Uche was so lost in thought that he failed to notice they had already arrived at their destination. He was jolted back to reality only when the bike came to a sudden halt. Startled, he looked up, completely disoriented and, for a moment, gripped by a sudden wave of confusion and fear.
"Oh no."
He muttered under his breath, panic rising in his chest.
'How does she know where I live?'
His heart pounded so hard that even the woman could hear the sound of his heartbeat.
"Don't be surprised,"
The woman said softly, her tone as calm as ever, though her words did nothing to soothe Uche's nerves.
"And there's no need to be scared. Let's go inside. We have much to discuss."
She turned and walked confidently toward the entrance of his home as though she had been there a hundred times before.
Uche stood frozen, his eyes following the mysterious woman, trembling slightly. His mind was a jumble of thoughts.
'Who is she really? What does she want?'
For a moment, he wanted to run. But gathering whatever courage he could muster, he steadied himself and called out.
"We should go inside? Like this is your house?"
He shot back, his voice sharper than he intended.
"Listen, I know you're with those guys, I don't want any business to do with you people, you might have personally saved me twice, but I don't know your motives for doing that, I don't know why you saved me. Please, tell me what you want now."
The woman stopped and turned slowly toward him, an eerie smile spreading across her lips. She moved away from the harsh sun, her smile widening as she lifted her hat, revealing her full face. The black lipstick and strange makeup only made her features seem more sinister, her expression almost mocking.
"I told you, there's no need to be afraid."
Her voice remained calm, but it felt like an order.
"Come inside so we can have a proper conversation. It's too hot out here for such talk."
Without waiting for his reply, she unlocked the door—using the exact code for his lock—and stepped inside.
Uche's stomach churned with unease.
'How did she know the combination?'
None of it made sense. Yet, despite his bitter judgment, he followed her inside cautiously.
Once inside, the woman glanced around the room, taking in the view.
"You have such a lovely home."
She commented, her voice airy, as if they were merely friends exchanging pleasantries.
"Very relaxing."
The woman said as Uche stepped in, but quickly turned back and cursed internally.
'Damn it.'
"What the hell are you doing?"
He asked, voice sharp.
She peeled away her outer clothing with casual ease.
"Taking off these rags, of course. It's way too hot in here. I wore them to blend in, to keep you safe in the first place."
She declared.
Uche spun around, his back to her, trying to keep his gaze away from her figure.
"Be quick, please."
He managed, irritation mixing with embarrassment.
"Done."
She said, but when Uche turned back around, his heart skipped a beat. He immediately averted his eyes once more.
"You...you're going to stay like that?"
He stammered, his voice betraying his discomfort.
The woman, now dressed in a simple black singlet that barely clung to her shoulders and an obscenely short pair of shorts, looked completely at ease. Her pale skin contrasted sharply with the dark fabric, leaving very little to the imagination.
"Yes,"
She replied, her tone playful, almost teasing.
"Why? Does it bother you? I don't have anything else to wear."
She settled herself on the large, comfy chair as if she owned the place, her legs draped casually over the armrest.
Uche clenched his fists, and turn around, while doing his best to keep his gaze away from her...huh.
'Damn, that singlet is not enough to cover her chest.'
'Focus, focus.'
He told himself, trying to dispel the inappropriate thoughts creeping into his mind.
This was the first time in his life he had seen a woman so exposed, and he didn't quite know how he felt.
'Damn it, don't get distracted. You're in danger, Uche. This could be a trap.'
Before he could come up with the right words, the woman broke the silence.
"I know you have a lot of questions,"
She said, her voice soft, almost inviting.
"And you deserve answers. But before we get into that—call me Mira."
Her lips curled into a smile.
---
"Oh, Kante, there you are. Have you heard what happened to Cassia?"
An old looking woman asked, as she saw Kante, her voice breaking with emotion.
Kante, taken aback, furrowed his brow.
"Cassia? No, what happened to her?"
The woman wiped a tear from her cheek before continuing.
"Nobody knows how it happened, but we found her on the ground, fallen from the rooftop. Some think she jumped...others think she was pushed. It's awful. Nobody knows for sure."
