YINKS89:
Am sure the moment he attacks junior, he would know who Tony is

Update 103

He waited some minutes in the car when he reached the police station because he wanted the group of people that milled outside the station to leave. Bode only climbed down from the car when the people had dispersed. He walked briskly into the station.

“I would like to speak with the chief of police,” he told the three people at the front desk. He could immediately hear some sibilant whispers behind him. Those who remained in the station for one reason or another immediately recognised him. Bode Williams knew that nothing could be done to him here – he was in a police station; no matter what, the police would protect him from whatever mob that might want to attack him.

The police officers at the counter stared at him before they reacted; they tried to hide their surprise but failed miserably. At this point, Bode was beginning to realise that coming here was a very bad idea. He should have found a way to get John Balewa’s phone number and request for a meeting. He could have simply invited the chief-of-police to his home instead of coming here. Why the hell had he not thought about that in the first place? He drove all the way from his house to this place and put himself at risk – what he could have easily avoided.

“Why are you staring at me like you have seen a ghost?” Bode asked angrily, “Did any one of you hear what I said? I would like to speak with Officer John Balewa. Is he in the office?”

The officer in the middle nodded and replied, “Please wait here while I go and call him.” he disappeared down a corridor.

Basket was behind his desk as usual. He was reading the report of a particular crime. Some five vandals had been arrested for breaking an oil pipeline and selling the product in the black market. His boys had made the arrest and the case had been taken to court. Basket had been following the case judiciously because he wanted to make sure that the thieves spent a long time in jail, as long as could be given them. Basket had reached that level where he had zero tolerance for any crime, and this had been inspired by Peter who had managed to slip away from him by making use of Rhoda to carry out his criminal activity. Whenever he thought about it, he would be consumed by anger. Once again, Peter had been one step ahead of him. He was playing draughts while Peter had been playing chess all along – he never saw the final move coming. He desperately wanted something he could use – something that could give him a reason to go after Black once again. All he needed was a reason and he knew he would arrest Peter again. But years had gone by now and nothing concrete had come his way. He was beginning to think that he would never be able to arrest Peter again. If Peter committed no crime, he, Basket, would be powerless against his old friend. It was driving him mad.

A knock sounded on his door. He looked up from what he was reading and said, “Who is that?”

“It’s me, Officer Kukumba.”

Basket frowned. “Cucumber?”

“No, sir. It’s Kukumba – with a K.”

This must have been one of the police officers transferred from another police station to come work under him. He had lost some three police officers a couple of months ago during a drug bust and so three more had been sent to replace them.

“I’m a new officer, sir. I joined this division a week ago,” the young officer said through the door, confirming what Basket was thinking.

“Okay, what do you want?”

“Honourable Bode Williams is at the reception, sir. He is requesting to speak with you.”

“Honourable Bode Williams?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Are you talking about the same Bode Williams?”

“Yes, sir.”

“What does he want?”

“He wants to speak with you, sir?”

“Don’t be a smartass, Cucumber. What does he want to speak to me about?”

“I have no idea, sir.”

Basket believed that this visit must be linked to the arrest he made the night before. He still recalled that he had worked with Bode Williams and Senator Bankole more than ten years ago. Then, he had been a younger police officer who had just been promoted. At the time, he was looking to impress, but as soon as the political campaigns were over, Basket had decided to distance himself from these men because he suspected that they might be corrupt. He had once been offered a bribe by Honourable Bode Williams but he had rejected it then. He was wise enough to understand that if he accepted that bribe at the time, he would forever be in their pocket – and Basket would never be in anyone’s pocket. They had tried to lure him in and he had refused; he still considered that refusal one of the best decisions he had made in his life. Now he could relate with any of them without any fear whatsoever.”

“Okay, please lead him in.”

“Okay, sir.”

Basket heard the young officer’s retreating footsteps. About a minute later, a couple of footsteps were approaching. A knock sounded again on the door.

“Come in, please.”

The knob was turned and the officer named Kukumba stepped into the office – he was followed by Honourable Bode Williams. Basket stared at the young police officer and thought that his name suited him, for he had an oval head that almost resembled a cucumber.

“Thank you, Officer Kukumba,” he said, “You can leave us now.”

Basket rose to his feet and said, “Hello Honourable. It’s a great honour meeting you once again. I must say, I am surprised by your visit. You are the last person I expected to see today.”

