Love, intrique, killings, as Abel monitors a shaky government

Love, intrique, killings, as Abel monitors a shaky government

Abel followed Millie from a discreet distance wherever she went, and when she was at home, he loitered around until he knew she had gone to bed. He amused himself singing songs like “On the Street Where You Live” from My Fair Lady and writing notes for the big story to come.

He also enjoyed the fact that wherever he went, his guardians followed, so as he had surmised, Millie had a bevy of bodyguards, de facto. Abel determined to keep up this routine until Clarke brought the woman in for questioning.

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Late at night, once he’d left his post, Abel would meet Clarke at a pub and the two men would play darts. One night, Clarke won his first game and immediately became suspicious that Abel had thrown it on purpose.

“Why would I do that?” Abel said.

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“So I’ll bring the woman in sooner and you can stop your vigil.”

Abel laughed. “Never happen, inspector. I don’t throw games for anyone. But since you bring it up, when are you going to bring Millie in?”

“Soon. She’s still calling Nigeria and talking to her husband. We’ve got nothing incriminating yet, but we don’t want to expose the taps until we’re sure they won’t yield anything more.”

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Abel beat Clarke soundly the next two games and only smiled when Clarke wondered again if he’d let him win that one time.

 

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While Peter Abel was beating Clarke at darts and holding vigil over Millie, Gorem Huud was going about the business of disappearing. He had planned everything carefully and could be gone in a matter of hours.

The plan to escape had taken on more urgency after Pinch’s murder. He’d confronted Tiko about the killing, but party boss was unflappable. “You know he was about to turn against us? Testify? What would you prefer? That we be in prison?”

“How many murders are you going to commit, Timo? How many people have to die so we can retire rich?”

“As many as it takes.”

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Huud had turned and left the room, more disturbed than ever.

It was time for him to leave before anyone else died. But he had one thing to do still. He needed to convince Comfort to accompany him. She would travel ahead of him on vacation, and Tiko and Rika would be happy she had abandoned camp. Later, Huud would meet her in France and they would start a new life there.

Huud called on her at her apartment late one night after she had already gone to bed. He had a way of getting his security details off his back. He only had to whisper “privacy.”

Comfort answered the door in her robe, rubbing sleep from her eyes. “Gorem. What’s wrong?”

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Huud entered and closed the door. He took her in his arms, felt her body beneath the robe and wanted nothing more in the world than to live with her and make her happy for the rest of her life.  He told her so.

“Gorem, you’re married. Things are so mixed up right now.”

“Listen to me, Comfort. My life here is over. There are things I can’t tell you, but soon they will come out. The government will fall and the party will fall and have to be remade. From the top down, if you see what I mean.”

“What are you telling me?”

“Nothing specific. But you have to believe me that what has happened, what will be revealed, I never knew it would come to this. It may be the first in the political history of this nation, but I’m leaving, Comfort. And I want you to come with me.”

She looked at him with wide eyes. “What?”

“I have got everything done for you to travel under a false name. We hook up later, when I also leave soon.” He was almost coming to tears. “Comfort, there’s nothing for either of us in this godforsaken place. Nigeria has no hope until there is government reform, and that is not going to happen right now. But we have a future. Together. I will make you my queen.”

Comfort was stunned by this outburst. She shook her head. “Gorem, I can’t give up my life and just go away with you.”

“Why not?”

“My job is here. I have responsibilities. Doctor Camp.”

Huud took her in his arms again. “I know you’re an honourable woman, but Doctor Camp has many people to watch over him. Your job at the ministry will end when he leaves. And he’s not going to stay much longer.”

“How do you know?”

“When the government falls he’ll leave. There’s no doubt.”

“Some students want him to be governor. Maybe he’ll run the State someday.”

“Comfort, listen to me. Politics corrupts everyone who touches it, and Doctor Camp is no different. You don’t want to know him if he comes to power. You’ll be disillusioned.”

“Why are you running, Gorem? Are things that bad?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know about the murder of that man in England? The one they say handled financial affairs for you and Timo Tiko? The word is, you had him killed because he was going to testify against you.”

“I know him, yes. I had nothing to do with his murder, I swear.”

“Nor Camp’s wife and children?”

“No, not them either.”

“And what of the money that’s missing? Did you have some hand in that?”

