CHAPTER 9 — The Web Tightens
The car sped down the dimly lit road, leaving the academy far behind. Adaora watched it shrink into the distance through the rear window — the tall fence, the floodlights, the cluster of buildings that now felt more like a prison than a school.
Aisha leaned against her, trembling silently.
Inspector Halima drove with one hand, her eyes fixed on the road ahead. The sharp contours of her face were calm, but the tension in her jaw told Adaora that the inspector was already thinking ten steps ahead.
“You two were lucky,” Halima said finally. “If I had come ten minutes later, they would have reached you.”
Adaora exhaled shakily. “They were hunting us. Like prey.”
“That academy is not a school,” Halima replied. “It’s a business. When assets misbehave, they are… managed.”
Aisha covered her mouth, holding back tears.
Halima glanced in the rear-view mirror. “You’re safe for now. But we don’t have much time. I need information — everything you haven’t told me yet.”
Adaora nodded. “Where do we start?”
“With proof,” Halima said. “Without evidence, every accusation will bounce off them like rubber on stone. They have money. Lawyers. Friends in uniform.”
Adaora looked down at her shaking hands. “I saw steroid vials months ago… secret files… a flash drive Chike left behind. And Chuks—”
Her breath caught.
Chuks.
The smallest boy, the warmest smile. Gone.
Halima’s voice softened. “I know. And we will find him. Dead or alive, we will know the truth.”
Aisha wiped her eyes, nodding slowly.
“Inspector,” Adaora said, “I can help you. I’ve seen things. I know where they keep certain files.”
Halima gave a small, approving nod. “Good. Because tonight… we go back.”
Adaora’s heart slammed against her ribs. “Back?”
“Yes. But not to walk around and hope for luck.”
Her eyes flashed with purpose.
“We’re going in with a plan.”
---
A Safe House in Motion...
Halima turned off the main road and pulled into a quiet compound behind a mechanic shop. A single security guard stood outside; he saluted her immediately.
“This is one of our temporary safe locations,” Halima said as she stepped out. “You’ll stay here for the night.”
Adaora and Aisha followed her inside. The room was clean, small, windowless. Aisha sat on the narrow bed, exhausted.
Halima locked the door behind them.
“I have connections,” she began. “A few officers I trust, and a cyber specialist who can extract deleted data from CCTV systems.”
Adaora perked up. “CCTV?”
“Yes. You mentioned the academy wipes footage regularly.”
“Every night,” Adaora said. “Dr. Tayo orders it.”
Halima nodded. “Which means he’s hiding something.”
Adaora felt her pulse accelerate. “Probably Chike’s final hours. Or Chuks’ disappearance.”
“Exactly. So if we get to the DVR before they erase it, we might catch everything they’ve been trying to bury.”
Aisha gasped. “But how will you get in? They guard everything!”
Halima folded her arms. “With timing. And pressure.”
She looked at Adaora.
“I will need you for this. Someone who knows the campus layout.”
Adaora swallowed. “I’ll do anything.”
“Good,” Halima said. “Because you’re the only one who can show us the weak points.”
---
The Strategy...
Halima pulled out a notebook, drawing a quick sketch of the academy grounds from Adaora’s memory.
“Main entrance: too visible. Back fence: compromised and now guarded. But the north side — the clinic, generator house, and storage units — that area has blind spots.”
“Yes,” Adaora confirmed. “The drug storage is close to the emergency exit. The DVR server is in Dr. Tayo’s office.”
Halima tapped her pen. “That’s our target.”
Aisha hugged herself tightly. “Won’t they be expecting someone to come back?”
“They’ll expect you two to hide,” Halima replied. “Not to return with the police.”
Adaora looked at her anxiously. “Inspector… what if they move Chuks? Or Chike’s files? What if we’re too late?”
Halima’s voice was calm and firm. “Tonight, we create pressure. The kind that makes criminals panic. When they panic, they leave cracks.”
Adaora nodded slowly.
Halima continued, “We need evidence of illegal substances, hidden medical records, phone correspondence, and unedited CCTV.”
“And if we get all that?” Adaora asked.
Halima’s expression darkened.
“Then we flip the entire academy on its head.”
---
Back Into the Lion’s Den...
An hour later, Halima’s small team arrived in an unmarked van — two plainclothes officers and a short, bespectacled tech specialist named Osi.
Osi pushed up his glasses. “Inspector, I’ll need direct access to the DVR server. With the right cables, I can clone the entire drive.”
Adaora felt a surge of hope.
Halima turned to her. “You’re still sure about this?”
Adaora nodded. “I won’t stop until the truth is out.”
Aisha grabbed her hand. “Please be careful.”
Adaora squeezed back. “I’ll return.”
---
The Operation Begins...
They parked the van behind a long-abandoned canteen near the academy’s north fence. From here, the building lights were faint, the grounds quiet.
