Story: Web Of Lies Episode 21
Final Episode
Web Of Lies – Episode 21
Journalists from different spheres of media companies gathered at Central Police Station. They had been told that there will be a press briefing from the Central Police Station. Whoever was briefing them, they didn’t know. There was so much buzz going around the city about murders. Without delay, the press all found themselves all ready to jolt down and record something that could make headlines.
Coming out of the station was Xavier holding a piece of paper with two police officers following him. He walked comfortably to the podium which was set before the journalists. He made himself comfortable and looked at the people all ready to listen to what the press briefing was all about. He breathed in and out whilst wiping sweat on his forehead.
“These things are scary,” he said into the recorders on the slant surface of the podium.
Everyone laughed.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Xavier gulped. “On behalf of everyone at the station, we are pleased to welcome you to our press conference. We know it was short notice but we appreciate everyone for showing up,” he smiled looking at the press.
They all became busy.
“We will now report on the recent murders,” Xavier sighed. “It is saddening and horrifying to let you know that a woman by the name of Ayana Davids Zimba was murdered at her house yesterday. The sad thing is that her death is connected to the other death we had a month ago of Fiona Chibuye. There are no words to express the pain and sadness over the loss of Fiona and Ayana. As it is right now, we are investigating the two murders with all our resources,” he paused and looked at the press with sadness written all over his face almost believable. “The prime suspects have been apprehended and its sad to say that the suspects are no other than our own Chief and the Minister of Defence himself.”
The press murmured.
“It’s true,” Xavier looked at them and saw Darren’s mother and sister entering the station. He became nervous.
“I’m now at your disposal for your questions,” he told the press while looking at Darren’s kindred passing.
Mathilda and her mother reached the reception finding Serena. Serena was not surprised to see them because she knew Darren’s mother had a tendency of visiting her son at the station.
“Good morning mom,” She smiled at them.
“Morning my daughter,” Darren’s mother smiled back at her. “Is my son around?”
“Darren?” Serena asked thoughtful.
“Yes!” Mathilda answered.
“I didn’t see him report this morning. I’m sure he’s still at his place. Some mornings he comes late at work.”
“We spent the night at his place,” Mathilda looked at Serena.
Serena’s heart pounded.
“What case was he working on yesterday?”
“I’m not allowed to give information on cases mom,” Serena answered looking outside.
“We are scared something might have happened to him,” Mathilda added.
“Nothing could have happened to him. It’s Darren you are talking about,” Serena said getting her phone.
“We have tried calling him but his phone is off,” Darren’s mother said forcing back tears.
“Take a sit,” Serena pointed them to a seat at the reception. She went outside where the press briefing was being held.
“I’m afraid something happened to Darren,” Darren’s mother said. “What did he say? That you should tell me that he loves me? Darren never say something like that.”
Mathilda looked at Serena go and stood behind the man holding the press conference.
“Xavier can I talk to you?” She touched his shoulder.
“Can’t you see I’m busy,” he answered maintaining his smile.
Serena stepped back and tried Darren’s phone which was not going through.
“Yes madam, state your name and company you representing,” Xavier pointed at a journalist.
“It is my belief that the detective in charge of the Fiona murder is not here. If I’m not mistaken, his name is Darren Sampa. Where is he?”
Xavier shifted uneasily.
Darren’s mother and sister heard Darren’s name been called outside and moved closer to hear more. Serena also paid attention and so did all the journalists.
All eyes were on Xavier.
“Yes it is true. The detective on this case….,” Xavier paused and looked at everyone.
“Darren!” Mathilda exclaimed pointing at the gate.
Darren’s mother sighed and said a silent prayer.
Everyone turned around to look at the person the woman had shouted at. Entering the gate, was Darren with a man holding him with a bandage on his neck walking side by side slowly. The journalists and camera men shifted their attention to the detective who was swollen on almost each and every part of his face.
“What happened to you?” Darren’s mother asked tears streaming down her cheeks.
Darren ignored her question. His eyes were fixated on Xavier.
“How?” Xavier asked jittery.
Darren had never felt so much pain in his life compared to the one he felt while the wire was in his neck struggling for his life. He saw Xavier leaving the door while his vision became blurry and swimmy. He could feel his weight settling around his neck. There was a tremendous pressure and rushing sensation in his head. Feeling his life racing against time, he panicked and got even more confused as his eyes almost gorged out from his eyes.
His left hand still on the wire around his neck, his right hand reached for his knife on the belt. With some effort, he got hold of it and as he tried to lift his arm, he felt the pressure in his neck and his hand commanded him to rush to the neck dropping the knife on the floor.
All hope was lost for Darren. He stopped fighting and let himself go. As he closed his eyes, the door opened and a man came running at him and lifted him.
“Hurry up!” The man shouted.
A woman hurriedly entered the house with a horrified expression on her face.
“Pull the table,” the man commanded the woman.
