Nearest Love- the Only Crime Is Love...

by Eu Aristos

  "Yes. I did my son. I was pained. Although I and his father were not in the best of terms, the son wasn't meant to pass through such."

  "...'Best of terms' that is why I am here. I intend filing a case against Bawa but I need to know all that you know."

  “Kunle told me he has given you all the info you need to have..." Mama protested.

  "...yes... But could you tell us what you want us to know." Mama frowned.

  ∞∞∞

  "Where are you going to?" Vicky looked up from the bed and asked.

  "Uhmmm... I’m just going to grab some fresh air." He said as he was walking out.

  "Hahahaha, we've not even started and you wanna "grab some fresh air". Take me with you na...." She joked. Her joke made him stop at the door and turn back to her.

  "Funny girl, I'm coming joor. What should I get you?" He tried to play along.

  "Grilled fish will do." She said coyly.

  "Uhmmm, don't go and give birth to fish when its time oo. You've eaten all lot of that lately." Harry joked.

  "Hahahaha... You're mad." She gave him a complimentary waka.

  "I know..." He responded as he leaned forward and kissed her.

  "Don’t stay out late."

  "Owkk..!" He shouted as the door shut.

  As he walked out he readjusted the gun in the back of his trousers. He wasn't going to take any chances. Anyone who knows his secret was already a threat to him. Right now, he was going to treat Detective Joe as one.

  ∞∞∞

  That evening, Bawa was mad. After spending almost the entire day indoor, he still could not believe it. How could it be possible that Bastion was alive? How could he of all people have failed to kill Bastion? He wondered. He tried to recall that faithful night.

  He had made sure that he shot Bastion's wife and two kids in the head and when he could not find the last one, he succumbed to burning down the entire house. Then he was sure he shot Bastion 6 times after his boys caught him. He was sure he was dead. Or is someone trying to play pranks on me..? Who could do that? It would be someone who knew about our story. He tried to connect... "Bosse!" His mind captured.

  "Who else could it be, if not him? I never trusted that brat. He may be trying to outsmart me. But I'll deal with him..." He said to himself. Just then his phone rang. It was Bosse.

  "Speaking of the devil." Bawa cursed. There was no need for an exchange of pleasantries.

  "I have a proposal for you…" The voice on the other aide said.

  "What exactly can a reef raff offer to me?" Bawa pumped.

  “Hahahahah, always the mouthy one…” Bosse laughed.

  "Speak... Bosse…" Bawa sais as he was not in the mood for jokes.

  "Take your hands off the deal, support me to get the documents, and I'll hand Bastion over to you."

  On hearing that, Bawa was dumbfounded.

  ∞∞∞

  Kunle was surprised when he came in and met Kola and Bianca. Even though he didn't know Bianca, something seemed oddly familiar about her. He smiled as he took their handshakes.

  "From the look on your face, I know you weren't expecting to meet me here." Kola tried to joke.

  "Hahahahah... Obviously, I just thought we needed some quietude. The police comes with a lot of emotional noise" Kunle said.

  "Hahahah. I come in good faith bro. We are almost leaving though."

  "Oh... Hope you got what you came for?" Kunle asked him.

  "Oh yea... Mama has been really helpful." He turned to Bianca and asked. "Hasn't she?"

  "Yea..." Bianca said quietly smiling.

  "Owk then…" Kunle said a bit relieved.

  Since mama had to take them inside for such discussions, Kunle was seeing them off when NK drove in with Frankie who was now using clutches. The normal pleasantries were exchanged and Nk went inside with Frankie to see mama. When Kola and Bianca left, Kunle joined them inside.

  "I do have some reservations about that girl." Mama said as soon as he got in.

  "Me too…" Kunle affirmed "Did you notice the way I looked at her?"

  "Yea... She looks familiar. I can't really pinpoint how I know her, but she does look familiar."

  "I have this odd feeling that she's close to someone who we know closely; someone who we've lost long ago."

  "Uhmmm... Bastion you mean?"

