sorry for being AWOL guys..couldn't help it. would make it up to y'all as usual

:::::::::::::

JECINCTA

First Assault



Kanaku led the way and Fuoyo and I followed. He didn't go straight to the main entrance but led us through the narrow side of the house slowly.

"What are we doing?" I whispered to Fuoyo who in turn asked him

He turned back and put his hands to his lips, "shhh...I need to get a feel of the place, please stay quiet"

Fuoyo turned to me, "he's right....you don't just go barging in without observing first"

"yeah right, you were just as lost as me" I snickered

"shhhhh" Kanaku hissed and we fell quiet. We tiptoed around the house until Kanaku stopped at a particular window.

The rest of the house was dark and felt empty but this particular room had a blinking red light. The drapes were shut tight and we could only see a dull shade of each blinking flash.

That wasn't what caught my attention. There was a sort of mild commotion going on in the room. I recognized the song that was playing, A Nathaniel Bassey song, crooning about the beauty of Nature and the omnipresent nature of God. But there was something else coming from the room that sent a shiver through my spine.
Thuwack!
Thuwack!
Thuwack!

A continuous whipping sound and then a muffled voice which was definitely feminine crying out something that sounded like, "yellow, or mellow or fellow..."

It was hard to tell cause the voice was muffled and the word was throaty and mono-syllabic like the person was struggling to speak with a mouth full of food.

Without another word Kanaku continued his slow movement, tiptoeing to the rear of the house and we followed. I had a nasty idea of what was happening that very moment and I desperately hoped I was wrong.

The back of the house was spacious and there was a back kitchen door which was unfortunately locked. It was bolted from inside and the top half was made of glass, the kind of glass that was too thick to be transparent.

We watched Kanaku struggle with the door with no luck until he got tired and looked around for a stone. There wasn't any stone big enough and I watched in amazement as he walked about, bending every now and then to try and pull what on Earth from the ground?
Then he found a section where weed had managed to grow between the interlocking. He got on his knees and we watched his shoulder heave for some minutes till he managed to dislodge one and I marveled when he returned with a brick of interlocking.

He motioned for us to step back and hit the glass with such force I flinched back, expecting the sound of breaking glass to ring out but the glass was too strong for the brick.

"Bastard!" He snapped and next he went under the kitchen window where a small roof had been constructed over 2 glass cylinders.

He grabbed the biggest and I suspected it was empty because there was no way he could lift a full gas of cylinder above his head with such ease.

Fuoyo grabbed my hand and pulled me further behind just as Kanaku slammed the cylinder into the glass. The glass had met its match this time and the cylinder cracked a clear hole before the shards began falling off, landing on the kitchen floor with a loud smashing sound.

"There goes the element of surprise," Fuoyo said and I heard a little panic in his voice

Kanaku didn't look back, he knocked down the remaining glass and flipped open the bolt from inside. "You guys stay here" He threw over his shoulder

Fuoyo actually didn't move and I tugged his hand, "would you come on? I thought we're in this together?"

"sure.... sure of course....you should stay behind me" he added, suddenly going Macho

I rolled my eyes and we entered the kitchen
"watch the glass and don't turn on the lights" Kanaku warned in a low tone

The kitchen was pitch black and I stepped right in the glass, crushing and crunching the shards thankfully I wore my brand new double-soled leather boots.

I could see Kanaku's silhouette ahead and I followed the shadow, walking slowly with Fuoyo creeping behind me.

We were in a long narrow hallway when I realized Nathaniel wasn't singing anymore, as I wondered if the song had run its course or been stopped abruptly, the overhead bulb suddenly came to life, sending bright light down the corridor and illuminating the three of us. Up ahead, with his hand still on the switch, stood the tallest man I had ever seen. He was at least 3 inches taller than Kanaku and in his day I imagined he could have made a comfortable income as a bouncer or personal guard for rich celebrities. Now he was much older and the shoulders that once stood broadly now slopped downwards in a kind of slouchy posture.

He was holding a kind of leather whip in his hand and what had once been impressive triceps now flapped under his arm like soft jelly. I noticed he had worn his boxer short inside out and front to back, probably shocked out of his skin when the crash had sounded. His look turned from shock to annoyance and rage. There wasn't even a flicker of fright on his face. This was someone used to inspiring fear not feeling it.

"Who the hell are you?" He demanded. Because he was taller, he glared at each of us before focusing on the closest threat, Kanaku who had paused his advance for the time being.


