ANOTHER INMATE DEAD

Detective Elena couldn't help but feel like a queen during the lavish lunch with Detective Philip. She was amazed by his attentive treatment and thought his girlfriend must be incredibly lucky. As they drove back to the police quarters in Detective Philip's Honda, she expressed her gratitude for the delightful meal. Detective Philip responded with one of his charming smiles, which made Detective Elena scoff playfully. When they arrived, Detective Elena went to Inspector Evans' office, but he wasn't there. Deciding to call it a day, she decided to wrap things up.

Detective Philip noticed Yaw seated at his desk. He wondered how long he had been here for giving he sent him in the morning.

"Sir," Yaw greeted respectfully, standing up.

Detective Philip inquired, "Have you been here for long?"

"Just a couple of hours ago," Yaw replied.

"Did you eat lunch?"

"Yes I ate with Peter at the Cafeteria" Yaw answered

Nodding, Detective Philip settled into his chair with a sigh. "Well, tell me, how did your day go?"

Yaw pulled his chair to sit opposite his master, the expansive office desk separating them. "Well, when we went..."

"We?" Detective Philip interrupted, raising a brow.

"Peter offered to accompany me," Yaw explained.

Detective Philip nodded. "Okay, go on."

"It seems the other time I went with you, the girls gave us the keys without their brother's knowledge, which made him angry today," Yaw continued, observing Detective Philip's slight frown and thoughtful expression.

"Did he give you the phone?" Detective Philip asked, maintaining a serious demeanour.

"No, it was his younger sister who sneaked it to us, and I believe the brother knows nothing about it," Yaw replied.

"This seems suspicious," Detective Philip commented with a straight face, captivating Yaw's attention. His master, who usually wore playful expressions, looked even more handsome with this serious demeanour.

"What about the mother? Was she there too?" Detective Philip asked, bringing Yaw back from his thoughts.

"Yes, sir, she also looked surprised by her son's outburst," Yaw responded.

"Yaw, what do you think of his behaviour?" Detective Philip inquired, returning to his casual expression.

"Umm, he was acting strangely," Yaw answered.

Detective Philip chuckled, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You remember behavioural analysis and profiling, right, since it's not been long since you completed school?" he asked.

Yaw nodded.

"Well, based on that, Yaw, tell me, what do you think of him?" Detective Philip prompted.

Yaw pondered for a moment before expressing his thoughts, "Based on how angry he was, it seems he didn't want us to have the car or the phone, which makes him, well, questionable."

Detective Philip, proud of Yaw's response, smiled a little, careful not to reveal it to Yaw. "Substitute the right word with 'questionable,' Yaw," Detective Philip instructed, waiting for an answer.

Yaw thought for a moment before responding with a smile, "A suspect."

"Right, a potential suspect. Well done, Yaw," Detective Philip praised, making Yaw smile uncontrollably. "Now, let me have the phone."

Yaw retrieved the phone from his desk and handed it to Detective Philip. As Detective Philip attempted to switch it on, the phone went off again, indicating a low battery. Unsure if the phone had been tampered with or if any crucial clues had been erased while it was in Thomas's possession, Detective Philip decided to keep this new information to himself for now.

Detective Philip was aware that Thomas did not have the best relationship with his father. Despite this, he couldn't pinpoint a clear motive for Thomas to kill or be involved in his father's murder. Acknowledging that Thomas was now a suspect, he felt the need to have a one-on-one conversation with Tasmina.

"Did you bring your charger?" he asked Yaw.

"No, sir," Yaw replied.

"Then take the phone with you. When it's charged, bring it along. Oh gosh, I even forgot we stay together," Detective Philip chuckled.

***********************************

Inspector Evans stood in the muddy field at Werso, a small rural city in Adenta. The area where the bushy grasses started had been extensively worked on, creating a plain, albeit a bit muddy, devoid of unwanted vegetation. In contrast, a smaller part of the field remained untended and overgrown.

Venturing into the overgrown section,  a lifeless body lay there, blood fresh and pooling on the ground. The stark nudity of the corpse, with flies swarming around, created a macabre scene.

The body bore a large, deep horizontal cut across the chest, extending down to the abdomen. The severity of the wound suggested that the body had nearly been torn into two separate parts

The body which appeared to have been torn into two, had a large hole visible in the chest. Unfortunately, due to the copious amount of blood, the inspector couldn't discern the nature of the cuts that marred the body.

"Felix, there must be a reason why the flies are gathered over there. Check it out," Inspector Evans instructed Felix, who promptly went to investigate.

"Inspector!" Joe called out when he spotted the man standing with a few police officers. He had just been called to the scene and found a small group of people, including some police, interrogating those who had first come across the body.

As this field was isolated from the community, there wasn't much of a crowd gathering. Joe and Elvis approached a man in a police uniform along with two men in a worn-out white long-sleeve dress.

The farmers explained that they had hired inmates to work in their large field. Upon hearing that the inmates had finished, they came to check on the progress but were met with the grim scene of the body.

"Joe," acknowledged Inspector Evans, his tone solemn.

"Are the forensic team and the ambulance here?" inquired Superintendent Joe.

"Not yet, I just arrived with the police to meet the farmers and some members of the community," explained Inspector Evans.

"They should be here by now with the ambulance," replied Joe.

Felix emerged from the bushes and delivered his findings, "Sir, it seems to be the attire of the inmate, and there's well, feces inside."

"Oh," the inspector mumbled.

"Have you checked it out, Joe?" Inspector Evans asked, gesturing for the superintendent to examine the body.

Elvis, who had just arrived, took a glance at the gruesome scene. Overwhelmed, he retreated behind the bushes, struggling to contain his nausea. Joe, joining him soon after, wore a serious expression with a deep frown on his face.

"Did you reach out to Detective William?" Joe inquired.

"Yes, he should have arrived by now," replied Elvis.

Suddenly, the ambulance pulled up, and the forensic team disembarked.

"Joe," greeted Kwaku, the team leader, as they approached the superintendent and the inspector.

"I'll await Detective William and guide him here," Elvis declared, distancing himself from the group, leaving Felix with the two officials and the forensic team.

The team proceeded to the scene, initiating their meticulous investigation.

"It appears the body hasn't been here for an extended period," remarked Kwaku.

"I'd wager no more than two hours," he added

Inspector Evans silently observed the lifeless form, shrouded in blood.

Detective William, his visible wrinkles accentuating his focus, advanced and stooped to examine the body. The profound cuts Joe had described were indeed present, echoing a disturbing similarity.

"When did the inmates depart from here?" inquired Detective William.

"I believe it was just a couple of hours ago," Joe replied.

"The body is still fresh. This implies our suspect could be either an inmate or a prison officer," deduced Detective William.

Elvis interjected, "What if it's a community member?"

"No, these cuts and the chest cavity indicating a missing heart align with the case I'm currently investigating. If you suggest a community member, then the inmate we found at the prison with missing organs might be the work of a Werso community member. It's unlikely they ventured all the way to the prison for this," Detective William explained, gaining unanimous agreement.

"We're concluding here. We'll take the body to the lab and check for fingerprints," announced Kwaku, who had moved closer.

"With the ambulance here, you can proceed. I'll be in touch," said Detective William as they loaded the body into the ambulance.

"I'll accompany you to the prison for questioning. We need to interview the inmates, those present, and those who first discovered the body," Detective William informed Joe.

"Absolutely, let's go. We have a car you could fit in too," Joe replied, bidding farewell to the inspector as he, Detective William, and Elvis departed.

Before leaving, Elvis shared a smile with Felix.