Halima checked her watch. “It’s 2:15 a.m. Security changes patrols every thirty minutes, correct?”
“Yes,” Adaora whispered.
“Good. Move on my signal.”
They slipped through the shadows toward the clinic building. Adaora guided them through a narrow pathway behind the laundry shed — the same route she had crawled through the drainage tunnel earlier.
Halima raised a hand.
They froze.
Two guards were talking near the clinic entrance.
“Madam Funmi say make we no sleep,” one muttered. “She dey expect trouble.”
Trouble.
They were the trouble.
Halima leaned close to Adaora. “We wait until they walk to the east wing.”
As if on command, the guards began moving away.
“Now,” Halima whispered.
They darted to the side door of the clinic.
Adaora reached under the flowerpot and retrieved the spare key.
“You have a good memory,” Halima murmured.
“Fear sharpens the senses,” Adaora whispered back.
---
Inside the Clinic...
The clinic was dark except for a blinking green indicator on the fridge that held regular medications.
Halima signaled to Osi. “Find the server.”
Adaora led him down a hallway.
Second door on the left.
The room with the laminated “AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.”
Adaora pushed the door gently.
It clicked open.
Inside — a desk, medical cabinets, a small safe, and the humming DVR unit on the wall.
Osi rushed to it.
“Perfect. Give me two minutes.”
As he worked, Adaora scanned the room.
She spotted a blood-stained cloth in the waste bin.
A locked cabinet labeled "Private Patients".
And — faint footprints on the tiles. Small.
Child-sized.
A lump rose in her throat.
Chuks.
He had been here.
Recently.
Halima entered quietly. “We’re running out of time.”
Osi unplugged the DVR unit. “Done! I have everything.”
Halima exhaled in relief.
But the moment they turned to leave—
A loud metallic "bang" echoed from outside the clinic.
Followed by shouts.
And the unmistakable voice of Coach Gbadamosi yelling:
"WHO IS IN THAT BUILDING?!"
Adaora’s blood ran cold.
Halima’s eyes narrowed.
“Someone tipped them off.”
Osi clutched the cloned drive like it was his last lifeline.
Halima grabbed Adaora’s wrist.
“Move.
Now.” #ShadowsBeneathTheFloodlight #SarahFamous #TheirSecretStories #StoriesBySarah #InvestigativeThriller #NewStoryAlert #NigerianFiction #SuspenseReads #DarkSecrets #FootballMystery #ThrillerSeries
The car sped down the dimly lit road, leaving the academy far behind. Adaora watched it shrink into the distance through the rear window — the tall fence, the floodlights, the cluster of buildings that now felt more like a prison than a school.
Aisha leaned against her, trembling silently.
Inspector Halima drove with one hand, her eyes fixed on the road ahead. The sharp contours of her face were calm, but the tension in her jaw told Adaora that the inspector was already thinking ten steps ahead.
“You two were lucky,” Halima said finally. “If I had come ten minutes later, they would have reached you.”
Adaora exhaled shakily. “They were hunting us. Like prey.”
“That academy is not a school,” Halima replied. “It’s a business. When assets misbehave, they are… managed.”
Aisha covered her mouth, holding back tears.
Halima glanced in the rear-view mirror. “You’re safe for now. But we don’t have much time. I need information — everything you haven’t told me yet.”
Adaora nodded. “Where do we start?”
“With proof,” Halima said. “Without evidence, every accusation will bounce off them like rubber on stone. They have money. Lawyers. Friends in uniform.”
Adaora looked down at her shaking hands. “I saw steroid vials months ago… secret files… a flash drive Chike left behind. And Chuks—”
Her breath caught.
Chuks.
The smallest boy, the warmest smile. Gone.
Halima’s voice softened. “I know. And we will find him. Dead or alive, we will know the truth.”
Aisha wiped her eyes, nodding slowly.
“Inspector,” Adaora said, “I can help you. I’ve seen things. I know where they keep certain files.”
Halima gave a small, approving nod. “Good. Because tonight… we go back.”
Adaora’s heart slammed against her ribs. “Back?”
“Yes. But not to walk around and hope for luck.”
Her eyes flashed with purpose.
“We’re going in with a plan.”
---
A Safe House in Motion...
Halima turned off the main road and pulled into a quiet compound behind a mechanic shop. A single security guard stood outside; he saluted her immediately.
“This is one of our temporary safe locations,” Halima said as she stepped out. “You’ll stay here for the night.”
Adaora and Aisha followed her inside. The room was clean, small, windowless. Aisha sat on the narrow bed, exhausted.
Halima locked the door behind them.
“I have connections,” she began. “A few officers I trust, and a cyber specialist who can extract deleted data from CCTV systems.”
Adaora perked up. “CCTV?”
“Yes. You mentioned the academy wipes footage regularly.”
