Jailbird
Episode 75
STUDIO 44, HEARTBEAT TELEVISION
It is the GIRL VIBZ show.
Elaine’s advert of bringing new evidence of Chris’ ‘NIGHT OF EVIL’ as she has termed it, has ensured that the studio is filled to capacity, and millions of viewers nationwide are watching.
It has been running for almost thirty minutes now, and still Elaine has not given any inkling of the great mystery.
Instead she had interviewed Adwoa Timtim and her father AGYA ATTAH TIMTIM about the events of that infamous night.
Finally, sensing that her audience is growing impatient, she stands up and faces the camera.
She smiles radiantly.
ELAINE
Now, for my big surprise. I know most of you have been waiting for this moment. Well, tonight, for the very first time ever, I’m going to show you video images, with sounds, of how Chris Bawa knocked down Adwoa Timtim, making her lose a leg, and how he brutally attacked a policeman, Chief Inspector Danso Cuger, and made him lose his left eye.
There is an excited buzz from the packed audience.
Seated in the front row, Afful and Steve exchange sudden glances.
AFFUL
What the hell is she talking about?
STEVE
She’s your wife! Surely, she must have told you about it?
AFFUL
(puzzled)
No, no. She just told me she found some guy who’s going to tell her some stuff about Chris’ attacks on the girl and on Cuger. She never mentioned anything about any video.
ELAINE
(in an excited voice)
Ladies and gentlemen, without waiting any longer, let me welcome my special guest for tonight, Mr. Wachipa Sey!!!
The studio audience stand up and applaud as the doors slide open and a beaming Wachipa Sey emerges.
He has a laptop bag slung across his right shoulder.
He raises both hands and waves as he walks towards Elaine.
He stops besides her, and slowly the applause dies down, and the audience sits down again.
Elaine smiles into the camera and turns to Mr. Sey.
ELAINE
Welcome to GIRL VIBZ, Mr. Sey. I would like you to introduce yourself for my audience.
WACHIPA SEY
(smiling broadly)
I’m Wachipa Sey, a professional engineer who loves wildlife as a hobby. I’ve been filming birds and other wildlife animals for NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC for eight years now.
ELAINE
Wow. I’m so excited! Tell me what you have for my audience today! We’re so excited and can’t wait to see what you have for us.
WACHIPA SEY
(smiling, excited)
Well, I couldn’t believe it myself when I watched the videos. You see, I sometimes leave video cameras around my wildlife spots, because sometimes I need to video a whole lifestyle of my particular wildlife subject. Well, five or six years ago I was doing this documentary for NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC about humming birds. That stretch of road along the Beach Road, where the infamous Chris Bawa accident took place, is a great spot for humming birds, and so I stationed some cameras there, hidden of course, and left them there for about two days. Normally the batteries last two days, before I change or recharge.
ELAINE
Wow! And your cameras captured the whole incident?
WACHIPA SEY
(giggling)
Yes, ma’am! And you wouldn’t believe just how evil Mr. Chris Bawa is until you see this footage. You see, I forgot all about it because I had a new assignment. However, three days ago NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC asked for my footage on humming birds, and so I had to go back to my archives, and whilst editing I saw that my cameras had captured the whole Chris Bawa incident that evening. I had about twelve cameras positioned at vantage points, and they captured everything!
There is a great murmur of excitement from the audience. They all want to see the videos. They are now very interested!
ELAINE
And your videos show how drunk Chris was?
WACHIPA SEY
Everything, la! His drunkenness, his cocaine sniffing, his attack on the police …everything!
ELAINE
(facing the camera)
I have only watched one of the videos myself because I wanted it to be a surprise to myself as well. So here we go! Sit down and get ready for this exclusive video on the thuggery and sheer malice of Mr. Chris Bawa!
The audience is hushed as Mr. Sey puts his laptop bag down.
WACHIPA SEY
See, because the cameras were a lot and captured various angles, I’ll project them from my laptop where I’ve done some edits, and run a commentary as we move along.
ELAINE
(shaking her body)
Oooooh! I’m so excited!
Mr. Sey sets up his laptop and projector.
The television cameras move slowly around the audience.
There is expectation and tension.
Mr. Sey switches on his laptop, and as it boots Elaine keeps a running commentary about how the truth has to be told.
Mr. Sey opens a folder named THE BAWA SCENES on his laptop, and the image on the projector shows many video clips named CHRIS 1, CHRIS 2 and so on.
WACHIPA SEY
Alright! We’re set to go! Are you all ready?
The audience cries in a loud unified voice: YEAAAAAAAHHH!!!
Mr. Sey double-clicks a video, and suddenly the image of a long stretch of road becomes visible. It is late afternoon, and not many cars are passing.
Presently two people are seen walking towards camera range, and a moment later they become visible.
They are, undeniably, a young Adwoa Timtim and her father.
WACHIPA SEY
(giggling)
Here it comes, here it comes, wait for it, wait for it… there!!
In the distance a huge car appears.
It is a black Jaguar saloon car.
Chris’ car.
It is coming from behind the two people, weaving drunkenly across the road, as if the driver is either drunk or sleeping behind the wheel.
The studio audience is now screaming, shouting with horror.
Adwoa Timtim and her father are walking on the edge of the road, and they are safe, and are not aware that Chris’ car is weaving drunkenly behind them.
Afful and Steve look at each other.
AFFUL
(horrified)
Oh, shit!
Agya Attah Timtim hears the car at the last moment and turns around. He sees Chris’ car coming towards him and his daughter, and he runs straight into the bushes, leaving his screaming daughter behind.
The car strikes Adwoa and flings her into the bushes, and then it continues for a while and comes to a halt.
Its lights are blinking, and its horn is on.
There is very loud music blaring from inside the car.
The people in the audience are shouting.
Elaine’s hands are covering her mouth with horror!
One of the back doors of the car opens, and Chris Bawa comes out. He is wearing just black jeans and a singlet, and white sneakers.
He is running fast towards the spot Adwoa Timtim has been hit.
Wachipa Sey pauses the video.
The studio audience is stunned.
They are looking at Wachipa Sey, and so is Elaine.
She shakes her head, as if in a daze.
Her throat has suddenly gone dry.
And her eyes are opened wide with horror.
She had watched the video on Mr. Sey’s laptop up to the point the car had hit the girl, and the video had ended.
She had assumed Chris had been driving, and she had been so excited.
She looks at Wachipa with horror as a sinking feeling in her guts tells her something is very wrong.
Something terrible is about to happen!
ElAINE
(voice trembling)
Good Lord! Chris was in the back seat! He wasn’t the one driving the car! Who was the driver?
Wachipa Sey laughs, obviously enjoying himself.
WACHIPA SEY
Now that is what I also asked myself. Wait for it! Just wait for it!
He resumes playing the video.
The front passenger door of the car opens, and out steps Steve Hollison with a bottle of vodka in his hand.
The crowd gasps!
The driver’s door opens, and the driver steps out.
He cannot even stand straight.
He looks very drunk, and he is holding a cylindrical package in his right hand which he tosses into the backseat.
He sways from side to side, and as he steps forward a little the studio audience gasps.
The driver of the car is Jonathan Afful!
It is he who knocked down Adwoa Timtim!
Jonathan Afful…
Elaine’s husband!
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