YOU WILL BE MY BANE

HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER

I stand there immobilized, staring at you and the bloody body wrapped in the corner.

"That's a dead body" I mutter slowly and you nod even slower.

"Why is there a dead body on your yacht?" I ask you, my feet are shaking now.

"Switch off your phone's torch, marina security will see you" you say and I nod. I look at the body again. She is still staring blankly, is this a prank?.

Are you trying to prank me? To see just how much you can trust me? I stagger to a crimson seat on the deck and I sit down. I close my eyes and shake my head. The smell of alcohol and recreational drugs compete with the sea breeze.

I can feel you pacing the deck, the old deck creaks under your weight.

Your massive and hunky weight, I look at your hunky body under the dull light of the moon and I wonder how a being could still appear so perfect in such an imperfect condition.

No, no, I mustn't get distracted. There is a dead body on your boat. How did it get here? Why did you call me? I can't be the only friend you have. What about Mister perfect and Mister stainless that are in the picture in your office?

"What happened?" I ask you. You turn towards me and grunt heavily. I can hear both fear and confusion in your voice as you speak.

"We were having fun..." You begin..

"Fun? You mean cocaine?" I ask you as I see white lines lingering on top of the immaculate table in front of me.

You nod.

Isn't it Ironic, you are addicted to cocaine and I am addicted to you?

"She was cool, she seemed cool. I don't know what happened, we were having fun one minute and the next she has a gun up my face and tried to rob me" you laugh bitterly.

"What am I saying?, She actually robbed me. She took my debit card and my phones. She pointed the gun at me and told me to drive to shore, I started the Yatch and I guess she wasn't holding on to something because she slipped and hit her head on the railings" you say.

Your story sounds made up Yemi, how can such a thing happen? She didn't rob you on land, she had to wait to get far into the ocean to rob you?.

"Yemi," I begin. "Where is her gun?" I ask you.

"It...it emm. I don't know where it went. She had a gun Nathaniel, she had a gun. Believe me" you say as you squat and canvas the Yacht, searching for the gun, an illusionary gun.

I groan deeply. I once imagined going on a boat cruise with you and standing on the upper deck with my arms around your massive frame as we recreate that romantic Jack and Rose moment from Titanic. I even made a sketch of it. In the sketch we share a kiss with the setting sun hanging above our heads and lighting up the dark sky with a brilliant orange glow.

I'm getting distracted again.

"Yemi, please, you are a lawyer, you understand what's at stake here. Please tell me the whole truth" I beg you.

You walk towards me and kneel in front of me, you look straight into my eyes and you speak; "Nate, you have to believe me. I didn't kill that girl, she just slipped and hit her head on the railings" you say and I am quiet.

I look at your thick wet lips, they quiver and your massive pectorals rise and fall rhythmically. I breathe in your cologne and swallow hard. I fight the urge to cup your chin in my palms and kiss you. I close my eyes and shake my head.

"Please say something, I really need your help" you say.

"Why did you call me?" I ask you.

"What?" You ask.

"Why did you call me, is it to be your lawyer right now or as your Friend? Because if it is to be your lawyer, I think we should call the police immediately and if it is to be your friend, we've not even known each other up to a month!" I tell you. I try to avoid your gaze, your dark disarming gaze.

You look at me and you nod. You stand up and resume your pacing.

"You are right. You have no right to help me. You don't. I didn't know what to do, I didn't know who to call, none of my close friends are in the country currently and I can't tell them about this. They won't understand" you say.

Am I the one that will understand? what makes you so sure that I will understand?.

"I can't mess up again, if this gets out, I might get disbarred. I can't have another scandal" you say.

"Another scandal?" I ask you.

"God! My life is over!" You whine. I look at you and I feel sad. I hate to see you so hurt, so sad, so vulnerable.

I ask you about Berry, you say that she is currently angry with you. You remove your speckled polo and I notice that it is actually spattered with blood. Your large chests are vibrating as sweat begin to trickle down your perfect abs. I gawk for a moment and wonder if they are hard or soft to touch.

