4 The hospital room was dim, lit only by the soft glow of monitors and the occasional flicker of fluorescent light from the hallway. Fiona lay in the bed, her breathing steadier now, her bruises cleaned and dressed. A nurse adjusted her IV while her mother sat at her side, whispering something gentle and...
It Begins with One Murder – 3
3 Kaley sat stiffly in the plastic chair, the reception of the police station humming with quiet chaos, phones ringing, officers passing through, the scent of stale sweat and damp paper hanging in the air. She looked up as Inspector Wamako entered the hall, his shirt damp from the rain outside. Without hesitation, she stood and walked toward him. ...
It Begins with One Murder – 2
2 The hotel lobby was quieter now, but the tension hadn’t lifted. Kaley and Bunmi sat on a low couch near the concierge desk, speaking in hushed tones while the others lingered nearby, pretending not to listen. Kaley leaned in. “Do you remember anything about the guy Fiona left with?” Bunmi frowned, rubbing her temples. “Tall....
It Begins with One Murder – 1
It Begins with One Murder by Ray Anyasi Synopsis In It Begins with One Murder, a seemingly joyous bachelorette party spirals into a chilling murder mystery that unearths long-buried secrets, bitter rivalries, and the dark underbelly of privilege and power. Kaley Attah, a UK-based architect, returns to Nigeria for the first time in nearly a decade to serve as a...
The Other Room – 8
For the sake of truth… I lived like this for weeks. I endured my own memory like a fugitive trapped in a cave with a cobra. But one day my brother’s wife could not stand watching me fade away slowly anymore. She wheeled me to the centre of my sitting room and left me...
The Other Room – 7
Fighting reality… From there I could not tell what happened to me afterwards or how I ended up in the emergency room wired to an ECG machine. I opened my eyes and cat and mouse were sitting on both sides of me. Tolani on the right and Bolu on the left. I first looked...
The Other Room – 6
The paralyzing discovery… In the morning as I was wheeled to join Bolu in the sitting room. He greeted me and came closer. He lowered his body to whisper to my ear. “Everything is set. I would remove the recorder tonight.” I nodded and kept a straight face. There was nothing to be excited...
The Other Room – 5
The mystery gets deeper… I held the bible up in front of me. “Turn on the light,” I said. The light came on. I looked around. Not sure of what I was looking for. I could not recognize anything inside the room. There was nothing there I had ever seen before. There was a...
The Other Room – 4
We got to work… “Will you now tell me the whole deal?” Bolu said the instant he walked in to meet me in the sitting room. “Move me in let’s go into Tolani’s room.” He turned to my rear and began to push the wheelchair, “Is everything okay?” “This third room. I need to...
The Other Room – 3
Notes from the start… Five years after trying so hard to get pregnant, Tolani was five months in. I was a happy man. I was happy to be her house boy. Each day, once I close from work, I am rushing home to look after her. Tolani was a goddess in pregnancy. Once the...