He had hurriedly followed the police to the salon after they had arrested Kelvin the day before. He was impatient as they drove in the police car to the scene. He didn't still believe the news until he got to the salon and saw his friend laying lifelessly on the floor in blood.
He couldn't take it, he screamed like a terrified child, he wanted to rush to the body but was held by the policemen around. They couldn't console him and had to lead him away from the scene as he couldn't keep calm watching them scrutinize the body of his dear friend.
He wondered why someone had just decided to put Frank's family in grief. He couldn't imagine how Frank's parent will take the news when it is broken to them. They will probably give up the ghosts too because he was their only son and their only source of survival. He stood up and paced the living room solemnly.
"Was Kelvin Frank's murderer? Could he have killed Frank during the fight?", several thoughts raced through his mind. He knew Frank was stubborn and wouldn't have listened to Kelvin. Maybe it was during the fight that Kelvin had mistakenly struck him dead.
Bode was still lost in thoughts when a knock sounded at the door. He walked slowly to the door and peeped through the hole. There was a uniformed police officer and a Lady in casual clothes with him. He opened the door and allowed them in.
"Good afternoon Mr Bode" the Lady greeted as she walked in with her colleague.
"Good afternoon"
"I'm inspector Helen, inspector in charge of the murder case of Mr Frank"
"Okay, you're welcome"he said and ushered them to the seats.
"First, I must really say I'm sorry for the loss of your friend. We are working on the case and we promise you that soon, the murderer would be brought to justice"
"Thank you" he said almost silently, tears forming in his eyes again.
"Okay, we've come to ask you some questions and we'll appreciate if you cooperate with us so that the investigations can go on smoothly"
"Okay, you can go ahead and ask your questions"
"Thank you" she cleared her throat and continued. "For how long have you been staying in this apartment with the deceased?"
"I've been here with Frank and Kelvin since we finished serving. That's about three years ago"
"Okay. That means you know his friends and enemies?"
"Yes, we barely hide things from each other"
"Alright, so when did the enmity between the deceased and Kelvin start?"
"They were never enemies, they started quarreling often since we met Amarachi and Ini"
"Who's this Ini and Amarachi?"
"Ini is Kelvin's girlfriend while Amarachi is her Friend whom Frank is in love with"
"So, what do you think would have caused Kelvin and Franks clash recently?"
"Frank caught Kelvin on bed with Amarachi whom he is in love with"
"Okay, so you think Kelvin killed him to have this Amarachi?"
"No, Kelvin cannot kill anyone talk more of his friend" Bode argued. "See, we all quarrel a lot but we don't hate each other"
"So what else do you think Kelvin killed Frank for?"
"Kelvin did not kill Frank. He cannot" Frank replied, this time raising his voice in anger.
"But Kelvin's wallet was found at the scene"
"They had a fight yesterday but Kelvin could not have killed him"
"Were you at the scene at the time they fought?"
"No"
"So don't you think the fight went rough and Kelvin..."
"Noooo" Bode slammed his hand on the intended table. "No"
"Alright Mr Bode. I think you are emotionally unstable now. We'll have to come back for this questioning"
"Yes, please"
"But before we go, we'll need to search this house for any evidence"
"You can go ahead and search"
"Okay"
Bode watched as they searched the living room, they couldn't find anything. They proceeded to the bedrooms and entered each bedroom, one after the other. Kelvin's bedroom was the last they searched. After almost one hour of searching, the junior inspector spoke up.
"I've found something here ma"
"What's that?" Inspector Helen asked
"It's a shirt stained with blood"
"Oh, good. That's an exhibit"
++++++++++++++++
Bola walked into her house still furious about the outcome of her meeting with her Father. She entered the living room still murmuring in argument with herself.
She stopped as her eyes met Sandra's. She dropped her bag on the table and faced Sandra who was seated with her hands on her chin.
"Anything the matter?" She asked as she sat beside Sandra.
"Kelvin was arrested by the police yesterday night"
"Arrested? For what?"
"For murder"
"Murder? Did he kill someone? Where did you hear that from?"
"From the office this morning, he wasn't at work and that was the subject of discussion for all staffs"
"Na wa o" Bola exclaimed in surprise, "who did they say he murdered?"
"He couldn't have done it. I'm sure he couldn't have done it", Sandra continued in tears. "They said he killed his Friend Frank"
"Huh?" The answer shocked Bola
"Sorry, who did you say he killed?" She asked again.
"He didn't kill him. They found Frank's body dead in his salon"
"Nooooo, my Frank" she held Sandra's shirt by the collar and shook her violently. "Please tell me it's not true"
++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Look at me Kelvin" Inspector Helen said, looking straight into Kelvin's eyes. "You don't have to go through all this sufferings, you're a very handsome young man. Just tell me, how it really happened"
"I only had a fight with Frank, I didn't kill him"
"You didn't kill him? But we found him dead"
"I don't know about that. I can't kill Frank, he's more than a friend to me, he's a brother"
"But you left him badly injured?"
"Not really, I was the one who was injured more from the fight"
"Okay, but do you think he killed himself?"
