A/T This is a double update, a new chapter went up a few minutes before this one incase you missed it. 

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"Good morning Mrs. Mukhisa," said the man with the supervisor tag as he extended his hand for her to shake.

"Good morning." She accepted his calloused hand. Her gaze roamed through the customer care area of the store. She took a step back and looked at the banner hanging over the sliding glass doors. "Ben's Electronics" the gold embossed letters read. "It can't be" she murmured. The elaboration that Maria was seeking after rereading the store's name a few more times didn't reveal itself.

"We were not expecting you this morning, Mr. Mwangi said that you would be coming in next week," the supervisor said, as he followed Maria out of the store.

"I know, I was running errands in town and figured I should just make a quick stop." Maria's response was automatic, she had thought of how she would introduce herself to the staff for the first time after staying away for so long. A conversation with the store's manager, two days after the funeral, had ended with her making arrangements to visit the following week. Today, as she was running last-minute errands in town, a weird desire to see Ben's store filled her and she found herself hurrying through her shopping so that she could make a quick stop there. The only problem now was that whatever she was looking at wasn't what she had expected.

"Uh, is there something wrong with the banner? It's a new design. Mr. Mukhisa hired a new design team for the store. This was their first project. He didn't get to see it..." The supervisor's words faltered when Maria's reproachful gaze shifted from the banner to him. He fidgeted pulling his gaze from her to his now sweaty palms. Maria turned and walked into the store where she was met with more questions than answers.

Ben's Electronics Store was massive! Supermarket kind of massive and not those little-struggling to make it- kind of supermarkets, no, the big high-end ones that were well stocked and sold everything and anything. She walked down the aisles taking in all the stocked shelves. There were all sorts of electronic gadgets, rows and rows of them. Maria's gaze swept over all the aisles, uniformed staff members carried on with their tasks of either dusting, rearranging, or helping the endless line of customers that continually filed into the store. Her searching eyes landed on a back wall that was lined with all kinds of home electronics. She walked along the aisle until she came upon a staircase that beaconed her to ascend it. Before she could go any further, a hand was placed on her shoulder. She turned to face the owner of the offending palm, a uniformed trainee, as per the name tag.

"I'm sorry Ma'am, but you can't go up there," the trainee said as she pointed to the wall holding up the staircase, "employees only" she read the sign.

"Mrs. Mukhisa." Came an apprehensive voice from behind them. Maria turned to see the store's Manager, Mr. Mwangi, approach her with the supervisor who had welcomed Maria, a few paces behind him. "We were not expecting you today." Said Mr. Mwangi as he stretched his hand out for her to shake.

"Uhm, yeah." Maria threw a glance at the trainee whose jaw had hit the floor. A little sense of pity for the trainee rushed by her but she paid no mind to it. "What's up there?" she pointed up the "employees-only staircase".

"Oh, that's our storage area. I am having it reorganized. I remembered you are very keen on such issues."

"Oh, Okay. Then can we have a conversation in private? I have a few things that I would like to go over."

"Sure. Follow me into the office." The burly man said before turning on his heel and heading towards the back of the main floor. Maria followed closely behind him as the supervisor and trainee made themselves scarce.

Maria was led into a glass wall office. The spacious room held a mahogany desk on top of which sat a computer, a couple of open folders, a landline, and a pen holder. A leather chair sat proudly behind the desk, looming over the two seats which sat directly across from it. One side of the room held a set of cushy white leather seats and a glass coffee table, a wall painting of the Maasai Mara hung behind the leather set. The other side of the room held a bookshelf that contained a few books and more electronic gadgets. Next to the bookshelf stood a mini fridge. Mr. Mwangi ushered her to the couch, but Maria remained standing. "Can I get you something to drink?" he asked unsure of what his current boss needed.

"No, I just need to know something. Who owns this store?"

Mr. Mwangi's eyebrows furrowed at the unexpected question. He watched Maria with uncertainty etched in his eyes. "uhm, you do?" he asked, unable to mask the confusion in his tone.

"Why do you sound uncertain? Did this store belong to Ben alone? Might he Have had partners?"

"Uhm, as far as I am concerned, he doesn't... I mean, he didn't have any partners. It all belonged to him."

"I do not understand." She murmured as she looked around the elegant office, "how is this possible, he made me believe that the store was struggling and that was why we were struggling financially." She looked to Mr. Mwangi for some kind of explanation but the man's confusion only deepened, his eyes saying as much. "How could he do this to me, to our kids? What was the reason for it all?" Maria let all the questions that were running amok in her mind out to her now a visibly uncomfortable employee.

"Uhm..." was all the clueless man could manage. He watched as the woman tried to make sense of a situation that he wasn't even aware of himself. The confusion and pain she displayed caused him to sympathize with her, a feeling he regretted soon enough. Maria, having noticed the pity in his countenance schooled her features and allowed all the rage and betrayal she was feeling to take over. The murderous look she sent his way quickly dissipated the sympathy he displayed earlier. She watched as he unloosened his tie, tiny droplets of mist coating his clean-shaven head. Seeing his nervous state, she realized that she was picking a fight with the wrong guy. She turned her gaze to the grand desk which seemed to be the focus of the room.

"Whose office is this?"

"Ah, Mr...I mean yours. It belongs to the director, that would be you." Mumbled Mr. Mwangi.

"Wonderful, now I need you to get me the monthly reports that date back to the past two years, also get me the finance guy, I suppose there is one, then get me a lawyer, I believe such an establishment must have a lawyer on speed dial, right? Finally, get me a coffee, I will be needing that drink after all. She walked to the leather seat behind the mahogany desk and sunk into it.

Mr. Mwangi went to do her bidding but before he could exit the room, he froze mid-step at the mention of his name. He turned to face her, wary of her next words, "not a word of this to anyone until I have gotten to the bottom of it. Okay?" the man nodded then scurried out of the room leaving Maria to her thoughts.

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What the heck is going on? What had Ben been up to? ;) 

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Love, 

June