THE WITNESS

Chapter 12

That night, Samuel was at home alone drinking. He was trying to get himself drunk. To get numb.
He wanted to forget about his worries for that day. He wanted to be free of them even just for one night.
He had been having nightmares for that reason he couldn't sleep.
Probably, the alcohol would help him sleep.

His phone rang.
He got up to pick it and staggered. He had only just taken two bottles and he was already feeling tipsy.
He tried to regain balance. When he had regained the little balance he could muster, he went ahead to pick the phone; bottle in hand.
"Hello!" He said
"Hello! Detective." Was the reply he heard.

He took the phone off his ear then looked at the caller ID. It was an unknown number.
"Who is this?" He asked hoping the caller wouldn't notice he was drunk.
"This is Ben" the caller replied.
Immediately he heard that the alcohol cleared from his eyes. He dropped the bottle and asked:
"Who did you say you were?"

"Benjamin."
"Benjamin who?"
He heard the caller sigh before responding.
"Benjamin Silas."
"Where are you? Where have you been? Are you alright? We've been searching for you"
"All this questions. Of which do you want me to answer?"
"Sorry."
Samuel heard something like a sound on the other end.
"What was that sound?''
"Its nothing. I hit my head on a wood."

Samuel wondered where he could be.
"I am at the gang's hideout"
"How?" He asked shocked.
"I was abducted"
"How are you making this call then?"
"I have been set free but chose to remain"
"They set you free?"
"Not they. He"
"I don't understand something. So help me understand."
"What?

"If you were kidnapped then how are you now making these call?"
"That is a story for another time. Meanwhile, I need you to do something for me."
"What?"
Samuel heard him move or he thought he did.
"I need you to find me."
"Okay but how should I do that?" Samuel asked. Then he said: "wait a minute. I know of a way."
"What way?"
"Keep your phone on. That would help in finding you."
"And while coming, bring the cavalry."

***
"He has escaped!" Olu said as he barged in on the others
"What are you talking about?" Their boss asked
"Ben. He is not in the room."
Their Boss looked at him like he was playing a prank, then sent another one of them; the most gentle among them - Maxwell to check.

He came back and gave the same report. Their boss was confused at first at what was happening. He wondered how ben could have escaped.
He turned to face Olu.
"Take Max and go in search of him." He told him,
"Where could I possibly search for him?" He asked
He got no reply just a stare.
He got the message and went to carry out the order.

Wale suddenly looked back few minutes after the other two left. He was asked what the matter was.
"Nothing. I thought I heard something or someone."
Francis the youngest of them volunteered to check. But was turned down by Wale who said he would.

A lot of things crossed his mind while going out. Who possibly was there? It couldn't have been Ben, he thought. But a part of him told him otherwise.
If it was ben he was going to kill him himself, he concluded.
He checked the corridor but he saw no one. He was relieved a bit.
Then he heard a noise from one of the other rooms. He wasn't sure which it was. Then he heard the sound again. It was the room to his right, he guessed.
Before entering he thought of what to do. He thought and thought but he had nothing. He decided to trust his guts.
He opened and got hit on the head. The hit wasn't severe so he didn't pass out.
He turned around to see who it was that hit him, and beheld Ben.
"What are you doing here?" He asked almost shouting.

***
Wale hadn't said anything when they had the vote and he lost. He didn't agree but said nothing. He knew in his heart of hearts that it was wrong. That what they wanted to do was wrong. He needed a way to stop the intended murder of Ben. While still seated he thought of what to do and how to do it.
The discussion the others engaged in didn't interest him but he pretended to be listening.
Few minutes later,
Eureka
He had had a plan. He found a way. It wasn't really an eureka moment, though. Before going ahead to carry out the plan, he weighed the success rate.
It was a 40%.
That was still good enough though not that good.
"Excuse me" he said then went outside.
The others just looked at the closed door and continued with their conversation.

Away from the others he decided to put his plan to action.
"I will got to the room and then set him free." He said to himself. "He can be on his way immediately."
It wasn't going to be that easy. He knew. The others were in the building. It would have been a different case if they weren't.
He made up his mind to do it anyway. To take the risk.
He probably thought himself a daredevil.
He went into the room - quietly. He met Ben tied up and sleeping. He was sure he was. He tapped him awake,untied him and gave him his phone. He told him to escape and that he would leave the door open. And then he left. Outside he wondered if it was okay to leave him there. Should he have carried him out himself or not.

***
"What are you doing here?"
Ben didn't give any reply.
"I said what are you doing here?"
Wale saw that he was slightly shaking.
"Shouldn't you be out of here by now. You should have gone away."
Ben couldn't answer. It was evident that he was scared and confused. He didn't know who set him free so he was surprised at wale's reaction. He thought he would be recaptured. 
"Aren't you........going to capture me?" He asked.
"What are you......? You should have left when I set you free."
Ben now knew who freed him. He wondered why he did that. Why he betrayed his group.

Ben was about to say something when they heard someone coming.
"Stay in this room!" Wale ordered, "don't come out. Nobody comes to this room. You will be okay here."
Wale pushed him in and closed the door. Just then Francis came walked up to him.
"What are you doing out here?" Wale asked him.
He had his back to the door and in front of Francis blocking him.
"I was sent to check on you."
Francis saw that Wale was restless.
"What is wrong? You seem....."
"Nothing. Go ahead. I will be there soon."
Francis left him. Before he also left, he told Ben not to come out. He hoped that he would listen.

***
Samuel didn't know why he was so concerned about Ben, but he had to find him.
"Relax!" Jane said to him,
He looked at her for a second then back at the IT guys. They were trying to get Ben's location.
"Why is this case different to you?"
He looked at her again.
"What?"
"What makes this case special?"
He shrugged.
"Is this about your brother? Bless his soul."
Hearing about his brother brought tears to his eyes. Like Ben his brother was also a witness. He was killed before he could testify.
"No." He said simply.
Deep down he knew it was because of his brother.
"You're worried that what happened four years ago would happen again?"

"I don't know what you are talking about." He said trying to avoid her eyes.
He didn't want her to see his teary eyes. But she had already seen.
"Stop lying to me."
He was about to object when the IT guys admonished them for disturbing.
"Sorry." They both said then excused themselves.
Jane never really did like the IT people. To her, they were people who thought they knew everything. She thought they were arrogant.
She almost cursed at them but held herself back.
"It is not your fault. What happened then."
"How? I was his older brother and a cop. But I couldn't do anything to stop it."

That day was a tragic day for him. He lost the one and only sibling he had. His mother hasn't talked to him since then or it was him who didn't want to.
He couldn't face his mother. Because he thought she was angry at him for not saving his brother.
"When will you forgive yourself and move on?"
"I could never forgive myself." He looked at her and she saw determination or was it? "There is no forgiving."
"Samuel?" She herself was sober now.
"At least - I think - solving this case would reduce the weight here." He said; hands on his chest.
Jane hated seeing him in pain. Her heart ached every time she does. She decided in her mind that she would help him solve the case and most importantly put a smile on his face.