Waves Aligning

by Adaora O

  No matter how long she scanned the room, Chinny could not find the source of the cool air. “Where is the air conditioner?” she wondered aloud. There was indeed an interminable gulf between the rich and the poor. Chinny knew on which side of the divide her family fell but could not quite place the Clarkes or Kenneth for that matter. She checked her wristwatch. She had been inside the villa for only ten minutes and toyed with the idea of dialling Ken’s mobile phone to say she was fine but decided against it as her attention shifted to two other doors besides the main security door. Certain that one led to the kitchen, she wondered what it looked like. Distracted by the cold-induced goosebumps fast forming on her arms, Chinny chuckled at the fact that she still could not find the air conditioning unit responsible for giving her the chills and rubbing her palms over her arms, she sank deeper into the leather chair.

  Chinny’s heart almost jumped out of her chest when the security door creaked, and Chief Utah walked in, wearing a pair of joggers, a white T-shirt and trainers. Though covered in a thin film of sweat and still breathing heavily; like someone who had just done a sprint, Chief Utah appeared a tad younger than she recalled. Chinny stood, taking the chief’s outstretched hand in a handshake, her knees a mass of rubbery tangles. He had a genuine smile as he greeted in return, “I am so sorry I kept you waiting. I was having my morning run. How are you? Really good to see you again and under better circumstances. Now what brings you to my home?” Chinny began to respond in a very nervous voice but he interrupted her, asking her to sit back down and make herself at home as he sat in the chair almost opposite her. He hit a switch on the wall right beside him once and a male voice filled the room.

  “Sir?” It was an internal communication system. Chinny sank deeper in her chair.

  “Who?” Chief Utah asked.

  “It is me, Simon, sir,” came the response.

  “All right Simon, please fetch some fruit juice, almond nuts and coconut cookies. Thank you.”

  “Right away sir,” Simon responded. Chief Utah hit the switch again and the room fell silent.

  Giving Chinny his full attention, he continued. “Yes, Miss Chinny, where were we? What is this critical issue you want to discuss with me? I remember you could not wait to get away from me at the police station. Anyone would think I belonged to the group of unscrupulous men looking to take advantage of females one third their age,” he finished with humour. At once, Chinny felt small and gave a rushed explanation that she hoped sounded plausible.

  “Please sir, I am so sorry for my conduct. There were things on my mind, better kept to myself. On a typical day, I am not that person… Chief Utah… sir. Please sir, prior to me helping with your briefcase, I did not realise who you were. It was only after you gave me your card—”

  He interrupted her in excitement. “Yes! Thank you again. You have no idea what you did, do you? Apart from the large sum of money you saved me, do you know the little beggar girl only served as an instrument in the hands of that crook? He was no blood relative of hers. He confessed to abducting her after an accident left her parents dead. Her only living close relative, an auntie who had been frantically searching for her, had almost given up on ever finding her niece before that day at the square. The police briefed me that proper investigations carried out on her auntie found her to be genuine. The lady is married and successful but has no children of her own. She is the younger sister of Natalie’s mother.” Chinny, whose eyes were bright with unshed tears of joy was listening with rapt attention, but it was her turn to interrupt.

  “Natalie? I thought her name was Nasa.”

  The Chief sighed. “That crook will spend a long time in jail. The girl was born Natalie Bello. She is from the North. You know she was quite young when the accident happened. My theory is this; the thief could not make out the name when the little girl said it to him, so he christened her with his own version of whatever he heard. She is still being prepared and sensitised for adoption. Her auntie is in town with her husband and I hear they visit her every day at the orphanage where she is being cared for. You know, building bridges in preparation for her new family. God knows that if she did not have a living relative, I would have adopted her myself. Please go on. What can I do for you?” he finished.

  Kenneth began calling Chinny’s mobile phone and she excused herself to take the call without getting up from her chair. In a clipped voice, she told Kenneth that she was fine and would talk to him soon. Chief Utah regarded her silently. It was difficult to guess what was on his mind. She apologised after she ended the call.

