Safe

Nineteen

         All Omolola Makinde did was work. All the time, regardless of time or season. She worked her way through university to graduate at the top of her class, worked through law school to graduate with a first class and worked to escape her father's shadow in the legal world. It was that last endeavour that led to her present predicament.
She was overworked, underpaid and tired to the bone yet she got up everyday and went to work at one of the best law practices in town to slave away as a junior associate under the ever piercing eyes of seniors who hated her for her pedigree, female co workers who hated her for her vivacious beauty and how it drew all the men at work in and male coworkers who since realizing she wasn't going to sleep her way around the office, reached the consensus to make her life a nightmare.
Lola hated her work and the only thing that made it better was getting to go home to her family and draw strength from their company as well as end the day with her lover murmuring sweet nothings into her ears.
Her family hadn't had the easiest year with her sister's mishap and her brother leaving home to study abroad but they'd dealt, each in their own way. And despite being so depressed by her work, she wasn't blind to her sister who after doing well for months had begun to decline again. It was subtle but since the case involving her abductors went to trial, she'd withdrawn from everything. She quit the job that made her so happy to sit at home and do nothing all day and at night, she stayed up reading romance books and rearranging her closet just to avoid sleeping.
Lola knew it was supposed to be a secret that her sister wasn't okay but she'd figured it out. How wouldn't she? Her earliest memories were of her and Nike playing together on the floor of their mothers office while she worked above them. She knew her sister even better than she knew herself and instinct told her Nike was hiding something. She'd taken to sneaking into her room while she was out to look through her things but so far, nothing appeared out of the ordinary. Still convinced, she'd abandoned her work and snuck upstairs again as soon as Nike left home to run errands with a friend. Everything was normal as always, the blush coloured curtains were drawn casting a rosy afternoon glow over the room and the air was still due to the closed windows.
Lola opened her sister's bedside drawer and huffed at the unremarkable contents, a stick of lip balm, a sleeping mask and little trinkets she dropped in there. In her bathroom, rows of hair and makeup products sat neatly arranged in a cabinet that doubled as a mirror and in a small woven basket placed underneath it, her medication, a collection of antidepressants, mood stabilizers and dietary supplements were strewn. It was the only untidy part of her sister's room but unfortunately not her life.
She'd thrown in the towel and convinced herself that perhaps nothing was amiss and she was just being paranoid when she stumbled, literally over a box and kicked it open. As she bent over to pick up the lid, she caught sight of the contents, a pair of white sandals belonging to their other sister Sade and for a moment she wondered why she was keeping their sister's shoes in a brand new box. She replaced the lid and tucked the box properly into it's former place before leaving the room.
It had taken her another fifteen minutes to realize Nike had never brought home the shoes she'd been wearing when she was abducted and she hurried back upstairs to snoop more.
Her discovery led her to set up a date with her sister's favourite friend to share her concerns. Said friend was frowning down at the photo in her hands with all the dedication of a detective.
"So it's unusual but there's nothing particularly odd about a gift with no sender address. It could be an anonymous gift." Hannah said looking across the table at Lola's serious face.
"I don't think this is just a gift." Lola answered. "This is an exact replica of the shoes she was wearing when she went missing, she never came back with them and the only person that would miss them is Sade. Why would Sade give her a more expensive version of her own shoes? And more importantly, why is it locked away in her closet?"
Hannah sighed and massaged her temple. "You're confusing me. You think Nike might be hiding something from us?"
"I know she is. The detectives investigating her abduction told our parents that she'd told them she didn't recognize the kidnappers but had said she was sure they hadn't arrested any of them."
"She was asked to identify suspects?" Hannah asked.
Lola nodded. "She said it was all hard to remember but that she was sure none of them had been arrested which is odd because I went with her to see her therapist once and I know she remembers every detail of that time. Besides, the detectives were sure they had the right guys and only had to let them go because she hadn't identified them as they'd hoped."
"Why don't we just ask her about this instead of speculating?"
"That's why I'm telling you. She'll never talk to me."
"You want me to ask her about this?" Hannah asked in surprise. Lola nodded, eyes wide and palms facing up.
"You want me to walk up to her and ask her if she's lying to the police about her abduction? Lola, I can't just dig that up!"
Lola sighed and leaned back into her seat before looking around to be sure no one was listening in on their conversation.
"Look, we can pretend we don't see what's happening and have to deal with it when it blows up or we can.."
"Force it to blow up?" Hannah interrupted hotly which only frustrated Lola who had been trying desperately to hold onto her sanity. She leaned forward, grabbed her phone and shoved it into her bag.
"Do whatever you want." She said as she left the little canteen.
Hannah sat and watched her retreat with a million questions on her mind. Why wasn't Lola approaching the situation herself? Was her friend really hiding something from her? Even if she were, would it be something negligible or sinister?
She sighed and drank from the plastic bottle in front of her before getting up and stepping into the sunny afternoon.
Feeling very disturbed, she decided to drive home instead of returning to work and was surprised to find her boyfriend's car parked in front of her house.  He was sitting in the cool shade offered by a row of guava trees opposite her compound and rose when he saw her car. Hannah drove into the compound and got out just as Hameed was pulling the gates shut behind her.
"Hey, what are you doing waiting outside like a stranger?" She asked with a small, tired smile. He was smiling back as he approached her but soon began frowning on noticing her tired expression.
He softly traced a finger across her forehead to brush away a few runaway hairs that were hanging over her eyes with concern reflecting in his.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
"Yeah." She said, nodding as she shut her car door.
"Are you sure?" He asked, his frown from earlier deepening. The expression made his kind face look strained as he peered at her as if looking would tell him the problem.
"Yeah, I am." He didn't look convinced and Hannah swallowed the sigh that was on her lips, knowing that a sigh would worry him even more.
