Scandalous

Beau’

Is she coming? I saw her Whatsapp status last night and highly doubt she will make it for brunch.

What did she post again this time?

Mmmh, I am afraid this friend of ours may commit suicide someday.

Don’t talk like that because we shall come here and cry buckets if she ever does that.

But how many times have we spoken to her about that marriage situationship of hers? Or it’s until her eyes are plucked out that’s when she will learn…aaaahh

But even Mike, this guy drives Lisa crazy if only he knew. Remember that day he almost broke her limbs when she caught him with that Kasya lady and we had to rush her to hospital in the middle of the night because the guy drove off with her car. He couldn’t even call for an ambulance!

Don’t even remind me, on that day I had a meeting which I honestly needed to prepare for and I wasn’t able to. Remember my partner presentation that almost flopped? Thank God my supervisor was so understanding that he allowed me to meet the investors again for another presentation. I could be jobless today if I didn’t make partner!

Madam, you are goals. Madam achiever! Boss lady!

You can say that again. I didn’t go to school to play and I work hard for my money you know.

Okay okay, back to our dear Lisa. What’s going on with her? Last time I checked she was filing for a divorce. So what’s going on this time? She fell for his charms again?

Let me read it for you. “Enough of tears, bossing up my life, single marriage shenanigans”

Mmmh, whatever that means. You know I blocked her at some point when she started posting those suicidal notes of hers. I don’t like pity parties.  She is such a beautiful girl to be suffering for love the way she is. And the way men are always after her. Think its time she gave in for her own sanity.

Aaaa madam Jesus , Lisa to give in, never. She is so conservative when it comes to these things. Sometimes I wonder has she ever taken a good look at her self in the mirror and seen how blessed she is? Some of us were it not for money and make up we wouldn’t be anywhere close. She has curves to drool for, firm boobs unlike our saggy ones, she has very silky black long hair, I mean which man can’t see that? Not to mention her half pigmented shiny skin colour. She is the one who religiously uses sheer butter amongst us all.

The description clearly tells it all. We can’t add any more. I hope she finds one who deserves her. So are we meeting here again same time next Sunday?

Yep that’s if we don’t have any emergency from anyone, oh I mean from Lisa.

Lisa

My name is Lisa Chifu. I am a widower. My husband’s name is ooh was the late Michael Chifu Maori. We were married for eleven years. We were not blessed with children. But I took care of two foster children he came with into the marriage when their mother died or alive not sure what’s what anymore. This men!

Eeeh, Mrs Chifu stop digressing we are here to address the kidnap and murder charges of your late husband.

Sorry your honour I am just an emotional wreck. I don’t even know how to deal with all that has happened. One minute I am a wife the next minute I am a widow.

And that’s why we are here today ma’am to find out what could have happened to Michael Chifu. As of now you still stand as our main murder suspect maam.

I will comply your honour. I will tell you the truth…

So, Michael and I were married. Or we were in a kind of semi legalized relationship. We were yet to follow through with the formalization of our marriage as you are aware he had been married before and his marriage might not have formally ended. We were the epitome of couple goals. We loved each other,or so I thought. We were the envy of our friends. We wore those matching outfits. Oh my Mike…..

Sorry ma’am. But please go on..

Well as I was saying before, our love was just out of this world. It was until he got the UN job when things got topsy turvy. He got the money yes, life was good, I got all that I needed , apart from his attention. He was never home. He had all manner of excuses to be away from home, even when it was never about work, he always found an excuse to keep away. He travelled alot, we got lots of gifts and goodies from the west but never was he home. On the few occasions he came home, he spent less and less time with us. Myself and his children. Our children.

Yes ma’am go on. How was life living with the late Mr Chifu? We want to hear the whole story. How did the love of your life turn into a corpse?

Aaaa your honour. We had everything going on well. Don’t call my late husband a mere corpse..he was and is still my husband even in death.

Crowd murmurs…

Order , order everyone. Go on Mrs Chifu.

Well as I was saying your honour, Michael was everything every woman would ever dream of having for a husband. His successful career, his business accomplishments, everything about him felt right. Did I mention his looks? He was the definition of a beautiful man. Oh until she came along. Her business partner Margot. I believe she should be the one in these chambers and not me..

Madam, please allow us to listen to all the witness statements for us to know what or who killed your husband. Everyone who needs to get cross-examined will definitely take the stand. So this Margot lady, what about her? Why do you think that she should be the one taking the stand and not yourself?

Margot, was a business lady working in West Africa. She got to know Mike through one of the business forums he had attended in Abuja to make an innovation pitch about his business on biodegradable plastics. You see your honour, Michael was an environmental enthusiast, he spent so much of his time doing research on ways to make the environment better. He was always popular about driving sustainable initiatives, reduction of carbon emissions, among other things related to sustainability.

