Principal Powers stood in front his full length mirror making finishing touches to his church outfit on a beautiful sunday morning when his phone rang, he swiftly tapped the Bluetooth on his left ear.

"Good morning Sir" the voice greeted, he immediately recognized it. This had to be important news for him to call on a weekend.

"Good morning Mr Tunde"

"Sir, we have some good news concerning the missing lab equipment"

Gotcha!

His ears perked up at the information.

"Go on'

"Last night, the security man heard some noise at the lab by 3am. The culprit escaped before we caught them. However, it seems that they mistakenly dropped their purse in the process of running..."

"Purse?" He asked quizzically, if what the physics lab teacher heard himself correctly, he was insinuating that the thief was a female.

"...Yes sir, and we found an ID bearing the name of one of our students"

A student!? How can this be??

Principal Powers took a deep breath.

"Who is it?"

************************************

Ifechi had the roughest weekend ever. For some reason, her mum had recurring mood swings and kept sending her on multiple errands and wouldn't let her concentrate while reading. To top it, she still had no clue where her ID card was.

Her family received an unexpected visitor that Sunday evening.

She heard knocks at the gate when watching some YouTube shorts during her study break. She sat up and removed the airpod from her left ear and remained still till she didn't hear anything. Maybe there was nobody there. She placed the gadget back in her ear and relaxed on the bed when the knock became louder.

Ifechi sighed, praying that it was their neighbor's gate that the person was knocking on until the knock became more furious that she forced herself out of her bed groaning.

Just as she reached the door, her younger bro dashed out from the side of the house to open the gate.

Mtcheww! Why did she na stress herself.

She stood patiently to see whom this person was.

"Amanda?"

Her older sister came almost staggering into the compound with two traveling bags.

"Aunty don't be standing there na, come and help me" she said, Ifechi stepped down slowly and carefully,  confusion marking every inch of her pretty face.

"Why...what are you doing back home?"

"Ah ah did you bring back everything from school?" Her brother called out from the gate, Ifechi peeped to see a taxi at their gate, filled with load. She looked at Amanda who pointed her jaw at the gate.

"Go and help him carry my things out"

"Which one?"

"All of them"

"Haa!"

It took her some seconds to register what her sis said, but afterwards she went to the gate to charter in the luggage.

She waited most of the evening anticipating an explanation from her sis. When none was forthcoming, she asked.

"Has school closed?"

"What type of question is that?" Her sister snapped taking her by surprise.

"Sor...ah ah, I was just asking na"

"So I can't come back to my own father's house again?" Her sister replied in the same tone.

"No that's n..." Ifechi hissed "...infact don't worry" She said angrily and slipped her airpods back on. Amanda followed her hand movements, her eyes briefly expanding at the new gadget in her sister's ear, but she didn't say anything about it.

The next day was monday and Ifechi didn't feel like going to school. She missed assembly that morning because she had woke up late. She carelessly threw in her calculator and few books inside her bag, forgetting her purse and her mathset.

The mass students rushing out of the assembly building caught her attention, she changed the course of her steps, heading to the class building instead. A student passed and turned to look at her, the rest followed, and soon she noticed that almost everyone's eyes were on her. And then the whispers followed.

Choosing to ignore them, she increased her steps and got up the stairs only to realise that majority of students were outside their classes as if they were waiting for something or perhaps someone, their reaction upon seeing her told her that she was that 'someone'

Her classmates gave her similar reaction, it was obvious something was up that involved her, and she didn't need anyone to tell her what was. Her only questions were if they'd  gotten anything to hold her with.

She didn't get to class when Emmanuella walked, no ran to her.

"You need to follow me...now!"

She dragged Ifechi back the way she came from.

"What...what's happening?" Her voice was a bit shaky "every...everyone is looking at me? Does it have to do with the event on Friday?"

Emmanuella didn't answer till they got to a secluded area. She stopped suddenly and started pacing around. Ifechi watched her friend walk to and fro frantically for minutes before she shouted.

"Talk to me!" All the frustration and annoyance since weekend poured into her voice.

Emmanuella stood shocked.

"This morning at assembly, the principal finally confirmed the missing equipment. The entire top floor of the lab building is strictly banned for now..." She said calmly.

"Okay...then?...what happened?" Ifechi asked in a quiet voice.

"They think you're a suspect."

************************************

"Ifechi Okereke Stephanie, the principal needs you in his office now!"

