Hotel Room Murder
Page 7
“Fine.” Desola Ogunba folded her hands across her chest. “No. I’ve never been there.”
Inspector Osbourne smiled. He knew he had her. He pulled out his phone, opened the photo folder, and passed it to her. “Then why were you seen entering the hotel this morning?”
Desola Ogunba looked at the photo, then stared at Inspector Osbourne, and shook her head casually. “I’m sorry. I have been there. I thought you meant somewhere else.”
“Mrs. Ogunba, I’m sure you heard my question correctly, both times.” Inspector Osbourne stared back, hoping for a reaction that would give something away. He got nothing. She probably wasn’t the weak link. He continued, however, “But let’s assume you hadn’t heard me correctly. Why were you at the hotel this morning?”
“That’s my business, not yours. Unless I no longer have freedom of movement or I have done something wrong, I’m not obliged to tell you what I was doing there.”
“Isn’t it strange that after a few hours of you being there, your husband, who was supposed to be at work, ends up there as well, and mysteriously dies?”
“It’s strange that my husband is dead and also strange that he was found with another woman. Yes, I suspected him of cheating, but I never knew that he was. Every other thing might be strange, but there’s nothing strange about the possibility of both of us being in the hotel at different times of the same day.”
“When you came into the station earlier to identify your husband’s body, you spoke to a man in the lobby. Doctor Patrick Umanze. Have you ever seen or met him before today?”
“No. Today was the first time. I don’t remember what he looks like.”
“What if I told you that he was the husband of the woman found dead with your husband?”
“Then I would understand what he was doing at the station and why he looked sad.”
The inspector ignored the sarcasm. “If you swipe through the photos on my phone, you will see the doctor entering the hotel thirty minutes before you.”
“If he entered thirty minutes before me, that should be why I never saw him.”
“The photos go back two weeks in the same hotel and one month at different other locations. Same time in and same time out.”
“I don’t know what you want me to say.” At that instant, Desola Ogunba’s phone rang again. She looked at the screen, then turned back to Inspector Osbourne. “Would that be all, Inspector? I have to take this call.”
Inspector Osbourne had nothing else, but he needed clarification on one thing. He asked, “Could you confirm what your husband’s phone number is?”
“Sure,” she said.
Inspector Osbourne pulled out the cheap phone, unlocked it, and called out the number Enitan Umanze had sent the text message to, and Desola Ogunba confirmed that it was her husband’s number with a nod.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be of help at this time,” she added. “But I hope you find my husband’s killer soon.”
Inspector Osbourne acknowledged her dismissive and cold request with a stiff smile, then stepped aside as she locked her door and rushed off.
***
Inspector Osbourne walked back to his car and immediately called Wilson.
“Inspector,” he answered, after two rings.
“Wilson, I need you to pull out the call logs from one of the numbers I gave to you to run the search.”
“Which one?”
“The one registered to Desola Ogunba. It has the initials ‘DO’ beside it.”
“Okay.” Wilson put his phone on speaker, then began typing into his laptop. When he had entered the number, he asked, “What am I looking for?”
“I want to know who just called the number and for what purpose, and I also want to know if you found any connection to the number belonging to the other spouse.”
“I found no connection at all. If they are communicating, it’s not via phone.”
Inspector Osbourne rubbed his chin as he recalled Princewill Jackson’s hammered words on no phone communication. “Email then?” he asked.
“I traced all emails linked to the phone numbers, and there’s no channel of communication there either.”
“Hmm.” The inspector sighed. “And the victims? Any luck with establishing a connection between them?”
“No luck there as well. Apart from the SMS, there’s no communication between them. I also checked their emails and found nothing.”
“Strange,” Inspector Osbourne muttered. “Okay, thanks. I’ll check back on the logs later.”
Inspector Osbourne hung up and called Princewill Jackson next. He answered immediately as if he was stationed by his phone and waiting for the call.
“I just met with Desola Ogunba,” Inspector Osbourne began. “She said she doesn’t know the doctor and that she has never seen or met him before today.”
“Of course, she said that.”
“She indirectly confirmed that they never met at the locations they were seen entering at different times. Why? Because they entered at different times.”
Princewill Jackson shook his head, though the inspector couldn’t see him. “You know she’s lying, right?”
“I do,” the inspector said. “And you were also right.”
“About what?”
“I had the tech guy run a search on her phone line and he found no form of communication between her and the doctor.”
“And the victims?”
“None either.” The inspector exhaled. “What about the hospital? Did you get a list?”
“Yes. Well, a snapshot from a few days back,” Princewill Jackson replied. “I didn’t want to raise suspicions by asking questions, so when I was given the register to sign in, I took some snapshots.”
“And?”
“Unfortunately, there’s no record of Desola Ogunba being at the hospital in the last couple of days.”
“Then how on earth do they communicate? If at all they communicate.”
