Delayed Diagnosis Episode 26

Delayed Diagnosis Episode 26
Written by Kingsley Olanrewaju Efughi

I was about 5 minutes away when my phone rang again.
I handled the steering with one hand and checked the caller ID..I didn’t have this number saved on my phone..I dreaded hearing nurse Ify’s voice on the other end and almost didn’t answer the call.
“Hello?”
“Rex..long time no see”
I had totally forgotten about him. “Strange eyes..what do you want”
“I don’t like that name..stop calling me that please” he sounded whiny again.
“Look this is not a good time what is it?”
“Its never a good time with you.. Intelligence reaching me is that you and Andy were involved in a shootout last night..and Andy is in fact in critical situation as we speak”
“Intelligence…just listen to yourself..I can list a 1000 things you could use your intelligence for”
“Exactly..that’s why I’m calling..I’m in! I want to take down the initiative. I can’t live with myself anymore”
“Look strange- agent John if I had to choose between trusting you and drinking acid, I’d choose the acid at least I’d know what to expect”
“Hmm..you need me Rex..if you’re going to survive what you’ve embarked on..you need me…things are no longer as they used to be”
I was about to end the call, but my curiosity got the best of me.
“What do you mean?”
“Let’s just say you’ve caught unwanted attention from way up the ladder..eyes are on you and you need me.. I’m on my way to the hospital as we speak.we need to talk”
I was only just aware that the captain was in the car with me. He was looking at me with interest.
Strange eyes was still talking about how I needed his help to survive, when I ended the call.
“Hmmm..who was that?” The captain asked interestedly
“Believe me he’s not worth the stress..” I dialled my mother’s number again. She didn’t pick the first time and I began to panic. I called the second time.
Someone picked finally.
“Hello” it was Olivia.
I had turned into the street the hotel was in.
“Olivia..what’s going on..where’s my mother?”
“Rex…oh my God..is it true..?” She was crying..apprehension almost killed me. Was what true?..I dreaded what I would hear.
“What’s that..what happened?!”
“Andy..is he dead?”
Andy? dead? How come..that was not possible…my dad was still watching him.
“Who told you?”
“The doctor”
“Stop crying…its a lie..I just left Andy now and he’s still very much alive”
Her sobs reduced a bit and she sighed in relief.
My brain jump started suddenly. “Wait wait wait..which doctor?”
“The lady doctor from the hospital..she’s here now”
I have only sheer youth to thank that I’m still alive today, because what Olivia had just told me was equal to a heart attack!

I screeched to a halt in front of the hospital and I was rushing towards the entrance as fast as my legs could take me. I heard the door slam as the captain got down. I still had the phone stuck to my ear. “Listen to me Olivia..don’t panic..where exactly is the doctor?”
Her voice had changed.”she’s here why?”
“Where’s my mom..try not to let her know but give the doctor space”
“Rex you’re scaring me…wait she’s looking at me strangely…”
The line went off suddenly and I almost went mad. I breezed through the stairs jumping over at least five steps in a leap. I tore down the corridor, brushing a young man who just came out of one of the rooms. He fell back and shouted angrily after me.
With lightening speed I was at the door, I barged through with so much force that I almost fell to the ground.
Nurse Ify was before my eyes in flesh and blood. She stood over Olivia with the phone which she had obviously snatched from her in her hands, she looked at me and in a nano second I could see my mother on the bed, just lying down …utterly still!!!
Nurse Ify smiled at me then looked at Olivia, she held the syringe like a dagger like she planned to stab it like a knife..maybe break the needle of in her body.

You know this thing they say about adrenaline, that it would get to a point, that the level of adrenaline can make a man do some unnatural things when faced with a last option or in a hopeless situation.
Now I’ve replayed the events over in my head and I don’t know how I was able to make that leap on a normal day I know myself..I can’t jump like that.
The room was very spacious, the bed stood to one side of the wall, Olivia was in the wheelchair in front of the toilet with nurse Ify standing over her. I had just come in at the opposite end of the room through the door and it took about 2 seconds for me to notice my mother on the bed, notice the nurse Ify raise her hand with deadly intent on her face.
Somehow I threw myself from one point to the other. Some kind of mighty leap worthy of a medal (and probably world record) in the long jump Olympic event.
Later Olivia would tell me I was the one who had made that loud howling noise. I heard it in mid air and wondered were the primal sound/shout originated from not knowing the source was from my very lips!

It was like a rugby tackle. I took her down swiftly and we tumbled and rolled. “You killed the shadow!” She shouted
“What did you do to my mother?!” I shouted
Rage was mixed with despair I held her firmly stopping her resistance and halting her movement. “You’re just like him..you’re no different!”
She smiled crazily “actually I’m much worse”
Rage blinded me..and I knew I could slam her head on the tiled floor any minute.
The needle appeared from nowhere very swiftly!my side eye noticed the movement but I didn’t take note until it was almost too late. As my brain registered the incoming danger, I threw my body into her. That was my only option, to try and knock the deadly syring out of her grasp because to pull away would mean it would get buried in my back definitely.
The pain was sharp and deep, almost short.
I couldn’t identify where the pain originated from but I could feel it in my leg region… The one thing I saw was the syringe and also the finger that pushed the plunger down releasing its deadly contents.
The last thing to go through my mind was..”shi!!!”

°•°•°•°••°•°
“Rex..Rex…wake up” my eyes opened to see Olivia staring at me..urging me awake.
Nurse Ify was on me..or rather her body was on me. I pushed her to the side then struggled to sit up.
“What happened?”
“She injected herself! She put the needle in her arm and pushed contents in”
I was stunned. “She killed herself? How could she not know?”
“Either she made a mistake..because your bodies wers really tangled and she didn’t really check”
It wasn’t really making sense…could she have done it purposely? I tried to sit up but the pain in my left leg made me sit back down. What was this pain if not the needle? I checked my leg and saw a very long pin(probably a hair pin) With a blue ball head sticking out of my left leg with a thin trail of blood darkening my trouser where it flowed. I pulled it out “aaagh!” I knew this was her ‘lock picker’ she must have used this to free herself in the hospital earlier. It looked like it would be perfect for that kind of work.

