Free Web of Lies by Beverley Naidoo

wrong. I told him we had been chasing a car driven by the gunmen who killed Mama and that Lizard Eyes was with them. When I mentioned Lizard Eyes, it was like I’d pressed a pop-up button.
    F EMI (wide awake): Where was it?
    M E : Outside here!
    F EMI (big frown): What kind of car?
    M E : I don’t know. Posh.
    F EMI : What color, Sade? What color?
    M E : White.
    F EMI (relaxing suddenly): Don’t worry. It’s all right.
    M E : There’s nothing all right about it! It was horrible!
    F EMI : It’s only a nightmare, Sade. I’m going back to bed.
    I don’t know what to do, Iyawo. When I try to imagine what Mama would say, she would want me to tell Papa my suspicions. But everything is so different here. That’s why I thought maybe I could sort things out with James. He is definitely the go-between, but I was a fool to think he’d ever listen to me. Mariam was right. It was a crazy idea. I know that Papa can’t keep Femi locked up. My little brother has to learn to look after himself. But if I tell Papa, he will overreact, and everything will get worse. It was only Mama who knew how to turn Femi around.

13
An Invitation
    James pulled Femi aside into the corner of the landing so other students could pass. Femi glimpsed Gary continuing up the stairs with the crowd. Perhaps he would wait on the next landing, which was quieter.
    “Errol’s mum is away for the weekend, right. He’s having a rave Saturday night. He wants everyone to come! You too, yeah.” James flicked his forefingers like twin gun barrels at Femi and grinned. It was only a couple of days since Femi had witnessed Errol threaten James. A passing storm, probably. But why would Errol want a kid like him to come to a party? Surprise and doubt must have been written in his eyes. James brought his right forefinger closer to Femi’s face.
    “E-V-E-R-Y-B-O-D-Y! You get it?”
    His finger wagged with the beat.
    “My dad will never let me out at night.”
    “Oh yeah! I forgot about your dad!” James pointed his forefinger toward his own head and made a mock pistol blast. “Well, you come Saturday afternoon—help Errol sort out the place, little brother. Meet at the usual time, usual place.”
    James had turned away and was jogging down the stairs before Femi could reply.
    “What was that about?” Gary asked when Femi joined him.
    “He fancies my sister,” Femi lied.
    Gary snorted.
    “Does she fancy him?”
    “Nuh, she’s not interested. She says boys are only after one thing!” They both giggled.
     
    After supper, as Papa reached for the door handle, ready for his evening shift in the cab, Femi pretended that he had suddenly remembered something.
    “Oh Papa—I’ve got football practice on Saturday—at school—after swimming.” He had heard Papa talking about an appointment he had in Docklands on Saturday afternoon. That meant there would be no risk of him dropping in to see the practice.
    “You’re going to get into that team one of these days!” Papa’s face lit up. “But I want you home by five at the latest.”
    “Thank you, Papa. I will,” Femi said automatically. He was counting on luck. He didn’t even know yet where Errol lived. But Sade was going with Papa to Docklands—and the chances were that they wouldn’t beback until at least six.
    “You will get into the team—or be back by five?” Sade asked bluntly.
    “Both!” declared Femi. He smirked at her.
     
    F RIDAY 3 RD O CTOBER
    9 P.M .
    I’m excited, Iyawo. Papa is taking me tomorrow to meet a friend of Mama’s. She’s a journalist who has just come back from West Africa. Papa says she’ll have the latest “inside” information. Her name is Hannah Greenwood, and she worked in Nigeria after Mama and Papa were just married. I was only three when she left, but I remember a photo in one of our albums back home of Mama with a white woman who is wearing a Nigerian wrap. She has short red hair like a boy’s and is laughing at the baby on Mama’s lap. Me! I wish I could