She was waiting for them near the door, it seemed, for Nkata had knocked once only before she opened it. She had Peach in her arms and the dachshund was ecstatic at the idea of visitors, squirming to be put onto the floor where—doubtless—she would soon be snuffling round their feet. Deborah had thought to provide them with cool drinks, which she’d placed in her husband’s study. If she noticed the odour emanating from Tani’s father, she gave no sign of it.
Tani was already in the room waiting for them. He’d apparently been at the window keeping watch, because he stood there still and faced his father. He was the first to speak and Nkata had to admire him for that.
He said, “I didn’t mean to shove Lark. I jus’ needed the passports, Pa. That’s what it was. I’m that sorry I pushed her.”
“You know nothing,” was Abeo’s curt reply.
To his credit, Tani replied with, “Could be tha’s the case and I don’t doubt it.”
Abeo looked away from his son. When Deborah gestured to one of the two leather chairs in the room, he walked to it and sat. He adopted a dominant posture, his legs spread, his hands on his thighs, his arms akimbo. Tani seemed to read it for what it was and remained by the window.
“We got transport police working on this,” Nkata said. “Rail, underground, and overground. Far as we know, she doesn’ have much in the way of funds but if she’s got a credit card—”
“Her mother,” Abeo said. “Or mine. Or any of her relations. Or any of mine.”
“Meaning what?” Nkata asked.
“Meaning money,” he said. “She has the passports but she needs the money to use them. One of them will have purchased the tickets for her.”
“That would be the phone call,” Nkata said, after a moment.
“What phone call?”
“Someone rang her when she was with my mum. She said it was Belgravia police telling her you were released. You were on your way to Chelsea, she said. But I expect that was a call from whoever it was bought the tickets, letting her know where she could fetch them. Where’s she going, then?”
Abeo barked a laugh. “She has the passports! Where would she go, you stupid sod?”
“Nigeria,” Deborah St. James murmured, and added, “No. Really. That can’t be.”
At Deborah’s word Nigeria, Nkata went to the doorway, taking his mobile phone from his jacket. The number was connecting as behind him he heard Tani cry, “Pa, no! No way, no way did anyone buy her tickets. Tha’s not true. And you were the one. You said—”
“What did I say?”
“You talked about that girl in Nigeria I was meant to marry and the bride price you would get for Simi.”
“And this means what?”
“You brought that woman meant to cut her to the flat. You bought all that clobber for her to use.”
“How else do I make it seem to your worthless mother that I will be the one to declare what happens to Simisola? Monifa will not be that person who makes decisions for our family.”
Tani grabbed his own head as if this movement could clear his thoughts. He cried, “No. No. It doesn’t make sense.”
“You heard her yourself,” Abeo said sharply. “You know what she wanted with that clinic of hers. You heard me try to stop her. You knew I sent her to fetch back that money. I told her not to come home without it. Why did I do that if not to stop her?”
“Are you’re saying this is down to Mum? That everything’s been down to Mum all along?”
“What is ‘everything’？ Do you mean the cutting of your sister? That?” Abeo laughed sharply in affirmation. There was no amusement involved.
Nkata returned to the room, letting them know that the word was going out as fast as possible. Airports would soon be covered, the airlines were receiving the information, the gate agents would be told, Passport Control would not allow them through.
Abeo stood then. He said, “You . . . All of you . . . You pretend to know and you do not. I will find them and put an end to this.”
He moved towards the study door. Deborah said quickly, “Winston, do you not think . . . ?” and Nkata saw the appeal on her face. But he also saw reason in what the Nigerian man had said. And what he knew as a certainty was that he had neither purpose nor grounds to stop Abeo Bankole from leaving them and setting off to find his daughter and his wife.
WESTMINSTER
CENTRAL LONDON
“Why’m I not chuffed about how it all turned out?” Havers asked him.