More Complications

"Margret, what are you doing here?"

The three girls jumped to their feet immediately. Margret couldn't answer. What was I doing here? What was she doing here? June was almost eaten up by her fear. She held Joana's hands tightly as they both gazed at Maryam.

"I-eh." Margret stammered.

"You told me this morning that you were heading to June's house to meet up with your friends," Maryam said. "Why are you in a police station?"

Maryam could tell when Margret's eyes shifted from hers to gaze on something else. She spun around to see Grace and the adults in a heated fuss. Everyone else in the station was watching too from a distance.

"What is going on?" Maryam asked in utter confusion.

"It's nothing mom."

"That doesn't sound like nothing, and you lied to me so you could come here... Something is going on and if you don't tell me right now, I'll go find out for myself."

Maryam's words sent their hearts racing fast. Telling her about Raymond's murder could change everything. Her knowing would mean June and Joana's parents knowing also and it could be a matter of time before they would connect it to Sylvester's disappearance.

"Well, spill!" Maryam said impatiently at their silence.

They couldn't say anything. Luckily, Officer James came to save them from their absence of speech.

"Mrs. Ajayi," James called. Maryam turned around as soon as she heard his voice. He was standing right behind her.

"Good morning sir." She said with a blush.

"Good morning, sorry about the whole noise, most Saturdays aren't like this." He replied with a chuckle.

"No, it's okay."

Maryam seemed to laugh a little, which baffled Margret most of all. Who was this Officer? And why did it look like her mum was warming up to him? But Margret wasn't just baffled, she saw an opportunity to take her mother off balance and their backs.

"Why are you here, mom?"

Margret's question seemed to have the same effect she planned as her mother seemed to lose her own words too. James spoke again.

"Mom? Is this your daughter?" He asked, pointing at Margret.

"Yes, this is Margret," Maryam answered.

Margret frowned.

"Who are you?"

"I'm an officer in charge of Sylvester's case."

The girls gaped their eyes in shock and fear. But still, Margret wasn't ready to blow everything up just yet. She decided to play along.

"You went to the police! And you didn't tell me?" Margret yelled.

"Well, it seems that you too have been keeping secrets from me." Her mother responded.

"So that is all you have to say," Margret said in disbelief. "I can't believe this, you care more about some guy than you do your children... A guy that left you!"

"Margret--" Joana and June, who thought she went too far said in unison.

Maryam fell silent and once again it was Officer James who stirred the conversation back up again.

"Well I think it was right of your mother to suspect something, after all, we found a body yesterday and we think it might be Sylvester's."

Their fears shifted gears into terror immediately he finished speaking. They threw glances at each other with the same question in their eyes. How could it be? They buried him themselves!

"His body, what do you mean?" Margret asked. "Is he dead?"

"Eh, we got a call from someone claiming to know where Sylvester's body is, we got there and we found one. Now we need you and your mom to let us know if we have the right man."

"Is it here?" June asked.

"Of course not, it's in the morgue."

It. Maryam felt a little bit of disgust at the way used the word, the way Sylvester was being referred to as an 'it'. She wiped a tear off her face as soon as it dropped.

"Can we go now?"

"Yes, sorry... But now that Margret is here I think I should seize the opportunity to ask you a few questions about the day Sylvester left, that's if you're up to it." He said to Margret.

Margret's heart skipped a bit. Still, she had to play along.

"Yeah, sure, whatever."

"Alright then, let's head over to my desk."

Just as Margret was about to follow, Joana held her back.

"Can we just speak with her for a moment please?" She said with a fake smile.

"Yeah, okay."

The three girls turned their backs as they whispered together.

"Babe, what the fuck?" Joanna said. "You're going to lead them right to us."

"If I don't agree to follow him, they will know something is up."

"What if they ask you something and you answer wrongly?" June asked. "All they need is one slip up from you and we're gone."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine... Trust me. You just wait for Grace and Bros Efe."

June and Joanna nodded in reply. Things didn't look like they were settled over at Inspector Jerome's seat. They watched Margret leave with her mother and Officer James before they slumped back to their seats.

* * *

"So, your mum said she left you at home with your younger brother Stanley and Sylvester the previous night, is that correct?" Officer James said wasting no more time as soon as Margret and her mother were seated on the chairs at the other side of his desks.

"Yes," Margret said with an effort to make her heartbeat steady. Stay calm! Don't give anything away. Lie!

