by A. Achaka
In the quietness of the car, he resumed back to his thinking, that was a very difficult situation for his memeory, it was doing the same thing over and over again to get to the agreed conclusion. By the time the idea had set in they were already at the gate to the barracks, he saluted them as usuall and drove in,
“Drop me at the prison and take my bag to the office” the driver turned left towards the prison yard and droped him at the gate and drove off.
He was in time to meet Musa taking one of the prisoners to the intorrigation room
“Morning Sir” he saluted
“Morning, have him in the room and come”
The Lieutenent sat at the other viewing the screen to the other room, he watched th captain cuff the man to the table, and set ablow to his face, before leaving the room. He was looking at things thise case have to be, concluded in a possible time least it draw to much attention, and the Captain walked in.
“You know the Commissioner, is not a patient man, he called me this morning, planning a visit, all he want is a bit of information to get him stand in front of the television, he is a real show off” he watched the prisoner through the screen and back to the capatain “I think i have an idea” he whispered into the capatain’s ear as if the walls have ears.
The captain smiled at the idea but have few adjustment to it, in case it will suit the commander, in their conversation a uniform man came in the room and saluted, they did the same
“Sir, the Commissioner for Police is outside” he said, the commander raised both his shoulder to the captain
“Didn’t I tell you he is an inpatient man, let’s go and see him” they went out together, and saw the commissioner beside his car
“Commander” he called out as they saluted together, he was also familiar with the name commander
“You seem to have little sleep” the commander teased, he just laughed as they shook hands together
“People are not as we are, you known?”As they head back into the the building.
“Well people ought to know too, that we are not spirit” the commander said slowly, more like spelling the words to him and they finally disappeared into the building.
Through the other room, they watched the criminal sitting.
“How did you get them?” he asked, the commander knows it all, He was just after the story to tell.
“You know, how we do things here, we are not women and don’t go jabbering like them” he turned and eyed the captain, who quietly left the room
“What do you mean by that, commander” he turned to him
“you know exactly what I mean, but since you are playing dumb, let me give it to you straight, I know you own the internal state affairs right, but when it’s too much for you, we are called and we are not women, we don’t like our words moving faster than our actions, meaning we make sure we have strong wings before we can fly”
“I didn’t come here so that you can insult me, I came here to know the situation” said the commissioner
“Oh no, you came here so you will have something to say in front of the camera, that’s what I don’t appreciate”
“I think you have enough of this case, it will be taken of your hand” He was looking offended as he turn to leave, the commander brought him back
“Will you also tell them, that your negligence set the prisoners free at your watch” he turned and look at him without comment “I thought as much, I don’t appreciate you coming to my house, as early as when we are having breakfast to clean, so when we send for you, then you can come, have a nice day commissioner” the commissioner turns in anger and left the room and at once out of the premises.
“That man is a child” he said as soon as the captain sets in the room
“He was very pissed; you need to see his face” they both laugh
“Well let him have that face all I care, but he won’t bring himself to interfere with our mission, so let’s get with the new idea you have”
‘I think if we let him loose and monitor him at a distance, he would lead us into danger as he did yesterday, he would defiantly know, we are after him and the worst would happen, either we get ambushed or worse. But if we have a clean conversation with him and promise him freedom, i think he would do it, you remember what Seth said about you, it makes him submit to your request” the commander nods his head in agreement
“Bring him in and let him eat first, before I will talk to him”
“Yes sir” he saluted and left the room, the commander sat down in the chair and was thinking how rough he had made the commissioner feels, they had known each other for a while and now he had ruin their relationship. On a second thought he had a good reason for doing it, the last commissioner was loose in talking, because he want to appease the crowd, got many personnel killed during a mission and now these, it is better they reconcile after the case than send boys under his watch to an early grave.
His phone buzzing brought him back into the room, it was his son calling, the call brought a huge smile to his face, it’s has been a while he heard from him, they talk at length and he didn’t notice the captain standing beside him. He had agreed to his sons request to send him some money, they never did asked him for anything, so when they do he was more than willing to do, beside how much of the money can he spend. They both are very hard working, they call it ‘Hustling spirit’ the last thing he knew about his son was he own a big boutique, even pays his tuition fee himself.
So many times, he wishe his father were rich as he was, he would have been a spild child, but look at his children having a rich dad but don’t want anything to do with his wealth.
He finally noticed the captain standing beside him “have you done as I have asked?” he said
“Yes sir, he is in there” pointing to the Screen, he rouse and watch the man eat as if he had never eaten before,
“Come look at him for a minute, does he look ok to you?” The captain stood beside him as they watched the criminal devoured the food, and when he had finished he pushed the plate aside and emptied the cup of water beside it, in his mind he was ready for whatever was coming his way, and he sat relaxed in the chair.
