Tasha Daniels was pissed as she walked into the Nigerian Police Station. She ignored the officers of the law lounging about as made a beeline for the receptionist's desk.
The place was a hubbub of activity, filled up with both criminals and officers of the law. She frowned at the sergeant at the desk, behind him was a bold inscription: THE POLICE IS YOUR FRIEND!
"I'm here to see Inspector Doris," she quipped irritably.
"Okay, your name?" The sergeant asked, looking through a list before him.
"Seriously?" Tasha groaned, it was hard seeing people who didn't know her. Buts she told him anyway. Just to get it done with.
Soon after, the Sergeant waved her through a hallway. She walked into a cold room with only a yellow light bulb brightening up the place. The place was bare except for the metal table placed in the center and two chairs on both sides. She took a seat at once, dropping her bag on the floor beside her.
As she felt, she was ready to tear this Inspector Doris to pieces. How dare she summon a whole Tasha Daniels to the station like a common criminal? Did she know who she was?
Tasha was kept in the room for over thirty minutes, alone with her thoughts. Soon the anger she had one into the station with began to dissipate. That was when the door opened and the Inspector walked in.
She was of slim build and had her hair tied back. She looked at home in her t-shirt with the sleeves pulled back and her police issue pistol snug in her hip.
Tasha leaped up at once, "how dare you bring me here? What grounds do you have to summon me?"
"As I said on the phone, we had a few questions for you. And I also advised you to bring your lawyer. You didn't listen."
"I won't need him to deal with you! So this is how scum like you burn taxpayer's money huh? We work hard for that money okay? And by the time I'm done tearing you apart, you would be the one in need of a lawyer."
Saying nothing, Doris lowered herself into the other chair, "I suggest you take a seat, Miss Daniels. We need to get started."
Still fuming but seeing no other choice, Tasha sat back down.
"Okay, just so we both cover our asses, I am going to read you your rights."
"Am I under arrest?"
"Not at the moment." Doris sent on to recite the revised Miranda to her. "And if you do not mind, we have to record this session as well."
"I don't care."
Doris activated her recorder, "record on. Miss Daniels, I would have to suggest on record for you to call your lawyer."
For a second, a flash of uncertainty flashed through Tasha's eyes but they were gone in an instant. She had been acting so strong it would be foolish to act weak so early in the game. She shrugged, "you said it's just questions and answers, right?"
"Yes."
"Then I'm good."
"Let it state for the record that Miss Daniels has waived her right to counsel. Now I'm going to read out some information on you, if they are correct you keep quiet. If they are wrong, you say no. Do you understand?"
Tasha said nothing, Doris took it as a yes. So she went on, "Tasha Daniels, born in Lagos on the fifth of March 1995. You had your primary and secondary education in Lagos also. Your tertiary education was in Abuja. While in the university you became an athlete and went on to represent Nigeria in athletics. In almost no time at all, you became the star of the 100m race."
"An I supposed to be impressed? Anyone can google all these facts. I'm a celebrity, my life is not private."
"Maybe not. But in the last two months, your career as a star athlete hit the rocks when a video was allegedly leaked online."
"Allegedly?" Tasha sprang to her feet, her eyes were burning. "That video is out there! It ruined my career! My life! Now, the Nigerian government wants nothing to do with me. There's nothing 'alleged' about that leak. I'd prefer you reconsider your choice of words."
Doris said nothing until the athlete sat back down, then calm as a dove she continued reading from the file before her.
"The said video is one of you injecting yourself with steroids just before your run in the Olympics. When the video got leaked, you got banned from the Olympics and the Sports Federation here in Nigeria. No one is going to touch you for a long time after this. Your career as an athlete is over." Doris dropped the file on the table.
"Yes! You're right, it ruined me. I admit I shouldn't have taken the steroids, it was foolish of me and I have paid dearly for it. But everything has been settled. Why are you still bringing it up?"
"New information came up."
"Okay, that sounds like a load of crap. I confessed to my crimes, I got punished, case closed. Moreover, I don't remember speaking to you earlier, you're not narcotics, are you?"
"No, Miss Daniels, I'm not." Doris replied with a bright smile, "I'm homicide."
"Homicide? Isn't that for murder?" The first beginnings of fear and uncertainty flashed through her eyes. "I don't have anything to do with any murder."