  Mama looked up at him. "Yes... But I wouldn't want to push it much. Bastion and his family are dead."

  "Yea, she could just be a lookalike..." He said as he picked up his bag.

  "But why meet a lookalike at this time??? The semblance is so much"

  "Life happens mama; don't think so much about it ma." He kissed her on the cheek as he went to check on NK and Frankie.

  "Uhm. I hear you... Frankie.... Come and tell me how school was oo." She called out.

  ∞∞∞

  After the call, Bawa placed Bosse as his second priority; that is someone worth eliminating. But he needed to know what he knew before he eliminated him. It wasn't going to be easy to take away all he had done for him. The comfort and the power which he allowed him enjoy, will make it harder to take him down. He picked up his phone and dialed a number.

  "What do you want us to do sir?" The voice asked on the phone.

  "Place him on 24hrs surveillance. I want to know what he's doing and when, who he's talking to, and why."

  "OK boss."

  ∞∞∞

  On his own end, Bosse was expectant of all Bawa’s moves. So he too was making his own plans. But he knew had to make such plans fast cause the Bawa he knew would want to outsmart him and find Bastion himself. As he thought, his phone rang.

  "Hello..."

  "Hello... Who are my speaking with..?" Bosse enquired.

  "This is Bastion. And I understand you are looking for me."

  Bosse was dumbfounded.

  ∞∞∞

  Chapter 25

  Harry looked up again to see Kunle and Nk sitting comfortably and chatting in a corner of the lounge. They looked cute together.

  ∞∞∞

  "Just in time..." Joe said as he sipped his glass of wine. From all indications he was already tipsy. How could he be when he knew he was coming to talk about some important stuff? Harry wondered as he stood there looking at him.

  "What do you want Joe?" Harry asked impatiently.

  "Take a seat man. I'm not your enemy." He smiled.

  "What do you want? I have no time for jokes." Harry repeated as he sat down.

  "I was almost losing track of the entire case when I remembered what Nelson told me. After telling me about your escapades back in school, he said, 'if I was to die today, you should hold Harry responsible...' and so I wondered, why shouldn't I just arrest you and blame you for everything..."

  "Simply, because you can't prove a thing…" Harry blocked his accusations.

  "Oh... But you are here. What makes you think I don't have you on record now?" Harry looked around him. But all seemed normal. "Relax man.... I'm not a coward." Joe laughed mockingly. "Now... All I want from you tonight is to know why you were at that house that night." He continued.

  "Just coincidence..." Harry lied. "He was my friend... So..."

  "Hehehehe... That's a lie. You are a pathetic liar Harry. Just open up; tell me why you were there?"

  Harry was silent as he scanned the environment with his eyes.

  "Uhm, I knew you wouldn't talk. But I'll tell you what I know. I know that the CD of the surveillance cameras was taken. Because as soon as I regained my consciousness, I went in to take it and noticed it was missing. I don't care if it was taken before or after you attacked me. I need to have it back." Harry looked at him expressionlessly.

  "It’s either you took it, or the other guy did. You have until the week runs out to get it to me. In addition I'd like to know who the other intruder was. So you either give him up, or have your little secret published in the front pages of daily newspapers."

  Harry was visibly angry. "Or would you want me to send it to your
fiancée and her cute friend???" Joe laughed.

  "You are drunk" Harry said as he could take it no more. He stood up in such a manner that one could think he wanted to sally. But the unclenched Joe giggled evilly as he walked away.

  ∞∞∞

  That evening, as soon as Mama and Frankie were settled, Nk and Kunle decided to have a little time out. Nk thought they should invite Vicky.

  "She says I've abandoned her." Nk laughed.

  "Hahahahah, invite her then." Kunle said as put on his wrist watch while Nk tried calling Vicky. Vicky picked up.

  "Hey you... preggy woman, what's up?

  "Hahahahah, ok…"

  "So I and Kunle are going out for a little drink. We were wondering if you guys would want to join us for a brief time out."

  "Oooh... Ok... Have fun then." She dropped the call.

  “Are they coming..?” Kunle asked.