So as he was making this presentation, his idea caught one of the investors who were to partner with him in making this biodegradable plant. Margot was the president of that company. To cut the long story short, they established a deal, and Michael’s company got awarded the tender to supply materials which Margot’s company would use to carry out the biodegradable initiatives. Business was good, the company was making good profits and created robust opportunities, he even quit his job at the UN when he started making money. Two years into the business things got out of hand when Margot and her team needed to do something out of their agreement. Which to me I think was how my husband got murdered.

Order Mrs Chifu,  we are yet to establish the course of death, let us not insinuate. Please carry on.

As  I was saying your honour, they wanted to use harmful products to make counterfeits and disguise them as biodegradable plastics, because they had been awarded a government tender that was to pay them huge amounts of money. My husband had not been convinced of that idea and he wanted out of that deal..Or rather, he wanted to rat them out and cut his losses. And that’s how our troubles began your honour. He started receiving threatening calls, and messages, my life and that of the children was also threatened. He changed his number several times but they still got to him always. You see your honour why I say they murdered my husband?

Well ma’am, I think upto that part we are also aware. The company and what he was doing. We are all aware. It’s all there in his company profile and everyone can read it. What we absolutely don’t know is his how he got kidnapped, and how he ended up dead. That’s the part we are mostly interested in. Not his achievements. Not that they don’t matter. But not in this courtroom.

Your honour I was trying to create precedence of this case. But if I may, allow me to go on.

So as I was saying following the threats and messages we were receiving from Margot and her company, Michael decided to work under cover, by digging up every illicit activity that they do while at the same time cooperating with the law to have Margot and her company arrested. And it was when My husband found something. What I am about to say your honour is rather disturbing but allow me to share it for the benefit of exonorating myself.

Crowd murmurs again

Order everyone, order let’s give her time to continue.

Your honour, Margot and her company were involved in traf..

Objection your honour, that piece of information is rather not yet verified. It was not submitted amongst our pieces of evidence and witness statements.

Objection sustained. Mrs Chifu, please carry on.

Well your honour as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted.

Mrs Chifu please refrain from using such words, this is a court house and it’s normal to have objections.

Okay your honour, my husband found out that Margot’s company was not only involved with making counterfeits that were harmful to the society, but they were also involved in child trafficking.

Court murmurs again,

Order, order!

Yes your honour and it was upon this discovery that my husband wanted out and unfortunately Margot and her company insisted that he already knew too much to back out and barely two months after that discovery the next call I receive is to identify my husband’s body. Your honour she is guilty! She is so guilty!

Mrs Chifu you are aware that these allegations it’s the first time we are receiving them in court, why weren’t these presented to us before? And like I said, we can make our judgement after we are through with listening to all the witnesses and going through all the evidence. It’s up to this court to determine who is guilty and who is not, Mrs Chifu..

Beau

Are you guys really following this case? Do you believe what Lisa is saying in court? I mean we were her closest friends but she never told us about this before!

Huh, I doubt, do you remember one time she had been away for almost a month and we couldn’t find her? And shortly after that we get the news that Michael Chifu is missing and that his body mysteriously appears days later?

So what exactly are you saying?

Are you implying that Lisa had something to do with it? Aren’t we all listening to what she is saying about that lady Margot.

Well, we know Lisa loves mystery and who knows if this is a part of her mystery.

My God I can’t believe what I am hearing, lets switch the channel back on, that lady Margot is about to testify.

Margot

So Ms  do you swear that the evidence you shall give to the court regarding this case of the murder of Mr Chifu, shall be truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?

I will try.

Court murmurs.

Ms the answer should be, I swear, not I will try.

I swear.

So Ms what are your full names and can you tell this court exactly how you knew the late Michael Chifu?

My name is Margot Kasya. Your honour, Mikey was my business partner…

Mikey? Mikey ? Is that how the two of you called each other?

Mrs Chifu, if you continue interrupting this court session we shall hold you in contempt.

But your honour can you just not see something fishy here! Don’t you see the level of familiarity this lady had with my husband?

Mrs Chifu please sit down or we shall throw you out of this court. And you will never get to hear what happened to your late husband. Ms Margot please use the official names of the late for the purpose of this court.

Well , Michael.. aaa such a mouthful.

Ms Margot please you don’t want us to throw you out too.

I was expecting his child before I miscarried..

Court murmurs again. This time louder and longer.

You see, I knew it! I knew it!

Mrs Chifu!!!!

Ms Margot, how is that piece of information relevant to this case?

