"What? You met with Rafael Okonkwo!"
Olivia didn't know if that was supposed to be a question or an exclamation or both, but she knew was Amarachi's loud voice must have alerted the whole police station. This was why she never told her anything. Amarachi had never been the one to keep her voice or excitement in check when she was amazed or angry or happy about something. Everyone yards away from her just had to know about it and this was what always got her mother so upset.
Walls have ears.
That idiom was definitely meant just for Amarachi. It just had to be.
"Keep your voice down for Christ's sake."
Olivia tried to warn her the moment the police man opened the door to the interrogation room to see if everything was fine right before he closed it back.
"Oh my gosh." Amy rushed as lightening to Olivia's bench. She knew she needed all the gist and she just had to seat so close to Olivia to get it.
"Oh my goodness, you have to give me all the details and you have to give it to me fast. Why was he here? What did he wear? Does he really look better than he does on TV? Does he really smell like heaven too? His eyes, are they really pitch black? Oh my gosh thinking about him is giving me so much goosebumps already."
Olivia exhaled and shook her head, watching her cousin drool over a man she was probably never going to see again made her feel a lot of pity for Amy.
"I don't even know which question to answer first."
She murmured to herself, trying to hide the disappointment and hurt in her eyes
"I still can't believe it. How on earth was he here?"
"Is this how it is outside?" Olivia just had to ask her "Is everyone outside drooling for someone like Rafael Okonkwo?"
"Someone like Rafael Okonkwo?" Amarachi repeated, disgust evident in her voice "Such disrespect. How dare you Olivia?"
"I'm just trying to understand why you're more excited than I was. Trust me, there's nothing amazing about him."
"You wish half the men in this country were half as perfect." She stared at Olivia "That man is like the champagne papi of this continent Olivia, he's so beautiful and strong, muscular enough."
"Champagne papi?" Olivia repeated. She had no idea what Amarachi meant.
"Drake." Amarachi added
"Drake has huge muscles now?"
"Of course Drake has huge muscles now-" Amarachi rolled her eyes, she wasn't even going to bother herself, that wasn't the point. "How on earth did this happen Olivia?"
She was trying so hard to hide the excitement in her voice but it just kept showing itself.
"I mean how was he here? How did I even miss him?"
Olivia let large frown cover her face. She had totally almost forgotten how extremely mean Rafael was to her during his visit.
"He was going to take my case."
"What?"
"And then he changed his mind."
"Huh?!" Amarachi yelled again "Why?"
"I guess the champagne papi of our continent doesn't believe there's a chance that I'm innocent or that I can win this." Olivia scoffed. She really didn't want to relive everything that had just happened but if there was anyone she would rather talk about it with, it was the lady sitting a few inches beside her. "He thinks I'm a murderer and I don't deserve my freedom, according to him."
"He said that?"
Amarachi was having a hard time believing all that.
"In the flesh."
Olivia took a deep breath as she managed to raise her elbows to the table and balance them on it so well so they could support her tired head while she turned to Amarachi. She wanted to have a better look at her. She forced a smile on her pale face, pretending to be okay with all of it.
"I can't believe he'd say something like that to you." What was left of the smile on Amarachi's face faded right after. "I always thought he was this really cool guy that was always at the side of justice. I mean, in the kind of country we live in where the law is as good as trash and power and connections rule even the government, it's lawyers like him that always give we the masses hope. He has helped a lot of people gain their freedom in the past, people with cases similar and even worse than yours but this-" she paused for a second "This is just surprising to me. I never saw it coming. He should have at least given you the benefit of doubt."
Olivia chuckled faintly
"Don't worry about it," she sat straight "Maybe it's for the best. We could never have been able to afford him anyway."
Amarachi exhaled. She was so disappointed, really disappointed.
The door opened quickly.
"You won't have to."
They heard a voice say from right in front of it and only then did they bother to turn and see who it was.
"Fortunately for you, someone really wants you out of here and I can't say no to him. Plus I feel extra generous today. We can discuss what you owe me later."