  A refraction had occurred in the lens through which Chinny viewed Chief Utah. This man had an easy air! She almost asked him if he did not have children of his own but checked herself. She did not want to push her limits. She began with a pea-pod version of her childhood. From her early life as she remembered it, family struggles, her hope for an education, her vicarious academics, her parents’ frustrated efforts at a headstart and finally, her brother’s attempt to salvage the situation. Chief Utah did not understand where her narrative was headed but he listened, waiting for her to get to the point. Chinny eventually got around Dubem’s involvement with him, which not only confused Chief Utah but made him ask for clarification.

  “How do you mean? Am I supposed to have met your brother?” Chinny shifted in her seat and continued, exasperation lurking in the corner of her head.

  “Nobody at home knew about Dubem’s charade until recently. From what we have been able to gather sir, Dubem claims he entered into a business arrangement with you. He said he supplied a large quantity of produce to your fruit-juice-making factory and that you owe him a huge sum of money. But of course, we do not believe him. He has his bouts of schiz…” Chief Utah looked anything but easy and genial at this point. He had an incredulous look on his face.

  “Hold on for a minute young lady. Your brother, Dubem, where is he? He sent you to me I suppose? Did your family put you up to this? You told them about the incident and now, they want you to extract a piece of the pie huh?” Alarmed at the sudden turn of events, Chinny could swear she saw steam coming out of the man’s ears.

  “No sir, no sir,” Chinny whimpered but a knock interrupted her outburst as a steward walked in with a tray of refreshments. He set it on the central table with nothing but a bow to his employer and his guest.

  As soon as they were alone, the chief continued, “You should not have done this. I would have been happy to show my gratitude in cash, but now, I see your previous rebuff was all an act. Go on, call back the person or people who called your phone moments ago. Tell them your plan worked. Your claws are digging in… How much do you want? One hundred thousand? Five hundred thousand? One million? Com’mon…”

  Now sobbing, Chinny cut in, “It is nothing like that sir. My brother has been missing for over a week now. We believe he is here.” The terror etched on Chinny’s face looked genuine. She reasoned that if Chief Utah spoke the truth and her brother was not being held on his premises, then the situation was far more hopeless than they thought. As soon as he heard her brother was missing, Chief Utah’s eyes shot up in alarm. He held out his hand, motioning for her to stop talking.

  “What do you mean your brother has gone missing?” he asked cautiously.

  Now dead quiet, he listened as Chinny read Dubem’s letter to him. After what seemed like a lifetime, Chief Utah spoke, his voice sounded softer, even conciliatory. He admitted to having a fruit-juice-producing factory but told her he did not concern himself in its operation and had never met Dubem. He wanted to know why she was certain enough that Dubem really had any business with his juice company and that he was indeed being held on his premises to put herself in supposed harm’s way. As soon as Chinny began to respond with her invented schizophrenic theory, he stopped her, telling her to tell the absolute truth if she expected any cooperation from him. At that, she paused and dredging all the courage within her recesses, told him of Rufu
s’ admission to her about his misgivings regarding the running of the villa.

  Chinny told him of Rufus’ claims that some of the guards carried out suspicious activities when the chief was out of town – and this happened often. On one occasion when he thought they brought in some bulky things tied up in jute sacks, he ventured towards the back house where they have their quarters and was harshly reminded of where his duty post began and ended. Chinny did not forget to add that Rufus swore on his life that the chief knew nothing of these activities. Chief Utah suddenly got up and began to pace the length and breadth of the sitting room. The large room now felt too small. “Sir, please do not punish Rufus for this. He is a good man. I promised never to mention his involvement. Please sir.”

