Same Day
Friday, 23rd November 2018
7:30 p.m.
Inspector Osbourne barged into the interrogation room where Desola Ogunba sat, startling her. As she held onto her chest, her facial expression went from fright to frustration, then to fury.
“I’ve told you everything,” she spat, throwing her hands around. “Why are you still keeping me here?”
“Because you lied. You didn’t tell me everything.”
“I. Did,” she spelt out, banging the table twice with each word.
“We found the missing items from the hotel room, including your husband’s wedding ring.”
Desola Ogunba’s eyes lit up, and she calmed down. “So you have found the killer then?”
“No. Just the thief. It was the cleaner, and she has confessed to the theft.”
“She has confessed to the theft?” Desola Ogunba repeated. “Then who is the killer? It has to be her otherwise it makes no sense at all. She might have stolen the items with no intention to kill, but if my husband or Enitan, or even both of them woke up in the middle of the theft, it would have forced her to resort to murder.”
The inspector didn’t respond. He sat, staring blankly at Desola Ogunba, and she got the message. He had certainly figured something else out. The cleaner was just by the way.
“The theft and the thief are not the issues, I suppose,” Desola Ogunba added. “The first thing you said was that I lied. So what do you think I lied about this time?”
“You said you never went back to that room, but you did.”
“I went back to the hotel and heard a voice in the room, then I ran off. It’s the truth.”
“So what did you do after you believed the person in the room had left?”
“I never went back to that room. I didn’t know who the person was. It could have been my husband or Enitan, so going back to the room was out of the question. I left immediately and never went back.”
“That’s not what the room access record said.”
“There must be a mistake somewhere.”
“Mrs. Ogunba.” Inspector Osbourne breathed. “We’ve gone past the pretence and the back-and-forth. It’s not going to help anyone. Just tell me the truth now, and you might not get the death sentence.”
“The death sentence?” Desola Ogunba yelled. “For a crime I didn’t commit?”
Inspector Osbourne stood up to leave.
“I didn’t go back to the hotel room after I heard the voice. What else do you want?”
Inspector Osbourne headed for the door.
“Wait, Inspector.”
Inspector Osbourne stopped and turned his head slightly.
“Ask the driver. He knows my every move. He would tell you that I only went back to the hotel once.”
Inspector Osbourne turned around fully, then came back to take a seat. He liked the suggestion, which he believed was something he should have done in the first place instead of coming to see her. He pulled out his phone and dialled Gabriel Makun’s number, then put the phone to his ear.
Before the driver answered, Inspector Osbourne said, “If he confirms that you went back there, that’s it. You will go down for the crimes.”
“Hello, sir,” Gabriel Makun’s voice rang in Inspector Osbourne’s ear.
“After Desola Ogunba, I mean Daisey...” Inspector Osbourne glanced at Desola Ogunba when he said that, then looked away. “After Daisey Ogunba left the hotel the second time, did she make any other stops or go back to the hotel a third time?”
Gabriel Makun hummed, as he thought, then said, “Yes, sir.”
Inspector Osbourne was annoyed. “Why didn’t you add that earlier?”
“Because you thanked me and asked me to leave before I had finished telling you all the other unplanned trips,” Gabriel Makun responded, “So I thought the hotel was more important to you than any other place.”
“Than any other place?” the inspector repeated, irritated.
“Yes, sir. But she didn’t go back to the hotel after the second time.”
“Okay.” Inspector Osbourne was relieved that his general impatience with the driver hadn’t caused him to miss the fact that Desola Ogunba had returned to the hotel the second time, although he was disappointed that he was now going another step farther from the truth. He continued, “Where did she go after she left the hotel the second time?”
“I took her to a house, but I’ve never been there before. It was the first time.”
“Where was it?”
“I don’t know the address because she directed me. But when we got there, she asked the security man about a doctor. I don’t remember his name. She said her name and also said that it was urgent. She was allowed in after a few seconds, and I waited for her outside.”
“Thank you, Mr. Makun,” Inspector Osbourne replied, then hung up. He knew that he was being impatient with the driver again, but he already got what he needed. He looked at Desola Ogunba.
“What did he say?” she immediately asked.
“Do you think this is some kind of joke?” Inspector Osbourne fired back. “Why didn’t you mention that you went to Doctor Umanze’s house? You both are in this together and are trying to mislead us so that you can get away with murder. But don’t worry, there’s more than enough death sentences to go round.”