The junior student that called her did so with much authority, Ifechi stood up meekly, her classmates looked at her as she walked towards the door, the same way they did earlier. It was obvious that something was up and everyone knew, but no one wanted to say anything about it...yet.

The principal's office was brimming with staff when she got there, they were two other teachers, including the vice principal and Principal Powers.

And they were all waiting for her.

She walked in feeling like she'd just stepped into a panel.

The Principal was quick in addressing her.

"Please have a seat"

She did as ordered.

The principal took a deep breathe.

"I will be honest with you, this is as difficult for me to say as it'll be as difficult for you to hear..."

"Sir?"

"There was a security breach in our school on Friday last week. Seems like the thief came back for the leftover, the security office heard a noise by 3am. Luckily, he was alert and prepared,  but the thief took off before we could get them..."

Ifechi listened attentively, wondering how any of this had to do with her.

"...we were confused at first, concerning how they even snuck into our school in the first place, but turns out they had a firsthand information about a secret entrance through the 'game room' which is just two floors below the said lab. Ifechi have you ever been to the game room?"

"Yes sir" She said in a low voice.

"Of course you have" the principal murmured "Mr Dozie?" He motioned to a man that Ifechi didn't notice earlier. He wore a black suit with cufflinks and everything, he also had a black briefcase which he steadily kept on the table as he took his seat next to Ifechi, the principal staring at both of them like a judge waiting to execute justice. She didn't know if it were the few spy movies she'd seen, but this man looked everything like a secret op.

"Miss Ifechi Okereke Stephanie?" He peered down at her, did she forget to mention that he was huge too?

"Ye...yes" She was intimidated.

"Good day, I'm Mr Dozie, a former chief of information to the state's governor, now a private investigator..."

Ahh, they even called a private investigator...na so the thing reach???

"...I would like you to answer a few questions"

She gulped "Okay.. yes sir"

"Where were you by 3am on Sunday morning?"

Hian

"At home..." Ifechi resisted the urge to reply defiantly, what type of question is that.

"As expected" the man replied and jotted something onto a blue notepad.

"What were you doing by that time?"

"Sleeping!" She said resisting the urge to scream.

"Don't you dare raise your voice young lady!" One of the teachers yelled, Ifechi cowered back in fear.

"It's alright, I don't need your help" Mr Dozie spoke adjusting his collar.
"I actually anticipated these responses and to be frank, I don't find these questions necessary either..." he said and clicked his pen shut, turning his seat to face her fully.

"...now miss Ifechi, Mr Powers here informed me of a recent criminal activity at this school. Given the extent of the crime and the precision of the thief, I have come to the conclusion that it would have been impossible for an amateur like you to handle that..."

Well thank you!

"...at least not alone..."

Wait what!

"...with what Mr Powers here as told me, it seems the thief has some inside information here that only someone with a deep level of knowledge and interest could have informed them about." He paused.

Ifechi stared at him, her heart pounding within her, she knew where this was going to, she knew exactly where it was going to.

"Your fellow classmate informed us of your unusual level of interest concerning 3d printers Miss Ifechi, and about a certain threat to steal one of it subsequent to a misunderstanding between you two..."

Gabriel...

"...so what I want to know is this, who are they?"

Huh?!

"I don't know what you're talking about Sir" Ifechi responded meekly.

"Mtchew!"

"Imagine!"

"Of course she would lie!"

The staff murmured, one look from the principal shut them up.

Mr Dozie exhaled loudly. "Let's try that again..."

Her heart pounded harder. What did he plan to do, surely they can't torture her in a school, but if they did no one would know because they would hide jt, oh shut up Ifechi that's crazy thought.

"...try what Sir?" She didn't even know when the words left her mouth.

"The names, just one is all we need"

"I don't know any names sir"

"Okay slangs? code names?"

"I don't und...I don't know what you're talking about"

"Damn it!" He cursed hitting his fist on the table and sending all of them into shock. The principal stood up alarmed, the teachers did too, Ifechi placed her hands on her face and sobbed. The man didn't seem to take pity.

"You have 30 seconds to start calling names"

"I really don't know anyone, I don't know what you're talking about, I really...everything I said that day was a lie, I didn't steal it, I couldn't steal it even if I wanted to"

"Oh you wanted to? So you hired hoodlums to do it for you "

"No! That's not what I mean!" She said and burst into tears. She wept into her palms for a few minutes until the place had calmed, they watched her shake, convinced of her pretense till her sobs became quieter. In her oblivion,  the principal signaled to Mr Tunde who came forward.

