To read the previous
episode, click Here
***
“Why would you need
a lawyer?” Tiwa asked.
“Don’t answer that
Abraham.” His father said to him. He looked at the detectives. “I think this is
the time to leave, please.”
“What are you hiding
Abraham?” Genevieve questioned.
Abraham uttered. “I am not hiding
anything! I need a lawyer to stop you from harassing me.”
“Abraham, I said
keep quiet!” Pastor Simon yelled.
“Maybe you slept
with her.” Tiwa said.
“I never slept with
Sade! She was like my younger sister!”
“I won’t tolerate
such questions and accusations here.” The pastor told her.
“I will do
everything I can to know why Sade wasn’t happy with you." Genevieve said. "You must have done
something to her and that was why she avoided you in school.”
He looked at her
face with anger engraved all over his eyes. “I didn’t do anything to Sade. We
had a little misunderstanding and before I could make amends, she was killed.”
He swallowed and bowed his head.
“Do you want to
cause chaos in my church?” The pastor asked them. “If that is your plan it
won’t work. If the devil sent you for destruction and to cause confusion in my
family, my God won’t allow it.”
The sound of cry
hushed Tiwa and Genevieve from saying anything further. Three of them gazed at
Abraham as he cried noisily. As he looked up, tears covered his face. He kept
shaking his head as he wrapped his arms around his body as if he was catching
cold. The pastor motioned towards him, put his hand on his back but Abraham
shoved his hand away furiously. He wiped his face quickly, stood and marched
out of the office leaving the door opened.
“What was that all
about?” Tiwa looked directly into Pastor Simon’s face.
“What do you mean by
that?” He questioned her and moved to the entrance. He peeped at the corridor
and saw Abraham resting his back on the wall. He appeared upset and furious.
“It seems your son
is unhappy with you. Why?”
“I will not say
anything anymore. Go out and investigate the death of Sade. If you want to ask
me any more questions, I advise you to contact my lawyer.”
Tiwa smiled.
Genevieve sighed and
stared at her. “Let’s go.”
They walked to
Abraham who turned away from their direction. He was fighting hard not to cry.
He sniffed his nose and folded his arms.
“Please leave me
alone. Zach is waiting for you. He is standing outside and you can identify him
with the blue shirt and white trousers.
“Thank you.”
Genevieve said.
Justine walked up to
Abraham. She didn’t acknowledge the detectives but they waited to listen to
what she wanted to say to him.
"Abraham, can we see after school tomorrow?" Justine asked him. " I want to discuss something important with you."
Genevieve felt Justine was partially blind for not noticing Abraham's facial expression.
"Okay." He said coldly.
She smiled, patted his shoulder and strolled away with a smile on her lips.
"Abraham, can we see after school tomorrow?" Justine asked him. " I want to discuss something important with you."
Genevieve felt Justine was partially blind for not noticing Abraham's facial expression.
"Okay." He said coldly.
She smiled, patted his shoulder and strolled away with a smile on her lips.
Tiwa made a call to
Adebiyi to send her Idara’s number. She called her immediately she received the
text.
“Hello, this is
detective Tiwa. I want you to do a favor for me. You have between today and
tomorrow to find out the residence of Pastor Simon Johnbull. Can you do that?”
“Yes ma.”
“Send the address the
moment you find it.”
“Okay ma. How is…?”
She turned to
Genevieve. “Something isn’t right. Abraham is hiding something and I must find
out.”
“You won’t be
invited to the house if you go there and we have no warrant.”
“I am not going to
search for anything. I just want to take a look at the floor in the house.”
“Do you think she
was killed there?”
“I
have no idea until I see the place.”
“We can ask any of
his church members for that.” Genevieve said.
“I don’t want any of
them to know I know his place. I will wait in the car while you talk with
Zach.”
“Thanks.”
Tiwa introduced herself to Zach. She asked him for information about the women he suspected Jordan asked out or dated in the church. When he refused, she promised to tip him. He mentioned two choir members and an usher's name. She wrote their names on a piece of a paper and thanked him with the money.
Tiwa introduced herself to Zach. She asked him for information about the women he suspected Jordan asked out or dated in the church. When he refused, she promised to tip him. He mentioned two choir members and an usher's name. She wrote their names on a piece of a paper and thanked him with the money.
***
Tiwa wore her
trousers suit on Monday morning and made a call to Genevieve. She informed her
she would be visiting Sade’s mother and they decided to meet at the office
later. Idara had given Genevieve the home address of Pastor Johnbull. Adebiyi travelled
with his private jet to make a quick visit to his future father in law.
Mrs. Akanju opened
the front door for Tiwa. She was not surprised to see her swollen face and
weary eyes. Both went to Sade’s bedroom and sat on the bed. After Tiwa respectfully
refused the water she offered, she started a conversation.
“I know the loss of
your daughter is a blow to you and bringing back memories of her can be
emotional. I want to ask you some questions about her. Will you be able to
answer them?”
She heaved a sigh
and smiled faintly. “I will try.”