Desola Ogunba stuttered as she said, “I’m sorry, it slipped my mind. It was an unplanned trip, and it was my first time going to his house, ever, although I knew where he lived.”
“What did you go there for?”
“I went to tell him that I had gone back to the hotel because I forgot to drop my access card in Enitan’s handbag and that I wasn’t able to. He told me not to worry that he could put it with her things in the house to make the made-up affair with my husband seem real.”
“So you gave him the access card?” Inspector Osbourne was already on his feet, heading to the door.
“Yes, I—” Before Desola Ogunba could finish her sentence, Inspector Osbourne was out of the room.
***
Same Day
Friday, 23rd November 2018
8:30 p.m.
Inspector Osbourne drove as fast as he could, breaking every traffic rule imaginable until he got to Doctor Umanze’s house. He ran up to the gate and banged on it. The security man looked through an opening in the gate, then opened it when he recognised the inspector.
“Doctor is not around, sir,” the security man said, stopping Inspector Osbourne as he dashed towards the front door.
Inspector Osbourne glanced at his wristwatch, then said to himself, “Hospital.”
“He has travelled.” The security man’s words crashed through the inspector’s reality.
“Travelled? When?” Inspector Osbourne asked. “Is Bassey inside?”
“No, sir. He followed Doctor, with the children.”
“Are you sure? They all travelled together?”
“I don’t know.” The man opened his palms. “But I saw travelling bags and they all left.”
“They didn’t tell you anything?”
“No, sir. Maybe they will call me later because they were in a hurry.”
“What time was it?” Inspector Osbourne asked, as he headed back to the gate.
“I can’t remember, but maybe one hour ago or so.”
Inspector Osbourne thought fast, then dashed back to his car and got in. He fired up the engine but didn’t move yet. He pulled out his phone and scrolled through with shaky fingers. If he could go any faster, he would have. Once he found what he was looking for, he dialled.
“Hello, airport security here,” a voice announced.
“I’m Inspector Tunde Osbourne with the Victoria Island Police Station. Please, connect me immediately with whoever is in charge. It’s an emergency.”
“Right away, Inspector.”
Inspector Osbourne was put on hold and heard an irritating tune play for a few seconds before it went off.
“Inspector Osbourne?” a female voice said. “I’m Assistant Commissioner Miriam Ahmad. How can I help?”
“I’m investigating the two murder cases from yesterday at the Lagos Star Hotel and I have reason to believe that our main suspect is trying to flee via the airport.”
“Do you have any idea if this suspect is travelling local or international, and what airline?”
“To be honest, I don’t know if the suspect is at the airport, but I don’t want to take any chances. I was at the suspect’s house and was told that he packed travelling bags and left with his household, so my first guess is the airport, to rule it out before I check anywhere else.”
“What is the suspect’s name?”
“Doctor Patrick Umanze.”
“Give me a second.” The Assistant Commissioner immediately began punching keys, then moments later, she said, “He’s here.”
“Really?” Inspector Osbourne sounded both relieved and excited. “Where is he headed?”
“He booked a last-minute flight to London for tonight, and according to border security, he has already gone through immigration check.”
“Is it just him?” the inspector asked. “I was told that he is with his kids and a steward.”
“The flight is booked for only him unless the other travellers have different names. But the bank card used to purchase the ticket was flagged only once for the cost of one adult ticket.”
Inspector Osbourne could still hear the Assistant Commissioner typing, then said, “The last flight to London should be around 11:00 p.m., that should give me enough time to get there and a—”
“Wait a minute,” she interrupted.
“What is it?”
“He isn’t going directly to London. He has already boarded the flight, making a stop at Istanbul first before transiting to London, and take-off is imminent.”
“You need to halt that plane until I get there and get him off.”
“Give me a second,” Miriam Ahmad said, then in a faint voice, she instructed, “Control terminal, this is Assistant Commissioner Ahmad. You need to stop that plane. I repeat, stop the plane right now. There is a fleeing suspect for multiple murders aboard. Thank you.”
“Thank you,” Inspector Osbourne said, sure that she had ended her communication with the control terminal.
“Not a problem, Inspector,” she replied. “But how soon can you get over here?”
“Within an hour. I’ll leave straightaway.”
“Okay, but the sooner the better.” She hung up.
The sooner the better, the inspector thought. He calculated briefly, then decided to go back to the station first. If he was going to make it to the airport in no time, he needed to use a police vehicle with a siren. That way, he would have priority on the road. He fastened his seatbelt and put the gear on drive, then sped off.
