It's been six months- Imade's Chronicles(Part 8)

Charles rushed into his brother's apartment. The ten-minute drive had felt like 10 hours.

He walked past neighbors who had rushed to the front of his brother's house, a team of police officers and paramedics. "Stephanie what happened?" he asked taking off his glasses to rub his now hurting eyes.

"I don't know, we weren't in the same room, we had a fight" she shook as she spoke

 "And...." she burst into rounds of tears

"It’s okay...." Charles consoled as he observed the scene of the murder

"This hit was done by a professional we suspect a timed assassination..." a police officer narrated to him after he had introduced himself

Charles scratched his head...his only brother had just been murdered same way their father was killed. "Can I see him please?"

"Yes..." a police officer led him to Ralph’s body....."We found his phone just by him. He must have received a phone call before his death"

Same way his father had died, he thought deeply. “Anything traceable on the phone?" he asked the police officer

"No, no leads, we found nothing on the phone. The last call came from an unknown user"

Another dead end. Chief Akande and his father had been murdered this way too...who could be behind this? "Take him away please". Charles said sadly

Stephanie sat on the floor crying.

Hypocrite, he thought. This lady never loved his brother yet, she was wailing upon his death. If he had been a shabby lawyer, he would have pinned these assassinations on her. But no, Stephanie had too much to lose. she wouldn't trade her retirement plan for this, besides this job was done by a professional, the angle of shooting, the phone call and the setup, it all seemed too strategic for Stephanie to plan- someone was trying to pass a message across

"Steph, take your son out of here, he shouldn't see his father like this"

Stephanie wailed even more as she was led out of the building

********

Imade walked into her office feeling lethargic. She had stayed up all night to study a murder case. Some unresolved murder case that had to do with a certain Dr Akande Gbadesola, barrister Adams Okafor and chief Peremo. The trio had been good friends and successful business partners. Why charles was so concerned with this case baffled her. Barrister Okafor had died six years ago which was shortly after Dr Akande's murder. Chief Peremo on the other hand was murdered last year.

The only suspect had been Chief Coker, a friend of the trio but he had been exonerated by his alibis at the time of both occurrences. On the first occasion he had been away for a surgery in India and on the second one, he was home with his wife and daughter - CCTV footage of his residence had proved that. Chief Peremo had been assassinated when he was also away on a business trip.

She sighed as she dropped the heap of papers on top of her desk.

The Akande family had given up on the case. The sole heir insisted he didn't want any further investigations but Charles wanted the case reopened. Who was Charles in the middle of all this? He had said he was 'the Akande's lawyer,' nothing more, wait, his last name is Okafor, but there was no evidence connecting him to the deceased. She walked back to the front desk, the office seemed a little bit awkward this morning

"Miss Camille, good morning" she greeted the hr. who had just entered the reception

 "Morning Miss Sabrina" she replied wearing a long look

"Where is barrister Charles please? I’d like to see him"

"He will be in shortly" she cleared her throat

 Imade walked back into her office uneasily, the office aura seemed so still and it scared her. She settled into her chair and closed her eyes to rest them. If the office wasn't so busy, she would have slept a little while. She jerked to the ringing of the intercom, stifling a yawn, she picked the receiver.

"Hello" she spoke softly

"Barrister Imade, the director is asking for you..." the receptionist spoke from the intercom

She walked into Charles’s office carrying all the case notes. Charles looked ruffled, unlike his usually collected self

"Good morning sir," she greeted

Charles nodded

"I went through the files like you asked me to, there's really nothing to pursue here" she flipped the pages

"Give me something dammit!" Charles banged the table and rose

"I tried but..."

"I just knew you were incapable of this.....such a shame" he kicked hard then rubbed his head

"That’s rude, you don't talk to people the way you want" she sighed. “I found a link between Chief Coker and an anonymous lady called Cindy

"How did you get that, there was no name like that in the files" Charles sat on the edge of the table

"I read through the statements from different sources- mostly from the police"

"How did you get them?"

"I got some masked files from the police station." she had lobbied her way into the heart of a kind police officer within the week to get the said files. While she went about it professionally, the man had obliged her because he wanted more, his attitude towards her was obviously like that of a dog on heat.

"hmmmm...."  Charles cleared his throat. He knew the price for a female lawyer to get hold of files on a closed case. His heart was filled with so much agony, whatever she did, they would come to that later.

".....and  a certain Cindy who was in India around the same time chief Coker went for his surgery was said to have been seen around Dr. Akande repeatedly- more like a mistress, before his death

"This sounds confusing,”

"Same here, I noticed some parts of the files were tagged 'section x' and I plan on returning to the police station to get more files"

“Thank you..." he said almost whispering

" I know you want to find out what happened to your clients, but take things easy, i assure you we would find a way....we are closer than ever"

Charles tried to choke back a sob but the cry escaped...."I lost my brother last night, same way, same fashion, same way my dad and his best friend were murdered"

Imade moved closer to him, "I am so sorry, I am really sorry...I promise we will find the culprit!" she said taking him in her arms. Charles lay on her bosom and cried...Imade held him closer, rocking him gently and speaking softly to him, like a baby.