The woman did as told; She got onto the table and untied Darren. The man carefully put him on his shoulder and laid him down. Darren’s vision was distorted; he couldn’t see them clearly. His body wanted all the air it could get around the room. He coughed and coughed while the man and woman looked at each other in terror. Still on the floor, Darren looked at the man and woman and smiled at them before shutting his eyes.
“This is the detective,” he heard the woman say as he blacked out.
Darren opened his eyes to a stranger tending to him.
“What the hell are you doing?” He tried to get up.
“Easy easy!” The man slowly pushed him back.
“You scared me and my wife,” the man said getting a box of some medicine.
“Who are you?”
“You have forgotten me detective?” The woman asked entering the room.
“Trina!” Darren said.
“Yes detective. This is my husband. He is a clinical officer. He has taken good care of you.”
Darren looked at the man gratefully.
“How did you know that I was….”
“We saw two cars parked outside the flat and suspected something.,” Trina said.
“After a while, we heard noise coming from the house. I was afraid to come but after seeing one man leaving the house instead of two, I decided to check it out,” Trina’s husband said.
“I also followed him and he found you hanging from the Chandelier,” Trina added.
“Why didn’t you call the cops?” Darren asked.
“I stopped my husband because we thought you tried to commit suicide.”
“Suicide? Didn’t you see the other man?”
“We did but we thought perhaps…”
“We were confused detective. We wanted you to wake up because we also had something to tell you,” Trina’s husband said facing down.
Darren tried to lift himself up.
“Let me help you.”
“What do you want to tell me?” Darren looked at the two.
“I’m sorry detective,” Trina said.
“For?”
“That woman paid me to stay silent about the other night. I didn’t only see those two, I also saw two cars parked in our street. There was also a man who came with our dead girl and after leaving the flat, he went to one of the cars parked. He got into an argument with an old man from the car. The young man left but the old man went in the flat. After a while he came out all shook up and drove away,” Trina said ashamed.
“Later that day, a woman approached my wife and offered her some money. Regretfully, she accepted and told me to keep quiet. Our conscience has been bothering us detective. We have been trying to find a way on how to tell you until earlier this morning when we found you hanging.”
“Are you ready to testify against them?” Darren asked them.
Trina and her husband looked at each other.
“Yes detective we are,” They held each other’s hands.
“Good! Now help me get up, I have to go. I have some unfinished business to take care of.”
“Those wounds are still fresh detective; you need to rest.”
“I won’t rest till Xavier is behind bars.”
They didn’t know who Xavier was.
“The car I came with?”
“OH. Its parked outside. I picked the keys.”
“My phone?” He reached for his pocket.
“It’s damaged but I have put it together with the gun, knife and cuffs.”
“Alright. Do you mind driving me to the station?” He looked at Trina’s husband.
“No problem detective.”
Trina’s husband helped Darren to the car. Darren sat on the passenger’s seat thinking about how close he was to death. He cheated death twice in a day.
“Turn the radio on,” he said.
Trina’s husband turned the radio on and there was a live press conference on Radio QFM. Darren heard Xavier’s voice through the speakers and felt his neck hurt.
“Step on it!” He ordered Trina’s husband.
Xavier couldn’t believe his eyes seeing Darren in front of him. In his mind, he was waiting for a call that Darren had been found dead at Fiona’s flat.
“How did I survive?” Darren looked at Xavier and coughed.
Xavier stepped back.
“I’m one tough son of a gun,” Darren said huskily. “You left me for dead and I have risen from the dead.”
“This is impossible.”
The flashes coming out from the Cameras were too much to bear. Every journalist and their camera men were busy trying to get something. People passing the station were stopping to look at what was happening.
“Xavier you are under arrest for the murder of Fiona and Jeremy” Darren was now head to head with Xavier.
The officers looked at the two in shock.
“What is happening?” Serena asked.
“Shut up witch!” Darren said without even looking at her.
Confused, Xavier turned around and decided to run when Darren pulled out his gun.
“Freeze Xavier!” He shouted.
“Oh!” Everyone was shocked.
Xavier stopped with his hands in the air.
“Perfect timing detective. Finishing my career in front of the country,” Xavier laughed.
“Get down on your knees Xavier,” Darren ordered him.
“You will have to shoot me detective,” Xavier said.
“You know I will do it.”
“Remember that conversation we had about pulling the trigger one day?” Xavier asked. “This is it detective. Shoot me or else I’m turning around and shoot you.”
“Think about your daughter Xavier!” Darren shouted. “This is over.”
“I would rather die than go to prison. Shoot me Detective.”
Darren looked at his mother and sister who were terrified at what was happening. Xavier started turning around and dropping his hand. Everyone but Darren stepped back and knelt.
“I’m serious detective,” Xavier shouted reaching for his gun.
Darren thought about Fiona, Jeremy, Chilufya, Ayana and David. These were all innocent souls trapped and killed because of a web of lies created by greedy and selfish people one of which was standing in front of him. It was only fair to gun him down.
“Detective!” Xavier shouted.
