TARASHA Episode 17 Pt 8 – Oyin Oluwatosin Emmanuel
Emm…I was just thinking as a cinematographer,’ she said with a forced smile. ‘I was thinking of what it would be like making films centered on the lives of people like you, it’ll really be inspiring to a lot of young people.’
‘Hmm,’ Nasiru swallowed the lie. ‘There might really be some horror part, you know.’ He said with a shrug, ‘some of us have gone through and done some funny things too. Well, I was saying that for Nigeria to be the country we all want it to be, then every Nigerian has to think and act in a positive way. The Ata’s foundation was a brainchild of my late father, blessed be his memory.
He was so passionate about the children on the streets and under the bridges that every of his weekends were always spent visiting orphanages and motherless babies homes, some he used to visit kids in the slums and give foodstuffs to their families. But he didn’t have enough wealth or influence to come up with something like the Ata’s foundation then. I didn’t have the same passion like he had, the truth is…’ Nasiru stopped and turned to look at the faces of his listeners.
‘I never thought I would do something like this if not for my mother who insisted that I fulfill my father’s last wish. Now I have no regrets doing it, all my life. I’ve never been happier than I am now, seeing children and families given hope and life.’ He took a handkerchief and wiped his teary eyes. The visitors were surprised as they couldn’t figure out the reason for the tears.
‘I lived my younger days as a selfish person, I wasn’t really concerned with anybody else except gathering enough money and getting comfort for myself and my family.’ He began to confess. ‘I’ve hurt a lot of people in the past, a lot of families, a lot of children and even the whole nation. I wish I could erase everything but no matter how hard I try, I still…’ The remaining words were unheard as the tears covered them. The man wiped his face with the handkerchief again and cleaned his mouth. The visitors stared at his face in awe except for Tarasha who was indifferent about his emotional state. All she had in mind was how the man’s death was going to be executed and how the book was going to leave the shelf.
‘That’s why I am happy to see people like you,’ the man continued what seemed to Tarasha an epistle, ‘especially the younger ones.’ Nasiru paused and looked away from Mr Alfred to the three younger representatives. ‘I want to encourage you to keep doing what you’re doing, that’s the way to go.’ He said and handed a handshake to everyone except Mr Alfred who he gave a pat on the back. ‘I’ll edit and release this book for public readership soon, I believe it’ll inspire a lot of young folks like you.’ He said tapping the book which contained the Ata’s foundation history.
He moved away from that section and his visitors moved with him, only Tarasha still had her mind on the section as they moved to the next.
A knock on the door distracted all of them. ‘Who’s it?’ Nasiru spoke aloud.
‘May I come in sir? You do have a phone call.’ A gruff voice sounded.
‘Okay, come in’ Nasiru replied the gruff voice which he knew to be his personal guard’s.
‘Here,’ the muscular man hurried forward and handed over the phone to Nasiru.
Nasiru stared at the phone’s screen for a while, looking undecided as to whether or not to return the call immediately. He was still trying to decide when it began to ring again.
‘Sir,’ he answered the call and excused himself from his guests with an hand gesture. He began to walk with the bodyguard towards the door.
‘Was that Don Dan I saw on the news today?’ Nasiru asked in a shocked voice while still walking out of the study.
The Don Dan mentioned caught the attention of the rest of the team except for Tarasha. They looked at each other’s faces and made eye gestures, then Tarasha understood that the man must have said something with which they can relate. She took a quick glance around the top corners of the study to see if there was a camera in it, she found none.
‘Go and listen to him,’ she said to Benny who was disguised as Mr Alfred. ‘Carefully,’ she added with a warning look at him. Benny walked gently closer to the entrance where he could hear the man’s voice faintly. He folded his arm and began to stare at the pictures on the wall.