"Kenekelis?" Kanaku spat the name out with disgust and hatred. I almost didn't recognize his voice

"Do you guys know who you're messing with?" He actually took a step forward, and another...approaching Kanaku with growing anger and irritation, striking his palm with the leather whip, like a sadistic School principal about to whip his students for late coming "Y'all are dead? if you Bleep out of here immediately then I might reconsider sparing your lives but if-"

Kanaku was too fast for him and his sentence was cut midway. It happened so fast, despite watching closely I still almost didn't see it happen. Kanaku must have been waiting for him to step into range and in a flash, he had lifted him and slammed him on the hard tiles in a swift unbelievable wrestling move that could rival the best smackdowns. The impact was tremendous...the floor shook, in fact, I could swear I felt the whole house shake and some of his bones definitely snapped, that one I was very sure of.

"hhuuu.....hhuuuuu...hhuuuu" he sounded like he was coughing, sneezing, crying and demanding 'who?' at the same time, the pain was very much clear in his voice.

Kanaku stood up and pressed his feet into the man's chest. Then he looked back at us. "If there's anyone else here....they would have rushed out by now..." He bent down to wrestle the whip from the now lax grip, crushing a couple of ribs in the process and Kenekelis howled in pain.
"You guys should check the house....check whoever is back there...." He nodded towards the room Kenekelis had come out from....the same room we had stood outside the window just moments ago.

I feared Kanaku was going to kill him, there was a kind of rage in his eyes and movement that suggested this was personal for him.

"Please we need to question him about Mr D....he needs to be able to talk, so calm down" Fuoyo cautioned

"I know what I'm doing" He snapped in reply

"Are you sure?" Fuoyo mumbled under his breath but Kanaku heard.

"Just check the room okay?"

"sure....just take it easy that's all I'm saying"
Fuoyo and I crossed over the body and I wanted badly to kick the bastard in the throat for what he had done to Fifi years ago and for betraying Mr D two nights ago but his face was already contorted in pain.

The wind was knocked out of me the moment I got to the open doorway. The red blinking light we had noticed from outside the room was from a fancy camera set on a tripod pointing towards the center of the room. A bedside lamp was on the floor, connected to the wall socket and provided a yellow glow bright enough to reveal the horror taking place.

There was some sort of sadistic hand-made swing hanging from the ceiling, it was made of chains fastened to the pop ceiling, but had a leather strap attached to each end.
There was a girl tangled in it, her hands and legs were spread wide and clamped tight by the contraptions, she was stark naked and the leg chains had been pulled farther apart so she was spread immodestly with the core of her womanliness exposed. There was a wicked-looking lever that had been connected to the chains and it was bent so low it almost touched the floor, pulling the 4 chains further apart, stretching her limbs painfully to the limit. I realized in horror that he had pulled the lever till there wasn't any room left. Her mascara had been messed up and she had some kind of elastic band around her head which held a plastic ball in her mouth so she couldn't speak coherently. Her eyes were horrified and she looked like she was about to pass out. Her neck, back, and buttocks were marked red from the whipping and beating with the leather whip. The sight was inhuman, evil, ungodly...I couldn't think of enough words to describe what I was seeing.

Fuoyo also couldn't stomach the sight. "oh my goodness..." he gasped and headed for the door, "I'll wait outside, try and get her down....i'll be outside..."

"Fuoyo I need your help, I can't do this on my own..."

"But she's naked..."

"so? she's almost unconscious she could be dying, come and help me now!"

He slowly retreated back into the room. "God what kind of thing is this...I thought it's only whites that did such"

He sighed as he grabbed the lever and slowly returned it to position, and I began to unbuckle the trap around her right ankle.

:::::::::::::::::

KANAKU


An Eye For An Eye


I knew the rapist was incapacitated and so I went to the kitchen, thinking of getting a nice sharp bread knife to cut off his manhood, but a long jagged piece of glass caught my attention. I picked it up and carefully slipped it in my pocket. Then I returned to the hallway stepping on the bastard and checked the remaining rooms in the house. I could hear Fuoyo and Jess gasping in shock and I deliberately refused to look into the room. Even though it was impossible, I half feared I might see them freeing Mosquito's body and lose control and slit the devil's throat where he lay groaning on the floor.

The house was empty like I guessed but I found something interesting in one of the rooms. A thick envelope on a dressing table, I opened it expectantly and sighed in disappointment when I realized it didn't contain money but about a dozen sheets of papers with scribblings and drawings. Wait a minute....these were some of the same papers I'd seen strewn about Jess's boyfriend's suite. That means this man was really the killer and the answer we'd been searching for.

I took the envelope with me and shoved it in his face, his eyes were open now and he still held his chest and looked up at me although his legs were bent awkwardly and he looked like he was unable to move. I wished I had paralyzed him from the waist down, then seriously hoped he would still feel the pain when I cut off his old shriveled dick. "you thief, you killed your colleague for this didn't you?"

"who...who....are...." he couldn't complete it.

