Hotel Room Murder

by C. M. Okonkwo

“What?”

  “We know that you went back to the hotel because you had forgotten something,” Inspector Osbourne said. “So, let me guess, you had forgotten to kill your husband and the doctor’s wife?”

  “No. I didn’t kill them. And yes, I went back there to drop off the access card.”

  “The access card?”

  “Yes. We were supposed to leave them behind. Patrick was to leave his in my husband’s wallet and mine in Enitan’s handbag. I had forgotten to drop mine, so I went back to do it.”

  Inspector Osbourne remembered that the handbag was nowhere to be found. “Did you take the handbag with you?”

  “No. I didn’t get the chance to drop off the access card.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “When I got there, I heard a voice from inside just as I was about to put in my access card.”

  “A voice?” Inspector Osbourne repeated. “Just one person?”

  “Yes, just one person.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “Do you think one of them woke up?”

  “I believe so.”

  “But why would whoever woke up first want to kill the other person, then commit suicide?” Inspector Osbourne asked. “Do you know which of them it was?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “But was it a male or female voice?”

  “Honestly, I don’t know. It could have been someone else entirely. I ran off and took the access card with me because I didn’t want to be discovered by any chance. So whoever was in the room with them knows what happened to them.”

  “Why didn’t you say any of this before?”

  Desola Ogunba shrugged her shoulder. “Because you never asked.”

  Inspector Osbourne stared hard at her, finding it difficult to believe that she had kept such vital information from him. He continued either way, “What was the person saying?”

  “I didn’t care to listen. I left as soon as I heard the voice.”

  “What time was this?”

  “Just a few minutes after 11:00 in the morning. I didn’t—”

  Inspector Osbourne didn’t say another word. He just stood up and left the interrogation room before she could finish her sentence.

  ***

  Same Day

  Friday, 23rd November 2018

  2:55 p.m.

  Inspector Osbourne’s hands trembled as he returned to his office. There was a new player in the equation, the killer possibly, but that wasn’t why his hands trembled. They did because he had missed a very important detail. Access to the room. He hadn’t checked who had entered the room and when. He gnashed his teeth, miffed at himself, and was so focused on his omission that he didn’t notice Princewill Jackson, who had been talking to him and following him since he left the interrogation room.

  “Inspector Osbourne,” Princewill Jackson yelled, moving to stand in front of him. “What’s going on? I have been trying to get your attention.”

  Inspector Osbourne looked up. “I missed an important detail.”

  “Access to the room?” Princewill Jackson asked, as he stepped aside.

  “Yes.” Inspector Osbourne nodded, then continued to his office.

  As soon as he entered his office, he went straight to his desk, took out his notepad, and glanced through it. After getting what he wanted, he flipped the notepad shut and moved to his computer. He browsed through the internet for the contact number of Lagos Star Hotel, then gave them a call. The receptionist answered, and he asked her to transfer the call to the hotel manager after introducing himself.

  “Hello, Inspector, how can I help you?” Mr. Akande Bishop asked.

  “What time is housekeeping done daily?” Inspector Osbourne went directly to the point.

  “It depends on the room, but it starts from 10:30 a.m. daily.”

  “The room where the victims were found, what time was the housekeeping to be done according to your calculations and your cleaning process?”

  “Give me one minute.” Mr. Akande Bishop typed into his system, then said, “It was meant to start by 11:00 a.m. to last for thirty minutes.”

  Inspector Osbourne’s heart began to beat uncontrollably fast. He opened his notepad again and fixed his gaze on the first entry, then asked, “So why did Titilayo Lawrence go in to clean the room by 12:30 p.m.? More than one hour later?”

  Mr. Akande Bishop mumbled when he said, “I don’t know. I have no idea. I would have to ask her.”

  “Don’t bother asking her. I’ll bring her in for questioning shortly and ask her myself. I’ll also need the record of entries into the room from early yesterday morning up until 12:30 p.m. on the same day.”

  “Anything you need, Inspector. The access record will be waiting for you when you arrive.”

  “Thank you,” Inspector Osbourne replied, then added, “And one more thing.”

  “Yes, Inspector.”

  “Do your staff have lockers in the hotel?”

  “Yes, they do.”

  “Can you inconspicuously run a search in the lockers to check for some stolen items?”

  “I can do that,” Mr. Akande Bishop replied. “What are you looking for?”

  Inspector Osbourne didn’t know exactly what he was looking for, but he thought fast and said, “An expensive designer handbag, money, maybe a lot of it or an amount that seems out of the ordinary, one or two smart phones, and two wedding rings.”

  Mr. Akande Bishop puffed loudly. He didn’t know how to begin. He scrambled on his desk for a pen and paper, then said, “Do you mind repeating the items? I thought it would just be one item, so I didn’t take any note.”

  Inspector Osbourne sighed. “Are you ready to jot them down now?”

  Mr. Akande Bishop got a piece of paper, then scratched the pen he had found on it. The ink wasn’t dry, so he said, “Go ahead, I’m with you.”

  The inspector gave the manager a few seconds, then repeated, “An expensive-looking designer handbag, some money, a little or a lot, just anything that seems out of the ordinary, one or two smart phones, and two wedding rings.”