The captain went in and cleared the table and quickly came back to the room to experience first hand what would happen.
The commander left the room to into the intorregation room, the moment he entered the room, Seth throw into panic and got up from the chair and glued himself to the far wall of the room
“Good morning Mr. Seth, have a seat, we don’t eat meat during the day” he settles down in the other chair waiting for him to join him “time is of the essence isn’t that right Mr. Seth, you people work with time and I know you know the value of it” Seth was still clinging to the wall, when the commander pushed his chair back ward he quickly rushed and sat down “Good, let’s begin”
“What do you want from me, I told you the truth” Seth was looking sympathetic.
“I know, but am here for something else, you are now my friend, do you know that?” he nodded “so forget about being scared of me and let’s do business, as I will call it, you remember when you said, i quote don’t put me in the prision with them right? What if I make you a better deal” Seth adjust in his seat, he seem to be interested in the talk even before he heard it. “you seem interested” he nods his head “what if I could not only put you in a separate prison but reduce the life span of your jail time what will you say” now he nods multiple times in excitement “but you know everything have a pay right, first do you like the idea I just gave you?”
“Yes, I like it, no matter what it would be” he was eager to hear it
“Ok, i want you will lead us to your friends or is it your brothers you call them” He was startled, looking at the commander him, he no longer feels like talking any more “what is it, didn’t you just said at all cost?”
“Yes, I did but those guys are sharp, they won’t just meet me just like that or accept me, first I was caught, and none of them will want to assoc
iate with me at this time”
“We are not talking immediately, beside none of them knew you were arrested, You were apprehended in the bush, You would tell them you bailed or is it not allowed?”
Seth was vulnerable but this idea was a bad one, he has been a crazy person among them all but to be this cheap, he has never in his life thought he would be the one to lead the others into the police nest. He throw a heavy sigh and look at him “still they are professionals”
“ok, we are not talking about two days we are talking about a week or more, so that they can trust you and give you the info which we will get at last” the two lock their eyes together until Seth look away. He was very uncomfortable, on the seat, he never meant that at least he could tell them where they are because, they will never be apprehended no matter what. His head was down, he was thinking hard on this one, then he heard the commander adjusted his seat and got up.
“Ok, when do we start? but you will allow me to do it my way? So that they won’t get suspected”
“Well we have an agreement then, I don’t need to remind you, what will happen when you disappoint me right?” He nods his head “good, the captain will brief you on how to reach us and give you whatever you need” the commander got up and left the room.
He was feeling very excited, so far every thing was coming to his hand without much work or effort, he walks into the other room, and saw the Captain looking at him, the moment he opened his mouth, the commander raised his hand and he kept quiet “just do as you have heard, make sure he have what he ask for, understood?”
“Yes Sir” he saluted and the commander left the room and the building to his office.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
A woman raped infront of her child was not longer moving as the pace of a movie but as one fast forwarded, it came so fast that the details would be missed when describing the piece of puzzle. Once it comes to the affairs of the night everyone wants a perfect HD vision that would not be confusing in times of putting metaphors and maze together.
As people would say, it doesn’t mean much to them but to others it is the detriment of their lives and if it seize for a day, they throw into heavy panic. We were once thought that towering intellects call it the ninth planet, it never fails to appear to those who crave its existence and for this boy it had been the most terrifying event of his life.
Sleep has not being his friend for a decade, deciding on what to do was the next was cause of action for the fear is the beginning of lying awake till the morning sun. He had no sense on the normal circumstance to know what they were doing to his mother who was screaming as the men took turns on her, but he was super intelligent and could challenge his teacher in key areas of his study.
His dad was lying in a pool of his own blood, with his soul lingering on the way to shoal, as they may call it. He would have not been an idiot to ignore the massager of his families massage, now he wasn’t alive to watch the shame that was befalling his dear innocent wife, this was why it was asked ‘why are the innocent falling while the cruel and blood thirsty mongers still roaming the street in high class’.
He turned his head aside not to watch the shameful act as his mother lay hoplessly naked for the men to pour in their desires into her, but his head was held steady toward the direction to watch every inch of it. He couldn’t bring himself to cry for long, he kept his eyes opened and let it sink into his little brain. But just when he thought everything was over, she was lying also in her blood, he thought she have more blood than his father though.
The mares have always been half way or either interrupted, the last massage was clear but he was not interested in joining them yet. It was a bit horrifying when people in flames would be calling you to dine with them. It was rather confusing in his thought, all he assumed was they would be flying in some shiny white cloths as the Christians would put it, but maybe he exaggerated a little or may be they were not as perfect as he thought they were, or something has gone amiss because since they passed he had never set his foot into a church, their death took away the faith and believes he had for his maker. Now he believes in nothing but doing as he has been paid for, that has been the routine.
