However, to his relief, Gloria stopped at the sink just outside the washroom. Lt. Clottey could not see what she was doing but he heard the tap running. Then it stopped. The main door that separated the washroom area from the office opened once again. She was back in the office, appearing once more in the view of the hidden miniature camera he had installed. She had most of her face covered by a wet handkerchief. The handkerchief covered her nose and mouth. Lt. Clottey saw her take the vial out of her pocket, open it and then dip a folded paper into it. Then she pulled out the paper and began to smear the handles of the three drawers of the Vice-President’s desk with it.
He shook her head sadly in dismay though he was glad he guessed correctly that if the person who will assassinate the Vice-president is in the Presidency and close to her, then it would be done through poisoning. Though he had warned Vice-President Gertrude Mensah against eating in the office, he had also guessed right that they were not going to poison her through her food but through other means. Moreover, here, the poisoning was taking place right in her office; the handles of her drawers were being poisoned. Once she touches any of the handles, the poison will get in contact with her hand and when her hand touches her lips, she will be as good as dead. Moreover, the poison was such that she would not notice it on her hand.
He waited, watching Gloria on the screen of his phone. She finished what she was doing, closed the vial and then headed back towards the washroom. This time, Lt. Clottey guessed rightly she was coming to the washroom itself. Gloria was going there to dispose of the polonium-120 and its vial as well as the paper she had used. As soon as Lt. Clottey saw the handle of the door to the washroom turn, he pulled out his pistol and pointed it at the door. Gloria screamed out in fright when she opened the door when she found herself staring at a man and his gun.
She shrieked and nearly dropped the vial in fright.
“Who…who…who are you…you?” a terribly shaken Gloria asked as she began to pee on herself.
“I should be the one asking questions. Who are you? Remove the handkerchief from your face” Lt. Clottey ordered while taking the vial from her lest she drops it. She handed the vial to him and with shaky hands, pulled the handkerchief covering her face down.
“I…I am the…the cleaner here” Gloria replied. Her voice was barely a whisper. Lt. Clottey found himself staring at a woman who looked as innocent as a child did.
“Okay. What are you doing here at this time of the morning and what did you rub on the handle of the drawers? I saw everything you did in there,” he told her.
Gloria began to cry. Lt. Clottey cocked his gun and threatened to shoot her if she did not start talking quickly. She spoke.
“I came…eh…please. I came to clean here…I did not rub anything on the drawers” she lied. Lt. Clottey marched her from the washroom to the office. When they got there, he ordered her to open the drawers. She did not badge.
“I said open the drawers!” he said. She burst into fresh tears saying she could not.
“You can’t? Why,” he asked her. However, she would not reply. The soldier took his phone out of his pocket and called the Vice-President. As soon as he began doing that, Gloria knelt down and desperately pleaded with him not to call the Vice-President.
“Please…don’t call her…please…I shall say everything…I shall say everything” she pleaded but the soldier ignored her. A few seconds later, the Vice President’s voice came on the line. The soldier told her what was happening in her office.
“What! Gloria! I cannot believe this! I can’t believe this!” the Vice-President said repeatedly. Then she told Lt. Clottey she was on her way.
Gloria was all tears now. Lt. Clottey asked her to sit as they awaited the Vice-President. She complied and continued to cry. Then she began to sing like a canary.
Vice-President Gertrude Mensah had been fast asleep when the call came. Moreover, the last thing she was expecting was to hear that none other than her cleaner, Gloria, had been the one caught in her office attempting to poison her.
She got out of her nightgown and put on a purple long sleeve shirt and a jeans trouser. Then she dashed to the garage, got into one of her cars and drove to the gate. The guards at the gate were stunned to see her behind the steer. They were even more surprised when she told them she was going to town but did not want any of the guards to accompany her.
“Madam, it is dangerous,” Cpl Blankson, who was the leader of the guards on duty, said. The Vice-President ignored him and drove out of the garage.
“If you follow me, I will have you sacked! You hear me?” she said. Then she drove away. In spite of her warning, the guards rushed to one of the vehicles parked in the yard, a jeep and then drove after her.