The Ledger

The reporters surged toward the riverbank.

Camera lights flashed.

Microphones stretched into the air.

“Sir! Sir! Is it true children were trafficked?”

“Madam, are you Evelyn Nwosu?”

“Officer, who is Victor Nwosu?”

Superintendent Hassan immediately raised his voice.

“Everyone stay back! This is now an active crime scene.”

His officers formed a barrier.

Victor smiled despite the handcuffs.

He had lost his freedom.

But he knew one thing.

The story had just become too big to bury.

An ambulance arrived moments later.

Paramedics rushed to Kola.

The bullet had passed cleanly through his shoulder.

One medic looked up.

“He’s lucky.”

Kola forced a weak smile.

“I don’t feel lucky.”

Teniola knelt beside him, tears still fresh in her eyes.

“You stupid man.”

Kola laughed painfully.

“I’ve heard worse.”

“You could have died.”

“I know.”

She looked away.

“Why would you do that?”

Kola didn’t answer immediately.

Then he looked straight into her eyes.

“Because losing you would hurt more than dying.”

Teniola’s lips trembled.

For the first time since this nightmare began…

She held his hand without fear.

Without questions.

Without uncertainty.

Evelyn watched them quietly.

A small smile crossed her face.

“They remind me of someone.”

Morenike looked at her.

“You and your husband?”

Evelyn nodded.

“He once stood in front of a gun for me too.”

Teniola looked up.

“My father?”

Evelyn shook her head gently.

“No.”

“Your biological father.”

Silence.

The question everyone had been carrying finally came out.

“Who was he?”

Evelyn lowered her eyes.

“Samuel Nwosu.”

“Victor’s younger brother.”

Teniola froze.

“So…”

“Victor wasn’t just my uncle.”

“No.”

“He was your father’s elder brother.”

Before anyone could ask another question, Superintendent Hassan walked over holding the memory card.

“The forensic unit has a portable reader.”

“We’re going to see what’s on this now.”

He slid the card into a laptop.

The folder opened instantly.

Only one file.

LEDGER_MASTER_COPY.pdf

Everyone leaned closer.

Hassan clicked it.

Page after page appeared.

Bank transfers.

Account numbers.

Photographs.

Signed agreements.

Politicians.

Business moguls.

Senior police officers.

Judges.

Religious leaders.

The list seemed endless.

Morenike whispered,

“My God…”

Kola looked stunned.

“This wasn’t just a syndicate.”

“It was a network.”

Halfway through the document…

A photograph appeared.

Victor.

Standing beside three other men.

One face immediately caught Hassan’s attention.

“No…”

He zoomed in.

His own former Commissioner of Police.

Standing beside Victor.

Smiling.

Hassan slowly leaned back.

“They’ve been inside the police for years.”

Then another page opened.

This one wasn’t financial.

It was titled:

Recovered Children

Below were photographs.

Most had green ticks.

Some had red crosses.

Teniola scanned each face.

Suddenly…

She stopped.

Her hands began to shake.

“No…”

Evelyn looked.

Her own eyes filled with tears.

Near the bottom of the page…

One photograph carried a yellow mark instead of green or red.

Name:

Amaya Nwosu

Status:

Alive. Location unknown.

Teniola looked at her mother.

“She’s alive.”

Evelyn covered her mouth.

“My baby…”

Twenty-eight years.

Twenty-eight years without knowing if one daughter was alive.

Now…

She knew both were.

Just then, Hassan’s phone rang.

He answered.

Only listened.

His expression changed.

He looked at Teniola.

“We’ve found her.”

Silence.

“What?”

“The woman who escaped from Warehouse 9.”

“The one you thought was another version of yourself.”

He smiled for the first time in days.

“She’s been found alive.”

Teniola’s heartbeat raced.

“Where?”

Hassan looked toward the road.

“She’s here.”

Everyone turned.

A police SUV had just pulled up.

The rear door opened slowly.

A young woman stepped out.

She looked exhausted.

Her clothes were torn.

There was dried blood on her sleeve.

But when she lifted her face…

There was no longer any doubt.

Not another identity.

Not another version.

Not another experiment.

She was Amaya.

The real twin sister.

She looked at Teniola from a distance.

Neither of them moved.

Twenty-eight years had been stolen from them.

Twenty-eight birthdays.

Twenty-eight Christmases.

Twenty-eight chances to call each other sister.

Amaya took one slow step forward.

Her voice broke.

“I’ve imagined this moment every day…”

Teniola’s eyes overflowed.

“So have I.”

They ran toward each other.

Neither cared about the cameras.

Neither cared about the police.

Neither cared about the world watching.

They embraced tightly.

Both crying.

Both laughing through tears.

Evelyn collapsed to her knees, sobbing as she watched her daughters hold each other for the very first time since they were children.

For a brief moment…

It felt like the nightmare was finally ending.

Then…

A black sedan sped toward the crowd from the highway.

Too fast.

Far too fast.

One officer shouted,

“Move!”

The car didn’t slow down.

It drove straight through the police barricade.

Its windows were completely blacked out.

The driver wasn’t trying to escape.

He was aiming at someone.

Superintendent Hassan looked up just in time.

His eyes widened.

“They’re coming for the ledger!”

The sedan accelerated.

Straight toward the twins.

To be continued…