The Hole in The Wall - Season 1 - Episode 10

Episode 4 years ago

The Hole in The Wall - Season 1 - Episode 10

°•°•°•°•°•

I dropped Andy off at the closest bus stop and he took a bus to the hotel. He wanted to get his car and we agreed to meet up at the agency.
As I headed to the BROTA agency, the 4oclock news kicked in and one of the headlines was the murder and the announcement that the agency was looking into the case.

To be honest I didn’t think we were going to catch the killer and it wasn’t a priority to me. The killer could very well be an agent from the UK,Russia,Israel,China……the list was endless but the most important thing was the shadow was dead, gone. Along with the threat that had shaken my home three days ago.


I couldn’t wait to tell Olivia. Although I hadn’t told her about the previous threat and I knew she wouldn’t appreciate that omission but there wouldn’t be need again, the shadow was gone.

For the first time in 72 hours I smiled and it reached my eyes.

For the first time in a long time the road was free and I arrived at the agency in no time. I wondered where Bami was when I didn’t see his car in the lot. I was going to call him once I got in.
“Good evening sir”
“Welcome sir”
“What are you still doing, its way past four already” I said to the two employees who were standing close and probably chatting idly.
“I’m waiting for Mrs Tonye to ring me, there’s something I’m supposed to give her before I leave” the pretty girl said with a slight blush.

I recognized her as one of the promising talents we had in research. Kristy or Karen something was her name. I looked at the second person. “How about you Jimoh?”
Jimoh used to be my assistant but since there was nothing to assist these days he ran errands and performed any task given to him.
“I was waiting for you sir…I wanted to tell you the audit for last month just arrived”
“OK, that can wait…take a break, tomorrow is still a workday” with that I headed up the stairs.


•°•°•°•°•
Tonye
“Bami where are you..I’ve been calling you since what’s going on?” She asked closing the big file. She was going to ring Kristen after this call for the flash drive containing the soft copy of the report. She would use her computer instead and when she went home she could use her laptop plus she could easily refer to any detail anytime once she sent it to her phone.
Her husband sounded stressed over the phone. “I’m coming to the office, have you heard what happened?”
“No I’ve been buried in this report I lost track of time. What happened?” The words were barely out of her mouth when there was a knock and the door opened.


Rex strode into the office she noticed irritably he seemed relaxed.

Bami was saying “there was a murder this morning or rather at midnight, I just confirmed the ID and its the last shadow”
She was shocked, that was the last thing she had expected to hear but it was good news.
Rex sat down on the only chair on the other side of the table. He glanced at the report on the desk which was as big as a dictionary and pulled it towards him.


“Is Andy in the office?” Bami asked
“No” she replied
“He’s probably still at the crime scene, what of Rex?”

“Rex is here he just entered now”
“OK…I’m almost there” with that he hung up.

“That was Bami” Rex commented without taking his eyes off the report.
“Yes, he’d soon be here…he told me what happened”

He glanced up and grinned “The bastard is gone blown away and I don’t feel the least sympathy for him…this is a hell of a report by the way”

Tonye also gave a sigh of relief. Her best friend and goddaughter were safe, the immediate danger was gone. “Yes, its Kristen who compiled it, who killed him?” She asked
“We don’t know yet but the method was quite unique” he then proceeded to fill her in on the details.

°•°•°•°•°•°
Andy
His car was exactly were he had left it and at first he wanted to get in and drive off but then he decided to check the scene again if the crime scene expert Terry was still working.
The clerk was sleeping just like in the fake video upstairs and the hotel was empty. Other guests had checked out after finding out a murder had taken place in one of the rooms and the few that remained left immediately they found out the police had carted hotel guests to the station.
Andy strolled past the sleeping clerk and skipped the stairs two at a time.

The second floor was empty and apart from a uniformed officer outside the room the hallway was deserted. The police man didn’t say anything but stepped aside when he glanced at the badge on the belt.

