TRUTH AND FICTION - CHAPTER THREE

BODE

We have to take a stand now Mr. Umunachi; it’s been two weeks since Ike was last seen in public. The police are trying hard not to draw attention to this case but if we keep stalling they will think there is more to this than meet the eyes.

You are right, besides Ike’s signature is not on any of the implicating documents. How are we doing with Mr. Obiago? Have you been able to get him to see reason with us? We need him and Arinze in our corner if I am to get out of this unscathed.

It’s almost in the bag Sir, my boys have been able to gather enough evidence against Arinze the Commissioner of police. We hired a student who secretly taped them while have sex and as for Obiago the Chief Justice we have pictures of him taken from a gay club in Ikeja. They are definitely going to be in our corner once we give them a slight nudge.

Aaaah! Bode my man! Blackmail huh! That is classic! Who would have guessed that Arinze the uptight man was an ass banger! Hehehehehe. You have done well Bode; I will call Ike to meet with you so that you guys can go to the police station. How long do you think they will hold him for?

One night at most Sir; he is not a common, poor criminal that they will lock up like that. With me at his side and no incriminating evidence against him, they will have to release him in less than 24 hours.

Ok, do it.

*****************************************************************************

Bode Benson swerved his chair around to face the windows. He stared absently at the clear view of Obalende his office offered. He loved his job; being a lawyer was amazing… but not any lawyer, a high power corporate lawyer for the wealthy men of Lagos who had skeletons to hide and could afford his fees. Guilt was not his problem. He went to bed each night feeling fulfilled and woke up in the morning excited at the prospect of making impossible situations a reality. He was a sore loser with a core belief that only poor people had morals. Lagos was only for those who knew how to take!

His phone buzzed from the table behind him. He picked it up and saw an unknown number flashing across the screen. He figured it was Ike calling so he picked the call. They conversed briefly and arranged to meet up at Marina before heading to the Police station at Victoria Island where the charges originated from. The officer in charge of this case was a ball buster and Bode always enjoyed getting a rise out of him. It was always a delight showing those sullen faced, hungry looking, naïve thinking nationalist wannabes what they were missing out on.

IKE

Ike despised the man sitting across from him, Aliyu Kaura, the Assistant Superident of Police attached to his case. He was thin, too thin in Ike’s opinion. His jaws were gaunt and his eyes sunken and blank. He had a small round head, messy beards that hadn’t seen a clipper in weeks plus an irritating habit of stroking his beards while he starred hard at Ike. It was unnerving. They had been sitting in this small, dimly lit room for 5 minutes that felt like forever and ASP Kaura had not uttered a word. The lawyer Mr. Bode Benson was tapping his feet angrily, impatience written all over his features.

So Mr. Umunachi I know what answers you are going to give to my questions already. ASP Kaura began in clear English. You rich people are all the same. Puffy suits, creamy skin and fat, stuck up lawyers. He gazed at Mr. Benson with derision in his eyes. I still have to ask anyway and don’t worry I am going to fix you up with the Hampton Suite we have here at the station… you will absolutely love it! The sarcasm was clear as day. Ike wanted to hit Kaura with the lamp on the table…he was angry but kept calm.

Were you aware of the dealings of your father as regards all the charges brought against him and his company?

No

Were you party to any of the dealings that took place?

No

Did you see or hear anything suspicious that seemed criminal in nature during the period when you worked for the company?

No

Did you know that your Father was forging the signature of his clients and swindling money from their accounts?

No

Has your father ever mentioned Peter Elekwachi, the Niger Delta man famous for oil bunkering to you?

No

Where have you been for the past two weeks?

On holidays…

Do you have anything to say that might be of help to us as we work this case?

No

Do you know where your father is right now?

Listen ASP Kaure, my client has told you all he knows! You can keep rewording your questions anyway you want but you won’t get anything out of him and you don’t have evidence to support any of your fictitious claims. So I suggest you cut back on the righteous attitude and quit badgering my client!

It was lawyers like this that made his job difficult. Kaure hated the system. He had been recruited into the force fresh out of University full of hope and desire. He wanted to make a difference; show people that not all cops were corrupt. His colleagues kept their distance, the lawyers were rude, people refused to co-operate with the police and darn it! But he was tired of seeing rich people walk free every time. The cases almost never went to court, so what was the point of wasting state resources on an investigation if they knew how it would all end. He hated the beards, yet he kept it because his oga felt that it made him look scary during interrogations. It worked with the low lives but the lawyers of the rich saw past it all.

He sighed deeply…he was tired. There was no use keeping this snooty ass for the night if he was walking free in the morning.

You can go…your father is the main culprit here anyways. We will find him and until then you cannot leave the state without first contacting me or my superiors. We might need you to come in and answer some questions from time to time.

EGO

She took her brother to the park to meet up with his friend. Saturday mornings seemed to be the only day when Ebube acted like a 12 year old. He was laughing and breathing hard as he wheeled around the court playing basketball with his friends. They were all like him, special children in a wheelchair who wanted to be normal but were either caught up in their own self-loathing or too angry at the world to have any fun. But on Saturday they let go when they played at the park; leaving behind their troubles and having as much fun as possible.

She tried to keep up with the game as wheelchairs seemed to breeze past her at an incredible speed but she simply had too much on her mind. She still didn’t know where Ike and her father were. Every time she asked her mum, the only answer she got was God is in control. She was tired and scared. Two weeks had gone by and they all seemed to be walking on egg shells at home. The situation at school wasn’t much better. She avoided Emeka like a plague since ‘the incident’ as she thought of it. Her friends had no idea why she no longer spent any time with them, truth was she was racked with guilt. She lied to her mother; something she never did and had caved into peer pressure to have sex when she was not remotely ready. She should have known better. The Caleb affair would always be a sordid tale and trying to use Emeka to recreate new memories had not worked. She wanted to move into the hostel, make new friends and reconnect with Adanne who also happened to be in the boarding house. This way she would not be easily distracted and could avoid all the drama currently going on at home.

Like a dream she saw Ike walking towards her. He looked frazzled. There were massive bags under his eyes and his beards were scruffy. He had lost a bit of weight and it showed around his waist. She ran towards him and engulfed him in a hug.

Ike! O my God! Ike! Where have you been, are you okay? You seem so tired? Thank God you are here!

She touched his face and forced him to turn around so she could see for herself that he was indeed fine.

His smiled at her, a weak one yet genuine. Ego, I have missed you too. I came straight from the police station and before you ask any questions, lets’ discuss this at home when mama is present so I don’t have to tell this story twice.

They walked back towards the bench, hand in hand as they drew strength and comfort from that physical contact denied them for so long.

How is Ebube doing out there? He must be on the winning side if He has not noticed my presence yet.

She couldn’t take her eyes off him…lest he suddenly disappear again. Everything was going to be okay. Ike was here to take charge and her mind was made up about going to boarding house next term. Her father as always would find a way to get himself out of the mess he most likely had created. Finally…the weekend didn’t seem so gloomy anymore.