by Bill O. A
“Very nice story,” said Alhaji. “So what is the moral of this tale, and how does it relate to us?”
“You both have escaped the Grim Reaper by mere luck,” replied the chief priest. “The potency of the gods is at its lowest; contracts have been breached at all levels, and no one is immune to the failings of the gods. When we went on a campaign to convert and get fresh worshipers for the reinvigoration of the powers of the gods, only thirty-seven customers obliged. Their current prayers and worship have kept the flame from dying. So you see, like Damon and Pythias, you have both escaped death and should be close counsels to the gods. For me, that would mean worshippers.”
“It seems you are already about your business, chief priest.” Azeem was not being fooled by some story. “We are here to renew our contracts.”
“It seems I have been talking to the deaf. You know we have special treatment for that,” replied the chief priest.
Azeem remained silent, trying not to show his anger.
“In all honesty,” said the chief priest, “you will need to return three months to expiration; that is the doctrine of the gods.”
“Come on, chief priest. We brought some chocolates for you; Snickers are your favourite. Azeem got them on his last trip to the USA.”
“Well, I have some prerogative I could use. One doesn’t know when this religion will die. It is best to use up all privileges as the occasion arises.”
The two friends were smiling now. Azeem passed the chocolates to the chief priest; the friends looked on, waiting for the chief priest to comment further on their request.
“Renewal or extension is not the answer at this time,” said the chief priest. “What is important is for the client to enjoy the period and length of the deal. A renewal is not a guarantee that you will last till the last day of the contract, based on the current state of potency, so the gods have been subtle. They are introducing a new package, we call it the ‘quintessence’. In this one, all ingredients from your last ritual remain the same but there is an addition, a chopped-up part of your body. It could be your left hand or foot; you can even bring your ear or one eye, something important. You see, by putting yourself in the ritual you are presenting a situation that is like a thousand prayers. The gods will surely notice that level of sacrifice and you can be rest assured there will be no breach in contract.”
“And I thought I have heard everything,” said Azeem. “How do public figures like us move around with a missing body part?”
“Hmmm. I thought this might be a problem, so I improvised a solution. You could give up on sexual activities and permit the use of your manhood. We will not be cutting it off but will be taking its power. Believe me, this is a good substitute.”
“Jesus Christ!” shouted Alhaji.
“Quiet! Remember where you are,” the chief priest interjected. “Do not provoke the gods.”
Alhaji was suddenly panting and sweating.
“That seems fine,” replied Azeem. “But what of our cocks? Mine ate only fifteen grains during my last ritual and seventeen for Alhaji. Is there anything we can do to improve the intake of grains by these birds? You know these ingested grains automatically convert to years of lives under the contract.”
“Once the ritual starts, the gods are in charge. It doesn’t matter if your cock is starving or overfed, the will of the gods always take dominance,” replied the chief priest.
“Alhaji, this sounds like a good deal,” said Azeem. “You have already had all the kids you want, and your sexual escapades are all but legendary. What else are you looking for? I think we should take this deal as hot as it is, this is better than being dead and forgotten.”
“How did I find myself in the situation?” lamented Alhaji.
“Brace yourself!” exclaimed Azeem. “This deal has never been child’s play. You think life is all about speaking Queen’s English and wearing designer suits? We can be dead any minute and here you are complaining about your sex life. Are you ready to lose a hand or a foot?” Azeem was boiling now.
“We will take the left ones, if you don’t mind,” interjected the chief priest.
Both men turned and looked at the chief priest for a minute then continued with their argument.
“What will people say happened to your missing part? The scandal will be too much. How will people look at your family?”
“You have to be brave and wise now. In all honesty, you should be the one encouraging me, not the other way round. You have more to lose if either of us drop dead now.” Azeem was still looking and talking to Alhaji. “Time is definitely not on our side, we have to act now,” he said.
Alhaji was in a state of shock. Azeem didn’t hear when the chief priest shouted “Catch him!” Alhaji had fainted and was on the floor.
Azeem immediately began to give Alhaji CPR, whilst the chief priest went to get some water to sprinkle on his face.
“He will be all right,” said the chief priest. He was confident this was only a temporary setback and the situation would return to normal soon.
Alhaji came round but was still shaking.
“I have to take him to back to the hotel,” said Azeem. He struggled to get the satellite phone out of Alhaji’s pocket, then tried to call the men waiting with the cars for assistance.
“There is no network here,” said the chief priest.
“I know. This is a satellite phone, it can be used anywhere.”
“Help me get him up,” said Azeem to the chief priest. Azeem had to support Alhaji with every step. “Our men will meet us halfway. I have called them. I will manage with him till I get support, don’t worry we will be fine.”
“That’s okay,” replied the chief priest.
“We will be back soon and you can be rest assured all the ingredients will be ready,” said Azeem, who spoke as he moved away from the shrine and towards the jungle’s exit with Alhaji.