Inside, the bed had been turned to the other side and Terry stood to the side putting different evidence he had bagged in ziplock bags in a bigger box. Cigarette butt, hair strands, a boxers, the items all pointed to the murdered man who had been in the room.
Terry mumbled to himself then wrote something on his notebook. He finally looked up and saw Andy.

“Hey you’re back”
“Yes, I thought you would have left by now”
“Oh I’m rounding up already” he said “the policeman outside is about to seal this room. Hope the media people have left?” He asked worriedly.

“Everywhere is clear don’t worry…did you find anything while we were gone?”
“Oh yes” the young man said excitedly “I was able to get a print off the inside of the wall”

“Great…I just hope it doesn’t belong to the maid” Andy said
“We’ll find out soon enough. As long as the owner of the fingerprint has a bank account, passport, drivers license, voters card even a registered sim we’ll get him” Terry said confidently
“Her” Andy corrected.

He handed the man the BROTA agency card. “Please once you get a match let us know..if possible before you alert the police.
” That’s not possible its the police server I’m using, besides I’m a police man” he added indignantly.

“Tooh…anyhow let us know anything you come across…anything at all. Good job” he turned and left the room.
He got into his car and pulled out of the hotel. He put in a ‘Naija greatest hits’ CD and drove toward the BROTA agency.


°•°•°•°•°•

I paused my narrative when Tonye’s assistant knocked and entered the office. She handed a flash drive to Tonye.
“This is the soft copy you asked for ma, is there anything else you need I’m about to close for the day”
“No..I’m good. I love the report it was top notch”

I could tell the latest development had cooled off the urgency that had been burning in her.
“Yea its really good” I added glancing at the file still in my front.

She blushed “Thank you. See you tomorrow ma” she left the office.

Tonye plugged the flash drive into her computer then glanced at me “have you told Olivia?”

“Not yet..I’m going to call her now” I replied.
“So the killer is a woman..interesting” Tonye said
“Yea that was quite a surprise” I replied
“Wait gimme the report I want you to read something”
I handed the big book to her and she flipped the pages her eyes scanning the contents as she did so. Finally she found what she was looking for.
“Here” she handed the report back to me.
For the next ten minutes I was silent as I read about the man who had witnessed the ‘imaginary’ lovers fight. And how he had been killed a week later.
“Do you think the hotel is the same with this one the Shadow’s body was found?” She asked when I finally looked up.
“Its a possibility and it does have balconies….in fact I’m sure of it now” I remembered the hotel was in a residential area so it was possible for the man to have seen the tussel from his apartment.
“Hmmm…then it may as well be this same woman…I’d let Kristen dig into the woman tomorrow but I don’t think she’d find much” Tonye said
The door opened and Bami strolled in.
“You’re lucky its not my office, I would have kicked you out for not knocking” the shadow was dead and I could kid around now.
Bami smiled although it was strained “its my wife’s office mister…what is her’s is mine and vice versa” he went round the table to his wife and bent to kiss her but Tonye turned her face away.

“Why didn’t you tell me about the murder when the call came in?” She asked accusingly
Bami straightened “I didn’t want to wake you, you know how stressful the last few days has been and I only wanted you to rest.”
I saw Tonye soften immediately, trust Bami with his sugar tongue.
“But you should have called me later at least”
“I did..didn’t your assistant tell you”
“Oh, she did I totally forgot…I’ve been nose deep in that report since morning” she pointed at the book I still glanced at occasionally.
“Heey…shey you people know I’m not a marriage counselor sha”I said jokingly
Tonye looked at me “Rex you should call Olivia and tell her so she can stop worrying”
“Worrying? But she doesn’t know about the threat in the first place” then I frowned at her “right?”
“Just call her baba!” Tonye said exasperatedly
I brought out my phone and dialed her number from memory.
“We need to discuss this case when you’re done” Bami said perching on the arm of Tonye’s chair.
“Which case? The man was killed, its not as if- hello” Olivia answered the call.
“Hello, Rex”
“Sweet, how are you..hope you’re not bored”
“Bored ke…its impossible in this house” my wife replied.
“I have something to tell you..”
“I’m listening”
“You remember the shadow we have been searching for the last two years?”
She sighed tiredly “how could I forget”
“Well cheer up…he’s no more, his body was found this morning”
Her voice was immediately vibrant “he’s dead?”
“Yes darling” I didn’t dare add the part that the killer had used her name to check in the hotel.
“Oh thank God” relief flooded her voice “this means we can come home now…no more threat”
I looked at Tonye as my suspicion was confirmed. These women told themselves everything! One had to remember that.
But I was extremely pleased “I’d book the flight now against tomorrow, I’d call my parents later in the night to greet them”
“OK lovely” over the line I heard my daughters voice clearly “daddee!daddee!phone….daddy…!” I smiled as I pictured her tugging on her mother’s skirt and pointing at the phone.


