YELLOW BAG: FINAL CHAPTER - by Sewuese Adason

YELLOW BAG CHAPTER FIVE — THE TRUTH Mr. Job couldn’t sleep. The photograph lay on the table in front of him. Mike. Standing beside the old provision shop. And beside him was the man with the yellow bag. But the words written across the photograph kept playing in his head. ASK MARTINS WHO TOOK THE PICTURE. He picked up his phone and called Martins. It rang once. Twice. Three times. No answer. He called again. Still nothing. Behind him, Mrs. Job shifted in bed. “Ken?” He turned. She was awake. “What are you doing?” “Nothing.” She sat up and looked at the photograph. For a moment, her face went completely blank. Then she whispered, “Where did you get that?” Mr. Job’s eyes narrowed. “Why?” “I’ve never seen it before.” “You recognized it.” “No, I didn’t.” “You did.” Mrs. Job looked away. Before he could say anything else, there was a loud knock at the door. Both of them froze. Another knock. Mr. Job walked toward the door. “Don’t.” His wife grabbed his arm. He looked at her. “Why?” She quickly released him. “I just… don’t think you should open it.” Mr. Job stared at her before opening the door. Nobody was there. Only a small envelope lay on the floor. He picked it up. There was no name on it. Inside was a handwritten note. SHE TOLD ME TO DO IT. Mr. Job’s heart dropped. “Ken?” He slowly turned around. Mrs. Job was standing behind him. She looked at the note. And suddenly, all the colour disappeared from her face. ⸻ The next morning, Mr. Job went to the old provision shop alone. The place was deserted. He searched behind the building until he found the spot where Martins had claimed to find Mike’s shoe. There were footprints in the mud. Two different sets. He crouched down and noticed something underneath a broken wooden plank. A piece of paper. He pulled it out. It was a hotel receipt. The date was the same day Mike disappeared. A phone number was written on the back. Mr. Job dialed it. Someone answered. “Hello?” “Who is this?” Silence. “My son is missing.” The person hung up. He called again. This time, the number was switched off. ⸻ Across town, a man sat inside a cheap hotel room. The yellow bag was beside him. He stared at it angrily. His phone rang. He answered. “Where is my money?” A woman’s voice came through. “I told you I’ll pay you.” “You’ve been saying that for days.” “I don’t have it yet.” “You hired me to make your son disappear.” The woman said nothing. “You promised me the rest of the money.” “I’ll get it.” The man laughed bitterly. “You think I’m stupid?” “I never said that.” “You told me the boy would be easy.” The woman became quiet. “He was.” The man’s expression hardened. “No. He wasn’t.” There was silence. Then he said, “You didn’t tell me he was autistic.” “I told you everything you needed to know.” “No, you didn’t.” His voice became angry. “I had to change the whole plan because of him.” The woman breathed heavily. “Is he alive?” The man looked toward the yellow bag. “For now.” ⸻ Mrs. Job sat alone in her car. Her hands were shaking. She looked at an old photograph of herself wearing a graduation gown. She had once dreamed of becoming a successful woman. A career. A good job. A comfortable life. Then Mike was born. And everything changed. When Mike was diagnosed with autism, she did everything she could. Therapy. Appointments. Special schools. But slowly, exhaustion became resentment. She watched friends build careers while she stayed home. She watched opportunities pass her by. Then one day, a major career opportunity came. A chance to start over. But she couldn’t imagine taking Mike with her. She didn’t want her son to hold her back anymore. So she made a terrible decision. She hired someone to take him away. She paid him part of the money and promised to pay the rest later. But now she couldn’t. And the man she had hired was getting angry. ⸻ That evening, Mrs. Job returned home. Mr. Job was sitting in the living room. Waiting. “Where were you?” “At work.” “You’re lying.” She stopped. “What?” Mr. Job placed the photograph on the table. Then the hotel receipt. Then the note. SHE TOLD ME TO DO IT. Mrs. Job stared at them. Her breathing became heavier. “Ken…” “Where is my son?” She began to cry. