The Struggles of Lamine

chapter 9

Chapter 9: The false lead

The air felt different when Lamine stepped back into the house. The walls had been repaired, the windows replaced, but the scars of the recent attack lingered like shadows in every corner. Mamadou and Awa moved through the rooms with caution, as if the violence might return at any moment. Lamine stayed close to them, but his mind was elsewhere, racing with thoughts of Aïssata and the cryptic warning Mamadou had given him about Ndiaye.

That evening, after unpacking, Lamine made the call. Aïssata answered on the first ring.

"Lamine, what is it?" she asked, her voice tense with unspoken worry.

He took a deep breath, struggling to find the words. "You need to know... Our house was attacked. It wasn't random. People were sent to kill Mamadou. They didn't succeed, but it was bad. Really bad."

Silence fell on the line. Lamine could hear Aïssata's breathing, steady but tinged with a quiet fury.

"Who sent them?" she finally asked.

Lamine hesitated. "I don't know for sure, but... my parents think it might be Ndiaye. They said she's afraid of what they might know about Mr. Diallo's death."

Aïssata's voice grew cold. "So, now you believe them? That Ndiaye is behind everything?"

Lamine clenched his fist. "No, I don't know what to believe anymore. But there's one thing I'm sure of-we can't trust anyone. Not them, not Ndiaye. We need to find out what really happened during my adoption. And the only person who might have the answers is that social worker, Fatou Sylla."

Aïssata was quiet, then she replied, "Where do we find her?"

---

The next morning, Lamine and Aïssata met at a small café near the city records office. They had called ahead, using the last known contact number for Fatou Sylla. They were told she'd be there, waiting for them.

But when they arrived, the woman behind the desk seemed puzzled. She scrolled through the database, furrowing her brows.

"I'm sorry, but there's no one by that name listed here," she said, glancing up at Lamine and Aïssata. "Are you sure she was a social worker in this district?"

Lamine's pulse quickened. "Yes, she handled my adoption. It was about fifteen years ago. Her name was Fatou Sylla."

The clerk shook her head. "I've worked here for over twenty years, and I've never come across a Fatou Sylla. And if she had been part of the adoption process, her name would be in our records. But it's not."

Aïssata leaned closer, her voice low but urgent. "Are you saying she doesn't exist?"

The woman gave them a sympathetic but firm smile. "I'm saying that if she was involved, it wasn't through any official channels. I'm sorry."

---

Lamine and Aïssata left the office in stunned silence. They walked a few blocks away before Aïssata grabbed Lamine's arm, forcing him to look at her.

"This doesn't make any sense," she said, her eyes blazing with frustration. "Why would Ndiaye create a fake identity for the social worker? And what else has she lied about?"

Lamine shook his head, feeling the ground shift beneath his feet. "I don't know. But it means that everything I thought I knew about my adoption was a lie. My parents... Ndiaye... even you showing up, all of it feels like part of some game. But what's the endgame, Aïssata?"

She released him, pacing a few steps before stopping. "Maybe it's time we confronted Ndiaye directly. She's the only one who seems to know what's really going on."

Lamine looked at her, the distrust and determination mirrored in her expression. "Yeah, but if she's been lying this whole time, what makes you think she'll tell us the truth now?"

Aïssata glanced back at the city records office, then turned to Lamine, her face set in a hard expression. "She might not have a choice."