I sat up and tried to clear my head..so she had somehow injected herself with the pentothal. I could see the syringe sticking out from her right arm..the arm she had gripped my throat with just seconds before. I held my throat unconsciously and shuddered.

Talk about poor timing but the captain just struggled into the room now. Holding his sides and panting. He seemed to be in pain and I regarded him for some seconds. Thinking who this man really was..every stranger was a potential killer it seems…and why was he just panting now..he had seemed fine before plus how long would it take him that he’s only getting here? I chewed on this thoughts but then I saw Olivia was beside my mother fanning her frantically with a piece of paper.
I jumped to my feet then hurried towards the bed.
“My mother…oh God she was injected?!”

I hurried to her side, gripped with fear and panic. Although i could see she was breathing, panic did not cease.
“No..she wasn’t injected” Olivia answered the question I forgot I had asked.
I almost wept out in relief. I knelt on the bed and touched her brow.
“She fainted..I don’t know what that woman told her when I was on the phone..” Olivia said in a shaky voice She trailed off and glanced towards the ‘woman’ in question who was on the floor. The dose must have stopped her heart in seconds but I wasn’t bothered about the nurse(or dead nurse) right now, I was frantically touching my mothers brow and neck with the back of my hand checking her temperature. It was a bit too high for my liking and when I tapped her and she still didn’t wake I began to panic I tugged her hand and shook her more frantically “its okay..don’t panic she needs water” the captain said from over my shoulder. He must have gotten the bottled water he handed to me from the mini fridge because it was cold.
“I think the nurse told her you and Andy had died and she fainted…she needs to hear your voice..speak to her..” Olivia added as I took the bottle and tore the cap off.
Their words made me get a grip on myself, or something close to “a grip” I calmed down, then splashed the water in drops on her face and when she didn’t stir, I increased the torrents..then I saw her eyelids flutter, I quickly held her up in a sitting position all the while calling her name, calling my name and saying anything that popped into my mind.
They must have switched off the a/c before sleeping off probably as a result of the cold but now some hours later and after me and nurse Ify’s tussle the room was quite hot and stuffy. The captain located the switch and put it on.
“Rex..” My mother whispered breathlessly.
“I’m here..mama..I’m here”
“Oh thank God!” Olivia said in relief and I could see she had been shaken up just as much. The captain who had switched the a/c on walked across the room to where the nurse’s body lay.
“She’s dead…what happened”
I was hugging my mother who had burst into tears and I regarded him warily over her head “Mama its okay..I’m alive..Andy’s alive…its okay” I assured her
The captain was inspecting the syringe closely but I saw he didn’t touch it…he didn’t even get too close.
“This is a crime scene” he said to me as if in response to my thoughts “it would be unprofessional to touch anything”
“Where were you? Why did you waste time?” I asked him furiously.
“I missed the turning..you took off so fast! I didnt know which way you went..And I had to calm down one gentle man in the hallway..he said you knocked him down and didn’t even apologize”
I waved what i deemed as excuses away. “We need to get the body to the hospital”
“She’s already dead” the captain pointed out.
“Then we take it to the morgue..”
“Rex!” My mother looked at me in horror. “How can you just talk like that?”
It was good to see she had gotten a grip on her emotions and the tears were gone..or at least reduced.
The captain stood up. “This is a self defense case the police are on their way..there’s no problem”
“Self defense? She killed herself! she was supposed to kill me but somehow she brought down the needle to her own arm” the same hand she had used to grip my throat. I touched my Adam’s apple imagining the worst and my mother shuddered beside me.
“Its okay..I’m fine” I assured her.
“Well be that as it may be..the force is on their way”
I could see both my mother and Olivia were looking away from the body on the floor and they both looked pale. I suddenly felt the need to move..they shouldn’t be here.. I stood up “what force are you talking of?.we haven’t called the police yet”
“I have. don’t worry its just procedure, as a force man, the law comes first”
“Well as a family man family comes first..by the way when did you call?…oh! So that’s what took you so long? You were busy making a call when you should have been helping me out and I’m sure no one would have died here tonight if you had just had my back!” I tried to keep my voice from rising. I didn’t like the turn things were taking..for the police to come here…there was a very high possibility the whole of my night and tomorrow would be spent behind bars regardless of my mother and Olivia’s statements and tomorrow was the only free day we had before the interview with the initiative.
“Calm down son..I have your back!” The captain assured me.
“Who are you really..you’re not really sick are you?” I asked him suspiciously.
“why would you say that”
“Let me see your ID, you say you’re a captain?”
“You bloody civilian..I’m on your side”
my phone rang and cut off my retort. I didn’t trust this man, I was considering if I could take him on, (nowadays, I hardly shy away from physical confrontation anymore but that doesn’t mean i dont think first and in this case, on the off chance that he was truly a force man plus he still looked quite tough) I decided against it. Still I kept a watchful eye on him as I answered the call.
“Rex..how are they? are you there?”
“Yes I’m there..they’re fine..how is Andy?”
“He’s fine.. He’s
almost fully awake”.
That was good news and I was about to assure him that everything was fine on this end but there was a sharp knock on the door.
“Please..is everything okay in there?” A voice came from the other side of the door.
We looked at ourselves as we all went quiet.
“Who’s that?..what’s happening?” My father asked from the other side of the line.
I cut the call as the knock sounded again, sharp and impatient.”Everything is fine.. Its fine!” I yelled back.
Would you believe that the door wasn’t even locked! It opened suddenly and guess who would stroll in? Strange eyes himself and he was followed by the young man I had run into earlier before in the corridor. I had floored him flat in my haste then and he had seemed pissed but now he entered the room behind strange eyes wearing a superior smile.
“Rex..Rex.. Rex..” Strange eyes called my name slowly. I could tell he loved all these his suprises.He gave a slight nod to the captain as he passed him.
His eyes swept the room. One red, one white but they rotated everywhere, resting on everything in the room almost at once. “Every single place you go..there must be a body!” He exclaimed when he saw the nurse’s body on the floor. Then His eyes rested on my mother and Olivia.
“Its such a pleasure to meet you madam. I’ve heard so much about you..” He addressed my mother with a slight exaggerated bow
I was looking at the door were the captain and the other man stood together forming some kind of road block. I knew the captain had to be one of strange eye’s boys..hence so easy for him to play the part of a captain and fool us easily
“You mean there were two agents in this hotel and the both of you were having fellowship in the hallway while I rolled about with an armed and dangerous not to talk of crazy woman?!” I asked them angrily.
No one replied me and strange eyes was apparently not done addressing the women.
“Ah..this must be the widow.. Such a pleasure to meet you?” He smiled at Olivia and alarm bells went off in my head. I gripped strange eyes by the collar suddenly “how do you know she’s a widow?”
he raised his hands to signal the captain and the second agent(who I only just realized had to be the gala seller agent and the agent that had accompanied him to the restaurant the night Mona was still alive and with the old crooner..the very night things had changed it felt like decades ago..)
Strange eyes halted their steps with a hand signal as they made to come to his aid and probably roughen me up a bit.
“Rex..I’m afraid you’ve been taking advantage of our friendship..this kind of thing could get you shot another place another time..you don’t grab someone like me carelessly like that” but he made no move to shrug out of my grasp not like I was ready to release him.
“Who told you she’s a widow?” I asked him roughly.
“What do you take me for?..I’m an investigator finding things out is my job..same way I was able to link you and Andy to the mariner shootout and the hospital..” I loosened my hold a bit and he finally shrugged my hands away.
“Look Rex..let’s forget about our history for a moment, we need to work together for the greater good here”
“Rex .who’s this person?..are you a police man?” My mother asked him.
“Something like that madam..but I’m here so that justice might be served..I’m on your side”
I scoffed. “Please.. You’re definitely not on my side..all the times you had to stand for me you let me down”
“I know..I know..look after you and Andy left me that day, I started thinking..I must say I never expected it but you inspired me..civilians you are..but you inspired me..going bravely to do my job while I cowered in the background” he bowed his head slightly “I was ashamed of myself”
I made a ‘you should be’ sound from my throat and his gaze remained on the body for a while. Then he looked at me finally. “Rex. When I found out about the wido-” he stopped himself then glanced at Olivia. “When I found out about your friend.. I knew what you had planned and believe me you need my help more than ever..the initiative isn’t something you can take on alone.”
“Once bitten twice shy..but you’ve managed to bite me times without number..I’d rather be on my own”