I whipped him across the face with the leather belt, satisfied when he cried out in pain. Okay, his nerves were still very much functioning...the ones in charge of pain anyway. I grabbed him by his hand and dragged him the whole length of the corridor and down the two short steps that led to the living room.
When Fuoyo and Jessy reappeared, they held a girl in their middle, each of her hands was around their neck so they half-carried her, and I suspected her legs would give in from under her if she tried to stand or walk on her own. I remembered Jessy's friend saying she'd been unable to walk after he'd been through with her and I felt my neck turn red in rage.

"He raped her?" I demanded

"No, he hadn't gotten around to that yet...we found a sachet of unopened viagra pills...he tortured her, but we interrupted him before he could take the pill and go further." Fuoyo bent down and swooped the girl in his arms before laying her on the opposite sofa.

She looked dazed and weak and scared. She grabbed the sheet around her body, shivering and looking fearfully at the man on the floor.
"I'll go get some water or milk from the kitchen," Jessy said

I approached the girl, "he can't hurt you anymore, look at him...." I offered her the whip, "you can beat the hell out of him....take it..."

She shook her head and sank deeper into the chair, pulling the sheet to her chin.

"she needs a hospital, she can't even move her hand's bro, we can only guess how long she's been stretched out in the air....how can this old man do something like this" Fuoyo said, "Kenekelis look at her...she's young enough to be your granddaughter"

Jessy returned with a glass containing a creamy brownish foamy liquid.
"It's malt and condensed milk....here take little sips...don't rush it...when you're ready you tell us your name"

The girl seemed to trust only a fellow female and stretched shaky hands for the drink. Jessy changed her mind and sat on the arm of the chair, then guided the cup to her lips.

"what's this?" Fuoyo picked up the envelope from the center table.

"some of the papers they stole from the hotel" I replied

"Wow...." Fuoyo leafed through the sheets excitedly, "they were a great deal more than this but well...this is better than nothing. We can study it later....hmmm......." He looked at the papers a little longer before he dropped the envelope and bent down over Kenekelis. "who do you work for? what's the name of your firm? Why did you send killers to Mr. D's hotel?"

"Fu-Bleep--y-y-y"

"The bastard is not even remorseful" I observed.

"yeah and he can hardly talk...." Fuoyo straightened, "looks like his body would never be the same again....I'll go snoop around for any thing that'll tell us about his workplace or who he works for"

"look for his phone" Jessy suggested

"yeah that'll be smart" I agreed

"huu....so...dead....huu messs with......wro-......ahhh...huuuu...huuu....huuuu" Kenekelis began to clutch his chest with both hands and shake violently, he looked like he was trying to stand up but he couldn't move his legs or rollover.

I watched him convulse without pity, "better save your little strength for our questions if you don't want to lose your prick" I snapped at him
The threat must have gotten through his arrogance cause he shut up immediately and even shut his eyes.

I turned my attention the girl, she was young...even looked younger than Jessy. What was happening to the world? I thought of my little innocent Ruki and shivered.

"what's her name?" I asked Jessy

"I don't know"

"Amanda.." the girl's voice was coarse and stressed but there was now a survivalist edge in it. Maybe it was cause of Jessy's presence but I felt she had decided we weren't going to hurt her

"Amanda...how did you get entangled with this pig?" I asked

"a hookup site..."

"you agreed to......." I didn't even know the correct term to use

"it was meant to be normal dominant role play...but once he had me tied up he started.....he became.....he didn't stop even when I called out yellow...."

"yellow?" I raised a brow

"the....safe word" she couldn't say anymore but her hands were steady enough to hold the cup. That was a good sign at least.

"what kind of thing is this sef, how can you allow this dirty old man tie...." I was incredulous

Jess sent me a cold look and I abandoned the sentence.
"hope he paid you at least?"

she nodded.

I wanted to ask her how much, how much was worth being submissive to an old man who could fall and drop dead before freeing her from her restraints, but Fuoyo walked into the room excitedly. "Okay I don't think this is his main residence, there's just a couple of clothes...nothing else relating to work, but.." he held up an iPhone, "I found his phone"

"Anything interesting?" I asked

"I don't know yet, it uses facial recognition"
I nudged Kenekelis with my shoe, he didn't move. I kicked him harder yet he didn't budge.

"is he sleeping or what?" Jess asked

"Probably unconscious" I replied. I didn't want to feel for his pulse cause I already feared he was dead. I couldn't detect the faintest rise and fall of his chest. He wasn't breathing.

So instead I signaled for the phone and knelt over the body and pulled both his eyelids up till the white of his eyes showed then I pushed the phone into his face, after a couple of tries the phone unlocked.

I stood up and tossed it to Fuoyo. "don't let it lock again, not until you go through every message, email, and call log."

I looked at Amanda and Jessy, they had bonded with few words. "Jessy can she walk? let's get her to the car, we'll drop her by a nearby hospital"

"No...no...please I'll be fine, if you guys can drop me off at yaba..."