Focus Nate! You are getting distracted again!

"Are you sure that you didn't kill her?" I ask you.

You look at me and return to me again, squatting. "I ain't no Dexter Morgan who stalk and kill people and throw their bodies into the ocean, I picked this girl up, we had fun and she tried to rob me. I'm many things but I'm not a liar Nathaniel" you say.

"Please, believe me, I didn't kill her" you tell me. I try to speak but my phone rings.

My father. He always has bad timing.

"Excuse me for a moment, let me answer this" I tell you and you nod. You walk to the edge of the Yatch and perch there like a little flightless bird whose mother abandoned in the rain.

"Hello Papa?" I say as I try to pick my call but the network is sketchy. I end the call and call him back, he picks it but the network is sketchy again. I ask you if there is network problem there, you say no. I call my father again and he picks.

"Why haven't you called me since today?" He cackles. I try to reply but the network gets sketchy again, I take a step forward and it clears immediately. I take a step back and the network gets sketchy. I have an eureka moment.

"I'm sorry Papa but I have a case I'm working on right now, I'm trying to gather evidence to use in court. Can I call you later?" I tell him. He sounds happy.

"Good boy, I like to hear that you are taking your work seriously. Stay safe Odogwu" he says and ends the call.

You walk up to me, " you didn't have to lie to him, look at me, already a bad influence on you" you tell me. You look sad.

"Perhaps you should go, I can't make you an accomplice. Please just go". You say and sit dejectedly on the crimson stool.

I walk towards the area I had the network glitch and I tell you to close the door to the luxury cabin. You ask me why and I tell you to do it. You close the door and I see a blinking red light on the wall of the cabin.

"That's a hidden camera!" I tell you.

"Wait, is Dad spying on me? What the hell?" You shout.

I take the chair nearby and climb up. I confirm that it is a close circuit monitoring device.

You recognize it and say that you have similar ones like it back home. They record and save at the point of record.

We remove the camera and the receiver has an OTG end. You take my phone and affix the OTG end of the spycam to my phone.

I sit close to you, I can hear you breath. I can smell your breathe. Your breathe smells like chocolate and wine. Your biceps touch mine as you stand beside me to let me see the screen better.

You access the memory of the spycam. You mutter a few words about hating your dad and how he might have installed the camera recently. You fast forward the recordings and stop at an hour ago.

I pretend not to see the different times you had i*********e with the dead girl. She had seem vibrant and loud. She whipped her hair and screamed obscenities as she rode you. I am jealous. I don't want to ride you, Lord no! But I don't want anyone to ride you. I want you to myself.

Her name is Dezzy. You shout her name severally as she gives you a lap dance and a fellatio. How did she get all that energy? oh right, drugs.

You fast forward the scenes and she jumps up severally on top of you comically and then you stop fast forwarding.

"Nate, see this, look at it" you say and I watch. Things unfold exactly the way you had said it happened. We are happy.

We have evidence of your innocence. Her gun had fallen off her hand and into the ocean as she fell. Your debit cards also fell into the ocean but your phones were barely teetering on the edge before you grabbed them

You give her mouth to mouth breathing but it doesn't seem to work. Her blood gets all over your white immaculate polo.

You try chest compressions but she just lay there, her eyes staring blankly as blood pools over her head.

I tell you that we can call the police now. You say yes and you rush to clear up the cocaine and other incriminating evidence. I ask you what you will do about the cocaine the video captured,

"Relax Nate, when we get to that bridge, we will cross it" You say happily.

I am happy that you are not a murderer, I smile and I go to sit at the deck to wait while you clean up the deck. I offer to help you but you say no, that you can do it alone.

I sit and look at you sweating, the atmosphere is cool but you are sweating and breathing hard.

I turn away and my eye falls on a black purse under one of the recycling chairs. I pick it up and look inside.

I see an Iphone, a wad of cash, a nail cleanser, a few condom packs, a pack of breathe mints and a school identity card.

