The Picnic - Episode 12

Rukky's cousin Cynthia, was in rukky's room rummaging through her wardrobe as the usual curious person she was. She tried opening one of the wardrobe only to find it locked. "Why would Rukky'sp lock this place up?" She asked still struggling to open it.
 "When you go stop your thief-thief behavior?" She heard Rukky ask from behind. 
Cynthia batted her eyes at her then hissed. "Which one be thief behavior again?"
"Whenever you come, something gets missing" Rukky accused and she hissed again. "I no dey for insult again abeg! My level don change"
"What did you steal this time?" She snapped now laughing at her own assumption. "I didn't steal from anyone dear I made my money using my skills" "Cleaning and scrubbing toilet" Rukky teased. 
"At least I'm better than you o. I dey make twenty five thousand, see how I take fresh; Rukky you dey make fifty thousand but e no show for your body" she paused and Rukky's countenance changed. She was getting hurt already.
"You're dreaming of helping people when the one who really needs the help is you. Rukky if I were you I'll get sponsorship so I build a big restaurant called Rukky J but no oh, you want to be mother Theresa

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/the-picnic

. You never even feed the people wey dey house finish"
"All i was trying to say is, stop your stealing habit and stop moving with bad people, I didn't need the insults"
"You started it first"
"I was joking!" Rukky yelled in tears. "Can you leave me alone? I have to prepare for work"

Duro smiled bashfully into the police station. He walked into a room where Victoe was with Vivian and Dare rubbing minds.  "Good morning Detective" They all greeted and he responded smiling. "Someone looks awfully happy today"
"It's the weather" Duro lied chuckling. "Anything on the case?" "Nothing at all" Victor answered. "We're just trying to compare testimonies and allegations"
"I'll be out in a bit"
"Sure Sir" Dare and Victor answered.

Dunni walked into a jewelry store, her eyes scattered in search for Duro who fixed a meeting at the jewelry store. She finally saw him talking to a worker, she had a uniform on. Dunni walked towards him then leaned on a pillar.
 "This better be worth it" she began and the worked took her leave. Duro turned his gaze at her then he raised a ring up showing it to Dunni. "No I won't marry you, you're my brother"
"Hahaha Dunni real funny. Good thing you still have your humour"
"What's the ring for?" She asked then gave it a second thought. "Don't tell me you're thinking of proposing to Rukky"
"You don't like the ring"
"I do but Duro it's only been.... How long has it been?"
"You don't think Rukky is the right one"
"I'm worried if you're the right one, I don't want you rushing into something that probably won't work out" 
"I'm not that bad"
"You never have time for yourself, how would a woman cope with you" "I'm curious, how does Efe cope with you?" He asked and Dunni slapped his arm playfully.
 "I know I'm a full time jerk but I just feel this is right. I want to wake up every single day of my life to find Rukky laying by me. It took last night to make me realize this" "Last night? You two..." She trailed off laughing.
"Wait... So it's for real Duro, you're in love with Rukky"

"If you ask me, I don't trust that Muna" Dare confessed opening another case file.
"I trust her" Vivian disagreed, "The obvious killer is not always the killer. What have you guys learnt from movies?" 
"This is real life Vivian and that Jamal's testimony sounds cheesy. He knows more that he's telling"
"If you want to know who I don't trust, it will be Taye Macaulay." Vivian opined with so much hatred in her voice. "Mehn if my future wife can look good when she's at that woman's age, damn! I'll be a happy man" Victor grinned and Vivian batted her eyes at him. 
"The woman is a real snake. There's nothing sweet about her. We have to trail her ass to know what she's up to"
"How do you know her?" Dare asked, "Personal experience and I don't want to talk about it. I don't trust that b*tch at all."
A policewoman knocked on the door entering the room. "Person they find una concerning that Bolaji case" "Who?" They all asked in unison.

