Must Read: Awkward Ways I Met Girls

7 years ago

Must Read: Awkward Ways I Met Girls

Security cameras do a good job of capturing every visible thing within its range. Within its range. Unfortunately, there are grey areas security cameras’ lens can not capture. One is directly below it. And someone who knew how cameras work had come from under it and wrapped it with a cloth, covering the lens.

Detective James Iyara couldn’t make much out of it.

But one thing he seemed to be sure of is that I could lead them to the culprit. That if I thought well and hard enough, I could make a good guess. I wondered how he thought I could pull out a name out of thin air and then they go arrest the person and ‘interrogate’ the person with gadgets in a locked room till the person confesses?

He had given me his private number that if anything came up, I should waste no time in letting him know.

I go to the hospital once in the morning, then go after work and stay till night.

Today, she was doing well at recovery. Her family and friends were always around and colleagues at work too always came by both formally and unofficially. Her church members and neighbours. Sometimes, I’d just stay away, but within the hospital.

Ada’s consciousness was returning to normal now. And of course she could recollect things but I didn’t want to start bugging with questions.

Yet, this mystery was eating away at me.

Because I remember we were together the evening before the incident. We ate dinner and she had gone home to sleep. In the morning it happened, she called me immediately she woke up, as was norm, and when she was leaving the house, we spoke again. She hadn’t eaten at home, so I knew that whatever it was she ate was in the office.

While Ada was receiving visitors, I left the hospital and went across the street to a mallam’s kiosk. He had a bench and sold drinks too. I sat there with a bottle of pepsi.

The street was busy and I watch on to keep my mind busy. People passed by and went their normal businesses. Hawkers passed by with their wares, truck pusher pushed by with his omolanke. And NEPA task force were busy climbing pole to pole cutting people off electricity for defaults in payments.

As the van came to the next pole and stopped, two men brought down the ladder and set it properly on the pole, then one of them climbed and continued his work. For a moment, I wondered the height of the pole from the ground.

Then I wondered why the other guy had to hold the ladder while he worked, was the ladder not good? Or so his colleague doesn’t fall? I wondered.., I wondered.., my mind just kept moving from one thing to another, blankly.

One thought leads to another until a question popped in my head:
‘What did that person climb to have been able to reach the camera and cover it?’
Like a driver abruptly stepping on the brake, my mind screeched to a stop right there. Then a rush of questions bombarded my head.
‘Was the person working alone?’, ‘what did the person use if it wasn’t a ladder?’, ‘what’s the person’s height?’, and on and on the questions came.

Just maybe a clue might pop out from there…

I pulled out my mobile phone and dialed James Iyara as saved on the phone. A moment later, the detective picked up.

“This stag.”
“Yes, I know”
“Good evening”
“You got something for me?”
“I was wondering if I could see a replay of that video from the camera?”
“I was wondering if a few things that could help slipped the eyes”
He paused for what seemed like eternity.

But enough for me to reflect on the words I had just spoken.
“Well sir, I only meant for things like the timing on the camera to be noted, maybe when she recovers, she might be able to tell…”
“Look, I do not have the patience for all these”
“I know but I was wondering what this person climbed on and perhaps how tall or short…”
He seemed a bit quiet again.

“Where are you?”
I told him
“Can you come over now?”
I jumped up and got on my way.
I really missed Ada a lot. Its been days now without her with me. It broke my heart to see her on sick bed. I loved her and realized I nearly just lost her. I was going to make sure a name came up. Whoever did this wasn’t about to get away with it.

An hour later I was viewing the video footage. While at it, my phone rang…