I look at the eyes on the picture in the identity card. They look familiar, a vacant expression dominates them.

I rush over to where the body is and check Dezzy's face. It is the same face, only paler and deader. It is Deezy's school identification card, only her name here is Precious Cole and she is wearing a Pinafore.

I check the date of birth, 17-05-2005. A slow gasp escapes my lips.

I take my phone quickly and google her name against her school. "School suspends three female students for violence" "Girl fights friend for sleeping with her boyfriend"

"Girl wanted for attempted murder and robbery..."

I use her thumb to try and unlock the iPhone but her fingers are all too rigid and cold. I put the iPhone into my pocket and begin to shake with fear as I arrive at a slow and painful realization.

You come to me, all sweaty and smiley. "You can go now, I want to call the security guys guarding the marina boats. I will show them the video and explain what happened. Thank you so much Nate, you are so brilliant. How did you know about that hidden cam?" You ask and I am looking at you as sadness washes over my face.

"What's wrong? I'm vindicated, you should be happy. You are not an accessory" you tell me. You tell me that we are bonded for life, that we are now brothers in law and in secrets. You tell me that if I'm ever in trouble, I should call you.

"Stop, Just stop Yemi" I interrupt you. I show you the Identification card. You move back slowly as all signs of happiness evaporate from your face.

"No, I didn't know. I didn't know. I thought she was an adult. I..." You say and sit back on the crimson stool.

"Where did you meet her?" I ask you.

"Online, good Lord. I sent her a d**k pic. Oh No!" You cry. "What if someone sees her phone?" You add.

"I'm with her phone" I hit my pocket. "We will find a way to delete your chats with her" I add.

"Damn, I'm f****d" you cry.

"You didn't bother to ask her about her age?" I ask you.

"We met on Twitter. She was so free and so fun and I thought she was grown. She spoke about school like it was higher institution. She used semester instead of terms and s**t. She used lecturers instead of teachers. Believe me Nate" you tell me. your fears are back and you look even more helpless than before.

"I believe you but you inadvertently committed statutory r**e Yemi, forget about getting disbarred, you could spend a long time in prison" I tell you.

"No, no...it can't be" you say and move back.

"Yes it can, the Child's Rights Act of 2003 states ...."

"I know what it states...I f*****g know" You cry.

"Nate, we gotta do something. Help me. The two people I trust are outside the country. My father has threatened to disown me if I mess up again and this will break my mother's heart. I can't even call my brothers. My life is literally in your hands now" you tell me.

I sit there and stare at you as you walk up and down the deck, occasionally holding your hand to your forehead in a thoughtful mood. I wonder what makes you feel like you can trust me. Do I have one of those faces or do you feel about me the same way I feel about you?

No, I'm grasping at straws again. I hate seeing you hurt, I hate seeing you disoriented. I hate seeing you sad. So in that split second, I make a decision. A stupid decision which I'm sure will come back to haunt me all my life.

"Let's Dexter Morgan her" I tell you.

"What do you mean?" You ask.

"You said you picked her up? You didn't meet anyone with her when you went to pick her up, did you? Does anyone know that she is with you?". I ask.

A fool for love, a fool for life.

You are in a thoughtful mood. "No, I didn't meet anyone. I didn't kill her, I just have to get rid of her. I didn't kill her, she killed herself. Come-on Nate, hold onto something" you say and dash toward the engine room.

In a matter of minutes we are speeding deeper into the Ocean as the waves of the Atlantic shake us from side to side.

We get to a burning drum which used to serve as a refuelling station during the day and you burn your speckled shirt and short. You are in your boxers now. You resume your driving as we speed further into the Atlantic.

"I have a duct tape in the lower cabin, there's a plastic wrapper there too, help me get it" you say and I do exactly as you say. A fool for love, a slave to his yearnings, a yes man on the loose.

We drive for thirty minutes until you are convinced that we are far away from the docks.

