THE OTHER ME – FOURTEEN

Daniel continued discussing with the ladies as he drove on to the lab. He had found pleasure in talking to the ladies now, he was enjoying how they were abusing themselves till they finally got to the lab. 

Daniel stretched as he got down from his vehicle and leaned on it. “Let me call Felix.” He said, pressing his phone. 

Daniel just smiled after some seconds he placed the phone on his ear and removed it. “He said he’s almost here.” He told them. 

“He should be quick.” Debbie said. 

“Maybe you should just enter and change into sachet water.” Vanessa smiled. 

“We can enter together and be changed.” She replied. 

Daniel chuckled. “How far, Director?” Daniel asked Debbie. 

Debbie grinned. “Daniel, Thomas Ferdinand called me to ask me what’s happening.”

Thomas was also an actor like Daniel. He was also involved in the movie they were working on but it seemed the two of them had crashed it. 

Daniel smiled. “Thomas wants to display as quick as possible. I’m sure people are also angry though, but when it happened when we were shooting this movie..” he was mum for a while, hitting his forehead slightly to remember the title but he couldn’t. 

“This movie that Grace Mark and I did in Kaduna.” He gave a hint. 

“Ooh, I know the movie.” Debbie said. 

“Grace too had some challenges and she had to go for over a month. It’s normal, they have to wait for us too even though I know it’s not easy.” 

Just then, a police vehicle drove in and parked near Daniel’s car. “I’m so sorry I came late, I had to attend to some things.” He said. 

“Good afternoon sir.” Debbie and Vanessa chorused. 

He smiled and nodded firmly. “Good afternoon mas. How are you?”

“Fine.” They chorused again. 

“Daniel.” Felix called as he shook him. 

Daniel just smiled. 

“Let’s get inside.” He led the way. 

** ** ** 

“Hey, Promise.” Felix greeted as he entered. 

Promise greeted him back. She was one of the attendants there and the one in charge of the case. Felix had called her again while he was approaching the lab. “Meet Promise.” Felix faced Daniel and his gang.

“Good day, miss.” Daniel greeted. 

“How sure are you that she’s a miss?” Debbie didn’t want him to land before she threw him the reply. 

Promise smiled. “Good day. Mr Temitope Daniel and Debbie, I’m honoured to have you in our place here.” She grinned. 

“You are not serious, Debbie. Is she wearing a wedding ring?” Daniel replied Debbie. 

“She’s talking to you guys.” Vanessa tapped her finger. 

“Ooh..” Daniel and Debbie fixed their eyes on her. 

“Honoured to have us? Anyways, it’s nothing.” Daniel smiled as he replied. 

“How has been the job?” Debbie asked, trying her best to be really free. 

“Very good.” Promise grinned. 

“Let’s go straight to the matter, if you don’t stop Promise will just continue shining her teeth.” Felix said, beaming. 

Promise shook her head and called him. “Officer Felix!”

“Yes? Let us see the real thing.” He grinned. 

Promise opened a safe and began the discussion with them as they were offered seats. “This is the knife that was used to stab the victim and it has just a finger print which I think it should be that of the victim himself and not the murderer.” She paused for a moment. 

“Really? How sure are you?” Daniel asked, folding his arms. 

“In most cases the wise ones put on gloves and I mean a very thick gloves now so their prints won’t show at all. And in most cases too, the victim would be trying to get the object used on him out himself. You know if a thief is shot, he tries to extract the bullet himself because going to the hospital can be dangerous. That happened in ‘Gun them down’ movie.” She grinned. 

Daniel chuckled. “That’s true.”

“Okay.” 

“This fork was also gotten from the scene and I was told the victim was stabbed once and the wound is not from a fork but a sharp knife..” she hardly stopped when Daniel interrupted. 

“He said he stabbed the lady with the fork.” He said. 

“Really? You didn’t tell me he’s now conscious.”

Daniel shrugged. “I’m sorry, my mind skipped that.”

