CONVERGENCE: The Serial Killer Chronicles.

The beginning of colors...

I noticed a young female officer in the team. She, all the while, used her eyes on me, scanning me like I was a perfect fit to the description of some wanted criminal. I feigned not noticing her.

- “Oga oyibo abi na yamiri, what you were asked is ‘what do you do for a living?’” clarified a musky one in a brash and mocking tone.

I cooked up another smile I felt was enchanting and innocent. I was a pro at that.

- “Oh, I am an applicant Sir. I no get work. I just finish service.”

This acted as the catalyst. They preyed on me.

- “You are jobless and you are wandering by this time of the night”

I shot back out of impulse.

- “Please this is just 6:43 and I’m not wandering. I’m only headed to buy something at this…”

Kpa! Another one. Kpa! I saw stars dancing atilogu. My headphone fell off. The hot slaps melted ‘shop’ right out of my tongue.

- “Criminal! Shut up! Give me your phone. You must be an internet fraudster” This was the female officer.

I was amazed at how things took a swift ugly curve now – more of a zero to a 92 degrees. I tried applying grease, appealing to her emotions and the law in her.

- “Haa, Aunty I cannot give you my phone please oh. It is illeg…”

I was about quoting an unwritten law and ask for a warrant when she caught me violently kicking my balls in the process. This was no mere kick, I mean, the boys should identify best with what I’m trying to say. I saw three off myself in pairs, making eighteen. Everything turned blue as my groin imploded.

- “Dan iska, who is your aunty? You don’t know your aunty if you see her?” Three red V stripes on her told me she was a sergeant. She was quite young and had a tiny urgent voice.

She pounced on my phone. We dragged some more till I yielded. I needed to attend to this torrid pain in my groin. For some reason my phone had not locked. She pranced through my gallery frantically in search of whatever she must have kept there.

The other cops took to hurling insults my way, to them it was sport, and they were working out and exercising the biceps of their shared foolishness. I kept my cool. In my head I plotted a thousand ways I could make them disappear, thanks to Hollywood crime movies. My hate for this lady in particular broke the roof. All I sought was to have my big palms around her neck, strangle her till she drops dead. Asphyxia.

She relayed to who would make for the team leader in Hausa.

- “Ba komi fa… saide wayansu hotuna da basu da kai.”

He turned to me and spoke for the first time.

-

“Identify yourself”

I was already nervy and no longer gave a hoot since I knew they had nothing to nail me with.

- “Identify kwa, I don’t have an ID here with me Sir. I actually came to Jos for a job interview and I’m staying with my sister.”

After diligent examination of my features for what seemed like eternity, he spurted in an intimidating yet certain manner like he was expecting I’d not be able to furnish his demands.

- “Go bring something we can identify you with plus the letter of invitation for the interview you say you have, meet us here or at the division over there.” He motioned the last part. He was soft spoken, polite, reserved and concise but that was not enough to remove him from my bad grace. He was an accessory to impunity and oppression on the part of his subordinates.

- “Ok Sir” I mouthed as I turned. Anger boiling in me.

My thoughts raced against me. ‘What kind of mess did I immerse myself into? It would have paid more had I just let this longing for sweet-mouth slide and remained indoors.’ I made to collect my phone.

She sneered and briskly brushed my hand off.

- “Akuya, ke wa wa ne? when you clear yourself you collect your phone.”

It was a love lost situation from then on. She was officially enlisted in my bad books. As I made for home, I planned on how I would give it back to her ten folds. I knew it is a typically small world and I could easily lie in wait. This is Jos, any harm to her person during a stampede could easily be pegged on crisis and I was one who knew the right strings to pull in a restive northern city in order to orchestrate an uprising. Besides they didn’t know me nor did they have any knowledge where I was domiciled. I would be leaving soon of course, after my interview. The heat should have died down before I return.

Rushing in I went straight to my room, brought out my file from my luggage and got my International Passport and a copy of my interview invitation letter. That should suffice I assured myself except the female officer would need something else, something charmingly damning which I carried. I felt good of myself possessing the manly later.

I had passed my niece and the maid in the sitting room while I came in. What they were busy doing I had no idea but it sure sapped their attention they barely noticed my presence. I felt relieved she was at least occupied and of good conduct. They were still in that position when I walked brusquely out and to the spot or the station.

I was lucky to find the officer with my phone alone waiting for me. She must have been instructed to. Her team members might have gone responding to an emergency. Here was my opening. She was right here unarmed and I could do to her whatever I wished. This was the biblical Saul and David in the cave. Par chance my gaze nestled on both her breasts and I got a whiff of her details. Her nametag bore ‘Godiya W Hailie’ with force number ‘912841’.

She seemed rather familiar now in that instant, maybe my head pulled a fast one on me, or maybe such familiarity never actually transcended beyond mere appellations. A wiser thought set in and I desisted. What if her team lay nearby? What if she has a service pistol on her? What if the sound and screams attracted people? I decided to plan not to fail. I could come for her unaware at her lowest ebb. That seemed wiser.

I presented the documents to her. She seemed rather disinterested but just glanced through all the same.

- “Mtcheeew. We go see how them go take employ you when you no be northerner, take your useless phone’

I could not sink it in anymore. I shot her. I pulled out and shot her; twice in the chest.

I shot her twice straight at her heart. She grabbed at my sleeve as she fell towards me. I knocked her off and she fell to the ground. She lay sprawled like animal hide on the wall of a vintage hunter as she mumbled something I could not make out. It was largely inaudible but it sounded like an ‘I’m sorry’. I was hugely relieved by her last attempt at atonement and redemption for the trauma she caused me. I left her immediately, she was drowning in her own blood.

- “Officer down. I repeat. Officer down. Someone shot Hailie. Send and ambulance to this location.”