"Is that where you live?" Jess asked her

"No, I stay off-campus...I'm a student of Unilag"

"oh....I was supposed to go to Unilag" Jessy said a little wistfully

I sighed impatiently, "we can share life stories on the way, let's leave here first"

Fuoyo looked up from the phone with a frown, "How about him? he hasn't really provided any concrete answers yet"

"I know, that's why I said you should check his phone for clues and not allow it lock, I'll take the envelope"

"I don't understand..."

"He's dead"

Outside, the security/gateman was still knocked unconscious.

"is he dead too?" Amanda asked and I felt her glance quickly in my direction

"no of course not...I did something to his head that'll keep him out till daybreak...and I didn't kill the old man in there, he died of a heart attack so you guys can stop looking at me like a serial killer"

We exited the compound and got into the car in silence. I knew what they were all thinking as I got behind the wheel. I was thinking it myself, a heart attack might have claimed Kenekelis' last breath but I had pushed him to the point of no return.

God forbid that I would lose a single blink over his death, he was a sadistic pervert and a murderer. He'd gotten no less than he deserved.

Chapter 13

FUOYO

Filtering Clues

We dropped Amanda outside the off-campus building by 2:15 am and Jess collected her number. We didn't bother to tell her not to mention the homicide to anybody, we all knew she was going to try and forget everything about the night. I even suspected she had given Jess a fake number. We said goodbyes although I couldn't afford to look up from the phone in my hands. There were lots of potential clues I didn't even know where to start, I just kept forwarding every text message, both inbox, and outbox to my phone. His mail app was logged in and I forwarded every inbox and sent items to one of my phony mail addresses. I also went through his contacts and shared anyone that caught my attention to my phone. There was no contact saved 'boss' or 'oga' or 'work' but there was a particular contact saved as 'G' who judging from the call logs, called him a lot and sent him some instructive messages. I shared the contact with myself. The phone was loaded and it was serious work.

"His battery is low, I don't think I can finish checking it all before it dies"

"shit...okay just speed up, I want us to throw it over the 3rd mainland bridge sef" Kanaku replied

"Why?" Jessy asked

"It's easier for the police to trace iphones" Kanaku replied her.

There was something like experience in his voice and I wanted to jokingly ask him if he'd been nabbed for stealing an iPhone before but when I glanced up I realized we were heading in a different direction

"hey, aren't we going to my place? It's late, we need to get some rest" I complained

"no, no....your house is casted now....didn't the security man take down your plate number?"

I remembered, "yes....but it doesn't mean anything...I bought my car and had the papers done before I moved in"

"you'd be surprised....it's better not to risk it....if you've been to jail before you'll learn never to leave anything to chance, always be on your guard...that's free street orientation i'm giving you"

I stared out the window lost in thought and by the time I got myself, the phone screen had locked again. We were almost at the bridge anyway, and soon enough Kanaku pulled over to the side and I threw the phone into the lagoon. Good riddance

"so where are we going? first, it was my place now it's Fuoyo's" Jessy asked

"well I don't see another choice...we'll go to my home and catch some sleep, by morning we'll go through everything we have and decide on the next step"

"sounds fine" I agreed

"but what about your family? we could be bringing danger" Jess worried

"how?" Kanaku glanced back at her, "no one knows me and by tomorrow we'll decide something. My house isn't big, we'll just manage for the night"

"All the clothes I bought are still in Fuoyo's house" Jess complained

"same here...I have just the clothes on my back" I added

"That's a small challenge, I have some clothes that should be okay on you Fuoyo....and Jess, Barakat's old clothes would fit you perfectly"

"thank you....but maybe I'll go shopping in the morning," Jess told him

"toooh...then let morning reach first"


A companionable silence followed until I asked, "Kanaku....why were you so specific about if the girl had been sodomized, what really happened to you?"

"me? nothing...."

"come on, it was obvious there's something-"

"it happened a long time ago, I don't want to talk about it" he said abruptly

"fine"

"yeah"


Kanaku's house was in a rugged area of Mushin in a neighborhood that even in the dead of night without a single soul in sight, the poverty was like a pungent odour that hung in the air like a mist. The combination of cigarette smoke, marijuana, exhaust fumes, bleached palm oil smoke, and the odor emanating from overfull trashcans came together at the beginning of the street. There was no light and it just felt like they had light only once or twice a year. The darkness was that familiar and too normal, even to a first-timer like me.

His house was actually not bad, at least compared to the wooden shacks and zinc houses and containers in the neighborhood, his was a real house with foundation and blocks. A self-contain apartment at the very end of the street and out of formation with the remaining makeshift houses, as if Kanaku had pushed it forward with his bare hands to stand alone.
His baby mama and daughter were fast asleep so we followed his lead and tiptoed into the living room, whispering to ourselves, trying to make as little noise as possible and depending on our phone flashlights.

