Capital crime episode 4

Capital Crime episode 4
24 Hours Ago
Sheraton Hotel, Lagos, Nigeria
AJ
When I checked the time again, it was FOUR AM and probably the worst clock time for a troubled mind. I could not stop thinking about my flaws and even if I wanted to, I can’t do anything about it because my body had selfish desires too.
If this deal fails I will surely burn. Even being aware of the risks, I took it anyways.
I sipped from a cup of hot coffee, cigar in the other hand. For someone who rarely smoked, I enjoyed the aroma and burning red flame in the dimly- lit room. It had turned into a ritual after repeated times in the past.
A bit disturbed than usual, I started at the silencer mechanism on the table, then the surveillance camera that was placed in Kelly’s room. Then it became fetishly soothing to watch her sleep soundly but I resisted the temptation and changed the feeds to the door of her room. The agents on ground were active. Both of them.
“ She sleeps like a princess” A male voice called from behind.
“ yeah ” I replied “ Good morning”
Seth Devin pulled up his own chair towards the table. We had stayed up almost all night together making sure nothing went wrong. The lower agents had guarded the rooms of the senators each, and heavy man-up detail was placed at Kelly’s door – two man shift a time, every one hour interval. No one went into her room and nobody came out either.
“ It’s four A.M for Pete’s sake. John ” Seth said after checking his wrist watch “ I think you need to relax a bit. Let me take over from here. Go get some sleep ,big man”
“Cut the drama Seth. You and I know who the boss is here, so stop being righteous and over dramatic”
The initiatial idea of not driving straight to V.I and into the U.S consulate because Senators of the federal Republic were in the Entourage, was enough to send alarms into any suspecting mind. I was worried about this fact.
“ Well , I know the plot will go as planned. I designed it. Nothing can ever go wrong ”
Agent Devin, 45, a straight man, average height, a little scar on his right cheek, unnoticeable,muscular and curly white patches of beards. One would wonderfully wonder how swiftly he climbed the chains of the agency.
A year ago, he was virtually nobody. Did not exist. Now he had the responsibility of safeguarding diplomats and their relatives.
“ You think so? ” I began“ Humans are unpredictable. Mark this day”
I turned in my chair and stared at the large scene outside the glass house. A light flickered in the heart of Ikeja Lagos- amongst thousands of others.
“ You know what I think about your statement” I continued“ you sounded like- you’re telling a wounded little boy that santa will make his pain go away” I said “ Only if he behaved”
“ That’s an exaggeration” Seth replied “ Even if you read bits of my mind, you’re metres away from it.”
“ Well , this is only penance for all the atrocities you did in the past”
“ I needed the money” I began apologetically.
“ I know” Seth raised a voice.“ That’s why THE Alpha is generous enough to pay you triple and even see that your cousin’s widow and children are taken care of.”
“The one who-deserves-more-than-a-name or simply , like you know, the Alpha, is a big benefactor. I’m grateful to the one, but Charlie’ s death isn’t any of your faults. It was that little boy – that Brat- Jerry Osas_ So I really don’t understand why the Alpha pays the bills. Except, the one who deserves more than a name has a thing or two for the boy. Which I doubt and then something is very much amiss”
A year ago, a taxi driver was knocked out dead by a bullet in the ‘devils corner’ , a dark alley- after helping a young thief elope the police. His shooter was never identified.
“ It’s Okay now-” Seth cut in“ This is not the time for past grudges. Let’s move on with our lives. And work -”
“ Of course. Yet I’m sorry for putting Ray behind bars”
Seth scratched his greybeard. “ I know. So don’t worry. Bsides, that is being taken care of. I forgive you. I hope Ray does the same”
Seth stared at the surveillance feeds on his laptop.
“ She looks so familiar ”
“ I bet I have seen her somewhere too” I replied.
I sat up, sniffed , took a gun from my hammer holster and gave it to Seth.
Seth collected it with his left arm and screwed in the silencer.
“ Make it look clean”
“Trust me. I’m a professional” He said and a grin of evil grew monstrously on his handsome face.
★★
KELLY
Waking up in an unfarmiliar hotel is the wierdest thing ever. I felt like I was being watched. Frankly, like the wh0le world was watching through a screen and Im the actress in a big movie. Life ofcourse is a big movie and like many blockbusters , you hærdly even know your audience but with a touch of ambience, you reach out to your target audience and reciprocate what they want you to feel. It’s like a big smoke screen. A mirror of sorts with many dimensions. It’s something you cant explain. You only feel it.
I str-de out of bed. Pulled the drawer near my hotel bed and took my glasses.
Put on my night jacket and dialed a number through the hotel’s phone.
“ Hello. Good morning. You have reached the U.S Embassy secretary. My name is Stella Chaltone. How may I help you? The voice on the other end replied on picking the dial.
I introduced myself.
