Noah94:
Beautiful morning to you Larrysun. I'm an ardent follower of your stories here on Nairaland and I must confess that you are just too good, keep up with the good work.
I have tried to purchase one of your books (Kanu: The journal of a rogue) on the okadabooks website but I haven't been able to due to server issues. Please can you send it to me directly. How do I pay? Recharge card?
I await your response, thanks ��

Update 3

***

Maria remained in the hospital for another two months. Her recovery was still kept a secret from the patients and hospital workers, except, of course, Doctor Rukewe and Nurse Muyiwa, who were fully devoted to helping Maria remain anonymous as much as they could – and, indeed, anonymous she remained. Nurse Muyiwa was always there to provide for all her needs; she would bring Maria some food and a change of clothes. To her, Maria was a goddess, and so she worshipped her and made her very comfortable in the hospital.

Within the first and second month after she woke up from the coma, Maria was beginning to regain lost strength – her beauty was beginning to return and the shrunken body was gaining back lost flesh. Soon, she was fully alert and back to her old self. Initially, before the commencement of the surgery, the hair on her head was shaved off to allow the surgeons easily open her skull and work on her brain. And even after then, the head had constantly remained shaved until the wound fully healed. Now her lost hair had returned. It was black and long, its sheen was bright and attractive. There was no doubt that the dead Maria had come back to life, all thanks to Doctor Rukewe, Nurse Muyiwa and all the surgeons that worked on her.

“Now that you are fully healed, Maria,” said Rukewe after the two months of her stay in the ward, “I don’t think it’s safe for you to remain in this ward any longer. It’s getting harder and harder to conceal you in this hospital. People are starting to get suspicious about this ward. I am beginning to hear whispers and it’s only a matter of time before they demand to want to know who is in this ward. I hope you understand what I’m talking about.”

Maria stared at the doctor for a moment, then she smiled and nodded her head, “I understand. So what’s the plan?”

The doctor looked uncertain and Maria briefly thought that he might decide to throw her into the streets – but she immediately killed the thought. The man would not do that, not after everything he had done for her. He was a good man.

“I don’t know if you would like my suggestion.”

“Please tell me.”

“Well, I’m suggesting lodging you in a hotel.”

“A hotel?”

“Yes.”

“And you think that’s safe? People might recognise me.”

“Well, I’ve thought about it. A hotel is our best bet. I know a hotel manager I can trust. He will keep your identity a secret, as long as you remain in your suite and do not attempt to go out.”

“For how long will I be there?”

“Well, I’ll be booking you for a month. You will remain there until things are finally settled. The country is still mourning your death now. It will take a while before people finally get over the fact that you are dead and then move on; only then will you have the freedom to move around, at least under an assumed name.”

“An assumed name? What if someone recognises me?”

“That’s why you have to maintain an assumed name. I’m hoping you will come up with a name for yourself. If anyone recognises you, all you need to do is pretend that you don’t know what they are talking about. Everyone believes that Maria is dead, so if you are recognised, the only explanation would be that you are a doppelganger. That’s why you have to maintain an assumed name. Besides, I’m hoping that things will not get to the level of you being recognised, as long as you remain in that hotel room. I will continue to check on you occasionally. If you need any assistance, I can tell Nurse Muyiwa to stay with you. She will always run your errands.”

“That nurse seems devoted to me,” Maria observed.

The doctor smiled and said, “You both have a lot in common than you think.”

“Really?”

“She’s the victim of the same man who tried to kill you.”

“Roberto?”

The doctor nodded. “Roberto Bonifacio had her family massacred when Muyiwa was a young girl. It seemed like her father had a deal gone wrong with the man and so Roberto chose to wipe out his entire family. Her parents and her four siblings were brutally murdered. She was the only one who survived the machete wound to her body. She was treated by a nurse who took her in – the nurse inspired her to become a nurse herself. When I needed someone to trust with your situation, there was no one I could bring in except Muyiwa – she had gone through almost the same terror you went through in the hands of Roberto Bonifacio, and she really looks up to you. She watched all your performances in the television. Imagine her sadness when she heard that you were arrested for scamming another person. She was highly disappointed but she never stopped loving you or caring about you. She swore with her life that she would never tell anyone that you are alive. If she could kill Roberto, she would have done it the day she found out that he shot you in the neck. But Nurse Muyiwa is just a nurse, she is totally powerless against men like Roberto Bonifacio. If Roberto discovered that she survived the massacre of that year, he would have her killed again without blinking an eye.”

“Well, an eye for an eye will only make the world go blind,” Maria said absentmindedly.

“What?”

