FicStorm's The Chase

Chapter Four

08:32

Richard alighted from the comfortable air conditioned LAGBUS at Maryland. While in the bus, he had kept the hood on and his head was glued to the window all the way staring out the bus and making sure no one had a glimpse of his face. The word wasn't out yet but he was sure that soon enough the police would find out he was at the scene and begin hunting for him. While on the bus, he had thought about his next move. He had boarded the bus to Yaba so he could board a straight bus to his hometown. But he changed his mind when the bus got to Maryland for two reasons. One; he had never been to his village before, and two; he had a girl to find as soon as possible. He totally had no idea where to start his search and he could only think of going back to the woman's house. At least there could be something there to help with his search. But the police were also going to be there. He was going to have to wait a day or two before going back. Till then, what was he to do?

Looking up, he saw Maryland city mall was just a short distance away. Perfect! He thought. He needed a place to get breakfast and sit down for a while to think. He removed the hood from his head and began walking towards the mall. On the way, he found four large waste bins side by side and quickly removed the blood stained cloth from his bag and dumped it in the bin that read 'miscellaneous'. He had wrapped it into a ball before he stashed it into his bag and he removed it like that and dumped it in the waste bin. He absolutely had no idea that one was missing and now rested in a plastic evidence bag.

The door was opened kindly for him by a young doorman as he approached the doors of the magnificent KFC in Maryland Mall. He kept his head down and murmured a word of appreciation that sounded more like he was clearing his throat. There was hardly any customer for they had just opened for the day. Richard headed straight for the lavatory. He wasn't pressed but he just felt the urgent need to look in a mirror. He couldn't shake the image of the blood on his face out of his head and for some funny reasons he thought he could feel the blood on his face. There was a mirror in the restroom just like every other KFC he had entered. The restroom was empty; he had it all to himself.

Staring back at him from the mirror in the restroom was the man Richard expected to see. But not exactly. For one thing, there was no blood on his face and his long black hair which was meant to rest fully on his shoulders was scattered in every direction. It looked like he had just stood in front of a big fan that had blown his hair everywhere. He was only seven years old when he decided that he wanted to let his hair grow long and that was as a result of his falling in love with Chris Hemsworth who acted as Thor in the Avengers movie. His dad had no problem with it. In fact, he had given his son tips on how to take care of the hair and as soon as he was through with secondary school at the age of fifteen, Richard started grooming his hair for his 'Thor looks'. That was five years ago. Now at age twenty, no one would have believed he was below twenty eight because of his neatly carved beard that joined with the hair on his head all the way from his temples-his peers had always envied the fact that he naturally had sideburns-and his muscular figure. He was the one that bullied the bullies. All his mates in class had turned fifteen before him but he was always bigger than them and a few inches taller, thanks to his dad for passing the traits to him and having a fully equipped gymnasium in the house and being there to assist him. Richard hated that the man was dead. Three months ago, his father had left the house one morning and never returned. His father was fond of travelling often but he was sure to tell Richard before he did. That fateful day was different. He hadn't received any call or seen any note from his father. He slept that night sure that his father would return the next morning but instead he had a visit from the police telling him his father was never going to come back. That he had died in a lab explosion. Richard shook the thought out of his head and used his hands to pack his hair backward. He didn't have a comb with him so he made use of his hands to press the hair down and smoothed it with his hands, making sure it stayed down. The hair was much and long like a woman's hair. It had gone three inches beyond his shoulder but he wasn't going to cut it.

Richard put the bag down and opened it. He removed his clothes and the framed picture, placed it on the floor beside the bag and stared at the money in the bag. It was a mixture of crispy dollar bills and naira notes in the highest denomination in several bundles. The naira was bundled separately from the dollars but there was no way he could count it all. It was going to take a lot of time if he was to do it alone. He extracted three notes of one thousand naira from a bundle, slipped it into his wallet and put the clothes back in the bag. The frame was meant to come in last but he decided to have another look at the picture. The girl was dazzling in every way. The frame was meant to bring out the beauty of the picture but it was the other way round. The girl seemed to bring out the picturesque of the frame or maybe the frame was a reflection of her beauty. She looked younger than he was. Maybe three to four years younger, but he could see the woman she was going to become. She looked good in the oversized sweatshirt that almost concealed the bump short she wore. Her long thin legs were exposed all the way to where they fit perfectly into a pink converse. Her smile looked as if they could open heavens and for a moment, he thought he heard angels singing. Who said the beautiful ones are not yet born? Richard took his eyes off her and tried to study the scene. She was standing alone in the middle of a deserted road, but Richard could see in the background that the road led to a massive gate. It could have been an estate but it looked more like a university. It had to be a university. The archways for entry and exit convinced him of that. He flipped the frame over and removed the back so he could pull out the picture. Scribbled on the back in cursive writing were the words ‘Essy’s first day at Bells’

