IF I CAN'T HAVE HIM. EPISODE 3

Investigations had begun and efforts were geared at catching the culprit that was responsible for the death of Chuks Ifionu. A solemn assembly was held in reverence of Late Chuks but no amount of silence could bring him back. The next day, Halima was revived in the hospital. She was in complete wreck and sorrow create its headquarters in her face. No level of consolation warmed her heart. For days she refused to eat, refused to sleep and refused to talk to anybody. There were times when she simply stared into thin air and kept repeating the words “May God punish the person that killed Chuks”. On the day of his burial, the most absurd thing happened as they lowered his coffin into the ground. Halima practically jumped after the coffin in tears. It took hefty men to pull her out with bruises all over her. The story made head-lines for newspapers and magazine. Many who heard about it shook their head and whispered “She must have really loved the guy”.

Some days later, police-officers barged into one of the male halls of Zurax University and arrested a guy named “Maxwell” who happened to be Chuks room-mate. Apparently, he was the only one that hated Chuks and made an open display of it. Even after his death, Maxwell voiced out statements like “Good-riddance to bad rubbish....people die everyday so what’s all the fuss about the death of an additional person....Chuks deserved to die jare”. Unfortunately for him, a record of the statement was made by a passer-by who forwarded it to the police station. He became a major suspect and so all investigations where focused on him. Several means of tormenting him in other to get him to confess was adopted. However, Maxwell maintained his stance “I didn’t kill Chuks and one day, God will justify me”. Hot iron had been used on him, he had been put under painful metals just to get him to speak but Maxwell reiterated in tears “I will prove that I didn’t kill Chuks”.

Later that week, the investigations continued and Maxwell was held hostage at the police-station in a bid to get him to confess. The whole school was already filled with rumours stating that Maxwell killed Chuks. In fact, some even stated that they saw him hit Chuks with a knife. The case was becoming more intense. Halima remained silent about the entire story. She had just returned from the library and decided to have a meal in her room when the door barged open. A man in uniform identified himself as the inspector general and with him were two other men. They searched her room frantically and found nothing. They were about to give up when the inspector noticed a part of the floor that was different from other parts of the floor. On close view, he realized that it was a detachable door in the floor. Investigations were channelled towards that direction and right inside the floor was a blood-stained knife. “You’re coming with us to the station” the inspector general informed Halima.