Familiar Foe √

5. Poke and Prod

 
   I could hear the ringing but not as much as I felt it in my back and as I rose up, it became clear why. I had fallen asleep on the table as Charles had predicted when he called sometime around midnight. The ringing was from my phone, I had expected it to be my partner but it wasn't.

"Hi mom. You are aware it's 5am over here right?"

"You didn't call yesterday."

"You didn't lodge a missing person's complaint now, did you?" I was up and stretching. If she was worried, she would have called, she knew I had been busy.

"I figured I'd catch you now before you get immersed in crime."

"I am immersed in crime mom, living inside it." I looked out the window at the Cokers' compound.

The clouds were brightening up but the security lights were enough to stage a concert.

For the first time, I imagined growing up in a place like this, with no Mr. Wayne, no Will and no sight of the passing vehicles. It seemed lonely and boring but it was alive now, resurrected by death.

"Try to be less weird Kaima, what's going on?"
Now she sounded worried.

"It's the case ma, the victim is a woman murdered in her own bed. She has kids mom, four girls and they are the key suspects."

"Poor children. I told you that country is a terrible, very horrible place. How does one get killed in their own bed?" That was a considerably good reaction by her standards, she could be dramatic sometimes.

"You see why I always tell you to lock the doors? Crime is universal mom, people are even more barbaric over there, at least I haven't had to deal with any serial killers."

"Odiegu but Nigeria has no security at all, none."

"I feel insulted."

"Baby, you only act after the deed has been done."

"To prevent future reoccurrences."

"That's like medicine after death. Like you said, they are not many serial offenders."

"It's called justice mom and it's still 5am so can you give me a break?"

"Fine." She grumbled. "Be careful out there."

You mean in there? I thought and giggled to myself.

"I will. Bye."

My legs found their way to the bed and I collapsed on it. The door was locked, it was the first thing I had done after Charles left last night. I felt safe enough to close my eyes for two hours because I needed energy to dig up whatever answers were in this house.

**********

Sade knocked on my door while I was putting my hair in a bun and asked me down to breakfast so now I was stuck at a gloomy table with them. Sade was having basic bread and tea, Vera gently forced fried eggs down her throat while Tamara was chowing down fried eggs and potato chips, simultaneously typing away on her phone.

"Where is Funmi?" I asked.

"She doesn't eat breakfast." Sade supplied.

"Why?"

"Do we know? She does anything that makes her look weirder so coming out of her room before 2pm will be a tint on her reputation." Tamara managed to say around the food in her mouth, her eyes fixed on her iPhone.

The table fell silent again and I watched them, not finding the courage to ingest anything made in their kitchen. After listening to the tapes a dozen times over, something had stuck with me.