Must Read: Awkward Ways I Met Girls

7 years ago

Must Read: Awkward Ways I Met Girls

Truly curiosity kills the cat. Maybe I shouldn’t have tried to figure out what had transpired. But if someone didn’t Jay was going to the gallows.

And who were those men who just attacked me?

Who had sent them? Mr Gentle had said Mr Akeh had sent him. It was all a ploy and I nearly walked into their net. I think they had my name but no photo. So, to identify me properly, they had to make me answer, come out and identify myself.

I wondered who else but Bibi did I tell about my discussion with Rumie’s father.

Me and Clara met where we had planned. She pleaded with me not to get in too deep with this whole matter. I guess she was just expressing her fears.

But I was presently in danger. I needed to call Inspector Okoro. We went to a nearby call center and called Inspector Okoro and related what had happened. He promised he was sending some men to the house.

But since I don’t know for sure where this attempt at me is coming from, I didn’t mention to him that I didn’t intend to sleep at home. You never know, just to be on the safe side.
When I ended the call, I dialed Rumie’s dad and related the incident to him.
From my descriptions of Mr Gentle and his colleague, Rumie’s father said that wasn’t Mr Idah, the private investigator. And in fact, Mr Idah was with him presently. He passed the phone to Mr Idah and after a brief general talk about my safety he returned the phone to Rumie’s father.
When I asked, where assured no one else knew he was sending anybody over to me.
A third call I placed was to Sam, Jay’s brother. The case had been transferred from the divisional station to Kpanti. That popular station for hardened criminals under investigation. Wow!

The seriousness of the case was settling in.
I wondered how Jay was doing and pitied him. I

decided to go the station to meet Inspector Okoro. Clara said she was coming with me. I shrugged
“Ok”
I guess we were in this together. We left to the station. Inspector was gracious enough to wait for us. I plainly and clearly la!d out the puzzle and tried to solve the jigsaw.

Bibi. Her number was now switched off.

Only Rumie would have known where she lived.

If we could check for any possible information we can gather from Rumie’s phones which had been take away from the crime scene.

The inspector called Sergent Sunday and scribbled some things on a blank piece of paper. He signed on it and stamped it and Sergent Sunday took it to another table where someone else signed on it and stamped.

He was requesting for access to Rumie’s phones.

Off we went, to Kpanti. I, Clara and Sergent Sunday.

When we finaly got the phones, the batteries were dead. We had to look for how to charge them. When her blackberry came on, we checked her dialed numbers, text messages, twitter, instagram and facebook accounts.

Nothing. The police had already checked through them for clues.

It was easy access into her social media accounts cos she hadn’t signed out of the applications.
In her facebook, we searched for Bibi. Her address wasn’t anywhere. The only thing about address has to do with her time line. And it was South Africa there.
Another dead end.

It was now getting late. We decided to go home, but which home? Clara and I left the station and took a bus to Jibowu. She suggested that we go stay with a friend of hers who stays at Obanikoro. She called her friend and told her. A moment later we were on our way to Obanikoro.

In the bus she called her mom and told her she was with her friend at Obanikoro and would not be coming back home.

While they spoke my mind raced.

Could the network provider help with the GPS of where her phone? A possibility we can explore.

But today was spent. By the time we got to her friend’s house it was minutes to 10pm.
Her friend Dami was a very friendly person. She helped us get what to eat. She help mix warm water to bath. But I didn’t. I couldn’t even eat. I just asked for a cup of bevearage. I drank and dozed off where I la!d on the bed.
Slowly I opened my eyes, it was morning. It was getting a little bright. And I saw that Clara slept beside me. And I saw her friend slept on the floor. Hmmm… A really nice girl.
My mind began to rehearse things. Juxtaposing clues and doing permutations and combinations. I still la!d there, not making any attempt to sit up. My body ache a bit.
Suddenly, something hit me. Like a flash of intuition. My mind paused.

I had seen a passport in Bibi’s handbag that morning we fvcked. The passport was green. I had assumed it to be our Nigerian passport. But there was something a bit different about it. Even the color and size of the passport didn’t seem of our type.

I froze. I reached for my phone instantly and pulled up my browser and typed in ‘Green passports’.

Many links came up. Nothing of interest. So I google ‘Green passports in Africa”.
Nigeria, Algeria and South Africa came up amongst the results. I further searched ‘South Africa passport picture’ on google and voila! The exact color and size of passport I saw came up.

My mind raced… But I hadn’t seen anything like tickets.

I entered my contact list and search for Tope.

Tope is a friend of mine who worked with a traveling agency. It was still early but I couldn’t wait. I dialed.

“Tope what’s up?”
“Ha!!! Baba stag! This one wey you remember me this early mo-mo so, hope I dey safe o? How far?”
“Bros, ur boy dey o. But no vex, I wan ask something. You know anything about flights to south africa?”
“Wetin exactly u wan know? The price or what?”
“The schedule specifically.”

“I don’t think they fly everyday but I think there’s a South African airways flight today. This morning. But I nor know the time o”
“Bros, nor vex say I go cut the call short. Thanks, I go call you back”
I cut the call before he could say anything else. I tapped Clara who seemed to be awake already too.
“Clara I think Bibi is leaving for South Africa”
“How do you know that? Did you find anything?”
I ran her through how I arrived at the conclusion. She was quietly and said
“That is still assumptions. How can you convince those detectives”
I thought about it for a moment. They won’t make any moves whatsoever based on mere assumptions.

But with every moment that went by, I could feel it that my instinct wasn’t just ordinary. This was intuition. You just know.
I got up, wore my shoes. And as Dami was stretching to get up I said
“Dami sorry to have disturbed you. Thanks a lot, we’d see later today”.

As I spoke I saw Clara had started to get ready to follow soon as she saw me wearing my shoes.
A minute later I was on the street walking to the busstop. Actually, rushing to the busstop. Clara hurriedly following closely.

I called Inspector Okoro anmd told him my suspicion. I also called Sergent Sunday to know if he could do something. Anything. I told him I was rushing down to the airport to find out anything possible.

Both of them didn’t seem to buy my idea. They were not forthcoming at all.
Then it occurred to me to call Rumie’s father. I was sure he could orchestrate something.
The bus we had boarded had just stopped at Oshodi and we were going to take another bus to Airport when my phone rang. Inspector Okoro.
He wanted to know where I was presently. I told him and he said he and Sergent Sunday would meet me at the airport shortly.

Sure, Rumie’s father had pressed a button or two. Lol.
The bus got to the last busstop and I hurried towards the airport terminals, Clara closely following.

And impatiently, the brisk walking broke into a run…