Tarasha took the opportunity to return to the previous section, she picked up the hardcover book which caught her attention. She noticed it was a very old book and it wasn’t complete, more than half of the pages had been detached from it. She flipped it open and the first thing she saw was ‘Arms Deal with Elvis Richards’. Before she could continue, she already saw Benny returning to the former position gently, she returned the book and also joined the rest at the new section.
‘I’m sorry ladies and gentlemen, I just had to attend to that. It was from the vice president.’ Nasiru explained as he walked back into the study. ‘Now this section, like I believe you’ve noticed already, is where I can find everything thing concerning the house of Reps and law in Nigeria. It’s my work and that’s why it’s the largest section. From the beginning to the end of the rack, you’ll find books that’ll educate you more about the Constitution of the nation. You may not understand some since you’re aren’t a…’ The man continued to rattle on.
Tarasha was getting uncomfortable with the man’s unnecessary talks, she took out her phone secretly and began to set up some commands. After some few seconds, she dialed Nasiru’s number to distract him.
Soon enough the guard came back with the phone and Nasiru excused himself again.
‘It’s time to split guys,’ Tarasha said to the team immediately the man went out of earshot. ”We have to locate an escape route now. Do you have your communication devices with you?’
They all nodded in positive to her question. ‘Then remain connected alw…’ She stopped as Nasiru returned back into the place hurriedly.
‘I’m sorry guys, I thought the vice President was trying to get back to me but it was a wrong dial.’ Nasiru apologized again. ‘My phone is here now,’ he showed them his phone and then dipped it into his pocket.
‘Sir,’ Evelyn called in a faint voice.
‘Yes, Evelyn.’ The man answered.
‘Ermm… I’ll like to use the restroom sir’ she announced, receiving planned awkward stares from the rest of the team.
‘Okay,’ Nasiru replied and took out his phone again. He dialed a first number but the call wasn’t answered, he dialed another. ‘Hello Joe, get to Fatima for me and tell her I need her in the study right now. Get back to me immediately you relay my message.’ He said into the phone and nodded in response to the call receiver’s reply. He cut the call and glanced at Evelyn. ‘Fatima would be here to attend to you in the next one minute,’ he said to her.
‘Thank you sir,’ she curtsied. They all waited patiently for the arrival of Fatima and true to the man’s word, Fatima arrived in a minute time.
Evelyn was excused to go with Fatima while the rest remained in the study.
~~
‘Let’s go this way,’ Fatima said on seeing Tarasha facing the opposite direction as they got outside the study.
‘Please, I need to get something in my bag first.’ Tarasha replied.
‘What do you want to take there? I may have it in the house.’ Fatima said to her.
‘It’s a medicine I need.’
‘Ehen… Are you sure you can go there yourself or do I send a maid to get it for you?’ Fatima suggested, sounding concerned.
‘Let me get it myself please,’ Tarasha replied and kept moving in the same direction. Fatima followed her.
~~
‘Like I was saying before the interruption, everything concerning the laws, Constitution and work in the Senate are contained here.’ Nasiru continued his talk. Not long after, Cole clutched his hands to his stomach and began to let out air from his mouth through silent burps.
‘What’s wrong?’ Nasiru asked in a very serious tone and with a serious look on his face.
‘I’m feeling a little bit uneasy,’ Cole managed to say. ‘I think I too have to use the restroom.’
‘Restroom?’ Mr Alfred turned to the Senate President and stared at him in a kind of accusing manner.
‘Ermm… It’s just a little issue, maybe you took something earlier today that’s your system is reacting to.’ Nasiru said, looking visibly disturbed. ‘Come with me,’ he said with a hand gesture to Cole and began to proceed out of the place.
~~
**5 minutes later**
Immediately Tarasha entered into the toilet, she turned on the communication device whose receiver was at her back and fixed the earpiece in her left ear. Then she rolled up her flowing gown and removed some metal devices from some attached pockets to her thighs. She dropped them in the sink and climbed on the water closet to see through the window. After taking some minutes to observe, she stepped down and walked back to the sink. Her device beeped.
