STIGMA

CHAPTER 57

"I'm sorry." Railat apologized, unable to control her tears.

"I'm sorry too." Bimpe swallowed her pride and apologized with pleading eyes, full of guilt.

*****
Tuesday 10:00 am

"Bode, I never thought Bimpe was the culprit." The D.P.O admitted, sitting upright.

Bode smiled. "I knew Salamat was innocent."

"How did you know that?"

"Her naivety gave her away. I didn't want to assume and jump to conclusions without concrete evidence. Our profession relies on evidence and it is unethical to solve a case based on our assumption."

"Hmm." The D.P.O sighed heavily. "I want to open a file to be taken to court tomorrow. I've been thinking of this case deeply. We parents have a lot to do in children's upbringing."

"I agree. Sometimes, our past mistakes do affect our children's life. I hope and pray mine wouldn't manifest and have an effect on my son's life because everyone has a past" Bode asserted.

"I feel for the young lady."

"That is against our profession, boss. She doesn't deserve our sympathy and even if she does, we can't show it." Bode cautioned.

"Yes, we can't." The D.P.O agreed.

"There are times when we just have to let our children make decisions for themselves and we must guide them through and not by forcing our own decisions on them."

"Factual."

"I would advise her to keep that pregnancy. She should ignore the fact that she is carrying her brother's baby. I remember what happened to me 15 years ago. I was a fresh graduate, looking for a job while my wife was in the 200 level. She told me of her desire to get married since I was already out of school but I was against it because I had no source of living. After much persistence, I gave in and we informed her father but the old man kicked against it. Then she became pregnant and her father almost killed me out of anger."

"After much pleading, he gave us his blessings and we got married to conceal the fact that she got pregnant before marriage. My wife gave birth to a bouncing baby boy after 7 months and things turned around for us. Junior is my only child like you know and we are still looking up to God for another child. If my wife's father had consented in the first place, she wouldn't have gotten pregnant and if my wife had aborted the pregnancy as her father suggested, we would be childless and she would be the one to be blamed for it. My own family might begin to call her barren."

"I believe a time will come when we can no longer make decisions or exert decisions on our children. These children have their own lives to live too. They only came through us, we can't define their life and future. There is a lot to child upbringing than all these." Bode finalized.

"Hmm." The D.P.O sighed again. "Everyone has a story to tell Bode. Mine will be a story for another day. I'm glad the truth has been revealed. Bimpe willingly gave out all the information without leaving anything out. She even confessed that she was the one that messaged Salamat that Monday morning to implicate her."

"Really?"

"Yes. She made use of the phone Raliat left behind."

"The one Raliat said she seized from her younger brother?"

"Yes."

"Did she provide you with the phone?" Bode requested.

"No. She gave it out to the bike man that drove her home that Monday morning." The D.P.O responded.

"You see why I said she doesn't need our sympathy. She's a smart girl and she knows what she's doing."

"Obviously. Your ingenuity is impressive, Bode. I'm proud of you, God bless the day we met."

"You are welcome, oga D.P.O" Bode grinned. "Has the body been buried?"

"Ayoade, you mean?" Bode nodded.

"Yes. His father is a Muslim so they buried him immediately they got here." The D.P.O replied.

"Ok."

"I asked Sam and Uche to go back to the apartment to see if they can get any additional information to the data we already have. I need it to open the file before tomorrow and to verify the claims we have."

"That's good", Bode said and stood up. "I need to go now."

"Are you done with the work I asked you to do on Mr. Salisu's case?" The D.P.O demanded.

"That's what I want to go and do now. I should be done in the next two hours." Bode answered.

"Alright. See you later then", the D.P.O said standing up to take a file from his shelf.

"How is the injury I inflicted on you for practicals the other day, boss?" Bode questioned, with a smirk as he moved to the door.

The D.P.O shook his head. "Oh! Bode, you are a clown."

******

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