Tolani has been busy with her books immediately she heard exams will be starting the following week and she has until Tuesday next week before she sit for her first paper after which she’ll have two days break before a double paper exam day on Friday.
She looked over at Dolapo who slept on soundly with her lips pouted as if something amused her in her sleep. She slept like a baby who had nothing to worry about. She slept like someone who lives just the way she wants with no troubles or anything. Maybe she has a guaranteed first class result, she seemed to care less about the upcoming exam. Their final degree exam that determines how they live the next phase of their lives. Life after the youth service.
She hissed silently as she realised she has been staring and thinking about Dolapo’s unseriousness for over a minute. She returned her gaze to the textbook before her as she threw occasional glances at her sleeping friend. Ten minutes later she realised she is no longer studying because her mind is divided already. She was reading and at the same time thinking about how the exam would look like.
She also took time to think about her sleeping friend who looked like someone who just wrote her final degree exam paper. Her ringing phone united her divided mind at once. It was Tokunbo.
“Hello Toks.” Tolani said.
“Are you in your room?” Tokunbo asked.
“Yes, why asking?”
“I want to borrow you textbook. I want to photocopy some notes I missed.” Tokunbo replied.
“No problems.”
Tola knew Tokunbo would knock on the door or barge into the room in a few minutes, if not seconds. She even prayed that she doesn’t come with her manners. She should barge into the room and wake this sleeping log up. Unfortunately, Tokunbo gently knocked on the door. Tola hissed as she asked her to come in.
“Look at her. See how she is sleeping like tomorrow no dey. She get exam on monday o. This girl is just not serious.” Tokunbo said as she sat down on the only available wooden chair in the room that stood just behind the only reading table. “Oya, give me those books.” Tokunbo said.
“Which one do you want?”
“STAT and GNS.” Tokunbo replied. Tola gave the books to her friend.
“Lets go together nau.” Tokunbo pleaded.
“I don’t feel like going out. You know it is almost getting dark.” Tola replied.
“Trust me, nothing will happen. Lets go. Its gonna be fun.” Tokunbo assured.
At once Tola quickly changed into a pink top and a black jean trouser as she hurried into the bathroom to wash her face.
“What about this log of wood here?” Tokunbo asked pointing to Dolapo who seemed to be enjoying her afternoon sleep.
“Leave her jor.” The two girls exited the room and went outside to get their photocopies done.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
A police vehicle sped in and came to a halt in the middle of the road. Five policemen got down and hurried towards a cream coloured Toyota camry which was involved in an accident. The car had hit a wall by the roadside.
“Are you sure it was an accident?” The leader of the police team asked.
“Yes sir. That was all we say. He lost control and swerved off the road.” A mechanic whose shop was affected by the crash replied. An ambulance arrived at the scene and carried Sergeant Charles’ liveless body out of the car and laid him on a stretcher.
“He is bleading.” A policeman said. A nurse quickly checked for the bleeding source and saw a piercing hole on his chest.
“He was shot.” The nurse announced.
“That’s impossible, we heard no gunshot. All we saw was the car coming straight at my shop with no control or anything.” The mechanic replied.
After a series of questioning those who claimed to be eye witnesses claimed they saw a car overtake the Camry and someone from the back seat shot the driver of the camry. And immediately the car took a U-turn and took the second lane back in the direction where it had come.
Hot tears trickled down Sergeant Mike’s eyes immediately he parked his car at the scene and came out to see his colleague lifeless.
**********
Still deep in his thought, Deoye remembered something that made his heart tremble. His heart threatened to break down but as a bad guy that he was, he stood his ground. He remembered that he forgot his gun inside his hotel room. He was thorn between going back to the hotel and picking his gun or sit back and watch as his pictures will be made public on the news at night. At once he adjusted his cloth and exited the house.
“Guy, where to?” An unknown guy asked him.
” what right do you have to question me?” He replied. The unknown guys smiled as he puffed the smoke of his cigarett expertly. “Anyways, get down there. Its my car and I am going out with it.” Deoye continued.
“E be like sey you no know me abi? Na me dem dey call expert killer.” The guys bragged. Deoye knew best not to go into bragging with the guy. He could be a spy, he could be anything. “Anyways, na your brother talk sey make I dey watch you. In fact he talk sey you must not drive out of this compound.” The guy explained.
“Guy, you know wetin dey? I forgot something important in my hotel room downtown. I want to go pick it.” Deoye explained.
“I no fit allow you comot o.” Deoye brought out his wallet and removed naira notes, he handed it to the guy. “See my life. You think sey I poor? Or because I no get car? a no go think am o. I rich pass you.” The guy said collecting the naira notes and dropping in on the floor.
“I no mean am like that na. I just talk sey make you use am buy stuff.” Deoye replied like the man he was. The guy faced Deoye, his eyes wide with excitement.
“You be…..?” He asked. Deoye smiled and nodded slowly as he unlocked his car doors and hopped behind the wheel. His new found friend went to open the gate for him.