‘Boss,’ Cole’s voice came through.
‘Cole, have you separated yourself from the rest?’
‘Yes, I’m in the restroom now.’
‘Any clear route seen from there?’ She asked as she took out a bug and a sharp blade-like metal from the devices placed in the sink.
‘There’s only a small farmyard at this place, it’s the boundary between this house and Cole’s car.’
‘Are you in the upper floor?’
‘Yes.’
‘What side of the house are you in?’
‘I don’t know where.’
‘Don’t you have a compass with you?’ Tarasha asked.
‘I have.’
‘Then use it to determine the position in relation to where our car was parked outside.’
‘Okay, I’ll get back to you boss.’ Cole said and the connection was cut.
Tarasha climbed back on the water closet and tore off the net with the blade like metal. She clipped the bug to the wall behind the window.
Her device beeped again. ‘Cole’
‘I’m at the left side of the upper floor.’
‘Okay, who showed you to the toilet?’
‘Mr Nasiru asked his personal guard to bring me here.’
‘Okay, there’s a pin among your tools there, it’ll induce temporary tranquilization when stuck into the man’s neck. Use it to…’
~~
‘Hey! Hope all is well,’ Cole could hear the bodyguard shout from outside.
‘Hummp!’ Cole owled like someone struggling to let out faeces. He was sure the man heard him and was going to think he was having a hard time defecating.
‘What’s that?’ He could hear the Boss ask from the other side.
‘Nothing Boss, I’ll do as you instructed.’ He said in the usual low voice he had been using and cut the connection.
He got up from the water closet and dipped his hand into the inner pocket of his jacket. He was able to take out the pin Tarasha talked about in a nylon. He unsealed it and placed it between his fingers. Then he pressed the flush button on the Water closet.
He waited for another minute before he opened the door and stepped out.
‘Hope you’re feeling better now?’ The muscular guy asked.
‘Yes,’ Cole answered with a slight groan, still adjusting his trousers.
‘Okay, Alhaji Nasiru and the rest of your colleagues are waiting for you in the living room.’
‘Okay…’ Cole moved closer to the guy, half limping and half walking. He thought he could stick the pin into the man’s throat easily as he was sure the man wasn’t ready to defend any attack but he was wrong. The bodyguard grabbed him by the fist before the pin could get to his neck.
The fury on the guards eyes was bloody as if he had been waiting for a prey to pounce on.
~~
‘Where are you now?’ Tarasha typed into the chat box.
‘We are in the living room, waiting for your orders.’ Benny replied in less than twenty seconds.
‘Have your heard from Cole?’
‘Not yet.’
‘Okay, the next order would be from him. Now, where is the target? Is he close to you?’
‘Not too far, he’s some centimetres away, talking silently with his wife and some of his maids.’
‘Cole would call you soon, we won’t use a gun on the man but would silence him quietly with the poison. We’ll likely escape through the main gate also with his daughter as an hostage. Just wait for the next orders from Cole.’
‘Okay Boss,’ Benny typed in.
‘And, what did you hear the man discuss with the vice president on the phone?’
‘I think he and the vice president are involved in some shady deals, it’s like one of their boys sent on an errand had been caught earlier today.’
‘And who is Don Dan? You, Cole and Aisha seemed to have heard the name before.’
The reply this time took more than the usual time but Benny finally typed it. ‘He’s our former boss, I think it’s one of his other men that was caught in the errand they sent him.’
‘Okay, then.’
Tarasha turned off the phone’s screen and dipped into her inner pocket. She got up from the water closet, thinking. It was surely Don that she met ealier that day. That was why he could mention her name. But why and what does the Vice and Senate President have to do in Henry’s apartment? She asked herself.
She began to return the tools she put in the sink. A knock sounded on the door.
‘Evelyn,’ she heard Fatima call outside.
‘I’m coming,’ she answered in a singing tone.
‘Please, take your time. I just wanted to find out if you’re okay.’