“Please are you both aware there’s a dead body in this room? Rex..Haba..you’re not even bothered! You’re just talking!” My mother burst out suddenlt like she couldn’t stand it anymore.
“You’re right…” I turned to strange eyes. “You want to redeem yourself? Start by taking care of the nurse. When you’re done come to the hospital..let’s talk” I helped my mother to her feet then gripped the handles of the wheelchair .”To the hospital?” Olivia asked me and I nodded. The truth was I needed to find another hotel, it was very annoying that we couldn’t get somewhere we could rest without any incident forcing us out.
“Don’t worry about it..Rex .my agents would take care of it..let’s all go together..we have lot to talk about” strange eyes assured me.
“I have nothing yo talk about with you” The fact that he knew Olivia was a widow had shook me too much. There was a huge possibility that any other person that bothered to look could also find out as well. But the Chief didn’t have any idea of my plans..or did he?
I scratched my jaw tiredly..I really needed to think..or to try to think at least.
The two agents stood to the side as I prepared to wheel Olivia to the door.
“No..no..hold on to your mother she’s still weak” Olivia told me then began to wheel herself. I knew she had gone a full day without taking her injections and I promised to stop by the private hospital the next day, maybe if we both went to see Wendy. (It was looking like something that had to happen now.)
I held my mother’s hands and she also assured me she was fine and said I should instead push Olivia’s wheelchair but I insisted and supported her weight.
Strange eyes then offered to push Olivia..he didn’t really offer actually, he just gripped on to the handles and wheeled her ahead of me.
I gritted my teeth but it was just as well because I didn’t want her to task herself with the tediousness of Wheeling herself.

The captain and the gala agent (I was sure of it now) stood to the side as I passed and I frowned at them then on afterthought, flipped the captain the middle finger(that was for lying and falling behind to communicate with strange eyes when he should have been helping me.) Then I gave gave the second agent too (because he left my face with some nasty bruises back when we struggled) They both sneered at me in reply.
I shook my finger at the (fake) captain.”You better hide that cap..my in-law is a major when next I see you I’d make sure you get drilled for impersonation”

The night clerk asked me if everything was fine. He looked quite suspicious but I assured him everything was fine, and we were just taking a drive.

