Just then, we heard a sound from the direction of the room. We all looked at each. Could the dead woman have risen again?
The inspector continued. ‘She had come to see the Inspector-General about a contract she was pursuing. When I first saw her, I was moved with pity because she had been waiting for about five hours. I took her to my office and showed her a little kindness. Later, I was able to help her see the IG. That was it for me.’
‘You mean you did not start out being ‘friends’? put in Aunt Deline.
‘No,’ shrieked the AIG. ‘She was a very beautiful woman, but she was too fat for me; you know, what we call a really thicke madam.
‘Even when she started calling me after I had left headquarters, I was not really interested in her. I thought she was a married woman and I did not even think about that kind of thing.’
‘Then what changed?’
‘One year, I had to serve in Koroko State and I had to go to their Ministry of Information for something that I cannot now remember. It was then I met her again because she was now their commissioner in that ministry. After we greeted and I had concluded my business, she insisted that I had to taste of her hospitality. She took me home … and things sort of spiralled out of control from that time, especially as I found that she had no husband and my wife was not with me.’
‘Two lonely souls and that sort of thing, eh?’ half-asked my aunt.
‘You could say that, until I got transferred out of the state and got sent here to Keriba. I thought that would be the end of it but somehow, she opened a branch for her business here in Keriba and came here frequently to do business.’
‘Because of you sir?’ asked Inspector Gogo.
‘I am suspecting not entirely. I think her son may also have had something to do with that move. I understand he attends the university here. Anyway, we became very close when she moved here…’
‘You did not meet the son?’
‘No; I only came here to the house whenever he was out of town.’
‘Are you aware sir if she had any other ‘friend’?’ asked the inspector.
‘I don’t know. I think the son would be in a better position to tell us that.’
‘Well, if he did not see you, he probably did not see any other too if there were. When last did you see her sir?’
‘Yesterday; I was with her until about 8 in the evening.’
‘Don’t you mean this morning?’ put in Aunt Deline.
The AIG bristled up. ‘I don’t like your tone, woman. If I say yesterday evening, then yesterday evening it is. Ah, ah, who is in a better position to know my movements?’
‘Not if you have something to hide.’
‘What am I still hiding? Have I not laid myself bare for you?’ Then he put his face in his hands and bent down, moaning. ‘Oh, Tamire, see your life! See where life has brought you now. See how one useless woman is playing you around like a ball…’
Aunt Deline shot up. ‘Who are you calling useless woman? Did I ask you to have dealings with a dead woman? Look at the person I was even pitying before…’
Inspector Gogo stepped in. ‘I think we can examine the body now, sir.’ We all got up to leave the room at once. Inspector Gogo stretched out a restraining arm to the AIG.
‘Not you sir; I think you know the rules sir. Just point the direction out for us’. The AIG sat back.
Just then, we heard a sound from the direction of the room. We all looked at each. Could the dead woman have risen again? All three of us gingerly moved towards the sound, with me holding closely to my aunt’s arm and she, well, she moving quite close to the inspector.
The main bedroom was situated directly at the end of the fairly long and narrow corridor. The rooms must have been fairly sized for the corridor to be so long, I thought. The inspector gently turned the knob of the door we had been directed to. All was still. He flicked on the light forgetting that electricity had still not been restored. He switched on the lamp he was holding and directed it to the bed. On it lay a very big woman, as still as a corpse. Silly me, I forgot she was a corpse.
She was dressed in a big embroidered Kaftan of a shocking pink. Obviously, she had been in the pink of fashion because everything on the Kaftan was in good taste the embroidery, designs, materials, and so on. Her jewelleries were profuse but well worn about five different slim gold bangles on each wrist and gold rings adorned at least three fingers in each hand that tapered off into long fingernails painted, the kind of nails I always wanted but never seemed to be able to get to.
Her permed hair was well combed, showing some silvery greys. Altogether, she presented a picture of a woman who maintained herself well. Talk of a well-manicured beauty in death. The only sign of death around her was the gun she was holding in her right hand. Otherwise, she looked like a large version of sleeping beauty.
There was no other person in the room, yet I could swear we all had heard something. The inspector moved forward softly towards the window. Clearly, no one could have gone through the louvre blades unless he or she was made of air. So, whoever had made that noise must still be in the room. I stayed put at the door for two reasons.
The first was that I had never in my life been near a dead body. This was my first experience. The second was that I did not think I had enough guts to face an intruder, whether armed or not. From the door, I felt sure I could run in any which direction at a moment’s notice.
After inspecting the darkness outside through the window slats protected by the fluttering white net curtains supported by thick brocade hangings on both sides, the inspector slowly turned back into the room. Very slowly, he began to pull apart the wardrobe doors. But as he touched the doors, they slid apart on their own on their rollers. My aunt and I nearly jumped into each other’s arms. I think we expected someone looking like an ex-convict to barge out of it or something. Instead, we saw clothes after clothes of various colours hanging on pegs, while some were folded in piles that reached the ceiling. There was no space for any grown man or woman to hide in them.
The inspector motioned us to remain silent and still where we were. Moving very slowly again like a cat, he bent to look under the bed. I had to admit a certain admiration for the way the man worked; very methodical and unhurried.
As he bent to look down, there was a sudden movement from right under the bed. A figure suddenly slithered out and made for the door but the inspector appeared to be ready for him. The whole thing happened in a flash, within one single second. The figure must have thought if he surprised us, he could get out of the building. But, as he slithered out like one good-sized snake, the inspector was on him like a falling brick and brought him to the floor pronto. We gasped; the figure fought, but finally was overcome by the inspector’s brute strength as he was soon brought to a still, sitting position. I guess it is true what they say: short, stocky people do have the advantage of packed strength.
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