The officer’s confidence cracked.
“Who did you call?”
Before Ibe could answer, firm knocks sounded at the entrance.
The men inside suddenly understood they were no longer controlling the situation.
Senior officers entered moments later.
They did not come shouting accusations.
They separated the men, secured the room, and asked each person why they were there.
Their stories began to fall apart almost immediately.
One claimed they had received intelligence about armed robbers.
Another said they had come to check on Ibe personally.
A third could not explain who had authorized the visit.
The officer leading the team asked a simple question.
“Where is the report about this supposed threat?”
Nobody produced one.
“Who received the intelligence?”
No answer.
“Which superior deployed you?”
The men looked at one another.
That hesitation mattered.
Ibe remained beside the table.
He did not celebrate.
He did not insult them.
He handed over the folder.
The senior officer read the account of the party.
Then he asked the men whether they had attended it.
Two admitted they had.
“Did Officer Ibe accuse DPO Charles of poisoning him?”
One of them said yes.
Ibe immediately objected.
“I asked them to taste the food.”
The senior officer looked at the men.
“Did he ask you to taste it?”
Neither answered.
“Did anyone taste it?”
Silence.
“What happened to the cake and wine?”
Again, silence.
The senior officer closed the folder.
“We will continue this at the station.”
By morning, the incident could no longer be contained inside Charles’ office.
The officers who had gone to Ibe’s house were questioned separately.
Charles expected loyalty to protect him, but loyalty became weaker when each man realized the others might already be talking.
Their explanations contradicted one another.
One said the nighttime visit had been his idea.
Another said Charles knew about it.
A third tried to reduce his own responsibility by describing the meeting that had taken place after the failed celebration.
That was the first serious crack.
Investigators returned to the station and reconstructed the day.
They identified the officers present when Ibe received the cake and wine.
Even people who knew nothing about the poisoning remembered the argument because Charles had made it public.
They remembered Ibe saying he had dreamed that a close friend poisoned him.
They remembered him asking someone else to eat first.
They remembered Charles becoming angry.
Most importantly, they remembered that despite repeatedly assuring Ibe the food was safe, nobody ate it.
Charles had then collected the cake and wine and taken them away.
When questioned, Charles tried to turn the issue back on Ibe.
