Chapter 4: Motive and Survival

Uncle Tijani close him flask. The sound of the cover for the stainless flask dey scratch my ear for the quiet room. The air cold, the way only police station dey be for night.

E drop the flask, talk with pressure:

"You talk everything well, like say you dey honest, like person wey dey fear."

E knock table with finger, the sound dull. "But you forget say na them dey bully you since? Na so you just carry your leg waka house? You no fear say dem go beat you worse next day?

Except say you know say dem go die that day, na why you get mind go house." E voice dey steady, but I see small doubt for e face.

I quick shake head, my face white, I talk: "No! E no be so!"

"So wetin happen?"

"Just to help grandma pack stall, you no fear say dem go push your head for gutter again, or beat you sotey you blind or break bone?" Uncle Tijani voice low, but e no let go.

I dey pick my finger, remember that day. My body dey shake, I take time before I fit talk: Outside, I hear generator dey hum, like background wahala for Lagos. I breathe deep, then talk:

"But, if I no leave, I for die!"

That day, dem think say I no dey hear, but I hear as dem dey whisper. After the non-Newtonian fluid, dem wan push me inside, see if when person dey suffocate, e go struggle or try escape.

Ifedolapo ask, "If person die nko?"

Sani say, "If e die, we go see if dead body go float or sink for non-Newtonian fluid."

Chika add, "We never reach fourteen, nothing go happen."

As I hear all this, cold sweat just dey my back. No be say I too fear die, but I dey fear say if I die, my old grandma and my mama wey don nearly born go too suffer. If anything do them, na real wahala for my family.

So I dey find chance run. When dem say make I go carry plastic sheet, I use am run.

At first I fear, say dem go deal with me next day, but grandma call me, I just decide go house.

Survive today—tomorrow no fit worse pass die today. As elders dey talk, if head no dey, cap no go fit stay. I just wan keep my head.

I talk everything.

But Uncle Tijani no too believe me. E talk: "Wetin you talk make sense, but evidence no dey..."

My heart cold, I laugh small: "When I talk say dem dey bully me, you talk say I no get evidence...

So, you get evidence say na me kill them?" My voice sharp, I look ground, but my spirit dey stubborn.

Uncle Tijani answer, "Dem don bully you since, you get reason to kill. You be sharp student, you suppose know say starch dust dey explode if fire dey, and you no get alibi."

I vex small, my voice loud: "I really think of killing them! At least dem no go fit bully me again! But I no fit do am! I no be like them, I dey fear blood and death. If I see am, e be like say big mountain dey press me! I no fit!"

But even as I dey vex, Uncle Tijani calm: "So, you get alibi?"

As I hear this, I just bend my head, rest for table, use two hand hold my hair.

But for mouth corner, small smile dey.

That time, Officer Musa knock, enter, talk: "We see new evidence..." His voice come with small excitement, like person wey win bet.