Chapter 4 What Clara was hiding

 Stella lived in an estate in Ketu, or that was what the address said. It was supposed to take a twenty-minute drive from her house unless Lagos traffic had other plans and it seemed so because she eventually got there twenty minutes later.

When Motun got to the gate, it was hooked, but not locked, from outside. She unhooked it and got in. The compound was quiet- too quiet. As Motun moved away from the gate into the compound, she removed her gun from the holster, cocked it and moved closer to the main door. When she tried to open it, it wouldn't budge. Well, she was more than prepared for any nuisance of a door. She removed a bobby pin from her hair, used it to pick the lock and ushered herself in. On getting inside she saw that the windows to the side of the house were open and the lights were on. Just like a normal house. Motun closed her eyes and turned her head around trying to visualize what the last scene in the house could be. She imagined Stella contemplating whether or not to leave the lights on before finally settling for the former. Sunday afternoon was hot so she probably left the windows open so she won't meet an oven for a house when she got back.

Motun moved towards the door on her left and opened it. The kitchen was clean, save a few unwashed dishes that lied in the sink. That should be Stella's lunch that she had planned to wash when she got back from the outing. There was a hallway adjacent to the kitchen door, at the end of which was a door which Motun guessed to be the master bedroom. She walked down the hallway and open the door. She was right. A few clothes that looked like outing dresses were scattered on the bed. It looked like Stella had a hard time figuring out what to wear before finally deciding to go with whatever she wore. She obviously planned to pack them up when she got back.

Motun opened the wardrobe- leggings, shorts, pop-socks, sweaters and sweatshirts, gloves and non girly stuff were all she could find. Clara was right when she said Sunday's outing was a big step for Stella. This girl did not depict a dress lover at all, she was doing all she could to cover up the burns.

The makeup table was a mess as well. There were so many brands of foundation, powder and cream. Motun recognised a waterproof foundation she used herself to cover up a scar on her neck. Stella obviously used the same brand for the same reason. The table was another thing she planned to arrange when she got back- but she did not get back. Whatever happened, happened at that outing. The toilet and bathroom was tidy. Who wouldn't clean up immediately after having a bath- unless she was a dirty girl.

Motun left the house, dialing Clara's in number as she started her car.

"Good afternoon, detective. How-"

There was no time for pleasantries. "Hi, Dr Adichie. Are you at the office?"

"Yes. Why?"

"I'm on my way."

Motun drove as fast as she could to Clara's office.

"I'm just coming from Stella's house." She said, as soon as Clara opened the door for her to come in.

"Ok?"

"She's not there. Why did you think she was in there anyway? Would someone be in the house and be missing?"

"Thank God."

Motun did not miss the fact that Clara ignored her questions.

Thanks God? Why? The look of relief of Clara's face was too much, like her life depended on Stella not being in the house. What on Earth was she hiding?

"But from the way the house was in a total mess, I figured Stella left the house with plans to arrange it when she got back from the outing."

Clara raised here brows. "Ok, and?"

"The issue is, she never got back from the outing."

"What?!"

"The gate was hooked from outside, the door was locked too. She hasn't been to the house since she left on Sunday."

" Oh my God!" Clara panicked. "This is all my fault. I shouldn't have forced her to go on an outing she didn't want to go. I-"

"Calm down, Clara."

"No. I should have figured it out when she did not call on Tuesday night or showed up on Wednesday. I should have reported her missing when no one answered."

"When no one answered what?"

Clara stopped pacing. "What?"

"You said you should have reported her missing when no one answered. When no one answered what?"

Fear flashed across her eyes. "I- I- I meant the phone. Yes, the phone."

She clearly did not mean the phone but Motun did not pester her for an answer.

"Ok, I need you to calm down." Motun looked across the office and spotted the fridge. She went to it, opened it and took out a bottle of water. "Here, have some water. I promise you we'll find Stella. Now I need you to answer some questions."

"Ok." Clara replied, sounding more like herself after downing the whole bottle of water.