“Detective Genevieve
and I already know who Abraham is. Why didn’t you want me and my partner to
know Abraham was your pastor’s son?”
The smile left her
lips. “I saw you at the church yesterday but I thought you were busy with the
pastor that was why I and my husband didn’t call you. After what our pastor did
for us? How could you expect us to involve his son with my daughter’s murder?
We already know he has nothing to do with it and bringing into it would damage
the relationship we have with our pastor. Is there a problem?”
“There is no problem,” Tiwa said. “There are
some questions I want to ask about pastor Johnbull and his son. Where is his
wife?”
“She travelled.”
“For how long?”
“It’s been a month.
She travels a lot because she is in charge of the other church in Ghana.”
“Abraham revealed
that Sade used to go to their house to spend the weekend whenever his mom is
not around.”
Mrs. Akanju nodded.
“That is correct. Sade goes to keep Abraham company. They are like siblings.”
“Whenever she comes
home after the short holiday, does her attitude change?”
“Her attitude?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“Did she leave here
happily to the house and came back unhappy and become cold towards you and her
father.”
She blinked her eyes
before she replied. “Yes, sometimes. I never asked her why because if there were
a problem she would have talked about it to me. She never hid anything from me.”
“You would have
asked her.”
“I thought she
didn’t want to come home and stay back with Abraham because she enjoyed her
stay there. Does it have to do with her murder?”
“No.” Tiwa lied.
“What does your daughter think about Pastor Simon Johnbull? I want you to think
first before you answer.”
Mrs. Akanju let out
a slow sigh and rubbed her laps gently while she thought deeply. “Sade didn’t
say much but a year ago, she asked me why our pastor was still paying her fees.
She felt he had done enough for the family. That was the period my husband
decided she would be spending weekends and holidays at the pastor’s residence.”
“Did you say a year
ago?”
“Yes. Although she
used to spend a night or two before until her dad made that decision.”
Tiwa rose and
adjusted her jacket. “Do not worry, Mrs. Akanju just know me and my partner
will find your daughter’s killer and rapist.”
Sade’s mom stood. “I
can’t believe she is gone. Whenever I close my eyes to sleep, I see her.”
“I am deeply sorry
for your loss. I will leave now.”
She escorted her to
the door and Tiwa drove away to the office.
***
Quincy called his
sectary into his office. The skirt length on her body was below her knees. He
warned her several times to dress appropriate but she heeded his advice. He
wasn’t happy with her but decided not to say anything.
“I called you here
because of the wine and card you gave me on Friday.”
“You didn’t like
them?” She asked.
“It was okay but I thought
they were from my wife but it wasn’t. The wine is still in the fridge. You can
take it home.”
“And the card?”
“I threw it away.”
“Oh!”
“Can you describe
the delivery man that came to deliver them?”
She stammered before
she made a sentence. “I can’t remember what he looked like sir.”
“Gina, you can’t remember?”
Quincy appeared surprised.
“No sir.”
“So there is nothing
you can tell me that can help me locate this delivery man?”
“No sir.”
“You can go now.”
“Yes sir.” Gina
moved to the door and halted. She turned back to face him. “Sir, even if it’s
not from your wife, I don’t see the reason why you don’t want to drink the
wine.”
“I have a reason
because this person has ulterior motive towards me. I am a married man.”
“Okay sir.” She rotated
and left the office.
***
“I need to talk to
you at the lab.” Tiwa said after she knocked on Genevieve’s door and opened it.
“Me too,” Genevieve
said and rose on her feet. “I just came back from pastor Johnbull’s residence.
She came out of her office and they walked towards the direction of the lab. “Were
you allowed inside?”
“I wanted to go in
and try my luck but I stayed back in the car when I noticed a bus with an inscription
on it.”
“What was written on
the bus?”
“Customtiles
Limited.”
She widened her
eyes. “What could they be doing there?”
“Probably getting
new tiles or filling the broken ones.”
“You can say that
again.” Genevieve knocked on the lab door and they walked inside. Omoni and her
assistant were there. They exchanged pleasantries. “We don’t have a warrant and
the boss is not around.”
“Even if he was
around, we don’t have tangible reasons that we suspect pastor Johnbull.”
“The pastor?” Omoni
asked in a stunned tone.
Kevin opened his
mouth in shock.
“It’s a guess until
we have evidence or even a witness.” Genevieve said.
“Witness?”
“Abraham is hiding
something and protecting someone.”
“His father?”
“Well, something
like that.” Tiwa faced Kevin. “If there was a struggle between a girl and a
man, and mistakenly they hit an award plague and it fell on the floor, is it
possible for it to break tiles on the floor?”
“It is very possible
considering the size and the make of the plaque. It could also be an artwork.”
“I saw some award
plaques in the pastor’s office. I am thinking he would also keep some in his
home. It could be his living room or bedroom.”
“That man I saw at
his church is egocentric.” Genevieve said. “If he kept such in his home, it
would be in his living room where people would notice it. The Customtiles vehicle didn’t
stay long because three of their workers left ten minutes later after I got
there.”
