Nicholas batch 17

Nicholt
Episode 19
CYBERCORP TOWER
ILORIN
6 PM
7, DECEMBER 2015
Nicholas paced in his office. He had considered going after Kate but he decided against it, he was still in shock at her reaction. He knew what he had decided to do was not a very good thing but he did not have a choice, it had to be done. He walked to his refrigerator, he needed a cold drink. He was about to open it when he heard the sound, it was distant so he ignored it. He took out the bottle of water and moved to his seat. He was not proud but she had insulted him, he was not going to run after her.
He heard footsteps pounding just outside the door, it looked like Kate had come back to apologise after all. The door burst open as Kate barged in, she was crying.
“Hey Kate, it’s okay. All couples fight, we just had our first fight, there’s no reason to cry.”
“What?” she mumbled
“Your apology is accepted, okay?” she looked confused.
“Apology? A car just hit Kemi!” She said and walked towards the door. Nicholas watched her go. He did not understand what she meant by ‘a car just hit Kemi’. Kemi was kidnapped, how would Kate know if a car hit her.
“Wait!” He said and ran after her, she was already in the elevator, he entered the elevator just as the door was about to close. “A car hit Kemi… I don’t understand”
“A car hit her just as I was leaving the building.” She was obviously disturbed.
“You saw her? How did she get… she was kidnapped, where did you see her?”
“She was approaching the gate.” Kate replied dabbing at her eyes with a white handkerchief.
“How did she get here? Did she escape?”
“How on earth am I supposed to know that Nicholas? I didn’t talk to her, I just saw her coming that’s all.”
He knew he was rambling but he could not help himself. The elevator door opened and Kate stumbled into the receptionist, Nicholas held her as they walked out of the building.
“Kate, is she dead?” His mind was trying to block out the possibility.
“I don’t know… the car that hit her got away but another driver picked her up, they told me she was been taken to the University teaching hospital.”
“That place is far, oh my God!”
He had tried his best to keep Kemi off his mind and he had succeeded for a while. He was sure he had no feelings for her, not anymore but she was his friend – a very close friend. Her kidnap had disturbed him especially when it looked like it had a lot to do with him. He could not bear the thought that she would die on his doorstep.
“Kate, I have to go to the hospital, I’m sorry I can’t drive you home right now.” He said and walked towards his car. His driver had closed, he had been planning on staying late with Kate.
“Nicholas, are you serious?” Nicholas turned to see Kate coming behind him. “What kind of person do you think I am? I would just go home and sleep not sure if Kemi is dead or alive? I’m going with you”
He was glad she had offered to come, he was not sure what he would meet at the hospital, it was better to have a friend around.
They drove in silence. Nicholas looked at her a couple of times, she seemed to be lost in thought, he desperately hoped that he was not involved in whatever she was thinking about.
“Kate, I’m sorry.” She looked at him and looked away. “I can’t remember the things I said but whatever they were, I didn’t mean to hurt you, okay?”
“Yeah, okay. I don’t think we should be talking about us right now…”
“Yes… did she look okay before the car hit her?”
“I don’t know, I think so… there was something about her hair but she walked okay, I guess. I didn’t see her very clearly and I didn’t see her for too long… I don’t know.”
“Okay.”
Nicholas said a silent prayer for Kemi as they turned into the hospital. He pulled into the parking lot, turned off the engine and stepped out of the car. Crummy music blared from the car parked next to him, the dude oblivious to the environment it was getting dark and cold. Kate got out of the car and they walked towards the Accident and Emergency block.
A nurse pointed them in the direction of where the newest accident victims were. Nicholas tried his best not to look at the patients as they walked into the ward. He heard Kate let out a sob as she held his arm, it was not a place one wanted to visit very often.
“Hey Doctor…” He called out as quietly as he could. “… I’m looking for a lady, she was brought in this evening… car accident, have you seen her?”
“I’m not sure, are you her family members?” the doctor asked.
“Well… we are.” Nicholas replied.
“I was there when she was hit.” Kate added.
“Oh, I did not attend to any new patients today, but I saw a couple of them brought in. What was she wearing?”
