The office cleaner

EPISODE 6 :THE OFFICE CLEANER

EPISODE 6

The next day was Monday. Judith got to work early as usual. She went into Mr Excellent’s office and placed her pen-like camera in the shelf.

This was because she was so sure that there was going to be a bitter confrontation between Mr David and Mr Excellent.

She had anonymously sent the voice recording of one of her outings with Mr Excellent to the manager and she knew he wouldn’t take it.

“Today is the day”, she said to herself and left as she laughed hysterically.

She gently closed the door and began to clean as usual.

Mr David got to work earlier than he used to. Shortly after, Mr Excellent also arrived. They both called an impromptu meeting and everyone gathered

“Our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, Chief Johnson Okpechi, is coming here today. As you all know, he has been away in London for over two years now. He just returned”, Mr David addressed all of them.

“Please, I want everyone to be in their best behaviour”, he added

Turning to Judith and Akpan, he said, “I know you have been doing your jobs diligently. Please, I want the whole office to be specially cleaned today”.

“Okay Sir”, Judith and Akpan chorused.

“Now, get to work everybody”, he said on a final note. They all ran to their different duty posts.

As Mr Excellent was returning to his office, Mr David followed him into his office and a messy confrontation ensued.

“So, you have been sleeping with Judith, after my warning”. How dare you? He yelled at Mr Excellent, immediately he shut the door.

“What is this? You just announced that the chairman is coming and you still have time think of that? Mr Excellent retorted.

“Please, don’t provoke me. We are both married men and all we are doing with her is fun. Let’s enjoy it in peace, he added.

“It is disrespectful for you to share a woman with me. You can pick any other female staff. Leave Judith alone”, Mr David warned.

“I will not. And if you insist, then I will reveal to the whole company, how you have been embezzling money from the company. I won’t warn you again”, Mr Excellent ended.

“If I go down, you go down with me. Remember you are an accomplice”, Mr David said as he stormed out of his office in anger

About two hours later, the CEO arrived. The senior staffs went out to welcome him. They exchanged pleasantries.

He ordered that everybody present should converge in the conference room as he needed to have a meeting with all of them.

About five minutes later, they were all gathered in the conference room except Judith, Akpan and the Gateman.

“I greet you all”, the CEO and Chairman of Okpechi Engineering Group of Companies began.

“As you all know, I have been away in London for two years now due to my health. I needed good medical attention and was asked to stay back after my treatment, to ensure a monthly checkup.

Barely eight months after I left, reports reached me from someone who prefers to remain anonymous, that my Portharcourt branch is being mismanaged.

I was told by the person, that my manager who happens to be my nephew, was building a mansion which was almost completed at that time.

The person sent proof to me. But I ignored him. David is my nephew. My late sister’s son. Someone I trusted with my being. I concluded that even if he was building truly, it was probably from his savings".

"So, I ignored the report”.

“Someone should please get me a bottle of water”, the chairman paused to say, as he was trying to clear his throat.

A Junior staff dashed out and returned with a bottle of water.

“God bless you my dear”, he said and collected the water. He drank a little from and continued talking

“Again, I got a report from another person, just three months after I got the first report, that David had started building a big hostel with several rooms, to rent out to students.

I became confused. I know how much I pay him monthly. So, where was he getting money from? I began to ask myself.

So, I decided to carryout my investigation. I got the state Criminal Investigations Department (CID) involved.

I sent them the only picture of you that I had”, he said looking towards the manager who was becoming very restless. He was beginning to sweat.

“It was a group picture we took at our end of the year get-together. There were four of us in the picture. David, Mr Excellent Mrs Grace, the accountant and myself.

They have been working tirelessly since then, and I can tell you for sure, my nephew, David, that you are truly a criminal.

I have proof of all your fraudulent activities in this company. sadly, you didn’t do it alone. You have accomplices”, he concluded.

“What do you have to say, David, he asked. His gaze fixed on the manager.

“Sir, I am completely innocent of all you just said. You are my uncle and I would never do anything to bring down your years of labour”, Mr David replied with his head bowed down.

The Chairman began to laugh. “The very reason I didn’t confront you myself. I knew you would deny the allegations", he let out.

"That was the reason I insisted that the CID send a detective to do a thorough investigation", he added.

Mr David still insisted that he was innocent and that he had documents to prove his innocence.

“Sir, I have worked with you in this company for years. I have never stolen anything from you. I have all documents to prove my innocence intact, Mr David defended himself.

“Please, permit me to ask who the detective is and I will prove him or her wrong”, he added

“I am the private detective”, a voice said from the entrance. It was Judith. She walked in and stood beside the chairman.

“Greetings everyone. I am detective Sharon from the state CID. My name is not Judith, neither am I a cleaner by profession”, she introduced herself

“It was all part of the plan to get into this company, so I could carry out my investigation”, she told them

The conference room became rowdy immediately. They couldn’t hide their shock at the new revelation

“This is impossible”, Mr Excellent exclaimed. “I knew you were too sophisticated to be a cleaner. But something in me couldn’t just let me say it”, he added.

"This can’t be happening", Mr David said repeatedly.

The chairman allowed them to react for about five minutes before talking again.

“Silence please”, he said with a gentle voice. The room went silent again.

“It is true that I was sent here to carryout private investigations. But that was not my only mission. I had another mission, different from that”, Judith said.

She picked a chair and sat down.

This meeting is just about to begin, Judith (Sharon) said with a sigh…

TO BE CONTINUED…