Ok guys, this is the final part.

Are you guys ready to find out who killed the principal?

Finale (part II)
     The school cleaner gripped her bag and entered the admin building. She was about to go to her room in the teacher's quarters when she saw the light of the principal's office on.  She turned on her flashlight and walked to his office.

   She knocked on his door and he opened it himself only to see her.

   "What are you doing here? Come back tomorrow please." He dismissed her and was about to walk into his office when she stopped him.

   "I just want to tell you something. It'll be quick." She said, holding her bag tightly. The principal sighed and stepped out of his office. He walked to the waiting room which was beside his office. The room was used only when parents came to see him.

   "Be fast. I have things to do." He said impatiently. He knew that Gabby might come soon so he didn't want to waste time with the cleaner.

   "I'm tired of keeping the secret. My son is suffering because of it." She said and the principal hissed.

   "You must be out of your mind." He spat.

   "He's your son. Why do you treat him like an outsider?" She cried and he rolled his eyes.

   "Keep your voice down, will you?" He snarled, hoping that no one heard them.

   Unfortunately for him, the three friends froze in front of the closed door of the waiting room. They looked at each other in shock as the news shook their senses. Gabby was the first to snap back to reality. She tugged her friends' hands and they rushed to the principal's office.

   "This is perfect. Let's find the papers before he comes back." She whispered and they began to search for the papers on the table. 

    "His briefcase is locked." Brume said. Nini quickly found a bunch of keys in the drawer and started trying them on the cupboard. Luck was on their side as the lock opened with the right key.

   "Oya oya." Nini said hurriedly. Gabby and Brume rushed to her side and began to grab one of every subject. Gabby took out her phone in her bra and gave it to Nini as she folded the papers into her bra.

    "Let's just grab it and go. When we reach downstairs, we'll start hiding it abeg." Brume suggested. Her voice shook in fear. Their hearts pounded hundred miles per second as they all ran out of the office.

   "Please, do not come to my office again if this is what you are going to say." The principal said, walking out of the waiting room. The girl's thanked their stars as they were already halfway down the stairs when they heard the door open.

   "Uche, I'm going to tell everyone the truth. My son can't live his life labeled as the cleaner's son." The woman said, bounding after him. The principal turned around angrily and glared at her.

   "Then you change your profession. If you say anything to anyone, I'll deal with you." The principal spat.

   "He is the principal's son. That's what I'm going to tell everyone. Uche is it too much to ask? I'm not asking you to marry me or anything. We established that one a long time ago." She cried and Mr Uche scoffed.

   "I gave you a job, I gave that boy scholarship, what more do you want? Listen very well, if you say a word to anybody I'm going to ruin your life and your bastard son's." He spat.

   "Bastard..? Uche, you have crossed the line. Try and stop me." She said, turning around to leave. The principal's eyes widened in alarm and dragged her back, slamming her against a window. She cried out at the impact as some of the shards of the broken glass pierced her back.

    Mr Uche didn't even waste any time before gripping her throat with his hands, strangling her.

   "You won't do such a thing. I have a reputation to uphold. You and your son are thorns to my flesh. I told you to abort him but you refused." He growled, gripping her neck tighter. 

   "U..Uch..Uche." she stuttered as he squeezed life out of her. She patted the window behind her for something to defend herself with. Her hand touched a shard of glass. She quickly grabbed it and stabbed him.

   The principal's face turned to that of shock and his grip slowly loosened from her neck. He looked at her again and at her bleeding hand that stabbed him. She removed the glass from his stomach in shock and stepped back.

    "I didn't mean to… I'm sorry.. I-i.." she stuttered walking backwards towards the stairs.

    "Linda.. call the ambulance.." the principal groaned and the cleaner nodded, taking out her phone. She paused when she realized that the man standing before her would get rid of her the moment he gets better. She didn't want him to die, at the same time, she knew what he was capable of doing.

    She made up her mind and ran out of the building instead. She wiped her bloody hands on her skirt and kept the glass inside her handbag. The cleaner rushed out of the building not noticing the three girls who were hiding beside the building.

    Gabby, Nini and Brume didn't have time to look at the woman who ran out of the building. They were busy arranging the question papers they stole in their bras and tights. 

    "We're done right?" Gabby asked as she adjusted her uniform and the other two nodded. "Nini, where's the phone? Let Brume put it in her tight since hers has a pocket." Gabby said and Nini looked at her in confusion.

   "I'm not with it." She said and Gabby rolled her eyes.

   "Don't be stupid. I gave it to you in the office." Gabby spat. Nini widened her eyes in fear as she recalled where she kept the phone.

   "It's on the principal's table. I kept it there when we were taking the papers." She said and her friends shouted.

   "This girl has killed us o." Brume wailed while Gabby placed both of her hands on her head.

   "I'll go and get it." Nini offered and her friends hissed.

   "What if the principal is already in his office?" Gabby asked.

   "I'll take the pocket knife just in case." Nini said. Her friends knew that they weren't even ready to go back there so they nodded.

    Nini shakily ran back into the building. She gripped the small knife in her left hand as she went back upstairs. She saw a trail of what looked like blood and gasped. She looked away and focused on what she came for.

    As soon as she entered the office, she saw the principal lying on the ground beside his table gripping Gabby's phone. The principal's weak eyes saw her and he sighed in relief.

