***THE ADVENTURES OF BIMPE***
EPISODE 23
The detective was looking at Bimpe’s head that was hanging low, they had been watching her from outside, she looked like a crumpled rag doll, but just now, right before his eyes, she had transformed into a cobr@ re-ady to sting.
Bimpe: “I don’t un-derstand what you meant by your earlier statement, but in any case, I have to contact my lawyer, so that he can interpret what you are saying. In other words, I cannot talk without the pres£nce of my lawyer” The detective was taken aback.
Detective: “In that case, we have nothing to talk about” he said and left. In another room, Oyinda was writing an incriminating statement to nail Bimpe.
Interrogator: “Will you be able to witness in court that she killed your father?”
Oyinda: “Yes, she must be jailed”
Interrogator: “So I un-derstand you have a brother, where is he?”
Oyinda: “He is not in the country at the moment”
Interrogator:”Do not leave the state till this case is concluded”
The news of Bimpe’s arrest spre-ad like wildfire, Alhaja was joyful, but Bimpe going to jail was not the way she wanted things to go, she thought that, if Bimpe was convicted for this murder, she would only lose her freedom, but all of Alhaji’s possession would still be in her control. The only solution was for Bimpe to die. Barrister Demba saw the news of her arrest on television and knew the onus la-id squarely on him to save her from herself. She was his p@rtner after all. So to the police station he went.
Bimpe was pacing up and down the interrogation room, they weren’t talking to her, despite her influence, they were neglecting her and they were also keeping her from contacting the outside world, because they knew what she could do. She was still pacing, thinking of the next piece on her chess board to move when the door open.
Bimpe: “You have to let me contact my lawyer, or else I will sue you” she yelled before she realized that it was not the detective, but Barrister Demba. She rushed and hvgged him, not because they were close, but because he was the only familiar face.
Bimpe: “I didn’t kill him, I swear I didn’t kill. Brian, his son killed him”
Barrister Demba: “Don’t say a word” he said. Bimpe put herself together, he turned where the c@m£ra should face and beckoned for the officers to join them in the room. Soon, the detective entered.
Detective: “So are we re-ady to confess?”
Barrister Demba: “I want a bail hearing today, how can you arrest her on the basis of one person’s statement? She has to be re-leased now. And interrogating my client without my pres£nce is crossing the line, let’s hope I don’t sue”
After all was said and done, Bimpe was bailed after spending 48 hours in jail. She was driven home by Barrister Demba who asked her to contact the as-sociates, and see if they could help.
Bimpe: “I have a plan” she said, walking frantically around the house.
Barrister Demba : “Tell me about this plan”
Bimpe: “Oyinda is the only person who is nailing me; I want to give her an offer that she cannot refuse”
Just then, Oyinda walked in, she saw them and gave a long sigh.
Bimpe: “Oyinda I nee-d to talk with you, it is about the murder”
Oyinda: “I have nothing to say to you, murderer” she replied and was going away, but Bimpe held her hand.
Bimpe: “What would you say if I tell you, I will re-lease your trust fund to you,and give you even your brother’s. Not only that I will give over all your father’s as-sets.”
Oyinda: “Why would you do all these?”
Bimpe: “So that you will retract your statement, your brother has escaped and the authorities may never find him, tell the authorities the truth, and you will be richer than the governor of Lagos” she said and watch the greediness pl@yout on Oyinda’s face, she was actually contemplating ex-posing her brother for riches.
Oyinda: “I will give you a reply in twenty four hours” she said and walked away.
Question: Will Oyinda save Bimpe from the situation she is in, or will her loyalty to her brother override her love for riches?
EPISODE 24
Oyinda agreed to clear Bimpe’s name in a press conference. Bimpe went all out in organizing the press conference. She invited t©p bloggers, vloggers and newsmen to the press conference. The conference was held in the courtyard of Cytron Company. Bimpe waited for Oyinda to arrive before she went out, but Oyinda did not come at the time she should. Her heart began to tremble.
Bimpe: “This is going to be the worst, to be stood up” she muttered as they walked up and down her office. Her secretary did well to stay clear from her path because when she was in this mood, she could turn on anyb©dy. She had sacked an employee once, when she was in this mood. But Barrister Demba was with her, Bimpe had discussed the offer, she offered Oyinda, but he had his doubts to the feasibility of this plan. So he was alre-ady prepared for the case. His only fear was that, Bimpe could be handing ammunition to Oyinda to harm her, she was giving her a stage and there was no telling what Oyinda would say. After a long wait, in which the pressmen were beginning to get impatient and some were packing up to leave, Bimpe c@m£ out of the company premises, with Oyinda in tow.