“Every night,” Adaora said. “Dr. Tayo orders it.”
Halima nodded. “Which means he’s hiding something.”
Adaora felt her pulse accelerate. “Probably Chike’s final hours. Or Chuks’ disappearance.”
“Exactly. So if we get to the DVR before they erase it, we might catch everything they’ve been trying to bury.”
Aisha gasped. “But how will you get in? They guard everything!”
Halima folded her arms. “With timing. And pressure.”
She looked at Adaora.
“I will need you for this. Someone who knows the campus layout.”
Adaora swallowed. “I’ll do anything.”
“Good,” Halima said. “Because you’re the only one who can show us the weak points.”
---
The Strategy...
Halima pulled out a notebook, drawing a quick sketch of the academy grounds from Adaora’s memory.
“Main entrance: too visible. Back fence: compromised and now guarded. But the north side — the clinic, generator house, and storage units — that area has blind spots.”
“Yes,” Adaora confirmed. “The drug storage is close to the emergency exit. The DVR server is in Dr. Tayo’s office.”
Halima tapped her pen. “That’s our target.”
Aisha hugged herself tightly. “Won’t they be expecting someone to come back?”
“They’ll expect you two to hide,” Halima replied. “Not to return with the police.”
Adaora looked at her anxiously. “Inspector… what if they move Chuks? Or Chike’s files? What if we’re too late?”
Halima’s voice was calm and firm. “Tonight, we create pressure. The kind that makes criminals panic. When they panic, they leave cracks.”
Adaora nodded slowly.
Halima continued, “We need evidence of illegal substances, hidden medical records, phone correspondence, and unedited CCTV.”
“And if we get all that?” Adaora asked.
Halima’s expression darkened.
“Then we flip the entire academy on its head.”
---
Back Into the Lion’s Den...
An hour later, Halima’s small team arrived in an unmarked van — two plainclothes officers and a short, bespectacled tech specialist named Osi.
Osi pushed up his glasses. “Inspector, I’ll need direct access to the DVR server. With the right cables, I can clone the entire drive.”
Adaora felt a surge of hope.
Halima turned to her. “You’re still sure about this?”
Adaora nodded. “I won’t stop until the truth is out.”
Aisha grabbed her hand. “Please be careful.”
Adaora squeezed back. “I’ll return.”
---
The Operation Begins...
They parked the van behind a long-abandoned canteen near the academy’s north fence. From here, the building lights were faint, the grounds quiet.
Halima checked her watch. “It’s 2:15 a.m. Security changes patrols every thirty minutes, correct?”
“Yes,” Adaora whispered.
“Good. Move on my signal.”
They slipped through the shadows toward the clinic building. Adaora guided them through a narrow pathway behind the laundry shed — the same route she had crawled through the drainage tunnel earlier.
Halima raised a hand.
They froze.
Two guards were talking near the clinic entrance.
“Madam Funmi say make we no sleep,” one muttered. “She dey expect trouble.”
Trouble.
They were the trouble.
Halima leaned close to Adaora. “We wait until they walk to the east wing.”
As if on command, the guards began moving away.
“Now,” Halima whispered.
They darted to the side door of the clinic.
Adaora reached under the flowerpot and retrieved the spare key.
“You have a good memory,” Halima murmured.
“Fear sharpens the senses,” Adaora whispered back.
---
Inside the Clinic...
The clinic was dark except for a blinking green indicator on the fridge that held regular medications.
Halima signaled to Osi. “Find the server.”
Adaora led him down a hallway.
Second door on the left.
The room with the laminated “AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.”
Adaora pushed the door gently.
It clicked open.
Inside — a desk, medical cabinets, a small safe, and the humming DVR unit on the wall.
Osi rushed to it.
“Perfect. Give me two minutes.”
As he worked, Adaora scanned the room.
She spotted a blood-stained cloth in the waste bin.
A locked cabinet labeled "Private Patients".
And — faint footprints on the tiles. Small.
Child-sized.
A lump rose in her throat.
Chuks.
He had been here.
Recently.
Halima entered quietly. “We’re running out of time.”
Osi unplugged the DVR unit. “Done! I have everything.”
Halima exhaled in relief.
But the moment they turned to leave—
A loud metallic "bang" echoed from outside the clinic.
Followed by shouts.
And the unmistakable voice of Coach Gbadamosi yelling:
"WHO IS IN THAT BUILDING?!"
Adaora’s blood ran cold.
Halima’s eyes narrowed.
“Someone tipped them off.”
Osi clutched the cloned drive like it was his last lifeline.
Halima grabbed Adaora’s wrist.
“Move.
Now.” #ShadowsBeneathTheFloodlight #SarahFamous #TheirSecretStories #StoriesBySarah #InvestigativeThriller #NewStoryAlert #NigerianFiction #SuspenseReads #DarkSecrets #FootballMystery #ThrillerSeries
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