Deadly as trust

Sixteen: Jide

I knocked on the door and it opened to reveal a lady about Miriam's age looking at me.

"My name is Olajide Abayomi. Detective of the Nigerian Police force. I'm here to bring the owner of this brothel to the station for questioning."

There was a flash of horror in her eyes before her face was straightened out. She excused her and went into the brothel.

I waited. After spending some time on connecting things I had gathered from the case I had decided to question the so-called "Majoress"; after all she was the owner of the brothel Miriam used to live in and she hadn't reported anyone missing, which although would have been usual and not out of place because it was a brothel, was also almost strange because she was "managing" the girls here.

After some minutes she reappeared at her position at the door.

"She's not in."

"I'm going to investigate anyways so it's better you don't lie.", I said narrowing my eyes at her as she failed to meet them.

"You know I have the authority to do that, right?"

She bit her lip nervously.

"She's... inside.", she dipped her head low.

I shoved past her and got inside.

"Where is she?"

She reappeared in front of me and slowly led the way upstairs till we got to one door. She took a deep breath and slowly opened the door to reveal an office with a middle-aged woman sitting behind a desk. She looked up immediately she heard that door open and frowned.

Wonderful. I don't care

"Officer Olajide Abayomi, here to take you to the station for questioning."

She looked at the girl behind me then at me.

"Officer ke? Wetin happen? Wetin I do?", she looked at the girl behind me, "Chinelo, wetin be this?"

The girl who I assumed was Chinelo remained silent.

"It would be better to comply with what I said. We don't have so much time to waste."

After a few arguments and issues, the woman was sitting opposite me with a desk separating us.

"Officer, I no still understand oh. Wetin be all these ones kwanu?"

I set a recorder on the table beside me and got ready to jot down what I needed. I asked for a bottle of water to be brought for her.

"You do realize I can penalize you for owning a brothel, right? Sections 223, 224 and 225 if the Nigerian Criminal Code give me the authority to do that. But that's by the way. I have bigger fish to fry with you."

She became silent and I smiled, enjoying having the upper hand.

I put the recorder on, ready to record anything she said.

"My first question, who the nightclub near your brothel?"

"Na me get am."

I jotted that down, Miriam had, of course, told me earlier.

"Over a month ago, I have been investigating on the killer of a certain Dave Ovunda and your nightclub is the crime scene. Do you know anything about it?"

"No. Anything wey happen for that period no reach my ear. I been travel and my girls no tell me."

I narrowed my eyes at her.

"What about the prostitute in the room with Dave. Doesn't she work for you?"

"All my girls dey complete. I no know wetin you dey talk sef."

She wasn't telling anything truthful. I groaned inwardly trying to contain my annoyance. She didn't have to know that I knew things and that Miriam was with me.

"How many girls exactly?"

"Twenty four."

"Good. I think we're done here for now. I and a few police officers will escort you back to your brothel. You don't have a problem with that, do you?"

"None at all."

I nodded, thanking her for her time before calling three officers to join me to the brothel.

When we drove there I apologized while we were still in the car.

"Sorry to bother you today but as it seems, you're innocent."

She smiled triumphantly.

"No issue. Thank you for dropping me sef."

She had idea of what was coming next.

"So, since you're innocent I guess you don't mind me searching your brothel. You know I have the right."

Her face was drained of any smile immediately and looked dreadful instead. I smiled inside me.

"Ah. No problem oga.", although it sounded like she stuttered.

I took her phone and asked one of the police officers to watch him. Then with the other police officers I got into the brothel I told them to gather all the girls together and when that was done, I went with the officers to search the place.

In the middle of the search her phone rang and I checked the caller ID and it was a person named 'Oga'. I left the phone to ring till it stopped. Then I decided to check her contacts. She didn't have many contacts saved in it. Just about five. The person she saved as 'Oga' was the most contacted person and I decided to connect the calls he made to her to my phone. Then I decided to save the number in my phone.

When I keyed in the numbers, something unexpected happened. Funny enough I had already saved the number in my phone before and it was somebody I hadn't contacted in a long time, or didn't want to.

"Oga come and see something we found."

One of my officers called interrupting my train of thoughts. I put the two phones in my pocket quickly after removing any proof that I had touched hers at all from it.

"I'm coming."

I went to the place they were calling me to which was her office. The officer showed me a place where a bunch of files where kept. I picked one and looked at it. It had papers in it together with a passport. I realized that the papers belonged to the girls at the brothel.

"Take all the files you can find and send them to my car. Keep them the way they are arranged. And you—" I said pointing at the other one— "Count all the girls downstairs. I think we're done here for now."

While they went I inspected the place before turning to go, just then my eyes caught something and I was surprised I hadn't noticed it before. I picked it up and examined it, it had a slight crack but besides that it was okay.

It was the phone I had given Miriam.

~~~

Author's note: I thought that there was a little detective action lacking so here it is.

Hehehehehe 😏

At last we've found her phone. I hope you didn't forget it.

Anyways. Don't forget to vote and comment, that would really support me