Chapter 4: The Toilet Trap

Onuche follow Morenike enter women’s toilet. He lock door, wedge book for the gap, off the light.

E fit shock you, but some toilets for our school dey abandoned, no latch, no camera. Na so Onuche use book wedge door, twist bulb, everywhere dark like night. The toilet air thick with Izal, but fear swallow all other smell. Fear fit grip anybody.

Morenike, still inside, think say na cleaner, shout, “Aunty, person dey here o! Abeg, no off the light!”

Her voice crack, panic full am. For Naija, everybody dey respect cleaner aunty. To off light for person, na serious matter. But this one, na evil dey waka.

She wear her skirt, wan come out, na so Onuche rush her.

The moment heavy. As she bend pick shoe, Onuche pounce. For that small space, the struggle real. Her scream echo, but thick wall block am. E no reach outside.

But Morenike no gree. Even as girl, she sabi taekwondo, and with her height, she kick Onuche well, make am shout.

Na so wahala burst. Morenike leg long, one back kick land for Onuche stomach. E grunt, stumble. If not for size, maybe she for escape.

Morenike run reach door, but door jam, she no fit open am.

She dey twist handle, hit am with palm, but wedge no gree. Hope dey die inside her eye. She scream again, but no answer. For that moment, I believe even God dey silent.

As Onuche recover, he chase her, knock her head for wall, she faint. Then he drag her hair, carry her enter stall.

Evil get power when hope die. Onuche rush her, one heavy blow for head, she collapse. As he drag her, her hair dey scatter for ground, her shoe fall. That scene, I no fit forget am.

“I bring out handcuffs, handcuff Morenike hands for water pipe, put hood for her eyes…”

He dey talk am as if na normal thing. My blood dey boil. For this country, handcuff na only police suppose get, but evil dey invent new way every day.

“You handcuff her face to you or back?”

I press am more. This detail matter, e fit show lie for his story.

“Eh?”

He pause, look up, dey calculate.

“When you handcuff Morenike, she dey face you or her back dey your side?”

My voice steady, but my heart dey race. I dey find truth inside lie.

“Back… no, face.”

He dey shuffle words. Even judge dey frown. Lie dey get short leg for court.

Lie again.

My hand dey jot. I dey build my case. The evidence go soon expose am.

Police report talk say: “The deceased dey face front. For the fight, the hood fall. The suspect fear say she go recognize am, panic, use dumbbell knock her head many times, break her skull, she die instantly. Na crime of impulse.”

As police file enter, everybody dey listen well. Them yarn say after fight, the hood fall, Onuche panic, use dumbbell, finish work. For police, na crime of impulse. But for lawyer, every detail dey matter. For Naija, even elders dey read between line.

But autopsy talk say: “Plenty wounds dey for inside and outside her wrists.”

Na that autopsy report burst brain. Doctor write say wounds full for palm and wrist, front and back. For court, everybody dey shift for chair. Evil no dey hide forever.

If Morenike dey face front and her hands dey back, wounds go dey for back of hand, not palm.

I reason am out loud. For this kind struggle, if na back, only the back of hand suppose get wound. But doctor yarn say palm wound full ground. That one na serious evidence.

So, Onuche must to don handcuff Morenike back to am, and the wounds for her palms na from as she dey struggle.

For my mind, I dey see the picture clear. As he twist her hand back, Morenike dey fight, dey drag, dey try free. Na that struggle give her wound for palm, nail cut, skin tear. She no surrender, even as strength dey fail am.

But if Morenike back dey Onuche, even if hood fall, she no fit see him face. Why Onuche kill her, even use dumbbell break her head?

That na the wahala. If she no fit see face, why kill am? Only Onuche sabi the true darkness for him heart. Maybe pride, maybe fear, maybe evil just dey dance for him soul. For court, silence heavy like raincloud. Judge dey write, jury dey whisper. The case dey bleed for our eyes.