CLARA (The State Governor’s daughter)
EPISODE 18
Val’s side of the story continues
‘’hey what’s in your head?, what are you thinking?’’ I asked Vivian, holding her back. She shook her head and stared into my eyes as if she just wasn’t sure of herself anymore.
‘’I don’t know val. I don’t think I know you anymore. You could even be behind Clara’s kidnap and I’m here all alone with you’’ she stammered. Her words really shook me. I tried hard to compose myself.
‘’you hurt me with your words Vivian.
I thought you understood me. I thought you knew me well?. How can you even think of such a thing?’’ I breathed desperately.
‘’yes I have to think differently because you are an opportunist. You are just the ultimate opportunist. You had feelings for me till Clara showed up. You instantly moved your attention to her and when she finally discovered who you really are, she instantly gets kidnapped. What do you want me to think Val?’’ she muttered quickly while I dropped my eyes. Her words wounded me very much. It was not only painful to be called an opportunist but equally very hurtful to realize that I was now a prime suspect to everyone including Vivian.
Yes I very much noticed the way agent mike talked to me earlier in the day and now Vivian was equally spilling out her mind. I couldn’t help but wonder over and over if the whole thing was really staged to implicate me.
‘’very well then, if that’s what you think about me, you can leave’’ I breathed. She hesitantly stood back.
‘’I’m sorry if I sounded very harsh but we could have been happy together. We could have been a wonderful couple but you decided to stitch your luck with Clara and it backfired.
Believe me I really want to stay with you right now but I don’t think it’s a good idea anymore. Imagine the kidnappers are contacting you, for what reason?. And if the governor or anymore from the family notice that I’m here with you when the kidnappers called to make demands, they could think the whole thing was planned by us. I have to leave now’’ she breathed solemnly, drew back and left me apartment without another word.
I breathed deeply as I watched her leave.
Of course she was very right. The last thing I wanted was bringing her into the mess; moreover the kidnappers already informed me that they were watching and I couldn’t risk putting her in harm’s way as well.
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Two hours later at D.S.S state directors’ office.
‘’seriously Val, I’m finding it difficult to convince myself that you are not part of this kidnap saga either voluntarily or involuntarily.
But I still see no reason why you should be part of it. That means someone is trying very hard to set you up’’ the state director muttered after I told him of the phone call I got from the kidnappers.
‘’for now we will have to wait for them to call again, once the call comes through, I will take over till our field agents coming down from Abuja arrives. The next flight coming in from Abuja should be around 4:30pm and I have already sent some agents to the airport to wait for them. You know none of us is taking a break till this issue is solved’’ he added while I nodded nervously. Seriously I never imagined my life would ever get so complicated. I also couldn’t help but thank God that at least I still had my freedom. I was lucky to still be walking freely.
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It was really a long wait as I nervously sat in the director’s office waiting for another phone call from the kidnappers. My prayer was for them to call back as soon as possible.
I really was tired. I badly needed a good rest.
I badly wanted the whole issue to be resolved.
I was ready to do anything to end the terrible nightmare.
At exactly 5:30pm, my ringing phone brought us up on our feet. I stared at the screen and saw that the caller i.d was hidden like the first time the kidnappers called.
‘’I think it’s them sir’’ I muttered.
‘’pick up the call and set it on loudspeaker, then leave the talking to me’’ he ordered me. I nervously did as he requested.
‘’this is the state director of D.S.S’’ the old man introduced himself, leaving a long silence at the other end of the line.
‘’I wish to talk to agent Val. Is the money ready?’’ a voice from the other end finally demanded.
‘’Val is a junior agent, he has no powers to carry on your request. From now you deal with me’’ my director said calmly.
‘’is that how you want it?, fine, I will call your line then but I hope my money is ready?
Or by 8pm I will drop of one Clara’s fingers in front of your gate’’ he threatened and hung up. For the first time, I noticed my director appear extremely troubled and colored up.
‘’I have to go see the governor right away’’ he managed to stammer. But before I could say anything an agent walked in with the agents we were expecting from Abuja.
They were eleven in number and led by agent Jenifer, a very beautiful lady I used to have a crush on years back at the camp.
‘’hmmm agent Val, good to see you again, I heard you f.ucked up on your first major field assignment’’ she asked with a smile while I eyed her.
Agent Jenifer was a law graduate who joined the service the same year I did but her brilliance and superb abilities in field task made her the best graduating cadet from our set, earning her accelerated promotion to the next rank. She was equally posted to the federal capital city as a field agent.
‘’oh I’m glad you guys are finally here.
Your accommodation and office for your equipments has been set up. We have also established contact with the kidnappers.
Hopefully this will be resolved as soon as possible’’ my director addressed them with a happy smile on his face. There wasn’t any doubt he was very satisfied to see them.
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After briefing Jenifer and her team on how the governor’s daughter was kidnapped and the shootout that followed, she insisted on seeing the last crime scene. (The scene of the last shootout). She believed the kidnappers must have dumped their riffles within the scene before disappearing on their motorbike.
According to her, it was impossible to flee the scene with long riffles without being noticed in a crowded city like Owerri.
I had to take her to the scene that evening where we spent almost an hour searching for the riffles which we eventually did find.
‘’phew you see I was right. They wouldn’t have fled the scene on a motorbike carrying such riffles’’ she breathed pleasantly as she picked up the two weapons and faced me.
I nodded in admiration; I couldn’t believe the policemen who were left to secure the scene never saw the weapons.
‘’anyway I believe the guns must have been wiped clean of finger prints but then they always fail to wipe the bullets’’ she added as she detached the bullet chamber from the first rifle revealing some live bullets. But then it was one thing to get fingerprints from a crime scene and another thing to match them with a face in a country like Nigeria.
‘’so Val what happened to you. You haven’t called me for the past six months and now you don’t even stare at me like you used to do back then?’’ she suddenly asked, momentarily taking off my attention from the case as my mind went down memory lane. I slowly remembered how I used to crush on her years ago and how badly she treated my feelings.
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