  "Nope, Harry isn't home. She says he went out to see a client." Nk said disappointedly.

  "Oh...What about Vicky..? Can’t she just come along?" He asked

  "She says she's tired from work. Preggy women are the highest procrastinators..." Nk joked.

  "Hahahahahaha... you were that way when you had Frankie weren’t you?"

  "Hahahahahaha...Yes oo. I was even worse. Thank God for Vicky" She said as they walked out the door.

  ∞∞∞

  Harry counted His losses if he were to joke with Joe, and decided to play along with him. But then he also considered going open to Kunle who he felt would be matured enough to understand. But Joe called first. So he stepped out to meet him.

  "I'll try to get you the video. I hope you are not disappointed when you see the content." Harry said to him.

  "And the second intruder…?"

  "He's..."

  From where they sat he saw Kunle and Nk walk in. "Shit!" He cursed under his breath.

  "Who's the second person???" Joe asked again not noticing Harry's expression.

  "Just promise me that you will stop disturbing our lives once you get what you want."

  "You aren't in any position to bargain. But I'll try not to...."

  Harry looked up again to see Kunle and Nk sitting comfortably and chatting in a corner of the lounge. They looked cute together.

  "So I expect you to comply..."

  "No problem. I'll get back to you." He stood up and left. The light was deem, so there was no fear of them seeing him as he left.

  ∞∞∞

  Getting home that evening, Bianca could not believe her eyes. She didn't expect to see that woman after so many years. All this while, she and her dad imagined that she would have been killed by the ruthless animal Bawa. She picked up her phone and tried to call her dad. After few trials, he didn't pick up. She called the driver. He told her that they were at the club. She didn't suspect anything since he was always visiting the club for a drink and a chat with acquaintances.

  She freshened up and lay on her bed. Closing her eyes, the thought of Mama's words returned to her head. She tried to fade it away, but it was strong. Kola was a good guy; a unique officer. In truth, based on ratings since she joined the force, he was ranked among the best. She was opportune to be working with him. But the idea of having anything to with him, though appealing, was not something she could bank on now. At least, not until she was clear that Bawa was behind bars and her father wouldn't have to look over his shoulders again.

  The day before she left, she had argued intensely with her father. He wanted to declare an open war on Bawa. But she had other options. One of those was to use the police department to get him down. In that way, his entire struggles for relevance would be thrown to the mud. For an egoistic person, that was the height of humiliation. That was why she joined the force. Nelson might not have died if there wasn't a delay in the police call up. Her father was desperate to begin the war on Bawa. She could not talk him out of it. As she was lost in thought her phone rang her back to reality. Picking it up, it was detective Kola.

  "Hey."

  "Hello sir. Good evening." she sounded at attention.

  "Yea, how are you?"

  "I'm fine sir, and you?" Shit I shouldn't have asked that. She imagined

  "I'm OK." He said calmly. "I just wanted to be sure you got home safe."

  "Yea... I did. Hope you did too?"

  "Sure. I'm home."

  There was silence... uneasy silence between them.

  "So, about the case today, why were you silent?" Kola broke the silence.

  “No I wasn’t…” She denied.

  “Yes you were…” He insisted.

  "I didn't know what to say... I am new to the job sir…" She succumbed.

  "What do you think about the woman?" He asked with a formal tone.

  "I think she's a straightforward person with minimum fear..." Bianca said.

  "Why do you say so?" He demanded for an explanation.

  "You know.... She did all those things, opened up to us and still wasn't afraid of going to jail."

  "Uhmmm.... But you know you have to give up something...maybe a worm... just so you catch a fish. If you want to catch a bigger fish, then you give up as bait, a bigger worm or whatever..."

  "So.... She's a bigger worm." She asked interestedly.

  "Uhmmm... Yea, if we had threatened her with jail time, she wouldn't have given up the amount of information that we do which will help us further our prosecution of the other guy Bawa."

  "Oh... I see... So what do you have on Bawa?" She asked absentmindedly.

  "Didn't you read the file..?" Kola shocked her with that question.

