you everything.” he says. I hesitate for a minute. Who knows if he is trying to trick me or set me up.

“Look, i watched khalifa get beaten half to death. If i didn’t interrupt the bastard who was beating him up. He would have died.”

“What are you talking about? Khalifa isn’t dead? I didn’t kill him?”

“He wasn’t dead the last time i saw him. Few days after he tried to r@p£ Caroline and failed, Khalifa c@m£ to me and said sir Kelvin wants to give him more money. He asked me to follow him. For protec-tion.”he says.

“so he survived the beating i gave him?” i ask and he nod.

“i followed him there and hid behind a house. I watched as the scary guy brou-ght out a gun and sh0t khalifa’s left hand. I was so scared. I couldn’t do anything even when he started beating him to a stupor.”

“oh my God. Where is khalifa now? I have to see him.”

“i don’t know where he is now. After the scary guy left him to die, i was able to drag him home. But, b-ut i left him there. I was so scared so i went into hiding.”

“Have you seen him recently?” I ask. If i can find khalifa, i would be able to prove that i didn’t kill him.

“No sir. I went to his house some days ago and he wasn’t home. The door was open and no one was home. I think Kelvin might have taken him. I am next. I can feel it.” he ramble on but i don’t pay him any attention. I still cant believe that kelvin can do something like this.

We have been friends since childhood. Even when his father betrayed my father, we still treated him like family. How could he do this to me? To Caroline? To my baby?. I cant believe Beatrice was just the smaller of two evils. Kelvin is the real master mind.

He turned my mind against Caroline. God, i want to strangle him right now. He must pay. I turn around too fast and i almost plant my face on the ground. I am still drun!kbut this whole thing has sobered me up alot. I steady myself and storm off.

“Sir. Where are you going? You have to help me!. plea-se don’t tell the police about my involvement” Caroline’s brother yells but i don’t turn back. I hail a taxi and make sure i give him the right address this time. Kelvin’s address. Its time i get some answers.

**********

“Kelvin! Come out.” I yell and start hitting the gate continuously.

“come out you bastard. You are going to pay for all you have done come out. Damn It!” my knuckles are alre-ady so-re from knocking on the iron gate so ha-rd . Doesn’t Kelvin have a gate man?. I have been calling the bastard and he hasn’t been picking up. Beatrice!

Yes, I’ll call Beatrice. She should know where Kelvin is. I find her number quic-kly and video call her. I want to see the look on her face when she lies to me about kelvin. It rings for a while that I think she wouldn’t pick up before she answers.

“Hello” she says. Her voice sounds strangely familiar. I hear her clear her voice.

“Simon are you there?” she asks and my anger returns. I look to the screen and see her face. She is wearing a hospital go-wn and her face looks different but i don’t know what’s different about it. My drun!kstate must be the reason why she looks different to me.

“Where the heck is Kelvin?.”i ask and she looks stun.

“what?! Why would i know where Kelvin is?” she asks, shrugging nonchalantly.

“St©p the act okay? I alre-ady know about Kelvin’s involvement in that video, Beatrice. So you better start talking!” i yell down at her.

“Calm down Simon. You don’t un-derstand.”

“Then make me un-derstand, Beatrice. Why are you and Kelvin so hell bent on ruining my life?. Do you even know what that bastard is capable of?” i ask. Beatrice may end up like Khalifa. I may not be in love with her but i care about her.

“Listen to me Beatrice. You better tell me where he is or I’ll call the police” I threaten. Her face contort in horror and she stands up.

“Simon no! Don’t call the police, promise me” she plead.

“are you that scared of going to jail?”

“Reporting to the police would do more harm than good”. I am about to say something when i hear Kelvin’s gate open. I turn to look who it is and come face to face with Beatrice.

I clean my eyes to make sure my drun!ken br@in isn’t hallucinating. She is still standing in front of me looking shocked. What the heck is going on?

“Simon plea-se, promise me. I’ll explain when i come back to the country” The voice on the phone says and i look down at the screen.

Yeap Beatrice is still on the screen. I look to Beatrice again then listen to the voice talking on my phone. How many Beatrice are there?

“Beatrice? Aren’t you in America?” i ask.

“umm. I– do-. Bye” she stutter and run off. I don’t run after her though. I look down at my phone and see the call has ended. What the heck is going on?! I c@m£ here for answers but i am now more confused than i c@m£

Episode 24

Caroline:

“$h!t Caroline! Simon was at Kelvin’s house and he saw me coming out. I am supposed to be in America so he was so shocked. I couldn’t think of a lie so I just ran away” Beatrice rambles as soon as I answer her call.

“Beatrice, I was the one on the phone. when he saw you, I was talking to him, pretending to be you on video call!.”

“Oh no Caroline. no wonder he looks so shocked to see me. He just kept looking at his screen then at me. I thought his drun!kenness was the cause of the wandering eyes”

“wait, he was drun!k?. you left him drun!k!” I shout down the line.

“calm down Caro. I called a cab to take him home. I am not that heartless.”

