Delayed Diagnosis {Book 1 of the Rex Obasi Trilogy}

Chapter 10

What is that annoying sound…so familiar..? 

I forced my eyes open and located my phone. The alarm was ringing and ringing. I snoozed it and was about drifting off when it started ringing again. Is it 5 minutes again so soon? I forced my eyes open then decided on having a shower again.

It was 9:35pm. The minute I lodged in the hotel, I had gotten something to eat, had my bathe then slept off, remembering to set the alarm for 9:30 which would mean I had slept the snooze time as well. I had chosen a hotel about 5 minutes from Andy's place and after having my bathe I checked my messages.

Nothing yet, although I still had about 20 minutes. I decided to get close to his house and wait for his message.

As I passed the night clerk whose office was behind the door. I had an idea. I backtracked to the office

"Good evening boss," he sat up thinking I was a new costumer.

"Well done o… I’m in room 22"

"Okay well done bros. You need anything?" he wiggled his eyes suggestively, "we get many girls Ooo"

I had lots of frustrations going on with me but sexual frustration was way down the list.

"Abeg na this your cap I want"

He touched his cap absent-minded, "my cap?"

"I’ll give you 1k"

The clerk looked at me in surprise.

The cap which was printed with the hotel's logo had seen better days and now had a faded look and stains I dared not contemplate.

Without wasting time the transaction was done and I hurried from the stuffy office with the night clerk hailing my retreating back.

I strolled to Andy's house, staying in the shadows on the opposite side which wasn't hard, considering there was power outage and not everybody had their generator on.

I checked the time: 21:52pm

I idly wondered when my phone time had been switched to 24 hour format. I hated it. I replaced the phone because the light made me stand out from the shadows.

I passed by a woman selling Akara and yam and considered topping up the swallow I had eaten less than 3 hours ago (not necessarily out of hunger but who knew when next I'd be chanced?)

I kept on moving and could see Andy's house in the distance. I placed my hand on my phone through my pocket to be sure it hadn’t vibrated without me knowing, nothing. I was adjacent to Andy's home and was considering if I should stand under an oak tree or in the empty shop close to it when a form emerged from the shadows just next to Andy's home. His generator was on but his outside light was switched off and I was only able to make up the form by the little light coming behind the curtains of what was maybe the toilet or store of the house judging by the small window size.

My breath caught in fear as I studied the figure. Unless my eyes were playing tricks on me, that was an elderly person. I couldn't spot the face well but I could swear it was the very same old woman I had seen in the women's toilet. The same 'old woman' Fumi had described as her killer before passing away.

A part of me hoped she would pass on but when she stood at Andy's porch in contemplation, I knew I had to move fast. I dropped down noislessly and searched the ground around me, still keeping my eyes on the woman as she took her first step towards the house.

My hands picked up different rubbish; a coke can, papers, small stones, but nothing heavy. I knelt down in desperation and moved my arms randomly with much speed. I grabbed a stick. It had moderate weight but with enough force it could knock anyone out cold, not to mention an old woman.