A Chance For Love - S01 E10 (Story Episode)

Story 4 years ago

A Chance For Love - S01 E10 (Story Episode)

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 10

Culprit
.
Continues..
“Looks like I arrived just in time to save the next victim.”
***
Raheem and I burst into the sickbay, with Sir Amadi right behind us, his breath erratic. With a weight like his, I wondered how he managed to keep up with us.

The room, quiet as a graveyard, held no sign of the drama we had missed, save for the student sat in bed with her back to the door. Wrapping her fingers around her thin ankles, she propped up her head on her raised knees.
“Whathappened?” Sir Amadi asked, advancing to her.
“It’s no use,” Stella said. Her nonchalance baffled me, but I barely had a moment to dwell on it. “She won’t speak to you. She’s been like this ever since she came to. She says to only speak to Victoria and a certain Raheem Kadir.”

“I am he,” Raheem said.
Stella didn’t turn to acknowledge him. “If these crazy kids don’t quit this Bloody Miri act, I swear, the me they’ll be seeing will be way scarier than any so-called ghost.”
“I understand how you feel,” Sir Amadi said. Did he? For a man who could crash into someone and not feel sorry, I doubted he knew the ABC of sympathy. “But you must calm down.”
Raheem walked to Stella, his eyes mirroring her pain. “I can’t pretend to know how you feel. But know that I will not let this game continue. You have my word.”

His words, like a charm, danced their way into her heart, shutting the door out on Sir Amadi’s words.
“But what can you do?” Stella asked.

“Whatever it takes,” Raheem said. “Once I talk to Mark Etto, he will see the need for CCTVs in the restrooms, and whoever goes on to Bloody Miri will be expelled.”

I cringed at the thought of having cameras in the restroom. Weren’t restrooms meant to be private places?
I voiced out my indignation. “Cameras? Are you crazy?”
“Do you have a better option?” Raheem asked, although he apparently didn’t expect me to have any.

“The idea of cameras in the restroom just unnerves me,” I said. “It’s a restroom for heaven’s sake!”
“His idea is perfect,” Sir Amadi said. “The CCTVs will only be installed outside the stalls. So everything is fine as long as nobody leaves her stall undressed.”

“Hell, my idea is perfect and I don’t need you telling me that,” Raheem said.

Nengi sniffled, drawing our attention to her. Shooting Sir Amadi a cold stare, Raheem wordlessly ordered him to back off. Sir Amadi complied, giving Raheem and I room to approach her.

“Can you tell us what happened?” Raheem asked.
“I was a fool not to believe Dory,” Nengi said. Her body trembled as she sobbed, and I feared she would break down. “I was a fool.”

Raheem reached out his hand as though to touch her. But he never did. He just let his hand hover in midair as though that simple gesture could halt her tears.

In a decidedly slow voice, he said, “Please calm down. We need you to calm down.”
Shuddering, Nengi raised her face to look at us. Her eyes were puffy from crying. She smoothed her palms over her legs and swept frantic eyes around the room.

“She’ll be back,” she said between hiccups and gasps. “She’ll kill me. She’s pissed off because I saw her. She wants to kill me. Help me. Please. I don’t want to die. I don’t want to.”

I lowered myself to the bed and pulled her into a hug. “You’re safe. It’s okay now.”
Clinging to me like a child, she trembled in my arms. Her innocence, her pain, her distress, it all melted my heart. A girl with such innocence could never hurt another. She’d be mortified if she knew I had suspected her of attacking her friend.

She gulped down her fears. “What if she comes back?”
“Did you see the person who attacked you?” I asked.

“Yes.”
“Canyou tell us what she looks like?”

“It’s Bloody Miri. I swear. She’s real. She—” With an ear-splitting shriek, she sprang to her feet and hid behind Raheem as Stella launched at her. Sir Amadi gripped Stella’s arms, restraining her. She writhed to break free, but he held on to her.

Stella’s nose flared with indignation. “Say one word about my sister, and you’re it.”
With Raheem as a shield between Stella and her, Nengi felt confident enough to speak again. “I swear it. I saw her. I saw the girl in the picture.”
“Not one more word!” Sir Amadi said. “Have you gone crazy or what?”

Bursting into tears, Nengi darted out of the sickbay. I rose to my feet and made to follow, but Sir Amadi held out a hand to stop me.