That was it! Richard beamed. Bells University. He folded the picture neatly and kept it in his pocket after which he kept the frame in his bag, zipped it and hurried out of the restroom with it. He walked over to the counter calmly and ordered for an espresso. It was given to him in a Styrofoam and he paid with the money he had freshly put in his wallet. Maintaining a smile, the lady behind the counter checked the money under an ultraviolet light to confirm if it was original.

Perfect. Richard thought. He absolutely had no idea if the money was fake or not. This was going to be a bad way to find out. He looked away but she drew his attention back to her as she slid his change over the counter to him. Richard thanked her and returned her smile as he picked up his change.

With Styrofoam in one hand, Richard pocketed his change and walked out of the eatery. He flagged a taxi to Bells, Sango-Ota. But before that, he had purchased a cap, a hair comb and made sure to dump the frame in the same bin he dumped the clothes.

***

10:27

The water from the tap flowed freely as she put it on. She let it flow for a while before she cupped her hand under and splashed it on her face. It felt good. She was just going to take a stroll and then she’d be back to take her bathe, pack her things and leave for home. Today was the first day of the holidays and she couldn’t wait to see her mother again. She was not interested in spending the holiday with either of her fathers. Her father was a maniac and she never liked her stepfather. After splashing more water on her face, she looked into the mirror that was directly above the sink and plucked at one of the disposable face towels to wipe her face. When she was done, she balled it and threw it into the large bin meant for the used towels. Her aim was good.

She leaned into the sink and studied her face in the mirror. It was spotless, yet she wasn’t impressed. She ran a hand slowly through her face feeling it here and there as though she thought there were potholes. Her movie-star looks was accentuated heavily by her light skin and long hair that she had let fall on her shoulder. That plus her slim five feet six frame. She was happy about it but she wanted more. She felt her stomach wasn’t slim enough. She needed bigger hips and larger boobs. She wanted a lighter skin even though people had told her too many times that she shone like the sun. She wanted more. Her pink lips formed a smile. She felt it was better she was worrying about something else. She had always thought drugs were everything to her. But now she was craving for something else. Or was it a disguised craving? Anyone who saw her would never believe that she was struggling with drug addiction. She had managed to abstain for a month, a whole month that felt like a century. If anybody had told her she could go that long without using, she would have sworn that it was impossible. She hadn’t even needed the aid of rehabilitation centers.

Dipping her hand into the pocket of her joggers, she pulled out a small case and opened it. Her contact lenses were inside. Only few people knew she was shortsighted. She had stopped using glasses at age 16. About the same time she had fallen in love with drugs. Nobody took a lady with glasses serious whenever she asked for some crack. She fixed her lenses carefully and kept the case back in her pocket after which she took out her phone and earphone. She put Thousand Foot Krutch’s be somebody on replay, took one last look in the mirror and left.

After walking around a little and bidding her friends farewell, she headed for her classroom. She cursed out loud the moment she stepped in.