We got to the car outside and strange eyes made to help Ada to the seat.
I hissed out like a snake “get your crooked hands off her..I’d help her in myself”
He looked at me surprised then shrugged. Even Olivia looked at me strangely. It was a kind gesture after all? No need to overreact.
I opened the door and helped my mother in the back, she kept assuring me she was fine, and I could see she was actually thank God for that. I walked round the car to help Olivia to the front. I all but snatched the handles from strange eyes hands and I couldn’t help but feel petty..I wondered about my reaction..I guessed the fact that strange eyes had a hand in the death of Fome and was always after her when she was alive had put me on the offensive..I didn’t want any kind of feeling of déjà vu..not with Olivia..infact I didn’t even want their paths to cross..that was why I was already having my doubts about going through with the initiative now..I could smell danger..I had faced it so many times that I knew the distinct odour.
No…I shook my head..we won’t go through with it.. I couldn’t take the risk..there must be another way.
I closed the door and straightened up.
“I was wondering how many hours it would take you to help her to the seat” strange eyes remarked
“Look..I don’t have time for your rubbish I need to take care of my family..they should be resting now not jumping from point A to B”
“Okay..what’s your plan?”
“I need to lodge somewhere else..somewhere safe..you can wait for me at the hospital..”
“Okay..no problem..anything you say..just remember I’m on your side..we can do this together.”
I pointed my finger at him “I don’t want any rubbish tricks..you go and wait for me at the hospital..if I should so much as sniff you on my tail or if I should see you…”
“At the hospital got it….” He held up his hands in mock surrender. “I can see you’ve changed now..you’ve toughened up a bit”
I had no reply for that, I just entered the car and drove off.
I was worried about the briefcase..I really should have done something about it like convert the money and go cashless..this kind of amount and currency was the type to surely cause problems. It was currently locked up in the booth of the car and God help me if I was pulled over and searched..I didn’t even have the reply for the questions that was sure to follow.

“Who was that man?” My mother asked me as we exited the street.
“He’s a Government agent”
“Seriously what’s with his eyes?” Olivia asked me
“He’s yet to tell me..according to him he wasn’t born like that”
“Its creepy”
“Tell me about it”
“I liked him..he’s a polite man” my mother said from the backseat.
“Mama you like everybody!” I said accusingly. Same thing she had said about the shadow, ‘such a nice young man’ or something like that..it seems the crazy ones were the nicest. Still no one needed to tell me to tread softly with strange eyes. I didn’t even plan to do any ‘threading’, once we got to the hospital, I was going to tell him to bug off.

I didn’t bother to watch for headlights in the rearview, somehow I knew strange eyes wasn’t following..
My mother was narrating the events to my dad over the phone presently and I thought about their safety..the kind of scare I had received today..I couldn’t go through it again..I had to figure something out..I knew my dad wouldn’t want to leave her side again and maybe I could convince him things would be better if they were somewhere safe(which would mean somewhere far away from me)
“…he’s here he’s driving…okay…..okay…” My mum was speaking into the phone.
“What are you thinking of?” Olivia asked me in a low voice
“So many things…the 3rd is next tomorrow!”
“Everything would be fine Rex..I know it” she seemed so sure!
If it were possible to bookmark or archive a moment in our lives..that’s what I did at that moment.Driving into the night, with my mothers voice in the background as she spoke to my father, and Olivia’s reassuring words playing over and over in my head, I knew I was going to remember it in the days to come when things might not look so ‘alright’

“Ah..Mr…so nice to see you..you’re our very good customer now!”
I smiled politely in reply at the young man behind the counter.
“Thank you…thank you..I’d like two rooms please”
He noticed my ATM card in my hand. “Our pos isn’t working..”
“I don’t have any cash on me..is there an ATM around here”
“Bross I’d give you the rooms first,let mummy and your wife rest then you can use the ATM its not really far from here”
“That’s really nice of you..” I studied him intently but couldn’t recall his face specifically but he looked familiar. Probably from the previous time I had used this hotel. I could tell this wasn’t my first time here.
We thanked him and located the rooms, they weren’t next to each other and I made a note to ask him for a switch.
Olivia was the first one to speak. “I don’t think we should split up again”
“Yes..I agree let’s all move together…when we see Andy we’d come back and sleep”
“Mama..look at the time..its 10:35pm..what sane man would be dragging his mother and his…” I trailed off..looking for a suitable adjective to qualify Olivia….wife?(she was a less than 2 weeks widow),girlfriend (really?) friend(seemed stale). At the end I filled in the ‘gap’ with a vigorous shaking of my wrist..the movement alone a statement of emotions no adjective could convey.
“I want nothing more than for all of us to go together..but someone needs to stay with Andy..I’m only going to relieve dad because he wants to see you.. I’d still have to stay back at least until Andy’s awake”
“If your dad wants to see me..why don’t we all go there?..or you plan to drive there,drive him back before you return…then who will watch over Andy?while you’re driving?”
I frowned “I’d give him the car keys so he’d drive back himself”
“But how would he know this place from the other one..especially at night.. and here is quite far” Olivia added.
They were picking my case apart piece by piece with logic! I scratched my head for like the thousandth time..”The fact is you all need to rest, its really late”
“Then we’d sleep at the hospital” my mom said “anyhow but we shouldn’t get separated again”
“Imagine how that would make me feel if you people sleep in the hospital…okay..we’ll all go..but on one condition” I said to her.
“What’s that?”
“I’d book a flight tonight for you and dad to go back home tomorrow”
“Haba..Rex how so you think that would make us feel?”
“Its something that must happen..things are too dangerous here and with what happened tonight…I can’t continue risking my mother’s life like that…anybody’s life like that!”
She was quiet for some seconds. “Look Rex..that is why I’m saying we have to stay together-“
I intwrruptes her “Cynthia, Nyesom, Utebo, Olivia, Gloria, Beatrice, Junior, Ovie, Paul,Ehis,Irene…” I was forgetting some of their names…my nieces and nephews were quite much. “Not to forget Utebo is expecting now..see all these names I’ve mentioned..they’re your children and grandchildren…it has been selfish of me and I can not afford to let anything happen to you and keep you from them…same with daddy”
“Your Father won’t agree to this”
“He would don’t worry”
“What about Olivia?” My mother asked. “We travel now..where does she go or she has to face the “danger” too?(she actually used her fingers to quote) what about you..where do you go? Is this how you would be jumping from hotel to hotel still involved with what I still don’t fully understand…what about Andy?…how would he-” I had to interrupt her yet again..a habit I know she hated.”Mama…everything would be okay..I just need to know that I don’t have to worry about you again..lemme know you’re safe at home”
She nodded and I turned to Olivia satisfied..”Olivia..I don’t think we should go through with the interview again”
“Why not?”
“Its too-“
“Too dangerous!” She finished off for me “Rex what about the danger the other women are facing… I told you this has become personal for me too…” She looked at her cast and I knew exactly what she was thinking. I didn’t want her getting emotional about her accident. “Okay..I understand..at least we’ll talk about it later there might be another way”