“I’ll handle this,” he said. Hush descended upon the sickbay as he dashed after her.
Moments passed and I waited for someone to break the silence, but nobody did. Nobody but me. “I can’t believe she struck again. What’s she aiming at, serial killer wannabe?”

A wave of silence accompanied my question. Raheem folded his hands and sauntered to the other side of the room, his face pensive. He stood motionless, digging deep into his thoughts. I looked over to the counter where Stella stood, fuming over the twenty-one-year-old game.
“Rah—” I called.

“I’m trying to think,” he said, his voice slightly raised.
Our number two suspect had become a victim. Just when I thought we were making progress, this happened. I should have known our sleuthing had only turned easy because we were headed in the wrong direction.

“What is your observation thus far, Miss Brown?” Raheem’s asked, his voice like the calmness of the oceans. “What does today’s incident add, or take away, from our case?”
“Nengi is definitely not the culprit,” I blurted out. How was that even a question?
Raheem nodded. “Typical observation. What gives, though?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” I asked. “She was attacked. Surely, she couldn’t have hurt herself. What would she gain?”

Once the question left my lips, Raheem turned around and his eyes met mine. He seemed ready to flaunt his intelligence. I could tell from the smug smile on his face and the twinkle in his eyes. The expression that said ‘I know something you don’t.’

“Self-victimization is a word you should look into, Miss Brown,” he said. “Allow me be your lexicon for now. It refers to the fabrication of victimhood for reasons such as diverting attention, manipulating people, soliciting sympathy, and the rest of them. If you want to sleuth and sleuth right, you must never wave off any possibility unless there is proof of its unlikelihood.”

Of course I didn’t know the ABC of sleuthing, and although he’d probably known this from the start, he had asked me to be his sidekick anyway. So far, I didn’t even see how I contributed to his crime solving exercise. Why had he chosen to work with me when he could go it alone and do it right?
“She’s a suspect?” Stella asked. “Even after she’s been attacked?”

“I don’t see why we should get her off the list just yet,” Raheem said.

“Shouldn’t this be handled by the police?” she asked. “I’m not saying you aren’t capable of finding the culprit on your own, but I’m not okay with you two putting your life on the line.”
“We’ve been told this a million times,” Raheem said.

“If Victoria comes to any harm because of this—”

Raheem cut in. “I will keep her safe.

I rolled my eyes. Who said I needed his protection?
“I shall hold you to your word,” Stella said. She fetched my bag of drips from the counter. One down. Two to go.

“Give me a moment,” I said. I needed to visit the restroom, but telling them would only break them into panic, since a potential killer lurked around that territory. No harm would come to me, though. The serial killer wannabe only struck during recess.

“Where are you going?” Stella asked.

According to Raheem, to sleuth right, one must never wave off any possibility unless there exists proof of its unlikelihood. And for this reason, I would play Bloody Miri and see for myself.
***
My heart pounded as I neared the restroom. What if I ended up like Doreen and Nengi? Did I really have to take this risk?
I didn’t believe in Bloody Miri, and I wouldn’t start now. Swallowing my fear, I reached out to grab the door handle.
“Vicky!” a shrill of a voice pierced my eardrums. My heart flew to my mouth, and a gasp escaped my lips. But it only took a moment for me to regain composure.

I whirled around to find Confidence jogging toward me. I hoped she hadn’t witnessed my moment of fright. Blinded by her own fright, she definitely hadn’t.

“I’m super glad you came to my aid,” she said. “I need to use the toilet so bad, but I don’t want to go in alone. I don’t want to end up like those girls.”

Barely giving me a moment to decide, she clung to my arm and ushered me in.

“Please wait.” She swept big, frantic eyes around the restroom. “I’ll be out in a jiffy.” Taking one last look around, she dashed into the first stall.
Of course I would wait. I had plans of spending time in the restroom. I knew Bloody Miring would freak her out. But what did I care about the s--t?
I sauntered toward the rectangular mirror that almost covered the full breadth of the wall. My heart raced with every step I took. Time seemed to slow down, waiting for me to become the next victim. Taking a deep breath, I shoved off my fears and trained my eyes on the mirror opposite me. I secured the sink and turned on the faucet.

“Bloody Miri,” I said, my voice merely a breath. I took a step back and looked around for a sign of anything out of place. Finding nothing, I returned my focus to the mirror.

