Maame U gazed at her son for a moment, a heavy sigh escaping her lips. The evening enveloped the community in silence, Baby Ama having just fallen asleep, leaving mother and son alone.
"What happened, Kwesi? What happened that night?" Maame U finally inquired.
"Nothing, Ma," Jesse murmured
"Kwesi, I saw blood on the shirt you wore that evening when I was washing the clothes after your arrest," Maame U said, now sitting up on the mattress.
Jesse closed his eyes, then reopened them, looking back at his mother.
"I went to the local bar to have a drink after work. I guess I got too drunk and got into a fight with some men in the bar. That's why there was blood on my shirt," Jesse explained.
"Why did you go to get drunk?" Maame U asked.
"I argued with him in the morning. I called him several times when I got to work; he didn't answer," Jesse replied.
"Hmm, his grandmother hasn't stepped out since he died. So why are the police still suspecting you? They should let you go," his mother reasoned.
Jesse gave her a small smile. "I want to sleep, Ma. I'm tired," he said, turning over to the other side as sleep overtook him, cherishing the comfort of the small mattress he had missed.
**************************************
Detective Philip arrived at Ridge Hospital in the morning, having been too tired the previous night to see Tasmina and Yaw. Despite booking a guesthouse near the hospital for them, Tasmina's mother had already arrived in Accra and was with her daughter.
As Detective Philip entered, Maame Yaa stood up immediately to confront him. "What are you going to do with my son?" she asked.
Detective Philip, though surprised by the morning question, smiled calmly, making sure not to show his surprise. "Well, he's been charged with attempted murder," he answered.
"And who placed the charge? It was my daughter he was trying to harm, and I, the mother, have not given any statement," Maame Yaa said.
"What are you trying to say, Mum?" Tasmina intervened.
"I'm trying to get your brother out of prison."
"Alright, if you want your son released, I'll gladly facilitate that."
"What!" Tasmina and Maame Yaa exclaimed together, while Yaw opened his mouth in shock, wondering what was happening.
"Well, you want him out, and I'm facilitating his release. Let me make the call now," Detective Philip said with a smile as he dialled.
"Release Thomas," he said immediately once the call was answered. "Yes, I'm the one who brought him, and I'm facilitating his release. So, arrange a car for him. Oh, no, wait, his mum will pick him up immediately. Thank you. Bye." Detective Philip ended the call with a smile.
"Alright, everything is done, Yaw. We have to go. I came for you," he informed Yaw.
Tasmina, still not understanding what Philip was doing, stood there absent-minded, trying to grasp the sudden turn of events.
"Why are you securing his release, sir?" Yaw inquired as they stepped outside.
Detective Philip chuckled. "I'm not securing his release, Yaw. I'm killing two birds with one stone"
Yaw, still puzzled, wore a confused expression. Philip chuckled again, opening his car.
"Pay attention, Yaw," Detective Philip said, pressing the button to start the engine. "The phone you brought to me, Rexford's phone, I happened to go through it and found a message sent to the superintendent of Adenta prison. Do you know what the message said?"
Yaw shook his head, prompting Philip to continue.
"In the message, I gathered that a guy was mistakenly arrested on drug charges. However, it was Thomas who had brought the drugs into the country while he was in the States."
"How could he frame the man mistakenly arrested if he was in the States?" Yaw asked.
"According to the message, I believe Thomas had someone bringing the drugs. When that person was checked at the airport, he was caught. In an attempt to escape, he threw the drugs into the bag of the man who was mistakenly arrested. The authorities, without further investigation, assumed he was an accomplice of the person who threw the drugs. You know how law enforcement operates in Ghana-they rarely delve deeper," Philip explained as he drove.
"But Rexford tried to investigate further since he doubted his son. I don't know why he doubted his son," Detective Philip continued, and Yaw nodded, now understanding the complexity of the situation.
"So why didn't he call the superintendent but rather send a message? How was he able to type all this?" Yaw asked.
"Well, I didn't see any call made to the superintendent on the call logs; maybe it was deleted. But I was able to make Waddle hack into his WhatsApp since there was a password on it. I think Thomas didn't know the password yet but knew the password of the home screen or so," Detective Philip explained, pondering for a moment before continuing. "The message was in a voice note; he started with 'I've not been reaching you' and then explained all the issues over there, stating that they've caught the wrong man, and he was heading over there to bail that man."
"Did the superintendent reply to the message he sent?" Yaw asked.
"Nope," Detective Philip replied. "But then another message with his wife on WhatsApp caught my attention. The time of the message was in the afternoon around 3 pm. His wife was, let me say, threatening him not to do anything against his son, else she will do everything it takes to protect his son."
"What!" Yaw exclaimed. "Then she must know what is going on."
"That's right," Detective Philip confirmed. "But you told me there was not anything crucial on the phone."
"Yes, I said that since Waddle had just broken into the phone where I went through the call logs. He was finding it difficult to break into WhatsApp, so I decided to make him stop so that I could return the phone. But guess what? He was able to hack in."
"But I remember the superintendent saying Rexford never visited. Why, didn't he get the message?" Yaw asked, now very curious.
"Good, Yaw. Now that I think of it, this case is very broad. The superintendent is another suspect of mine, but don't worry, I had some tech men plant small security cameras in Rexford's house when we were in the hospital. That's why I'm bailing him at the moment," Detective Philip said as he entered the road to Madina.
Detective Philip let out a deep sigh as he contemplated the intricate web of similarities in the recent murder cases. Examining the wounds on Josh, Jesse's friend, and the previous case handled by Detective William, and even the cuts on Rexford's body, the perplexing consistency in the cuts raised troubling questions. What struck him most was the recurring pattern and the peculiar absence of organs in some victims.
Feeling the weight of the complexity, Detective Philip mused about the potential involvement of Thomas or the superintendent in the unfolding mysteries. If Jesse truly played a role, strategically engaging with him might unveil crucial information. The detective found himself battling a growing headache amid the intricate puzzle of these interconnected murders.
"Are we going to see Jesse?" Yaw asked as he observed the road they were on.
Detective Philip simply nodded in response to his question. Silence settled in the car as both contemplated the recent revelations.
Philip's thoughts circled back to the moment when he had instructed Waddle not to expend effort hacking into WhatsApp, considering the challenging security measures. The app itself posed a formidable challenge, especially if the person had enabled two-step verification settings. Even if Waddle managed to break in, Philip believed there wouldn't be any useful evidence, as Thomas likely deleted all traces from the phone he had kept with him.
Leaving Waddle with instructions to send the phone to Rexford's residence with the car, Philip assumed that there wouldn't be much to uncover. However, Waddle, being himself, succeeded in breaking into the messages, exposing the information that prompted Philip's unanticipated visit to Thomas the previous day.
Desiring to play it cool and maintain an air of ignorance regarding the drug issue involving Thomas, Philip had only intended to subtly gather information. Now, he found himself at Jesse's house, where he parked the car and exited, leaving Yaw alone with his thoughts.