Mali Drive (Episode 27): The Killer Goes Home
It wasn’t that she was not happy to finally get answers and close the case; she just felt that it was only proper for her to figure out things for herself in a case that she had worked hard on for months and months. She wore a long purple sun dress, an unusual choice for work but not unacceptable for inspectors that go out on the field especially undercover.
“Yes sir, I had a restful day. Thank you” she finally answered him taking a few steps forward. She moved like she was preparing to bolt at any time “sit” Inspector Dele commanded; he neither paid attention to her timid presence nor the fact that he had never seen her in a dress before. He had a lot of work to do and if things moved along quickly; it would make him happy.
Rebecca sat down, a small purse hanging from her shoulder “going somewhere?” Inspector Dele asked looking at the purse glued to her body “no sir, I am just coming in. I came to your office straight”. He nodded and opened a drawer by his side, brought out an envelope and dropped it in front of her.
She looked at the envelope and looked at him, as if she was seeking permission to open it and permission was given with a nod. She opened the envelope and the first things she brought out were pictures of Inspector Onu and Abel; she looked at Inspector Dele with a shocked look and continued looking at more pictures Inspector Onu and Abel eating, drinking, playing chess.
She looked at Inspector Dele again still shocked “I started following Onu ever since you hinted to me that you didn’t trust him. I’ve been following him for months… he and Abel are cousins” “What?! But I… I… I” “I know, it was his very well kept secret. Continue looking” he implored now watching her intently.
She put her hand back in the envelope and brought out more pictures; pictures of Abel eating, drinking, sleeping and digging out the knife he buried at the lake. When she brought out pictures of herself, pictures of her following Abel around town; her heart skipped fifteen beats “you were also following me?” she couldn’t hide the fact that she was offended “you don’t trust me too?” an intense frown appeared on her face.
“Don’t take it personal, I had to dot my I’s and cross my T’s” he explained but the silence was proof that Rebecca was not pleased with the explanation “trust me, if I didn’t trust you I wouldn’t be showing you all these” his words relaxed her a little but she was still worried.
“Come with me” he stood up abruptly and she followed. They left his office and entered a long corridor that led to another part of the station; the part with the jail cells that housed criminals in transition.
As they walked through the long corridor, Rebecca felt a calmness she had not known for a very long time “the case is coming to an end” she heard a voice in her head say “but I am not ready to let go” she blurted “what did you say?” Inspector Dele asked “hmmm? I didn’t say anything” she lied quickly smiling at him.
She wasn’t ready to let go of the case, she wasn’t to face herself again; the case was a way for her to cope with what Bishop Chukwu did to her and working on the case had cost her so much including Ben. Ben the love of her life for whom she felt nothing for; she felt nothing for no one, she felt nothing period.
Rebecca thought that her working on the case was a way to prove to herself that whatever Bishop Chukwu did to her did not affect her; to her not working on the case meant that it affected her but now that the case was coming to a close, she could now see that the case was a way for her to lie to herself and not face the wrong that was done to her months ago.
“Here we are” Inspector Dele announced as they arrived the door of an interrogation room. In the room was a young man not above twenty-five years old; he looked like he had been crying “this is Ngozi Richard” Inspector Dele walked closer to Ngozi “Ngozi here is the man who killed Nkechi and shot you in the hospital” if Rebecca’s eyes could pop out of their socket, they would have “did you think we were going to let the man who shot you go scot-free?” he said replying to the puzzled look on her face.
“Ngozi, tell her who sent you to kill the girl you suffocated in the hospital” Ngozi lifted his face slowly, minding where to rest his look “the person wey send me na that Pastor Abel for that big church” Rebecca sat down, the shocking information she was receiving that morning was back to back; it was too much for her slender body.
“Tell her why he sent you to kill that girl” Inspector Dele had a smile on his face but nothing in that room was funny. “En talk say the girl know too many things, en talk say the girl see am the day en go kee the Bishop wey die that time”.
With this revelation, all Rebecca could do was look at Inspector Dele; he didn’t expect her to say much because he knew all these was very shocking for her. It was not the guilt of Abel that was so shocking but that they finally had a witness. A witness who was ready to sing like a canary.
“Wow sir, how did you do all these with no one knowing?” it was the only question she could ask at that moment “If you want something done perfectly, you do it yourself”