“It’s something I read somewhere. I suppose it means that revenge is futile. When you take revenge then you are no better than the person you are taking your vengeance on. The world has a way of balancing up things that seem crooked; you don’t have to seek revenge before nature fights your battle for you.”

“I really don’t understand what you are talking about, Maria.”

“All I’m saying is that I bear no grudge towards the person who tried to kill me. The fact that I’m alive after all means that I have won already. At this point, I just want to be left alone. I want to live my life in peace. I only need one favour from you, Doctor. I know you have done more than enough for me already, but I want you to do this one for me.”

“Tell me anything, Maria, I will do it.”

“If you can, I want you to find a way to inform my husband that I’m alive. I know Peter, he’s in a very dark place right now, and I know what must be going through his head. All he needs to know is that I am alive and he will find peace within himself. You see, he has lost too many people in his life. All the people he cares about are gone; he must be feeling very alone in the world right now. I’m afraid he may end up doing something very terrible.”

A look of doubt crossed the doctor’s face as he scratched his own neck. “I don’t know how I can get to him. He has been sentenced to life imprisonment in a maximum security prison, and Officer John Balewa is making sure that no one pays him a visit in prison.”

“Why would he do that?”

“Well I’m not sure about the rumours but the news on the streets is that Officer John Balewa believes that Peter Black may try to break out of jail.”

“If Peter really plans to break out, no one – not even Balewa – can stop him. Anyway, just try your best to get to him. He deserves a little bit of peace after everything he has gone through.”

“I’ll try my best, but I’m not promising anything.”

“That’s all I ask.”

The doctor rose to his feet and said, “I think everything is settled now. I’ll start the preparations about getting you checked into that hotel.”

“There’s one little problem, doctor.”

“Problem?”

“I don’t think the doppelganger excuse is going to work.”

Rukewe smiled. “It’s supposed to work.”

“Not on John Balewa. There’s no way either you and I would be able to deceive him that I’m a doppelganger. He always finds a way to discover the truth. He’s going to know that Maria didn’t die, and that’s going to be a big problem to you. You won’t only risk losing your license to practice, you may also face some jail terms. Everything is going to come back to bite you and me in the fingers. Nothing is going to stop him from making sure I go back to prison – that means we’ll be back to square one.”

The doctor sighed. He knew Maria was right. He had not thought things through to that level. “Well, it now depends on you. You must make sure you are not discovered by anyone in the hotel. At least remain discreet for the first month until my final plan is successful.”

“What final plan is that?”

“Well, you’re not going to live in the hotel room forever. We must find a permanent solution. I’m planning to secure you a passport with an assumed name. After that I’ll get you a plane ticket to London. You can be there for about ten or twenty years. By the time you return to this country, nobody would recognise you anymore.”

“You’re really going to do that for me?”

“It’s going to cost me a fortune but I’m willing to do it. I didn’t save you from death only to have you back in prison, Maria.”

“How can I ever repay you, Doctor Rukewe?”

“Just continue being the awesome person that you are. You have been given a second chance at life; you should use it to do some good in the world. You are a great woman, Maria. The world needs someone like you,” he paused and studied her for a moment before adding, “You may have to dye your hair to a different colour when it’s time for you to fly out of the country. And at the airport you would need to wear dark shades too. You know, to hide your identity.”

Maria nodded. “Peter’s original plan was that we leave the country, but something always kept us down. How I wish Peter and I would be leaving together.”

“I’m very sorry to say this, but I think I should say it. You need to accept the fact that you and Peter may never be together again. Your paths have crossed but now it’s time for both of you to go your separate ways.”

Maria smiled and said, “The world works in mysterious ways. Never say never. You and I do not know what fate has in store for us. If Peter and I are meant to be together, nothing is going to keep us apart – not John Balewa, and definitely not the prison he’s kept in.”

“Anyway, just stay under the radar and my plan will work smoothly.”

“Thanks for everything, doctor. You have been an angel.”

“You must be exhausted now. Let me leave you to get some rest.”

He carefully left the ward and lock the door behind him. He hated the fact that he always had to lock Maria in the ward, but he knew he had no choice. That was the only thing he could do to keep her identity hidden, and also to keep him from getting into serious trouble with the police.

Then shortly after leaving Maria, a pregnant woman was brought into the hospital by her husband. Doctor Rukewe did not recognise the pregnant woman but he recognised her husband quite all right – he was a popular politician. He could hardly believe that the man had chosen to have his baby delivered in this hospital.

As Doctor Rukewe helped the woman deliver the baby, he had no idea about the extraordinary sequence of events that would soon unfold in future.

