'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.'