Chapter 41: Chapter 41
CHAPTER 36
Teju observed the room he had slipped into. It was dark. Only a little faction of the light from the chandeliers in the sitting room trickled into where he was. But from the little he could make out, he could discern that he was in a room which was more of a kitchen than a restroom or a bedroom. He made sure he did not bump into anything that would raise an alarm of his presence as he looked around for the best hiding option he had if need be.
He could see a deep freezer humming in a low tone. He could see the gas cooker which was also an electric cooker. He could see a standing refrigerator. He could see the washbasin and a large table. As far as he was concerned, the right side of the deep freezer was the best place to hide, but even hiding there was too risky. It appeared he did not have much choice than taking chances and hoping he would not get caught.
He peeped at Wale who was still struggling with his blue, Pepsi-branded umbrella at the door- Live it, Love it, it says. He folded his umbrella and reclined it against the wall beside the door. He was in a hooded leather jacket and a print t-shirt underneath which says, ama kip kip. He wore a brown pencilled denim trouser that tightened around his ankles, a multi-coloured ankle socks that looked like the ones worn by modern masquerades who dance skelewuaround the streets during festival periods, and black high-soled leather sandals.
His finely cut obamahairstyle, his goatee and no moustache made him a fine-looking man on an average scale. He looked around the place he had just entered. His gaze was mostly suspended to the space above him such that, it was not until he got almost to the middle of the sitting room that he noticed Tiwa’s dead body. He jumped backwards in an automated reaction. And when he landed, it was his buttocks on the floor and his eyes wide open in unspeakable shock. ‘Jesus!’ had also escaped his flummoxed gasp.
Teju wished the scene was just a movie and he was merely an actor, he could have burst into a fit of laughter until the movie director blares ‘Cut! Cut! Cut!’ into his microphone and looked him up with disdain from his shooting set. But no, it was no time to laugh. Wale looked around him fitfully as though he was expecting an assailant to come out of the blues and attack him. Everything seemed still. His face travelled to towards Tiwa’s remains again, this time with a disturbing look.
“Tiwa!” he called out silently, his voice quaking as if he was at gunpoint and he would sooner pee in his pants. Tiwa refused to answer, neither did she show any sign of life. Convinced perhaps that Tiwa could not be dead, Wale moved close to the body and peered at it. He bent over her and made to touch her. He probably wanted to check her pulse to confirm but he stopped and stood upright. He was finally convinced she was dead.
He started to run towards the door, and Teju was breathing his breath of relief when he stopped again. Teju shot an angry glare at him as he turned back and walked towards him. He walked past the sitting room and was coming in his direction. Teju quickly dodged behind the wall of the doorsill. It appeared Wale was giving him no choice than to attack. When he enters through the door, Teju would be at advantage. Thanks to the nature of flabbergastation, the wall and the darkness of the kitchen. He would grab him by the neck from behind, wound the inside of his arms around his neck and tightened his grip as he fights to break free. He would strangle him until he passed out and was unconscious. Only then could he escape from this mess.
He listened for his footsteps as he approached. He was ready to pounce as a cat would pounce on a rat, but he did not see him come in. He took a quick peep and saw Wale rather mounting up the stairs in quick strides. Though he was relieved that he did not have to attack anyone, at least for now, he could not help to wonder if Wale was mad.
For a reasonable fellow, the best thing to do in a crime scene that was yet to be discovered was to flee as a deer would from a lion. But here was Wale, lingering around a crime scene he did not know how it had happened. Well, good looks do not guarantee common sense. He wondered what business Wale had upstairs. Even if he was a legit relation of Tiwa, what was his business upstairs?
Or maybe he was trying to contact the police. And if that was the case, he needed to hurry out before the world come upon him. Whether Wale intended to contact the police or not, the idea of taking to flight while he was upstairs was not that bad, as long as he was not sighted along the way. And even if he was, being a swift runner was all he needed to stay clear of all troubles. Teju stepped out silently, begging the ko-ko sound of his shoes not to give him away. He peeped up the stairs, just like a thief. When he saw that all was clear, he stirred towards his exit only to hear approaching footsteps from the stairs.
He could not explain how his legs carried him back to the kitchen with such swiftness and soundlessness. He was certain if he was made to open his mouth, his heart would have fallen from his mouth on the floor like a piece of meat. He swallowed as though he wanted to make sure he did not have his heart in his mouth. That was close, he thought. He was confident he had not been seen. The darkness around the stairs and the kitchen had been generous more than he ever thought. He peeped again. He saw Wale trying to squeeze in a handful of jewellery into a small white plastic bag. Bracelets, necklaces, earrings, fingerings, wristwatches and so on, some dropping on the floor, he quickly picked up the remains and stacked it away in the plastic bag.
There was no denying that Teju was shocked. If someone had sneaked on him from behind and pressed the tip of a hot iron on his back, he could not have been more shocked. Why would Wale steal from Tiwa? Yes, Tiwa was dead, but does that make those expensive jewellery less of Tiwa’s? If her family wanted, they could even bury her with those pieces of jewellery decked on her. For one thing, Teju was angry with him. He had no patience for such pathetic opportunists, especially those who would not dither to take advantage of a calamitous event to gratify themselves of their selfish want.
One should abstain from stealing. But if one has to steal, one should not steal from God or from the dead, the latter could haunt one in the form of a ghost. But he would allow it. At least, he was not any better. He had killed the dead, and Wale was stealing from it.
Quite obviously, Teju had been somehow bullied by the thought that Wale must have paid Tiwa a visit before. In fact, there were chances he had been in the house more than once, and he knew mostly how to find his way around it. He could even find his way to the kitchen where Teju was hiding and help himself with any eatables there was in the refrigerator if he was hungry. Teju, however,rolled his shoulders and steadied his hands; he was morethan ready to give him a taste of his own medicine, by bringing him– one way or the other– into a humbling blackout.
There was also the depressing and most bothersome possibility that Wale had had a beforehand-plan or perhaps passive but notorious interest in Tiwa’s pricey possessions. And he was merely taking advantage of the inedible situation as any level-headed person would do to please his hedonistic fancies. By some means, Teju could not but have heartbreak on Tiwa’s behalf. As it were, poor Tiwa had been a victim of heartbreak and amorous betrayal several times over, one of which came from his best friend- Sam. And even in her death, she was still a victim nonetheless.
While it was most appropriate to attract an atmosphere of bereavement by one’s death, a premature one,in this case, Tiwa could only boast of the contrary. Instead of being mourned, she was being taken advantage of. Does this really show how people were indifferent about her humanity but were strongly and in fact devilishly concerned about her material goods? Poor Tiwa, such a poor soul of hers, Teju thought; though he was also indifferent, he was satisfied that the nature of his indifference for her humanity was of a different and justifiable kind.
He was happy he was not one of them. At least, that had not formed the basis on which he had- though fortuitously- killed Tiwa in the first place. Looking at Wale making his way with Tiwa’s properties with such haughty ease, he wished he had the privilege of role-switching. Switching from an unintended murderer that he was, and become the detective who would be handed the case to investigate and track down this unfortunate robber of an obnoxious breed.
He watched as Wale took the last scan around him, to make sure he was not being watched; only that he was being watched anyway. He looked at the dead body lying in the pieces of glass again. He drew a cross sign, ending it with the kissing of his first finger. Teju had expected him to move close to the dead body and ripped it off of its jewels, but he did not. He rather bounced off like a champion from an easy fight with his bitterest rival. The plastic bag was in his right hand and he picked up his umbrella with his left. He took a triumphant look at the house again. He opened the door, spread open the umbrella and vanished into the rainy night.