“Good morning, Officer,” said Bode Williams, extending a hand for a shake. He felt Basket’s iron grip on his hand. The police officer was still as strong as ever. “I have been reading, watching and hearing about all your exploits in the state. You are a blessing to Lagos State. Since you were posted here, crime in this state has reduced significantly. No other police officer has been able to achieve what you have achieved so far. We all owe you a debt of gratitude in this state. How do we even repay you for all that you have done for us in this state?”

Basket stared at the man and said, “The state government is already repaying me for my service. I’ve only been doing my job, sir.”

“And you are doing it excellently, officer.”

“Thank you, Honourable. To what do I owe this august visitation? You should have called me instead of coming here all the way from your home.”

“I realised that too late. Anyways, I can’t simply return home now that I’m here. Officer, do you remember that you worked in my campaign team about fifteen years ago?”

Basket nodded. “I remember quite vividly. I also remember that you tried to bribe me shortly after you won the election.”

Bode waved his hand as if that detail was not important. “Forget about that. It was only part of politics. I wanted strong people around me. You were one of those strong people. I’m glad that you refused the incentive; it shows that you are a man of great integrity.”

“Why have you come here, Honourable? This is my second time of asking,” said Basket, “I am not one who enjoys irrelevant chit-chats.”

Bode Williams breathed in and nodded his head. “I understand that you are a busy man. I don’t intend to take much of your time. I heard that you arrested two men last night.”

“That’s right,” replied Basket firmly, “Senator Bankole and Honourable Fash.”

“I have come here in respect to Bankole.”

Basket spread his hands. “What does his arrest have to do with you, Honourable? I understand that you two used to work together several years ago, but that does not concern me. If you have come here to solicit for his release, then I’m afraid you have wasted your time. He won’t even be granted bail. He has committed a grave crime and he is going to face the full wrath of the law.”

Bode shook his head. “On the contrary, I have not come here to plead for him or seek for his bail. He can do that on his own. But I am curious – if it was the honourable that killed Bankole’s son, then how come you arrested Bankole too? Isn’t he the victim here?”

“Honourable, I’m afraid what you don’t know supercedes what you do. I’m afraid I can’t tell you anything now. If you are really interested in knowing, you will hear it in court. It would be unprofessional of me to begin talking about his crime at this early stage. Besides, even the senator himself has not called his lawyer. I believe that he is still mourning the death of his son.”

“With all due respect, officer, what you don’t know is far more than what you know. I know more than you think.”

“Excuse me?”

“I have come here to tell you something you might not have known. There are some things I know about Bankole that no other person does. I intend to share that information with you.”

“I will advice you to keep your information to yourself, Honourable. You might need your lawyer to be present if you so desire to share whatever information you have about the suspect.”

Bode smiled. “That won’t be necessary.”

“I need to let you know that if you are in any way associated with the crime for which Senator Bankole was arrested, I may not hesitate to arrest you.”

“I have only come here for justice,” said the honourable, “I could have simply decided to stay at home and not interfere, but I think it would be honourable to inform you about what I know.”

“With all due respect, you don’t strike me as a man of honour, sir,” said Basket boldly.

The words touched the honourable. “What made you say that?”

“Like I said, I still remember that you tried to bribe me several years ago. No honourable person resorts to bribery.”

“That’s about fifteen years ago, officer! Fifteen good years!”

“It does not matter how long. The fact still remains that you were corrupt fifteen years ago, and you are still corrupt even now.”

“If you are using my action of almost two decades ago to judge me, then you are wrong. People tend to change.”

Basket shook his head. “Not in my book. A zebra does not change its stripes. A corrupt politician of fifteen years ago is still the corrupt politician of today. Besides, even when you were in power, you clearly displayed your corruption; you were unashamedly siphoning public funds. You refused to pay the labourers, you did not commission any significant project in the state. The records are there for everyone. Others may be praising you in your presence – that’s not me. You were a greedy politician, and I still believe that you are greedy now.”

Bode Williams stared at Basket for a moment. He knew there was nothing he could do to the man. Several people had tried to silence this officer but they had all failed. Somehow, Chief-of-Police John Balewa often emerged victorious. But Bode also knew about the long-term rivalry that had existed between John Balewa and Peter Black. He knew about it almost fifteen years ago when Basket had newly put Peter Black in jail – he also knew that John Balewa had been greatly upset when the news about Peter’s release from jail came out. Bode was glad that, at least, John Balewa didn’t entirely win against Peter Black. But he had come here for something more important.
But it was still something that involved Peter Black.