We filed out the room and through the reception. The young man who had been dozing sat up. “Bros. What’s wrong. You’re leaving?”
“Yes..we would be leaving now..but I’d definitely be back maybe tomorrow or next”
He brightened up..”no problem bros..how did you like that cap?”
I blinked at him. “What cap?”
“The cap..my face cap..you bought it the other night”
“Oh..yes it was helpful thank you..”
I could remember giving him money one night in exchange for the cap he had been wearing..what had I been up to then?…that must have been the night I gave Andy’s neighbour (Alhaja) a concussion. I shook my head at the atrocities I had committed.Outside my mother said “At least you’ve answered one of my questions..I know where you plan to be living”

And so the merry go- to and fro continued as I drove back to the hospital. Although there was nothing ‘merry’ about this ride.My mom and Olivia went on about what had happened back in the hotel recounibg their near death experience, from the moment nurse Ify had knocked on the door to the moment i had barged through it,going through the details inch by inch and expressing thoughts they didn’t know they had then.

After some time I called my dad and told him to expect us. He assured me he was still with Andy..and guess what?he had woken up fully, at least his eyes were open and he could very well see him although he wasn’t talking.
“That’s good news..we’re on the way”
I announced that Andy was awake and the mood immediately got lighter and for a minute it was like everything was how it should be again.

°•°•°•°•°•°
Back at the hospital again, and I was tired of the place. The time was 11:19pm, and the guard that opened the gate, must have thought it was an emergency case because he hurried and yanked the gate open with much speed for me to drive through.

I was on the lookout for any sign of strange eyes but I didn’t see him. I wondered if he had followed us to the hotel but had missed our swift exit and was now still seated in a car outside. That was his business..I couldn’t trust him..not one percent.
My dad was stretched out on the chair and he must have nodded his head to an imaginary beat a lot of times as I could tell he had been dozing.
He got up immediately And hurried to the door. “Oh..Martha..I’m sorry..it was my fault..did she hurt..you? .what of Olivia?..are you okay?”
He didn’t fuss over me as much..he kept on blaming himself for letting the nurse pick his pocket so easily..
“That reminds me..I didn’t see the wallet..she didn’t have it with her”
“You wouldn’t believe that we found it in a dustbin in the reception? But the address and the money was gone..”
We crowded Andy’s bed and his eyes were truly opened and I could see the recognition in his eyes as he glanced at each of us. He didn’t try to talk however, and I had the feeling even the anesthesia couldn’t numb the pain he would feel if he were to try.
We all spoke to him..almost at once..I was telling him I had gotten the bastard that had put him on a stretcher and I knew Andy, that was the first thing he would ask if he could.
We crowded him for minutes, then I took my father to the side.
“That reminds me..I plan to book a ticket tonight..so you and mom can go back home”
“Why?..how do you mean?”
“What happened today…much worse would surely happen if you both stick around..you need to be with her 24/7”
I could see the concern on his face but I knew he was leaning towards agreeing. Worry must have almost eaten him alive today.
My phone was vibrating and somehow I knew it would be strange eyes calling me, and it was.
“We need to talk more about this…you need to at least tell me your plans..there’s a lot of ways I could help you even though I may not be there physically”

“Hello Rex..I’m at the hospital’s parking lot..when you’re ready come down let’s talk”
“How long have you been there?”
“Long enough to see you still push the widow and leave your mother to walk by her self yet again”
“You are a fool you know that?”
“I see you’re still after girls..that has always been your weakness in my opinion..remember Fumi..”
I thought he was going to mention Fome’s name next but he must have thought better of it.
“Look Rex..I’m sorry..I shouldn’t have said that..I’m in the parking lot..in a ford jeep outside…we need to talk”
I kept my eyes on my family. The three of them were still hurdled around Andy. Talking to him and asking him questions he couldn’t answer..at least not yet.
I focused on the call. “We don’t have anything to talk about”
“But we do Rex..I know things about the initiative we could use to take it down..and we need to join minds and move quick because they have something planned”
“What?”
“Believe me..the Chief is a sick bastard…very unfeeling man”
“What do you mean..what are they planning?”
“Are you coming outside or not?”

I ended the call and faced my parents. Strange eyes could wait, I had my priorities. “So now that we’re all here..how do we sleep?” I asked
“They’d bring beds here! That’s what they’ll do…we can’t leave this boy alone..we’re ready to camp here! All of us!”
“I’d be right back.. Lemme see what arrangements I can make.” I left the room and asked the doctor I met on the stairs who directed me to “somewhere” downstairs.
I was able to locate the office after haggling every hospital personnel I could see. A nurse finally supplied me with the right directions and I located the door.
The man was sleeping. He actually had a bed in his office. I closed the door which had been open and he must be a very light sleeper because he woke up suddenly.
“Yes.. What do you want?”
“I need a room..”
He struggled to sit up “A room?”
“Yes, one on of the private rooms on the last floor”
He rubbed his head “who’s the patient?”
“The patient is in another room..” I tried to recall the lettering on the door, but I hadn’t paid much attention to it.
“So…if the patient is in another room, why do you need another?”
“Look Mister don’t be difficult..its late and our place is too far..there were plenty empty rooms on the floor that I saw..we need one”
“For how long?”
“Just to spend the night” It felt like a taboo, to want to pay to stay where people prayed daily to leave.
He called an exaggerated price I was sure, or maybe Mr X had truly spent such on the room for Andy.
“Do you have pos?”
“What is that?”
“For my card..ATM?”
“No..no..you bring the receipt from the bank, look at this office…does it look like I keep cash around?”
He wasn’t understanding me but I had gotten his point.
“At this time of the night..no bank would be open… I can only withdraw somewhere and pay in cash..”
“We don’t allow cash payment” he pointed to the wall where sure enough the sign read the same.
“You need to make an exception..after all it was your staff that tried to kill my brother if not why would we all be here?”
His eyes widened “you mean nurse Ify’s….the man is your brother?”
“Yes he is..so you really must help us..look at the time. Its almost 12!”
“I know..I know..I wish I could collect cash”
“What if I use mobile banking?”
“You must bring some form of hardware receipt..the alert doesn’t go into my phone!”
“So you help us pay it tomorrow. I’d give you the cash now and you lease us the room.”
He looked uncertain and I went in for the kill. “You know what they say about red oil..you don’t need to touch the oil itself to get it on your fingers..handling the bottle is enough”
I could see I had chosen my words carefully. His eyes gleamed as greed finally did what all my long talk could not.
“OK..OK…bring the money first lemme see what I can do”