Kelvin hesitated a little before answering, "No, he couldn't have killed himself. He was a stubborn guy and doesn't give up on anything, I don't think he would give up on his life"
"Yes sure, he didn't kill himself" the inspector stood up from her seat and sat on the table facing Kelvin directly. "He report that came in today shows that he was stabbed with a knife through the belly and was strangled with a wire. That shows that two people carried the act"
"I don't... I don't know about that"
"Your wallet was found there"
"Yes, it likely fell off during the fight"
"Head was laid close to the wallet" she continued, intensifying her gaze into his eyes as he remained quiet. "That shows that you did the work on his neck while your partner stabbed him"
"No o, I didn't do such thing." He raised his voice, "I can't kill my friend"
"Hey!!!" She stood up and walked round the table. "Don't raise your voice, I'm only trying to help you out of this problem"
"I'm sorry, but I didn't kill my friend. I can never do that"
"Alright" she smiled slightly, "for how long have you been friends with him?"
"About eight years ago, we met during the university days"
"And you guys have been living together since you left school?"
"Yes"
"Okay. So what was the cause of your quarrel that night?"
Frank hesitated before he answered, "I... He saw me with his lover on the bed"
"He caught you sleeping with his girlfriend?"
"No, she wasn't his girlfriend and I wasn't sleeping with her"
"Okay" she let out a smile, "what were you doing with her on the bed?"
"It was a set up, somebody drugged us"
"Hmmm... This is getting interesting. So Frank caught you on the bed with her?"
"Yes, I've said that already"
"And you went after him when he left?"
"I went home first, I only went to his salon to explain myself to him and ask him about my girlfriend who was not picking my calls"
"Who is this your girlfriend and what connection does she have with Frank?"
"The person Frank saw with me is her flatmate and best friend whom Frank loved"
"Oh! It was in your girlfriend's house you cheated with her best friend?" She laughed mockingly, " so you thought Frank told her about what he saw or she found out herself?"
"I just wanted to find out if he did see her"
"Oh! I get it" she stood up, nodding her head like someone who had just discovered something important. "You fought with him because he told her about what he saw"
"No" he shouted, " I didn't want to fight him, he was the one who didn't want to listen"
"So you murdered him for not keeping his mouth shut"
"I didn't murder him"
"Who was your partner Frank? Just tell us and avert your suffering"
"I have no partner, I didn't kill him"
"Hehe", she chuckled, shaking her head. She passed him a piece of paper and a pen. "Write down the address of your girlfriend there"
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Amarachi!" Tola shouted, "what are you still thinking about?"
"Nothing really" Ama sighed, "I'm just wondering how Ini would be feeling right now"
"I still think you need to go see her and explain yourself"
"No, I don't think that would be possible" Ama replied, trying to knit the bandage on her left palm properly.
Tola's attention shifted to the wound on Ama's hand. "You've still not told me how you got that wound"
"Ermm" she stammered, "it's just a knife cut"
"Knife cut? What were you doing with a knife?"
"To ... To cut oranges"
"Hmmm, I don't believe that. But let's forget it, its not important. Let's plan how to go back to Ini"
"I can't"
"You can. Remember, everything that happened wasn't your fault, you were drugged"
"Yes, I know. I can't just face her"
"You have to, don't worry, I'll go with you"
"Did you find any new thing at the scene of the murder?" Inspector Helen asked her colleague and junior in the force, Uche.
"We didn't find anything except for the dirty blue rag which was stained with blood " Sergeant Uche replied.
"That means the killers took away the knife that was used to stab him and whatever was used on his neck too"
"Yes ma"
"Okay, make sure everything you find is kept intact, we would need them later"
"Okay ma"
"Hmmm... So what step do you think we should take next"
"I think we just need to torture that guy more"
"You think so?"
"Yes, I'm sure he's a criminal. He will confess once he cannot bear the pain anymore"
"We'll do as you say, but I think we have to visit his girlfriend first and the other lafy he cheated with", she said and handed over the paper where the address was written to the officer.
"Do you know that place?"
"Yes madam, it's not far from here"
"Oh! That means we can still go there today?"
"Yes ma"
"Alright, go get ready then"
+++++++++++++++++++++
Bola shivered as Sandra touched her gently where she was seated in her bed. She had been feeling sorrowly since the time she heard about Frank's death, although no single drop of tears came off her eyes, the news left her so devastated.
"You're still here?" Sandra said as she placed her hand round Bola's neck. "Don't hurt yourself, there'd nothing bring him back"
"Yes, I know" Bola replied and stood up like someone who had just gained strength from something. "His killers must not go unpunished"
"Ehn?" Sandra trembled in fear, remembering that Kelvin had been arrested and accused of killing Frank. "But Kelvin wasn't the one that killed him"
She glanced at Sandra and continued softly, "I know he wasn't the one. I know who killed him"
"You know?" Her face lit up a little as her hope of proving Kelvin's innocence returned. "Who's the killer?"
"You don't need to know" Bola said and walked out of the room.
"Please, I need to. Kelvin does not have to suffer for something he doesn't know about" she said, following Bola closely.
"What would you do if I tell you?" Bola turned back and faced Sandra.
"What would I do? I will report to the police off course"
"Hahahahaha" Bola laughed hysterically. "That's signing your own death warrant"
"What? What do you mean by that?"
"You might even get killed by the police officer you're reporting to" Bola answered and walked to the parlour. She hovered around the bar searching for a drink.
"I don't still understand"
"You won't understand. Just forget it"
"Forget it? And let Kelvin rot in jail?"
"Hmmm, you're concerned about Kelvin? Don't worry, I'll report to the police myself"
TBC.....