Darren was left with no choice. He shakenly reached the trigger with his finger but before he could pull it, a gun shot was heard and in split seconds, a bullet passed through Xavier’s shoulder.
Everyone screamed with Darren left surprised. He looked around while everyone laid down covering their heads and crying. From a distance, he saw Florence shaking with a hand gun.
“Ahhh my arm,” Xavier wailed bleeding out.
The gun shot attracted the attention of all the officers at the station. Every officer came outside with their guns. They found Darren standing by Xavier with his gun on his hand. They all looked at him.
“Arrest this man!” He ordered them.
The two officers lifted Xavier who was crying for his arm. Florence came closer to Darren. He looked at her.
“I had to do it sir, he could have shot you or anyone else.” She said looking down.
He touched her shoulder and said, “Its ok and that was a perfect aim.”
“I had to do it for Jeremy too,” she smiled. “I heard he was a legend among forensic officers.”
“I bet he was.”
Darren’s mother and sister ran to him with his mother checking up on him for injuries.
“Mother I’m fine,” he told her irritated.
“Your face looks like a smashed pawpaw,” Mathilda joked.
“Sir!” Serena called him.
He looked at her and she looked at the press.
Darren turned around and saw that they were waiting for him.
“I’m tired. Mother take me home,” he looked at his mother.
They went to his sister’s car. He thanked Trina’s husband for driving him and told him to be ready for court. Mathilda drove them to Darren’s house. Upon reaching, he asked for Mathilda’s phone and called the District attorney to let him know about the evidence and witnesses he had against the murder of Fiona and others.
“Don’t worry, once we are done processing everything, we are letting Chilufya out. Good job detective,” The D.A commended him.
“Don’t you ever get tired of working?” His mother asked.
He looked at her and nodded. He went to his bedroom and sat on the bed. He took a deep breath and sighed. He laid on the bed and thought about how close he was to shooting Xavier. He was happy he didn’t because that could have deemed him equal.
A week later, Darren went back to the station and found that things had changed. Serena was no longer at the reception.
“Where is Serena?” Darren asked the new receiptionist.
“If you’re talking about the former receiptionist, she was transferred,” the receiptionist answered.
“Where.”
“I don’t know. Excuse me i have to work.”
Xavier’s specialist team had been disbanded and there was an acting Chief who requested for Darren’s presence upon arrival.
“Sit down detective,” a woman told Darren in the chief’s office.
Darren sat down.
“You’re surprised? Yes, I’m a woman,” she laughed.
“It’s not that I’m just,” he paused and smiled.
“Well I have heard what you have done. All I can say is job well done. You have been a good example to all the officers at the station. The trial date has been set. The Minister, The chief and everyone involved will surely pay for their crimes. Xavier is already paying. His arm was amputated. I don’t know how he will survive with all the hardcore criminals hes put in the prison,” The acting Chief sighed. “All this couldn’t have been possible without you Detective. Therefore, on behalf of his excellence, I’m here promoting you to head of the specialist team.”
Darren looked at the Acting chief with a straight face.
“What do you say?”
“Do I have an option?”
“Yes detective.”
“Tell the president thank you but I cannot accept the promotion,” he smiled. “What was important, I managed to uncover. I solved the murder. I’m proud of myself.”
The acting Chief was puzzled.
“I’m only asking for one thing madam.”
“What is it?”
“A raise,” he smiled.
The acting chief laughed and dismissed him saying, “I’m sure I can work something out.”
Darren went downstairs and found Chilufya coming from his office.
“I have been looking for you Darren,” he said.
“You cannot even greet me and say thank you,” Darren said.
“I did that a long time ago. Come on we have a case,” Chilufya headed to the exit.
“This fool,” Darren growled. “I’m not even fully recovered.”
He followed him to his car and when opening the car door, his phone rang.
“Mother what is it?” He asked annoyed.
“Are you taking care of yourself?” She asked.
“Yes mother. I’m busy.”
“Your sisters and i worry about you.”
“I know mother but i have to go.”
Don’t cut. I think I have found another woman for you,” she said.
“Mother!” He shouted.
“Ok Ok Ok. I will wait since you said I should wait. I just hope I won’t die.”
“If you die, it’s your loss.” He cut her.
He got into Chilufya’s car.
“Thank you man. My wife is really grateful for what you did,” Chilufya said sincerely.
“Did she forgive you?”
Chilufya smiled and answered, “Yes she did.”
“You are lucky.”
“All thanks to you. If Fiona and Jeremy could see you I’m sure they would be smiling at you. You are a hero my friend. I’m proud to be your partner.”
“Just drive.”
“You will grow up to be Marcus,” Chilufya laughed.
“That can never happen.”
“I will bear witness.”
“Where are we going?”
“To the land of the chases,” Chilufya laughed.
“Chibolya?”
“Of course.”
“I miss the stake outs and chases.”
“Then running, we shall my friend,” Chilufya stepped on the gas.
“Oh I love this job,” Darren said tightening his seatbelt.
THE END
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