Outside I used my eyes to track the ford jeep strange eyes had told me he was in.
I saw it in the shadows, it blended perfectly with a side of the building the solar lamps didn’t reach. So if you didn’t look carefully you wouldn’t know there was a vehicle there.
I approached the car watching it closely. I couldn’t make out any figure inside, I squinted my eyes as I passed car after car. The doors were closed and the engine wasn’t running..if anyone was in there, he would be roasting himself.
I sensed some kind of movement from the left suddenly and I reacted quickly crouching in a fighting stance. Strange eyes held his hands up as he emerged from behind an ambulance van.
“I was wondering how sharp your reflexes and instincts were..” he smiled sheepishly “I must say you’ve improved rapidly..I’m astonished..if you should be in need of a job..your country needs you”
“This is exactly what I told you I don’t want..why sneak up on me? What do you hope to prove?”
“Heey..I’m a federal agent. It has gotten too used to me..I like to appear and disappear like smoke. Its one of our strengths”
“I don’t have time for your bollocks…I need to go to the bank”
“At 12 in the morning?”
“Its the ATM…never mind that. what is it you planned to tell me?”
“Let’s take a ride..I’d drive,there’s a bank around the corner”

He lit a cigarette in the car as I strapped in. “I’m not supposed to smoke in this car because its a government vehicle..but who cares?”
I was quiet but the minute he turned the key. I asked him “so what’s the information you have for me?”
He brought out a cigarette stick from his breast pocket and lit it.
“Rex.. the minute I found out about the widow, I knew what you had planned. I had to do some digging around. And my investigations revealed a lot-” He broke of and blew smoke out of the window. He was driving at a leisurely space not speeding the car and not speeding his words, I relaxed into the chair, if he wanted to take his time..I wasn’t going to rush him.
I couldn’t take it for long however “So? What did you find out?”
“All the widows always have an interview first with the initiative..its called an interview but its more like a cross examination”
“I know about The interview”
“Oh… What else do you know?”
Nothing else really so I remained mute.
I could tell he always loved this his position of having information I didn’t. He threw the cigarette butt out the window before he continued.
“I can tell you all the widows that have turned up missing is always after the interview..but not more than a three day period”
“Three days..but how is it possible..how would a widow just be missing without any alarm…there has to be at least one friend or somebody that would notice now”
“Yes..exactly..what happens is so many widows have been rejected by the initiative..but on a closer look I realized they’re the ones with sisters, a surviving parent, or friends….the ones who could be easily missed”
“And the rest?..you mean to tell me all the widows that have been shipped out don’t have one single person that would notice..someone that would know about the initiative and ask questions?”
“Of course..there are cases like that..the crazy thing I found out is, different cases of accidents, murder, robberies gone wrong, kidnapping cases where no ransom was made and random events that happen around this country that lead to death, I fished out cases where the victim was connected to the widow and had began to cry foul and ask questions about his or her sister, daughter or friend, and they’re a lot believe me…I don’t know how they do it..but the way its done is efficient and untracable.”
“How did you find out all that?”
“Information gathering is my specialty..and I’m sharing it with you because we’re in this together”
“The earlier you stop lumping us together in your sentence the better. What is it you said the chief was planning?”
“Go and use your card first, I’d be waiting here”
He had stopped outside the bank.