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.” Mr. Job stood. “What did you do?” “I just wanted my life back.” His face hardened. “What does that mean?” She covered her face. “I couldn’t do it anymore.” “Do what?” “Everything!” Her voice broke. “The appointments. The therapy. The sacrifices. Watching everyone else move forward while my life stayed in one place.” Mr. Job stared at her. “You hired someone.” She said nothing. “You hired someone to take our son?” “I didn’t ask him to kill Mike!” “Then what did you ask him to do?” Her lips trembled. “Take him away.” “Where?” “I don’t know.” “You don’t know?” “He was supposed to disappear.” Mr. Job stepped backward. “You planned this?” “I changed my mind!” “But Mike was already gone.” She broke down. “I didn’t know what else to do.” Before Mr. Job could answer, her phone rang. Both of them looked at it. Unknown number. Mr. Job answered. “Hello?” A man’s voice came through. “Put her on the phone.” “Who is this?” “You already know.” Mr. Job’s grip tightened around the phone. “You took my son.” “I was paid to take him.” “Where is he?” A pause. Then— “Alive.” The call ended. Another message came through immediately. A picture. Mr. Job opened it. His heart stopped. It was Mike. Sitting alone in a dark room. And beside him… was the yellow bag. Underneath the picture was one sentence: SHE HAS UNTIL TOMORROW. Mr. Job looked at his wife. “Where is he?” “I don’t know!” “You’re going to help me find him.” ⸻ Before they could leave, Mr. Martins arrived. He looked at Mrs. Job. Then at Mr. Job. “Ken, I know where Mike is.” Mr. Job froze. “Where?” “The old warehouse behind the provision shop.” “How?” “I traced the number that sent the picture.” Mr. Job grabbed his keys. “Let’s go.” Mrs. Job remained standing. Mr. Martins looked at her. “You’re coming too.” She lowered her head. ⸻ The warehouse was dark when they arrived. Two police officers were waiting with Martins. Mr. Job rushed inside. “Mike!” There was no answer. They searched the first room. Nothing. Then they heard a soft humming sound. Mr. Job stopped. “Mike?” The humming continued. He followed the sound to a small wooden door. He opened it. And there he was. Mike was sitting on a thin mattress. His clothes were dirty, but he was unharmed. “Daddy?” Mr. Job fell to his knees. “Mike!” He pulled his son into his arms. “Oh God…” He held him tightly. “You’re okay.” Mike nodded. “I’m okay.” Mr. Job began to cry. For days, he had imagined the worst. But his son was alive. Safe. That was all that mattered. ⸻ The police found the man responsible hiding in another room. His name was Daniel. The yellow bag belonged to him. So did the photograph. Daniel eventually confessed everything. Mrs. Job had hired him to make Mike disappear. She had paid him part of the money. He took Mike and kept him hidden. But when she failed to pay the balance, he became angry. He began leaving clues. The yellow fabric. The bag. The photograph. He wanted to frighten her into paying. The yellow fabric found at the crime scene had been planted to confuse the investigation. The yellow bag left at the Job family’s doorstep was another part of his plan. And the photograph was his final warning. Mr. Martins had suspected from the beginning that something was wrong. That was why he kept asking questions. He wasn’t the culprit. He had been trying to uncover the truth. ⸻ Mrs. Job was arrested. As she was led away, she stopped and looked at Mike. Her son looked back at her. She opened her mouth to speak. But nothing came out. Mike simply moved closer to his father. Mr. Job wrapped an arm around him. He didn’t know what would happen to his family after that day. He didn’t know how long it would take to heal. But one thing was certain. Mike was home. Safe. The yellow bag was gone. The mystery was finally over. Mr. Job looked down at his son. For days, he had asked himself one question: Where is Mike? Now he finally had his answer. Right beside him. And he promised himself that no matter what happened next, he would never let his son feel like he was a burden again. THE END.

Other insights from Sewuese Adason

Referral Earning

Points-to-Coupons