"Did you see who did this?" Chioma turned around and questioned Funmi, watching and taking note of the reactions that crossed her face.

"No, I wasn't around, I went to my mother's last night. I couldn't sleep alone in this house and-"

"Funmi, the piercing knife that you had, the one that just got stolen, we suspect it to be the weapon that killed Evelyn," Chioma said as she brought out her phone to call Michael.

"What?!! That's impossible! There must be a mistake somewhere, that's my grandmother's. I have had it since I moved here, two years ago."

"What else did the thief take?"

"Nothing else, my grandmother's necklace, and the other items along with the knife. I didn't notice anything else missing."

"And is there anyone else that would confirm that you really left the house, apart from your mother?" Chioma looked at her phone again, Michael hadn't picked.

"Yeah, Angela would. When she came to take the rest of her belongings yesterday. I told her I would be going to my mother's house. I got back this morning to see all this, I still believe there is a huge mistake somewhere. That knife can't be the knife that killed Evelyn."

"Well, the thief was here for something last night, and that was the knife. He or she must have known or suspected we were coming for it today."

"But if they were after the knife, why then did they take other items, my grandma's necklace can't kill?!"

"Because they obviously wanted it to look like a normal robbery, not a break in to steal back a murder weapon." She looked down at her phone and dialled Michael again, "Hold on," She said to Funmi and walked out of the house.

The phone rang for a few seconds before Michael finally answered.

"Hey, talk to me," Said the somehow muffled voice of Michael.

"Why do you sound like that?" Chioma asked, Michael sounded like he had something in his mouth.

"Sound like what?"

"Like that, how you sound now."

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"Michael?"

"Yeah."

"Are you eating on duty?"

"Maybe," he replied timidly, "Ok, before you dictate Section Two A of the office rules. I had to eat, ok? It was either that or I would have died. Do you want me to die? Huh? Because if I do, my ghost will haunt you. And if you report me to Sarah and she gives me one of her killer looks and I die, my ghost will still haunt you and if-"

"Shut up!" Chioma got fed up.

"Rude."

"Just finish up and meet me back at the Edward's house. There is something I want us to check out." She didn't wait for him to answer, she hung up. Chioma turned around to see Funmi staring at her, fear written over her face.

"W–What's wrong?" She asked quietly.

"I would advice that you go sleep at a friend's house or your mother's place. Also, if I find out you weren't really at your mother's place last night. I will find you." With those words, she walked back to her car, got in and drove off.

Chioma knew she should have brought Funmi in for questioning, but something was wrong somewhere. This murderer was playing games with her and she didn't like it at all.

She had been driving for five minute when she noticed that a black car has been following her. She adjusted her front view mirror and glanced at it to see behind her, she could make out a hooded figure driving the car.

She removed her left hand from the wheel and reached into her bag which was by her side. She got her phone out and dialled Michael. He answered immediately.

"Are you on your way?" She asked, keeping an eye on the road and looking at the car behind her through her front view mirror.

"Yeah, is something wrong?" Michael voice came through the phone.

"Well, apart from the fact that someone has been following me for the past seven minute, everything is ok."

"Someone is-"

"That's not why I called, If you get to the Edward's house before me. I need you to go to Evelyn's room and check if there is another way out or a place someone could have hidden that a person entering inside the room wouldn't notice them, anything like that." She looked at the mirror again. "I have to go Michael, this bastard car is dangerously close to mine." She hung up immediately.

She noticed a T junction ahead and used her foot to press down on her gas pedal. Putting both hands on the wheel she swerved to the right and watched if the person was still following. The car appeared seconds later, still coming at her, with speed.

Her phone started to ring, she suspected it to be Michael. She stretched her hand to pick up her phone.

"Michael now is not the right time to-"

"Where are you?!!" Michael voice shouted through the phone.

"Wow, someone sounds really worried."

"Chioma-"

"I just passed Queen's bakery," Chioma said as she passed the popular bakery, where you people get their freshly baked bread and other assorts.
"I am heading towards Isla Bridge."

"Ok, I will meet you there. I want to see you alive."

"I want to see myself alive too, gotta go, will meet you there." She hung up and threw her phone to the passenger seat.

As she approached the bridge, she noticed no car riding across it, which was very rare. People preferred to take the bridge than the road which was an extra five minute.

She noticed up ahead that the balusters at the right side of the bridge, which protects cars from falling off the bridge had been destroyed. No wonder people choose to follow the main road, no one wanted to take that risk.

Chioma got distracted in looking at the damaged bridge. She didn't notice the big red jeep which had joined the black car that was following her. Together, they came with speed, hitting Chioma's car so hard, they pushed it over the bridge, down, into the water below.

Chioma's brain couldn't register what had happened, before anything could come to her, her head had been smashed against the dash board and her car had hit the water.

With a now bleeding head, Chioma struggled to remove her seat belt, when she heard sounds of what she knew was gunshots, she couldn't go out now or the men out there would shoot her.

The last time Chioma checked, she could hold her breath for up to two minutes, but two minute wasn't enough because those guys up there didn't look like they would leave till they were sure she was dead.

Air, she needed air. Her lungs were on fire and they just begged Chioma for that precious air. Chioma couldn't swim up, and she didn't want to stay here and die slowly.

Her mum crossed her mind, big, bold, a strong woman she was, but the news of Chioma's death would break her. She didn't want to think of what will happen to her father when he heard the news, he just had a heart surgery months back, the news of her death would break him. Her brothers in school, how will they feel hearing that their elder and only sister was dead. No, she can't die, she had to think and she had to think fast.

It felt like her insides were shrinking and only air could revive it back to the way they were supposed to be. She sighted a small fish swimming past her.

I would give anything to be you now, OMG I am going crazy, who talks to a fish?! I need to get out of here.

Chioma unfastened her seatbelt, she could swim under the bridge where the men won't see her and swim up to air there. Then wait there till the men got tired and left.

They would have to leave soon, people would have heard the gunshots and called the police, hopefully.

She pushed her door open and swam out. She headed towards the direction that she hoped was under the bridge, swimming as fast as she could, she didn't have much longer, if this was a cartoon, she would have turned blue by now.

"Chioma!"

What?

Her head was reeling and she could feel her eyelids going shut, my mouth had opened a bit, giving way for the water to sip in. She couldn't hold on anymore.

"Chioma!" She heard her name being shouted again, by the voice she knew so well.

Michael?!!

She heard a thud just above her and seconds later, just before she lost consciousness, saw the figure of a human being swimming towards her.

           **********************

That's it for this chapter.

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