Eighteen minutes later, he pulled up his car at a distance and walked towards the hotel where he checked out a few hours ago. The receptionist on duty then froze in fright immediately she saw him.
“Excuse me.” He said. The lady turned to face him all smiles. “I checked out a few hours ago and now I just realised I forgot something in the room.” He explained. Without any more questions, she picked the key and handed it over to him. He took the key and walked towards the stairs.
Three minutes later he had found his gun where he hid it under the mattress. He could hear footsteps from the hallway. Then a knock sounded on his door.
“Who is it?” he asked.
“Its me, the receptionist. You have a visitor downstairs.” She replied. He walked towards the window, opened the curtain and saw two men standing beside his car. No doubt, they are policemen. The same men who came to arrest Darasimi.
“Come in.” He said. The door opened slowly and the receptionist walked in.
“How dare you call the police for me?” He asked pushing her to the wall nearest to the door. He fastened the door lock. “You’ll regret this day for the rest of your life.” He said he pushed up onto the bed and stuffed her mouth with the pillow. He pushed her skirt up and dragged her panties to a side. He inserted his pistol as far as it could go into her private. She gasped even with the pillow in her mouth.
“If you make a sound. I shoot.” He warned. She nodded and he removed the pillow.
“Which other way is the exit?” He asked.
“The fire exit. There is a gate beside the generator house. Its key is among the bunch of keys that hung on the door into the generator house.” She replied in pain.
“Good girl. But I need more cries from you. I love to see girls cry.” He said as he held his gun firmly.
“Please, I am a virgin. Don’t make me go through pains.” She pleaded.
“Well, you are no more a virgin. You wanted me dead.” He said as he covered her mouth with the pillow once again as he pushed the pistol as far as he could into her private, this time with more force. He turned the gun inside her for a few seconds, then he pounded her twelve times. With this he stood up with his wet gun and walked towards the door.
One last look at her, he felt guilty immediately he saw blood stains on the bedsheet. He knew he had injured her and her life will never remain the same again. He opened the door and disappeared.
*****
Five minutes later, Sergeant Habeeb and his partner walked into the hotel reception.
“Excuse me sir.” Habeeb said to a guy dressed in the same uniform as the receptionist.
“Yes? How may I help you?”
“Please, there is a lady here. I don’t know her name. Do you know where she could be?” Habeeb asked.
“She went upstairs a few minutes ago and she is yet to return.” He replied. Habeeb at once concluded that she had gone to Deoye’s room and it could be dangerous.
“Please sir, a guy entered some minutes ago. Do you by chance know the room he is lodged?” Habeeb asked.
“I don’t know anything. As you can see there are many customers before me. Please let me do my job.” He said rudely. Habeeb gave his partner a sign and they both walked towards the staircase.
“Sir, I think this is his room. The door is opened.” The younger police officer said. Habeeb at once removed his handgun and carefully walked into the room which was almost quiet, save for some silent sobs. His gun fell off his hand as a result of shock. Her legs were wide opened and her white panties soaked with blood, a part of the bed was also soaked with blood.
“He knew this was not some rape scene. It was an attempted murder.” He said as he moved closer to the receptionist.
“Which way did he go?” Habeeb asked.
“Th…….th……e…..fi..r..e exit” she managed to reply.
“You, go and inform the security. Every exit should be locked.” Junior police officer dashed out of the room and just down the hallway, he saw an emergency microphone. He grabed it and switched in on.
“All exit must be on lockdown. There is a criminal in the building. No one should allowed to enter or exit.” He said. Still not satisfied, he ran into the reception where a man he guessed to be the hotel manager was speaking angrily.
“Yes, where did you see a criminal? Who are you to label a customer a criminal?” The hotel manager asked.
“I am a policeman. One of your workers has been killed by the criminal.” He replied. Just then, Habeeb descended the stairs as fast as he could but slowly and carefully to avoid him tripping.
“Somebody help!” He screamed at the hotel manager and the people around him who were looking at him like they’ve just seen a ghost.
“I will get you arrested. How dare you come into my hotel and placing one of my workers on an additional assignment almost took her life.” The hotel manager raked at Habeeb after the receptionist has been transferred to a nearby hospital.
“Believe me sir. I only said, give me a call as soon as he returns which she did. But I don’t know who asked her to go to his room.” Habeeb defended himself.
Two uniformed men returned to the reception panting heavily. They are the hotel’s security men.
“Sir, we searched everywhere, it seems he has escaped.” They said in unison.
“But you said, hi car is still here right?” Habeeb asked.
“Yes sir.”
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The door opened and Doctor Kolade walked into his ward.
“Clement, this man here claims he is your father’s driver. He is here to pick you up.” Doctor Kolade said.
“Oh! Thank you Doctor.” He said as he picked his clothes from inside his small bag. He disappeared into the restroom and re-emerged a few seconds later, all dressed and ready to go.
“My regards to Kelvin.” Ngozi said as she flagged down a taxi.
“Say hi to Tobiloba.” Clement replied.
–to be continued–
