E❌ tension

Chapter Nine

Laura stared at the phone, chewing gum that had lost its sweetness. The phone belonged to the victim, Berakah, and held valuable information about her friends and enemies.

Miss Magaji walked in with him - Berakah's secret boyfriend. Laura smiled to herself; young love was indeed foolish.

"This is Detective Laura," Miss Magaji said. "Don't be scared; she just wants to question you."

After excusing herself from her own office, which she had offered as an investigation room, Laura sat at one end of the table while the suspect sat at the other.

"Why am I here? I didn't kill her!" he said hotly.

"I didn't say you did," Laura replied, her eyes fixed on him. "How was your relationship with Berakah?"

"It was...nothing," he said firmly. "She was just my classmate."

Laura jotted down notes in her pad. "I'm in possession of the victim's phone, which included her diary," she said, eyes still on her pad.

She raised her gaze to meet his, noticing his bulging eyes. "Who was Berakah to you?"

"She... was my girlfriend," he stammered, clenching his fist.

Laura smiled; she was making progress.

"I didn't kill her! I loved her."

"I didn't say you did or didn't," Laura replied. "What I want to know is, if you truly loved her, why were you sleeping with other girls?"

Laura's glare intensified.

"It's none of your business!" he fumed.

"Love is a big business," Laura retorted. "Especially when it involves betrayal."

"You loved her?" Laura pressed on. "Then why did you suggest abortion when she told you she was pregnant?"

His glare deepened.

"I wasn't ready to be a parent, and neither was she."

Laura's eyes narrowed.

"Convenient excuse."

"You gave her abortion pills," Laura accused, her eyes locked on his.

He stood up, his face reddening. "I didn't kill Berakah! I was supposed to give her the pills the evening she was found dead."

Laura held up a terse note with scribbled handwriting. "This is a letter, supposedly from you, telling her to use a drink to take the pills."

"I didn't write that!" he protested. "You can check my handwriting if you want."

Laura sighed, her expression skeptical. "You can go."

As he rose to leave, he declared, "It wasn't me. But when you find the bastard, let me know. My Bera... she didn't deserve to die like that."

He pushed through the doors, leaving Laura to ponder the case.

"Young love is really foolish," she thought, shaking her head.

Laura's eyes narrowed. She would investigate further.

"It's a shame we don't have cocoa on this farm," Mrs. Nweke, the biology teacher, said, leading the students through the school farm.

But no one was paying attention. The class was buzzing with chatter and laughter, a stark contrast to the somber mood that had settled over them just days before, when they'd discovered Berakah's body.

Ebosetale, the newly appointed class prefect, walked quietly, only half-listening to Mrs. Nweke's lecture. Her mind was elsewhere.

Zite trailed behind the group, his face expressionless. He didn't want to be here, in this school, surrounded by people who seemed to have already moved on from Berakah's murder.