“Mind your language.” A girl said walking past her. In her mind’s eye, Essy could perfectly picture herself giving the girl the finger and telling her to rot in hell, but she simply said ‘sorry’ and that felt like ripping out her heart for she was not yet used to uttering kind words, a habit she had dropped when she picked up drugs. She was changing. At least, she was trying. No more narcotics and no more rude replies. But it wasn’t so easy for she had a weak point. Everyone had their weak spot and Essy’s weak spot was in form of a boy named George. He was in the classroom and that was why she had cursed. His back was turned to her and she considered backing out since he hadn’t seen her, but it was too late. He was deep in a conversation with someone she didn’t recognize but the person seemed to recognize her and nodded in her direction. George turned abruptly and the atmosphere in the classroom changed. She started feeling what she had called the butterfly effect. He gave her that feeling all the time. Everything went into slow motion and before she could stop herself, she took a step to him and that was all. She didn’t move further. She was craving for him and that was bad. Showing it was worse. She couldn’t give him that satisfaction. Not yet. So she stood still and watched him make his way towards her. In slow motion. She nearly swore again as she found herself failing to resist the pull. George was like a black hole sucking everything in its path. She had managed to keep him away for so long but she couldn’t take it anymore. He was a special kind of drug. During the times they had been together he had become a part of her and letting him go was like ripping her soul out, but she kept convincing herself that it was for the greater good. She needed to do away with drugs. She was changing because of her mother and George, being the person that introduced her to drugs and the other side of the world where fun was everlasting, had to go. He wasn’t ready to change.

George was a dark young man in his early twenties. Not the kind of man you called ‘beautiful’ but he was good looking enough to stop any girl’s heart. His hair was styled as a Mohawk and his massive beard was neat and black. Essy had begged him relentlessly to take it off but he was unyielding. He was a full inch taller than Essy and he even looked taller today because of the white Nike Air sneakers he wore with the dark blue crazy jeans and the white blue checkered shirt of which he had the sleeves folded up to his elbow. The shirt was unbuttoned down to the second button, exposing a little of his chest and the silver necklace on his neck. He always walked with a hand in his pocket and used his free hand to stroke his beard continuously, bouncing all the way. George had made a lot of achievement in his own world, being arrested thrice in one week was part of it. If Essy was meant to pick a guy that had muscles, George would not even have come close to being on the list but Essy, or rather, the old Essy liked him because he was good at doing bad things and also because of his confidence. George was not the type who came from a rich family but he didn’t come from a poor home either. His parents were doing just fine but they paid less attention to George and that was the reason why his life was messed up. Trust was not a word in his dictionary. He trusted no one and had no friend except Essy and he spent all his time with her, but ever since she left him, he had picked up some friends and he didn’t smoke alone.

As George got closer, Essy took her eyes off him and turned to leave. It was the only way to avoid talking to George who was the last person she wanted to talk to at the moment. She knew from experience that once she gave him a chance to talk he wouldn’t stop. She started walking to the door but she could hear his footsteps from behind and knew he was hurrying up to meet her.

Why can’t he just leave me alone? She thought, but she knew better. It was hard for him just as it was for her. She remembered vividly well when and how she met George. It was three years ago. She was sixteen and he was going on eighteen. His family had just moved into the neighborhood and he was already as bad as he could be while Essy was still the good girl. It took only two months of knowing George to change all the good things about her. Her mother soon found out the reason for her new behavior and decided it was time to change environment and so they did. Putting a good distance between them would have been a good solution if there was nothing like social network and if George didn’t already know she was opting for Bells University. All he had to do was; get the form and apply, and they were together again. George would say ‘Essy as ABC’. She remembered that she was happy about it back then, but now, she would give anything to be as far away from George as possible. It was hard having him around even now that she was trying to change and that was why she had to break up with him.

Essy felt his arm on her shoulder and she thought to push it off and run away but she knew George’s anger was equivalent to a tornado. She turned around slowly to look up at him. The sight of him so close made her legs weak. It was all she could do to keep herself from falling.

“You.” Essy said and pursed her lips.

“I guess you’re stalking me.” George said and Essy chuckled. He reached for her and removed the earphones. Anybody else would have done that and ended with a broken arm, but not George.

“Your life is a whole lot more interesting in your head. Are you high on something?” She said and folded her arms across her chest as he let the earpiece fall to her shoulders.

“So… do you have plans for the holiday?”

“Yeah. A lot.”

“And am I included in your plans”

“Nope.”

“That’s not fair. You know we could go to the movies or to a beach, just two of us. We’d have some fun and catch up on what we missed during the times we’ve been apart.

“We’re not back together…”

“…yet.”

“Dream on, George. We’re never ever getting back together.”