“That is fine. The east god is always liberal and flexible,” replied the chief priest.
Chapter 13
Miami, Florida
27th June 2015, 9:25 p.m.
Isaac arrived at Tom’s house and found it locked up. No one was home; they were still at the bar. He went to the backyard and worked on the locks. He had access to the house now. He would need to work fast to make gains on the advantage he had. He went into the kitchen, moved around and then settled for some kitchen knives. That was the only weapon he had, and it would have to do. He went upstairs to get familiar with his surroundings.
He found Tom’s room. This is where he would kill his fifth target. Revenge was sweet and he was eager to get on with it. He sat on the reading chair in the room and began his wait.
“Boss, from the look of things, I don’t think the killer is coming.”
Andy spoke to Jack as they sat in the opposite room to 34A.
“It’s past nine and he must have noticed us,” said Jack, “which was probably the reason why he got out of the cab at the mall. He must have seen Sophie.”
“What do we do now? Should we post his new name and face in the news so we can have citizens’ support in tracking him?” suggested Andy.
“The picture Bobby took is different from the sketch the receptionist gave us. Our suspect is a myriad of disguises. I think we should continue with the covert operation,” said Jack.
“But he knows we are after him,” replied Andy. “It is obvious now that that he is on the run, abandoning his precious rifle then going dark.” the determination of revenge.
“All attention should be on Tom now. Double the number of agents we have on him at home. I sense a move by the killer. You can never rule out”
“I will inform Paschal and Sophie to join Ken and Resse at Tom’s house for the nightly surveillance and protection, now that the hotel operation is off,” replied Andy.
“Excellent. Any news from Brad?”
“Ken told me he was on his way here, don’t know where he is now,” replied Andy.
“Call him. We might have to
concentrate on the Nathan angle. I am sure the killer would have made contact with him.”
“All right sir. I am on it.”
Isaac heard the sounds of vehicles outside. He peeped through the blinds from Tom’s room to have a look. Tom was home and he had company, a man and a woman were with him. They came out from an SUV, while Tom parked his car in the garage. From the look of things, they were obviously cops; they must be here as his protection.
Tom was in his house with the two FBI agents.
“Please wait here sir. I will quickly check upstairs to see if everything is all right,” said Ken.
“That’s okay. Please, hurry as I need to take a shower,” replied Tom.
Ken went straight to Tom’s room. He always started from there before moving to the other rooms. He went for the light switch and that very instant, he got hit on the head with a metal light stand. He passed out and fell on the ground.
Resse and Tom heard the sound of something heavy falling. She knew something was wrong and she brought out her sidearm.
“Tom, please go to the kitchen and call the FBI emergency number,” said Resse urgently. “Ken, are you there?” Resse spoke into her earpiece. No answer. “I will go and check on Ken upstairs. Do go and make the call.”
Resse saw the bedroom door opened but the lights were out. She knew something wasn’t right as Ken didn’t respond to her call. She quickly put on the lights. Ken was lying on the floor; she wanted to know if he was okay but her training got the best of her. She swept the room and found no one, and then she went to Ken. She touched his wrist to look for a pulse, he was still alive but his sidearm was gone. She got up and left the bedroom and began to approach the other room, when she suddenly heard gunshots.
Tom must be in trouble. She ran downstairs and went to the kitchen. Tom was on the ground and he had been shot. Resse went to him with some kitchen towels; she tried to stop the bleeding.
“Did you call the emergency number?” she asked.
Tom couldn’t reply; he was trying to point to the kitchen exit door.
Resse knew she should be looking for the killer but she feared for Tom’s life. She kept applying pressure, but Tom was dying. She held his hands and told him to hold the towels to himself, then she brought out her cell phone and dialled the FBI covert office for the ‘numbers killer’ operations.
“It’s Resse. Tom has been shot. The killer was waiting for us here.”
“Pascal and Sophie are already on their way and will be with you in five minutes.”
“We need medics asap.”
“I have contacted the hospital and sent your location to them. They will be with you shortly.”
She hung up the phone and went to Tom. He was dead.
Isaac knew his shots were fatal. He watched for a while through the window outside the kitchen as the lady cop tried to save Tom, but he knew it was over. He had to leave as the male cop upstairs might wake up anytime.
“So, you didn’t see him at all, did you?” inquired Jack.
“No sir. I opened the bedroom door and went for the lights, then all I knew was I was on the floor. I must have been unconscious for about thirty minutes,” replied Ken.
He was receiving medication while Jack questioned him.
“What about you, Resse, did you see him?”
“No sir, and I couldn’t go after him as I was trying to save Tom’s life.”
Jack knew the killer was on his way out of town
“Brad, I need you and Andy to put the killer’s different faces in the news, with all the names he has ever used. It is time we smoke him out.”
“We will commence with that, sir,” replied Brad.