“I don’t know, but I’m sure they communicate somehow. We might be missing something,” Princewill Jackson said. “There’s definitely a connection between them. We just need to find it.”
“If there is, then we will surely find it. The question is when, and how?” Inspector Osbourne exhaled again, mentally fatigued. “I’ll meet you back at the station.”
***
Same Day
Thursday, 22nd November 2018
8:20 p.m.
Inspector Osbourne got to the station about forty-five minutes later and met Princewill Jackson waiting outside. Without saying much to each other, they both went to meet Wilson to check for updates.
“Wilson,” Inspector Osbourne said, as soon as he entered the lab. “Please, tell me you found something from Desola Ogunba’s last call.”
“I did.” Wilson smirked.
The inspector shared a brief look of relief with Princewill Jackson, then they both turned to Wilson.
“And it’s an interesting one,” Wilson continued. “The caller’s name is Gabriel Makun. Logs from his other calls indicate that he is some sort of private car hire.”
“Wonderful,” Inspector Osbourne said. “They headed out almost an hour ago. Any idea where to?”
“To a place called ‘Espiage’ or something. That’s all I gathered. And the driver seemed to know where it was because he didn’t ask for an address when the place was mentioned.”
“Did you look it up, or anything close to it?”
“I did, but I didn’t get anything. It must be a different spelling because the few variations I tried brought out nothing. Maybe the place is not on the web, which means it could be a private location. We would need to ask either the passenger or the driver directly.”
Inspector Osbourne looked at Princewill Jackson. “Is it somewhere they have been to before?”
“Maybe, but not in the last month because I don’t know where that is. I think we should track them down somehow, then surprise Desola Ogunba.”
“I have a better idea.” I
nspector Osbourne turned to Wilson. “I need the driver’s number. Something tells me that he’ll be able to provide the link between Desola Ogunba and the doctor.”
Chapter Five: Driver
Same Day
Thursday, 22nd November 2018
9:20 p.m.
Gabriel Makun sat in a semi-lit room and couldn’t stop shaking. When he received a call from a client requesting a ride from the Victoria Island police station, he felt cool with excitement, and even cooler when the client introduced himself as an inspector. So for a moment, he imagined that he could be a getaway driver like in the movies. But now, sitting alone in the quiet room, his excitement alternated between fright and anxiety. He raised his hands and looked at his palms as they shook. Just then, the door swung open and a sophisticated-looking man in a fine suit entered.
Inspector Osbourne walked to the table, pulled out a seat, and sat in it. “You must be Gabriel Makun. Thank you for coming.”
Gabriel Makun smiled tensely. “Yes, I am. And I am glad I can be of service to you today.”
“My name is Inspector Tunde Osbourne.”
“I know that.” Gabriel Makun smiled again, although unable to control his anxiety. “You mentioned your name when you called me.”
It was Inspector Osbourne’s turn to smile. “But do you know that you’re in the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department of the station?”
Gabriel Makun’s forced smile vanished instantly. He didn’t know what the inspector was trying to say, but he didn’t like it.
Inspector Osbourne looked around. “Do you know where you are right now?”
There was no answer.
“You’re in an interrogation room. And whether you leave here today or not depends on if you cooperate with us.”
“I don’t understand.”
Inspector Osbourne pulled out his phone, scrolled to Desola Ogunba’s photo, then showed it to him. “Do you know who this woman is?” he asked.
Gabriel Makun nodded promptly, without thinking about it. “Yes, I do. I am a private car hire driver, so I carry her around as needed.”
“How long have you known her?”
Gabriel Makun looked up, doing a mental calculation, then said, “For more than three years now. I used to be her private driver for one year until I was able to buy my own car and start my business two years ago, but she still likes to use my services.”
“Is your business registered?” the inspector asked.
“Yes, it is, sir.”
“So I’m guessing you keep records of all your trips and payments.”
“Yes sir, especially for bookings. I have a book where I record the details of each passenger, where they want to go and when, and how much they will pay. I use the list to check on my customers once in a while so that they won’t forget my business.” Gabriel Makun tried to smile again, but Inspector Osbourne didn’t.
“I will need to see the book.”
“The book?” Gabriel Makun asked, hoping he had misheard the inspector.
“Yes, the book you just mentioned.”
Gabriel Makun shook his head. “Ah. Please, sir, it’s my company property and no other car hire service has that type of record. It’s why I always have customers. If others know it exists, they will want to copy it.”
Inspector Osbourne could care less for the man’s business or his competitors, especially when ‘murder’ was involved. “Your book has become evidence in the murder case involving two victims, one of which is your former madam’s husband.”
Gabriel Makun held a hand over his mouth, genuinely shocked. It was evident that he hadn’t seen the press release from earlier in the evening.
Inspector Osbourne continued, “So unless you want to end up in prison for obstruction of justice, possibly as an accomplice to murder, and have your business closed down, you will give me the book.”
Gabriel Makun stuttered as he said, “The book is in my car, sir. I can go and get it.”