It is your honour, and that is why we are here today. After my pregnancy, I mean after my miscarriage, Mikey, ooh I mean Michael decided that we end things naturally. This is something I couldn’t agree to because we were going to be surrogate parents. For his barren wife.

Huuuuh!!!!

Ms Margot, Mrs Chifu presented allegations about child trafficking, would you please clarify about that because we still need to understand how exactly Mr Chifu died!

Is that what Mrs Chifu said? Did she also say that it was her who had asked that we become her child’s surrogate parents so that we could not expose her connection to the real traffickers? Did she also say in her evidence that she was willing to pay an amount of money to remove her name amongst the company directors of her husband’s company where she not only signed for the release of thirty children to west Congo but also the faking of death certificates?

There’s a loud thud and Mrs Chifu falls on the floor, having fainted.

Order order this court will go on recess!

Beau

You see I told you, there’s more than it meets the eye. That Margot lady has everything coming out for our friend. Oh poor Lisa.

Does it mean she will go to jail? Oh my God I cannot believe she could have something to do with the death of her husband, and child trafficking? Where is all this coming from? How come we didn’t suspect anything?

The court sessions are not over, we can only find out the ultimate truth when the judge gives his rulling that’s if we don’t get a testimony from someone else. For now we should just sit and wait.

Isn’t there someone concerned about her fainting? What if she’s pregnant?

Pregnant? Impossible. I was there when the doctors had her tubes tied, and didn’t you hear about the alledged surrogacy? Why go through the trouble knowing very well she didn’t want to have kids in the first place? What has our friend gotten herself into?

Eeeh what hasn’t this lady done. Why did they say that she was barren? Why was she looking to get a surrogate when she could have just had the baby herself? What don’t we know about Lisa? Seems there’s nothing we knew nothing about Lisa at all. I am in ultimate shock to say the least!

Told you, everything about her is just damn scandalous!

Aren’t we supposed to be her friends? Why are we watching these proceedings on the television instead of being there physically in court with her? I mean for all it’s worth, she’s been our friend and it’s in these times we need to stand by her.

Eeeh Eeeh, don’t get us started. Have you forgotten how she cut us off. Don’t even remind me how she called us fake friends. Have you forgotten how she humiliated us during that party she had organised for her late husband implying that we spiked his drink?Now with these new revelation about child trafficking I wouldn’t want to be implicated, do you know how much time we would serve for being mere accomplists? Not saying she deserves it, but let her be.

Let her be? That’s all you have to say when she was there with you helping you with your business? When she put in equity to fund your start up law firm. Wasn’t that the part you could have at least bothered to ask where did she get all that kind of money from? You didn’t ask a question, you took the money, and baam you couldn’t wait to plaster your new signage. S. Wamutu and Company Advocates. Aaah indeed fake friends we are!

Well, fake friends or not, we are not the ones who are charged with murder and worse child trafficking. Right? Imagine how this association would look like for my law firm. I am happy to disassociate myself from Lisa and everything else about her.

And here I thought you would offer to be her lawyer.

Lawyer, no I don’t do criminal law. I Only do litiga..

Yes we know litigation, you need not to remind us. Especially when we thought having a lawyer amongst us would get us out of trouble. Clearly.

Why the crucifixion, I do what I am capable of of doing. So is this about me or Lisa? The much I can do is go to that court and find out what the ruling would be like for Lisa and if it’s going to be bad what are our options for the bail or something.

Now you are starting to be sensible.

Whatever!

Back in court

We need to finish this in a couple of minutes, this a busy court day for me.

Your honour before we end, and go to the closing statements, I will present yet a final witness who will give their testimony.

I don’t see the record of another witness and none of this was mentioned to me during recess. Who is this new witness?

Ladies and gentlemen allow me to present the pathologist who handled Mr Chifu’s body during the autopsy.

Dr Lolona, do you swear in this court to tell the truth and nothing but the truth?

I swear.

Dr Lolona can you please tell this court the state of the Mr Chifu’s body when he was brought in to your hospital?

Your honour, when the body of the late was  brought in we discovered that his body had been neatly “sewn” for the lack of a better word on his right side. We discovered that part of his vital organs were missing, his kidneys and liver. Whoever that did that to him must have been a professional who put everything back in place before his body was dumped where he could be found.

Dr Lolona are you trying to imply that his body had been mutilated before being discovered?

Yes your honour.

Court murmurs…

And from your assessment, what do you think could been the cause of death?

