Chapter 11. The switch

About hour since she left the drug dealing joint, Akwa was in a commercial bus to Jasons and just at the junction, waiting on the traffic lights to give a go. Suddenly, a police officer walked to their bus and ruled it out of the waiting line to park over the pedestrian lane. Few police officers approached and a thorough search was administered to all passengers. 

"Hey!" An officer exclaimed. "Drug, heroin."

That was an alert from Akwa's satchel. She looked totally shocked, at that point, she realized why the dealers let her go easily. 

"I, I don't. That's not mine, I don't know how it got there," she argued.

"Young lady, you're under arrest, anything you say or do will be use against you in the law court," Another officer cuffed her after reading her her rights.

She tried to straighten an explanation, but to them it was just gibberish. She was taken to the state police headquarters with immediate effect. 

Everything was so fast, hours ago she was in the hall searching for possible ways to raise quick money, Nanklin came and left, Vanessa crawled from nowhere and exhorted her into smuggling heroin, she sheepishly followed her to the layer, and later refused to go on and now she's there behind bars. She revolved over the same thing over and over again with no possible end or outcome whatsoever. She was fade up, flushed with fear. She thought of how Jason would react when he hears, probably must have heard already, but he really wasn't the problem, her family was. She measured the disappointment without limits, the look in her mother's face, and pain in her siblings. At that very moment, she knew it was the end of the line for her, and for what or who, Jason? Clearly, legal or illegal, it was all love. All what she tried to avoid, putting the blame on him as being the influence behind her desperation. She felt like dying and escaping the living hell, the pain, guilt, shame and suffering. After a while, her lips quivered and she began to cry. 

Sometime later she was brought out to see a guest and it was Jason. She rushed to him and they warmly embraced, and her endless cry reinforced at that moment. 

"You stupid girl, what did you get yourself into?" He said out of misery. 

"Yes I'm anything, many things even," she cried bitterly. "I didn't do it, I swear I didn't. Tell me you believe me."

"I know, Belle," he held her face rubbing foreheads. "I believe you. Nanklin told me everything, you shouldn't have gone beyond that to prove your love. I know Belle, I know you love me and I always say I love you more."

"I, I told the police everything, how I was framed by Vanessa and her dealers, I even gave them the house address. I'm so sorry Olie, forgive me."

"Shh. . . Don't say anything further. It's okay, just be calm."

He left her and approached Mr. Jang, the detective in charge of the investigation. 

"She gave you guys the address she went to, didn't you checked?" He unpleasantly asked. 

"We checked the location, it's all clean," Detective Jang said. "The lady she navigated is clean, we tested her blood for usage, her nails and finger prints, all negative. But your girlfriend had a match on the finger prints we recovered," he placed a hand on Jason's shoulder. "Sorry boy, she's guilty and she's going to prison. According to habeas corpus, she's not even supposed to be here now. This is a straight crime, all evidence on deck, so that is straight to prison. By next tomorrow we'll see to that."

Jason was stunned, voiceless, he reached his hand and wiped a tear from his eyes, yet more came rolling. Akwa seeing the deserted look on his, she went to him and embraced him, both crying on each others shoulders. A short while later a grim look police officer came and pulled her from the arm, dragging her off as she resisted in tears, holding on tight to Jason's shirt. He however stood stupefied and watched her forced away without no little efforts, probably lost in himself. Suddenly, the buttons from his shirt splattered on the floor which dragged him back to full consciousness. Then, he only saw her hand stretched at him, begging to be rescued, and it hurt him deeply to see how powerless he was. As she faded from his sight, he slowly bent down and picked a button, desperately observing it with pain in his eyes, his fingers trembled and the button once again fell. 

"I'll get you out of here at all cost, Belle, I promise," he muttered under his breath. 

Jason wandered in all corners of his room for at least the eleventh time, yet nothing new seemed to appear in his head, except for the lousy, ridiculous and childish idea of breaking her out of the police headquarters filled with armed men. Of course that was an idea that kept revealing itself, definitely it served a purpose, it at least made him 99 percent better and free from 1 percent to complete a 100 pain. 

At the police station, Vanessa showed up to see Akwa. With that much closure, Akwa had all the opportunity to get hold of her tiny neck and strangle her. Rather, she was calm, tired from her nonstop cries and emotional pain. Her hair was roughly scattered, her lips dried, eyes deeper than usual. She look paled, weak and looking like a deceptive old lady. 

"Why did you?" Akwa asked dejectedly. 

"You know why," she said. "You messed up big time, we have been running this operation for years and we couldn't allow any mistakes. I made the mistake of involving you, and I took care of you. Now you go to prison, when you're back in maybe 15 or more years time, you'll learn to be straight forward and hate boys."

"Why live a life of depravity? You bitch!" She yelled uncontrollably and even further. 

They came and took her away instantly. Still within a short while, she was brought back to another guests and this time it was her mother and cousin. She rushed and hugged her mother both crying. 

"Mom, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me," Akwa cried. 

The look on her cousin's face was entirely clouded in disappointment. She noticed and probably forecasted how he would feel, her mother just a bit. 