I help you tie Precious Cole's rigid naked body. Her skin is now as cold as ice and the sea breeze doesn't help matters at all because I am shivering now.

You grab a tank top and throw it on. You offer me a blanket but I tell you that I am okay. I mustn't show weakness. oh, can I get anymore stupid?

I look at your thick thighs as we twist Cole's corpse and I wonder if they are soft or hard. "Should I say something?" You ask me as we lift Cole's remains above the deck.

"I don't know, maybe? I mean she was a person, however horrible she turned out to be in the end, she was just a kid" I say.

"Don't make me feel more horrible than I already do. I know I used protection but if her body is found and a DNA test is done, I'm finished man" you say as you dump the body back on the deck and sit on the deck.

"Don't worry about that. The water will have washed away any DNA left' I say, you look at me for a moment and nod thoughtfully. You stand up and we lift her again.

"Goodbye Deezy" you say and we throw her over the water.

Splash! and then she floats for a while and then sinks.

The drive back is uneventful. For you though, for me it is scary and mind boggling. My conscience kicks in as we ride the waves down to Tinubu Marina.

What did I just do? What will my father do if this gets out? What if I get caught?

I haven't been up to a month in Lagos and I am dumping a body into the ocean. My heart beats increase and I feel as though I will suffocate.

I stand near you as you drive the old Yatch and the salty air whips our faces and the wind calls us all sorts of names.

Murderers, Rapists, horrible monsters. You will pay for this.

If my ex can see me now. I have become the monster we both used to watch in movies during my college days. I have finally succumbed to the demons she always suspected that plague me.

We dock and you hug me. You place a hand on my shoulder and you look into my eyes. "Thanks Man, I'm grateful" you say.

You wash the deck and wipe the upper cabin. I help you as we use bleach and detergent to wipe Precious Cole's blood off the deck . You thank me again.

I should go but I don't want to. You are walking around like a zombie. I can feel the sadness and the self loathing seeping from you.

I can hear the silent horrible names you are calling yourself.

I should go, I should leave you but I don't want to. However horrible what we did tonight was, we did it together.

God! Am I crazy? No, this is not normal. Crushes aren't meant to be this toxic and lethal.

"You know that no matter how well you clean a crime scene, you can't be entirely safe" You say and I nod in agreement.

You suggest that we go to Larry's birthday party. We use it as an alibi. I say that it is a smart idea. You quickly wipe your body with a towel and throw on a white 'v-neck' polo from the rack of overpriced clothes in the lower cabin. You put on a black cotton trouser and a brown pair of sneakers.

"Act normal, we will tell them that we are coming from a bar in Banana Island" You say and I nod.

Twenty-five minutes later we are at Awolowo's bar. Our coworkers are happy to see us.

Everyone rushes to us and just like a dying splinter is reignited when exposed to the wind, life comes back to the party and everyone begins to dance again.

You look at me and I see pain, self-loathing and sadness in your eyes.

About four girls are sitting with you, chatting and occasionally poking your sturdy abs. You occasionally fake a smile as they c***k crude and unfunny jokes.

You steal glances at me from time to time and you nod. With each glance, the look in your eyes gets dimmer and darker.

My pocket vibrates and I bring out a phone, but it isn't my phone. It is Precious Cole's phone.

We were so concerned with getting rid of her body that I forgot that I placed her phone inside my pocket.

A message is sprawled on the screen, "Hello Presh, it's big bro, where are you? I'm still waiting".

We were so worried about getting rid of her body that we didn't bother to think about her family. Who says getting away with murder is easy?. They make it look so easy in movies.

I look at you again as a paralyzing wave of fear hit me. You are now smiling with the girls, one is sitting on your laps and another one is pouring drinks for you.

You are now having fun or at least you pretend to be. It is almost obvious that you have no idea how complicated our lives just got.

A large lump forms in my throat and I swallow it.

Tope walks towards me, all smiles. "Hey Tiger, you are back" she says.

"Yeah, I wish I never left" I murmur.