Abosede512:
LarrySun always on point, thanks for the update

fioky:
Mr Larry!!!!!

ufss:
wow ...interesting

do4luv14:
Wow nice one Oga larrysun, you had me wishing next week Sunday is tomorrow already

Teco2:
Wow, very interesting

Bukolaberry:
wow gracias

LarrySun:
LarrySun

Shegzdave:
Thanks for the update.

felix00:
Maria did not ask anything about her baby? Or did she think it did not survive Mr LarrySun

LarrySun:
Did you read the end of Book 3?

felix00:

Yes boss but I don't fully remember the details. Maybe you can clear it up for me or give me a jolt

Idaraobong5:
Larry sun how much is the complete copy and how do I pay?

Update 4

***

For many months after breaking out of prison, Murphy Khalid searched around for Maria. She was the first person he went looking for when he got out. Maria was one of the reasons he had to break out of Ikoyi Prison. After learning about her escape from the hospital she was kept in after her failed breakout attempt Murphy was motivated to plan his own escape too. Maria’s attempt inspired him into believing that it was possible to escape from the prison if a prisoner was determined. Therefore, he owed his freedom to her; hence his reason for searching around for her. The only information he had about her was that she was in Lagos, but it was hard to locate her. It was like searching for a single needle in over twenty million haystacks.

While he was busy searching for Maria, he met a strange woman. He was in a restaurant having lunch when this woman approached him. She was young and beautiful; Murphy could guess that she would not be over thirty years old at most. From the way she carried herself he could tell that she was an affluent lady. At first Murphy had been suspicious of her when she approached him. He had initially thought she was an undercover policewoman who recognised him as an escaped convict. But Murphy decided against running; he would wait and find out who the woman was. He had zeroed his mind that no matter what happened, he would never be returning to jail; he would rather die than go back there. As the woman walked closer to his seat, he kept doubting that she was really a police officer. Her appearance, her grace, her looks – nothing gave her off as a policewoman. If she was really an undercover operative then she was a pretty good one.

When she finally reached him, she sat herself in the seat opposite him without asking for permission. Murphy guessed that she was not really a woman who was fond of seeking people’s permissions.

“I’d like to pay for your food, if you don’t mind,” she said pleasantly.

“Why would you want to pay for my food?”

“I’m here to offer you a deal.”

“I’m not interested,” Murphy said and returned to his meal.

The lady remained seated opposite him. She was silently studying him. A waitress came around and gave her the menu. She scanned through the menu briefly and ordered the first meal on the list, shooing the waitress away with the wave of her hand.

“Why don’t you listen to what I have to say first?” she said, her voice remained pleasant.

“I told you, whatever you are selling, I’m not interested in buying.”

“I’ll pay you a million naira,” she said in a matter-of-fact way.

Murphy paused at the point of putting a spoonful of rice in his mouth. He cast his eyes up and looked into the lady’s face. “What did you just say?”

She smiled warmly. “I got your attention now, didn’t I?”

“Are you messing with me, young woman?”

“Of course not. I’m actually going to pay you a million naira if you agree to do what I ask of you.”

Murphy did not believe her, and he let her know through his expression. “Where would you find a million naira to give me?”

“It’s either you don’t know who I am or you are a terrible pretender.”

“Who are you?”

“If you have to ask that, then you don’t need to know. It’s better that you don’t know anyway. You don’t know who I am and I don’t know who you are. Let’s keep it that way. I don’t want to know who you are – don’t even want to know your name.”

“What do you want me to do for you?”

Instead of replying, she reached into her expensive arm bag, extracted a jotter, scribbled some things into a page and tore the page off. She handed it to Murphy. “If you are really serious about making a million naira, meet me at that location on Wednesday by 8pm prompt. Do not keep me waiting. If you are later than five minutes you will never see me again. Goodbye, stranger.”

She rose to her feet, brought out her purse and counted out some money which she placed on the table in front of Murphy – it was payment for the food he was eating, and the one she had ordered, which she would not be eating.

Murphy watched her walk out of the restaurant and climbed into a black jeep. The model of the car alone was enough to convince Murphy that the strange woman was really packing big. And considering that he was a wanted man, the one million naira was really going to help him in maintaining a low profile from the police. The problem, however, was the fact that he had no idea what the woman would request him to do for her. After racking his brain for close to an hour right there, he finally came to the conclusion that perhaps the woman wanted him to kill someone for her. That was the only deal that seemed likely to him – and if that was the case, it would be a great shame because he was not a killer. The money would have really helped him but killing another person was a line he would not cross, not for all the money in the world. Besides, he didn’t know what the person did to her; he would never kill someone who didn’t hurt him just because the pay was good. He would meet the stranger at the location she had written down and he would listen to her request. If it turned out that it was actually what he suspected, he would simply walk away. To hell with her and her money; he used to be a common thief, not a killer.