A lump formed in my throat, constricting it. But I wouldn’t back out. “Bloody Miri. Bloody Miri. Bloody Miri. Bloody Miri.”
Confidence burst out of the stall, her eyes wide with fear. “What are you doing? Stop! Stop it!”

I kept my eyes trained on the mirror. “Bloody Miri. Bloody Miri. Bloody Miri—”

“You’re crazy,” Confidence screamed, sprinting out of the restroom. The door slammed after her.

“Crazy!” her fading voice screamed on.
The emotions I thought I’d overcome fought to consume me. Every fiber of my being told me to drop this silliness and drag myself out of the restroom, but I stood my ground. I would not let fear take the best of me. Blinking sweat away from my eyes, I secured the other sinks and turned on the faucets.

“Bloody Miri,” I called. “Bloody Miri. Bloody Miri. Bloody Miri. Bloody Miri. Bloody Miri…”
I chanted on and on, barely giving myself a moment to breathe. I listened for anything out of place, but could only hear my voice and the drip-drop of water. I didn’t believe in ghosts and never would.
Ghosts didn’t exist. If they did, mum and dad would have saved me from my stepmother’s depravity. They’d haunt her till she lost her sanity. But they didn’t. This only meant ghosts did not exist. And Miriam Adewale was no exception.
“I don’t believe in ghosts,” I muttered, hoping it quelled my racing heart. “I’m only doing this for the benefit of doubt. Bloody Miri? Hah! What a joke!”
A knock on the main door forced me to punctuate my words with a gasp. Although my mind screamed ‘Bloody Miri’, I tried not to think of it. I did not believe in ghosts!

I could feel my heart pounding in my throat. Water overflowed from the sinks, but I couldn’t move a muscle. Fear rooted me to the spot.

The slow, haunting knocking on the door continued. My stomach clenched into a fist. Had Doreen and Nengi felt like this moments before it happened? Would I end up like them?

Terror held me in a death grip. But once the grip loosened, I made for the door, only to hear a door behind me slam shut. My heart fell to the pit of my stomach. A scream escaped my lips.

The main door jerked open, forcing me to take a step back. I toppled over and lost my footing. My body met the watery floor with a thud. Scrambling to my feet, I led my gaze to the door and found Raheem staring at me with amusement in his eyes.
He smirked. “Looks like I arrived just in time to save the next victim.”

I blinked. Once. Twice. I gaped at the door that had slammed shut, and then it occurred to me that Confidence had left it ajar. Blast that jerk.

Raheem bit his lips to stifle a laugh, but despite his efforts, a bubble of laughter sailed across the room.

“Are you done laughing?” I asked. It took much effort not to join in his amusement.
“Just what were you thinking?” he asked.

I ignored his question. “How did you know I was here?”
His face still crinkled with laughter. “Instincts.”
Instincts? He sure had ran into Confidence. I curled my lips at the thought of that s--t checking him out with those dirty eyes. Reflecting back on how she’d dashed out of sight brought a smile to my lips, and despite my efforts to hold back my amusement, I heard myself chuckle.

Raheem moved to turn off the faucets, giving me a chance to sneak out of the restroom. I walked down the hallway, my lips curving into a smile as I thought back to my newest embarrassment. Why did I always end up embarrassing myself in front of him? How would I explain my wet uniform to Stella? How would she react if she knew I had played the game she despised with every fiber of her being?

It took a moment before Raheem’s footsteps joined mine. Lagging a great distance behind me, he walked calmly, apparently having no intentions to catch up with me.
***
Stella’s eyes widened at my drenched uniform. Sat on a bed, she prepared to administer my IV drip. “What happened to you? Were you attacked as well?”
“No,” I said. “I’m fine. The floor was watery, so I slipped.”
“Why did you visit the toilet?” she asked. “It’s not like you don’t know the sickbay has its own toilet. Is there something you’re not telling me?”
“We had to rush to the crime scene in search of evidence,” Raheem said.

Stella gestured me over and helped me out of my wet jacket. Undoing the first two buttons on my shirt, I slackened my tie and rolled up my sleeves. My eyes zeroed in on the syringe in her hand. Forcing my attention away from it, I lay supine on the bed.

“I honestly wish I could be of help in this case,” Stella said, her eyes roaming the length of my half-unclothed arm. “It’s sick that someone attacks people in the name of my sister.”