“Let me speak to my princess” I said
“Okay o…I’m jealous o” Olivia said with a laugh

“Haba…you’re my queen now.” I laughed. When you found out the deadly killer after your family was dead everything was funny.
“Ello…daddee” Emma said in her cute voice
“My love, how are you”
“I’m fine…my cheeetch is shaking”
“Your teeth…you’re a big girl..I can’t wait to see you tomorrow”

I heard her cousin, my niece Soma call out ‘Emma!’

“Okay byebye daddy I loff you”
“I love you too my princess”
Olivia’s voice came over the line “and she’s off again..I also can’t wait to see you tomorrow..there’s something I got last week but I haven’t had the chance to try it yet…so get ready”


I was hot immediately “what’s it?”
“Its a secret..the kind of secret Victoria keeps” she laughed happily “you’re the detective you figure it out”

I also had a vivid imagination and I could see her clearly in the sexy lacy underwear she had hinted at”


I ended the call with a smile on my face and was shocked to find Andy leaning on the other side of the desk. The three of them were watching me and Tonye was smiling mischievously.


“When did you enter?” I said to Andy
“Not long ago…you were in your own world…Olivia is good I take it”

“She’s wonderful..they’d be here by tomorrow”
“I stopped by the room when I went to get my car” Andy said “I met the crime scene technician and he said he found a print in the hole”


“Wow….that’s a lucky break” I said
“Whose print is it?” Bami asked
“He was running it on the server then..but he’d call us once there is a match”
“If we’re lucky it won’t belong to the victim and we’d get the killer on a silver platter” Tonye said


“Yea…that would be the best” I agreed.
I was about to ask Tonye for a USB cord to send the report to my phone when the landline on her desk rang.


Riiiiinnnggg!!
Rrriiiinnnngg!!
“Who is this, this is almost five” she said and raised the receiver to her ear. “Hello….oh…yes, OK hold on” she pressed a botton on the phone and the call was on loud speaker.
“Okay…go on please” she said.

The voice was a bit shrill but it was filled with energy. I knew it belonged to Terry immediately.
“I got a match on the print….a kiddies bank account was opened for her about 15 years ago and that’s the only match, that was just lucky…I checked out the account and by tomorrow I’d get the statement from the bank, I’d let you know”


“Wait…you haven’t told us who the print belongs to” I called out.
“Oh….it was a positive match with one miss Fomé Oliseh”


I suddenly wished I hadn’t asked as my heart began pounding and I felt a pressure in my chest. “That’s not possible….Fomé is dead” I said as my voice shook.


“Hmm….what are the odds…” Terry said thoughtfull “that’s the match I got…I have your card and I’d send the picture I’m looking at to the email address here…it may just be a namesake…no name is exclusive you know”

“OK…thanks a lot we’d be expecting the mail” Tonye said and ended the call.
She looked at me suprised. The expression on Bami’s face was undescribable but he was looking at me in shock. Andy was staring at the phone in disbelief as if he was still hearing the words.

None of us could believe what we just heard.
Finally Andy broke the silence. “What the hell is going on”