Two

Monday morning. It was barely 8:00 when Mofe was alerted that a suspect had been apprehended by the police. Van had called him that early, and had told him to meet him up at the police station without delay.

Mofe had always been unwilling to report at the police station, but this time he couldn’t make it down there fast enough.

“He was arrested last night at the bar,” Van revealed to Mofe, walking with him toward the jail conference room. He was impeccably dressed in a pin-striped suit, always so official. “Apparently someone had fed the police with relevant information. You need to see this guy. There’s evidently blood in his hands.”

A thirty-something, bulky guard accompanied them to the room. The guard opened the door, and Mofe entered the room with Van.

Inside, a guy sat on a chair, head down, his hands hand-cuffed from behind. Inspectors Segun and Okey were with him. Segun appeared gentlemanly in his new outfit, neatly ironed black trousers and white long-sleeved shirt. Okey had a club in his hand, and he looked riotous as ever in his rugged jeans and rumpled polo shirt.

He’d heard quite a lot about the Nigerian Police. Was there any citizen who didn’t reserve a word of resentment? They had endured their share of troubles through the years with a few bad guys within their ranks, but for the most part, the officers were good men, underpaid and overworked.

“Good morning, officers,” Mofe said. His outfit was casual and spotlessly clean, and he kept a calm note in his voice.

“Good morning, Mr. Esiri,” Segun answered him. “So nice to see you again. Please, have a seat.”

Mofe took a chair on the opposite side of the table, indicating that Van should sit next to him.

The burly guard remained in a corner of the room.

“Do you know this man?” Segun asked Mofe.

Mofe looked at the guy more closely. He was bare from the waist up, and his muscles bulged and glistened in the morning light. He was sweating. His shirt lay crunched up on the floor, together with his jacket. His jean was torn severally from top to bottom. There were a number of bruises in his arms and chest, and even though Mofe hadn’t seen his face, the guy looked every inch a criminal.

Okey placed a finger on the guy’s chin, and raised his face up. Mofe was shocked to find that it was Scorpion.

He had bruised his lips and he had a black eye, like he’d been involved in a fight. But that mark on his face was undeniable.

“You?” Mofe puckered his brow.

“Have you met him before?” Okey asked rather curiously.

“On one or two occasions,” Mofe replied, puzzled. “He was at the club the night of the incident.”

“Interesting,” Okey remarked. “We have a lead.”

“Is there anything else you can tell us?” Segun prompted.

Mofe looked at Van, not sure if the atmosphere was safe for him to speak. Van nodded, indicating he should let out every bit of information necessary to unstitch this case.

Mofe narrated how he’d first met Scorpion, and how they’d met again at Scolex. He replayed in his head the conversation they’d had at the club, and vomited it all out.

“When I left the club Foxy was hale and hearty. I slept with her, yes, but I didn’t hurt her. For God’s sake she was carrying my baby. I couldn’t have hurt her, no matter what. She was weak after the act, but I made sure she recovered before I left…”

“That will do, Mr. Esiri,” Segun said, noting that Mofe was getting poignant over the narration.

“Wait, you said this young man was at the club with you that night?” Okey inquired.

“Yes,” Mofe affirmed.

“You were right. He was. But he didn’t leave the club after his conversation with you,” Okey noted, smiling for the first time since Mofe knew him.

“Oh yeah?” Mofe was still perplexed.

“Yes, Mr. Esiri,” Segun confirmed. “He stayed behind, and he waited patiently for you to leave the scene. As soon as he saw you driving off, he crept into the room where Foxy was. He wanted to have his share of the package. But Foxy wouldn’t cooperate. She was a very stubborn girl. He brought out a knife and threatened her. She thought he was joking, but before she knew it she was bound up in chains. He sealed her mouth so she couldn’t scream, and he forced his way into her. He battered and raped her, but his mission wasn’t complete yet. He stabbed her three times in the chest and six times in the belly.”

“Jesus Christ!” Mofe exclaimed.

“Take it easy, Mofe,” Van pacified him. “It’s obvious that this guy never liked you.”

“You’re right about that, Barrister. And I’m sure you’re wondering why he was so mean,” Segun continued. “The answer, my friend, will be provided shortly.” He signaled the guard. “Bring the girl in.”

Mofe turned around when the door opened again, and he was amazed to see Genny walk into the room. She had on a rumpled shirt over a pair of jeans, all black, and she looked mournful.

Segun nodded, feeling all the world like a scientist who had just unraveled a mystery. He must have howled ‘eureka!’ to himself several times already. “Welcome, Miss Genevieve. Sorry for keeping you waiting. Please…” He indicated that she should sit.

Genny sat next to Mofe, unsmiling.

“Miss Genevieve,” Segun said, “you gave us information that led to the arrest of this young man. Could you please tell us what motivated you?”

“I’ve already written my statement,” Genny said, the sadness in her tone unmistakable. “Why do you want me to say it all over again?”

There was no one in the room that didn’t feel pity for Genny.

Everything had seemed off-kilter since her cousin’s death. Naturally it had shaken the entire movie world.

Sudden death was always traumatic.

“Pardon me, Miss. I understand how you feel. But at this time it’s important we all hear from the horse’s mouth.”

“Excuse me, Officer, can I have a word with you?” Mofe threw in.

Mofe signaled Van and all three went to a corner of the room.

“I don’t know how you guys do your things here, but from where I come from it is not proper to bring the witness face-to-face with the suspect outside the court of law in a mini-confrontation,” Mofe said to Segun. He turned to Van. “Did you know about this?

Van shook his head. “I’m just as surprised as you are.”

“I think you have some explaining to do, Officer. What’s going on? Is there no form of Witness Protection Program in this country?” Mofe fumed.

“If you will just calm down and allow us to do our job, I think everything will work out fine and nobody will be afraid of being tracked down by some angry sect in the name of retribution. I’m in charge here, understand?” Segun said in defence. “Now we can either stand here and argue about this or go over to that table and get this case cracking!”

All three men exchanged looks, Mofe the most displeased of the lot.

“Come on, Mofe. Let’s go,” Van said, nodding toward the table.

Mofe shook his head in disbelief. “Damn it. Everything’s upside-down in this country.”

“Sorry for the break in transmission, Miss Genevieve,” Segun said, resuming his seat. He was obviously enjoying the transient air of importance around him now. “It was due to circumstances beyond our control. We may now continue. Please tell us all we need to know to help us with this case.”

Genny looked at Mofe, not sure whether to speak. His expressionless face didn’t help matters, and she was sure that he too had lost faith in the system.

“Speak, Genny,” Van prompted her. “We don’t have a choice.”

Genny sighed. “Scorpion used to be a notorious cult leader on campus. Very dangerous and greatly feared. Now he leads a gang of thugs on the Island, unleashing terror on unsuspecting victims. I warned Foxy. I told her to keep away from him, but she wouldn’t listen. She always had bad company. Apparently Mofe was the only decent guy around her…” Her tears made her pause. She tried to hold them back until she could try no more.

Mofe held her and rested her head on his shoulder. “It’s OK, Genny. It’s OK.” He turned to Segun. “Officer, she doesn’t have to go through this. I’d like to take her home.”

“I see…” Segun was disappointed.

“Do you remember the first time you met him?” Genny asked Mofe tearfully, resuming her story. She was still sobbing on his shoulder. “The day you saw Foxy having a quarrel with him, do you remember?”

“Yes?”

The girl raised her head...