"I plan to buy a big gen this week" Kanaku explained. He brought a spare mattress to the parlour. It was more or less a student mattress and he signaled that Jess and I should manage it. "Just for a couple of hours, it's 3:30 already"

I wanted to shower or wash my face at least or even pee at the very least but I kept mute and Jessy and I squeezed in, although apart from my head and left shoulder, the rest of my body was on the cold hard floor, I watched Kanaku squeeze into the two-seater sofa which was the longest chair in the house, he tossed and turned, trying to tuck his legs comfortably until he decided to sit straight and stretch his legs out on a small wooden table. He was soon snoring softly.

I couldn't sleep, Jessy's breathing was calm and steady which meant she had slept off too.
I shut my eyes tight then stared at the ceiling when I still couldn't sleep. By the time it was 4, I gave up and brought out my phone. I had over 45 unread messages and 17 new emails and I began to read. I removed the papers from the envelope, using my phone flash to scan each paper, while checking the messages and emails for any sort of connection.

I lost track of time but an hour or so later, I read a particular email that made my ears perk up. I quickly scanned the papers, one after the other. A particular word had caught my attention...I was certain I had seen that name underlined and asterisked in one of the papers.

I flipped through the pages from the envelope, scanning the lines with my phone flash until I saw it, I placed my thumb on the word. It was on one of the plainer sheets with one of the faded sketches of a map. A couple of words had been scribbled over the sketch, some were linked with arrows, others were circled. But this word was circled with multiple arrows leading to other circled words which was why it had stood out. I glanced at my phone to confirm the spelling. Yes, it was the same. The mail was short and straight to the point. I was also sure Kenekelis had forwarded it. It read, 'TataraMari Village Kokona district, I have to confirm exact location on the map for first excavation'

And there it was, the circled word with half a dozen arrows: "TataraMari?" I pondered about the question mark for a minute then shrugged. It must have been an important name for Mr D to circle it....right?.

I turned to Google and Wikipedia soon educated me that Tatara Mari was a village in Nassarawa State. The same Nassarawa state Mr D had planned to fly to that night. I considered the possibilities. Then I remembered the picture I had taken on the floor of the hotel. I flipped through my pictures until I was looking at the drawing with the line cutting across in a kind of curve. A visual map of Nassarawa's location on google map looked pretty close to one of the asterisked points on the map. At first glance, I had thought it was Abuja but now I was convinced it was Nassarawa and this Tatara Mari location. Unfortunately, the blood had spilled over most of the digits of the asterisked point so I couldn't determine the timeline. But it was 19 something. It could be any date from 1901-1960 for all I knew.

I pondered my new discovery for a while, That was the only instructive message/mail related to the treasure, which meant that was all Kenekelis had known. I suspected Mr. D had told him the location when he requested for trackers.

Well, I had found a starting point but the question was, what now?

:::::::::::::::::::::
JECINCTA

A New Direction

Loud voices woke me up just a little after 7, the voices were coming from the kitchen. A shrill angry female voice screaming all sorts of accusations and on the verge of hysteria judging from how she was sounding. Kanaku's voice was not as loud as hers but loud enough to make sure he could be heard.

"Listen it was just for the night, these are my new work partners, I told you I've been working hard.."

"And the lady? who be she?"

"Barakat stop being reasonable, you no see the other guy too? You no hear wettin I just talk, they're work-"

"that's the same thing Mukaila kept telling Sukirat until he impregnated his salesgirl, under her korokoro eyes"

"Lower your voice for God's sake, how many times will I tell you I'm not Mukaila and you're not your sister. She's just jealous of you cause she knows I love you but you can't see that"

"if you love me you would have married me-"

I sat up on the mattress and looked at Fuoyo, he was folded on the sofa, with his leg swung over the armchair but he wasn't sleeping. He was staring at the ceiling no doubt also listening to the argument. I noticed the envelope was on his chest and he held on to it possessively.

"Good morning" I greeted

He looked at me and smiled, "morning, they woke you huh?"

I nodded, "it sounds serious, she's really tearing him up"

Fuoyo grinned, "she's killing him...I love it"

The curtain parted and a woman stepped out. She held a cute little girl in her hands and she looked at Fuoyo before sending me a cold stare. I instinctively knew she was the so-called Sukirat and jealous sister, according to Fuoyo anyway.

"Good morning" I greeted and was ignored abruptly. Instead, she hissed and sat on the other chair across the parlour.

I hurried to my feet and signaled to Fuoyo who immediately shifted over and I sat beside him.

Kanaku burst into the parlour with a tired frown, "Barakat please not in front of Ruki, is it until she starts crying again?" He looked at us, "let's go.."

"of course you're going again... every time I tell you the hard truth you turn and run!"

Fuoyo and I stood up and she glared at us, looking at me with suspicion.
"Good morning"

"morning ma"

She ignored us and turned on Kanaku, If you like go and don't come back...your children are kukuma bastards!"

