Mystery in Misery

Episode 23

The evening before,
It was past six in the evening on a Friday, Maryam had just left the professor’s library after their usual session concerning her project. Professor Johnson had received a call whilst she was there and after the call, he had invited her to a nightclub.
As she trekked the distance home, the thoughts of the invitation filled her mind. She had accepted but she never wanted to. She knew better than not to. Else, her case would just be like last year. She had refused a dinner date with him and the result was a failed course; one the professor was teaching. Now, he is her project supervisor. If she refuses, that means no graduation. She wasn’t going to risk it.
When she arrived home, she informed Jane about the invite. She had wanted Jane to come along but as expected, Jane refused blatantly and warned her not to go. She disagreed with Jane and made her see reason but Jane wasn’t going to take any of it. Jane left the house in annoyance and said when Maryam changes her mind, she knows where to find her. Of course, Maryam knew where she’s referring to. Her aunt’s place off campus.
Maryam remained adamant, she went to the club as planned. Jane wasn’t back when she left. Although, she called her several times but there was no response from Jane. She thought about going to her aunt’s place but it was late and the Journey wasn’t even a small one. It was the opposite of where she was actually headed. Besides, seeing Jane’s aunt might change her mind about going. So, she left hoping to be back before midnight. She, however, left a note saying ‘off to Lakers. I'll be back before midnight.’
Maryam arrived at Lakers, as it was shortly called. The large dance hall was filled with people expressing their body movements to the music blaring out the speakers. She agreed there were more speakers than she’s seeing because the music was so loud that one could hardly hear oneself talk. She walked towards the bar section, where the professor had said he would be. She checked her wrist hoping to check the time but she realized she forgot her wristwatch at home. She checked her phone, it was a few minutes past nine. I’m right on time, she muttered. As she made her way through the crowd, she spotted the professor. He was dressed in his usual white shirt and black tailored pants. Only this time, he wasn’t wearing a suit, she thought. He offered her a drink which she refused. He requested that they danced instead. She wanted to refuse but how could she? It’s a Friday night after all and Fridays are for parties. Although, she was shy to say yes. ‘Damn it, he’s my lecturer,’ she thought but after much persuasion, she agreed and danced with him. He pulled her back into the crowd until they found an empty space.
She couldn’t tell how long they danced but when they returned to their seats, it was 10 pm on dot. The professor engaged her in a series of conversations. At first, her reply was lame but after a few drinks, she began laughing with the professor as though they were childhood friends. Minutes later, the professor excused himself to receive a call. She saw him take the back exit door out of the building. Her attention was drawn back to the bar. It was then she realized his suit on the stool he sat on. It was rumpled.
Several minutes passed by but the professor didn’t return. She checked her phone for the time again. It was almost 11. She couldn’t believe she forgot her wrist watch. She had always made sure it was on her wrist before leaving the house. She would have remembered if not for the thoughts of Jane that was on her mind. Speaking of Jane, she remembered the note she left her promising to return before 12. It’s getting late now.
She was getting impatient by the minute. She picked up the professor’s suit and wound it around her arms. She stood up and went through the same exit door that the professor took. It leads to an open view of a Lake with palm trees all over. The front of the lake was dimly lit but aside that, the whole place was in total darkness. She smiled to herself. ‘No wonder it is called Lakers Bar. It would have been better calling it The Palms.’ She disrupted the thought and looked around for the professor. It was dark and she couldn’t see more than a few meters ahead. She brought out her phone and turned on the flashlight, which she pointed ahead of herself.
‘Arrgh.’ She screamed as she held one hand over her mouth at the sight she saw. The professor was tied around a palm tree. Two men were standing in front of him and a lady was there too. She was pointing a gun at his head. Before Maryam could make out what was happening, she heard a gunshot. It was fired from the lady’s gun and blood oozed out from the professor’s head. His head dropped. ‘He was dead.’ Maryam was rooted to a spot and couldn’t move. Her hands were terribly shaking. In the process, the professor’s suit dropped and she didn’t bother to pick it up. The men were coming towards her. She came to her senses and took to her heels. She ran for her dear life. For once, she was glad she hated high heels.
She ran with no destination in mind; out of the bar, onto the road. She ran as fast as her little legs could carry her. People had always teased her about how tiny her legs were. ‘Even her body was no more than the size of a toothpick,' she had heard someone say once. As she ran, she had only one thought in mind. Getting home safely but she had picked the wrong direction to run towards. When she looked around, she realized she was on Crawford Lane, miles away from Queen Mabel’s hostel where she resides. She looked behind her and realized the men were no longer following her. She assumed she was a fast runner. She never took running seriously until now. If she was competing in a marathon race, she would have won the race by now.
She stopped to take a breath. She was panting heavily as she leaned forward and rested her palms on each knee. The street was deserted. The buildings around weren’t homes, they were office buildings, restaurants, gas stations, supermarkets and malls. So, she understood why it was void of people. She looked behind her again and the men weren’t behind. Even if they were, she wouldn’t know. The street lights were poorly lit. It could only reflect light less than 2 meters from it.
From where she stood, she spotted a signboard. ‘The Sparkles.’ She wouldn’t have, if not that the letters were decorated with lights. It was the only shiny and beautiful light on the street. The Sparkles is a mall she and David had always frequented while they dated. It was then she remembered David. She thought about calling him but first she needed to hide. The men might be behind her already. She looked behind her and the men weren’t in view. She thought of a perfect spot to hide because she knew it was only a matter of time before they caught up with her. She remembered the flower garden that used to be in front of the mall. It had tall and beautiful flowers. A Park Bench was in between those flowers. She decided she could hide underneath the park bench. The garden was shielded away from the street light and the light from the sign board wasn’t bright enough to illuminate it. She quickly moved to the side and laid flat underneath the bench.
Then, she thought about calling David again. This street was just a couple of streets away from his and he seemed like the perfect person to help her out. She brought out her phone and found Jane’s missed call from 3 minutes ago. She had called 5 times repeatedly. She swiped right across it and dialed David’s number. She had long deleted his number but she still remembers it. He picked on the first ring and immediately, she told him her dilemma. He promised to come but their conversation was short lived. She had to end the call. The men caught up with her. She could hear their footsteps. They walked past her but didn’t see her. A call came into her phone, it was Jane again. Thankfully, her phone was on silent. She ignored and turned the phone’s screen on the ground so the backlight won’t give away her position in the dark. The men went farther into the dark. She had thought they were gone but they returned again. She could hear one of them say, Are you sure she’s at Sparkles because there’s no one here. He seemed to be on the phone because his phone was pressed against his ear. She knew at once that her phone was being tracked. ‘But how the hell did they know my details? They didn’t see my face.’ She had no time to think about that, as the man already hung up and came close to where she was. She was scared to the spine and almost screamed for help but thankfully, she saw him turn back and gesture to his partner to come along. They moved around there for several minutes before they went and sat in front of one parked truck, a few meters away from the garden. Maryam knew now that she couldn’t escape. She thought about switching her phone off but then, David won’t be able to reach her. All she hope is that David comes in time before she loses it.