Grace didn't sleep during the night, she couldn't. All she did was reflect on her past decisions. Of all her friends, she was the one who people referred to as the bad egg. Parents in their neighborhood were always making her out as a bad example to their children and anytime she and her friends got in trouble for anything, it was a result of her actions and behavior. But she was okay with it then. She would tell herself it was everyone else's fault. It was everyone else's fault that her parents died. She came to realize that night that she acted as a bad child so people would notice her so that people would give her attention so that she wouldn't feel alone. But she never felt more alone than she felt that night.
Morning soon came and Grace started dozing off. With each nod came a silent whisper that jolted her back up.
Murderer!
It wasn't enough to stop her from snoozing until the noisy sound of Patricia's baton clanging against her cell finally ended her slumber.
"Baby girl wake up!!!" Patricia bawled.
Grace sprang up to her feet as Patricia opened the cell door.
"How was your night?" She asked with a smirk as she put a handcuff on Grace. Grace didn't reply and it only seemed to amuse Patricia the more. She turned Grace around and gave her a shove to move on. Many of the other inmates were awake now and Grace couldn't help but wonder what her fate would be once she left the ward.
Patricia led her out and then back into the main building where she was questioned the night before. On getting there, she took Grace to a desk where a policeman was already waiting for her.
"I don't get it, what about Officer James?" Grace asked in fear and skepticism. Her heart dropped immediately when she saw the man on the other side of the table. He wore black khaki trousers, a white long sleeve shirt which he folded up his big hands displaying his vintage leather watch, and a red tie hanging loose around his neck.
"Good morning Miss Williams, my name is Inspector Jerome and I will be the one in charge of your case from now on." The man said. Asides from being dark and big, the wrinkles around his strong forehead and the receding hair on the man's hair made Grace more scared than the realization of what his words meant.
"I don't still understand! Why change all of a sudden?" Grace asked.
Patricia flared up instantly.
"You think sey you smart abi? When a person go ask you something you no go talk, but you wan still know everything wey they happen--"(1)
"Madam Patricia, it's okay." Inspector Jerome said, cutting her off. "I fit handle am." (2)
"We had to have a change of plans because Mr. James' attention is needed elsewhere." He said to Grace. "Besides, James is of a lower rank than I am and therefore I am more capable to handle your case... Release her ma."
Patricia removed the cuffs from Grace then hissed at her just as she left. Grace ignored her and stood staring at Inspector Jerome. He beckoned her to sit, which she did.
"So I quickly glanced through your statement and what you told us before I asked Patricia to bring you. But I want to give you a fresh start, I want to assume those statements weren't given in the first place and you're just telling anyone for the first time... Let me hear your story, tell me what happened from the very beginning." He said and leaned back to the chair, touching his fingers together in a triangle shape as he paused to hear Grace.
Grace took a deep breath before she spoke. No matter what happened, she couldn't start at the very beginning. She couldn't implicate her friends either.
"I-I don't know," Grace mumbled. "My friends and I went to the party and I was with Raymond in the pool... I don't know how I blacked out but by the time I woke up, he was floating in the pool."
"So you're saying you didn't see or remember anybody pushing Raymond into that pool."
"Yes sir."
"One of Raymond's friends said he saw you yelling at him some days ago, a few others confirmed this also. Was there any grudge against you two? Something that would make you want to seek or enact some revenge?"
"No sir."
Jerome leaned forward now.
"Listen I know how cruel boys can be sometimes, I just want to know, did he do anything to you that would make you want him dead?"
Grace kept a strong face as she replied.
"No sir."
The inspector sighed.
"You know you're not making this easy right?" He said with a little concern in his voice. "Your file says you're just seventeen and you'll be eighteen by November. Right now, everything, in this case, boils down to you and if you don't comply now and this case gets derailed and then you're finally proven guilty, you might end up with a life sentence."
His words broke her into tears. For Jerome, his tactics were working. He knew that after she had spent a night in that cell, it was only going to be a matter of time. All he had to do now was make her picture the horror of what her life could turn into. Put more fear in her until she breaks!
"You might spend the rest of your life in jail."
"No," Grace said sobbing, the back of her hands trying desperately to stop the tears as they flowed. "I don't want to go to prison."
"Shhh, we can prevent that..." The inspector said "The thing here is, you are our only lead. It is either you did kill Raymond or you know who did. Either way, you know something. Just tell me what I need to know and we can make it go away, a lighter sentence in a juvenile detention center, and that will be all."
Grace sniffled. She realized that life was precious and she didn't want hers to go down the drain just like that. At the expense of her friends? Margret? She wasn't thinking straight anymore. She wanted a hot bath. She wanted to sleep on her crappy foam. She wanted to go home. She had to say the truth.
She was just about to speak when everyone at the station got distracted by a commotion at the entrance.
"Let me in, I want to see my sister!"
She could recognize Efe's voice anywhere. She got up and ran towards the main door. Jerome followed behind her. As their eyes met, Grace jumped to hug him tightly. Behind him were Joana, June, and Margret. A policeman was about to separate her but Jerome signaled him to let them be. Inside him, he was cursing. He doubted if he would still get such a chance with Grace as he had not long ago.
