Chapter 13: Chapter 13

Songs for this chapter are:

African Church Boy - Limoblaze & D.A.T.R.U.T.H

Go like - Limoblaze & Solomon Plate

Landmines - Limoblaze & D.A.T.R.U.T.H

Okay - Limoblaze & Ada Ehi

Cassandra

The room went still. Painstakingly still. Even the tiny breeze that managed to circulate the courtroom became hitched, as tension barricaded it.

My sister and I shared looks for a meaningful moment.

The throbbing of my heart amplified in my eardrums, like a siren broadcasting a calamity. A calamity that was most likely sooner than ever to befall my sister and me, leaving us with unbearable casualties.

The public defender stepped forward, adjusting his robe just like my sister had done when it was her time to speak. Now was his time to shine, beauty shedding off its wings like a Phoenix, for the unraveling of the ugliness that stayed lurking in the shadows.

"Mr. Dan did not attempt to murder Mrs. Cassandra nor her driver. He only intended to get a hold of Mrs. Cassandra without doing her any harm."

Maybe it was because I was so darn scared and the fear had succeeded in appearing in its most magnified form but even I, who had no inkling of what the law and its jurisdictions were all about, I knew this man had just spewed a constructed bunch of jargon.

"So, what is to be deduced from that? Does it eliminate the fact that Mr. Dan sent threatening messages to Mrs. Cassandra and her ex-husband or does conspiracy to attempt a murder make Mr. Dan any less punishable? Barrister. John, do your job well! I have got no time for this vain talk!" the judge spat.

I didn't know how my sister had managed to be so audible with no facial expression, whether it be a tiny smirk or a grin or raising of the brows but it was as though sarcasm displayed itself like a flag on her face as it boldly read; "Barrister John is so wise!"

I couldn't believe that I'd fidgeted this much for something nowhere near competent then I realized that I'd acclaimed my non-existent victory way too soon when I heard the next words that came out of the public defender's lips.

"My apologies, My lord but might I go further to state that Mr. Dan can not be held guilty for human trafficking because, from everything that has been argued so far, Mr. Dan was only fourteen years old which means that he was a minor according to the dictates of the constitutional laws binding in Nigeria. He couldn't have been mentally sound enough to come up with such devious plans."

"I'm sure you know what circumstantial evidence is. I don't want to believe that I will have to lecture a public defender like you about that." The judge's voice intensified, losing his patience with each passing moment.

"No, you wouldn't need to do so my lord because if I disclose the information I have to this court, it will be clearer than ever that everything that Mr. Dan has been alleged of for committing as a minor would not add up as a circumstantial evidence for the crimes he's been currently alleged of because it would be vain to do so."

Silence flooded the room once more. A silence that was heavily pregnant with curiosity from every single soul present in the courtroom. I balled my hands into fists, not believing that this was going to be used against my family right now.

I hated it so much. Hated the fact that this had to be our setback. Something that anyone undeserving of it was able to use against us and would adequately justify it.

I felt a strong urge to cry bitterly.

Oh God, you couldn't have saved my life for me to face this kind of hardship, could you?

Any other thing would I bear, but not this.

"And what is that?" The judge pressed.

"I must have been gullible enough to presume that the incorruptible Barrister Roberts would be just enough to state that her mother, being the authentic human trafficker, in this case, was the one who sold Mrs. Cassandra Williams to the loan shark but of course, when it comes to family affairs, it's expected for one member to cover up for the other."

The domineering silence in the courtroom got lost in the shrieks and gasps of the people present.

The hotness in my palms liquidated to a clammy condensation, my tongue seemed to lose all of its wetness, I couldn't feel it. It made my lips dry.

This was making me question my prior resolution to forgive my mother. If I lose this case because of her costly mistake with no way of defending myself, would it be plausible to forgive her?

Certainly not.

I had no proof to object to what the defender was saying. The proof I knew I could have had was the document my mum showed me the day she came to plead for my mercy but I discarded it; dismissed her because she infuriated me and now, the exact thing was happening – a scene unfolding before me, convincing me not to ever dare forgive her.

Please, God.

"Order!" the court clerk exclaimed, as the gavel hit the desk.

There was a decorum.

"Barrister Roberts..." the judge turned towards my sister who still managed to look anything but defeated and spoke with a vivid skepticism. "I hope you are well aware of the consequences that await you if all that has been said about you is true."

Oh no.

I will lose it if anything happens to my sister. She was fighting on my behalf which was a risk on its own. I hope this wouldn't cost her anything that matters to her, like her profession. No, her passion for law over the years remained undefeated. It had morphed into a part of her life.

A sensible person would never ask my sister to pick between law and her family because it was a dangerous question to ask, knowing that my sister was capable of picking the former. That was how much she loved it.

"Yes, my Lord. I am aware which is why I admit to Barrister John's allegations. Indeed, my mother engaged in a transaction with the loan shark where she used Mrs. Cassandra as collateral for the deal but she was able to pay back the money that was loaned to her just before the loan shark abducted young Cassandra. Earlier on, I implored the court to take note of the word, 'abduct' because if my mum was unable to pay the money, there would be no need for the loan shark to take Cassandra away secretly. He could just show up at the house and take what was rightfully his as agreed in the contract and I have proof that my mother paid the money and neither did the loan shark nor Mr. Dan had a right to enslave and abuse Mrs. Cassandra."

My heart veered around from fear to blissful relief. She was always ready for anything. You could never meet her unprepared.

She fixed her gaze at the crowd and I saw her eyes settle on Alexander. I was shocked to see that my brother had a role to play in today's hearing and I was even more shocked to see that he had...the scroll in hand!