    "C-call the ambu.. lance." He gasped weakly. Nini knew she couldn't do that because the whole situation was against her. 

    "I'm sorry sir. I can't." She cried, dragging the phone out of his hand. She was about to run out when something stopped her. Her gown was stuck on a rogue nail on the principal's table. She didn't even stop to remove it, she just dragged her gown out, tearing it in the process. A piece of the daywear was stuck on the nail but she didn't notice it.

    As she ran out of the building, her friends were already waiting for her at the entrance so they all ran to the girls' bathroom.

   "The principal.." Nini gasped, "The principal is bleeding. I saw.. I saw him on the ground.. we should call the hostel mistress." She continued. Gabby and Brume almost screamed in shock when Nini said what she saw. Nini was about to leave the bathroom when Gabby held her back. "Gabby, what are you doing? What if he dies eh?" Nini whispered, trying to snatch her arm back but Gabby held on tightly.

    "Think before you act. If you go to the hostel mistress' place what will you tell her? That you went to get your friend's phone that you forgot in the principal's office when you went to steal the question papers? Nini calm down first." Gabby said, holding Nini by her shoulders. 

    "Nini, we know it's difficult but you have to understand. Protect yourself first. What good has that principal done to any of us eh?  He'll be fine, someone else will help him but that someone won't be us." Brume said calmly. Nini took deep breaths before she began to sob. Her friends hugged her as she cried out her fears.

    Thunder roared in the night sky and the teachers quickly rang the big bell for prep over. It was normal to dismiss students from night prep if the weather changed. The thunder rumbled yet again and the students ran out of their classes. The three girls left the restroom and joined the crowd.

   Meanwhile, Damien and Kelvin changed their plans. While others rushed to their dorms, the two boys ran to the admin block. They skipped steps as they reached the building. The fluorescent light was still on and Damien wondered what his father was still doing in school. 

    As they tip-toed closer to the door, they noticed it was wide open. Kelvin was the first to look inside and he fell on his buttocks in shock. Damien looked inside and saw his father in the pool of his own blood. 

    "Let's go." Damien whispered. Kelvin barely held himself up before falling back on the floor. "Kelvin, let's go!" Damien yelled, dragging his friend by his shirt. They both ran out of the admin block. Heavy rain fell soaking the boys as they ran.

   "We need to tell someone!" Kelvin yelled to his friend. He was surprised at the calm attitude his friend displayed. "Damien, it's your father!" Kelvin yelled, glaring at his friend.

   "You think I don't know that? Let's go to the hostel master's room, tell him what we saw. We can claim that I went there to talk to my father and you escorted me." Damien explained. Kelvin quickly nodded and they both left.

    The two boys walked back to their hostel while the few students remaining in the compound were running. They knew that keeping quiet was a heavy weight on their shoulders so they decided to report even if it meant bending the truth. They heard the old gateman talking loudly with the other security men.

    "Oga principal still dey?" The gateman yelled. The rain made it hard for their voices to be audible so they resorted to shouting.

    "E be like. He fit sleep for the teacher's quarters, the rain too much." Another security man said.

   "Make we go ask am first. Make we know if we go lock gate." The old gateman said and they walked off.

   Damien and Kelvin looked at each other knowingly before walking off to the dorm instead.

Present day.

    Detective Okoye and Jamaal made their way to the teacher's quarters, specifically where they were told the cleaner stayed. Okoye was grateful that he initially blocked all access in and out of the school. Jamaal knocked on the door and the door slowly creaked open.

   Linda, the cleaner, slowly opened the door and saw the two detectives. Her eyes were puffy and red. 

   "Linda, we are the police." Okoye said, raising his badge. "We need you to come with us concerning the murder of Mr Uche Martins." He said. She nodded hesitantly and stepped out of the room. 

   Natasha saw the exchange and ran off to inform Tobe. She saw him stepping out of the academic block with other students.

    "Tobe! Tobe!" She yelled. The other students began to whisper as they sighted the detectives from afar.

   "Tobe, the police are taking your mother away." Natasha said as she reached him. Tobe dropped the books in his hands and ran off with Natasha behind him.

   When he reached them, he stood in front of his mother and shook his head.

   "She can't be the one Sir. My mum didn't do it." He pleaded but Okoye looked away.

   "It was an act of self defense. We'll just ask her some questions." Detective Jamaal told him, giving him a brief nod.

   "Tobe, I didn't mean to kill him. It was a mistake, I didn't mean to kill your father." His mother cried. Tobe paused at the mention of the word, father.

   "What?" He asked but the detectives escorted her away.

    The entire senior students watched the exchange and muttered among themselves. It was definitely an extension lesson to remember.

   "Did you hear? Tobe is the principal's son." A girl whispered and her friend nodded quickly. 

   "I can't believe the cleaner killed the principal." Sam said finally as the police sirens faded from the school premises.

********

AND THAT'S A WRAPPP!!!

A big thank you to all those that followed this book till this point. To all those that showered this book with comments and votes, my heart goes out to you😘😘

About the second book of the series...

I'll be posting the blurb here soon and a sneak peak might follow. Just know that if you like this book, you'll be in love with the second one. It's crazy and freaky and you'll love it👍🏼

Your favourite characters will all be the second book and new characters too!! So stay tuned guys.

With lots of love..
Korisa🧡