The Waiting Game

chapter four

"Jamal Popola is dead."

"I know." Joshua Phillips announced warily.

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "It's seven in the morning, I know you have eyes all over campus but the news hasn't even broken yet - the police are still trying to contain the news." He guessed as much, Jamal's father was the Commissioner of Police in Lagos; the man was probably livid and trying to follow leads before they ran cold.

Joshua turned over his free palm, studying the veins that ran beneath the skin like it was the most fascinating thing in the world.

"Correct." He said vaguely.

Amina's groan of impatience filled the speaker. "You know, sometimes, I really want to strangle you."

"Sometimes? What's next? You'll confess your love. I thought you always to strangle me." Joshua drawled. "You know me, I happen to find choking very sexy."

"Nice try," Amina quipped, she didn't sound the least bit taken aback by Joshua's sudden flirtation, he did it to throw her off balance and it had never worked. "It's not working. Are you going to tell me how you know?"

Joshua heaved a sigh; he raised his head from the steering wheel and gazed at the statue of Lady Justice across the street. He was supposed to have a class by eight, he doubted it would hold though, in fact, he was expecting an official announcement from the university management about lectures were cancelled for the whole day - maybe for the rest of the week even, after all, it was the second murder on campus in the past month.

Shame, Joshua had really been looking forward to Introduction To Contract Law.

"We are supposed to be a freaking team, Phillips and now you won't even tell me stuff." Was that hurt Joshua heard in Amina's voice?

"I know because I got an email."

Amina waited. Joshua gritted his teeth and forced a blank look on his face even though he was in the safety of his car, alone with nobody to see him lose his cool.

"From the murderer," Joshua added.

There was a brief moment of silence. "What did it say?"

"The usual, threats," He answered. And with a very graphic image of Popola's dead body.

He looked across the road, where the Faculty of Law was, there was a single car parked in front of the three storey library. He was earlier than everybody as usual.

"Forward it to me." Amina asked swiftly. "Joshua, you do realize that you're probably the real target of this serial killer."

"I know," He replied.

"You're not worried." It wasn't a question.

"I am, very. Trust me; I'm not that lax with my life."

"Then why won't you do anything about it? You have resources at your disposal, you have me." She shouted. Joshua couldn't recall Amina ever sounding so agitated. She was likely pissed off because he'd sidelined her. Amina Khalid thrived on activity.

"I'm handling it." Joshua cut in. He sensed Amina inhaling a sharp breath, ready to rant and he was surprised when she just sighed, tired of rehashing a fight that she would never win.

"Forward the email to me, please."

"Fine."

She hung up and he tossed his phone into the empty coffee cup in the cup holder. A few seconds later, he picked it back up to forward the email to Amina, he opened the single image attachment; Jamal's right hand had been severed off. With Victor, it had been his tongue, he'd been found without his tongue. But Ahmed. . . Joshua tried to remember, he'd had both hands severed, cut off at the wrist.