“That sounded like something out of a Taylor Swift song.”

“Whatever.”

“Oh, Of course, you’re turning over a new leaf and I’m standing in the way.” George said sarcastically.

“Yes. Exactly.”

“You’ve gone cold.”

“What were you expecting me to say?” Essy said throwing her hands helplessly in the air. She wasn’t expecting an answer but she got one.

“Something nice at least. Something like… ‘Oh, come on, babe, you just have to bear with me. That’s not exactly how it is.’” George said feigning a lady’s voice while Essy just stood there watching him. She didn’t say a word even after he was done.

“You’re making me look like a fool.” George disclosed after a moment of staring at each other.

“Your friend is waiting, George.”

“So?”

“So? Go and meet him you can’t just leave him waiting like that.”

“He’s not complaining.”

Essy let out a sigh of frustration

“Okay, George. I’d call you.”

“Promise?” George said as his face lit up.

“You know I don’t make promises.”

“Alright then. Your word is good for me.” George said and before she could stop him, he kissed her cheek and started walking backwards with a nasty grin on his face. Essy sighed again. He wasn’t ready to change. She plugged her earphones back. Be somebody was still playing.

Clad in a red top on black jeans and a pair of red Paul Smith, Essy walked to her red Toyota Venza with her bag wheeling on the asphalt. She noticed someone leaning on the driver’s door of her car but ignored him and heaved her bag into the trunk of her car after using her remote to unlock the car. The man stepped away from the door as Essy slammed the trunk close. She walked over to the side to get in, but she had barely opened the car when the man spoke.

“You’re Essy Boyle if I’m not mistaken.’

“Yes.” Essy said halting. “How do you know me?”

“I’m Detective Pedro from the Nigerian Police. The man said flashing his badge. Essy studied the badge. It was real. The use of platinum badges by the police had been implemented over a year ago but she had seen a lot of Detective badges within that period to know that this was real. The problem, however, was that the man in front of her didn’t look like a detective. He didn’t smell like one either. There was something odd about him. Essy had run into a lot of plain cloth detectives and none of them were like this one either.

The man standing before her was bald and had a goatee that would have been frowned on by the Chief. He had on a nicely tailored Emporia Armani suit with a black turtle neck sweater plus a golden swatch around his wrist. Essy easily picked up the fragrance of his DKNY cologne. Not the kind of luxury common to Nigerian detectives. They didn’t earn that much. Essy was sure of that.

“Okay then.” Essy said and shut the door of her car without bothering to use the remote. “What am I being arrested for this time? I haven’t broken anybody’s nose in a while.”

“You’re not being arrested, but I need you to come with me.”

“No, thank you. I can drive myself.”

“It’s about your mother.”

“What about her?”

“She was found dead in her apartment this morning.”

“I’m on my way home, detective.” Essy said still playing the role of a tough girl but her heart was already pounding.

“Then I’m coming with you.”

“No. That’s not going to happen.

The detective took a step closer to Essy. Something about his expression changed and Essy stepped back, but she was already leaning into the car. Essy felt his hand grip her arm and simultaneously felt something hard against her stomach. She knew what it was before she looked down to confirm that it was a revolver. Not the type of gun for detectives.

“Look up!” The man ordered with his face only two inches from hers.

“You’re not a detective.” Essy said looking into his eyes without any iota of fear. The George spirit in her was awakened.

“All it takes is for you to scream and you’d end up like your mother.”

“What do you mean?” Essy asked. Her voice was shaking. This was the second time the man was saying something about her mother. She had called her previous night and told her she was coming home. Her mother sounded alright on the phone.

“Unlock the car and get in, I’d drive.” The man said but Essy didn’t move an inch.

“I won’t hesitate to pull the trigger.” The man said and he obviously meant it but Essy didn’t move and she couldn’t explain why.

“What happened to my mother?”

“Let me repeat myself nice and clear…” The man stopped when he noticed out of the corner of his eyes someone jogging towards them. He quickly withdrew his gun and hid it behind him.

The newcomer stopped to catch his breath when he got to them. He adjusted the backpack he had been struggling with as he ran and then he spoke to Essy.