“Wow! That means the blood gotten from this fork is the murderer’s sample and the fellow was ignorant enough to leave it there.”

Daniel raised his brows. “That’s how God operates.” He muttered under his breath. 

“But I don’t know where the murderer was also stabbed.” Promise said. 

“She was stabbed in the hand. I don’t know where exactly and whether it is the right one or the left, but she was stabbed by her hand.” He paused for a moment and spoke again. “Ooh, I have seen a suspect and she was stabbed by the left hand, around here.” He stretched his hand showed them where he could remember the lady plastered that day. 

Felix smiled. 

“How sure are you that’s the suspect? Are you an officer or a cop or what?” She asked jokingly. 

Daniel laughed. “She must be the one, Officer Felix too knows.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about yet.” He retorted. 

“Ooh.” Daniel scratched his head. “Em.. we’ll talk more after this.” He told him. 

Felix smiled as he replied. 

Promise brought out a document and gave it to Felix. “The result of the experiments carried out on the bloods.” She said. 

Felix went through it. “Thank you very much, Promise. I’ll send you goodies.” Felix winked. 

“The way you did the last time, right?”

“Let’s go. I’ve gotten what I need.”

“Before we go.” Debbie raised her index finger and faced Promise. “Em, so the print on the fork is the same one on the knife, right?”

“Oh, I forgot to add that. I’m very sorry.” She grinned. “That’s true. The same prints are on the two.” 

“Alright, later then.” Vanessa and Debbie stood up, all set to leave. 

** ** ** 

Daniel and Felix continued talking as they came out of the lab. Daniel was explaining everything so far to officer. Felix was very happy he had made his work much easier. “Can you show me the house of that woman, that guy can truly be the son of the woman or perhaps a gigolo as you have said. I can just ask Adeolu stylishly to know if the son stays with the mother there.”

“That’s a nice one.” Daniel said. 

“Do you want me to show you the place now?” He asked. 

“Sure, if possible.”

Daniel glimpsed at his wrist watch. “I thought we were going to stay long there. So this is all about the analysis.”

Felix shrugged, smiling. “That’s it.”

“Adeolu said he’d like to see Vanessa by 3pm. Let me show you the place, we still have enough time.”

“He wants to see her? I hope he’s not trying to start convicting her.” He raised his brows as he said, thinking. 

“The truth will show it’s face at last, I’m very sure.” Daniel said, looking towards the direction of his car. The ladies had entered. “Let’s get going.” He added. 

“Sure.” Felix walked into the police vehicle too while Daniel led the way. 

** ** ** 

After Daniel had shown Felix the house, he returned to the hospital because it was just 1:30pm then and Vanessa would be going to the station by 3pm. 

The three of them walked side-by-side into the hospital. They hardly sat down when some ladies came to them, smiling. They were admiring T.Dan and Debbie and snapped with the ladies before Daniel dialed Mike’s mobile number to tell him he was already around. 

Not later than then, Mike came out of the ward. “Hello, guys.” He greeted them. 

“Hello.” Debbie waved. 

“Hey, Debbie. How are you?”

“I’m fine.” She replied with a smile. 

“How are you?” Vanessa asked Mike. 

He raised his shoulders. “I’m good. What about you?”

Vanessa tilted her head and raised her brows with her open hands, communicating to him that she was fine. 

“How is he?” Daniel asked him. 

He nodded. “The nurse just changed his drip now, but he’s better than before though.” 

“In speech?” Daniel asked. 

“Yes, and the pain has also reduced. He’s not groaning again. But the nurse said he should not attempt to stand or even turn to any side yet. I think they want to make a connection or something now because he wants to urinate and he can’t stand.”

Daniel sighed. 

“How’s that stuff?” Mike asked. 

“On point, but she didn’t leave any fingerprint.” He replied him. 

They all continued chatting there till it was 2:30pm. “I think we should be going now.” Vanessa said, taking her eyes off her wrist watch.

