Beyond

JETLAGS AND LAYOVERS

Lagos, Nigeria.

3rd March, 2018.

Mubarak let out a frustrated sigh, the umpteenth one since they'd been stuck in Lagos traffic for nearly two hours. Fatimè chuckled, understanding his irritation all too well.

"Why are you acting like this is your first time in Lagos?" she teased.

He shot her an exasperated look. "I thought things had gotten better here. If I had known, I wouldn't have accepted this gig."

Mubarak had come to Lagos for the weekend to cover an event, while Khalifa had a gaming tournament. However, the traffic had taken a toll on Mubarak's mood.

Khalifa, sitting in the backseat, chimed in, "Hamma Mubarak, you know complaining won't make the cars go any faster, right?"

"Toh, king of reason. Thanks for your input," Mubarak retorted. Fatimè decided to tune out their conversation and focus on her phone. She wasn't in the mood for small talk.

Finally, they arrived at the restaurant, and Khalifa spotted an old friend, leaving the table to say hello.

"Baby petel," Mubarak called out, bringing Fatimè's attention back. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Hamma Mubarak. I'm just tired, you know, from work..." Fatimè replied, not entirely truthful.

"Hmm. Is it today you started working? There's something else bothering you. You're the poster girl for 'I'm fine.' You haven't said more than five sentences since we got here like you were not jumping with excitement a few days ago when we told you we were coming."

Mubarak's voice carried a tone of concern, and Fatimè knew she was being unfair. She had been excited about her brothers visiting, but the recent incident had weighed heavily on her.

"Something happened a few days back," she admitted reluctantly.

"Are you crazy?" Mubarak half-yelled once Fatimè recounted the entire story. "A strange number texts you, and you decide to meet them? You didn't even tell anyone, not even your husband?"

"Hamma Mubarak, I was just curious. It's about Khalid..." she began.

"Still, what if something had happened to you? What if it was a trap? Wallahi, sometimes I'm in awe of your craziness. Do you think your life is an experiment?"

Fatimè knew her brother was right; it had been a reckless move. She waited for him to calm down before she continued, "Well, it happened, and I'm safe. But I'm still worried. I don't think that guy's death was a coincidence."

"Of course not," Mubarak agreed. "It doesn't look like one. But if he was telling the truth about Khalid's death not being an accident, the real question is, why would someone want to kill Khalid? Do you know if he had any enemies or something?"

Fatimè shook her head. "Khalid was friends with everyone. I've never seen him in a fight. But a few weeks before our wedding, he mentioned something about being stalked."

"Stalked?" Mubarak repeated.

"Yes," Fatimè confirmed with a nod. "I wanted to tell Baaba, but he insisted I forget about it. I don't know; everything is just messing with my head. So many unanswered questions, like the cameras in my room. Why would someone be stalking me? Why go after Khalid? What was it about us...?"

Fatimè's voice trailed off as she became overwhelmed with emotion. She was on the verge of tears.

"Hey, hey," Mubarak reached across the table to hold her hands. "Calm down. Stop thinking about all these things. There are no explanations yet, but you shouldn't let it consume you. Investigating Khalid's death won't bring him back. I suggest you leave things as they are—unfortunate accident. But if it'll bring you peace, I can talk to his friend Yusuf."