"Gentlemen please, let's be civilized here. This is not a marketplace." Inspector Jerome said with an effort to control the uproar between Efe and the Onwukas.
"Mr man you better sit back and do your job." Mr. Onwuka snapped back at Inspector Jerome. "This girl must not leave here today, she must rot in jail."
"I'm sorry but that won't be happening." Veronica chimed in, announcing her presence. Grace's eyes widened in disbelief as soon as she heard her voice. Seeing Veronica's face overwhelmed her with a sense of uncertainty about what could happen next. Everyone including June and Joana was clueless about what was going on.
"Who is this?" Jerome asked. "And I thought I told you, girls, to wait over there?"
"Who I am is not of importance right now," Veronica replied. "What is important right now is that this girl right here is innocent and you are going to receive a call any moment from now telling you why you should release her."
"What?" Jerome said with confusion written all over his face and just like clockwork, his phone rang. The DPO.
"Morning sir!" He said as soon as he placed the phone to his ear. The next moments that followed were filled with silence and anticipation and some occasional 'okay sir's from Inspector Jerome but it was clear to everyone that he didn't like what he was hearing. Finally, he dropped the phone down and straightened himself on his chair.
"What is it?" Efe asked.
Jerome let out a sigh before he spoke.
"I'm sorry Mr. and Mrs. Onwuka, but the call I just received now came from the DPO... The report from the hospital said that Raymond's death came from an accidental cause, drowning."
"You're calling my son's death an accident? She drowned him!" Mr. Onwuka roared. Mrs. Onwuka broke down in tears immediately.
"I know this must be very hard for you, but the truth is that Raymond too was drinking that night, just like Grace and the rest of the kids last night."
"So what are you trying to say?" June asked.
"Grace's story about passing out might be true after all... She's free to leave."
Grace rushed to Efe's arms, hugging him tightly. June and Joanna almost jumped in excitement. Veronica just stood and smiled. She knew it was coming. Grace after hugging Efe moved on to hug June and Joanna and mouthed the words Thank you to Veronica.
"So what does she have to do now?" Efe asked Jerome.
"Oh, nothing much. Just go over to the counter to collect your stuff." Jerome replied.
"Alright, thank you so much sir Grace, lets go --" Efe said, almost dragging Grace by the arm until Grace told him to wait. She looked over to Mr. and Mrs. Onwuka and felt like she should say something.
"I'm so sorry for your loss ma. She said to Mrs. Onwuka."
"Just go. She replied sobbing. My God will judge you people."
"Mama, I was so wrong about him and I wish I was the one who died instead."
Mrs. Onwuka looked away and buried her face in her husband's chest, crying all the way. Efe touched Grace by the shoulder and motioned to her that it was time to leave.
They headed straight for the counter where Grace was handed back her phone and her purse. Efe was the first to speak immediately as they left the entrance of the station.
"You guys have some serious explaining to do."
******
After Margret and her mother got to the morgue, they had to wait a little while for Officer James to go in and request to see the body. They sat on a long bench in a lobby, both of them clearly having a lot to say to each other but still waiting for the perfect time to start talking. Just then, Margret received a text from Joana.
'Grace has been released. We're all heading to her place.'
"Thank God!" Margret said in relief and excitement but immediately regretted it as soon as she spoke. She knew she had given her mother the opening she was looking for.
"What's that? Is it about Grace?" Maryam asked her daughter.
Margret, who was a bit reluctant to speak, remained quiet.
"Margret, answer me!" Maryam yelled which seemed to startle Margret a bit. She threw a glance at her mother who had impatience written all over then looked away.
"Yes mom, she has been cleared and released."
Maryam felt relieved.
"Thank goodness!... Why didn't you tell me she was arrested?"
Margret didn't answer. She just kept her eyes on the door Officer James walked into.
"Margret, you can't just ignore me like I'm not talking to you. We were both at home watching TV last night and you acted as nothing happened. How could you keep such a thing from me, your mother? I know you've been lying to me all this while. What exactly have you girls gotten yourself into? I feel like I don't know you anymore."
"Oh stop it, mom!" Margret replied, already flared up by her mother's words. "Don't start playing I feel like I don't know you anymore card when you never really knew me at all. You don't know who I am and you don't know what I go through every day."