“A white shirt, it could have been yellow, I saw her from a distance.” Kate answered.
“Okay, I saw that one, go that way.” He pointed them in the direction.
Kate held him tighter, he himself needed someone to hold, he was terrified. They turned a corner and he saw her. Her hair was low and a part of her head was covered by blood but he could still recognize her. A doctor and three nurses stood beside her bed, a couple of policemen stood by also.
“Hello Doctor… hi.” The doctor looked at him like he had stopped him as he was about to be k-ssed by his celebrity crush.
“Yes, what do you want?”
“I’m sorry but that lady is my friend and she was hit in front of my office.”
“Oh, well…”
“How is she? Is she going to make it?” Kate asked.
“It’s difficult to say she’s going to make it right now, she was hit pretty bad and she’s broken a lot of bones and lost a lot of blood.” The doctor said.
Kate leaned on his chest and cried, his knees shook, he tried his best to stay steady.
“Is there anything we can do?” He said, trying to stop the tears from rolling dropping from his eyes.
“She has lost a lot of blood so she’s going to need blood at a point but for now you need to get this.” The doctor handed him a list.
“Mr. Akorede.” One of the policemen called him. He had completely forgotten about them, he did not understand what they were doing with Kemi… or how they knew his name. The one who spoke actually looked familiar.
“Yes?”
“I suggest you give the list to the lady beside you, you have to come with us.”
“Come with you? Why? There’s no way I’m leaving Kemi like this.” He remembered his face now, he was Adam’s boss. Where on earth is Adam anyway?
“Well, you have to come. You are under arrest for the kidnap and conspiracy to murder.”
QKK LABOURATORY
ILORIN
9 AM
8, DECEMBER 2015
Tola held tightly to her bag as she walked towards the office. She knew what she was doing was dangerous but she could not stop now. She had watched a girl die and it was a wonder she was still alive. The killer probably did not know she was in the room and she was glad he did not but if Helen was not going to die for nothing she was going to have to get to the bottom of the case.
She stopped in front of the door that read ‘Dr. Osunleke’. He was a scientist in a privately owned and run labouratory. Tola always knew private science labs were dangerous, they were free to do whatever they wanted, nobody checked them.
“Knock knock” she said as she knocked.
“Come in.”
She entered into a very neat office, she had expected to see bottles and test tubes and all types of glass containers. The man seating behind the table was even more impressive, he was young – late twenties she estimated. Like most scientists she had seen in movies he wore glasses, his was gold rimmed though.
“What can I do for you young lady?” he asked with a charming smile. She smiled back, more for his ‘young lady’ remark than as response to his charm.
“Can I sit?” she asked trying to match his charm with her own smile.
“I don’t know, can you?”
“Oh, may I sit?” she said still smiling, this time more genuinely.
“Yes, you may.” He watched her as she sat. “What can I do you for?”
She understood why Helen had called him a jerk, he was undressing her with his eyes, he did not bother to hide his lust.
“I need to ask for a special favour, a tiny one.” If he was a h—y little dog, she was going to have to use that. “Can you do that for me honey?”
“It depends, does it involve breaking the law or crossing powerful people? Those are two things that I fear with the wh0le of my heart”
“Why?” he looked genuine.
“You see this?” he said, pointing to him face. “A week in prison or in the hands of a powerful man and it’s gone. I can’t afford to lose my awesomeness.”
“Yes, you can’t afford to lose your awesomeness. I just need to know what you gave to Senator Lawal or whoever he sent to you.”
“Whoa…” he said as he stood up. “Didn’t you hear me say I don’t cross powerful people? Lawal is powerful , isn’t he?”
“He is, I know but nobody would know you told me a word.”
“How did you even get here? Who told you I gave him anything?” He was pacing behind his chair, it made Tola uncomfortable.
“Hey, come on, I’m a journalist…well, kind of, I’m a blogger, I know how to protect my sources.”
“You’re a blogger? Wait, are you that… oh, great. Who knew I would have you in my office.” He said as he sat. He seemed to have forgotten his fear of powerful people. “Why do you want to know the poison I gave to Lawal?”
