The Voice - Episode 7

 

The news of the murder of the Senate President’s daughter has spread wide all around the country like a raging fire. The Senate President himself was out of the country on a business trip and it’s only a matter of time before the news reached him.

••••••••••

Cole stood up from the chair he previously sat on, and took a file on the table which was at his front. A knock sounded on the door just as he was about to open it.

“Come in”, he said aloud.

The door knob turned open and Agent Bola walked in with a file in her hands.

“The forensic found something and he wants you to come check it out”, she said dropping a file on the table.

“Oh!” Cole exclaimed gleefully . “I hope it should be something useful. Anyway let’s get going”, he said and left for the CIB lab. The lab was located at the second floor of the building while the topmost floor of the CIB tower was the DG’s office.

“Welcome detective” the forensic greeted him immediately he sighted him coming out of the elevator,bowing his head a little.

“Yeah, thank you” Cole said and asked. “So what do you have for me”

“Yeah, I got something” the forensic began and walked to a big flat computer which was embedded on the wall

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. He punched in a command on the monitor and a set of finger prints appeared on it; six in a row.

“From all the research I have done so far, I found a distinctive fingerprint on the neck region of the lady.. ”

“Fingerprints?” Cole asked, his face lit up with a glint of hope.

“Yes, I ran a test on it and it didn’t match with any of our suspects but am currently running a background check to clarify if it would match with any. The results would be out in two hours time”, the forensic explained.

"Did you check the CCTV footages?” Cole asked expecting him to say yes.

“Yeah I did”, the forensic replied.

“Did you find anything?” Cole asked anticipating the answer to be yes also.

“No”

Cole face changed. He shook his head and walked towards the system putting his hands on his waist.

“I found nothing spectacular, it was like every other day walking out from the hospital to her boyfriend’s house.” the forensic said removing the black sunshades from his eyes and sat down beside Cole facing another system.

“Is that what you found?” Cole asked without taking a glance at him as he had his gaze strictly fixed on the monitor checking the footages.

“What else would I have found?” the forensic asked rhetorically.

Cole immediately glanced at him with a furious look and returned his gaze back to the screen, he clicked on a footage and fast forwarded it to 23:00. The footage showed a lady who walked out from a hospital and the footage ended immediately.

Cole was surprised and he replayed it again but yet, it ended.

“The remaining part of this footage has been deleted” Cole said casting a glance at the forensic who immediately stood up with a puzzled look.

“Deleted?” he asked doubtfully.

“Yes or didn’t you notice that?”

“I didn’t take note of that” he replied Cole checking the footage himself and realization hit him.

“Who could have done this?” he said aloud to himself, loud enough for Cole to hear.

“Who else could have done it?” Cole asked  rhetorically raising his brows.

“Were you compromised?” Cole asked already figuring him out as the culprit.

“No, I wasn’t. Am not ….. I didn’t do it” the forensic stuttered trembling ferociously.

“How can I believe you?.. huh?” Cole said angrily slamming his hand hard on the table at his front.

“If you didn’t do it, then who did?” Cole couldn’t take it anymore, he stood up angrily, already pissed.
He walked out of the office and stopped abruptly at the door, and glanced back at him, shook his head and said.

“Even if you didn’t do it, no one could have possibly hacked into our systems because you and I know we have the highest maximum security breach”, he paused and looked at the young man, his head bent low in remorse as if he was being chastised by his father.

“You know, you are now a suspect” Cole finished and left the room with a vast agitation.

••••••••••••

Mr Akinola was fully clad in a designer agbada, a Yoruba attire which is usually worn by the local chiefs. He stood before a standing mirror in his room, checking himself out. He looked radiant and stunning in the outfit even though, he was a round, big, robust man with avpot belly that seems to house a set of triplets. He had a bald head which was concealed by a green cap to match with the attire. He was obviously going out to one of his Friend’s birthday party which he had to look exquisitely handsome and he did his very best at it.
He straightened his cloth and made to leave forgetting his two phones. One of the phones rang out loud and it reverberated in his head, he quickly went for it and checked the caller. The name he saw on it made him froze for a moment that he couldn’t think straight anymore and his once smiling face changed to a panicking one.

He picked it.

“Sorry, it wasn’t you. It’s a mistake” he heard a female voice say and his heart leapt up for joy, grinning.

The phone rang out loud for the third time and realization hit him. That was only his imagination and not the reality.

The reality was here, here for him. He wished he could swap his reality for his imagination but thats not possible. The phone was still ringing in his hand and the
caller I.d keep on displaying State Governor.

On a normal day, he wouldn’t have panicked but he knew what he had to deal with. With what seem like eternity, he eventually dragged the green icon on his iPad. The call
came through his private number just as it always does if something crucial is to be discussed.

Hello, hello, hello…” a husky voice said repeatedly.

“Are you there?” the voice came on again..

He kept mute, as he couldn’t talk. He needed to cool his nerves first before he could talk and he eventually did.

“Hello sir”, he said trying to be calm which did a little to hide his nervousness.

“Why didn’t you pick the call when I first called?, why were you not talking when you eventually picked up? and what is all these am hearing?” the state governor bawled over the phone asking dozen of questions at a time.

“I'm sorry sir!” Mr Ryan replied with a concealed tremor in his voice.

“Is that all you could say?”

“Yes sir”

“What are you spitting out of your mouth?… huh?….. do you realize that the Senate President called me?”
“Senate president?” Mr Akinola asked stupidly, his trembling voice now obvious.