As he approached the station, he also thought of taking backup with him, but he concluded that the airport security would be able to cover him in case something went wrong. He only wondered what could go wrong. Still and all, Doctor Umanze was a dangerous and desperate man, so he had to be prepared to meet anything. Precaution was highly necessary.
He got to the station, all the while looking at his wristwatch to check if he was still in good time. He was. He asked an officer to prepare a police vehicle for him, then made a stop at his office. He hurried to his desk, unlocked and opened one of the drawers, and pulled out his pistol, which was in its holster. As was always his routine, he took out the pistol and checked its chamber, and there were enough bullets in it. He then replaced the pistol in its holster and attached it to his belt. Nothing else was keeping him there.
The vehicle was ready when he got outside, so he entered, turned on the siren, and hit the gas.
***
Same Day
Friday, 23rd November 2018
10:10 p.m.
When Inspector Osbourne got to the airport, he was allowed to park in front of the terminal where other police vehicles were stationed. He speedily went through the main entrance but didn’t waste any time going through the body scanner or emptying his pockets. He showed his badge to the first officer he saw, revealing the credentials and full name ‘Inspector Babatunde Jamie Osbourne’, then asked to be taken to the Assistant Commissioner’s office as a matter of urgency.
He was taken upstairs by the officer without delay and led to a secluded area, which housed a few offices for different law enforcement agencies. They flew through a door tagged ‘Police Unit’, and behind it was a massive space and three more doors. The space held about six desks and chairs, and only one was occupied by a woman in mufti.
“He wants to see Madam,” the officer who led Inspector Osbourne to the office said.
The woman looked at Inspector Osbourne, “Is she expecting you?”
“She is, as a matter of fact,” Inspector Osbourne replied, glancing at his wristwatch. He was late. “I believe she stopped a flight that was heading to Istanbul so that I can bring out a fleeing suspect.”
Inspector Osbourne needn’t say more. The woman jumped up instantly and went for one of the three doors. Inspector Osbourne followed, while the officer who led him there turned around and left. The woman knocked and opened the door, but gave way for Inspector Osbourne to enter. As soon as the inspector walked in, he was surprised, as he caught sight of Doctor Umanze, seated at a corner, handcuffed, and flanked by two policemen.
Inspector Osbourne turned to the only female in the room. He went to give her a handshake, as he said, “You must be Assistant Commissioner Miriam Ahmad. I’m Inspector Tunde Osbourne.”
She shook his hand. “Nice to meet you. I couldn’t hold the plane any longer.”
“Sorry about that, and thank you for your help.”
“It’s no problem at all. I was just doing my job.” She nodded at one of the policemen who then stood Doctor Umanze up and pushed him towards Inspector Osbourne. She extended a key to the inspector, and continued, “Key to the handcuffs. And the hand luggage by the door belongs to him.”
Inspector Osbourne looked at the hand luggage, which he hadn’t noticed before, then turned back to Miriam Ahmad and nodded.
“I hope you get to solve the case,” she added.
“I’m sure I will.”
Inspector Osbourne took the key and put it in his pocket. He then grabbed Doctor Umanze by the arm with one hand and the hand luggage with the other hand, and they left the office.
***
Same Day
Friday, 23rd November 2018
11:20 p.m.
Traffic heading back to Victoria Island from the airport was light, and they arrived within an hour without saying a word to each other during the ride. Inspector Osbourne took Doctor Umanze back to the interrogation room, glad that his escape hadn’t been successful.
When they were both seated, Inspector Osbourne finally spoke, “So much for wanting to get some closure. You almost had me fooled.”
“Before we continue with what this is, I need an explanation as to why I was pulled out of a plane by airport security, then picked up by you,” the doctor replied. “What is the actual meaning of this?”
“Why did you choose to travel all of a sudden? Were you running from something?”
“It’s been a long two days and I wanted a short break. I believe I have a right to do so.”
“In the middle of an investigation?”
“As far as I was concerned, you had a suspect in custody and the case was already solved.”
“This isn’t just an ordinary murder investigation. It’s your wife’s murder for heaven’s sake. You can’t just dismiss it as an ordinary case. Wouldn’t you want to be here until we found her killer?”
Doctor Umanze knew that he had sounded indifferent, so he kept quiet.
Inspector Osbourne continued, “But that’s ironic because you are the killer, and you will receive the death sentence.”
“For a crime I didn’t commit?”
