Work of the devil - Season 1 - Episode 12

5 years ago

Work of the devil - Season 1 - Episode 12

After I was out of the police station, I got to know that there was a plan by the guys of the ‘club’ to be eliminate me. They said I had rebelled and had gone rogue. That I has broken their code of operations because of my personal affiliation with the ‘package’.

Rogue? That was a big word for me. But I understood what they meant. They simply meant that I was now a loose end, a threat to their smooth operations and hidings because I got personal about the victim. Why would I not? Was she not my cousin’s daughter? It was a blood relationship. Who would not have gotten personal?

I knew I was on the bad end because even though she was my relative, I had wanted to trade her ‘for a while’. And that made them feel that I was not worth trusting. That if I could do such to a relative- one related to me by blood, that it would not cost me much to betray them since I was offended at them and had known much about them already and had no blood relationship with them.

The information I had about them was going to endanger me. It is often said that knowledge makes one free but this knowledge (of them) that I had would put me in danger.

After I knew about the plan to silently eliminate me, I thought of running away and taking off. It would be the natural safe thing to do. But I decided against that. If I ran away, they would know that I knew what they knew. They would know that I knew that they were after my life and that would not go down well.

Most notably, they would send their force violently after me. It would be a chase and I would not be able to stand them.

Moreover, they might even use their money and power to put the police after me. It would seem like I actually did it and was trying to take the chance of my release to escape from the arm of the law.

In addition, running away after learning their plans would make it almost impossible for me to know how to locate Princess. They were the ones that did the deal and as supposed, they would have all the needed information on her whereabouts. I needed to be close to the information source.

After considering these two, I decided to stay back. I would act as if I knew nothing about their plans. I would act ignorant. I knew that knowledge is a weapon but concealing what you know about the plans and strategies of your enemies is another weapon. Secrecy has power. And so, I stayed and acted like everyone. I would not want to be suspected, it would expose my plan and ruin everything.

I blended in and got to prove again my loyalty and like magic, I was accepted again even though I knew that it was not like it was at first. The trust we now had was a questionable one. I knew some were pretending to have fully accepted me just as I also was pretending.
I made sure that I watched my back carefully and I did a thorough search and finally got to meet with a private investigator, the new guy that was transferred to the police station where I was detained. I noticed that he felt there was something fishy about the case and how it was handled and so, I felt he was good for me to confide in. And I did. Even though, I has made lots of bad and selfish decisions, this one turned out to be a good one.

After the failed operations, I had stopped using my normal MTN line. I knew that Regina would be calling again and again. Not only that, the number would be given to the police to trace and locate me. So I stopped using it. I already had a lot to deal with. The guilt of what I did alone was so burdensome. The issue I was having- suspicion issue, with the ‘club’ was another. Having to keep my line open to get calls of all kinds relating to Princess’s missing would make things worse. I needed to focus.

And so, I stayed for weeks without using it and getting any form of communication with my family members. I wanted to protect them. But I could not. I thought I was for a while until a message came to me.

Since the operations- my taking Princess away from her Mom, I had not visited the hotel where I had lodged them. I didn’t want to be seen so soon. I knew the police would hang around for a while at the hotel, especially during the first few days after the incident. So, I stayed away. But then, the more I stayed away, the more I got increasingly curious to know what later happened.

What Regina did. Whether the police actually came. If my picture was hung at the hotel’s reception. Whether the receptionist and other staff of the hotel were instructed by the police to call them as soon as they see me. Whether a reward was placed on my head for anyone who first alerted the police and therefore leading to me getting caught.

Two months later, I went to the hotel. I did some measure of disguising. For instance, I was more, if not always, given to dressing casually. Jeans. T-Shirts. Chinos. Blazers. But I dressed corporately in suit and tie.

On reaching there, I noticed that all my suspicions held no place. There was no tightened security. It was still as loose as it was the night I had taken Princess away. There was no picture of me hanging on the wall of the reception. If it was the former me, I would have felt bad. How could I have pulled such a stunt, such a crime and not get my picture hanging? Was it that it was not considered fit enough to be counted as crime? Was it that it lacked expertise or intelligence or what?

But the new me just didn’t. I felt good that my picture wasn’t displayed. I would not pride myself in such foolish publicity. I would not see such as a feat. I was interested in one thing- getting Princess back and anything that would not aid in that was considered a nuisance. Staying discreet was needed for me to get her back.

As I walked over to the receptionist’s desk, he greeted me. I noticed he was not the receptionist I had met the last time. Then it was a lady. This one here was a young man who was rather too fit. He had some muscles and looked more like a gym instructor than a receptionist.

He flashed me a small smile, “Good morning sir”, he greeted.

“Good morning too. How are you?”
“I’m alright. What can I do for you sir?”
I hesitated. I didn’t prepare for this part. I didn’t know I was going to approached the receptionist. I had just wanted to stay a little afar, maybe the bar, and just observe things. But my curiosity dragged me and kept dragging me.
And so I asked, “Is there any available room?”
“Sure sir. Do you have any in mind sir?”
“Is room 14 vacant?”
That was the room that I had lodged Regina and Princess in.
“Let me check”
He did for few seconds and replied, “it is available sir”
“Can I see it?”
“Of course sir”
He made a call that seemed like he needed another staff to cover for him for few minutes while he took me to see room 14. But I was wrong.

After the call, I followed him as he led the way. Nothing seemed out of place as far as I could tell and so I suspected nothing.

He inserted the key, turned it and pushed open the door and walked in, I followed him and immediately sensed some other persons inside the room and before I could turn, they pinned me down.