“Thank God I found you before you left. The course adviser would like to see you. She said you have an issue with one of your papers. I’m not sure which but she said you registered the wrong course and also said you have to see her today so she can help you or you forget about it.”

“Oh no!” I wanted to see the class governor for the same issue this morning but he had gone already.” Essy said after she had done a quick assessment of the newcomer. He was someone she had never seen before in her life. She knew all the boys in her class. All of them had at one point or the other tried to ask her out and she had turned all of them down because she was devoted to George, but this one standing in front of her was one she would have been unable to say no to. His face looked like it fitted perfectly on a magazine cover page. His muscular features and his long jet black hair all blended into something beautiful. She was sure she would remember if she had ever seen this face before. Besides, she was good with faces and names. The boy was obviously lying. She didn’t have any issue with her courses and even if she did, the course adviser wouldn’t have known till the results were ready. The lecturers hadn’t even started marking yet. He was probably aware of her situation with the imposter and was trying to help so she cooperated.

“Is she in her office now?” Essy asked and the newcomer nodded. This time, with his eyes fixed on the imposter. Essy started walking away but the man gripped her arm to stop her and that earned him a heavy punch in the stomach from the newcomer. Essy heard a groan and turned in time to see her liberator ram his elbow hard against the man’s temple.

“He’s got a gun.” Essy said only for her to find out that the newcomer was the one holding the gun. She had to admit that he was swift. It looked like he did this everyday.

“Get in the car now!” He yelled at her with the gun aimed at the imposter who was clearly stunned. “Start the car and move over. I’m driving.”

Essy did just what he said and left the driver’s door opened for him.

“You’re dead meat, boy.” The man said but didn’t move. The gun was still trained on him.

“Not today.” Came the reply and he swiftly got into the car. He shut the door and tossed the gun onto the floor of the backseat while doing a clean reverse. Essy watched her assailant as the distance between them widened. She saw the hate in his eyes and the anger in his battered face. She looked at her champion’s knuckles gripping the wheel and began to wonder what the fists were made of. How many blows had he dealt in such short time? He was fast. Was he a boxer or some athlete? Where had he come from?

Hello, Handsome, say something. Essy thought and as though he read her mind, he spoke.

“Your mother sent me to find you.”

Oops! Be careful what you wish for. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to hear him talk anymore. He was about to reveal a mystery she wasn’t ready to hear.

“Where is she?”

“Your mother is no more, I’m afraid.” He took his eyes off the road to look at her for a moment. She saw pity in his eyes and truth, but she wasn’t just going to accept it. It wasn’t true.

“I hate jokes. This is some kind of joke. It’s like I’ve been selected for some Bells prank. If this is one of those pranks just stop it right now. I don’t care what the prize is. You’re not meant to joke with such things.”

“As much as I’d like to wish that this is whatever Bells prank you’re talking about. I have to admit that it’s not. I’m not from around here and I don’t…”

“My mother is not dead, okay?” Essy snapped. Her own voice scared her. “I don’t believe you.” She buried her face in her hands and before she knew it her body was rocking violently with sobs.

“It’s a dream.” She muttered repeatedly.

“It’s real. I’ve been dragged into this too and I don’t like it, but it’s real.”

“Just don’t say anything.” She said calmly. Her voice scared her even more. She couldn’t believe the sound had come from her. It was way too dry and hoarse. She wiped the tears rolling down her face and said, “My mother is at home and you’re taking me to meet her.” The sobs were breaking to the surface again. She was always strong, she knew how to control her emotions, so what was happening to her now? Was it the lack of cocaine in her blood?

“Going back there is looking for trouble.”

“I like trouble.” Was all Essy said and he sighed.

***

Bright studied the wallet he had slipped out of the interloper’s pocket during their brief hassle. Stupid boy should have stayed away and minded his business, but no, he chose to interfere and now he was going to pay. Bright found two notes of one thousand naira in the wallet and some change. He didn’t touch it. He fondled with the wallet and found a voter’s card, a driver’s license and a school I.D Card. First strategy of war, know your enemy. The names on the cards were all the same-Richard A. Chase. Bright spat blood out of his mouth and used his shoe to bury it in the little sand on the tarmac.