Finding the administration site, she tightened the tourniquet around my arm. I shut my eyes and willed my mind away from the needle. Amidst the darkness in my mind, I scrambled for a worthwhile distraction. I trained my attention on my non-dominant arm and tricked myself into believing the needle would sting it and not the other. And to an extent, it worked. The needle bit into my skin and slipped into my vein with minimal pain.

“I want the culprit to be brought to justice,” Stella said.
“I want that more than anything,” I said.

She advanced to the counter and picked up her tote bag. Digging into it, she said, “I don’t see how this helps, but I found this on the floor after the first victim was brought here.”
She returned to me, her fist clenched over an object. Raheem walked over to us. His breath caught in his throat as Stella’s fist unclenched, exposing the object.
“Let me see,” I said. Stella lowered her palm to my line of sight. On it sat a lone earring: Nengi’s missing earring. Something didn’t seem right. Raheem’s pensive eyes confirmed this.

Stella placed the earring in Raheem’s demanding palm. “Whose is it?”
“Did Nengi visit this place yesterday?” Raheem asked.
“No,” Stella said. Recollecting the details of the previous day, she added, “Vicky was my only patient, until Doreen came along. I’m sure no one else came in except you and the principal.”

“And the day before?” Raheem asked. “Did Nengi come?”
“Some students have no idea what this place looks like,” Stella said. “Nengi is one of such students. Until today’s incident forced her here.”

“So how did it get here?” I asked.

“Isn’t it clear already?” Raheem asked. “Even a master serial killer makes one mistake that though seemingly insignificant, could lead to his downfall. How much more this amateur?”
Without a doubt, we had discovered the culprit. Nengi had attacked Doreen. Doreen had tried to struggle, and so the earring had fallen off Nengi’s ear and got stuck in Doreen’s jacket. But why would Nengi try to kill her best friend?
Unlike me, Raheem didn’t seem stunned by this revelation. He seemed to have known this from the start.

“Now that the culprit has been identified, what next?” I asked.
“I like to toy with my playthings for a bit,” Raheem said, giving me the impression he’d solved other cases in the past. “We will have her return to the crime scene on her own. And we will have her confess her crime voluntarily.”

“How?” Stella stole my question.
“Here’s the plan,” Raheem said. “While I go speak to Nengi, Miss Brown will hide in one of the stalls, waiting for her to walk into the trap. Once we have her, it’s all done.”

With a sigh, I looked up at the bag of fluid. “I’m confined to this bed.”

Moving to me, Stella paused the drip. She pulled out the needle and placed a cotton wool over where it had been. “Be back once it’s done.”

I nodded. I made to stand, but memories of yesterday’s vertigo drifted past my mind, forcing me to remain in the bed for a second too long. After a few moments, I slowly raised myself to my feet. Standing still as a statue, I gauged my reaction. Everything seemed fine.

“You ready?” Raheem asked.
“Yeah,” I said. Stella smiled at us as we walked out of the sickbay and toward our plan. “You seem so confident that she’ll go to the restroom on her own.”
“Of course,” Raheem said. After a moment, he explained, “It’s simple. I only have to inform her of an earring the janitor came across in the restroom. Of course it’s a pretty expensive piece and it would be a shame for the owner to lose it forever. And so I’ll ask her to go check it out, and if it isn’t hers, she could spread the word so the owner and the jewelry can finally reunite.”
“That’s brilliant,” I said. “You really think she’ll fall for it?”
“Positive.” He thought for a moment. “Trust me, she won’t suspect a thing and will race here to retrieve the evidence ASAP. She is that stupid.”

Reaching into his pocket, he brought out Nengi’s earring and placed it on my palm. “Drop it on the third sink and stay in position until she comes to retrieve it.”

Without another word, he walked away, leaving me to walk in the opposite direction.
***
Once in the restroom, I placed the earring on the third sink. I made to back away from the sinks when the girl in the mirror caught my eye. Over the past few years I’d lost a few pounds, which didn’t look too healthy, considering that I had always looked anorexic from the start. I ran my fingers along my clavicle peeking out from behind my shirt. Dad had always complained about it being too obvious. What would he say if he saw it now?

Turning away from the mirror, I headed into the stall nearest to me and shut the door. I wouldn’t want to risk letting my legs show from underneath the door, so I backed away. There I stood, waiting.

It didn’t take long for the door to swing open. Our girl of interest walked in. Her interrupted footsteps told me she took a moment to scan the room for the item of interest, and for any threats. Still as a statue, I barely even drew in a breath.