  "Sorry I did sir... It’s just that I forget most of the time when I speak with you. You know... The superiority thing..." She tried to cover up with an even more outrageous postulation.

  "Is that how I make you feel..?" He just popped in unknowingly. He bit his lips in regret.

  Again there was another round of silence.

  "Hello..?" Kola called out.

  "Sorry sir... The network is breaking up. I'll call you back." She galloped those words into her phone and then turned it off.

  "Oh no..! What did I just do? I shouldn't have lied." Bianca mourned. She knew she hasn't read the document. But her line of lie must have passed the wrong message now. She thought to herself. “Well... technically, it’s not like it’s the wrong message."

  On his end, Kola punched on his bed the moment the call went off. He felt so stupid for asking that question. "Oh..." He said as he breathed out heavily. He decided he was going to talk to her about it tomorrow. “I’ll probably just tell her to forget it.” More like forgive his manners. That was so unethical of him. He imagined. He went to bed with a heavy heart.

  ∞∞∞

  Bastion saw the call from his daughter but decided not to pick it up. His last discussion with her didn't go well as planned. So he needed to do his thing quietly without her knowing.

  So having spoken to Bosse earlier, they set up a meeting and there he was with Bosse when the call came in. It was at least four hours drive from the city Bosse came from. But since he could fly, they set the meeting for that night.

  The location was a well reserved lounge for quiet people. Low light and quiet music made it suitable for discrete discussions. A certain degree of the city's elite chose it for isolated meetings. The company, knowing that was their "catch", furthered it better by making it a 'club' for a selected few.

  His not picking the call was partly because he didn't want the identity of his daughter exposed. That was the duty he owed her which he didn’t want to not fail in. He didn't trust the man who sat before him and so wanted to keep him at arm's length; even though he was giving him what he wanted - an opportunity to get at Bawa!

  "I understand vividly what business you have with Bawa..." Bosse continued to speak. "...And I'd feel the same way if I were in your shoes. He's such a stupid, egoistic, selfish and greedy SOAB!" Bawa continued speaking, even as his audience's phone rang.

  Bastion was silent
all through.

  "I could provide information on how and where to hit Bawa if you so desire. Exact time and place…" Bosse offered.

  "What do you want in return?" Bastion asked abruptly.

  "I need you to use your influence to get a document from your former boss. Mary."

  Bastion's face tightened. "So you want to pitch me against her?! – your former wife..?" He scared Bosse a bit with his outburst.

  "No.... No... Bosse said. I feel she will listen to you." He tried to explain.

  "Why would she give me documents for a land I do not have any business with in the first place..?"

  "How much are you willing to pay for Bawa's head?" Bosse struck him the question.

  Bastion looked at him meanly. "are you suggesting I should pay for and buy up the land for you..?"

  Bosse shrugged.

  "Are we done here???" Bastion asked him suddenly.

  Bosse was disappointed. He couldn't have made that long journey to the south of town and get such a response. "What assurance are you giving me?!" He asked desperately.

  Turning back at him, "Your offer better be legit. Or I'll kill you just as I killed Nelson." Bastion turned to him and said.

  For Bosse, that was scary. But it was a good assurance for him so he smiled. Mission almost accomplished.

  ∞∞∞

  The next day Bianca decided to call her father again. "Hello daddy... You didn't pick my call the last time I called and you didn't call back. What's happening??"

  "Nothing my daughter, you know how work is. I just need the whole time I have now since you aren't close anymore..." He lied.

  "Don't try to blackmail me. You know why I am doing what I'm doing." Bianca said while looking punched.

  "I know... I know... I just wished we could have done it my own way. Maybe then you'll not need to be calling me early in the morning because you will be here!"

  Bianca was silent.

  "Mmm... He breathed out. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have talked to you the way I did." Bastion apologized.

  "I have to say, we all have our ways of thinking and what we want to achieve. Right now I want peace in my life more than any other thing. And I'm working on the best possible way to get it. Your way will make things worse. It will make us look over our shoulder for the rest of our lives."