“Lawal is into a few nefarious activities, probably more than a few, I just need information about this one.”
“You know if you write about him, you’re dead, right?”
“It’s possible but I don’t think he’ll have time for me when I’m done.” She of course was bluffing, she did not know what she would do with the information she was gathering.
“I cannot tell you anything about the poison, i would be admitting to breaking the law and I would be crossing a powerful man.”
Tola kept quiet for a while, then decided it was better to be forthright with information if she wanted to get any. So she told him about Kemi who was kidnapped and a little about Nicholas trying her best not to give him too much information. He looked quite taken with the story.
“Wow, that’s bad. I’m sorry I can’t tell you anything about the poison but I can tell you something more important. This would get him in a lot of trouble, he would not have the time to chase after you. When I supplied him with the poison, he could not pay me with his normal bank account and I don’t take cash – I always need a traceable transaction so he paid with me a through a special account.”
“Okay…” she did not know where he was going but she was glad he was talking.
“Just in case you didn’t notice, I’m a genius, so I traced the transaction and did a little more than I was supposed to, but it paid off, I guess. I found something Lawal would not want found, two hundred and fifty billion naira.”
“Wow, that’s a lot of money. You’re a scientist, what do you know about accounting?”
“Accounting? We are talking programs and networks and you’re talking accounting.” He replied with a huge grin, he was more than a little pleased with himself.
“I don’t understand though, did he steal all that money from this state? And where is the money now? Oh my God, did you steal it?”
“No! I didn’t, even if I wanted to, I couldn’t. The money doesn’t belong to the state. Remember when he wanted to run for Presidency and he was kicked out, well it was because a huge amount of money was lost and he was the prime suspect. They had no evidence, so of course they could not do anything about it.”
“What are you telling me? You have proof that Lawal stole the party’s money? You know what that means?” Tola could not believe it, Lawal was going down if Mr. H—y p-nts was not just bragging.
“I know what it means, I get a date with you!”
It did not matter, she would go on ten dates with him if she was able to bring down Lawal.
SENATOR LAWAL’S HOUSE
ILORIN
9 AM
8, DECEMBER 2015
Adam sat with his hands tied behind his back, his legs were tied to the legs of the chair. He found it strange that he was tied, he was not going anywhere. He could not get out, he had tried and failed, James Bond would not get out of the house.
He had wondered if Nicholas noticed he was missing, he doubted it. He had been gone for a few days and it was not the first time. He had gathered from some of the men talking that Kemi had been released, he was not relived though, people like Lawal do not leave loose ends.
“Adam, you know I cannot leave loose ends, right?” Lawal was asking flanked by two skinheads.
“You and I must have like minds because I was just thinking the same thing.”
“If we had like minds, you will not be just a policeman, you would be wealthy and powerful.”
“I guess you have a point.” He knew it was probably time to die but it did not understand why he had kept him that long. “You are probably going to kill me now, but I have a question, why did you wait till now?”
“That is an excellent question, I’m not one to gloat but your question would make me do just that. I’ll just round it up for you. Kemi is dead or almost dead…”What?!“…Nicholas was just arrested for the kidnap and murder of Kemi, CyberCorp is going under. Adam, I must tell you, life is great!”
Adam felt weak all over, he had dedicated the past few months to catching this man, instead it was going to be the opposite. He had failed Kemi, failed Nicholas and most of all failed himself.
“Hey, don’t beat yourself up, you never had a chance against me anyways.” Lawal said taunting him and he had a point, he never had a chance. “Momoh, finish this up, will you?” he said to one of the skinheads.
Lawal winked at Adam and turned to leave. His hand was on the handle when his phone rang, Momoh and his brother from hell stopped.
“Hello… what?… listen to me you little… do you know who… okay, just calm down, what do you want? Okay.”
Adam looked up at him, he was sweating, he had never seen Lawal look terrified.
“Any problem? You look like you’re the one about to die.” Adam asked.
Lawal shouted and rammed his fist into Momoh.