Bimpe: “Welcome everyone to this press conference. The purpose of this conference is to clear my name. By whatever reason, I was wrongly accused of the death of my husband, but today I am happy to say, that the one other person who saw the incident is here to tell the truth, and clear me from any wrong doing. The murderer is still out there” she said and paved the one for Oyinda to come to the microphone and talk.
Oyinda: “My stepmother did not kill my father, she is innocent, my brother did, he killed my father, but it was not intentional, he meant to…” People began to boo and jeer at her. She could not continue because they were throwing slurs at her. At this time, Bimpe should have taken her off the stage, but she wanted her to complete. More importantly, she wanted her to name her brother as the murderer.
Brian was sitting in his hideout watching the television, he was happy about the development, if Bimpe was convicted for the murder of his father, he could easily take back what he deserved. He loved his sister more for standing for him, he had not finished the thought when the press conference c@m£ up live on LVH1, he saw Bimpe and he saw Oyinda coming up behind her.
Brian: “What is going on here?” he thought to himself, his mind refused to accept the fact that his sister would turn on him. His hopes were dashed when Bimpe announced that her name would be cleared. Then his sister began to talk and his world crumbled.
Brian: “Oyinda! Oyinda!” he sneered throu-gh clenched teeth. He pu-ll-ed up his hood on his sweatshi-t and stepped out of his hideout. He was going to pay his sister a visit.
After the crowd quieted down, Bimpe urged Oyinda to continue her speech; the latter turned and looked at her thoughtfully.
Oyinda: “She is enjoying this; she wants me to f!nger Brian publicly. We’ll see about that” she fli-pped her hair to one side and adjusted the microphone closer to her mouth.
Oyinda: “All I just said is a lie. Bimpe f0rç£d me to say this, she bribe-d me, that she would give me my inheritance if I cleared her name and f!nger my brother instead. My brother Brian was and still is out of the country on the day of the incident. How much she bribe me with my own inheritance, is it not my property? I have to say the truth even if it means that she will keep all of my father’s properties, it doesn’t matter. The murderer of my father, Chief Bamigboye is none other than Bimpe, and she must be s£nt to jail.” She said and walked away quic-kly, afraid for her life. She kept turning left right and backwards to make sure Bimpe had not s£nt anyone after her.
Barrister Demba: “We have to leave now” he pu-ll-ed her arm but she was pu-lling back, she wanted to say her side of the story.
Bimpe: “They have to hear me, I did not kill Chief Bamigboye, I did not” she wailed. Barrister Demba succeeded in taking her away from the venue of the conference, back into the company’s premises. The conference was televised on many television channels, people began to remember the murder of Alhaji, and the tag “Black widow” appeared more on television.
Bimpe: “I want another conference”
Barrister Demba: “Enough of the conferences, this plan was bad from the onset, your priority is to win the case, not win public opinion. Public opinion does not matter”
Bimpe: “What is the way forward?”
Barrister Demba: “It is obvious that the police have no evidence other than Oyinda’s testimony, we have to attack her authenticity. Do not worry; everything is going to be fine”
Oyinda was in the big mansion all alone, she had on her night robe, but she could not sleep. She kept seeing the visuals of her father lying in his own pool of blood. She blamed Bimpe for everything, and swore that she would make sure she is convicted for her father’s murder. She was lost in thought she didn’t realize someb©dy else was in the living room with her. Till he gr!pp£dher n£¢k, she tried to scream, but the sound was killed in her throat.
Brian: “You traitor, how could you do that to me?” he lifted her from the couch and threw her to the floor.
Oyinda: “Brian, what have I done to you that you want to kill me as you killed father”
Brian: “I saw you on television today, you …”
Oyinda: “Yes I was and I regret throwing Bimpe un-der the bus for you”
Brian: “I don’t un-derstand, you cleared Bimpe’s name, didn’t you?”
