Shocked and embarrassed by the public disgrace, Ndubisi hurried over and pulled her wrapper properly around her body before crouching beside her.
"Ego, what is wrong?"
"Ndu, someone has tampered with my Nwaza."
"Is that not what you are holding?"
"No, it is not. Someone changed it."
For years, Ego had managed to keep the bird and everything associated with it a closely guarded secret. Not even Ndubisi knew that the source of her extraordinary wealth was a mysterious bird.
So, to him, the sight before him was almost incomprehensible. The richest woman in Nekede was sitting on the cold ground in the middle of the night, crying uncontrollably over an ordinary-looking bird.
"Can I ask why this bird is so important to you?" he asked.
"No! You can't. That is beside the point!" she snapped.
"Nne, it is alright. Just calm down."
He waited until her breathing had steadied before asking, "How do you know this is not your bird?"
Ego said nothing.
Instead, she handed the bird to him.
Ndubisi took it and examined it carefully, still unsure what he was supposed to be looking for.
"If it is my Nwaza," Ego finally said, "it would have disappeared immediately you touched it."
"Oh, I see. Is that so?" he asked, but the disbelief in his voice was impossible to hide.
Ego saw the doubt written plainly across his face.
It hurt.
"Give it back to me. You of all people don't believe me."
"No, Nne, it is not that. I'm just finding it difficult to digest what you have just told me."
He instinctively pulled the bird farther away from her.
That only aggravated her.
Ego hissed and reached for it.
"Give me my bird!"
She grabbed at it, but Ndubisi instinctively moved his hand away.
The bird slipped.
For a brief moment, it fluttered helplessly between them.
Then it broke free.
It flew into the darkness.
Ego stared after it in disbelief.
"My Nwaza!"
She spun around and attacked Ndubisi.
"You let it go!"
She slapped him repeatedly, first on one cheek, then the other. Ndubisi tried to reason with her, but she was no longer listening.
"Nne, calm down!"
"You let it escape!"
She continued striking him until he finally caught both her arms and pulled her into a tight embrace.
She struggled violently for a few seconds, but when she realized she could no longer free herself, her resistance disappeared.
She buried her face against his chest and began crying.
Not the quiet tears of a woman trying to remain composed.
She wept like a child.
Her source of wealth was gone.
Her security was gone.
Everything she had built seemed to have vanished in the space of a few seconds.
And for the first time since becoming wealthy, Ego remembered an old Igbo saying:
"Aku n'efe efe."
Wealth flies.
Being wealthy today does not guarantee that wealth will remain tomorrow. Just as wealth can unexpectedly land on one's roof, it can just as easily take flight and settle on another person's roof.
That was why wealth was supposed to be used to help others while one had it. Life could change without warning.
"Nne, it is okay," Ndubisi whispered, gently rubbing her back. "I understand now how important this bird is to you. We will find whoever did this to you. Please, just stop crying."
But his words fell on deaf ears.
Ego continued sobbing.
Then, suddenly, she stopped.
She pulled herself away from him and wiped her tears.
"Onumara!"
"Yes, Nda!"
"Go and bring Okemmiri."
Onumara froze.
"Okemmiri?"
"Yes. The chief priest of Amadioha. Bring him here immediately."
"Yes, Nda."
He hurried away.
Ego stood there for a few seconds, breathing heavily.
Then she turned toward the household.
"Everyone, gather here!"
One after another, the members of the compound came forward.
The atmosphere became tense.
Ego stood before them with her hands firmly planted on her waist.
"Who entered that room?"
Nobody answered.
"I asked who entered the room where my bird was kept."
Silence.
"Whoever did it should speak now."
Still nothing.
"I am giving you an opportunity to confess. Whoever tells me the truth now, I will forgive."
The people looked at one another.
No one spoke.
Her eyes moved from one person to another until they settled on Oluchukwu.
Oluchukwu noticed immediately.
She looked confused.
"Nda, why are you looking at me like that?"
Ego said nothing.
There were three things that had to exist for a crime to succeed: motive, means, and opportunity.
Oluchukwu had motive.
She needed money desperately. Although she had been employed and treated well, her mind had never forgotten the enormous debt her father owed.
She also had means.
Almost no one had access to Ego's private rooms. Oluchukwu, however, knew the compound better than most people. She knew where everything was and understood Ego's routines.
And then there was opportunity.
When Ego travelled to Nnewi, Oluchukwu had remained behind, claiming that she was suffering from stomach pains.
Ego had initially accepted the excuse without question.
Now, it seemed suspicious.
But Oluchukwu was not the only person Ego suspected.
There was also Obinwa.
A few nights earlier, after visiting Nwaza, Ego had opened the hut door and carefully looked around to make sure nobody was watching. She had stepped outside and closed the door behind her.
She had barely gone a few steps when someone called her name.
She froze.
The sudden fright caused the pouch of cowries in her hand to fall to the ground.
She turned around.
It was Obinwa.
He apologized for startling her, explaining that he only wanted to be certain it was actually her.
Ego had been too shaken to respond.
But after he disappeared from sight, she had returned for her cowries and gone back to her room.
Obinwa was therefore the only person who had seen her leaving that hut carrying money.
Could he have figured out the secret?
Could he have returned later and exchanged the bird?
The possibility was frightening.
When Ego finished addressing everyone, she motioned for Oluchukwu to follow her.
They moved a short distance away from the others.
"Oluchukwu," Ego said softly, "tell me the truth. Did you enter that room?"
"No, Nda."
"Are you certain?"
"Yes."
"You know what is at stake."
"I know."
Ego stared into her eyes.
"Are you willing to swear before the gods that you had nothing to do with what happened to Nwaza?"
Oluchukwu did not hesitate.
"Yes."
"You are willing to swear?"
"Yes. A clear conscience fears no accusation."
Ego studied her for a few more seconds.
"Alright."
She turned away.
"The Dibia will soon arrive, and everyone will have to prove their innocence by swearing before the gods."
She paused, then raised her voice so everyone could hear.
"And when the culprit is found, I promise you, he or she will pay dearly!"
With that, Ego stormed away, leaving the household standing in uneasy silence.