The sound of rushing footsteps stole over the silence. I could tell she’d spotted her earring and walked over to retrieve it. I yanked open the door, just in time to see her pick up the controversial piece of jewelry. Her face paled at the sight of me, wiping off any happiness she’d felt to be reunited with her earring.

I put up my hands in mock defense. “What? I’m not Bloody Miri.”

She chuckled uneasily. I could tell she knew something had gone out of plan. Eying the exit, she said, “I’ve…got…class.”
Raheem stepped in, blocking the exit. Nengi’s gaze flickered between Raheem and I. “What’s he doing here?”

When I didn’t answer, she turned to look at Raheem. “Why are you here? This place is strictly for females. The male restroom is on the other side.”
Raheem folded his hands. “And I thought only murderers return to the scene of their crime. It appears even those who failed at being murderers do too.”
Again, Nengi laughed uneasily. “Nice joke.”

She stepped toward the door, but with Raheem standing guard, she knew failure even from a distance. “Step away. I have class.”

“There’s no need pretending now,” I said. “We know everything.”

Her fist tightened on the earring. “Everything?”
“Like I said, even master criminals make their mistakes,” Raheem said. “This one is just too immature in the act, and has made tons of them.”
“I don’t understand,” Nengi said. “What are you talking about? What’s this about?”

I gestured at her clenched fist. “The earring. You said you didn’t come here yesterday. But then you hear news of a missing earring and you run here ASAP to get it. And surprisingly, it’s yours. So, how did it get here? Last time I checked, earrings didn’t have wings.”

“It must have fallen off when Bloody Miri attacked me,” she said, the innocence in her voice almost fooling me.

“You were attacked today,” Raheem reminded. “It fell yesterday.”

“You’ve got it all wrong,” she said. “I admit there was only one earring yesterday, but then I got home and found it on my bed. So I wore it to school and then it fell off during the attack.”

“So you’re positive it fell off during the attack?” Raheem asked.

“That’s the only logical explanation,” she said.
“I hate to burst your bubble,” Raheem said. “But that piece of jewelry wasn’t found here. But in the sickbay. And it wasn’t found today, but yesterday. You’re probably wondering how it got there. And I will tell you. Here’s how it happened. When attacked, the victim tried to fight back. During the struggle, this little piece of jewelry fell off your ear and got stuck in the victim’s jacket. And there it stayed until I rushed her to the sickbay. And then it fell to the floor when my partner unbuttoned the victim’s jacket to start the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, but neither of us noticed because we were caught up in the drama. You had this all planned, perhaps as a way to get back at your friend for something she doesn’t even suspect. I doubt one would do this without a motive, and a very strong one at that. You knew she would leave for the designated place at the designated time.

“And since I found the victim around eleven forty three, I believe she visited the restroom after she had lunch. So while you made her believe you’d be staying back to do a certain technical drawing assignment, you snuck off to the restroom, where you hid in a stall, patiently waiting.”
“And then you applied the perfume to frame Annabel Lambert,” I said. Nengi whirled around to watch me speak. “For this reason you refrained from mentioning Henry. You painted Annabel as a jealous girlfriend who would commit murder to keep her boyfriend.”

Raheem concluded our findings, “And when we came to question you about Henry, you knew if you didn’t act fast, it would only be a moment before we discovered your game. Thus, you made to divert attention from yourself by playing the victim.”

“Please let me go,” Nengi said. “I didn’t do anything. Why would I hurt my friend?”

“We were hoping you would tell us,” Raheem said.
“I didn’t do anything!” she insisted.

“Okay, that’s fine,” Raheem said. He moved away from the door and made a sweeping gesture as though to usher her out. “If you say you didn’t, that’s fine. I’m sure the other evidence will lead us to the culprit.”
“What evidence?” she asked, mystified.