  “I see. I see. Hmm. I see,” Chief Utah muttered, all the while pacing with both hands folded to his back. Chinny did not know what to make of his countenance as she twiddled with her hands in her lap. He stopped pacing for a moment, scratched his head, glanced at Chinny and resumed pacing. He began heading for the door but stopped midstride and reached into his joggers’ pocket for his phone. He dialled a number. Chinny watched in palpable fear as he spoke to someone on the other end of the line. “Godwin, yes. There is an emergency. Deploy OPS VOID. Yes. Right away. Thank you.” What is OPS VOID? What have I got myself into? Was this all a mistake? I should have just placed my faith in the police. Chinny’s phone ringing again cut through her stream of questions. It was Kenneth.

  “Who is trying to reach you?” Chief Utah blurted. He appeared angry, alarmed and confused all at the same time.

  “It is my friend,” said Chinny. The chief wanted to know if he was anywhere around, and Chinny hurriedly answered. “Yes. He is outside, but he just offered me a lift. He does not even know the details of my visit. Please… sir…” she lied. Chief Utah could practically slice through the tension around Chinny, so he offered some respite.

  “Relax. You can breathe. I believe you. It is possible I have misjudged and placed too much faith in my staff. You see, I am hardly in town and try not to bother myself with affairs which I believe are under control. You heard me on the phone. I have ordered an override of my entire staff and security. Call your friend and ask him to join us at once. It may be unsafe for him out there in a moment.”

  Chinny was too flustered to fully understand the chief’s last words but she called Kenneth and asked him to drive into the villa while Chief Utah informed the security guard on duty to let him in. As soon as Kenneth took the seat beside Chinny, he turned towards her with large, questioning eyes and in as few words as she could manage, she filled him in. Chief Utah observed them as they discussed in hushed tones. Just then, there was a loud, unusual chime. A few seconds later, the chime came again, and Chief Utah tapped that switch on the wall twice to ask the security guard to let the guests through the gates. A black van drove into the premises. The word ‘FUMIGATOR’ screamed in bold white letters across the van. Four men and the van driver, all suited up in thick, black overalls, came out of the van. Each had a tubular backpack. Their hands were covered in strange black gloves, and they had on heavy boots and head masks. Chief Utah immediately went to meet with them but not before instructing Kenneth and Chinny that on no account should they leave the chalet. Kenneth and Chinny peered through the window as Kenneth asked himself if he did not plunge too soon and too deep into the lives of these people he knew too little about.

  12

  Chief Utah spoke at the top of his voice to two of his staff outside. “This is an absolute negligence of duties. I saw a huge python this morning and judging from the six or more eggs under that shrub over there, we may be dealing with more of them in the not-too distant future,” he said, pointing to a clump of St John’s wort in the corner. Continuing, he said, “The fumigators are here, so I need everybody outside. They have to get to work at once.” In that moment, Kenneth and Chinny realised that Chief Utah’s higher-than-usual pitch was for their benefit.

  One of his security staff spoke up in a rather pensive voice. “We are sorry sir… err… Yes sir… bu… but sir… err… sir, they would need some… someone to go around with them… You know err… to point out corners to them… sir.” Chief Utah agreed, saying he would be happy to take the fumigators around himself. But when the staff insisted on a member of staff following the fumigators, suggesting that the chief may not be conversant with all the nooks and crannies, disappointment spread through Chief Utah. Contrary to what he hoped, deploying OPS VOID was not a wolf cry. His staff had something to hide.

  “You are correct. I cannot possibly move furniture around. Maybe two of you can help them out,” Chief Utah said, deciding to carry out a staff overhaul at the end of the operation, ‘snakes’ found or not. With arms folded to his back and a drawn face, Chief Utah began to walk towards the second chalet in a slow and non-obvious manner.

  Soon, all fifteen staff stood outside the villa grounds. Cooks, gardeners, drivers, laundry personnel, stewards and security guards. And besides the occasional eyes darting around in anticipation of their slithering intrusive guest, most of them appeared to be relaxed and in a chatty mood.