I returned after some minutes and we headed back to the hospital.
“From what I’ve told you, you should have deduced that the initiative played things pretty close to their chest..apart from press releasing and interviews of a couple of satisfied widows all singing their praise about the initiative, the supposed founder runs everything with a tight lid on”
“Yes..there’s a cloak of mystery about the whole organisation..but maybe its because I know the inside dirt..that its noticeable to me”
“Well..there’s something the Chief must be planning”
“Wait..I thought his wife was the owner of the initiative?”
“She is actually..and the face of it too..but the Chief is heavily involved because of the other evil purpose the initiative serves”
Strange eyes stopped speaking..Just like he was known for..to always draw back when he was dishing out information..he never gave it in full doses. He brought out another cigarette from his pocket again.
“You’re killing your lungs” I told him.
“Better to kill it before it kills me!” He laughed humorlessly but I didn’t get his joke. However he didn’t light it. Not yet at least.
“The initiative plans to expand..according to what I discovered they want to extend and form a sub initiative. This one for orphans alone”
“What?…wait..that can’t be possible..trafficking widows they might have been able to pull it off because they were adults…but children…everybody wants to see the children”
“When it comes to the chief, always expect the unexpected..besides. That was the same way the initiative started..legit..but the chief would always see loopholes he can exploit for his wiles”
“Not with children” I shook my head stubbornly “what of our Child’s services?”
“Shey you’ll go and work there? So that you can keep an eye?…” He burst out laughing “child services…hahaha”
I ignored him.
“Whatever they have planned I plan to stop them..please hurry up..we’re not cruising around..I need to see my family”
He sobered up immediately. “That’s the spirit..Rex WE won’t let them!..I have some Intel about the so called excos and I have a lot of scenarios that we need to go through and come up with a plan A,B and C that is absolutely foolproof!”
We were at the main gate of the hospital and we waited for the sleepy guard to open up gate.
“There’s no way you can sweet talk me into working with you..I’d rather be on my own and to be honest..I don’t plan to go through with it again”
“Rex..what can I do to let you believe me..I want to take this initiative down..I feel like I sold my soul, I’m just trying to redeem myself”
Somehow I knew if we would go through with the plan(and I mean ‘plan’ in the vaguest sense possible) strange eyes inclusion or exclusion would somehow be a determining factor in the failure or success of our own operation ‘wrath of God’ campaign. I only wished I could know which one his inclusion would bring about specifically.
“What kind of information do you have..?” I asked him
He drove through the gates before answering “I have data on all the excos you would meet should you go through with it and different possible ‘what to expect’ scenarios..this is how intelligence works”
I scoffed “your so called intelligence..if you want to take down the initiative so much, why don’t you arrange for the kind of firepower you prepared for Fome who was Just one person!!”
“This is different…this case..I can’t trust anybody..no one knows what I’m telling you now..even the two agents getting rid of the nurse’s body right now think its a drug burst we’re doing”
I was hardly listening, I was suddenly remembering the night Fome and Mona died…”what happened to Mona’s body?” I asked him suddenly.
“Somebody pulled some heavy strings the next day..the body never even got to the morgue…it got diverted. that was one of the things that snapped me back to reality..I’ve never felt like such a puppet in my entire life!”
I knew it had to be Mr X, who did the pulling of strings. A very sad and bitter man he was, but when you learnt of what he had gone through, you knew he had every right to be.
“What of Fome…?”
“She too…”he lowered his voice “what was left of her.”
I closed my eyes, feeling, pain, regret,grief.
“Let me down here” I told him and He complied, stopping close to the hospital entrance.
“Where do I track you..I have Intel to share with you that would go a long way in helping our cause.” he said as he stopped the car.
I opened the door. My mood had darkened with memories of the sisters deaths.
“Look..strange eyes..I’m tired of seeing and talking to you…I need to sleep..and my family is waiting for me..thank you for all you have told me so far”
I got down but he held my shoulder restraining me. For a moment I thought he
wanted to caution me for calling him strange eyes. ” I knew you were going to say that which is why I have it compiled here for you to read. With pictures…I spent a lot of time on this report and its 100% accurate”
He brought out a slim folder from the side of his door.
“There are four excos in total, the chief’s wife included..their pictures are all there as well as what to expect from each of them..and the possible outcome of the interview..if I were you I would study it vigorously and come up with a plan…..the 3rd is almost upon us”
I had collected the folder and was nodding but I stopped “wait..who told you it is on the 3rd. .I never said anything”
“Oh.. Rex my man…I have my ways..in and out like a smoke remember?”
With that he drove off leaving me with the folder in my hands,standing at the entrance and feeling quite alarmed.

I stood watching to see where he would park. He returned to the spot he had been before, with the vehicle blending perfectly into the night the moment he killed the headlights. So is he spending the night there or what..?
I shook my head and entered the hospital, it had quieted down, still about 2-3 people still sat in the reception, staring at the mute TV on the wall. Watching some kind of cooking channel (that I unfortunately glanced at to see a delicious looking spread that reminded me I was hungry) Some others were stretched out asleep on benches.
I located the office again and woke the man yet again from his sleep. His eyes popped open the moment I entered the room. “You’re back!”
“Why do you leave your door open?”
He shrugged as he hopped down from the bed “I would have to lock it from now” he replied with a gleam in his eye. He seemed eager and hurriedly locked the door.
I wanted to warn him against greed, almost five weeks ago a single act of greed had unleashed a chain of events that had no doubt changed my life(and still changing my life) I handed him the bundle which he counted-twice! Apparently, he was satisfied with the bonus I left him(and the oil he got off the bottle. If you know what I mean)
“Okay….you want a room on the last floor?”
“Yes..preferably next to my brother’s ward”
He seemed in a good mood and I wondered just how much the man had skimmed off me.
He smiled “welcome to Apapa suites”
“That’s a rotten joke”

°•°••°•
Upstairs, I could tell fatigue had set in. Once they had all seen with their eyes that Andy was indeed awake and recovering well, it seems only then did they realise how tired they all were.
I told them I had gotten a room two doors down, it had two beds and the fan was in good working other, the toilet was clean and it had a clean bath too.
“See how you’re talking as if you’re describing a holiday inn!” My dad shook his head and I shrugged, it didn’t matter anymore as long as we got to sleep.

Minutes later I stood looking at Andy, my dad was stretched out on the two chairs and he was fast asleep, the same way I knew my mother and Olivia were asleep in the room down the hall.
I planned to sleep in the car..if I could sleep. The folder I held in my hands had occupied my thoughts since strange eyes had given it to me.
I watched Andy for some seconds more. He was asleep now and you just knew this one was a natural sleep and not as a result of constant sedation.

I sat on the floor and opened the folder. The florescent light from above was really bright and I could see the papers clearly.

The first contained pictures alone. Although it wasn’t coloured and looked like it might have been photocopied but still the features were clear and I could make out the faces. Three women and one man.
There was a group photo of them where they stood together, all in identical polo shirts with some kind of crest and the same kind of teeth displaying smile, and individual photographs but no indication of their names. I kept it aside.

On the next paper who else would I see but the Chief’s wife Mrs Benita. She had her icy look on as she stared back at the camera. One would get the impression that she was a very proud woman, I wondered how the photographer who had taken the photo had been because she stared up at me with disdain on her fine features as if the photograp her had crawled out of the sewage and proceeded to take her picture.
Her details were written under.