“We can’t conclude
yet. We already know the pastor is a client of Customtiles limited.”
Tiwa moved forward to where Omoni sat. “I saw the victim’s mother and we talked. You mentioned there was a scar on the left arm of Sade which was likely a year ago.”
Tiwa moved forward to where Omoni sat. “I saw the victim’s mother and we talked. You mentioned there was a scar on the left arm of Sade which was likely a year ago.”
“That’s true.”
“Mrs. Akanju stated
her daughter started spending more time at the Johnbull’s home a year ago.”
“And that could give
whoever she was sleeping with enough room and time to molest her. Christ! She must have refused the first time. He hit and gripped her hard on the arm to cause such scar."
“Remember Sade’s
friend mentioned she heard her say ‘my father is the cause of it’.” Genevieve
said.
“And it was the
father who made the decision for her to spend more time there.” Tiwa said. “He didn’t
know it would endanger the life of his daughter. The pastor’s wife is hardly
around.”
She looked at Tiwa. “It
is obvious Abraham is not her killer.”
“No. Is either he
knew about it and chose not to do anything about it or he could be an accomplice.”
“What if Sade found
out he knew, was disappointed and they quarreled about it.”
“Considering the
reaction of the pastor at his office, he didn’t know Abraham and Sade had a
misunderstanding. This is not a coincidence you saw Customtiles limited bus in
front of their house. The pastor must have repaired it to cover up his act.”
Tiwa sighed. “Abraham
said he was with his father between five and seven on the day Sade died. He is
either an accomplice or he is covering up for his dad. He shoved his dad's hand off his back at
the office and there must be a reason for that. When he looked at his father
before asking him to get a lawyer, I didn’t see fear or grief in his eyes, I saw
anger.”
“We need to have
evidence to prove Pastor Simon is a killer and a rapist.”
“What if Abraham is
only a witness?” Omoni asked.
“Then he would have
to testify against his father and that is exactly what he does not want.”
Genevieve asked. “How
do we persuade him to do that?”
“I have no idea and
it makes me mad.” Tiwa said in an angered tone. “Let’s see the corn seller.”
“Okay.”
They drove there and
the first thing the woman selling corn did was frown when she sighted Tiwa.
“It seems you remember
me.” She said to her.
“Why I no go remember
you. Wetin you want?”
“A girl was killed
and raped by someone we are searching for…”
“How does that one
concern me?” She didn’t allow Genevieve finish her statement.
“We are begging you
in the name of Almighty God. If you saw something on that day, please let us
know.”
“I no see anything!”
She looked at her children playing with toys on the ground. “I no want trouble
with police wahala.”
“We will protect you
if you are afraid.” Tiwa said.
“Madam, I no need
your protection. Make una leave me alone, abeg ooo.”
“The mother of the girl
that died is still grieving. She is sad and need us to find the killer of her
child. As a mother, please have pity on that woman.”
“So I be bad person
abi?”
“No way! We are
ready to do anything you want, just tell us what you saw on that day.”
The corn seller
sighed. “I no want anything. I no really see the man wey drop her for ground.”
“You saw a man?”
“Yes but e dey dark.”
“Only a man?”
Genevieve asked.
“Yes.”
“There was no boy
with him?”
“No. I no see e face
but I remember sey the car wey he drive na white pickup. He quickly come out of
the motor and open the boot. He carry the body put for ground and drive commot.”
“Can you explain
what you mean by pickup?”
“That motor wey get
big boot for back. Na only front seat e get.”
“Oh okay.” Tiwa
said. She brought out her phone and surfed the internet for pictures. She showed it to the woman and she pointed at a white Hilux.
“There was a white Hilux
parked in front of the Akanju’s house the first day we went there.” Genevieve
took Tiwa a bit away from the woman. ”The pastor was there too.”
“This can’t be a
coincidence again; pastor Johnbull is definitely the killer and the rapist.”
***
To be continued…Sunday.
Great follow up to the previous chapter...and a delight to read. Greetings!
ReplyDeleteGreetings!
DeleteNice one Carina.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteNice one Carina, it will be a little difficult to prove that d pastor is d killer, I hope his son will say something.
ReplyDeleteI hope so.
DeleteThanks Dayo!
Bastard!!! I so hate him now. God!!!
ReplyDeleteHello Jolly!
DeleteHmmm.... quite sad. Sade's mum will be devastated to know that her trusted pastor killed her daughter.
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed.
Quite sad indeed.
DeleteHey Carina, please keep the good job up. I really love what you do. Stay blessed.
DeleteAwww…. Thanks love I appreciate you.
DeleteNice one dear!
ReplyDeleteWhy do i have a feeling there's going to be a twist to this story????
The way this episode ended makes me suspect there's more to it than meets the eye.
Well done!!!
Thanks pearlyTee!
ReplyDeleteWell done Carina. Thumbs up for you.
ReplyDeleteYou will go places.
Looking forward to the next episode.
Amen.
DeleteThank you Busola.
*kisses & hugs* for you!
Welldone carina,great job
ReplyDelete