"Do you know where Stella went on Sunday?"

She nodded. "It's a restaurant here in Ikeja."

"Can you give me address?"

"Sure." Clara dictated the address for Motun.

"Got it, now do you have any idea what she wore?"

"No, but I told her to wear any nice red dress if she wanted even as much as a 'hi' from a guy."

Motun remembered seeing a label on the bed. "I think she did. I have to go, Clara. Take care of yourself, ok? You have nothing to worry about."

"Thanks, detective."

* * *

As Motun got inside her car, Clara's statement kept playing in her head. She knew it also had something to do with the look of relief on her face when she told her Stella was not in the house. Clara's fear had to be something in Stella's house.

She checked her watch. It was 5:05pm. She promised to be home by 7. She had less than two hours to find out what it was that Clara Adichie was afraid of.

When Motun got to Ketu, she did not go into Stella's compound. Instead, she went to her neighbor's and knocked. The door was opened by a woman. Motun smiled at her.

"Good evening, Madam. I am detective Motun Banks of the Lagos State Police Department." She flashed her badge.

The woman frowned. "Good evening, how may I help you?"

"I was hoping you could answer a few questions about your neighbor, Stella Co-"

"-I have nothing to tell you." She began to close the door.

Really? This woman obviously knew something but did not want to tell her. What was wrong with everyone? Were they all sworn to secrecy or something? Motun quickly thought of a way to make her tell as she put her foot to stop the door.

She looked at the woman and gave her most charming smile. "I think you do." These people had ways of bringing out her petty side. "You could answer my questions and I take my leave quietly, or I could bring you in as a witness." She checked her watch. "Let's see, the time is almost six. The guys in charge of questioning would have closed for the day. You might have to spend the night at the station-"

"Fine. What do you want?"

Motun smiled. Who wasn't afraid of the Nigerian Police holding cell- or any cell for that matter? "Now, that's more like it. Your neighbor, Stella-"

"-Is she okay?" She formed a puppy eyes, looking concerned.

How the woman could change from nonchalant to worried was the least of Motun's worries. "We hope she is. But presently-"

The woman's eyes widened as if she remembered something. "Have you checked the house?"

The house. There had to be something about it. Why was everyone being so dramatic? "Ermmm... No." She lied.

"Please check very well. Oh, my God! Just when I thought she was getting better. Did she have a relapse or something? And her therapist seemed to be doing a good job."

"A relapse? And you know Clara?"

"Actually, the thing is- sorry, please come in and take a seat."

How sweet of her to notice she was under a 5pm sun, sweating and looking like a homeless actor who ran away from set. "Oh, I'm fine. Thanks. You were saying?"

"Stella had a hard time after losing her whole family in a fire accident about six years ago. She sank into depression and cut her wrist a number of times trying to kill herself. One morning, her gate man ran into my compound panicking. On getting into the house, Stella had passed out. I was the one who took her to the hospital. When she woke up, she almost let hell loose on me, asking me why I didn't leave her to die. Clara was the therapist assigned to her by the hospital she was treated in."

Stella was suicidal? Motun felt anger rising in her. What the hell was Clara thinking, withholding such crucial information form her?

"Are you okay, detective?"

The woman's face was so close to Motun's that she almost jumped in fear.

"Yes. Yes, I'm fine. Thank you very much for your cooperation, Mrs-" she realized she did not know her name.

The woman came to her rescue. "Blessing Richards. That's my name."

"Thank you, Mrs Richards. I'll be on my way now."

"You're welcome."

As Motun entered Stella's compound, the anger she felt earlier reduced just a little. She removed the bobby pin from her hair and was about picking the lock when something at the corner of the door caught her eye. Very close to the flower pot at the entrance was a yellow hair pin. Why hadn't she noticed it earlier? Strangely, the pin looked familiar. She tried to figure out where she had seen it but came up with nothing. After a few moments of brainstorming, she finally remembered. The anger in her rose again, this time exceeding the level it was initially. She was going to deal with that person later. It was a few minutes past six- it was time to go home.