“Okay, let’s go and get it.” Inspector Osbourne stood up and led Gabriel Makun to his car.
The car was a space bus and looked well maintained as if it had just been purchased. The driver opened the door and pulled out an A4-sized hardback and bulky notebook from under the front seat. He then popped the trunk open and went to retrieve five other similar books.
He looked sadly at the books before handing all six of them over to Inspector Osbourne who promised to return them once he was done with the investigation. That sorted, the inspector asked the driver to leave or wait to collect them later, then glanced through the first page of the topmost book, as he went into the station. The driver chose to wait.
When Inspector Osbourne got back to his office, he met Princewill Jackson there, waiting for him. He had watched the driver’s interrogation from the viewing room, then went to wait in the office while Inspector Osbourne escorted the driver outside to his car.
“What are those?” Princewill Jackson asked, eyeing the books Inspector Osbourne carried in his arms like a baby. “Don’t tell me they are the driver’s client list.”
“They are. All his trips and transactions,” Inspector Osbourne said.
“He must have a lot of clients.” Princewill Jackson raised an eyebrow, as he did a mental count of the books.
Inspector Osbourne dropped them on his desk and looked through them. “One book represents half a year, from what I saw in the first. The driver said he started his business two years ago, and the first has February to June 2016 recorded in it. My guess is that he registered his company in January 2016 and started officially recording details in February.”
Princewill Jackson had been glancing through the covers of the books as Inspector Osbourne spoke, then complemented, “There’s another one for the remaining half of the year 2016, and there are two others for 2017.”
Inspector Osbourne gave Princewill Jackson a book. “Look through the first half of 2018 and I’ll look through the second half. The only thing that interests me is what Desola Ogunba has been up to recently and a possible connection to the doctor.”
They both began to dig through the records without hesitation.
***
“You said it. The driver sure has a lot of clients,” Inspector Osbourne eventually admitted almost five minutes into going through the book.
Princewill Jackson sighed. “And how does he remember all of them if he only goes by their initials?”
“It might be some privacy tactic in case anyone finds the book,” the inspector offered.
“Or he just doesn’t know all his clients’ names.”
“Possibly, because he uses first name initial and surname for some, but not the others.”
“Does he have anything on Desola’s whereabouts from this evening?”
“Strangely, no. I’ll have to ask him about that, though my priority is finding a link between her and the doctor.” Inspector Osbourne squinted as he came across some details in the book. A nanosecond later, he exclaimed, “Finally!”
“What did you find?” Princewill Jackson asked.
“The possible link.” Inspector Osbourne pointed at the book. “It all makes sense now. The reason we never found a phone or email communication channel between the doctor and Desola Ogunba. Just as we thought, they were meeting somewhere else.”
“What did you find?” Princewill Jackson repeated. He couldn’t take the suspense.
“Madam D, as noted here, goes to a place simply recorded as Saint Paul at least twice a week, after which she goes to different meeting locations for the rest of the week. There’s a visit to Saint Paul a day before Lagos Star Hotel. It has to be their means of communication and planning.”
“Saint Paul?” Princewill Jackson repeated, then reached for the book. “Let me see that.”
“Do you know where that is?”
“That’s the hospital where the doctor works, or at least, that’s what the hospital is called. And from the sign-in register I saw, there was no record of Desol
a Ogunba going in there,” Princewill Jackson said. “How is that possible?”
“Let me see the register entries,” Inspector Osbourne asked.
Princewill Jackson pulled out his phone and showed the inspector the snapshots. Without collecting the phone, the inspector scrolled from photo to photo, scrutinizing each one.
“Maybe Desola Ogunba never signs in when she goes there,” Princewill Jackson said, then stopped to think. “But everyone signs in, no matter what they are there for or who they are there to see. Hospitals take sign-ins quite seriously because of emergencies and evacuations. Or maybe the doctor has given her a special pass.”
Inspector Osbourne stood up. “Let’s go and find out for ourselves.”
***
Same Day
Thursday, 22nd November 2018
9:50 p.m.
The traffic was light, with most of the roads almost empty, so Inspector Osbourne and Princewill Jackson got to Saint Paul Hospital in no time. The hospital was a massive structure with an equally big parking lot. Four or five cars were stationed at a corner and three ambulances were parked side by side at the entrance and facing the gate. The inspector believed that they were in that position in case of emergencies, if urgent transfers were needed to be carried out or if they had to go and pick up anyone in distress.
As if being chased, they alighted as soon as the inspector killed the car engine and went directly for the entrance. Inside, some patients sat in the waiting area watching a TV show with no volume. Both men headed to the reception where a nurse was looking into her phone. She put the phone down immediately and smiled at Inspector Osbourne as he approached.
“Can I help you?” she asked, and when she noticed Princewill Jackson a second later, she added, “I think I have seen you today already. Yes, you wanted to see Doctor Umanze earlier, and you left without signing in.”