"What have you gotten yourself into, my baby?" Her mother asked. 

Akwa shook her head as she replied, "I didn't, I don't deal or smuggle heroin. I was set up."

"Haba Akwa," her cousin chipped in after his all along silence. "After everything, we've been trying all these while hoping you will get a better future than us. Now look at you, charged with drugs. And for what, a boy?"

"It wasn't his fault," Akwa defended. "He didn't even know what I was doing. He has nothing on him. I got myself in this mess and this is it."

"So you're indirectly admitting that you're guilty?" He asked unpleasantly. 

"No!" Akwa banged the table. 

An officer nearby got attracted and almost approached them but eased. 

"I didn't do it, I went there to but I changed my mind and they planted the drug in my bag."

Her cousin couldn't control his feelings especially considering the influence behind her ruggedness. 

"You came to school to study, and instead you began following boys around and look where it has landed you!"

Her mother in her devastation tried to ease him down but he wouldn't comprehend. 

"I'm old enough to do what I want, when I want to," she said in challenge. "And I didn't follow boys, I was dating just one, the best. And you have no idea what or who he is, or what he is capable when it comes to me."

"Tell us, give us his address let's go see him," he demanded. 

"Sorry I can't," she declined softly. "Like I said, he has nothing to do with this, and if you have any problem with believing me or with him then you shouldn't be here."

Just about to utter another word Her mother stopped him and requested a moment alone with her daughter. Not what he wanted, but he heed to it. 

That morning, it was time to transport her to stand trial. She before that then contemplated a lot of options in mind, and utterly concluded she wasn't going to spend much time in prison. Her mother was emotionally drained, siblings too, but she could tell, they were dissapointed as much as it pained them. Her studies was gone, friends and everything that ever made sense in her life, and of course Jason. His face had crossed her mind once again, the thought of losing him for good, how he would live his life after her. All these thoughts were just a rehearsal of what she had before. She accepted her fate in peace, fully admitting it was her fault and how it was destined to, but one thing she was proud of, she did it for love and that gave her peace. All that was left and she wished for was just to see his face once more and kiss him goodbye.

Just about putting her cuffs on, a voice like 'stop' echoed throughout the station. Everyone froze, Akwa however was bemused.

"Olie," she said softly. 

Jason boldly walked forward to Detective Jang. 

"She was right," he said. " It wasn't hers."

The people in the building listening murmured softly to that being an old song. 

"What evidence do you have?" Jang asked. 

"I planted the heroin in her bag," he bowed his head. 

Once again the people murmured, this time louder. Akwa's stable heart at that time began pounding.  

"What are you doing?" she rhetorically asked under her breath. 

"Can you repeat that, Mr. James?" Jang requested.

Even louder he replied, "I planted the heroin in her bag. As a matter of fact, I take it too, you can test me for confirmation."

She was totally speechless, she raised to talk but he reached out his hand and stopped her. 

"What do you think you're doing, Olie?" She voiced out nevertheless. 

"Shut up!" He yelled. "Sorry I got you into this mess."

"Let's elaborate this," Jang said. "Her finger prints were found on the sachet, and why will set up your girlfriend and then come back now to confess?"

"Because I didn't set her up, I only used her as a medium in smuggling heroin," a tear dropped down his cheek. "She have never seen heroin in her life and possibly wouldn't know it even if she touches it. I've been using her without her knowledge and this wasn't supposed to happen, now she's about to suffer for a crime she didn't commit, and I can't let that happen."

Silence stroke the entire building. 

"Mr. Jason James, you're under arrest for dealing, smuggling and illegal usage of human medium. You have the right to remain silent," Jang read him his rights, then cuffed him. 

Akwa ran to him and rapped her hands around his neck, screaming and crying hysterically. 

"No! No!! What's wrong with you, Olie?" She bemoaned with her sore throat. 

"It's okay, everything is going to be okay. You're safe now," he urged, tears falling.

"Please, is not too late," she struggled. "Olie! O. . ."

He eventually felt the tight hands around his neck loosing off, then drifting reluctantly away, and finally the thud on the ground. She fell and he could not catch her as his hands were bonded to the back. She laid still with tears running down beside her eyes, not a muscle moved, heart beat slow and weak. He struggled with the cuffs behind and in no time started to bleed from his wrists. He moaned, not at his injuries, but what laid in front of him, her lifeless body. He could only reach and touch her with that which he only could, his face rubbing on her chest to wake her up. His tears soaked her cloth, her hands covered in his blood as he turned around just to feel the touch of it. Soon, the police decided times for sentiments were over, he was dragged out to the parked van and driven away. Mean while, an ambulance came for Akwa, either way, the two lovers ended up leaving in vans. 

With the scene at the police station, most, if not all of the people in there felt the two were innocent, but what could they do? Evidence proved otherwise, the law is the law. 

Jason was sentenced to ten years imprisonment, and Akwa recovered from a week coma with her mother sitting next to her. And just as she collapsed in tears, she woke up in tears. Jason however had just began enjoying prison when he heard of her recovery with eagerness, he couldn't wait to get a glance of her pretty face.