“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 go
t 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.”
Hotel Room Murder Page 14