Your honour we were able to find traces of a chemical that had been accumulating in the lungs of the late Mr Chifu’s body for a while. A chemical that had been administered to him slowly and that is what might have killed him. It could have either been put in is food or his drink, or mixed up in his pills, as we are aware Mr Chifu was being treated for a heart disease and he took medication for it. We did a sample of the medication that we still found in his stomach walls and we found tiny traces of that chemical.

Dr Lolona are you able to identify the pills from this exhibit before us? Do you think these are the pills you pumped out of the late Mr Chifu’s intestinal walls? Please have a quick look at them.

Yes your honour I confirm these are the pills.

Your honour we went back further to check where these pills were obtained from we contacted the pharmacist who issued the medicine and from this report here your honour it shows that the contents of these pills were not what was prescribed for the late’s heart condition. This means that someone might have interfered with his medication. Someone might have truly intended to kill Mr Chifu.

The call

Hello this is this Wajab Pharmacy? My name is Lisa Chifu I am calling regarding my husband’s prescription. He is currently out of town and he asked that I pick it up for him.

Yes Mrs Chifu that’s okay, though Mr Chifu normally picks his prescription himself. Hope it’s okay we wait for him.

Listen,aa I didn’t get your name,

Sarai Maa,

Yes Sarai, like I said my husband is away on travel and he requested that I pick the prescription for him, I hope that’s no problem or you can call him to confirm.

No maa that’s okay we shall have his medication delivered.

Troy

Hello Troy, I have it with me, please deliver the package as we agreed.

I am on my way. Remember when we do this, there’s no going back.

Yes I know the consequences, which I am ready to deal with.

Okay meet me in 2 hours time at our usual spot to hand over the package.

**Call drops**

Lisa

Why do you want your husband dead so badly? Don’t you know interfering with his medication is the easiest evidence that the medics will come looking for so quickly?

Believe it or not, it was his own wishes that I do that?

What do you mean he asked you to do it? Why not do it himself? If it’s a matter of suicide why not just be suicidal himself? Why go through the trouble of involving a third party?

I know nobody would believe it when I tell them that my husband was dying anyway. Besides his heart condition, he was also diagnosed with liver cancer. He didn’t want anyone to know about it, but rather wanted to buy himself more time to continue digging up Margot and possibly put the blame on her for what they did to him.

And what exactly did they do to him that would make him fake his own death and put a blame on other people?

Margot was expecting our child and she..

Wait, child, our child? Yours and whose?

She was going to be our surrogate.

Surrogate!

Yes it’s a long story. But Mike and I couldn’t have children, something we had wanted for so long, so Margot got wind of it and asked if she can be our surrogate and in return, Mike to relinquish his shares and rights of their company to have Margot have full ownership.. And also not to be implicated in some shady business that Margot’s company had got Mike involved with.

And what kind of shady business was that?

Well, the company that Margot was working with, was just a frontier for other activities that they did which I’d rather not disclose at this time.

Lisa, you need to tell me everything unless this comes up in court and we wouldn’t want to be caught off guard. What shady business?

Trafficking. Child trafficking.

Oh My God Lisa! And does this implicate you or him in anyways?

Truthfully, yes. Because as I got to learn, the kids that Mike and I have been raising, kids I thought belonged to his first wife were actually not his.

What do you mean not his?

I mean exactly that, Mike’s first wife was barren, and somehow she got those kids from that illicit activity. She was the trafficker. So that’s how Mike and I got trapped in this scandalous situation. That is how Mike first became rich. I just don’t know how to prove this to the court. Unfortunately Mike’s wife passed away so there’s no way she can take liability for this.

This is some sick shitty kind of story. But I will do my best even if it means exhuming Mike’s remains to check for DNA and that of those kids alive to corroborate your story.

By all means, I need to be exonorated from this scandal.

Let’s see what the judge will have to say when we resume court.

******Lisa today*******

Beautiful storyline Lisa quite impressive, I love the choice of characters and the plot, now you need to make it more catchy especially where we need to know what was the outcome of Lisa in court, was she exonerated? Did she go to prison? What happened to Margot, and the child? Make it more catchy and enticing and we shall see how your end of semester results come along. This should be enrolled as among the scenes to be dramatised at our theatre come next semester.

Yes professor, thanks for the support and for the coaching. I will use your advise to work on completing the story.

Class dismissed, please be sure to read the next chapters of the biography of Chief Anelo and we shall discuss it in our next lesson.

******I know. The end 😅********

Who’s Lisa in real life

She is a second year student at the university studying literature and theatre. She is trying to write up a story that will be auditioned for the university’s theatre and festival club. If her story gets picked, she stands a chance of winning a scholarship to film school where she can advance her movie directing career.

Also in real life the story above is just a story 😂😂 None of it exists anywhere….. Just me exercising my writing muscle..