A friend To Remember.

60: Death: the only Justice.

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"Where were you?" Shettima questioned.

Denise glanced at Daniella who was still in her school uniform too. Sheila was sitting on the other side of the living room, her eyes trained on the ground.

"Out." She wasn't going to explain herself, she had a long day already.

"With that boy I assume!" Shettima said knowingly. Denise didn't answer, he already knew so she wasn't going to deny it.

"Your therapist also said you didn't show up today, said they waited but they didn't see you," Shettima added. Denise still didn't respond, she had nothing to say to him.

"What is your problem, Denise?! Why do you like to worry us so much?!" he snapped. Again, she didn't respond. "Are you deaf? I am talking to you. Speak!"

"I have nothing to say to you, you have come to your conclusion, do what you want to do."  Denise finally answered.

Shettima clenched his jaw, he was sick of this behaviour. When did Denise start to mirror Daniella's behaviour? He always regretted not raising her but he wondered if the money had gotten to her head too.

"What is your problem, Denise?! All of us here know what you did and we are trying to help you."

"I don't want your help because I am fine! I didn't do anything and sick of being accused."

"Denise, are you hearing yourself? You are still denying the fact that you tried to commit suicide? You clearly need help so why won't you accept it?"

"I don't want your help because I know you are not doing it genuinely! You think I tried to commit suicide and you are trying to fix me, but I didn't. I didn't try to kill myself and I am fine! I am fine, leave me alone and let me live my life."

Shettima opened his mouth to argue all the more but was cut short but Sheila; "What do you want, Denise?" Sheila looked up and questioned, for the first time that evening.

Denise glanced at her father and twin, sceptical, she looked back at her mother who was watching her. Denise truly didn't know what she wanted. She wanted Goke that was sure and she wasn't going to stop seeing him because her father said so. She needed to find the killer and clear her name.

"I just want to be left alone, you people are Daniella's parent, not mine, you know it and everyone knows it, why start acting like mine now? We have a cordial relationship and I don't want to destroy it by disrespecting you so leave me alone," she said.

Shettima glanced at his wife, knowing that statement was going to hunt her. Denise didn't mean to hurt his husband but she did, nonetheless.

"I... I am sorry if it felt like we were doing too much, but you almost died Denise, you were in a coma, how do you expect us to act? How do you expect us to act when the doctor told us you didn't have the will to live anymore, it felt like we were at fault, we caused this, and all of it." Sheila let out with tears streaming down her face.

Denise didn't try to interrupt Sheila, she needed to vent. Sheila was crying by the end of her speech, tired of always worrying about her.

"I didn't try to kill myself, I would never. I might not have the best mental health but I need you to believe me when I tell you that I didn't." Sheila nodded to satisfy her but they all knew Sheila and Shettima didn't believe her. Nobody did.

Daniella knew there was more to it than met the eye but she wasn't going to defend her and there was no need to, she would find the truth herself.

****
"Hello, Sharuq, abeg you still dey that side? I dey come your side abeg."

Denise glanced at Goke waiting for her in his car, watching with a curious gaze. It was a hot afternoon after school and Denise decided to set her plan in motion. Daniella could sit around, analysing every detail they had while she took silent actions and made sure they found the bastard who was trying to destroy them all.

Sharuq affirmed that he was around, making Denise slightly relieved. She walked to Goke's car and jumped into it.

"Your father was pretty mad when he called my mom yesterday, I am surprised he didn't lock himself in the house," Goke said, starting the car.

Denise shrugged and started typing on her phone. She needed to access those files on that laptop and instead of waiting around to find who Zeet was, she would find the next best option, Sharuq.

Sharuq was her former neighbour when she was still living with Grace in the slums. Tall, dark and handsome, Sharuq was one of the most intelligent people she had ever met. A computer whiz struggling to make ends meet in Lagos, as an overtime Unilag student and full-time hustler, Sharuq would do almost anything for money. Anything that involves a computer that is. She didn't know why she hadn't thought of him before, he was perfect for the job.

She thought that between Zeet, a ghost that they had almost zero percent chances of finding and a computer whiz desperate for money they had, the latter would suffice. So there they were, on their journey to Sharuq's shop on the mainland, ready to find what was on that laptop and who tried to kill them, who tried to kill her!

"So this Sharuq guy, you are sure he will be able to decode what's on that laptop?" Goke questioned, his eyes remained solemn and focused on the road.

"Yes, I don't know why I didn't remember him in the first place. He is going to do it for us and we can nab the freaking guy!" Denise snapped.

Goke glanced at her for a moment, he had only known Denise for about two months now but it felt like he had known her for all of eternity. It was sad though, the circumstances of which they met. Even after knowing Bishop and Armstrong were drugging girls, he didn't believe that death should be the repercussion, then again they weren't going to jail in Nigeria, nothing can ever bring them down, so maybe death was the only justice.

Death was the only justice...

If death was the only justice for Armstrong and Bishop, Daniel Balogun, Martha Irele, then there was a common denominator here, the killer was seeking out revenge for some sick twisted sense of justice.

"Shit!"Goke murmured, his hands shaking. Denise looked away from the road. "What's wrong? What happened?" Goke slowly pulled to the side of the road and took calming breaths, his eyes darted around the car as he tried to collect himself. There was nothing he could do to help himself out of the problem.

"The killer is trying to kill us for justice. Death is our only justice." he turned to Denise.

A frown graced her face and her lips pursed, "What are you saying? We haven't done anything to deserve justice? As death? That's shitty!" Denise shook her head refusing to believe that just maybe the killer was taking them out due to their past actions.

She hadn't done anything since she started at Bellrich She tried to stop the bullying as she managed to put an end to it, to an extent. Why would the killer want hr gone?!

"Daniel, Martha, Armstrong, Bishop, and I, what do we all have in common?" he quibbled.

Denise's eyes assessed him, and she tried to think. "You are all elite, and are supposed to graduate this year," she answered.

"No, we all had one thing all the other to do with the death of that diary owner."

"You mean Beatrice?" Denise blinked as he nodded.

"How does it all connect? Where do I fall in all of this because I didn't even know Beatrice?" Denise folded her arms.

"I am not sure. But Beatrice died mysteriously, we all moved on from it but one of the main reasons people speculated her death was that one of the elite caused her suicide." 

"You had something to do with Beatrice's suicide?" Denise's voice rose.

"Not exactly, I... can we just go to this computer guy so we can get this over with?" Goke dismissed.

Denise looked at him with worry. If he was correct they were in a lot of trouble.

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