Short story: It Must Be Love If it Bleeds Part 2 of 2

11:03PM

The police receive a call about a disturbance in the neighbourhood Koyin just careened from.
The caller calmly reported details of a green Hyundai driving crazily out of the neighbourhood with a screaming driver at the steering wheel. Before questions could be asked, the caller had disconnected the call after ominously stating, “I think he did a bad thing. A very bad thing.”
Within an hour, a police squad car had arrived on Ezi’s street.
Officer Dare and Officer Luke unenthusiastically got down from their car and perused the street with their flashlights. The night started getting exciting for the officers when they found the skid marks left by Koyin and confirming the report of the anonymous.
To confirm none of the street’s residents had suffered a crime, both officers went from house to house making enquiries, starting with the houses closest to the skid marks.
At the fourth house closest to the skid mark, no one answered the officers even after five knocks on the door and six jabs at the doorbell. But the lights were on, and the officers could hear The Weeknd crooning from a sound system.
Taking a walk round the house, Officer Luke found the backdoor ajar and called out to his partner. The officers didn’t have to go in but a smudge of blood on the backdoor’s handle got their well-honed cop instincts fired up.
Eight minutes later, the cops found Ezi’s bedroom and the death that lingered within.

When the detectives showed up thirty-five minutes later, they found the victim’s phone still counting seconds on an ongoing call. Another vital piece of evidence was also later on found, but no one could turn up the murder weapon.
11:10PM
Koyin somehow managed to make it home without crashing his car into anything, or anyone. But the familiarity and security of his apartment brought him little comfort.
He downed a stiff drink, then another, but he still found no comfort. On his fourth drink, the glass almost slipped from his fingers. He studied his shaking fingers trying to understand what was making them so slippery after mixing with the perspiration on his glass. It was then he remembered his mess in the car and understood what the dry flaky stains his hands, pants and shirt were.
Revolted, he peeled out of his clothes and ran into the shower.
After putting on clean clothes, he scrunched up his face and headed out to deal with the mess in his car interior. Switching on the little light in the roof of his car, he’s appalled by the mess he’s made. But this emotion is soon replaced with horror as he discovers his phone on the floor of the car with the timer on Ezi’s phone call still ticking away.
Ding-Dong, the doorbell rang.

Koyin stopped breathing.
12:14AM
If Koyin had pushed the end call button any harder, his finger would have probably gone through the phone and come out on the other side.
Still clutching the phone in his hand, he made his way from the garage to the living room. The doorbell rang again and Koyin just stood staring at the door willing with all his might that whoever was on the other side of the door would just go away.
The authoritative knocks hit the door in succession and were followed by an even more authoritative voice.
“Mr Koyin it’s the police. A quick word please.”
The authority in the voice galvanized Koyin and he found himself reflexively throwing his door open like a good citizen. I’m a good person and I haven’t done anything wrong, skittered through Koyin’s mind as he faced a smiling and a frowning plainclothes officer of the law standing outside his door.
The smiling one was making Koyin the most uncomfortable for some reason. Maybe it was the way his eyes kept playfully peering into Koyin’s own like there was an ongoing prank that only both of them knew about.
The frowning cop introduced herself as Detective Nick while the smiler chimed in that his name was Detective Akeem. They both flashed their badges and confidently stepped into Koyin’s apartment without his invitation.
“You are Koyin Kingsley?” Detective Nick asked in a tone that turned her question into more of a statement of fact.
“Yeah. Yes.” Koyin feebly answered.
“Nice place.” Detective Akeem noted, “You live alone?” He added with a wink.
The wink thoroughly confused Koyin but he managed to provide another, “Yes.”
Detective Nick retook control of the line of enquiry. “Please can you tell us where you were between hours of 9 and 11PM tonight?”
Koyin was finding it very hard to rally his thoughts so he simply went with his instincts. His instincts told him to keep his answers truthful and to the barest possible minimum. “Yes…” he answered again.
Detective Akeem’s friendly smile turned shark-like. “After saying yes, what follows is where you were between 9 and 11.”
Koyin quickly turned his gaze back to Detective Nick, “Oh sorry, I’ve been home all night since 6.”
“Reaallyy…?” Detective Akeem drawled with playful narrowed eyes. Detective Nick’s face remained stolid.
“Yes.” Koyin squeaked.
“Any alibis?” Detective Nick inquired.
“No, I told you I live alone.”
“Oh, silly us. You did say that.” Detective Akeem affirmed with a grin. And just like that his playful face evaporated and his eyes turned steely as they went from Koyin’s face to the phone still clutched in his hand, “Mind if we take a look at your phone?”
Koyin reflexively turned defensive. “Actually I do.” He sputtered as he rushed to hide his phone is his pants’ pocket. “You barge in here middle of the night without an explanation, asking me questions…what’s this about? Why are you here?”
“I bet ten bucks he knows what this is about.” Akeem said to his partner with a chuckle.
Before Koyin could fake his outrage, Detective Nick’s phone beeped. She took it out and read a text. Her facial expression never changed as she passed the phone to her partner.
Detective Akeem’s face lit up with pleasure as he read the text. “Make that fifty bucks.” He chuckled again.
The text read traffic cams had caught Koyin running a red light in the vicinity of Ezi’s murder at 10:42PM.
Detective Nick eyed the man before her like a snake eyeing its prey. “Mr Koyin, would you mind following us to the station where we can explain the situation better to you? And maybe you can help us make sense of a… conundrum.”
Koyin reflexively took a step back. “Am I…am I under arrest?”
Detective Akeem raised his hands innocently, “Gee, I hope not. Nah, we just need your help and I’m personally hoping you’ll be real cool about it.”
“But what kind of help…” Koyin tried to ask.
But Detective Nick impatiently cut in as her cool demeanour dropped for the first time, “If you put on a shirt and follow us, you’ll find out.”
As a man who knew his legal rights, Koyin wanted to argue. As a man who had witnessed a murder and had failed to report it, Koyin chose to be as humble, helpful, and guiltless as possible.
Five minutes later he was heading out the front door with Detective Nick when he noticed Detective Akeem had made himself comfortable on the sofa.
“I need to lock the front door.” Koyin politely said, gesturing Akeem to leave.
“Oh no need for that.” Detective Akeem answered with a grin. “Since you are doing us a solid, I, on behalf of the Police Force will guard your home with my heart and soul pending your return. Ciao.”
Before Koyin could protest, Detective Nick had yanked him out the front door and into the night.