  Mr. Akande Bishop thought the items were odd, but then he realised they were probably the belongings of the victims that were unaccounted for. When he was done writing, he said, “I will provide you with feedback when you come over to the hotel.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Bishop.” Inspector Osbourne hung up and took a deep breath. He had just found his breakthrough on the case.

  ***

  Same Day

  Friday, 23rd November 2018

  3:30 p.m.

  When Inspector Osbourne got to the hotel, he met the manager standing at the entrance. The inspector didn’t know how long the man had been waiting there, but he had a sorry look on his face, and it made the inspector worry.

  “What happened?” the inspector hurriedly asked.

  “We found nothing in all the lockers.”

  Inspector Osbourne wasn’t sure if there was more to the look. “Is that it?” he asked.

  “Yes, Inspector.”

  “And the report?”

  “It’s in my office. Please, follow me.”

  The inspector followed and was handed the report as soon as he entered. From the report, two things had been noticed. Titilayo Lawrence had used her access badge by 11:01 a.m. to enter the room, which was the time she was supposed to enter, then used it again by 12:30 p.m. It was certain that she had entered the room twice, but no one knew what time she left when she entered the first time or what exactly she had done in there because if she had done her round of cleaning, she would not have had to enter a second time.

  And apart from her two entries, there were only two other entries to the room by 8:05 a.m. and 8:35 a.m., and Inspector Osbourne figured that it was when Doctor Umanze and Desola Ogunba entered respectively.

  Inspector Osbourne looked up from the report. “Where is Titilayo Lawrence now?”

  “Back in the main office. I’ll bring her to you now.” The
manager left without waiting for a response from the inspector.

  A few minutes later, the manager returned with Titilayo Lawrence, and she was crying. The inspector knew that the manager must have said more than was necessary to her, but it didn’t matter. He got up and brought out his handcuffs. She saw it and her crying increased in tempo and volume.

  “Is that necessary?” the manager asked. “She has agreed to cooperate.”

  “It is.” The inspector looked at her, then began “You’re under arrest...”

  That was the only thing Titilayo Lawrence heard when she fell on her knees. The inspector finished his statement, raised her to her feet, handcuffed her, and took her away.

  Chapter Nine: Access

  Same Day

  Friday, 23rd November 2018

  4:30 p.m.

  Inspector Osbourne had been sitting in the interrogation room for nearly thirty minutes and in front of him, sat Titilayo Lawrence, who had been doing more crying than talking. She had been crying since he picked her up from the hotel, and he was irritated. She cried more than she made any sense with the little she had said.

  “Titilayo Lawrence, I’m prepared to keep you here all day until you tell me why you lied about your entry time to the hotel room. You didn’t think we would look at the records?”

  Titilayo Lawrence sighed, evidence that she was tired and didn’t want to spend her whole day there. She then decided to talk. She sniffled twice before she replied, “I know what it looks like, but I never entered the room. I got there and knocked twice, and when there was no answer, I put in my badge and announced my entry, but there was still no answer. I pushed my trolley in, but I didn’t make it into the room. I had to leave because I had an emergency. So I simply closed the door and left.”

  “What kind of emergency did you have?”

  “It’s personal.”

  “You’re the main suspect for two murders. Now, I repeat, what was the emergency?”

  “I have done nothing wrong.” She sniffled again. “My personal life is my personal life.”

  Inspector Osbourne had had enough. They were not getting anywhere, and he was relying on Titilayo Lawrence’s confession to solve the case. The search of the staff lockers carried out by the hotel manager yielded nothing positive, so whoever stole the items from the victims must have taken them out of the hotel or hidden them somewhere else. But the hotel was too big to carry out a full search, so that was out of the question.

  Inspector Osbourne looked at Titilayo Lawrence one more time, then stood up and headed for the door. Before he left the room, he said, “I’ll leave you here to reflect on how you want this to play out. When you are ready to tell me the truth, press the buzzer under the table. But know this, the penalty for murder is a death sentence, and in your case, two death sentences.”

  “Wait.”

  Inspector Osbourne turned around.

  “I had a tummy ache.”

  “You had a tummy ache?” Inspector Osbourne scoffed.

  “Yes, I did. So I cancelled my round and went to use the toilet.”

  “For more than an hour? That’s ridiculous.”

  “I rested for a little while after using the toilet.”

  “Did you inform anyone?”

  “No. Everyone uses the toilet. I didn’t think I needed to inform anyone about it. When it comes, it comes. I can’t control it, and I don’t have to inform my whole office.”

  “I don’t think you understand how serious this is.” Inspector Osbourne shook his head and turned back to the door. He yanked it open and walked out.

  ***

  Inspector Osbourne met Princewill Jackson by the door and walked back with him towards his office.

  “What are you going to do now?” Princewill Jackson asked.

  “The cleaner is hiding something. She entered that room to clean, and maybe the victims woke up and things got out of hand. And I’m also sure she took Enitan Ogunba’s handbag.”

  “Why do you say so?”

  “Because the thief had to be a woman. The handbag was stolen, but not the wallet.”