"What's that?" She asked gesturing to a plastic bag he carried as they turned to enter her apartment.
"Oh, I brought you something. I was going to drop it off really quickly." He answered.
"And you waited for me? You could have left it with the security guard, he would have given it to me."
Hameed shook his head and smiled, "I wanted to give it to you myself."
Finding his mood contagious, Hannah perked up and put her things down then turned to him with an outstretched hand.
"Let me see." She demanded.
"Don't open it till I'm gone." He said holding up he bag just out of her reach. Hannah raised her brows in surprise and made a silly face that made him laugh.
"What's in it that's such a big secret?"
"It's not really a secret. Let's say it's something to be cherished and I want you to open it when I leave."
She groaned and fell onto her side on the couch in such dramatic fashion that Hameed had to laugh.
"Now I want to see it! I'll die of curiosity." She moaned.
"No, you won't." Hameed promised. "I'll put it over here so you don't get tempted." He said on second thought and put the bag with on the kitchen counter.
"Do you want a drink?" He asked as he rummaged around the fridge.
"Some water please." She called out. He appeared a second later with a bottle of water which he opened and handed to her and a can of Sprite that he instantly began to guzzle.
"Slow down!" She laughed.
"The heat was killing me." He responded with an almost shy smile.
"It is really hot isn't it?" She murmured tiredly.
"Feels like harmattan." Hameed answered and sat across from her.
They stayed silent for a while and sipped their drinks quietly.
"So are you going to tell me what's bothering you?"
Hannah sighed and opened her eyes to look at him from where she'd rested her head on the couch.
"I'm not sure I should tell anyone about it." She sighed.
"Is it about someone else?" Hameed asked leaning back and beginning to bounce the now empty can of his knee.
"Yes. And I don't know if it can get the person in trouble." She murmured ruefully.
"Does this person happen to be Nike?" He asked carefully.
He clearly hadn't been careful enough because at the sound of her friends name, Hannah perked up and sat up to face him.
"Why would you say that? Do you know something I don't?"
He held up his hands quickly in surrender and shook his head.
"No! Well.. yes. But I promised not to tell anyone!" He rushed out as Hannah's eyes widened at him.
"What is it? Tell me right now!"
"Hannah, I'm not sure I should." She glowered at him and he sighed in defeat.
"Fine. She's looking for an apartment of her own."
"Apartment?" Hannah echoed in surprise.
Hameed nodded, "she mentioned it to me in passing and I volunteered to introduce her to a friend who's into property management but she wasn't serious about it then."
"When was this?" Hannah asked.
"Maybe two months ago?"
"You said she want serious then. Is she now?"
Hameed's brow furrowed again at that, "yes. She went to see a few places she liked with Dan but didn't commit to any, Dan said she suddenly called and asked him to make an offer on one of the apartments she'd looked at. Unfortunately, it had already been taken and she went into a bit of a panic and insisted he find something similar quickly."
"And you didn't think to tell me this?" Hannah asked forcing herself not to dwell on her surprise.
"She asked me not to. It's her business." He answered. "Does this have anything to do with what's going on?"
"I don't know!" She shouted. "Damn it Hameed, why didn't you tell me!"
"Hey, calm down. You don't need to get so worked up." Hameed told her going over to sit next to her. Her surprise had evolved into panic and she was already more than worked up. He could see her mind whirring from where he was sitting and he knew she'd drive herself crazy with worry.
"Hameed, do you think she's in danger?" She asked, her eyes large and fearful as she gazed up at him.
"What? No! Hannah, what's wrong exactly?" Her behaviour was beginning to worry him too and he placed his hand over hers in an attempt to calm her.
"Well, Lola said she found a pair of shoes that look like they've been sent to her anonymously in her room and thinks she might be hiding something from the police." She rushed out.
"Wait! Who's Lola? And what does a pair of shoes have to do with the police?"
Hannah took a deep breath and told herself to calm down as she knew she want making much sense then told Hameed the whole story.
"That's a lot." He agreed after hearing the story. "Do you think she has a stalker?" He asked.
"A stalker? I don't understand."
"Well, the shoes have meaning, someone might be trying to use them to scare her. She might have gotten other gifts too."
"I don't think so." Hannah said shaking her head. "It's not like Nike to keep secrets or be quiet if someone is threatening her. Besides, why would she want to move out if she truly has a stalker? Won't that put her in more danger?"
Hameed sighed and rubbed a hand over his head. "It's just a thought." He said.
They fell into silence for a minute as each person retreated into their thoughts then, "oh gosh!"
"What?" Hameed asked expectantly.
"What if she knows the sender? You said it yourself, the shoes have meaning. What if she knows who sent them?
Oh god! Lola showed me a picture, there was a note in it. I think she knows who it is!"
"Why would she hide it if she knows the sender?" Hameed asked puzzled.
"I don't know but I'm going to find out!"
       It had taken Hameed almost five minutes to convince Hannah to let him drive her to her friend's house since he was afraid she was too anxious to drive there herself. She'd disagreed at first then relented and allowed him to take her. He was right about her being anxious because the whole way there, she tapped her feet and drummed her fingers against the door so hard Hameed thought she would make a hole.
"Wait here!" She instructed as soon as they made it to the front of the house. He watched her march up to the gate and ring the bell. It opened a second later and she stormed past the guard who peeked outside to see if he could catch a glimpse of whatever had irritated her.
Hannah pushed the doorbell once then pushed it again, leaving her finger on so that it rang continuously till the door was opened and she was over the threshold like a shot.
"Why do you always show up at inconvenient times?" Nike questioned dryly as she shut the door and turned to return to the living room where the TV was playing a movie.
"Is there something you'd like to share with me?"