Huud wanted to tell her everything, and he would, but not tonight. “I will tell you when we’re safely away.”

Comfort walked away from him and shook her head. “No, Gorem. There’s too much swirling around you. I could never love a man who was part of such a world.”

“We’re all part of that world.”

“But some of us are trying to make it better, while others are simply taking as much as they can and sweeping aside anyone who gets in their way. I did love you once, Gorem. I loved what you were before you became governor and married Rika. But now, you’re one of them. I won’t go with you. I don’t want you to come to me again. Please.”

Huud knew in his heart that this is what she’d say, he’d known it for a long time now. He knew it even as he ordered her passport with a phoney name on it. “I wish things had been different, Comfort. I know I could have made you happy.”

He left the apartment, kissing her tenderly on the cheek as he departed. He fought back tears. He had lost the one thing on earth he cherished above all.

Once outside, he immediately deployed his Plan B. He drove his car to where his aides were waiting and together, they headed for Abuja that night. Just before he boarded the BA flight the following morning, he called Rika to tell her how badly he needed a vacation. A press release on his vacation and the authorisation for his deputy to act, was issued from the Tinnaka State liaison office in Abuja that morning.

Robbed of opportunities to ask questions, Rika was boiling with rage. Bammak City had been thrown into so much political confusion that the Party executives had to meet. Tiko was so mad that all he could take that day was alcohol.

 

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Timo Tiko greeted the visitor politely and closed to door to his office, then locked it. The man in the suit was powerfully built and serious. He had been recommended by Jonas as a colleague who specialized in interrogation.

“What did you find out?” Tiko asked.

“The guard at the desert camp pointed us to someone on your wife’s staff. He made a deposit recently of a large sum into his bank account, which he couldn’t explain. We spoke with him at length.”

“And?”

“And yes, your wife is the one who arranged for Peter Abel’s rescue.”

Tiko sat back down. He wasn’t surprised, but hearing it said out loud was a blow. “All right. Did this man tell you if others were involved beside himself and the guard?”

“We didn’t get a chance to ask, unfortunately. He died soon after telling us about your wife. He was stubborn and had a weak heart. It happens.”

Tiko reached into the drawer and handed the man an envelope stuffed with money. The man took the bills out and counted them, then looked up. “I’m not complaining, but this is more than we’re owed.”

“The rest is to keep your findings quiet. Nobody is to know. Do you understand?”

The man left, and Tiko phoned Jonas. “Send someone to London. Bring my children back here.”

“What about your wife?”

“You know what to do. But not in front of the children.”

 

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Late that night, in one on Tiko’s many guest houses, he shared a bed with Rika and discussed what to do about Huud over a bottle of whiskey

“I don’t know where his accounts are, but I can find out,” Tiko said. “I’ll have to be careful, because I don’t want to expose myself.”

“How are you going to find out?” Rika wanted to know.

“Leave that to me,” Tiko said. He kissed her and began moving his hands down her body. She responded. She was so easy to distract, and God knew Tiko didn’t want her getting into things. If she started asking questions of the wrong people, she might put them all into more danger than they could handle.

Tiko knew which banks were most likely to hold Huud’s accounts. He’d check tomorrow. He had to keep Rika beholden to him. Once she didn’t need him anymore, he was afraid she’d move against him. So Tiko planned on finding the money, then getting it to her in such a way that exposed her. Once he had her fingerprints on the money, so to speak, he’d blackmail her. If anything happened to him, the police would find proof of her participation in several murders plus the theft of the funds. Tiko needed to protect himself from her. She was the most dangerous person he had ever met. But that made their sex even better.

 

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The man Jonas contacted was an old colleague from Liberia. He was a complete professional. A woman would be easy, even if, as Jonas warned him, she might be under police surveillance. He would take his shot from a distance. Her routine was completely predictable. It was like stealing, taking money for this one.

As the man set up on the roof of the building overlooking the upscale home, he hummed to himself. She would be coming back between one-thirty and one-forty-five for lunch.  At one-thirty-four, he saw Millie walking by herself, up the street and toward her house. He settled in, bracing himself and his weapon against a low wall, snuggling the butt of the rifle against his shoulder and cheek. Millie walked into the cross-hairs.

He squeezed the trigger gently, holding his breath.

 

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