Doris ignored her words, "We found out who leaked the video."
Tasha's head sprang as of she had been slapped.
"You did?" Her voice was shaky, "who was it?"
"You're about to find out who ruined your career, you don't look excited."
"I ruined my career by my foolishness."
"You're right on that. So the person that leaked the video sent it to an online blog. A popular one at that. And the person sent it from a dud Facebook account, created solely for that purpose. They must have thought they were covering their tracks, pretty stupid."
Tasha shifted in her seat as Doris continued, "we traced the dud account and was able to pick out the IP address of the device used to open the account. It was a phone, Miss Daniels. You wanna guess who owns the phone?"
Tasha looked to be on the verge of tears, she could not say a word. She knew the next thing the Inspector would say, even before the words left her mouth.
"You leaked the video yourself." As Doris said it, Tasha's shoulders slipped. She didn't even try to deny it. "And I know why."
The athlete's head sprang in her direction once more.
"You're probably wondering why a homicide cop is working an ordinary steroid case that's already solved. Matter of fact, I didn't give a damn about you. I was busy solving my murder case.
"It was a string of gruesome murders scattered across the city. You know, drug pushers and their ilk. One Drug Baron was cleaning house. The Drug Baron was good, but I'm better. I came after them with the full force of not just the Police, but the NDLEA, DSS, and Immigration Service. The heat was on them, and it burned them good."
Tasha sprang to her feet again, "why are you telling me all this? It's none of my business!!"
"We found the Drug Baron later," she continued as though she had not been interrupted. "But he was already dead, same MO like the other victims. That was when we realized he was not the Drug Baron at all, we had been chasing the wrong man. He was only a poster boy. We were stumped for a while until we found this."
Doris pulled out a transparent satchel, it was sealed tight. Inside it was a thin diamond necklace. Upon seeing it, a tiny whimper escaped Tasha's lips.
"Yes, Miss Daniels. It's yours. We found a lot of pictures on your Instagram and Facebook accounts to prove it. And then, we pulled your fingerprint and DNA off it."
Shaken to her core, Tasha lowered herself back to the metal chair. It creaked under her weight. Doris studied her, the light and fire had gone out of her eyes.
"You're the Drug Baron we should have come after." She muttered, "you knew it was only a matter of time before we caught up with your poster boy. That was why you leaked that video. To fake a tiny crime and get punished so you would escape the consequences of the bigger crime."
"How... How did you..."
"You covered your tracks pretty well, but the necklace gave you away. We found it in the poster boy's apartment. The rest was kinda easy to fit in. And we also spoke to the doctor that had tested you for steroids, he told us you had never taken the drug before that time which led us to believe you took it only for the benefit of the video.
"You were good, I have to admit. You thought of everything linking you to the drugs and got rid of them before we could get to them. But like I said, I'm better."
Tasha nodded slowly, it was one of acceptance. She looked sadly at the Inspector, "I'm not leaving here, am I?"
"Except in handcuffs."
"I guess I should have gotten my lawyer after all."
"It might have delayed things," Doris admitted. "But it wouldn't have changed anything. I have a question though; your drug business was booming for you, why then were you cleaning house eliminating everyone who worked for you?"
"They were more loyal to the poster boy and he was stealing from me. The plan was to kill them all and get new generals. I guess that plan is now moot."
Doris sighed audibly and closed the file before her, then she got to her feet. Tasha got up as well.
"I guess it's time." The former athlete said, she held out her wrists.
"You're under arrest, Tasha Daniels," Doris said and began listing the charges from murder to sale of hard drugs. By the time she was done, she began walking her out to the cell.
As they got to the door, Tasha spoke, "you're right, you know?"
"About what?"
"You are better. I'll always remember that."
Saying nothing, Doris led her to the cell and personally locked it. And with a nod of her head turned and walked back to her office to deal with her paperwork. Tasha was no longer her business, the former athlete belonged to the Justice System now.
Inspector Doris was ready to move on to the next case.
The End.
Image by Johnny Clow
This is only another story featuring the ever savvy Inspector Doris. Other stories on her exploits include For The Record, Kaboom!, Crashed and Burnt and Search.
Please note that each story are a continuation of the other and only have the Inspector as a connector.
Thank you for reading.
Feel free to contact me via my Discord handle below:
bruno-kema#1355
