The Moment I Met You (Chapter 351)

By Nightengale Ben-Onyeukwu

After being brought to the police station, Louisa was immediately pulled into the interrogation room that had no camera. In this room, Louisa had been questioned over and over with serials of questions. To be honest, Louisa had only seen exceedingly stern interrogation rooms in movies without knowing that one day she would be accused and brought here. Today, was her first time entering the police station as a criminal.                                                                                                         

Louisa had sat down for so long that she became very tired. She begged the policemen in the room to let her go, for she was innocent. However, they sat down in front of her, glaring at her as if they were staring at a prey.                                                                                      

They had received an order from Jessica to make Louisa suffer. They officers had prepared a pre-done plea of guilt form with various charges added up, asking Louisa to sign the document.                    

‘Why waste your time and our time? You will do well by writing your name in this document, indicating you admit to your crimes. What’s so hard with signing this?’                                                              

  ‘I can’t admit to the crimes I didn’t commit. If I sign this document that means I accept to have committed the crimes and I should prepare myself to sit in gaol for a half a lifetime…’                                    

‘I see that you’re too dumb to realise that you’re courting death,’the slim police officer chided, ‘Louisa, don’t waste your time arguing with us. Just sign this document.’                                                                                     

‘Officer, I think what you people are doing is not legal. I never admitted to stealing any wallet, and you people suddenly brought so many criminal charges against me. I know someone bought the police if not you wouldn’t be doing this.’                                                                

Of course, Jessica bought the police.                                                          

‘Are you questioning our integrity, thinking that we bought false evidence against you? How dare you talk to the police that way? Do you know where you are?’                                                                                             

‘I am in the interrogation room of Nigeria Police Force, I am speaking the truth, and I know that you people are determined to make me commit a crime…’                                                                                                                         

Any normal person that could read wouldn’t be willing to enter gaol for half a lifetime. Louisa might not have gone to the university but she could read and write. She had only graduated from secondary school, so at first glance she knew that the document was illegal and wouldn’t at all sign it.                                                                                      

  ‘Hope you know what the consequences of not cooperating with our investigation is?’                                                                                                    

  ‘Seems like in the entire world, there is this type of police in every place…station…’Louisa murmured. Beads of sweet were pouring down her face. She was already in pain from the beaten at the market, and now she was being tortured with irritating questions.                        

‘What did you say?’ the chubby police officer stood up and asked.                                                                                                                                                

‘Nothing,’replied Louisa.                                                                                    

Right at that moment, the door was kicked open. ‘What is actually happening in here?’ Detective Stanley stepped in, scanning the room as he asked with authority. Following behind him was a smart-looking lawyer in a black pressed suit. Stanley had brought the lawyer to help bail Louisa. ‘What is her crime?’ he had returned from a meeting which was about a recent bank robbery case when he met Chioma and Andrew at the front desk, telling him what had happened to their mother. Immediately, he went to a corner and dialed Felix’s number.  

                  

 The slim police officer lifted the illegal document from the table. ‘She has always been a thief.’                                                                              

  ‘This type of ruse is something silly officers like you can create, right? I wonder what will happen if I decide to step into this matter.’                                                                                                                                             

Without saying more, Louisa followed the lawyer out. Felix had hired this lawyer for Louisa immediately Stanley told him about Chioma’s situation. It was a good thing that the lawyer had visited Felix at Moon Corporation, inviting him for lunch when Stanley rang to tell him that Louisa was accused of theft and needed to be bailed.                                    

At the police station’s entrance, Louisa said to the lawyer, ‘Thank you so much for bailing me out, otherwise I would have spent forever here. You have no idea, I had asked my daughter to cook beans tonight...’                                                                                                                                             

The lawyer didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Previously he still had no idea why Felix wanted him to bail Louisa out, but meeting her now, he noticed that this woman wasn’t the kind to commit a crime. He had also investigated about Louisa, he discovered that Felix was in love with her daughter, but didn’t succeed because Chioma was in love with someone else who was definitely, his cousin, Michael. ‘Louisa, you don’t need to thank me, I was just told by someone with deep background to bail you out. If you wish to thank somebody, then you should thank him.’

                   

‘Do I know this person?’                                                                          

‘You do, but he doesn’t want to be disclosed.’ He extended his hand towards Louisa. ‘I am lawyer Jeremiah Mba.’                                               

The police officers would never have thought that, this lawyer Jeremiah’s sudden visit was to bail out Louisa. It would never have crossed their minds if Stanley didn’t tell them Jeremiah’s reason for coming here. Yes, Jeremiah wouldn’t reveal who had hired him to bail Louisa, but anyone would know that, someone who was capable to hire this old veteran lawyer was certainly someone with fame and wealth in Abuja city. Everyone was surprised that someone like that was here to bail out a fruit vendor? At this moment the police officers began to think that perhaps he was here because Louisa’s background was not ordinary. Some who knew about Chioma’s relationship felt that Michael could have hired this lawyer. He was Abuja’s best lawyer, and hadn’t lost a case before.                                                                                     

‘Thank you once again, lawyer Jeremiah. I don’t need you to tell me who your employer is, I will connect the dot and figure it myself,’ Louisa modestly smiled at lawyer Jeremiah and said.      