Oyinda: “You probably watched the beginning and had no patience for the latter p@rt. I did that to make things worse for her, have you re-ad the news recently, people think she bribe-d me to say that, they think the worst of her. People alre-ady believe she is guilty, you are free. The police will never know. Only me know who killed father.” Brian embr@ced her and thanked her.
Oyinda: “How do we get our possession back?”
Brian: “Patience, sister. The first step is to get her to prison, if we succeed in that, every other thing is a cake walk”
The solicitor in charge of Chief Bamigboye’s estate fixed a d@t£ for the re-ading of the will; Bimpe went and told him that the day in question was not convenient for her. She knew she was a principal element and the will would not be re-ad in her abs£nce. This infuriated the children so greatly, that they couldn’t wait for the case to begin, so they would testify against Bimpe. One day, a day to the trial, Bimpe went to the house to pack her belongings, she had not lived in the house since Chief died. When she opened the door, she stumbled because fear consumed her, there, staring at her, was Brian.
Bimpe: “You?”
Brian: “Yes me, what are you doing here, murderer?”
Bimpe: “Oh my God, have you guys told this lie so often that you actually believe it?”
Brian:”What are you doing here?”
Bimpe: “I live here, in fact, I own this house since you killed your father. I would have kicked you guys out, but I am not in the mood, but don’t test me” she said and walked away, taking tentative steps up the stairs.
The day of the trial saw a full courthouse, like the time of the murder of AlhajiDambazzau. People trudged to the courthouse, both pressmen and ordinary citizens.Bimpe dressed in a midi peach colored dress. She sat in the defense section with her lawyer Barrister Demba. Oyinda walked into the courtroom and sat on the other side of the room, eyeing Bimpe all the way to her seat.
Court official: “The defendant should stand” Bimpe stood up, she felt a s-en-se of déjà vu. The last time she was in the courthouse, she was a witness, today she was a defendant.
Court official: “How do you plead?”
Bimpe: “Not guilty” she replied
Court official: “The court calls the prosecuting counsel to call its first witness”
The prosecutor stood up and called Oyinda out to the witness stand.
Prosecutor: “You witnessed the murder of Chief Bamigboye, do you see the murderer in the court room?”
Oyinda: “That is her, the murderer is Bimpe” she pointed straight to Bimpe, who looked at her, her face devoid of any emotion or expression.
Prosecutor: “What did she kill your father, with?”
Oyinda: “A pistol” she replied. The prosecutor had the remote to a projector, so he displa-yed the picture of the pistol found at the crime scene.
Prosecutor: “How did it happen?”e
Oyinda: “I was upstairs in my room when I heard shouts, it was Bimpe’s voice, she was screaming at my dad, she was angry, I could not hear what she was saying, I rushed downstairs just at the moment she pu-ll-ed the trigger. My dad fell, with blood spurting out of the bullet hole, and she just threw the gun and stared at my dad, she did not do anything, she was so heartless.” She began to sob. It was easy for her to cry because she missed her dad and he was dead, never to return. Many who watched her cry could feel her grief, and they hated Bimpe the more. She was the face of villainous.
Prosecutor: “No further questions” he said and went back to his seat. Barrister jumped out the moment, the prosecutor got to his seat.
Barrister Demba: “Miss Bamigboye, you say that Bimpe held the gun and sh0t your father point blank?”
Oyinda: “yes she did, I saw her”
Barrister Demba: “But an-alysis of the f!nger prints on the gun has been compared with the defendant’s f!nger prints, and there was no match. Here is exhibit A” he brou-ght out papers from his folder and gave to the court clerk and the judge, he also displa-yed it on the projector, for all to see.
Oyinda(stuttering): “I only know what I saw, and she held the gun”
Barrister Demba: “Was she wearing hand gloves?”
Oyinda: “I don’t know, I cannot tell”
Barrister Demba: “Were you Jealous that a lady that was once your clas-smate was now your stepmother?”
Prosecutor: “Objection, speculation”
Judge:”sustained. Counsel, if you have no more questions, save our time”
Barrister Demba: “No further questions” he said and went back to his seat, with a sly grin. Bimpe looked at him and wondered what was amusing in this situation.
Prosecutor: “I call Bimpe to the stand”
Question: Do you think the prosecutor has la-id a tra-p for Bimpe, by calling her to the stand? Also, why was Bimpe’s lawyer smiling in such a ti-ght situation. Does he have an ace up his sleeve?
T bc…