I was discharged from the hospital after my vision, which the doctors diagnosed as Paranoia. My parents insisted that I'd stay for a day or two, but I insisted I was fine and the hospital backed me up. It was a day after Chioma's death.
As I sat at the back seat while my dad drove us home, my mind flashed back to the party, the events still fresh in my mind.
"Are you sure you want to have this party?"
Chioma had asked. Had I said 'No' would anything have changed? Would she have died?
I sniffed trying to contain the tears that spilled down my cheeks. Kelechi reached out to give my hand a reassuring squeeze. I gave him a wavering smile.
Why was I so stupid? Why did I insist on having the blasted party?
Have the police even conducted an autopsy? Has the killer been caught and put in jail?
How was Samuel holding up? He just lost the love of his life. Talk less of her parents.
Why was life so cruel? Why not a drug Lord or a prostitute? Why Chioma?
I sighed heavily and kicked the floor of the vehicle trying to vent my frustrations because I did not have an answer to any of the questions.
We had hardly left the hospital gates when a police officer flagged us down. His car was parked by the road. My dad as obedient as he was, stopped.
He alighted. He and the police officer were talking in hushed tones and then my dad shot a remorseful look my way.
My heart contracted.
He came back into the car and shut the door. He heaved a heavy sigh as he placed his hands on the wheel.
"They want to take us to the station. For questioning." He sighed heavily and looked at me through the rear view mirror.
"A wo la m oo!" My mum exclaimed her hands on her head. My dad consoled her while my brother piped up screaming all sorts of profanities against the system in our country. I was lost in my own world.
Did they think I had a hand in the death of my own best friend?
Did they think I was some kind of sicko?
When would my country start taking things seriously?
I decided then at that point, sitting at the back seat, a lone tear trickling down my cheek, that I would find the murderer on my own. The police would only waste my time.
I wanted justice for Chioma so badly, I could taste it.
I wiped the tear off my face with my fist and leaned into the front seat placing a comforting hand on my Mum's shoulder.
"It's okay Mum, let's go and see what they have to say" I declared deadly calm.
She nodded, shocked and cleaned her tears with the back of her hand.
Kelechi resumed to squeezing my hand while I picked at a loose thread from my party dress, the purple already a darker shade; it now held a deeper meaning for me.
~~~~~~
We drove into the station. It ultimately needed care. The grass by the sides of the Walk way had long overgrown. A snake could be in there. A couple of heavily battered police vehicles were parked in a lot. They were supposed to be in a good working condition in case of emergency, but trust the government to not give a damn.
We parked by one of the vehicles. I got down from our Mercedes Benz, my mum holding my hand. We made our into the main building. The internal condition was almost as discouraging as the outside.
My mum, dad and brother were told to wait behind for me, while I entered a room that that was demacated from the main room by a thick glass.
I walked in, pulling the jacket Kelechi had lent me over my shoulders. I sat on the metal chair. It felt really cold beneath me.
A police officer walked in. He had a grey beard and was a little run to fat.
"Good morning Miss Chidinma." He said taking a seat. I nodded in response.
"I would like to ask you a few questions." He said further, lisping in his Yoruba accent.
"Okay" I sniffed, using the sleeve of my jacket to clean my nose.
"Your friend, Chioma Obiora was murdered on the 19th of February, a day ago. Autopsy shows that she was killed by 8:00, while her body was found by 8:30, thirty minutes after the both of you had walked through the doors of the party."
I nodded processing everything. Where was I by that time?
The last time I had seen Chioma was when she was dancing with Samuel. After I left them, I had wandered for a good amount of time, before I reunited with Rex.
But, the time I had left, she had been with Samuel. Had they separated at some point leaving the killer to do his dirty work?
Or was the murderer close to home?
It hurt a lot to think of all this. My head felt like it was fire.
"Miss Chidinma, are you here?" The officer asked jolting me back to the present.
"Hmm? Umm..yes." I replied wiping my tears with my sleeve.
The officer looked at me with pity in his eyes.
"Okay from the autopsy, we noticed that the victim had severe beatings before the murderer supposedly dashed her head against a pillar, thereby resulting in the excess loss of blood, before he strangled the victim to death". He paused inhaling before continuing,
"Now, speaking of the murderer, he left behind no trace of him, no fingerprints were found, he did a very discreet job. That's why you are here."
I nodded drowning in my own tears.
Why would anyone brutally murder Chioma like that?
Why?
What had she done?
The officer remaining ever cool and calm put his weight on the desk. He was holding a small jotter.
I looked to the mirror expecting to see my family for comfort only to find my own reflection staring back at me. I looked like a shadow of myself. Eyebags had formed under my eyes, my eyes lost it's former sparkle and I looked dirty, my afro taking up a brown tinge.
"When was the last time you saw Chioma?" The officer asked.
"A little time before I went to go and check up on my little brother." I said my voice wavering. "He was doing okay so I wandered around for sometime before I met an old friend."
"Who is this old friend?"
"Umm..Rex..Rex Oladeji. We were really close in secondary school." The detective nodded and scribbled something in his jotter. My mind slid to Rex, how seeing him after all this years made me feel.
Where was he?
The last time I saw him was at the hospital, when he stopped me from falling.
Was he the one who took me there? Why didn't he wait to see if I had pulled through?
"In the course of the time you were with him what did you do?" The detective asked again, jolting me from my revieve.
"We danced."
"After that what happened?"
"Umm..we were talking and then I heard a scream." I paused recalling the dread that filtered through me when I heard that scream.
"Hmm" the officer mused stroking his beard. "After that what did you do?"
I swallowed hard. It hurt to continue. To recall all that happened. But as I did, I went through the happenings myself. Swallowing again, I continued.
"I left Rex, and went to the patio that.. that was were I traced the scream to. I met the lady..the lady who screamed and..and she was crying, saying she was sorry." I paused to swallow the lump in my throat. The officer scribbled again.
"Yes?"
"She was saying sorry, and..and I walked to the doors to find out why..why she screamed.." I heaved, tears obscuring my vision. Every word stung. "Then, then I saw Chichi..." I couldn't continue. It was too much.
The officer got up and put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry Chidinma. We will try our best to find who did this to your friend eh? Ò zu guo."
I smiled through my tears. As I exited the room, my mum gave me a big hug on seeing my tears. We drove home in silence, the cool air from the AC drying my tears.
As I got to our family house, I went up to my room and turned the sound system on.
I listened to 'Only Time' by Enya while crying in the bathroom.
~~~~~~
'Awo la m oo!' means 'I'm dead oo!' not literally though.
'Ò zu guo' means It's okay.