"Alright, and she said she came back but couldn't find anyone at home and you came back moments later with your brother, correct?"

"Yes."

"And when she asked about Sylvester you said he left?"

"Yes."

"Did Sylvester tell you he was leaving? Officer James asked."

"No, he didn't say he would leave."

"So why would you just assume he left? James waved his pen as he spoke."

Margret replied immediately. "You see, my mum here has a type and Sylvester checked all the boxes completely. He was a lazy, unemployed perv who was only good for one thing in the house, eating our food. I'm sure he noticed that things weren't going as easy as before and he realized he might have to start pulling his weight and that was why he took off."

"That seems a bit harsh, doesn't it?" Officer James said.

"Because that was what was coming in the end. It's just what it is."

James looked over to Maryam who was taken aback by Margret's words. "Your daughter sure has a mouth."

Maryam forced a smile in response.

"So where were you on Friday?"

"I was at home with baby Stanley until my friends came over then we went on a ride with Veronica's uncle's truck."

James and Maryam both raised their brows.

"She knows how to drive so.." Margret said with a gesture motioning at them to fill in the rest.

"Can your friends confirm this?" He asked.

"Yes, all of them."

Officer James continued jotting on his notepad and went into deep thought as he scribbled on his paper. It was clear that Margret didn't like Sylvester but could that dislike had led to something else? No, she didn't look like someone capable of killing but one thing he had learned from his five years on the force is that anyone is capable of anything given the circumstances and those experiences seem to counter his good judgment about the girl sitting in front. Still, she had a pretty solid alibi and her friends would surely back her up at any moment. Her friends!

"That girl over there," He said, pointing over to Grace. "She's your friend right? I mean, you all came to see her right?"

Margaret's heart skipped a bit. She looked over to her mother with fear in her eyes then looked back at James.

"Yes."

"I interrogated her yesterday, she was arrested for the alleged killing of one Raymond. Were you there last night?"

Margret nodded.

"Ah!!!!" Her mother exclaimed. "Margret! What is going on, someone died and Grace was arrested and you kept it from me?"

"Hmmm, it seems you girls have a knack for getting into trouble."

"No, you don't understand!" She retorted.

"So you're saying she didn't kill him?"

"No, she didn't."

"But you know who did?"

Margret's heart sank.

"I-I you won't understand."

James was heading somewhere with her and he knew it.

"Did you kill Sylvester?"

Margret froze and broke into tears immediately making her mother rush to console her.

"I think that is enough sir." She said firmly.

James faked a smile.

"My apologies. I'm sorry miss." He said to Margret as he passed her a box of tissue.

As Margret wiped the tears off her face, she realized she had somehow managed to avoid the heat of the interrogation for the time being and she wanted to keep it that way.

"Can we go see the body now?" She said with a sniffle.

James beamed a smile then wrote something on his notepad: Cases may be connected.

"Yes, we can."

* * *

"It seems like we have a long day ahead," Joana said to June, knowing it wasn't what they should be worried about.

June gave a sluggish nod in reply then shifted her gaze upwards to the ceiling.

"Oh, they're standing up!

June jolted her head back immediately when she heard Joana speak. Margret and her mother were walking out with Officer James already. To her, Margret looked calm and she hoped it meant that all was well.

Suddenly, someone familiar walked past them. Joana was the first to react.

You sure have some nerve showing up here. She said, turning Veronica back by her hand. June sprang up to her feet as well.

Oh, hey guys! I didn't see you there. Veronica said with a smile.

"Bullshit!" Joanna replied. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I'm here to help our friend of course."

"Have you helped enough already?" June said. Cant, you see no one wants you here?

I know that Veronica said without flinching. But I brought Grace into this mess and I'm here to get her out of it.

And how do you plan on doing that? Joana asked in disbelief.

Veronica smirked

Watch me.

She turned and started walking over to the commotion at Inspector Jerome's desk. June and Joana followed.

Hey Margret. Veronica said to Margret as soon as they crossed paths and continued to head towards Grace.

"What is going on?" Margret mouthed in silence to June and Joana whose faces were just as perplexed.

"We don't know," Joanna replied. "That's what we want to find out."

"Okay, we are about to go see the dead body. Please text me on anything that happens."

"Yeah, sure," Joana said finally and turned around with June to catch up with Veronica while Margret with her mother and Officer James walked out of the station heading to the morgue.