  Chinny and Kenneth peered as two masked fumigators took positions, one of whom manned the second gate, which now stood ajar, giving a clear view of the buffer zone, while the second masked fumigator stood at the back end of the perimeter fence. Yet another opened the back door of the black mini-van and began to let the staff in, one after the other. Soon all thirteen staff were tucked away in the van, slowly bringing the chatter to a halt. One fumigator marked Chief Utah at close range, his eyes darting around, while the last of them hovered within considerable distance to their two would-be fumigation escorts. Judging by their furtive disposition, the two guards fretted about something graver than a python and its six eggs. But, nobody besides Chief Utah and the fumigators knew there was indeed no python to catch. The so-called fumigation team were members of a private security agency. OPS VOID was set up as a fall-back plan in the event that Chief Utah’s highly intelligent and empowered security detail went rogue. He had hoped there would never be a reason to deploy the team, but the allegation put forward by Chinny and Rufus could not be dismissed with the flick of a finger.

  In truth, OPS VOID comprised six and not five fumigators in total. The last of them lurked in the chloroform-saturated mini-van and as the staff came in one after another, he doused them further with a regulated dose of the gas. This would allow a fifteen-minute time lapse for a thorough search. With any luck, anyone found to be a part of the mess going on in the villa would not be in any position to fight back or resist arrest. The private security agents figured that the two villa guard escorts were no threat in comparison to their own physical strength and professional expertise. The masked fumigator who had been letting the staff into the van reached into his backpack and produced three face masks. He gave one to each of Chief Utah’s guards, explaining the need for protection from the fumigant and handed the third and biggest mask to Chief Utah.

  At the back, the fumigator began spraying some mist as his designated villa guard showed him various hidden corners, while the other fumigator began to spray the buffer zone and the gate areas, at the direction of the second villa guard. Lost in the haze of activities, Kenneth and Chinny could not understand what Chief Utah’s plan entailed or what its purpose was, seeing that he appeared content prowling the entire stretch of his property, looking anything but perturbed.

  Chinny noticed that Kenneth no longer observed the fumigation process as he fiddled with his phone, but something else distracted her from speculating on what he was doing. The fumigator at the back turned a corner with the villa guard, leaving a trail of mist in their wake. Kenneth resumed watching and without losing view of the fumigation activity, began telling Chinny something about his military friend when they both froze. The fumigator spraying the front grounds of the villa was walking towards the chalet, and without warning, the villa security guard e
scort in front of him faltered in his steps and, before they got to the chalet’s porch, doubled over and crumbled to the ground in one big mass. The fumigator beside the van, who before now had been actively scanning the villa grounds, took out a gun from his backpack, walked briskly towards the chalet, and with the help of the other man fumigating the front grounds, heaved the now-unconscious guard into the mini-van. Chief Utah stood aloof with both hands folded behind him, and other than the occasional exchange of whispers between him and the fumigator who closely marked him, they were as silent as the night. Terrified to the point of insanity, Chinny’s teeth rattled while Kenneth’s forehead shone with large beads of sweat.

  The sound of trickling water gave Kenneth some respite from his thought process as his eyes flicked around, looking for the source. They rested in shock on a mortified Chinny whose detrusor muscle having contracted in her fear, caused her to stand in a puddle of her own urine. Tears of humiliation brimmed over Chinny’s eyes as she gratefully accepted the black cassock Kenneth pulled off and handed her. He had on a pair of black chinos and a round-necked white T-shirt underneath. Ducking behind one of the other doors, Chinny tried to retrieve some of her lost dignity and came back wearing the cassock. It did not matter that the hem of her new adornment swept the floor of the chalet. She was grateful that her badge of shame with which she discreetly mopped the floor now sat in her bag.

  A loud bang rang out. It sounded like a gunshot and Chinny ran back to where she had just emerged from while Kenneth crouched, his head below the window. A few moments passed, and the bang came again. They could hear humping and thumping. It seemed there was an altercation. Once again numb with fear, Kenneth wondered if his text message, asking Sam to call off the deployment of his military boys was sent out too soon. Nothing made sense to him anymore. The thought of how thorough or not Chinny and her folks may have been in assessing Chief Utah’s character filled Kenneth’s head as he decided it may be time to put an escape plan on the table.