‘I know who the girl is,’ Ojo said. His hair left a wet path on the headrest in the back of the Range Rover as he turned towards Shehu.
‘Which girl?’ Shehu asked.
‘The girl at Eko hotel. The one that took my memory card. Iyabo.’
Shehu leaned forward. ‘Park here,’ he said to the driver.
The driver looked at Ojo in the mirror. Ojo nodded. The driver stopped the car on the long narrow road in the middle of the forest. The police escort also stopped, then reversed to be close to the SUV. Two officers jumped from the van with their weapons. The Harem was now out of sight beyond a bend in the road. Ojo motioned to the officers to remain where they were as he and Shehu got out. Together they walked back a distance in the sandy strips between the floundering grass. The clouds had cleared from the full moon. Under the stars, the forest grey and noisy around them, Ojo talked and Shehu listened.
When Ojo had finished talking, Shehu pointed in the direction from which they had come. ‘This happened in there?’ he asked.
‘Yes. But it was an accident.’
‘Oh Lord.’
‘How badly did you beat her?’
‘We thought she was dead.’
‘Oh Lord. Olabisi. Oh Lord.’
‘It was Malik’s idea to dump her body on the road.’
‘And now he just told you she’s still alive?’
‘Yes.’
‘And you believe him?’
‘She sent me this message.’
Shehu took Ojo’s phone and read the message: ‘I’m sorry for what happened. Please let bygones be bygones. - Flo.’
‘When did she send this?’
‘Just now. Before we left.’
‘Did you talk to her?’
‘No. She didn’t answer my call so I sent her a message that she should call me back and she replied with this. Malik said she’s afraid.’
‘What is her name?’
‘Florentine.’
‘Does she always sign her name off like this when she texts you?’ Shehu looked at the message on Ojo’s phone.
‘Yes.’
‘And she told this Amaka lady everything?’
‘Yes. Malik said so.’
‘And now you think Amaka is Iyabo.’
‘Yes. Malik said she’s a lawyer. Iyabo also said she’s a lawyer. It is the same person, Shehu. It makes sense. She set me up because of Florentine. I knew there was something suspicious about the girl.’
‘And yet you still invited her to your hotel suite. Where is Florentine now?’
‘Malik said he would take care of her for me.’
‘Take care of her for you. Brother, you do not want anyone other than me to take care of anything or anybody for you, do you understand? Not Malik, not them,’ he pointed at the police officers, ‘not your father-in-law. Especially not your father-in-law. This doesn’t go beyond here. Tell Malik to do nothing to the girl. Let him arrange for me to meet her. Did you tell him about the hotel? About Iyabo?’
‘No.’
‘Did you?’
‘No. I’m not stupid.’
‘Good.’
‘What if they’re working together with Malik?’
‘Now you’re thinking.’
‘I think I should just tell Otunba. He can sort this thing out faster than us.’
‘Once you tell him, you become his slave. Is that what you want, to become his slave? I will take care of this. Call Malik now and tell him to arrange for me and Florentine to meet.’