Without waste of any second, she left the station and headed to her uncle's place. They were lucky that, her uncle lived in the town and it was in this town that James' College was. From the Central police Station of Malaba town to her uncle's place was just a thirty-minute drive.
She boarded a bus at the Malaba Bus station and travelled to her uncle's place. Being on a Sunday, majority of the people who had come for the service in town were travelling from town to their homes. The bus did not take long at the station and it was full. They drove off and thirty minutes later, she was at her uncle's place.
From the bus stop to her uncle's house was a ten minute walking distance. She alighted and walked. Ten minutes later, she was at her uncle's gate. She was extremely tired but had finally arrived to her destination.
In Credo, Law was one of the best paying jobs one could ever get. Her uncle Jude was among the top lawyers in the city. He was also very rich and lived like a king. One could tell from the look of his beautiful mansion. It was surrounded by a brick wall that was capped with an electric fence all round. At the gate, there were very beautiful and sweet smelling flowers planted along the path. The gate itself shouted luxury and the dosh Jude had. The path was so clean that one could take a meal on it. Everything around this mansion screamed wealth and luxury.
She reached for the gate bells and rang it. In a short while, Jojo, the gateman opened the gate for her. It was not her first time at her uncle's house so the gateman knew her well. She had not visited for a long time due to the tight schedules at her school. The gateman was very pleased to see her. She was also happy to be warmly welcomed by him. Upon inquiry of her uncle's ware bouts, the gateman confirmed his presence.
She also saw his car parked outside as she went towards the beautiful mansion led by Jojo the gateman. Her uncle had not parked it inside because he had just arrived from church. Jojo rang the doorbell and shortly, her aunt Maria opened the door. She was very happy to see Vero. They smiled and hugged each other as Maria welcomed her to the house.
Maria thanked Jojo for showing her in and Jojo went back to his post at the gate. Vero entered the house chatting with her aunt about her well fare and school. Shortly, they arrived at the living room where her uncle was seated watching T.V. Her uncle was very pleased to see her too. She sat down and started talking to her uncle about school. Meanwhile, her aunt reached to the refrigerator and poured her a drink as they talked.
Maria then went to the kitchen to get her something to eat. It had been long since they had seen her. They were very happy that she had visited them. As she talked, she could not help but move her eyes round the beautiful house. It was so beautiful inside that she seemed like one who has never been there before. The comfort in the couches also spoke it all. The size of the screen mounted on the wall was beyond description. In short, the best description for the house was to call it a palace. It was so beautiful that even the Kings would wish to live in it.
After they shared much about their well fare for the period passed, it was time for Vero to state what had brought her. She had already finished her drink and taken the lunch she was brought by her aunt. Although her aunt and uncle were happy to see her, they were curious and worried about what had brought her to their home at the middle of the semester. From the look on their faces, one could tell that they had curiosity and fear combined.
Vero was somewhat nervous too worrying on how she would start to explain herself. She had no option but to gain courage and tell her uncle of her request. James' fate depended on it. Her love for him gave her courage and finally she explained herself to them. Her cousins were not at home. They were all at school. It was only her aunt and uncle present.
"Uncle, I know you were happy to see me but you are also curious to know why I had to visit at the middle of the semester," said Vero in a shaky voice.
"Of course we are my daughter. How can we not be worried? You seem worried yourself. Tell us; what is bothering you my child. I hate it when you are in trouble," said Jude to her.
"I know you both care so much about me uncle and I love you and thank you for that. Contrary, I am not in any trouble but my friend is," said Vero.
"Come on Vero, how does it bother you when your friend is in trouble? Does this friend not have a family that he can talk to or why should you bother?" asked Jude.
"Well, my friend has a family but this involves you more than his family," said Vero.
"Did you say his? Is this friend a boy?" asked Aunt Maria.
"Yes aunt, he is my boyfriend and I love him so much. He really needs your help," said Vero.
"So you have a boyfriend?" asked Aunt Maria.
"Yes aunt, I have a boyfriend. His name is James. He is a very good man and hard working. I love him so much," said Vero.
"Oh, that's nice of you but hope you keep your studies first and take things slow," said Aunt Maria.
"Of course aunt, we take it slow and studying is all we do most of the time together," said Vero.
"Tell us, what kind of trouble is he in?" asked Jude.
"Well, I know it might sound stupid but, he is at the police station as we speak. One of my roommates accused him of rape," said Vero.
"Oh my goodness, why would someone accuse him of rape?" asked Maria in shock.
"She wanted to get back at him for being with me and not her. It was a way of punishing us," said Vero.
"Punish you for what, for being in love? That is strange. So how did it happen? What evidence does she have against him?" asked Jude.
"Well, this is the confusing part. He went looking for me yesterday at our hostels and found Carol in the room. When he asked her of my ware bouts, Carol told him I had gone out with another man. James tried my phone and found it off. She then took advantage of him and seduced him to sleep with her. After he did, she asked him to leave behind a souvenir. He left her his shirt. It was after which she went to the police and reported," Vero explained.
"How could he sleep with her if he loves you? You should not be bothering yourself for him. He betrayed you," said Maria.
"Do not be so quick to judge him Maria. He was angry that Vero was out with another man. The worst part was when he called Vero's phone was off. Anybody in her shoes could think the same. Do not forget that it was also Vero's best friend saying these words to James," said Jude.
"Well, you do have a point. Love can make people do crazy things. So, how was your phone off and why?" asked Maria.
"Well, I got a call from home that my brother was sick and admitted in hospital. Since I was closest, I went to see him. I did not have time to tell him. Unfortunately, I had not charged my phone enough the previous night. It went off after I arrived at the hospital. I could not reach him to let him know neither did I know he would go looking for me. Even if he did look for me, I never thought Carol would do something like that. It's my entire fault he is in jail right now," explained Vero in tears.
"Take it easy my dear. We shall do our best to help him. So, did Carol go to the hospital for a check up to confirm her claim?" asked Jude.
"I surely do not know. All I know is the shirt that James left in the room. This is why I came to you uncle. He cannot be jailed for a crime he did not commit," said Vero sobbing.
"Okay, do not worry my daughter. We will get to the root of this matter. Is there anybody that can testify on behalf of James?" asked Jude.
"Actually, I tried to find one but as it appears, most people are out for the weekend. I could not find anyone claiming to have seen him or Carol at the time of the incident," Vero stated.
"Well, we shall find a way to go about it. I think we need to go talk to him. It's not late yet and I happen to know an officer at the station," said Jude.
"I also agree with you my dear. These days our children are not as we were back then. They do things without thinking of the consequences. How could someone accuse him of such a big crime just because he loved Vero?" asked Maria in surprise.