Kanaku whirled around quickly and I half feared he was going to strike her, his hand vibrating at his sides as if itching to slap, but he spoke calmly, in a manner that suggested he was used to such verbal assaults from her. "I've given you 30 thousand, maybe your dear sister can stop gossiping for once and help take your list to the market." He glared at Fuoyo and I who remained rooted to the spot. "I said let's go"

We hurried after him, the little girl waved at us and showed us her missing front tooth in a sweet smile. "Bye-bye daddy"


We drove around in silence for about 20 minutes and I was about to ask where exactly we were going when my phone rang. It was my father calling.

"Hello, Jess how are you?"

"I'm fine daddy"

"what happened? your mom and I has been expecting the both of you since yesterday"

"yesterday? But I never said I was....wait the both of who? me and who?"

"your fiance now, Brian"

My mouth fell open and I felt Fuoyo and Kanaku both glance back at me.

"My Fiance....how? who?"

"He said you guys would come yesterday, that he was going to surprise you"

"daddy I don't understand...when did he call you?"

"No he didn't call me, he came to see your mom and I last week. He introduced himself and asked for permission to marry you, I still feel he's too old for you, but it's clear he really loves you so he won my approval. where did you people really meet?"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. When had Mr. D gone to see my parents? Last week he was in Edo, finding the diary and maybe map that put him in a frenzy and made him call me excitedly...

My dad was still speaking. "Had to dash out most of the gifts he brought just too much, A whole truck full, and I haven't even met with my kin yet for the brideprice agreement..."

"Gifts"?..."

"There isn't even enough space to put the foodstuff, Where is he, let me say hello...Is he with you there?"

"Errrm not right now"

I fell silent still trying to digest the news. So Mr D hadn't just proposed in the spur of the moment that night, he had made plans beforehand., gone to meet my parents. My own parents? Oh my God..

"what did you say?" I interrupted my dad suddenly

"I said even your room space..."

"no before that?"

"I said the package he dropped is still with me, tell him I'm keeping it safe for him till you two arrive, like he asked me"

"package...what package?"

"I don't know I didn't open it, Your mom says it feels like a jewelry box...I suspect it's some kind of engagement gift he plans to give you. It's in a kind of wooden box which is wrapped with gift paper, hold on your mom wants to say hi"

Thanks but please try to dey update quick Quick... I almost lost interest in the story.. but now my interest are rekindled.... well done

Thanks for the update. More ink your pen.

Thanks for the update. It’s getting interesting

Thanks for the update souloho19.

But you didn't mention if Jecinta or Fuoyo killed the Camera in that room before freeing the girl or if they carried it along.

I don't want to believe they left it there with the tendency of it videoing them.

souloho19:
:::::::::::::

JECINCTA

The wind was knocked out of me the moment I got to the open doorway. The red blinking light we had noticed from outside the room was from a fancy camera set on a tripod pointing towards the center of the room. A bedside lamp was on the floor, connected to the wall socket and provided a yellow glow bright enough to reveal the horror taking place.

I hope they took care of the camera

Thanks for the update boss

[color=#006600][/color]Waoh
This is superb
@Souloho19 you're a king

Gbam! E don dey choke sha Nice one Soul!

No mention about taking care of the camera like someone rightly noticed before wahala go come be like UGM
Blaze on soul...

Nice one Souloho

Oga Souloho19, nice updates as usual. Ride on Boss, we are feeling you. As for the four opportunists gunning for the hidden treasures, they didn't try at up. They left so many clues behind for the police to trace. Now that the package is save with Baba for village, mmm...........

So interesting, kudos to u

Wow soul, you blow my mind away. You always have a way of quenching my hunger and refuelling a much greater one. Thanks for the update.

Ayemileto:
Thanks for the update souloho19.

But you didn't mention if Jecinta or Fuoyo killed the Camera in that room before freeing the girl or if they carried it along.

I don't want to believe they left it there with the tendency of it videoing them.

ClassicMan202:


I hope they took care of the camera

Detectives

We'll find out soon

Thanks for your comments, really love them.
Presently editing a couple updates right now, have a productive week fam.

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KANAKU



The Unknown Package

Since I had never owned a car before, I was just finding out driving was the sharpest means to clear my mind and calm me down whenever Barakat upset me. I was sick of it all. Nothing I did was ever good enough for her, and see how she'd been yelling at me in front of Fuoyo and Jess, so embarrassing. Normally I'll head to the street for another cranky day but instead, driving seemed to lighten my mood. And after a short race with another car in which the other driver had to slow down when I didn't give him an inch to overtake me. I laughed and called out, "Ode you for fly now since na you hurry pass"

Fuoyo also chuckled and I continued driving.

Finally, after driving aimlessly for 40 minutes, I waited till immediately Jess ended her call then I pulled the car to the side of the road.

