Post by Ritagold (@ugbosanmi_rita)

📖 THE HEALTH WORKER THEY CALLED A WITCH

CHAPTER 9: THE LETTER THAT COULD DESTROY A FAMILY

The door burst open, and Rita froze.

The man standing before her was Chief Nwafor's first son, Nnaemeka.

"Give me the envelope!" he demanded.

Rita held it tightly. "Why? What is inside it?"

"That is none of your business!"

Behind him, Amara began trembling.

"Nnaemeka, please," she whispered. "Don't make the same mistake your father made."

Nnaemeka turned towards her angrily.

"You should have remained hidden, Amara!"

Rita stared at him. "You know her?"

He laughed bitterly.

"Everybody in this village has been searching for her for twenty-nine years. Now that she has finally appeared, you think she will tell you the truth?"

Amara stepped forward.

"I have remained silent for too long. Daniel disappeared because he discovered what your family was hiding."

Nnaemeka's expression changed.

"Be careful what you say."

"Or what?" Amara challenged. "Will you make me disappear too?"

Suddenly, Emeka entered the room and stood beside Rita.

"We should leave," he whispered. "Something isn't right."

Before they could move, Nnaemeka's phone rang.

He answered it, listened briefly, and his face turned pale.

"What do you mean Chukwudi has regained consciousness?" he shouted.

Rita immediately remembered Chief Nwafor's younger son, who had been found inside the old storage shed.

Nnaemeka ended the call and hurried outside without another word.

Rita turned to Amara.

"What does Chukwudi know?"

Amara sat down slowly.

"He knows what happened the night your father disappeared. But there is something you must understand, Rita. Your father was not investigating the stream alone. He had discovered that some people were secretly disposing of waste near the community's water source."

Rita's expression became serious.

"Could that be connected to the illnesses happening now?"

"It is possible, but you must not assume the cause without evidence. Your father wanted the authorities to investigate before anyone else was harmed."

Rita looked down at the envelope.

"Then we must find out what happened."

Amara nodded.

"But first, read the letter."

With trembling fingers, Rita opened the envelope.

Inside was a handwritten letter and a small photograph.

The letter began:

To whoever finds this, if Daniel has disappeared, look for the records kept beneath the floor of the old cassava mill. The truth is there.

Rita's heart raced.

At the bottom of the letter was a name.

CHIEF NWAFOR.

She looked at Amara in disbelief.

"Did the chief write this?"

Amara shook her head.

"No. Your father wrote it. He was afraid something would happen to him."

Rita studied the photograph. It showed three men standing beside the old mill. One was her father. Another was Chief Nwafor.

But the third man was someone she recognised immediately.

It was Pastor Daniel, the respected religious leader who had been encouraging the villagers to remain calm throughout the health crisis.

Rita could hardly believe her eyes.

"What was Pastor Daniel doing with my father and Chief Nwafor twenty-nine years ago?"

Amara's eyes filled with tears.

"That is the question I have been afraid to answer."

Before Rita could speak, her phone rang.

It was an unfamiliar number.

She answered cautiously.

"Hello?"

A weak male voice whispered, "Rita, my name is Chukwudi. I am Chief Nwafor's younger son."

"How did you get my number?"

"Please, listen carefully. I know where your father went."

Rita stopped breathing for a moment.

"Is my father alive?"

There was a long silence.

Then Chukwudi whispered:

"I saw him three days ago."

The call suddenly disconnected.

Rita stared at her phone, her heart pounding.

Was her father really alive after twenty-nine years?

Why had Chukwudi kept this secret for so long?

And if Daniel was alive, why had he never returned to his family?

Before Rita could call back, another message appeared on her screen.

"Come to the old cassava mill tonight if you want to know the truth. Come alone."

Rita looked at Amara.

Amara shook her head urgently.

"Don't go! That is exactly how they trapped your father!"

But Rita had waited her entire life for answers.

Would she finally discover what happened to her father, or would she become the next person to disappear from Umuoma?

💬 LET'S DISCUSS!

1. Do you believe Chukwudi really saw Rita's father three days ago?

2. Why was Pastor Daniel in the photograph with Rita's father and Chief Nwafor?

3. Should Rita go to the old cassava mill, or is someone setting a dangerous trap for her?

Tell me your thoughts in the comments! If you were Rita, what would you do next?

❤️📖 COMING NEXT: CHAPTER 10 — THE MAN WHO RETURNED FROM THE DEAD.

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