"Are you okay, hope they didn't hurt you?" He said just as he released her.
"I'm fine," Grace said with a smile. She went on to hug the rest of the girls too.
"What about Veronica?" She asked.
"How should we know? Girl, forget about that bitch and focus on you." Margret snapped back.
Efe was confused all of a sudden.
"Who is Veronica? More importantly, can somebody please tell me why my sister was arrested?"
Inspector Jerome decided it was now time to come in.
"Good morning sir, my name is Inspector Jerome and I am the officer in charge of the murder case... Before we go further, can we leave the entrance and go to my desk?"
"Okay," Efe said.
"Eh, just the gentleman, please... You three can wait for him over there." Jerome said, stopping the rest of the girls from going further.
"What? This isn't fair. We came to support our friend and now you want to push us aside." Joana yelled.
Grace tapped her arm. "It's okay." She said.
Joana looked at her and then hugged her.
"We will be right over there. We are not leaving here without you."
Grace nodded then turned to her brother and they both followed after the inspector while Margret, June, and Joanna went to the waiting section.
As soon as they walk back to Jerome's desk, Efe wasted no time in starting up from where they left off.
" So please let me know what is going on."
Jerome edged his big frame forward before he spoke.
"As I was trying to say before, your sister here has been arrested for the murder of her former classmate."
"So you're saying my sister killed someone? You're saying this girl is capable of killing?" He gestured to Grace.
"Well, she is our only lead in the case as she was caught lying by the pool when the body was found."
Efe turned to Grace.
"Why were you by the pool."
"I-I don't know, maybe I was drugged or something... One moment Raymond and I were talking with both our legs in the water,n and then all of a sudden I woke up to his body and people surrounding us."
"So she was asleep when you found her, did you check for any traces of a sleeping pill or something."
"No, but--"
Efe cut Jerome off before he could say anything further.
"See, you didn't even try to check her part of the story. You just decided that she killed this boy and then see that she confesses to it."
"Okay," Jerome said. "I admit that wasn't right on our part, but we're just following protocols have--"
"Fuck protocol! You made a minor sleep in jail for no just cause... I ask you again sir, did Grace kill Raymond?"
Jerome sighed.
"We don't know that yet."
"Exactly!" Efe yelled. "You don't know anything yet. What happened to innocent until proven guilty? You just kept torturing her instead of carrying out the investigation properly."
Efe became fed up.
"Why am I even speaking all this grammar?... I want to bail."
Grace smiled at her brother, her attorney, her protector. She just sat and marveled in silence while he spoke. She was certain he didn't know the whole story yet, but here he was still defending her.
"I'm afraid we can't do that right now sir," Jerome said.
"Why not? I am an adult and her legal guardian. If it is about the investigation, I'll make sure she complies with everything you ask of her."
"It's not just about that--" Jerome argued
"I don't fucking care! All I know is my sister is leaving here with me today." Efe yelled.
"Over my dead body!" A voice said from behind. Grace and Efe turned to see two elderly couples working towards them, the woman's face smeared with tears.
"This is Mr. and Mrs. Onwuka." Inspector Jerome said. "They just came from the morgue where they identified their son."
Grace could see only one thing written all over their faces. Despair!
"I'm so sorry for your loss." She said with tears in her eyes.
"No, you can't say you're sorry." Mrs. Onwuka bawled. "Not after you killed my son, my only child. God will punish you."
Grace began to sob uncontrollably. Efe reached to comfort her before Inspector Jerome spoke.
"Mr. and Mrs. Onwuka are pressing serious charges on your sister and we can't let her go until we're sure she isn't responsible."
Efe couldn't believe his ears.
"What? Unbelievable!... Oh, I get it now," He said as soon as he sighted the army green cap on Mr. Onwuka's head. "Is it because this man served in the army? Is that where all this impartiality is coming from?"
"You don't know how it feels to lose a loved one, do you?" Mr. Onwuka who had tried to be silent all these while spoke.
"Grace and I lost both our parents at a very young age, so don't play that card here," Efe replied.
"Still, my son still had a long life ahead of him and his death must be avenged!" Mrs. Onwuka shouted back.
* * *
"Things aren't looking good over there," June said as the three girls watched the commotion at James' desks from a distance.
"All of these shouldn't be happening to Grace, She doesn't deserve it," Margret said as she boiled in fury on her seat. She wished Veronica was there to see the effect of all she caused. Suddenly, Joanna said something that brought her thoughts back but sent their panic flying all over.
"Oh my God Margret, your mum is here!"
Margret turned around to see her mom coming from the entrance. She saw them too and started walking towards them but they were too slow to react. Panic! They just froze and watched as Maryam got to them and spoke.
"Margret, what are you doing here?"
___________
Translations:
(1) You think you're smart right? You don't speak when you're spoken to but you still want to know everything that is happening.
(2) I can handle her.