"Here!" He said and dropped the brown item on the desk in front of her. Ifechi looked up and her eyes widened immediately from shock to their notice, she beheld the item in front of her.

"How did you?..what.." She held the purse that looked very familiar to hers, she had checked for it in her bag that morning at school and hadn't seen it. She thought she left it at home.

"Recognize something?" The private investigator mocked. Ifechi blinked multiple times staring straight ahead at the item before her.

"This was dumped by the thief during their escape on Sunday...go on, take it" he urged, she stayed still with both arms by her side.

"I said, take it" he ordered, she did immediately,  a wave of relief rushing through her as she silently thanked the man for his order because she'd come to a good realization.

"It's not mine sir" She said confidently. They looked at her as if she was crazy.

"Excuse me?" Mr Tunde said.

She turned to him "it's not mine" she repeated more firmly.

"You must be out of your mind, if it's not yours then whose is it?"

"I don't know sir but this is not mine, it looks like mine but I can tell from this texture that it's not mine, mine is silky and this one is made of leather, clear difference"

"Okay then..." the principal said and pulled out the card from within the purse, he pushed it towards her, her mouth went agape upon the sight.

"My waec ID card!" She said half shocked and half relieved at the same time.

"Can you say this one isn't yours too" the other teacher asked with a sardonic life, Ifechi's momentary joy came to an end. She looked up.

"I promise that I don't know what its doing here, I have been looking for it since friday" She confessed.

"My friend will you shut up your mouth!" The principal scolded taking her aback, Ifechi had never heard him raise his voice at anyone.

"It's fine Mr Powers, I've got this..." Mr Dozie said, resuming his seat.

"Ifechi..." he started in a low voice "...I understand that things may not be going too well for your family..."

Excuse you?

"...Principal Powers here informed me that you're on scholarship and so I know you can't afford to be here. Now it's totally normal to get a bit intimidated by your peers yunno...flaunting flashy things here and maybe some of them might even make you feel less of yourself unintentionally..."

Haha...people like Grace did theirs intentionally.

"...what I want you to understand is, stealing is a federal crime that is punishable by the law, and even as an accomplice guarantees several years in the prison..."

I didn't steal anything for Christ's sake! She felt like screaming but she stayed silent and nodded her head every few seconds like a lizard.

"...I know you're an exceptional student, and you're quite beautiful too, Principal Powers has told us of all the honor you've brought to the school with your outstanding performance so we promise not to take this far if you just come clean...I'm sorry if we scared you a bit..."

A bit? Did he just say a bit?

"...I'm going to ask nicely once more, what is or are the names of your accomplices,  who are they, are they related to you? Your siblings,  your parents"

"I don't know because I don't have" She said with a tone of finality clearly annoyed at the whole thing, how dare he even insinuate that her parents were thieves.

Meanwhile the adults looked puzzled. Principal Powers looked the most weary,  of course he would as he had a greater responsibility on his shoulder as the head of the school. The whole theft was already frustrating, what he could not fanthom was how a student would be involved in it and at that one of the brightest. Plus, it seemed absurd that it would be her of all people, even if the motives were there, the probability of execution was down to zero. After all, she'd been thoroughly scanned before her entrance, without her knowledge and even without the knowledge of her sponsor. Her background was carefully analyzed and she was found to be safe. But then finding her waec card at the crime scene made him to start questioning his certainties.

The other teachers present shook their head at the misfortune, partly feeling sorry for the girl and partly angry at her for disobeying school rules and involving herself in this mess.

It took about three minutes of silence- of the principal pacing up and down the large office, of the teachers murmuring amongst themselves, and of Ifechi fearfully pondering on what her next fate was- till Mr Dozie stood up with a tone of finality.

"Mr Powers...the staff..."

"Yes Sir" they replied.

"...this has indeed been unproductive and underwhelming to say the least, I had high hopes of cooperation but having proven futile. Therefore,  permit me to make this demand"

He turned to the suspect

"Miss Ifechi Okereke, you are being charged with a collaboration in the theft of over 6 million worth of laboratory equipment. You have one week to confess and give the names of your accomplices otherwise we would have no choice but to involve the police"

"What??"

Dun dun dun

Sorry for my late update
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