“For a crime you did commit,” Inspector Osbourne said. “I called the hotel again and they confirmed to me that there was another entry to the room, which they missed. Someone had entered after the cleaner’s first visit. The access card used was registered to the room, but I guess you already knew all that because you were that person.”
“I had an access card, which I left in Kamar Ogunba’s wallet and which I’m sure you must have found during your investigation. You can ask Daisey where she left hers, or rather if she used hers to enter the room again.”
“Yes, we saw the access card, but either of you could have left it in Kamar Ogunba’s wallet. Besides, Desola Ogunba visited you at your home and told you that she had gone back to the hotel to drop off the access card but couldn’t. You asked her to give you the card, that you were going to put it with your wife’s things to make the made-up affair solid. Something tells me that if we search you, or your home, we will find the card. And when we do, it would mean that you were the last to enter the hotel room.”
“The cleaner was the last to enter the room. You already said that yourself before.”
“No, I told you that she lied about entering the room only once when it was twice. You, on the other hand, inferred that she was the last to enter the room from what I said, but yes, we believed that at first, that she was the last. Anyway, she noticed that there were blood patches on one of the victims, which she hadn’t seen the first time she entered the room, and her trolley had moved, so someone had definitely been there. And before you try to implicate Desola Ogunba for it, her driver mentioned that he had made a stop at your house after he took her back to the hotel and he never went back there again, at least not before 12:00 noon.”
“I never went back there either, and I didn’t commit any crime.”
“Have you thought about your kids?”
“What about them?”
“How would they remember their father?” the inspector asked, and silence befell for a moment. “As a man who killed their mother? Who would look after them when you are gone? Bassey? Is that what you want? Tell me the truth and I’ll try to get you a life sentence instead. At least you’ll get to see your children grow up.”
The doctor’s expression changed as if something had triggered a sudden emotion. It was the mention of his kids. He hadn’t been there for them, as much as his wife had, and he did not want things to end the way the inspector was painting it. He looked up, and said, “Would I get the possibility of parole?”
“It depends on what the truth is.” Inspector Osbourne hit Record on the device embedded in the table, then said, “Let’s hear it.”
“Yes, Daisey dropped the access card with me. The plan was to keep it in my house, but after Daisey left, I thought things through and realised that the card was better off at the hotel than in my house. I didn’t want anything linked to my home, so I quickly went to the hotel to drop it off. I entered and noticed the cleaning trolley. I almost left, but when I didn’t hear any voice or movement, I walked in and looked around. No one was there, which was a bit strange but I didn’t dwell too much on that. I searched for my wife’s handbag and couldn’t find it. While I was thinking about what could have happened to the handbag and where to put the card, my wife woke up. She didn’t notice I was there at first. She was a bit disoriented and shocked to see a naked man beside her. She rolled him over and screamed when she saw his face. Then she turned around and saw me. She screamed again before she realised it was me.”
“What happened next?”
“It took her a few seconds to understand my plan and why she was there, on a strange bed with a naked man.”
“What did she say to you?”
“You must understand, Inspector, that I have worked hard all my life. Everything I have, I have worked for, so I think I deserve everything I have.”
“Including an affair?” Inspector Osbourne asked. “Is that why you killed her? Because she wanted you to end an affair that threatened her marriage? Don’t you think she deserved a happy and healthy marriage and home as well?”
“I wish it was that simple.”
“What do you mean?”
“She was way past me ending the affair. She threatened to ruin my life and hoped that it would affect my career and result in me losing my license. She didn’t know this, but if she had photos of Daisey and leaked them, then I would surely lose my license. It’s the one thing I hold dear to me. Unfortunately, license and career came first to me, then family, while the affair came last. I could have let go of that if she was still interested in me ending it. But no, she said she would make it her life’s mission to ruin me and look for any means possible to get my license revoked. I would also lose my hospital. She said setting her up wasn’t going to change a thing or discredit her, and that no one would believe my story if I tried to frame her. I got so angry and reached for the first thing I saw.”
“The trolley,” Inspector Osbourne said.
“Yes, the trolley,” the doctor confirmed. “I pulled it towards me, took a tray, and hit her with it until she dropped, then I replaced the tray.”
Inspector Osbourne nodded, as he figured that he had just found the source of the patterns on Enitan Umanze’s head. “And Kamar Ogunba?”