Rosaline Benita
1967
Founder “The widows initiative”
5ft 9in
O-
Ec-01

“This information could have been lifted off a drivers license..this strange eyes eh!” I studied the details once more. I had no idea what the last number stood for I would have to ask him later. I had expected something thicker since he was the “king” of ‘information gathering’ but the inclusion of the pictures helped a lot. I had to acknowledge he had done a good job to obtain it alone.

Next was another woman, this one was very old and her picture even though black and white I could tell her hair was grey. She stared at the camera through impassive eyes that had nothing grandmotherly in them.
Her details were under the picture, just like the first.

Uduak N.k
1947
sponsor “widows initiative” (unofficial title: “big mummy”

5 ft 5in
ec-02

I studied her face again then checked what had to be her day of birth..1947…she was really old..Her face was wrinkled but she still had a smart and scholarly look about her. She had a scarf that covered most of her hair and she had reading lasses on with a very slim frame.
This number was ’02’ the first was ’01’ I thought about this then decided the ‘Ec’ had to stand for “Ex-cos”

The next picture was that of a very young and pretty woman.
If I were to guess her age I would say she was in her late 20s or early thirt- no it couldn’t be more than late 20s.
I checked the biodata to be sure.

Sofia O. Annette
1983
Sponsor: Socials “widows initiative”
Ec-04

The last was a man and as I studied his picture, I knew he was vital to the set up of the initiative. He looked really sharp and you just knew he was very intelligent. I felt my instincts tell me that this …this was an angle worth looking into…

“How..how dare you..” My dad grumbled in his sleep making me to jerk up. I shook my head and smiled as I imagined the kind of dream he was having right now, the past few days had really been something else.

I spaced out a bit, replaying the events of the previous days in my head, from the fight with shadow to the trailer road block, to the mariner shootout then the craziness with nurse Ify…

I brought myself back to the present then forced my eyes back on the papers.

Bright A. Edidion
1973
sponsor: lawyer “widows initiative”
[b] 5 ft 11in
O+
Ec-03

I spread all the papers with their details before each other and compared.
So these were the four excos.. I compared their ages 50(Mrs Benita and Chief’s wife), 70(the elderly wrinkled “big mummy”

, 34(the younger and pretty socials…what was her name..Sofia) and 44(the lawyer man..with his sharp and piercing eyes)

I don’t know how long I sat on the floor, studying the pictures but it must have been long because I could tell the faces and all their details had been ingrained in my brain..and I could feel something encouraging going on up there…something resembling a plan trying to take shape.

I selected another paper with the heading

what to expect?

This had to be a writeup from strange eyes himself. I schemed through the details..wondering why he would go through the trouble of typing.

The interview is divided into three parts. Background| Sensitization/Orientation | Luncheon. What these basically means is questions, questions and more questions!
The questions don’t have any range and can cover any topic. But its mostly about the widow’s family and her deceased husband.
The ex-co to watch out for is the lawyer. Intel shows the Lawyer “Mr. Bright” is the one who basically decides the widows who get rejected, and the ones that the initiative renders help to.
However a deeper investigation concerning the smuggling ring revealed that the Old woman “big mummy” is the one that personally selects the widows that are chosen for trafficking.
There is a high possibility this “big mommy” is the chief’s biological mother but no evidence as at yet to back up the claim.

I studied her picture again..but I didn’t see any notable resemblance. I continued the next paragraph,

The interview has lasted for as long as 7 hours in some cases and as short as an hour in others, depending the number of widows being interviewed in a day. The luncheon takes place immediately after the interview.
A serve-yourself buffet consisting of the excos and all the interviewed widows in a big hall,after which the widows are dismissed with the promise of an email to alert them to the result/decision.

Those that are rejected are rejected, and those that are chosen are chosen and all would receive a mail confirming her status. However, those selected for the second and deadly part, i.e: the trafficking part don’t receive any mail, rather they go missing within a period of three days. The cases have always been scattered and unique that no pattern was formed..but after incessant digging of, a link has been formed.
I’ve been able to form some distinct and specific scenarios from Intel gotten from the disappearance of past widows…

I knew I needed to sleep, but what I was reading was just to potent..at the same time I knew there was a lot of work to be done tomorrow,because from what I was seeing, we weren’t halfway prepared for what we wanted to embark on.
Strange eyes had done a good job and as I read through the scenarios of how widows got missing most of them had happened in the past and the rest were possibilities.. It all boiled down to a surprise visit, or forced entry or in some cases the widows had been in discussion with someone on the phone and may/may not have arranged to meet the person somewhere…
There were a lot of possibilities and I could see each of them could happen easily to Olivia..I needed to create counter measures for each of them if it were possible..but that wasn’t all, a fool proof plan was needed and my brain had still been turning around with an idea and it was gradually forming… I knew what I had to do first..I’d try to discourage Olivia about it because to be frank the dozens of kidnapping scenarios I was reading had got me thinking…I couldn’t afford anything to happen to her. But I knew what she was going to say, she was in…she had survived a drastic accident maybe so she could play a part in saving hundreds of women and children and she wasn’t going to abuse it. I smiled..it was almost like I could hear her voice already.
Secondly if what I was thinking was going to work..I was going to need strange eyes help..that part I still had my doubts. But if we were going to take down the initiative from what I was planning..he was needed. The first time I had met him, he had played me into believing he was a mechanic…I needed him to do it again…I needed him to-
I heard a groaning sound from the bed and looked up to see Andy’s eyes were open and they were on me.
He must have tried to speak. He looked on intently like he were trying to say something. “Its okay buddy…don’t stress yourself…”
He moved his hand and i smiled “Oh! I see you bro..I see you!”
I had noticed his right hand and he was giving me a sign. A thumbs up sign. I smiled and gave him two. Raising both hands so he could see “Don’t worry..the initiative is going down…” I assured him and I wasn’t sure from were I was but I thought he smiled.

It had to..either the initiative went down or….. No…I didn’t want to think of it.

DROP YOUR COMMENT