The Voice – Episode 5

The Voice – Episode 5

A story by Alabede Jude

 

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. 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 b***h” 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.

• ••••

To be continued…

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