"So what is our next move, or your next move? None of you can go home again"

"My house may still be safe I told you-" Fuoyo began

"You'll just die a careless death, or police would arrest you if you're lucky" I cut Fuoyo short, "Jess how about your friend, can you guys stay with her...what's wrong?"

She shook her head but she still had a strange look on her face. "I don't know, I don't think it'll be fair to just dump ourselves at her door"

"Then what? you guys can't stay in my house, I don't even want to stay there right now," I looked at Fuoyo, "Don't you have any suggestion? What of your family or friends?"

He looked at me, "actually I have a suggestion...."

"what?" Jess and I asked together

Fuoyo sat up and started gesticulating with his hands excitedly. "Okay, I figured out something from a message Kanaku sent out the night Mr D was killed...It's a location...the same location in Nassarawa he told us about that night"

"okay.....so?" I asked slowly

"so, we go there, I'm still studying the clues, a lot of arrows lead to other cities but I believe that's the first major stop and from there we can find the next step to the treasure"

"I don't understand, are you a tracker? cause I thought we were just playing along the night before?" he sounded so sure that I had to ask

"I have a good feeling ....the village was circled but not only that, it had arrows leading to other sites, plus it's consistent with one of the points on the timeline Mr D drew on the floor, I believe the map is there... the first Asterix on the line that leads up from the South and curves to the North East...remember he implied we'll find the map when we got to Nassarawa and move on from there"

"I don't understand....Do you want to go after this treasure that might not exist?" I asked

"think about it....we have some measure of evidence already, I spent all night going through the papers and there's a good possibility it could exist...imagine if we get it.... how our lives would change forever..."

I've always had a rich imagination and I hated that he managed to get me thinking...managed to get my pulse racing with possibilities.
"So what? you want to travel to Nassarawa and start your own treasure hunt?" I hated how thrilling it sounded and I could imagine going with him, it was the perfect break I needed from home. And what if we really found it? That would be the greatest score in history, and I'll be part of it, at the very heart of it.

But we were not the only ones in the car and I glanced at Jessy, shaking my head as if Fuoyo had gone mad, "can you imagine your friend? he wants us to go treasure hunting...." She had a distant look in her eye, "what's really wrong? you've been acting somehow since the call?" I asked

"I think I need to go home"

"are you sure? it's not safe remem-"

"no...my home in Benue"

Fuoyo joined me to look at her, "Is everything alright?"

"I just got a call from my dad, Mr. D went to see my parents before he came back to Lagos"

"Really, for what?"

"To ask their permission for my hand, and bribe them with gifts..."

"Hmmmmm....I'm really sorry for everything that happened.." I sympathized

"so you want to lay low for a while at home then?" Fuoyo asked her

"yes....but the strange thing I don't understand is, he told them we'll come see them yesterday"

"But why will he do that? I thought he planned to be in Nassarawa"

I shrugged, "it's not really far, just a couple of hours....I think Nassarawa and Benue share state lines..."

"yes they're neighbouring states" she confirmed

"But why do that?....was he planning another last minute change.." I looked at Fuoyo, "are you sure that village you mentioned is not in Benue or something?"

He shook his head, "It's in Nassarawa..."

"Hmmm...."

Jessy cleared her throat, "There's something else bothering me...he gave my dad something to hold, said he'd pick it up when we come by"

"A package ?"

"yes, my dad said it's a wrapped box...maybe an engagement gift or something, he didn't open it"

I didn't know what to make of this bit of news but Fuoyo seemed to have a theory for everything.

He cleared his throat and begun; "What if....what if...." he looked unsure of what he was about to say at first, "okay first of all if you recall at the hotel, the killers were pretty convinced that if the map wasn't with him It's cause he had given it to you...now...what if, Mr D found the diary and map in Edo but before he flew into Abuja he stopped by Benue to keep it somewhere safe....far away from his boss and every other person who might be after it, but still close enough to the starting point in Nassarawa...that way, he could claim not to have it cause he really wouldn't have it"
"so what, was he also planning to take two of us....strange trackers he just met to his in-laws house too?" I asked
"No of course not, it's actually really brilliant if you think of it. We all get to Nassarawa that night, he gives us the trail to start and sets a rendevouz point for the next day or two days after, then he leaves early the next morning with Jessy...or maybe they leave that same night, he said he had a personal helicopter after all.." He turned to look at her, and he looked sure now, even confident, "Jess...didn't you say he asked you to bring your passport....? he planned for you guys to spend the whole of yesterday at your parents house, he proposes to you and when he leaves by evening or early this morning, he collects the package he left with your dad, and joins us and we track the map to the treasure then he comes back for you with a fortune"

The car was silent. Shit, it sounded crazy and yet it made so much sense. I studied Fuoyo, unsure of what to think, it was either a brilliant theory or a stupid one. I wanted to dismiss it as stupid but there was just too much potential and it was more realistic than any idea or suggestion I could come up with.

