Two days later, I got a call from Mr. Davis to come to his office.
I immediately called Jason, and without hesitation, he said, “I’ll come pick you up.”
This time, he wasn’t alone. Sitting in the front seat of the car was a man with quiet authority and firm eyes, Jason’s uncle.
“Tiara, this is my Uncle, Mr. Lawanson,” Jason said as I got in. “I told him everything… he’s the deputy inspector general of the Nigerian Police. He’s very interested in the case.”
Mr. Lawanson turned slightly and gave me a small nod. “I’m truly sorry you’re going through this, Tiara. But I promise you, we’re going to make this right.”
When we got to the office, Mr. Davis was already waiting, along with our family doctor, Mrs. Adebayo, a soft-spoken woman with tired but kind eyes.
She stood and greeted me gently. “Tiara. I’m so sorry, dear.”
I nodded silently.
Once everyone was seated, Mr. Davis began. “We’ve uncovered more, Tiara. Mrs. Adebayo has been working with us.”
Mrs. Adebayo took a breath and spoke. “One of our student doctors, an attending on your mother’s case… your uncle approached him. He told him to end your mother's life, to make her death look natural. He offered him twenty million naira, and said if that wasn’t enough, he’d pay whatever it takes.”
I felt like the air left the room. I couldn’t breathe. My fingers dug into the sides of my chair as I tried not to cry out.
Jason immediately looked at me, his face clouded in concern.
Mr. Davis leaned forward. “This is the moment we’ve been waiting for. We can catch him. But we need to plan this carefully.”
Mr. Lawanson stepped in, calm and clear. “Here’s what we’re going to do. We’ll tell the student doctor to agree. But he should insist your uncle does it himself. He should say that since your mum has been in a coma, it would be easy, just switch off the ventilator Peaceful, painless. That will make your uncle feel in control. But we’ll be ready.”
He turned to Mrs. Adebayo. “Is that possible?”
She nodded. “Absolutely. And it’ll give us a solid moment to catch him red-handed. No doubt. I’ll alert the hospital staff. They’ll cooperate fully.”
Mr. Lawanson turned to me. “The police will be on standby. We’ll be watching the whole thing. He won’t get away with this, Tiara.”
The room was full of tension and moving pieces, but I sat there, quiet. The more they talked, the heavier everything felt.
Jason gently placed his hand over mine. “How are you holding up?” he asked softly.
I swallowed, trying to speak. “I’m horrified,” I said. “But… I’ll be fine.”
He pulled me into a hug without saying a word. I leaned into him, because right now, it was the only thing keeping me together.
As the meeting wrapped up, Mr. Lawanson looked over at me with a warm, fatherly expression.
“Tiara,” he said, “why don’t you stay with us tonight? You can tell your uncle you’re sleeping over at a friend’s. Just for tonight. You shouldn’t be alone.”
I hesitated, then nodded slowly. “He’s always working late. He won’t notice.”
Jason’s face lit up, clearly relieved. “Good. I’ll feel better knowing you’re safe.”
As we left the building, I glanced at Mr. Lawanson again. There was a calm in his presence, a kindness I hadn’t expected. Something about the way he looked at me made my heart ache. It reminded me of my dad.
I found myself wishing he were still alive. That maybe, just maybe, things would be different.
But for now, this was the family I had. And they were helping me fight for the truth.