“Good morning Miss Green. How was your trip?
“Fine- wait – how is it that you know about my trip to West Africa?
“ Ma — uhmm , ” the lady paused ‘ Simple..Your caller ID number.. It bears the +234 code.” The lady heaved a sigh of relief. ‘ If you really don’t mind checking”
“Oh Bummer! Dumb ass me. You know I forgot about that? Probably because I dont know whats going on no more” I said “ I was told my trip was confidential”
“Can I get a straight line to my dad’s. His mobile has been, well just help me. Can you ?
“ I uh!” The lady began.
“ Please… ” I begged “ the U.S consulate, I tried but machine replied and its a waste time which I aint got”
The lady requested for a minute to do the needful. She came back online and told me that the ambassador was still sleeping and would least apprecaite any effort from people to be disturbed.
As such he can’t speak with me at the moment.
“ Geez.. really? ” I tried to fight the feeling then said “ Okay! ” With a sigh of relief.
“ But is he aware that my flight was delayed? I’m really fed up with this system” Worry coated my tongue“ Your people, I mean at the embassy , can’t you do something about it?
“ I presume so Ma” She paused “ Yet our hands are tied. The agencies are designed to fit a pattern.”
I hung up after saying “ Thanks! -uhm- Never mind”
Sitting here on this bed, lonely and dejected, I wondered; After all these years, dad would still refuse to make out time for his only daughter. It all started when Mom passed on. When Mom was alive, he loved us both to a fault. Then she took ill and dad never visited more than thrice in the hospital. The doctors had diagnosed a terminal disease. I was only fifteen then and was in college, and confused. i had a penchant for football, although I had always been at the receiving end ; The goalkeeper.
After her mom passed on, I was left with dad who has never , really, really loved me. The news of mom’s death came during one of my championsh¡p matches. Ever since then, I quit the hobby and found solace in science.
“ You are not even our biological daughter.” Dad had yelled out on me one summer after mom’s demise “ We adopted you from a Shit h0le in Africa. Can’t you see? She adopted you. Not me. So be grateful honey , that I am even paying your bills and sending you to the best of schools”. His deep blue eyes had turned red with rage and disgust.
It hurt me everytime, I close my eyes to visualise what should have been and what not. Yet I did not stop there, and not withstanding my brown skin color I craved to make daddy proud of his little princess. I stumbled upon one of his formulas for building a device and decided to reproduce a clone. A deadly move indeed.
“ Don’t you dare try such a thing – the results will be bitter and trust me you won’t like it”
“ Why dad?
“ I’m done talking about this issue. ”
“ But you were a scientist. You built something like this in 1993”
“ The project Nightingale was top secret and has been dead for decades. Don’t bring it back. Alot of lives will be in danger.”
“ I’m sorry dad”
I have this stubborn and rebellious mindset that plunges me into action when someone gives me the red light. I could as well die trying, for what it worth; But I did rebuild the device under modern facilities. Now I was here in Nigeria to show dad that I was not as useless as he thought me to be.
My mind went to the briefcase. I opened it . A female electronic voice came alive as my thumb pressed passionately against a glass screen.
“ Please input password” the voice requested.
“ Dad is an ass but I love him still.”
“ Password correct” The AIO replied.
I smiled and brushed my chin ,then smirked and said “ A big ass indeed”
It was equipped with artificial intelligence.
I had a thought and however changed the password to “ I miss mom”
Caiden confirmed it. “ New password active”
Seconds later, a knock came on the door.
“ Who’s there?
I banged the suit close.
“ It’s Devin, Ma! Good morning. It sure is a beautiful Saturday morning for a trip. Don’t you think? His voice came.
“Obviously! What do you want?
“ Can I come in? He asked.
The
I made way for the door,opened and said “ Sure! What do you want?”
When Devin came in, he scanned the room. He glanced at the briefcase on the table “ Who were you talking to ?
“ No one ” I began nonchalantly“ Where is John? AJ , I mean”
“ He is already on his way. To Abuja. We’ll meet him there. Headquarters called in the dead of the night, turns out he is needed for debriefing and all other matters beyond my rank.”
“ Really?” I suspected something ” In the ‘dead’ of the night?
“ Yes ,please! And Ma, if you don’t mind we leave in an hour.”
“ I see!”
My gaze rested uponhim. Devin beamed with devilish confidence. He was handsome, no doubt but looks they say , can be deceiving.
“ Don’t worry ma’am” he called out specifically for the first time ” you’re in safe hands. I’ll protect you. I promise”
“ We’ll see about that. Right?” I said before opening the door ,meaning he should get out.
When he had left. I angrily kicked the air multiple times. You guys should stop messing with me. Arrghh. I hate the world. Pffft. Can it get any less suspenseful? He nearly caught me there.
“phew” I heaved just before opening the briefcase and continued.