"I’m alone, all alone in this world, I feel so lonely....my mother died when we were kids...I was really close to my father and when he died I felt abandoned even though I still had my brother...it's so sad I didn’t get close to him while he was alive"

"Hey Charles, I am here for you...I promise you will never, ever be alone, come here" she said tightening her grip on him

Charles felt safe in her embrace...she rocked him like a mother would her child. He was beginning to feel better, like he was safe again

Imade moved to reach for a seat, her feet were beginning to hurt from standing and holding the man who leaned on her

"Don’t go, please" Charles begged

"I’m here, I just need to sit." he led her to sit with him on the sofa and adjusted to rest his head on her shoulder...the room fell silent, their heartbeats the only sound they were aware of.

"its okay Cee...." she stroked his chin

Charles raised his head and took her lips in his, letting her taste fill his senses. They both savored the kiss, two people who had longed to be together, no guilt, no regrets. Then he released her lips and placed his head in her lap. Like it belonged there.

A light bulb came on in Imade’s head! A puzzle she had been trying to solve all night - Charles was the son of chief Okafor, the lawyer to the Akandes’. Tony, Dr Tony Akande Jnr, was the son to the famous physician and neurologist G- Akande snr. Who then was chief Peremo? She was cracking this case, she just hoped she wouldn't crack two hearts in the process. "God help me" she whispered

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

Philip paced the room. He jerked as his phone rang

"Hello Cindy!" he greeted

"Hey, relax its done" she chuckled

"Good!" he released a sigh of relief

"What do you even stand to gain by killing him?"

"His brother reopened the files, I heard from a reliable source that he was planning to work on the case again. This should make him know are closer than he thinks and scare him off”

"Chief Coker said you should check your account; he has credited you with some money."

"Cindy, I am beginning to tire of this arrangement, my wife is becoming too difficult"

“I’m still wondering why you haven't killed that girl" 

“Chief Coker wants her alive"

"Well, that can be settled"

"If she dies, I’ll lose everything, right now she is the sole signatory to all our accounts."

"How do you guys even get this foolish? I am the one who spent a year in jail yet I’m way smarter than the rest of you"

"Relax Cindy, I need you to help me"

"Well, I have a new connect. She was brought in when I was in prison, she seemed like a hard-nut to crack at first. She even played the good behavior part till we both got pardoned. I’ll bring her into the picture. We need to get you a side chic to spite your wife."

"I have cheated on her severally, she has gotten used to it"

"Well, you haven't done it to her face. That wife of yours breathes the air around you, she won't be able to stand the pain of your cheating. This girl would do a good job on that- I haven't even told you why she went to prison"

"Why? Armed robbery?"

'Worse! Attempted murder, kidnapping and fraud"

“That is huge"

"She kidnapped the man who refused to love her and even shot another who rejected her"

"Okay this girl is creepy"

"The very person we need Phil"

"Okay if you think it would work"

"It will...she is good, she even held a conversation with ralph while I pulled the trigger... she sounds like me, more like a voice copy"

"hmmmmm, deadlier?"

"I’d say ruthless"

"Then bring her in, Chief Coker would like her”

“He’s even sleeping with her already!" she laughed "Remember Philip this is all games, you belong to me"

"Yes I know...I love you too"

"Okay bye” she hung up"

Philip laughed hard. One down, three more to go then the oil wells would belong to him, Chief Coker and Cindy....or maybe this new girl.... maybe. The daughter of chief Peremo didn't know what awaited her. 

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

"Hey babe how far?"

"I’m cool" Ade puffed on her cigar

"I have a new job for you" Cindy said with a devilish grin

"I was just getting bored of being jobless" Adesuwa replied

"See this guy," Cindy handed her a photograph

"Hmmm, he's cute"

"Sorry mama, he is mine..."

"Well, I can live with that"

"I need you to date him, his wife is a big catch and we want her money. She isn't cooperating for now but a fidelity check on her husband will make her a fool"

"hmmmm girls who love deeply. I know what to do, can I see a picture of her?"

"Yes..." Cindy shuffled through a handful of photographs and picked out ember's picture

hmmmmm....Ember, Ese's friend, or her old friend, was in this twist too Adesuwa thought,.... she would gladly take this offer. Her father had sent her out once she got home from prison and her mother had cursed her...this one will never know peace. She was back for Ese, but before then, everyone Ese knew would pay, it was Ralph, now it would be Ember...the enemy of her enemy was....a good friend

"I’ll take the job!" she said smiling deviously.

To be continued.........