"How do you expect me to know when you never tell me anything? I try to reach out to you but you never open up."
"Open up to someone who wouldn't believe me?" Margret said then scoffed. "I think I'll pass."
Maryam fell silent for a while to take in what Margret had just said and as soon as she thought it through, a horrible realization dawned on her.
"You're referring to that night with Sylvester, aren't you?"
"What do you think? My mother didn't believe me!" Margret answered with tears in her eyes. "Now what effect did you think that had on me huh?"
"I'm so sorry," Maryam said with tears now flowing down her cheeks.
"You want to know the truth so bad? Here it is, I loathed and despised Sylvester to the point that I wished he were dead and now that he is, I'm so fucking happy my wish got granted."
A huge wave of silence filled the hall immediately. Neither of them had anything left to say, not at the moment at least. Luckily, Officer James came out to ease the tension between them.
"Alright, we can go in now--"
Both Margret and Maryam scrambled to their feet and wiped the tears off their face with their palm as soon as they heard his voice.
"Uhm, is everything alright here?" Detective James asked.
"Yes," Maryam answered, then drew a deep breath. "Let's go."
Officer James led them away from the lobby to the right side of the building where the bodies were kept. Sylvester's body had already been taken to the examining room where the autopsy would be carried out.
"You ready?" Officer James asked one more time before he opened the door.
Maryam nodded then turned to her daughter.
"You don't have to go in there. I know you didn't want to be here in the first place."
"No, I want to see for myself," Margret replied.
"Alright ladies." Officer James said then opened the door and walked him, Margret and her mother walked in behind him.
A female doctor wearing a surgical apron with gloves and a scarf was already waiting for them. It seemed like she and Officer James knew themselves quite well.
"Good morning Officer James."
"Good morning Doctor Alice, how's the family?"
"They are fine, how's work?" Doctor Alice replied.
"You know, the usual bustle... Shall we?"
"Yes." Doctor Alice said and led them to the table where Sylvester's body was laid. Although for different reasons he sight sent both Maryam and Margret's hearts racing.
'What the hell is going on? How is he out here? We buried him ourselves!' Margret thought within herself as she stared down at Sylvester's cold face in disbelief. 'Could someone have dug up the body?'
Maryam was struck numb by the lifeless image of who was once her lover. Sylvester's dead! She realized she never really thought about what she'd do if he was dead. She couldn't believe her eyes.
Seeing both of their reactions, Officer James was certain they had their man but he still wanted to make sure.
"Is this him?" He asked.
It was Margret who spoke as her mother was still in shock.
"Yeah, erm, yes." She said then gulped. "How- where did you find the body?"
"In the agbara forest," James said, batting a suspicious eye at her but quickly turned to Maryam. "Be rest assured Mrs. Ajayi, we will find out who did this and make sure they are brought to justice."
'Justice?' Maryam thought to herself. Her talk with Margret had made her realize how much Margret had drifted away from her because she chose to believe Sylvester over her daughter. It was closure she sought at the beginning but even if this closure was going to be intertwined with justice, was losing her daughter for a dead man worth it? She pondered on that as she looked at Margret and almost immediately answered herself.
"No."
"What?" Officer James asked. "You want us to stop investigating?"
*No, yes, I mean... just do what you want. I don't know what exactly happened but I don't want my daughter and our son to be involved in it."
Margret's face lit up at her mother's words not just because it meant for her and the girls but because she decided to let go of the case between her and Sylvester. Officer James on the other hand was taken aback.
"Wow, are you sure?" He asked.
"Yes sir, thank you so much for everything, I'm grateful. People like you show that our police force is still capable of greater things."
Officer James forced a smile to conceal his disappointment.
"You're welcome ma."
Margret knew it took an awful lot from her mother to say what she had just said. She stretched out her left hand to hold her mother's but then at the last minute swooped in for a hug, leaving the doctor and the police officer to admire a beautiful mother-daughter moment.
"So what do we do now?" Margret asked after releasing her mother from her clutch.
"Well, Dr. Alice here would still have to perform the autopsy on the body, after which it would be left to our DPO to decide whether we would continue to investigate or not. Once that is completed, the body would be released for burial." Officer James answered.
"I guess we can take our leave then." Maryam assumed.
"Yes, I'm sorry for your loss once again." Officer James said. "Here, let me see you out."