Two days after his first trial, Tamiko sat in his tiny cell which he shared with five other inmates. He had his jaw in the palm of his right hand and was crouched forward with his elbow resting on a knee. He was thinking about the day he had had in court two days ago.
How had he arrived here? He wondered.
One minute he had been a hardworking father and husband trying to keep his home from poachers and the next he was undergoing trial for murder, armed robbery and theft.
His lawyer had not prepared him for the shock he had received in court yesterday.
He had pleaded not guilty and had watched helplessly as the prosecution and defense counsels went back and forth in a bid to determine his fate.
His prosecutor, the state had a strong case against him. There had been a witness to corroborate the false stories. His shock had not been enough to deafen him to the tales they spun around him.
How had his lawyer not warned him about this? Had it been a twist his lawyer had not anticipated? He did not know what to think. All he knew was that he had not been intimated on the charges to which he was now under trial and that he was innocent.
He was allegedly the leader of an armed robbery gang and had shot his gang member in the heat of anger.
Why would he have stayed behind to assist the man he had allegedly shot? The prosecuting counsel had been quick to supply a number of possible scenarios in answer to the question. Tamiko was known for his quick anger and for his good heart; he had shot the man in anger and had not had the courage to leave him to die like his other gang members had.
Why would someone who purportedly had a good heart and love for people rob the very people he was said to love so much? He wondered. He had again soon gotten an answer from the prosecuting counsel.
People had been known to live double lives and nemesis had only just caught up with him, exposing his. It was easy to see why he would go into robbery they said. He was a very poor man with extra mouths to feed and without a good job to see that he did.
Tamiko was a lot of things at the moment, topping the list were confused and scared. He was scared for his life. The six months he had been denied trial had been more than adequate time for someone to spin tales and build a strong case against him.
The witness; Sanda, a man he had never met, had come forward to testify against him.
According to Sanda, he had been returning from work through the lonely path when he saw a group of men arguing. It soon dawned on him even from a distance that something seemed off about these men. When he got closer, he saw that the four men had masks on and were arguing seriously about something.
Having luckily escaped their notice, he had run into the bush to hide from where he had watched the scene unfold.
In the heat of the argument, one of the four men had been shot. The other two men had chided the shooter who they referred to as “Miko” and all three of them had later bent to inspect the damage.
The other two must have decided the damage was beyond repair and after advising Miko to do the same, they fled the scene. Miko had however remained with the wounded man. He had removed his mask and that of the wounded man before he began hailing vehicles down. He had seen the driver of a yellow car stop to help him.
The witness claimed he had seen Miko's face and that Tamiko was Miko. Although, it happened six months ago, Sanda said it had been quite an unforgettable experience for him and Miko’s face had been engraved on his memory ever since. He could never forget it.
Tamiko rubbed his palm over his face. He was tired of this hellhole and it did not look like he was going to be leaving here anytime soon. His case had been adjourned to a later date.
His wife had made it to the court but without his daughter, Ralia. He had barely had time to say hi before he had been pushed along by a police officer who he had since concluded went out of his way to be mean to him. He had mouthed “Ralia” to his tearful wife and she had nodded with a smile in response. He believed that meant she was okay. She had to be. The thought of being with Talia and Ralia was what kept him sane.
Tamiko’s lawyer, Barrister Kenko had visited him the day after his first trial. He wanted to know if there was anything Tamiko knew that could help his case or anyone who could corroborate his own story.
Tari.
It was Tari who had linked him with the job he had gone to on that fateful day. Tari had worked alongside him but had left a bit earlier to run an errand after which he would return home.
Tari could tell the court he had been at work that day till about the time the witness claimed he had seen everything happen.
Barrister Kenko had visited earlier today to tell him Tari had refused to come forward and testify. According to Tari, he did not want to get involved in a case that could swallow him up just as it had swallowed Tamiko.
Tamiko could not blame Tari. He already knew that there were big powers behind his incarceration. He had bitten way more than he could chew this one time.
He had learnt through his lawyer that his people remained in their homes and the corporation had not disturbed them in a long while. His people were doing the best they could to make his case known to more people but there was only so little they could do. He was never going to get out of this, was he?
Barrister Kenko assured him he would win the case even if it did not seem like it at the moment. The whole case reeked of foul play. A big anonymous donor to their NGO had taken particular interest in Tamiko’s case.
Thanks to him, they could afford to hire a private investigator which was what they were going to do.
If the private investigator Kenko had in mind was as good as his reputation suggested, they would come prepared at the next trial and hopefully get Tamiko acquitted of all charges.
Images were obtained from Pixabay
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"The King of the Slums: A Crime of Poverty (Part Four)--- Novella" following soon.