Then, they got going. 

** ** ** 

Vanessa’s confidence had been boosted by the assurance she had that she was not going to jail and that she wasn’t involved in the death of Williams. “I’m glad you honoured my invitation and you are up to time.”

She smiled. “I hate getting to a needed place late.” 

“That’s a good etiquette.”

“I’m here, Sir.” She reminded him, she wanted him to go straight to the point. 

“Actually, things are already going the way I never expected it. I asked you several times that day but you said you didn’t know anything about the death of Williams, how come you are now the suspect we have.” He paused, expecting a response or a reaction, but he got none. He started sweating. 

His facial expression changed, looking so serious as he frowned. “As I was saying, the maid is already back to life and when I met him today, I was shocked to hear your name.” He paused again, waiting for reaction, but he got none. 

“So, will you confess to me now or not because this issue is now getting to a matter of higher authorities. ”

There was a brief silence before Vanessa snifled. “I have told you before, I don’t know anything about it.”

“Can I see the message sent to you?”

Vanessa brought out her mobile phone and pressed some buttons and he gave it to him to read the message. 

“I’ll need a copy of this message, can I forward it to my phone?”

She smiled. “Sure.”

Adeolu smiled. He knew it’d be nice having the message on his phone, at least it’d add go his evidences to testify against Vanessa that she really killed Williams. 

Vanessa was just beaming, perhaps because she knew underground package was already going on and of all people, Daniel and Debbie wouldn’t want her to go to prison. They’d surely do all they could. 

“Thanks.” Adeolu smiled, reading through the message again.

She smiled too. “You are welcome.” 

“I can call you anytime, so please be prepared for us.” Adeolu told her. 

“Okay.” She replied as she stood up and off she went. 

** ** ** 

Vanessa grinned as she shut the door of the car. “Are we going home now?” She asked Daniel. 

Daniel faced Debbie who was already sitting beside him now, giving her a ‘reply-that-question‘ facial expression. “Where else.” She replied. 

“How was the show?” Daniel asked, smiling. 

“The show was there. I’m sure he must be shocked why I was just smiling and wasn’t even moved by all he was saying.” She replied. 

Debbie chuckled. “What was he saying?”

Vanessa shrugged. “He got the text message Williams sent and told me to confess to him that I killed Chief because the matter is already getting to higher authorities.” She said. 

“Authorities my foot.” Daniel hissed and continued. “That guy will really be shocked. So, that’s all he called you for, Vanessa?” 

Vanessa nodded. “Sure.” 

Daniel was parking near the station. He didn’t want to park directly in front of the station because he couldn’t tell whether Adeolu would come out or not. 

Daniel kicked the engine and drove.  

** ** ** 

As soon as Daniel dropped Debbie and Vanessa, he faced the Clinic again. He had remembered something and was eager to get to the Clinic to see Mike. 

He parked and focused on the security camera that was outside for a moment and as he walked through the doorway to the reception, he looked around the reception very well and saw two cameras strategically positioned. He nodded consecutively as if he was getting the result he wanted. 

He didn’t see Mike, so he knew he must be inside the ward with David since Mike’s car was still outside. He proceeded to put on the yellow gown-like dress and sanitized his hands before he entered the ward and met Mike still seated. 

“How far, Daniel?” Mike stood up as he saw him. 

Daniel didn’t even focus on him, he was looking round the ward and finally found another security camera in the ward. He grinned. “Guy, it means there’s a camera in every ward then. That means the discussion of William’s maid and Officer Adeolu must have been staged.” He said. 

David opened his eyes as he heard that. His eyes were closed before after he had talked with Mike when Daniel was away. 

“Chai! That’s true, man!” Mike exclaimed. 

Daniel smiled. “What’s the plan?” He asked. 

“Let’s visit their control room, you can use your influence to get the video.” Mike suggested. 

Daniel smiled again. 
… story continues..