            

  After saying her goodbyes to the lawyer and thanking Stanley, Louisa walked towards where her children stood waiting for her.            ‘Mum,’Chioma cried excitedly, hugging Louisa. ‘I am glad you are with us now,’she whispered.                                                                                              

Louisa nodded wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes, and then she looked up at Andrew and nodded to him with a smile on her face even though her eyes were filled with tears.                                                    

The moment Louisa was about leaving the station with her children, Jessica approached them.                                                                          

  ‘Louisa, I didn’t know that you steal to feed your children,’Jessica said with disdain. ‘I am sorry, but you don’t have a future after this.’                                                                                                          

  ‘Hey, Jessica better watch what you say.’Chioma fearlessly pointed at Jessica.                                                                                                                

Jessica, without wasting time gave Chioma a resounding slap. Fueled by the anger of Louisa’s sudden release, there was great strength behind the slap. Jessica had been nurturing to slap Chioma ever since she was asked by Michael to host a press conference and apologise to Chioma. Now that she had the opportunity, coupled with Louisa’s release, Jessica had to slap Chioma so hard that she saw stars flying out of her face.                                                                                                                  

‘Ouch!’Chioma’s face grimaced with pain. Andrew wanted to rush over and teach Jessica a big lesson that she would never forget but Louisa stopped him.                                                                                                                     

‘As long as you have what I love I will torture you until you die,’ Jessica coldly said, landing another slap right on Chioma’s cheek.

                

Chioma gritted her teeth and suffered through the pain. However, Louisa couldn’t just stand and do nothing. She gave Jessica a hot slap. ‘This is just a little compared to the anger boiling in me right now… I hate it when people step out of line.’                                                                   

Holding the side of her face that was slapped, Jessica looked at Louisa coldly. ‘How dare you lay your garbage hands on me? I am going to kill you.’                                                                                                         

Jessica wanted to pounce on Louisa, but Andrew pulled his mother away, thereby causing Jessica to go crashing to the ground, spraining her ankles because she was wearing heels that were too high. She screamed out in agony, the police officers that had seen the scene rushed over to drag Louisa and her children back to the station.                                              

  Stanley knew that Jessica had bought the police, and if Louisa and her children were put in cell they would suffer severely, so he stopped them with a booming shout, ‘That girl is Michael’s fiancée. I am sure you know what will happen to anyone that went against the Njemanze family.’ Stanley was actually in love with Chioma and could have taking advantage of the situation to compel Chioma to marry him, for her mother’s freedom. But no, he had to do the right thing by telling Felix to bring a lawyer to bail Louisa out. He didn’t have Michael’s number, so he had to tell Felix about it. Besides, if anything were to bring tears to Chioma’s eyes, then all the police officers would pay severely for it.                                                                                               

  ‘Didn’t you see how that woman hurt me? You are going to let them go just like that?’ Jessica yelled.                                                              

  ‘What about the things you did to Chioma?’Stanley reprimanded severely.                                                                                               

Police officers wanted to help Jessica but they knew that if they were to side with her and throw Louisa and her family into cell, then they would pay severely for it. Instead, they comforted Jessica by helping her to stand and then begged her to go home. After all no one would like to go against the Njemanze family except they want to disappear from the city.                                                                                                    

‘What are you police officers doing, standing there doing nothing, arrest Chioma already! I am Michael’s fiancée and not her.’Jessica glared unsatisfactorily at the police officers who did nothing except to watch the scene.                                                                                                         

‘Madam Jessica, I know that you still think that you’re in control of things. But you see, we will rather go against the Nnaji family to going against the Njemanze family. It’s obvious that the wind is shifting…’        

A female police officer said calmly, trying to make Jessica see reason. ‘The Njemanze family is the richest and well known family. Going up against them is pretty much a suicide move.’                  

                 

‘Shut up!’Jessica yelled. ‘What about Louisa, ain’t you going to let her pay for her crimes?’                                                                                              ‘Madam Jessica, Louisa has received bail already. We will investigate further regarding the allegedly theft, but as of now, she is free to go home,’ a sergeant said to Jessica.

                    

Jessica scoffed, ‘Is that so? Chioma Chima, if you succeeded today, you won’t succeed tomorrow. Better watch your step, for the storm isn’t over yet except I say so.’                                                                          

Chioma felt her heart chilled, wondering what Jessica was up to. But then, she concealed her fear and walked slowly towards Jessica, her every step spoke of immense confidence even though she was truly afraid of this storm Jessica was talking about. ‘I warn you not to hurt my family else…’                                                                                                                          

  ‘You’ll make me apologise to you,’Jessica snapped. ‘You better open your eyes because from this moment onward, I’ll show you what it is like to snatch my boyfriend away from me.’                                                

  Chioma didn’t say another word; instead she turned to leave with her mother and brother. She might not be from a rich and powerful family but she was determined to let Jessica know that she was not one to be bullied. Jessica has a deep background, Chioma was still afraid that her brother and mother might get hurt. They strode out of the police station.