He arrived at the location the following Wednesday just as the lady had directed him. It turned out to be a hotel – it was a very grand-looking hotel. He was there two hours before the appointed time and waited at the reception hall for her arrival. He wondered why the woman had chosen a hotel for them to meet. By 7:53pm he noticed the familiar jeep pull up in the parking lot and the lady got out. This time she was wearing dark shades and had a scarf covering a major part of her face. Murphy could tell that she was trying to hide her identity – he wondered why. A distant warning bell began to ring in his head but the prospect of having a million naira to his name kept him seated. Besides, he was curious about what the woman wanted him to do for her.

He still remained seated in his position as the woman stepped into the reception. He could see that she noticed him where he was seated but she didn’t acknowledge knowing him. Rather than walking up to him, the lady approached the hotel receptionist and booked a suite. He watched her pay in cash and the receptionist handed her a key.

She walked to him and briefly spoke to him before walking away, as if she didn’t want anyone noticing her speak to him.

“Meet me in Room 53.”

Murphy sat there and watched in confusion as she walked away. She soon disappeared at a long corridor. For ten minutes he didn’t rise up. He kept wondering what all the mystery was all about. Why would she demand that they must meet in a hotel room? Why couldn’t they just sit here and discuss about the plan? He guessed the woman must have some personal skeletons in her own closet too. That was the only thing that could explain why she had to wear those dark glasses and cover her face with the scarf – she definitely had something she was hiding from. Finally, Murphy stood up and made his way into the heart of the hotel. He climbed some stairs and came upon a corridor that had doors with different numbers on them. He had to climb a couple of steps up and down before he finally located the door that bore the number 53.

He stood in front of the door and knocked three times. The door was opened almost immediately.

“Please come in,” she said urgently, “Be fast.”

Murphy stepped into Room 53 which had an adjoining room. The first room was like the living room, with single, double, and triple seeters. It was a very neat room. and from the door he could see the king-sized bed that occupied the other room, which, of course, was the bedroom.

“You can have your seat,” she told him, finally pulling off her dark glasses and getting rid of the scarf.

“What am I doing here?” Murphy asked, refusing to sit down.

“Just have your seat first.”

“I’m not sitting anywhere until you tell me why you have invited me to this place.”

“Sit down, Mr Khalid.”

Murphy immediately backed away from her. “What is this? Is this a trap? Are you working with the police? You must be gravely mistaken if you think I’m going to surrender. I will rather die than go back to jail.”

“Calm down. I’m not with the police.”

“Then how did you know my name?”

“You’re quite a popular man, Mr Khalid. I didn’t know who you were when I met you at that restaurant last week. But in the weekend, I saw in the news that you are a wanted man. You broke out of jail and the police are searching for you. If I wanted to give you up I would have told the police about our little meeting. But I didn’t do that, so calm yourself down. Whatever problem you have with the police is none of my business.”

Having heard that, Murphy slowly sat down. “So why have you invited me here?”

“I will come straight to the point. It’s either you walk away or you accept my proposal,” she said and paused, staring at him. She sighed audibly and added, “I want you to sleep with me for three nights – tonight, tomorrow night and Friday night. You are not permitted to use condoms. After the three days I will pay you the one million naira, either by cheque or by cash, it depends on your choice.”

Murphy remained quiet for a brief moment; he was trying to process what he had just heard. “You want me to sleep with you till Friday?”

“Yes, but it’s going to be every night. If you accept, you will remain here in this suite till Saturday morning.”

“Are you saying we’ll be together for three days?”

She shook her head. “I’ll only be here every night till Friday. I can’t be seen with you.”

“Who are you?”

“You don’t need that information, Mr Khalid. Is my offer accepted or not? I can always find someone else to approach with this offer. You have the choice to either accept or refuse it.”

“And what if I refuse?”

“Like I said, you will never see me again.”

“Why do you want me to sleep with you?”

“That’s none of your business,” she replied casually and stood up. “I’ll be in the other room waiting for you. You are free to take your leave if you are not interested. You have five minutes to make your decision.” And with those words, she disappeared into the bedroom.

Murphy sat there, unsure about what to do. This was a weird offer; it was something he had not even considered at all. It seemed highly unusual, even immoral. How would a random woman just approach him and ask him for sex? Not just sex, he would also be paid a million naira. That kind of money was hard to turn down.

He rose to his feet and unlocked the adjoining door to the bedroom. She was already lying on the bed. She was naked.

He joined her.

sulorog:
No update yesterday, oga Larry

LarrySun:
I updated yesterday, but it was banned by antispambot. Now it has been unbanned. Thanks to the mods.

felix00:

Is it coming up anytime soon?