“Thank you Beatrice. I hope he is fine”

“I think he knows something. he was screaming about ma-king Kelvin pay. Caroline I don’t think we have time anymore. have you gotten the number I asked you to get?”

“No. Kelvin doesn’t just leave his phone with me you know.”

“Caroline, you nee-d to grow some ba-lls and think of a way to get him to leave his phone. okay?”

“alright. What do we do about simon?.” I ask

“you are always about Simon. There is nothing we can do but hope he thinks he was hallucinating due to his drun!kenness. Caroline, we have to get Kelvin behind bars before he does something drastic to Simon”

“okay. I can do this. for Simon.”

“of course you can. gotta go. don’t forget to stay safe. love you little sis”

“love you too little sis.” I say and laugh.

“Are we still arguing over who is older?” she asks laughing.

“Until I get prove that you are older.” I say and end the call.

I know I shouldn’t have answered Simon’s video call, but I just wanted to see his face again. Stupid, I know. Now we have to push our plans forward. Simon confronting Kelvin would just make Kelvin change his plans and get rid of Simon himself. My final radiation scar removal session is tomorrow so I have to get that number today before we start preparing to go back to Nigeria. A plan start forming in my head as I dial Kelvin’s number.

“Hello” Kelvin’s voice resonate throu-gh the phone. I remain silent for two seconds then start sobbing.

“Caroline, are you OK?”

“Kelvin, am sorry for calling bu-t I can’t help it. I feel so alone. This news about my death affected me more than I thought.”

“its fine Caroline”

“its stupid but am scared. Maybe I should call the police and report Simon so this would be over with. or I can call Simon and plead with him to leave me alone” I sob out.

“what?! Caroline, don’t do anything stupid. am coming over.” he says and I smile inwardly.

“But-” I say but he cuts me off.

“I mean it Caroline. just wait for me. I am coming”

“alright. plea-se be fast, I don’t know what I might do if I am alone for too long right now.” I say.

“I’ll be there soon” he says and ends the call.

I can’t help it. I bur-st in laughter as soon as I make sure the call is over. He must think I am a stupid hormonal woman. wow! even I am

astounded by my acting. He must be on his way now so I better get the plan un-derway. I hope it works. I know I am well out of my depths here. I breathe in a de-ep sigh then ring the nurse. A white nurse walks in and I smile. she is just the nurse, I want to see.

As usual, she has too much eye make up on.

“Nurse Sandra, I just wanted to borrow your mascara. you see, my b©yfri£ndis on his way coming and I want to umm look pretty. can you help me plea-se.” I ask

“I knew that cutie was your b©yfri£nd. don’t worry, I’ll get you my whole make up kit. I always carry it with me. let me go get it”she says excitedly and turn to go.

“umm wait, just mascara OK?”

“We aren’t the same complexion so I don’t think it would match” I add when she looks at me like am weird. she must be wondering why I only nee-d mascara.

“Oh. why didn’t I think of that. OK just mascara. be back in a sec” she sings the last p@rt and sashay out of my room.

*******

“Caroline, where are you?” Kelvin asks as soon as he enters my room. I am standing in a corner so he doesn’t see me at first.

“Over here” I say and I see his shoulder sag with relief.

“are you okay? did you call Simon or the police?” he asks. I am looking out the window and Kelvin walks to me. He gr-abs my shoulder and turn me towards him. I launch myself into his arms, wra-pping my hands around his w@!st and cry fake tears.

“I can’t believe I am dead. when I am here. alive. this is just too much Kelvin. I don’t know if I am the right person for this. The pain of removing my scar is so intense. I feel like I am no longer me. this is too much.” I ramble on and kelvin just hold me awkwardly.

I notice the bulge in his front pocket and guess its his phone. As he holds me I sl!pthe phone slowly out of his pocket. Thankfully, his trou-sers are not ti-ght so he doesn’t notice. I drop his phone on the ground noiselessly then pu-ll away from him.

“I’m so sorry Kelvin. I just nee-ded to let go for awhile.” I say then smile wryly.

“its fi–” he goes to say but I cut him off.

“Oh my G. look what I did to your shi-t. I got my mascara on you. I so sorry” I say

“Its fine. I’ll get it out when I get to the h0tel” he says.

“You have to get it out now. This mascara doesn’t wash out once it gets dry. Why don’t you hurry to the rest room just around the corner and get it out”

“no nee-d for th-

“i insist. go on. I promise to not do anything stupid. Now, go get that stain out” I say and push him out of the room.

As soon as I close the door, I pick the phone off the ground and turn it on. $h!t! The phone is locked. of course he would have a security code why didn’t I think of that?.

what could it be? I try his number which doesn’t work. okay, think Caroline, what would kelvin use? I can’t think of anything. Kelvin would be back soon. after trying different random numbers, I decide to try 0000.

I know it can’t possible be it but you can’t blame me for trying. Surprisingly, his phone cli-cks Open. wow. I quic-kly go to contacts and search for bullet. I don’t find it. He must have saved it with something else.

“Caroline, did i leave my phone h–. what are you doing with my phone?!” kelvin startle me and the phone falls off my hands.

OH NO

**
tbc