Gertrude's POV

“Gertrude hon, you did not meet that strange man again, did you?” my mother asked me as soon as I stepped into the house.

“No, why do you ask?” I asked rather innocently.

“Nothing, were you able to buy the seasoning?” she asked.

“Of course,” I gave her the items I had bought and watched her walk into the kitchen.

I had lied. I had seen the strange man on my way back just as he had been leaving our compound. He had given me a sneaky smile and made even more ...