Familiar Foe √

1. Murder Again

   
   
     I took my time getting ready because I was a little pissed. My job takes most of my time and just when I got a break, I was being pulled back in for another case. I could already spell out the curses my mom would rain on the 'horrible'and 'crime infested' Nigeria when I tell her I would no longer be visiting.

I hadn't seen my family in the last two years and I knew the only thing stopping my mom from taking the earliest flight to Nigeria was her cat, Pinky. She loved that cat more than she did any of her children but Pinky wouldn't leave the house and mom just couldn't survive two days without her.

I dressed in khaki pants and a white polo, grabbed the keys to my bike, my baby, the only good thing that came from my last relationship. No, he didn't buy it for me, I took it the night I caught him shagging his supposed cousin. Men are dogs, most of them, to be fair.

I locked my apartment before getting on my bike, I was not bothered about someone breaking in, this side of the city was free of such petty crimes. The criminals here preferred to go big, they knew nothing about starting out small.

I rode through the calmness of my street into the madness of the main road. It wasn't up to 8am yet and the office workers were struggling to get to their creaky wooden desks and chairs clothed in wearing out upholstery.

I sped past screaming taxi drivers, already tired civil servants and uptight wealthy men in their air conditioned cars into a boring part of town I rarely visited; Parliamentary Extension. Home to the rich folks fighting to build the most eye-catching and up-to-date house, making all the houses look identically boring.

I turned into Solomon Okpa street and didn't have to bother about recalling the house number as police vans and an ambulance were parked outside. It was only a few moments before the media would arrive, they just needed a few minutes to sweep their offices and fuel their car.

I turned off my baby, gaining the attention of those in front of the gate, all uniformed men except one. He smiled as I walked to him.

"Took you long enough, Mary." He said.

In the last six years, I had told him not to call me that at least 2191 times. Not anymore.

"I wasn't exactly ecstatic about being dragged out of my leave before it even started, Jimi."

He chuckled, amused by what I called him. He never did like the name but it got worse since that teenfic novel went viral a few years back with the main character bearing the name.

Everyone was talking about it, he got pissed and decided not to read even though I knew he really wanted to read it. Childish but so Charles.

"You are not the only one missing out on a well deserved break, Kaima but this city needs us."

"Did you just quote a TV show?"

"I don't watch crime series."

"Lies."

"Shut up." He ordered and I laughed.

"They are other people who could have done it." I sighed, returning to the issue at hand.

"Try not to be so good then. Maybe they'll let you off."

"This is over exertion. What if I break down?"

"Quit whining, it doesn't suit you. There is a murder waiting to be solved in there. I can see you have your bad girl pants on, so act like it."

"Shut up. What do we have?" I asked as we entered the vast compound.

"A woman identified to be Mrs. Idara Coker. Seven stabs to the pectoral region, one directly on the heart. It's bad Kay, this woman was killed in her sleep, in her own room."