POLICE STATE COMMAND, MOSCOW ROAD, PORT HARCOURT, RIVERS STATE.
Wednesday came too quickly for the Rivers State commissioner.
Today made it exactly two weeks since he received the mysterious call on his personal mobile number and the armed robbery attack that followed a week later at the estate.
The events were moving too rapidly for him. His mind was reeling and he'd barely had time to process anything before being plunged into another call with the mysterious person against his own will.
The Rivers State police commissioner was currently in his office, and just as promised, the mysterious caller was on the phone with him.
"You still haven't told me anything reasonable about the people, or should I say your colleagues? That's right, your colleagues that died. You categorically told me that two armed robbers would die and the rest would escape." The commissioner was pacing back and forth in his spacious office, speaking at the top of his husky voice, but he didn't care.
"Everything went as you predicted. The only thing I can figure out here is that you definitely have a hand in all this and I'm no more playing hide and seek with you."
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Abubakar was finally having it out with the unknown caller, and he wasn't planning to let go. Just like the first time, the commissioner had been on call with this unknown person for over four minutes, yet, the person wasn't saying anything reasonable. When Abubakar discovered that his brain was being manipulated, he became furious.
Savior had been calmly listening as the commissioner made his case. Even though the man was yelling at the top of his lungs, Savior wasn't the least bit afraid.
This ongoing call was long-awaited. As a bride faithfully awaited her bridegroom, he knew that it was how the commissioner had been anticipating his call. Heck, by now, the commissioner probably has his best tech guys on this call, trying to track it.
Now that he was finally on the phone with the commissioner, they'd been going back and forth for over the last four minutes about the operation that took place last week.
"The bullets that were discovered from the gunshot wounds were not from our own machine guns. I've also seen the bodies of the dead men. They were obviously shot and killed from the front and at close range while my men were pursuing from the back. That was the mistake you made, killing them the way you did, and it has no doubt exposed you."
But, that was where he got it wrong. It was no mistake. Savior had intentionally made it so. Before carrying out the operation, he'd meticulously laid out his plans. There was no way something as little as that could have slipped off his attention.
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"Apart from the bullets and the gunshot wounds that you claim is from my gun, which other evidence do you have to prove that I was responsible for the deaths of the two armed robbers?" the boy asked calmly.
Abubakar was taken aback by the calmness in the caller's voice, but he would not be perturbed. He would not be shaken from his resolve.
"Oh, come on, your fingerprint is obviously all over this thing. Stop denying it! What I'm yet to understand is why you turned on your own people. There must definitely be something in it for you."
"Oga commissioner, you still haven't answered my question. Instead, what you've been trying to do for the past two minutes is to coerce me into admitting something you have no proof of. I should think you are more brilliant than that."
"You need what? My answer? Oh, that is quite simple. You called me prior to the operation and gave me a carefully laid out plan. You asked me to follow it. You told me that if I did anything contrary to my given instruction, my men would suffer for it. You specifically told me on record that they would return in body bags.
So, the game is over, my friend, it's time for you to give up."
"Actually, sir, the game is far from over. It is just the beginning."
"What? What did you say?"
"I'm sure you heard me correctly the first time, sir, but since this is way above your shock absorber, I'm going to repeat myself. Actually, sir, the game is far from over. It is just the beginning."
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Those words chimed like bells in Abubakar's head.
Actually, sir, the game is far from over, it is just beginning. Actually, sir, the game is far from over, it is just beginning. Actually, sir, the game is far from over, it is just beginning…
Beginning, beginning, beginning…
Abubakar rubbed his temples. A full blasted migraine was coming up. He went to his table drawer and took out a bottle of aspirin, took out the last two tablets, and guzzled it down into his stomach with a glass of water.
"Are you still there, sir?" Abubakar could hear the caller's voice asking him but the voice sounded distant. He let out a string of curses as his befitting reply.
"I told you before, sir, that I don't like it when people cuss, even though I do that a lot. Apparently, the first time is never enough for you."
"Don't even start with me again. I am not cut out for your mind games this time around," the commissioner snapped harshly.
Savior laughed. "Of course, of course, sir, I wasn't going to play any games with you. Now that you have your own theory, will you allow me to give you my own theory so that you can compare notes?"
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The commissioner didn't answer. Instead, he mentally berated himself for what he was doing right now. What was he doing? Oh, what was he doing? He wasn't supposed to be on the phone with this incognito killer. He should be giving out the word to his men to hunt him down.
But strangely, he found himself hesitating slightly to take action, that was because he was actually curious to know what the caller had to say.
He was yet to give a reply, so the unknown caller waited him out.
"What could you possibly tell me that could clear you?" the police commissioner finally asked.
"Why don't you give me the benefit of doubt until you finish hearing me?"
"I'm giving you the benefit of doubt, but I should let you know that you have a limited amount of time. As I speak to you, my men are bearing down on you."
The caller called his bluff. "I'd love to see them try." He gave a slight chuckle.
"All the best to you and your men."
The commissioner berated himself all the more. He'd just made a fool of himself. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
What could he possibly do now to salvage the situation? Aha! The previous technique should do.
To the caller, he said, "This call will be disconnected after this countdown."
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"No, that's not fair. I didn't time you."
"You have just wasted ten seconds of your precious time."
"Okay, okay, so, how much time do I have this time around?"
"When the line goes dead, just know that your time is over."
"Alright, I guess I'll just have to make do with what I have. You've left me with no choice, you know. So you are really a time conscious human being? What's with you and all this—"
"You've wasted almost twenty-five seconds of your..."
"Okay, I'll talk now like I am being timed even though you and I know that you are not actually timing me. You see, Mr. Commissioner, I am beginning to like this cat-and-mouse game you and I are playing."
Once again, the police commissioner was cornered, probably by a small boy that could be young enough to be his son. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Just end this call now and stop making a fool of yourself.
Just when he was about to press the end call button on his phone screen, the caller began talking and his tone was all business, the police commissioner couldn't help but listen.
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"I'm going to try to be as succinct as possible.
"I have a very long credential but since I promised to be short and precise, the short version of it is that I have the kind of qualification that could earn me a place with the American CIA or FBI, even the Israeli Mossad and Shin Bet. Am I exaggerating? I'll leave you to be the judge of that."
---
Unaware of the call his second-in-command was currently making, Tekena Green's entourage was just about to enter one of his largest warehouses. The one with a secret link to his house.
If only he knew what was about to happen in the next few minutes, he would have turned around and possibly tried to cart off his most valuable treasures from that place.
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