“I don’t know how long he had been awake for and what he had heard, but after Enitan dropped and I was in the process of picking her up, I glanced towards the bed, and there he was, with a shocked look on his face. We stared at each other for a few seconds, then he sprang up and clumsily tried to tie a bed sheet around his waist when he realised that he was naked. I was still trying to put Enitan on the bed, but before I knew what was happening, he hopped on the bed, jumped on me, and pushed me down.”
“So you both got into a fight?”
“Not really. He was trying to strangle me, but luckily I reached for a glass bowl on the coffee table and hit him on the head with it.”
“Luckily?”
“He would have killed me. It was either me or him.”
Inspector Osbourne raised an eyebrow. “So what happened next?”
“I hit him a few more times, then he let go of my neck. Blood began to trickle down his head, so I quickly dragged him to the bed and covered him, then I put Enitan on the bed and covered her as well. Afterwards, I washed the glass bowl of any traces of blood, then wiped it with a towel in the trolley before replacing it on the coffee table.”
“When did you decide to kill them?”
Doctor Umanze looked at Inspector Osbourne strangely.
“The medical examiner mentioned that they died of suffocation,” Inspector Osbourne pointed out. “And up until this part of the story, you hadn’t decided to kill anyone yet. When did you decide to?”
“I was about to leave the room, then I remembered what my wife had said. That she would make it her life’s mission to ruin me. I knew that I would lose everything if she exposed me. My license, my career, my family, and my affair; everything. I couldn’t live with that. I didn’t think I could survive in a world where I had nothing. So I thought fast about how I could finish her, then I saw the pillow on the floor.” Doctor Umanze stopped, then lowered his head as if he regretted his action.
Inspector Osbourne wasn’t buying his sudden show of remorse. “Go on,” he prompted.
The doctor exhaled. “I picked up the pillow and placed it over Enitan’s face. She was passed out, but her body shook mildly as it got deprived of air. I held it over her face until I was sure she was dead. I checked her pulse to confirm that, then I did the same thing to Kamar. I could have let him live and let him take the fall for my wife’s death, but it could have gone an entirely different way with me still being exposed. It was a risk I wasn’t willing to take.”
There was a moment of silence.
“There you have it,” the doctor concluded.
Inspector Osbourne shook his head at how the person he had least expected to be the killer turned out to be just that. He hit Stop on the recording device, then looked at Doctor Umanze, and said, “You are hereby charged with the murders of Enitan Umanze and Kamar Ogunba. I will keep you in a cell here until the court processes you and a judge sentences you.”
“I don’t get the death sentence, right?” the doctor asked.
Inspector Osbourne stood up, then went to take Doctor Umanze by the arm. “That would be up to the judge to decide.”
“But you said I would get a milder sentence if I told the truth.” The doctor struggled to break free. “You said I would get to see my kids again.”
Inspector Osbourne didn’t respond. He was too angry to say anything to the doctor. He only kept pushing the doctor until he got to one of the cells in the station and threw him in.
“Wait, inspector, please,” the doctor said, stretching his hand to hold the inspector’s arm.
The inspector moved his hand. “When I came to your house, you pretended to be sad and distraught, when you knew what you had done. It was the same way you acted worried that there was no functional camera in the hotel when in reality, you were relieved.”
“Believe me, I got home and went to bed, but when I woke up, it still felt like a dream. It was only when you came that reality dawned on me and I remembered my children.”
The inspector shook his head again and left, then went to take care of Desola Ogunba in the interrogation room where she was waiting.
***
“What exactly is going on?” Desola Ogunba asked, immediately she saw the inspector walk in. “You left the room before I could finish my sentence and you have been gone for hours.”
“Doctor Umanze went back to the hotel room.”
“He did?” Desola Ogunba was genuinely surprised. “Why?”
“He changed his mind about keeping the access card in his house and wanted to keep it at the hotel instead. But while he was looking for his wife’s handbag, she woke up.”
“And he killed her?” Desola Ogunba shook her head, refusing to believe it. “No.”
“Ultimately, he did.”
“This is hard to accept.” She sighed. “But why would he kill his wife? Just like that?”
“They got into an argument first, and he was afraid of losing everything.”
Desola Ogunba sighed again. “And Kamar? He killed him too, right? Why?”
“He wasn’t sure at what point Kamar had woken up, or what he had seen and heard, so he knocked Kamar out and suffocated him with a pillow after suffocating his wife.”
“My goodness. I never knew he could kill anyone.” Desola Ogunba held a hand over her mouth. It was as if the mention of her husband being dead had just become real to her, maybe because she never expected it to have been executed by her lover. She looked up after a few seconds, and blurted, “He is a doctor for heaven’s sake. He saves lives, not takes them.”