“Don’t act as if you do not know, you do know that his daughter was murdered in my own state, right under your nose!” he yelled…

“I'm sorry sir…”

“No, you not sorry, coz if you really are, you wouldn’t have allowed that to happen. Now see what you caused to yourself, to me, to the state and to Nigeria as a whole….”

“You do realize I made you the director general of the flawless, criminal investigation bureau and I can fire you anytime, any day if you prove yourself to be incompetent. The state police CID wants to interfere and I would give them the chance they seek, they will work with you on this case to find the son of a bitch” the state governor finished saying and paused while silence was given the crown for the moment.

With what seemed like eternity, the state governor eventually talked easing the intense silence..
“Do not talk to me with a trembling voice next time I call you again, am I clear?”

"Crystal clear sir!”

“keep me updated” the state governor said and hung up the call.

Mr Akinola let out a deep sigh, his nerves were now cool. He had to cancel his trip to the party, since his mood was badly depressed. He doesn’t like the idea of the police CID working with him, he had to do something, not just somethin but something reasonable.

••••••••

Hours later, Cole was in his office, his head on his crossed hands which was on the table. He looked tired and exhausted coz his face said it all.
He kept on thinking of his futile investigation which he carried out hours ago, he had gone to the hospital she worked in and he could only gather little information about Wilson Deborah, the deceased. Her coworkers in the hospital all said they know nothing about her, that she was being secretive except for her close friend who divulged the crucial information he had to know.

“She always goes out late at night to see her boyfriend”, her friend said with tears prickling down her pretty face smearing the make up on her face.

She sat opposite to Cole and a table demarcated them.
Cole opened his mouth wide agape, surprised at the info.

“Who is the guy?” Cole asked as he jotted something on his notepad.

“I don’t know him” the girl said amidst sobs, she paused to clean the tears on her face with her bare palm.
“But she once told me that his name is Alex” the girl continued.

“Is that all you know?” Cole asked.

“Yes sir, I know nothing again” the girl replied.

“But do the doctors know about her sneaking out in the night?”

“I think they do, even if they don't she has authority to do whatever she likes"t

“Primarily because she is the daughter of the senate president?” Cole said.

“Yes", the girl nodded.

”But come to think of it, why don’t she use a car instead of walking on foot, she could have called one of her father’s driver to come pick her up with escorts for security purpose." Cole said thoughtfully.

“No, her boyfriend lives close by, so the need to use a car never arise. Moreover, she dosen't like to show off her father's wealth”

“Oh I get it now, thank you for your time, you’ve been really helpful and in case you have anything I need to know, make sure you contact me” Cole said and stood up, he brought out his card from his front pocket and dropped it on the table.

“Just call me, I’ll pick at first ring” Cole said and left.
Minutes later, he found himself at the front of a big mansion which belonged to the son of a hotel owner. Finding the mansion amongst several other mansions wasn’t easy, he had to go to each mansion before he finally found it.
He banged the gate but no one answered. He saw the doorbell beside the huge gate, he pressed the bell and heard the chime, still nothing, no one answered.
Just for the heck of it, Cole tried opening the gate, hoping it might be unlocked but it wasn’t. He ranged the bell again, keeping his finger pressed against it until it rang a third time too.

“hu be rat?” a hoarse male voice sounded from inside.
Cole kept mute, said nothing and he listened for movements. His ears picked one, footsteps approach the gate, he was sure the sound emanating from the steps was presumably a Dunlop slippers as the owner of the supposed Dunlop slippers dragged its legs on the floor.
Cole peered through the hole of the gate. He could make out a hazy figure coming towards the gate, the steps becoming louder, he heard a bolt slide and a chain rattle and then the gate opened.
Cole quickly stood upright and gazed at the man, obviously a gate man. He looked downwards to his leg and he confirmed his instinct to be true.

Read " The Atheist " by the same author ( Tz Jay )

. The black skinned man had a Dunlop slippers on. The man wondered what he was looking at..

“wetin u want?” the man asked revealing his brownish teeth.

“I need to see your boss, Alex” Cole said peeking through the space the boogie man left as he stood on the door way.

“hu yhu be?” the man asked. Cole didn’t have to talk, he only flashed his I.d and the man respected his old self, he retreated and headed back into the mansion to inform his boss.
Minutes later, the boogie man came out with a furious look.
“Oga talk say he no wan see u, make u comot for
Im dormot” the man said in his pidgin dialect.
Cole shrugged, he did expect that and he had other plans.

"Alright thank you” Cole said extending his hand for a handshake, the man shook hands with him grinning widely revealing his brownish teeth once more.
Cole smiled and headed back to his car which was parked far away from the mansion. His mission had been accomplished. He had secretly fixed a bug on the man's wrist without him knowing.

•••••••

A knock sounded on the door bringing him back from his reverie of thoughts. He immediately sprung up thinking it was the DG. The door opened and the forensic entered.
Cole stood up, his face contorted in abhorrence staring at him.

“Here are the results” the forensic said dropping a file on the table with his iPad.
Cole checked the iPad first, the file can wait. What he saw almost threw him off balance, he checked again to be sure of what he saw. yet, it remained adamant.
His mouth flew open wide agape like the gate to Jerusalem. The finger print matched with his, which only mean one thing….. he is the culprit.

“It was you” the forensic said pointing at him.

“No I didn’t, it wasn’t me” Cole defended.

“Who would believe you detective?”

“You did it or not, you are now a prime suspect” the forensic said and left the puzzled Cole.