  “Men steal handbags a lot,” Princewill Jackson pointed out. “It’s easier for them to carry their loot in it. For wallets, they just open it and take whatever is of value to them, and that could easily go into their pockets.”

  “Yes, you’re right, but I intend to find out if the cleaner is our thief and killer or not.”

  Inspector Osbourne got to his office, went around his desk, and plonked down on the chair, then called the hotel back. When the receptionist answered, he introduced himself again and asked to be transferred to the hotel manager.

  The hotel manager was connected within seconds. “Inspector, how can I be of help?”

  “Titilayo Lawrence isn’t cooperating,” Inspector Osbourne said. “She claimed to have entered the room but gone out immediately because she wanted to use the toilet. But for more than an hour? I don’t believe any of that.”

  The hotel manager didn’t say anything, but Inspector Osbourne could tell that he was amused at the ridiculousness of Titilayo Lawrence’s response.

  Inspector Osbourne continued, “I need her home address so that we can search there for evidence.”

  “Right away, just give me a minute.”

  Inspector Osbourne was placed on hold, but he didn’t have to wait a full minute before the hotel manager came back on the line with the address. The inspector penned it down in his notepad, then thanked the hotel manager and hung up.

  “Where does she stay?” Princewill Jackson asked.

  “Somewhere in Surulere.”

  “Could explain the stretched time difference between her two entries to the hotel room if she went home first.”

  “Exactly.” The inspector stood up. “Let’s see if she was stupid enough to take her loot home.”

  ***

  Same Day

  Friday, 23rd November 2018

  5:30 p.m.

  Inspector Osbourne and Princewill Jackson got to Titilayo Lawrence’s place within an hour. They were lucky to not have been trapped in the heavy Friday traffic from the Island towards the Mainland. Whatever or whoever it was that made the traffic flow, both men were grateful.

  The gate to the compound where Titilayo Lawrence lived was ajar when they got there, so both of them walked in casually but cautiously. They went to what appeared to be the front door of a bungalow and banged on it. A curtain beside the door opened instantly. Looking closely, Inspector Osbourne and Princewill Jackson saw a young man gesticulating to them to go over to the right side of the house.

  Both men got to the side of the house as directed and before the inspector could bang on the door, it opened and a half-clothed man, in only shorts, stood in front of him.

  “Can I help you?” the man asked.

  “My name is Inspector Tunde Osbourne.” The inspector flashed his badge, then pointed his thumb behind him. “That is Princewill Jackson. Does Titilayo Lawrence live here?”

  The half-clothed man smiled, but Inspector Osbourne and Princewill Jackson couldn’t tell why. They guessed it was probably the first time he was seeing an investigator and having a badge flashed at him. Instead of scaring him, it excited him.

  “Does Titilayo Lawrence live here?” the inspector repeated.

  “Yes, sir, she does,” the man said, waking from his reverie.

  Inspector Osbourne glanced at Princewill Jackson, then looked back at the man. “We need to come in and look around.”

  “Why?”

  “Are you related to her?” Inspector Osbourne asked.

  “No, I’m not,” the man replied. “Three other tenants live here apart from her, and me.”

  “Tenants?”

  “Yes.” The man nodded. “My name is Okechukwu Orlu. My family owns this bungalow. I stay in one room and rent the others out.”

  “I see.” Inspector Osbourne responded. “And I need to see Titilayo Lawrence’s room.”

  Okechukwu Orlu hesitated. “She
usually locks her room door. Everyone does.”

  “Don’t worry about that, just show us the room,” Princewill Jackson said.

  “Can I call her to tell her first? I don’t want her accusing me of entering her room in her absence.”

  “No, you can’t, because it’s police business. Titilayo Lawrence is at the station right now, and letting us look through her room might help save her.”

  Okechukwu Orlu moved aside immediately and allowed them in, then he directed them to Titilayo Lawrence’s room. He walked away, as he didn’t know what they were about to do, and whatever it was, he didn’t want to be a part of it.

  Princewill Jackson brought out a toolkit from the brown leather bag he carried around with him across his shoulder. With speed and skill, he unlocked the door and they went in.

  The room was medium-sized and in a mess, with things scattered on the mattress that was laid on the bare floor. Inspector Osbourne wondered how a cleaner could live in an untidy room. No time to waste, he pulled out his gloves and began combing through the litter. Minutes flew by and he didn’t find anything useful, so he and Princewill Jackson abandoned the search and left the room. Princewill Jackson didn’t bother trying to lock the door, simply because he couldn’t do it without a key.

  Both men didn’t know where Okechukwu Orlu was at that moment, but from the geography of the bungalow and the position of the curtain that was opened when they arrived, they were able to trace where he could be. Inspector Osbourne knocked on the door they located and Okechukwu Orlu opened it and asked them in. It was a mini sitting room that led to another door, which the inspector figured was probably the man’s room.

  “You got the better deal,” the inspector remarked, as he took off his gloves.

  “Well, he owns the place, so it’s only normal that he would have a sitting room,” Princewill Jackson added, as he looked around.

  “It’s a shared space,” Okechukwu Orlu pointed out. “So anyone is allowed to use it.”