“You know what baffles me? Why you would intentionally not want to cooperate when it would have helped us figure this out ever since.”
“I didn’t believe he was dead.”
“And after you identified his body?”
“I didn’t believe Patrick had anything to do with it. I thought that if we didn’t say anything, you would find the killer without involving us.”
“And saying that you suspected your husband was cheating, that he worked late hours, and received calls, which he always said was work, I guess none of that was true.”
Desola Ogunba couldn’t respond to that.
Inspector Osbourne went to take Desola Ogunba by the arm.
“So what happens next?” she asked, unsure of her fate.
“You’ll be kept in a holding cell in the station until the court processing and sentencing.”
“Okay, but what happens to me?”
“You’ll be charged with attempt to blackmail, frame and defame another, to kidnap—”
“Kidnap?” Desola Ogunba interrupted.
“You held two people against their will, in other words, it’s kidnapping.”
“Fine.” Desola Ogunba knew that she couldn’t argue any points. She was lucky to have been cleared for the murders, so she let things be.
“You’ll also be charged with intent to cause bodily harm to another by inviting your husband to be knocked out by the doctor, and for obstructing justice by providing false information to law enforcement.”
Desola Ogunba sighed for the third time and wondered if there was hope to an end to all the charges against her. What interested her more was the total of all her charges combined. “So for how long would I be going away with all the charges you have heaped on me and those you might have forgotten?”
Inspector Osbourne understood the sarcasm. “You would know when the judge decides.”
Desola Ogunba rolled her eyes. “And Patrick?”
“He’ll be charged with both murders, of course, and I believe that covers for all the other possible charges that we have against him. Whether he gets two death sentences, or two life sentences for his confession depends on the judge.”
With that, Inspector Osbourne took Desola Ogunba to a holding cell and left her there.
***
The next stop Inspector Osbourne made was to the interrogation room where Titilayo Lawrence was waiting. He didn’t have much to say to her, so he knew it was going to be a curt conversation.
“How much longer do you intend to keep me?” she asked, as soon as the inspector opened the door.
“Up to seven years,” he replied, as he walked in.
“What? Seven years?”
“Yes. That’s the maximum number of years of imprisonment for stealing. You’ll also be charged with obstruction of justice for providing false information to law enforcement.”
Titilayo Lawrence didn’t respond.
“You’ll be processed by the court and sentenced by a judge, but until then, we’ll keep you in one of our cells.”
Titilayo Lawrence still didn’t say anything. Nothing she could say would change a thing, so she accepted her fate. Inspector Osbourne walked up to her, lifted her by the arm, then led her out of the interrogation room and took her to a holding cell.
***
The final stop Inspector Osbourne made was to his boss’s office to provide him with an update on the case before the report was ready. The man was surprisingly still on seat and buried in tons of papers. He looked up at Inspector Osbourne as he approached his desk.
“Why are you here?” he asked, sounding worried. And without waiting for a response, he added, “Please, tell me that it’s good news...”
“It’s over, sir,” Inspector Osbourne said, as the commissioner continued talking. “The news of the arrest will go out tomorrow.”
“Because it’s not three days yet and you have no report with you,” the commissioner kept going, but when he realised what Inspector Osbourne had just said. He paused briefly, then asked, “Did you just say that the case is over?”
Inspector Osbourne nodded. “The doctor killed both victims. It was actually—”
“That’s all I need to know, Tunde,” the commissioner interrupted. “Thank you. I’ll read the rest in your report when you hand it in. I need to speak with the governor right now.”
The commissioner picked up his phone, unlocked it, and only pressed a button, indicating that he had the governor on speed dial, or on redial. The inspector took the cue that their conversation was over and headed for the door. As he opened it to leave, the commissioner spoke.
“And Tunde.”
He turned around.
“Good job.”
“Thank you, sir.” Inspector Osbourne remembered something, and added, “Sir. I couldn’t have solved this case without the help of Princewill Jackson, the private investigator and contractor with the Ikoyi station.”
“So?”
“I think he deserves some kind of compensation for the work he did, considering what he has lost in return in terms of time and money.”
“What do you suggest?”
“I don’t know.” The inspector shrugged. “It’s your call.”
“I’ll see what I can do and get back to you first thing in the morning.”
“Thank you, sir.” Inspector Osbourne smiled, as he left the office. He then called it a night and went home.