A guy stood by the counter looking at his wrist watch. "How far?" Victor greeted the guy. "Wetin you get?"
"I want to see the Boss"
"Him no dey around and I no know when him go come so except say you wan wait, talk or write wetin you get"
"Well...." The guy paused, "My name is Micheal Ebuka and I know who must have killed Bola"
"Micheal Ebuka" Victor tried to recall if his name was on the list. "His name is not on the list" Vivian revealed. "How would you know if you weren't there?
"Abeg I came bearing news, no carry question kill me. Me I sure say na that babe kill Bola"
"Who you be sef Incase we want reference you"
"I be Bola club guy. See Everytime wey Bola enter club like this ehn! Naim dey buy drink for us but this babe ehn! If street catch her ehn? We go tear her yansh" "Who do you think tried to kill Bola" Vivian raised her nose unbelievably at him. 
"Her name na Omo Johnson"
"You get how we fit see her?" Victor asked, "I no where she dey live, I fit give you the address"

"It doesn't add up" Vivian muttered after the guy left. "What doesn't add up?" "He said if street catch this girl, we go tear her yansh. How come he knows the address and the street hasn't done anything"
"You've got a point there" Dare agreed. "What if someone sent that idiot to set this Omo up, whoever she is"
"But we have to check anyways. This is more leads"
"More leads or more confusion? If you guys want my advice, I'll say we follow Taye Macaulay up"

Shortly after, Duro arrived and they revealed the new development. Duro's heart leapt the moment he heard the name of the suspect. His guess was confirmed when he saw the address. 
He immediately picked up his phone dailing Rukky's number.
"Hey dear" Rukky began, "What business does your sister have with Bolaji?"
"I don't know"
"A man came in a while ago accusing your sister of killing bola"
"That's absurd! Omo wouldn't..." Rukky stalled. "Omo is not a murderer"
"I have to bring her in for questioning, I'm sorry"
"It's okay, I'll call her"

Omo  left the supermarket after her shift ended. It was past two already.She called Ugo reporting the situation to him. She trembled as she walked into the police station, her heart raced in fear. 

"What was your relationship with Bolaji Daniels?" Duro asked. "I didn't kill him"
"All you just have to do is answer all the questions"
"I was nothing to him, he was just helping me out"
"With what?" Duro asked and she looked away. "Please don't make me say it"
"What? You have to answer every question"
"My friends usually accused me of being uptight so I was introduced to Solomon this guy that made me feel loved, he was Bola's friend, quite older than i am. There  was this party Bolaji organized and I went with this new friends I've made. I lied to mom and my sister that I was going for a vigil.

Read " Hotel Palava " by the same author ( Essien Eno )

. Bola warned me to go back but he didn't say why. He just kept quiet and watched me go into the room with Solomon. I told him I didn't want sex but he said he was trying to get away from the sound and I believed him. Until he forcefully took my virginity." She paused in tears.
"Bola didn't know did he?"
"He knew, after Solomon left me in the room like dump, he came in telling me he warned me. He could have stopped him but he didn't"
"Would you want him dead because of it?" 
"I'm a Christian, I don't kill"
"Were you at the Picnic?" Duro asked and Omo nodded. "But it wasn't for Bola I swear, the last time I saw Bola was when he took me to go have an abortion at the clinic" "You were pregnant?" Duro asked and she nodded. "The moment I missed my period, I had to go for a test"
"Why were you at the picnic then?"
"I needed to talk to my confidant Ugo."
"Does Ugo know about the rape?" He added and she nodded once more.
"What was his reaction when he found out Bola was involved"
"I know where this is heading to. Ugo would not do something as crazy as that, besides he was with Muna when the shooting was going on. I know because we talk about basically everything"
"Who else knows about the rape and abortion" Duro asked and Omo paused In thought. Rukky had forcefully beat her up into confessing that she was raped. She was disappointed and at some point threatened to slap him silly but she would never kill Bola. 
 "Who else?" Duro jerked out of his thought, "No one, just Ugo." She lied looking down.