All Chapters of Beneath Lagos Rain: Chapter 211 - Chapter 220

Three days later.The Commission's request reached Accra just after sunrise.Professor Elias Mensah had been gone for twelve years, but his family had responded almost immediately.His daughter, Dr. Abena Mensah, agreed to meet the investigators.Not because she believed her father had done anything wrong.But because she had grown tired of unanswered questions herself.Amara, Samuel and Nathan arrived in Accra that afternoon.The July air was warm, carrying the scent of the nearby Atlantic Ocean.Their meeting had been arranged at the University of Ghana, where Dr. Mensah taught political history.Unlike the Commission's interview rooms, her office felt welcoming.Bookshelves covered every wall.Old maps of West Africa hung beside framed academic certificates.A photograph of Professor Mensah occupied a small corner of her desk.He looked exactly as he had in the Malta conference photograph, only older.Kind eyes.Calm smile.A man who seemed more comfortable listening than speaking.

The drive from Jos to Abuja was unusually quiet.Rain drifted across the highway in short bursts, forcing Samuel to slow the vehicle more than once.Nathan sat in the back seat, flipping through his notes from the meeting with Justice Emmanuel Ojo.He stopped at the same page for what felt like the tenth time.Finally, he closed the notebook."I don't like it."Samuel kept his eyes on the road."What?""He knows who V.A. is."Amara looked out of the window."Yes.""And he deliberately chose not to tell us.""Yes."Nathan sighed."I understand protecting a promise.""But we're investigating one of the largest conspiracies in the country's history."Amara turned to face him."No."Nathan frowned."No?""We're investigating what happened after Horizon."She spoke calmly, choosing each word with care."Those are not the same thing."Nathan looked unconvinced."If Justice Ojo knows something that could help us, doesn't he have a responsibility to tell us?"Before Amara could answer, Samuel

Nathan arrived before sunrise.The Commission's research office was still dark when he unlocked the door.He switched on only the desk lamp.The name of the Maltese policy institute remained on the screen in front of him.It had once been respected across Europe.Now, it barely existed in public records.No official website.No surviving publications.No recent references.It was as though history had quietly allowed it to disappear.An hour later, Amara and Samuel joined him.Nathan slid several printed reports across the table."I spent half the night searching."Samuel picked up the first page."What did you find?""Almost nothing."He gave a tired smile."And that's exactly what worries me."Amara frowned."Explain."Nathan pointed to a timeline."The institute operated openly for nearly fifteen years.""It organised conferences.""Published research.""Advised governments."He tapped the final date."Then it closed.""Why?""No bankruptcy.""No scandal.""No public investigation.

The rain had eased by morning.Sunlight broke through the clouds as Nathan arrived at Commission headquarters carrying the attendance sheet from the institute's retreat.He had spent half the night comparing signatures.Not looking for names.Looking for habits.The pressure of a pen.The angle of a stroke.The spacing between letters.Patterns often survived where memories failed.Amara found him standing before the evidence board."You've been here since dawn."Nathan smiled without looking away."I think the signatures are telling us something."Samuel placed a bag of pastries on the table."I hope they're also telling you to eat."Nathan finally laughed."I'll take a break."An hour later, Maria Camilleri joined them through a secure video call."I've received another response from the institute's former staff."Nathan looked up immediately."I thought everyone had retired.""They have.""But one person is still alive."She opened a folder."His name is Antonio Grech.""What was h

The following morning, Valletta awoke beneath clear blue skies.Fishing boats drifted quietly across the Grand Harbour as the first tourists wandered through the narrow stone streets.Daniel Borg met the team outside their hotel shortly after eight."The lighthouse is about a twenty-minute walk."Samuel looked towards the harbour."I thought we'd be driving."Daniel smiled."The people you're trying to understand walked.""I thought perhaps you should too."No one objected.The streets gradually became quieter as they left the city centre.The sound of traffic faded, replaced by the steady rhythm of waves striking the rocks below.Finally, the old harbour lighthouse came into view.It was smaller than Amara had imagined.Built from weathered limestone, it stood firmly against decades of wind and salt.Though no longer in active use, it had been carefully preserved as part of Malta's maritime history.Nathan looked around."It doesn't seem like the sort of place where people would hold