Kante remained silent, the news hitting him hard.
"She was such a sweet girl."
The woman whispered, her eyes filling with tears again.
"The cops are waiting for you at the office. They're questioning everyone."
"I'll go meet them,"
Kante replied, his voice solemn as he made his way to the office where a group of his colleagues stood gathered in tense silence.
At the front of the room, two men in dark overcoats waited, their serious expressions betraying the gravity of the situation.
As Kante entered, one of them spoke.
"Is this the last of her colleagues?"
Sergeant Kim asked, glancing at the group behind him.
Someone nodded in response, and Sergeant Kim turned to Kante.
"Welcome, Mr. Kante. I'm Sergeant Kim from the Lagos State Special Crime Squad, and this is Inspector Ray from the Central Intelligence Squad."
Both men flashed their IDs before putting them away.
"We're here investigating the tragic death of your colleague, Cassia. We haven't yet determined if it was a murder or a suicide, so we need to ask you some questions, hoping you're willing to help." Sergeant Kim said, in which Kante nodded, then Inspector Ray stepped forward to begin the questioning.
"First, what can you tell us about Miss Cassia. Her personalities, her recent movement and her love interest."
Inspector Ray said, making Kante stare down at the young Inspector before he sigh and answer.
"Cassia, she's such a nice girl, it's sad we lost her so soon."
Kante sigh, he look at his colleagues before he continued.
"As everyone of them might have told, she's a loving woman, happy and kindhearted, at least, that what I know about her."
"So what do you know about her love interest and her movement."
Inspector Ray asked.
"Be mindful of your question, asking me about her movement of almost as if I've been stalking on her, like I've been watching her moves. I mean, we are not that close than just a colleague."
Kante declared, making Sergeant Kim smile, his interest piqued.
'Interesting, we got a sensitive one among them.'
Sergeant Kim said internally.
"Sorry if that question might be alerting. But to the few interactions you've had with her and the little you know about her, do you think she's someone who could possibly think of attempting suicide. If no, we'll like to hear what you think."
Inspector Ray asked the next question.
"Well, just like I said before, Miss Cassia is an outgoing person, loving and kindhearted, she's an happy woman, she lives as if she's got everything she wanted, so I wouldn't entertain the idea of her committing a suicide, at the same time, I wouldn't disregard it."
Kante answered, calmly.
"Why so?"
Sergeant Kim asked, with interest. The rest of Kante's colleague also stare at him in confusion.
"Well, nothing in particular, but only she knows her mind, only she knows what she's going through internally. Who knows, she might just be putting on an happy in front of everyone, but maybe she never found peace."
Kante said.
"Made sense. Now the last question, do you know or think she had an argument with anybody in the company, or maybe you mistakenly noticed someone who doesn't like her."
Inspector Ray asked.
"None that I know."
Kante replied.
"Okay, Mr. Kante, thank you for sparing us a little of your time, we appreciate it. Please if you find anything unusual in the company, don't hesitate to reach to us."
Inspector Ray said, as he turn to Sergeant Kim, signaling for them to leave, but the old man continued staring at Kante.
Something had clicked on his head.
"Can I asked where you were at when you heard about her demise."
Sergeant Kim asked, staring at Kante closely.
'I bet you don't even know how a criminal dress. Black suit and polished brown shoes.'
'What was that for?'
Sergeant Kim thought.
He had a feeling that something is off about this person they're interrogating, the way he answered their question nonchalantly, devoid of any emotion, almost as if he didn't care at all. Sergeant Kim didn't think about it before, until he paid attention to his dress, and a certain words from their suspect came back to his head.
'I heard he was shouting the same thing at the restroom, before that man came to call us.'
Kante stare at Sergeant Kim for a moment, a scowl appear on his face, then he said.
"Why asking where I was, are you suspecting me now?"
Kante asked, offended.
Before Sergeant Kim could respond, a younger officer burst into the room, out of breath.
"Sir, the man with the eye patch has escaped. The officers escorting him have been found unconscious."
Sergeant Kim glanced at Kante one last time, suspicion flickering in his eyes, before rushing out of the room.