Sister Yemisi must have made him ask mum for it. Wow! I was thinking that there was no proof whatsoever. He stepped forward, handing the scroll over to my sister after he took a bow and returned to his seat. I was still standing in the witness box. It was a miracle that I hadn't peed my pants all through the heat and the intense argument that went down.

Sister Yemisi handed the scroll over to the judge. He unrolled it, peering through it with his spectacle staying fixed on the bridge of his nose.

"That is my mother's signature that you see there my Lord, and it signifies that she already returned the money. The document also contains the loan shark's signature showing that he received the money, being the lender. In conclusion, the mystery behind Mrs. Cassandra's abduction circulates the premises of the fact that Dan is guilty of the crimes aforementioned, hence making this an efficient circumstantial evidence. I rest my case now." she took a bow, then turned towards me, a small smile on her face. "Oh, and Mrs. Cassandra, you may step down now."

Silence resumed, proving to be the most dominant edifice in a chaotic display. I studied every movement on the judge's face as he studied every single proof brought before him.

My sister had done a wonderful job and had done a ton of presenting sensible arguments but the public defender who didn't say much had said more hard-hitting words. Words that were sufficient enough to make us lose because my mother was already guilty of attempting to sell her daughter in the first place and whatever quota Dan had to contribute to my abduction would be very much invalid since he was only fourteen years old.

That was more than enough to prove that we were liars and the most ridiculous set of self-contradictory people. It would seem as though we were trying to spread someone else's dirty linen when ours was nowhere near clean.

Twelve minutes later, after incessant murmuring from the crowd, the judge spoke.

"The verdict shall be adjourned to—

I wasn't sure what made the judge unable to complete his sentence but something about his abrupt cease of the speech made me feel like it was somewhat related to Dan so instinctively, I turned to the left, just where I'd seen Dan sit and my eyes went wide as dinner plates and so was the gasp that escaped from my lips. It turned out to be that I wasn't the only one with her mouth left wide agape.

It couldn't have been me alone because what I saw, what everyone saw, was outrageous.

His hands were no longer bound by handcuffs; just like I had guessed when I noticed that he was looking stronger and there was a loud shriek erupting from the lips of the police officer in whom he was trying to snatch the gun out of.

The next thing that came was a dreadful noise from the gun. Someone had pulled the trigger while the tug for who was going to secure the gun was going on. The people, including the public defender who were staying close to Dan and were trying to get him to stop his beastly act, fled for their safety and after the cacophony of gunshots, shrieks, the squeaking of tables, and heavy footsteps, everything went still.

Never had serenity brought about a promise so deadly.

What had just happened? I opened my eyes after screwing them tightly shut. I was searching for peace but it seemed like being at peace wasn't even a strong tower to run into for shelter because it brought forth the fear of the unknown. The unknown that was waiting to be discovered if only I could open my eyes.

And I did.

Then I saw the policeman on the floor, motionless with blood oozing out of his forehead like palm wine from a calabash.

Dan had killed the policeman in the courtroom. Not at an unknown forest, or a haunted wood, or incomplete infrastructure, or any other place that served as a natural habitat for hardened criminals who loved to operate anonymously.

He dared to do this in a courtroom. A place that operated like the game of chess. Where things could flip at any second; either at your favor or at your peril.

A for audacity. That should be the order in which alphabets should be taught because he just gave that letter a whole new meaning.

He'd dared to tamper with any chance he had of ever winning this case. What did he do that for?

Would anyone ever do that? What can I call this situation? Did he operate under a spell? Or did he mean to do something else entirely from what this had resulted into? Why?

I looked at him straight in the eye and saw a flicker of realization in them as he dropped the gun, his hands and shirt stained with droplets of blood. Then, I realized that he had planned on killing himself to make the process a lot easier but he'd just killed an officer of the law and he was going to suffer for it.

I knew I was right because he'd gone down on his knees, wailing and slamming his fists against the wooden walls close to him, wringing out his dreadlocks with his calloused finger, wishing it was him who had died instead as he had mentally planned.

Oh yes, now I understood why he pleaded to be guilty earlier on. He felt that it would make it easier for us to win the case since after all, he insisted on not wanting any lawyer to defend his case but the judge had insisted on assigning one but when he figured that the case was starting to get a lot more controversial, he had made the resolve to eliminate himself if the court wouldn't.

But little did he know that vengeance was the Lord's.

This meant that we had won the case automatically if we were initially bound to lose. Talk about a last-minute miracle.

Dan couldn't die just like that. If he thought that he would just join his father in hell with spirit and soul burning eternally, then he was delusional because there was no way his body wouldn't be subject to the damnation that awaited him here on earth. He has to suffer in spirit, soul, and body.

People always said God makes a way where there seems to be none and right now, those words couldn't have been truer.

My sister and I shared looks again and it was indeed a meaningful moment and at the same time, we busted into a fit of laughter that was indeed, fulfilling. I'd had to clutch my belly as tears ran down my eyes freely. I didn't try to hold them back as I would normally do.

The last laugh. How liberating!

Every single idiom for those who endured pain and persevered through stormy times came into a literal meaning at that moment. I wouldn't have lived to see this day if I'd died when death came my way.

As the last policeman standing pulled Dan aggressively and dragged him out of the courtroom, I knew they were taking him to the place where he was going to get executed. No one needed to investigate anything.

As he walked past me with the police officer dragging him away, I waved at him as I couldn't control my hysterical fits of laughter and I said one word that sounded very, very believable because it was finally happening, after so many years of captivity.

"Byhyehyehye."

***

Exodus 14:14 - "The Lord will fight for you and you will hold your peace."