Amarachi's jaw dropped in surprise and Olivia's was getting there just as Rafael stood right there, staring at them both for the first four seconds. Giving them a chance to take a good long look right before he walked towards the table. He looked exactly like he did earlier, this time, less angrier, and it made Olivia wonder if he ever left.
Their eyes stayed glued to him even as he slowly pushed his jacket back so he could take a sit at the chair across them
"I-I-it's -" Amarachi pointed at him, her eyes wide open just like her mouth. It was easy for a fly to penetrate without stress. Rafael slowly turned to her. He raised a brow. He had no idea why she was like that but that was his effect on a lot of people.
"I-I don't understand."
Rafael slowly turned back to Olivia while he watched her shake her head in confusion.
"What part?"
"What are you-" she paused "I thought you said-"
"I thought you wanted to get out of jail?"
Olivia looked around. She wanted to be sure she was the one he was really talking to. There was no one else there. She slowly reached for Amarachi's pointed hand and then pulled it down slowly before she embarrassed her even more.
"I-I do," she continued "But you said-"
"Good." Rafael nodded as he slowly raised his other hand to the table and dropped a paper on it so Olivia could see it. She was trying to read what was in it but she was too confused to even concentrate. Rafael could see that.
"I filed an appeal for your case and just got the judge to re-open it for proper investigation and hopefully another trial."
"What?" Amy asked just as Olivia reached for the paper quickly. She had to see for herself. Her hands were shaky.
"If I'm actually supposed to represent you in court, there has to be a case I'm to represent you in don't you think? We have exactly three days to gather enough evidence to win this case. Your trial is in exactly three days."
Olivia exhaled in excitement.
"Did you hear that?" Amarachi told her. "You're going to get that fair trial we've all hoped for."
Olivia sniffed. She couldn't believe it.
"Everything is working in place cousin. God has finally listened to us and answered our prayers. You can get an unbiased lawyer this time around and we can win this case. You can finally be reunited with your daughter again."
Rafael could see the tears that welled up in both their eyes.
Olivia sniffed again just as one tear dropped. She had never been the kind to hold back how she felt even if Amarachi was doing a better job at it. She slowly turned to him
"Is this real?" She asked him. She had to. "They say you're the best there is. You're really going to help me? You're really going to take my case?"
Rafael exhaled.
He reached for his bag again and then reached for another paper. He looked at it for a minute then gave it to her. Amy took it.
"Form of consent." He told her as Amy glanced through it while Olivia had her eyes focused on him. "Once you sign that, I automatically become your legal representative in court. It means from the moment you sign that paper, I become responsible for making sure you're out of jail."
"I still can't believe this." Amy said as Olivia yanked the paper desperately from her hands.
"Pen." She ordered not even bothering to read it.
"Shouldn't you at least go through it first?" He asked her just as Amy fumbled her bag in search for a pen.
"I don't need to. I've lost everything I have, I don't care what else I have to lose or do to leave this place." She took the pen Amy was stretching towards her and directed it to the paper.
Rafael watched her as she hurriedly signed the paper. She was so desperate and excited
"Forgive my cousin." Amy tried to gain his attention and she got it. "You're the only lawyer that has ever wanted to take her case in six years. Everyone else we've talked to refused and the public lawyers are barely good enough. Right now, we'd jump at any opportunity thrown our way."
She smiled slowly. Rafael slowly looked away.
"What now?"
Olivia asked him almost in a whisper just as she pushed the paper gently to him.
He exhaled as he reached for his phone from his bag
"Now," he started as he turned on his recorder right before he placed the phone on the table.
"You tell me everything that had happened." He looked right into her eyes. "Let's find out what really happened to your husband. Let's find out who is trying to frame you. Help me get your freedom back."
His words sounded so confident, so believable, so trust worthy that it brought an unknowing smile to Olivia's face. She could feel Amy's warm hands slowly wrap hers. It was time. The exact moment she had been waiting for for six years. The help she had been praying for was here and it was looking her right in the eye.
It was time.
Time to fight for her freedom.
"Where do I start?" She asked him, not even bothering to blink for a second.
"From the beginning." He told her "What happened on the day your husband died?"