“The Nathan angle has met a brick wall sir. Nathan has been paying for his flight tickets to the UK with stolen credit card details. It seems Nathan’s character is questionable,” said Jack. “What of his residential address?”
“Hotels sir, at least that is what he puts as his address on the forms during purchase,” replied Brad.
“I knew there was something suspicious about Nathan. Please contact his parents and let them send us his most recent picture with them.”
Isaac knew there was more trouble when he saw his disguised face on the news with his fake names; it was time to use the most prepared disguise of all. The only bag with him had the nun’s disguise in it. He was sure he had never been this lucky before. He dressed up and stepped out of the male rest room in the gas station, heading towards the back door.
“Good evening, sister. If you would like to buy anything the path to the groceries section is that way.” The station owner was wondering why a nun would be at the back of the gas station. Perhaps she wanted to use the rest rooms.
Isaac was confident his disguise would see him through. He looked around and no one was watching. He brought out a tiny long rod and worked on the door of a saloon car parked opposite the gas station. The door opened, Isaac got in and drove off.
Jack knew he would have to initiate code ‘priceless’ if the killer wasn’t found before midnight. He wondered how the rest of the targets would feel if they were forced out of their homes and lives into a secret location, to preserve them and keep the killer away.
It was a dicey situation; George Holmes was the next target. San Francisco was roughly seven hours from Miami and if the killer had begun his trip, he would be in San Francisco in the early hours of tomorrow morning. It was still wise to begin code ‘priceless’ at midnight. Jack went to his laptop he started typing an email.
Isaac sat in the waiting area. His flight was for one a.m. He couldn’t understand how the FBI had so much information on his past activities. He would have to be extra careful now. I am lucky to be free and alive, Isaac thought to himself.
Chapter 14
South-western Nigeria
29th June, 2015. 3:55 p.m.
“Honey, I just got a mail from a potential client. I am leaving for the USA on Wednesday morning. I have a presentation the next day at noon. Hello, can you still hear me?”
“These networks are unreliable. I told you to change to a more efficient and effective network. Mine, for instance, would be great.”
Bode never enjoyed the fact that he had to struggle while talking to his wife on the phone. The networks in Nigeria were nothing to write home about; only one major communication giant seems to be getting it right.
“You just have to manage till I change my SIM card, but frankly speaking, I think this trip is too close, we are looking at two days,” said Toun.
“I know but this proposal is big and worth every kobo invested in it,” replied Bode.
“That is fine. I will start packing your things, what would you need?”
“I sent you a text message already. You will find my details there.”
“One more thing, two of my personal assistants are scheduled to come me. I was thinking of leaving one of them and taking Kenny with me instead. It will be good exposure for him and he can visit one of those universities at their open house. Can you help me check online which of the schools will be having theirs coinciding with the trip? I need the office to include the event in the trip schedule.”
“I can see you are coming around. This is the most brilliant idea I have heard from you in a long while. I’m sure Kenny will be excited. I will mail you my findings shortly.”
“Maths and English are the core building subjects in any discipline. It is important you enjoy them because you will use them for the rest of your lives.”
Mrs Badmus had been the school principal for close to thirteen years. She had seen students of all shapes and sizes display their mental strength.
“I encourage you to reduce your social activities and embrace your studies more vigorously. Your final exams are coming up this time next year, and it is only necessary you begin your preparations with all the attention it deserves.”
The principal finished her speech to the next batch of would be finalists and left the podium for the head teacher to dismi
ss the students.
Kenny was famished when he got home. He needed a drink badly.
“Hi Mum, you are home earlier today.”
“Yeah. I had to close early from work to help your dad with some things.”
“Great. So, what’s up?”
“Your dad will be travelling to the USA on a business trip. He wants you to come along to see the business side of things on the one hand, and attend an open house at the University of California Berkeley holding on Friday the third of July.”
“This is good news! I am excited. When are we leaving?”
“Your dad and his team, with you inclusive, will be leaving on the first of July.”
“That is a Wednesday,” said Kenny.
“Exactly, so you need to confirm the expiration of your visa with Femi. He is your dad’s personal assistant. He will be handling logistics during this trip. I think you should send a scanned copy of all relevant pages of your passport to him. Here, I have his email address written out for you.”
“Thanks Mum. I don’t know what this family would do without you.”
“Honey, I am home.”
“You are welcome back dear. How was your day?”
“Great,” replied Bode. “I checked my diary and found that I accepted a dinner invite for us from the Addy’s. They will be expecting us this evening at the Radisson’s Blu Hotel.”
“You can be so forgetful when you want to be,” replied Toun.
“I am going to have a shower. I will be dressed in the next hour.”
“Understood honey, but there is still time. I will get ready when you are done, just draw my attention.”
“All right. I will do that,” replied Toun. “Please don’t get carried away with international news.”
“Dad, I heard you are having dinner with a friend in town,” said Kenny.
“Yes, I am.”