“You see, when I saw Doreen lying helplessly on the floor, I knew it was no accident. It was clear she’d been attacked. And when attacked, will you just stand still? Of course you must fight back. One or two strands of hair underneath her fingernail revealed a serious struggle with her attacker. I didn’t want to lose vital evidence, so I cut the fingernail and kept it safe. You know, there’s probably sweat underneath the fingernail. And sweat, as we know, consists of naturally shed skin cells. A DNA test should point us to the culprit. What do you think?”
“DNA?” Nengi asked.
“For heaven’s sake, Nengi, just tell us if you did it!” I said. “Everything points to you.”
“Why would I confess to a crime I didn’t commit?” she asked.
Raheem leaned in toward her. Holding her shoulders, he said in a low voice, “Look, we all make mistakes. To err is human after all. I understand something must have moved you to do that to your friend. But luckily, she’s still alive. We don’t know what interrupted the process. Maybe you got scared someone might see you, or maybe when she lost consciousness you believed she was dead, and you ran off. Whatever the reason was, it doesn’t matter right now. All that matters is she’s alive. We’re not going to judge you or anything. Can you just stop lying to us?”

“I did not do anything,” she said.
“I know you’re scared,” Raheem said. “And I understand. But if you tell us now, we will find a way to deliver you from justice. If you insist on lying, we have enough biological materials for a DNA test, and when the result is out, we will be in no position to interfere. Nengi, you’re a bright girl, smart and beautiful. You have a wonderful future. Do you want to spend it in jail? Is that what you want?”
Raheem’s words seemed to have hit home. Maybe if he pressed on, he could squeeze the truth out of her. Hopeful, he went on, “You can trust us. If you tell the truth and tell it all we’ll spare you. But if you don’t, well, like I said, the DNA will point us in the right direction.”
Nengi shook her head as though trying to shake off Raheem’s words. “I didn’t do anything.”

Simmering with rage, Raheem tore his hands away from her and stepped away. “Fine! I only have to make a call for this to be police case.”

He turned toward the door and took his phone from his pocket. While he dialed, I stepped in toward Nengi. Her eyes misted over.

“Do you know what it’s like to be in jail?” I asked. “Do you know how many years you are going to spend there? Here we are trying to help cover up your crime and you take us for fools?”

“There’s no point trying to let her see reason anymore, Miss Brown,” Raheem said. “I guess it’s a police case now.”
And to Nengi, he said, “For your information, I called your supposed boyfriend a while ago. Got his number off Facebook.”

Raheem’s words brought a noticeable shudder slipping down Nengi’s spine. He went on, “He told me everything. You’re not together anymore, thanks to your best friend leaking a very sacred secret. I understand this is your way to get even. It’s hard to forgive someone who’s broken your trust. But did you have to go that far? Oh well, I guess the police can take it from here.”
After a moment of silence, he moved his phone to his ear. “Detective constable James.”
Nengi gasped as the seriousness of the situation seeped in. “Wait!”

When Raheem didn’t turn to look at her, she tugged at my arm, forcing me to stare into her eyes. I watched her burst into tears. Tempted to feel sorry, I looked away. I would not sympathize with someone who had tried to take away the life of another.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I did it. It isn’t like I wanted to kill her or anything. I only wanted to scare her.”

My struggle to ignore her grief proved futile. Slowly, my gaze returned to her. My eyes watered at her helplessness. My heart bled at the thought of her spending a slice of her life in jail. But what could I do? Justice must be served.

With his phone pressed to his ear, Raheem strode out of his restroom, slamming the door behind him.

“Go after him,” I said, blinking back my emotions.
I watched a frantic Nengi sprint to the door, and to her doom. Once she yanked it open, a palm connected with her cheek, its sound reverberating around the room. Knocked off balance by the suddenness of the slap, she staggered backward. I held her so she didn’t crash into me.
“That’s for Doreen,” Stella said, glaring at her. “And this is for using my sister’s name to cover up your evil.”

With a force greater than the first, Stella’s palm flew to Nengi’s cheek, colliding with it with an impact that jerked her face sideways. Nengi whimpered, clutching her sore cheek.

My eyes adjusted to the hallway, finding Sir Amadi, Raheem, and another man. He had to be the policeman Sir Amadi had sent for. They’d all put faith in our plan and had been waiting here for this moment.

“Nengi Oruene?” the man called. “You are charged with the attempted murder of Doreen Chukwu. You have the right to remain silent. Whatever you say can be used against you in the court of law.”
Raheem smirked. “It is done.”
Nengi choked on her sob. “You said you would… You said… You lied to me.”

“Of course,” Raheem said. “Now that you’ve confessed, it’ll be much easier for the cops to do the rest. Oh, and about the biological materials, I lied about that too.”

Still smirking, he saluted her. My throat constricted as I watched the policeman lead her away.