Time to time he would be visited by souls, which he had send into Hades for a mission or assignment, demonic faces, he always refers to them. Sometimes he gets very lonely, he wished his parents would visit him in a broad day light rather than the night mares he gets. Because his fate seems to be set but he was one lucky son of a bitch, who always eats his cake and have it.
For this very time he had not seen the story as it appears, following his parent to the grave, was very alarming, but they lie down in their coffin and begged him to cover them and recover the grave with the soil heap by the other side.
He throw himself up on the bed, after he had cover them with the soil, all he did was smile and look around, he seems to be alone in the room and the boring sound from the cartoon in the television was now irritating him, but he finds no will to be angry. He sat up for a while thinking at first what he was doing in a strange room, when the door came open he got up and stood on his feet waiting for the intruder to come in, when he saw a little girl walk in struggling with two designers paper bag.
“Oh, you are awake” she said, he stood there looking at her, she walk acroos and droped the bags on the bed “I waited for you to wake up, so we can go shopping but you were still sleeping and the time has gone, so I went alone and I also got you something too” she notice his reaction, he wasn’t sure of the place he was but he don’t want to panic because she was just a little girl. “What is wrong?’ she asked
“Nothing, who are you?” her eyes bulge out as he asked her
“You don’t remember?” he shook his head “Ok seat down first, let’s figure out what happened” he gave her a close look and then sat down “ You just slept and now you are telling me you don’t remember me again?” he shook his head again “but you are Gideon right?’ he agreed with her “and your friends call you don!” he look at her in surprise, how did she know him but he had no idea who she was.
The last thing he remembered was the dream he had, which was sort of bring him comfort. He kept his eyes on her not even blinking
“Ok, tell me the last thing you remember” she asked of him
“I was dreaming and I woke up”
“Is it about your parents?” he eyes narrowed the more, in total shock, how did she know so much about him, his reaction make him look like a child
“What is your name?” he asked
“Erica” we came here together
“How did you know it was about my parents?” still looking at her
“Because you told me so, and it was the last thing, we talk about before you fell asleep”
“Where are we?” She is now confused too, was he pretending or she was truly missing out on something
“Kaduna” his eyes bulge out in surprise
“Kaduna, why did we come to Kaduna?” she didn’t want to tell him at first, may be it will destroy him, she throw a quick thought on how he need to start a new life leaving behind the old life, he had been holding on for years.
Her thought was very matured, sometimes they call her granny at home, she was too intelligent for her age and speak with authority she always calls her elder sister a child, because she was too emotional, with that thought she caught herself missing her family, she never knew if her elder sister was still alive or dead, then she decided, she was going to tell him what happened and how they got there.
“it is a long story but I will cut it short” she watched him held his head in pain and screamed. The pain throws him off the chair straight to the floor, she jump up and run to him. He was holding the head and was struggling trying to get up, he fell down and hit his head on the table and passed out.
Maturity they say happens to be in the mind, exempting all the calms of many who actually believe it has to do with age; even the research this days according to who cares, shows that maturity has complete
ly nothing to do with age.
In this case they believe that some children of this present age are more or less incarnations of the older generation, they don’t just take the forms of them but also of their wisdom. Where did they come from was always the questions being asked, as for Erica the story has not change because, they always refer to her as their granny who had passed away the same day, she was born and for a particular reason she had a string line of hair, that was white behind her left ear and so does her grandmother.
Their village always seek the council of the granny before she passed, she has a sense of knowing what was good and what was wrong, before she died Erica’s mother was heavily loaded with her past the normal nine month, may be ten or even eleven as other people may say. Her parent ran heater sceptre trying to find solution to the great hazard that wanted to befall them.
The news got to the granny, she only but laughed and said ‘its time’ and from then they used that word to justify why they call Erica the granny. Erica had possessed the great intelligence of her grand mother and a mature mind as well, she had once sat with some older people and have them in shame, when it come to wisdom.
They call her granny even though, she was a beautiful girl, some say she took also her beauty, She happens to be the most beautiful woman during her youth, she had many sutors including the king, but she was never a woman after wealth, rather she was focus on the future.
She was told how their grandfather had suffered from her parents and the King too, but she always prefer him to any one that come for her hand, finally she persuaded her father and he gave the blessing. Their grandfather was a futuristic and strategic man in his dealings, he has the intergrity and had never allow her to go without food even before he passed away.
“Erica, what are you thinking of?” Every one tends to ask her, because she wass an introvert, always to herself and thinking of herself but sometimes worry alot about people’s distress, it just comes and goes.
Most people fore see a possibility that she would take care of her elder sister because she was much strong hearted than her sister, she didn’t cry at all when she was born, she didn’t as much as cry as little children do, such a weirdo she calls herself sometimes but Emmanuella would discourage her from such comment, telling her she as much as believe she is the most beautiful girl in the planet.