Finally, I found some kind of middle ground, grudgingly admitting there was something there. "well your theory has potential I must say....but what if it turns out to be a box of chocolate or a gold set or something....?"

"Then we count our losses and forget about everything..." he looked at Jessy when he said, "try to move on with our lives"

"so you're willing to throw money into the wind?" I narrowed my eyes at him, "you don't even have money to throw, I withdrew every scent from your account, remember?"

He smiled slyly at me,"I still have some backup crypto coins, I can handle our flight bills"

"well played," I smiled back at him impressed, Jessy hadn't said a word yet. "Jessy what do you think?"

"I've told Fuoyo I'm not interested in any stupid treasure hunt...I just want to go home, be around my loved ones for a while and try and forget everything,"

"But what if he's right?" I asked, and I realized I was hoping he was. I was hoping for a legendary adventure as much as Fuoyo

"He's not" she dismissed

Fuoyo sighed, "look Jess...how about we both fly to Benue, you go spend time with your family while I stay away from sight in a hotel somewhere. If it turns out there's nothing like the sort all you have to do is call or send a message and I'll return to Lagos and dissapear from your life forever...if that's what you want"

I watched her through the rearview, she looked confused and a little sad, learning your boyfriend was killed days after asking marriage permission from your parents would put anybody in a moody state.

Finally, she nodded and stared at Fuoyo. "promise me you'll keep your word? I just want to put all this behind me"

"I understand" he replied, I wasn't sure but I thought I detected a note of bitterness in his voice.

She seemed satisfied, "okay then it's settled, we should try and book a flight as soon as possible"

"I'll book two tickets on the nearest available flight." Fuoyo replied stiffly

I tapped the steering impatiently "wait wait wait...so all of a sudden it's just the both of you huh? we're no longer a team? why just 2 tickets? Last time I checked we were three people with Mr D that night"

"But your family...I didn't think you'll....."

I interrupted Fuoyo, mimicking him rudely, "I didn't think..." I sat up and fiddled with my seatbelt. "Look we'll be gone one or two days at most, once Jess confirms that you're wrong and there's no map, then we can all put this behind us and move on...and I could do with a few days away....maybe Barakat will miss me and come back to her senses"

"But what if I'm not wrong and she finds the map?" Fuoyo asked

I didn't know what to say...the thought alone sent a shiver of excitement down my spine. "We'll cross that bridge if we get to it," I said finally

"fine"

I started the car, "let's go get something to eat, I'm hungry"

"and we'll go shopping after, I need some good clothes" Jessy added

Thanks for update
You made my date

Chapter 14

FUOYO

Unsolicited Advices

There was a 4 o'clock flight to Benue that evening and another one by noon tomorrow.

The 4pm flight still had available seats but each ticket was almost double its normal fee. These airline people were another kind of scammers entirely, I mumbled to myself as I finished up the transaction. The 3 tickets cost me almost 150000 and I got angry and booked a hotel online when Jessy continued to hint again and again that we weren't welcome in her home. It cost an extra 30k because the minimum payment was for 2 days.

"Everybody na yahoo boy for this country las las" I sighed tiredly.

"you no know before? every Nigerian is a sure client to our leaders, as in eh! they take us for complete fools.." Kanaku scoffed

"exactly, with so many useless lies and half baked format that doesnt't even make sense!" I added

Kanaku chuckled, "like telling a whole 200 million people that snake swallowed 50 million"

"This yahoo metaphor is spot on if you think of it, cause our constitution is unstable like vpn, so they keep changing ip for us every election"

Kanaku was lost, "which one is VPN?"

"never mind..." I looked around the clothes store for Jessy, "God! this girl likes clothes too much, how long has she been there?"
Kanaku shrugged.

We were sitting in the corner, waiting for Jessy to emerge from behind the stall where she had disappeared to try all the clothes she had selected.

Kanaku and I had left to a next-door male clothing store and bought some clothes too, not much. I bought him a pair of jeans and two pairs of joggers and a couple of short sleeve shirts. I got myself some underwear and joggers with a pack of V-neck inner whites and a zip-up jacket.

We did all these and came back to still find Jessy raiding every clothing rack before she finally decided her two baskets were full enough. But that wasn't all, she still planned to test each piece of clothing to be sure it looked good on her and fit perfectly. It had been cute yesterday morning when we went shopping at the mall but now it was annoying.

"What is she still trying in there?" I complained again, glancing at my watch

"She's going home and never coming back, let her buy all the clothes she wants, relax.." Kanaku glanced at me, touching his chest in a calm down gesture

"This is 2:30, we should be at the airport by 3 at least"

"There's still time, I don't know why you didn't book a flight for tomorrow instead," he complained, "now I can't even say goodbye to Ruki"

"The earlier we find out about this package, the better. Besides I thought her name was Barakat?"

"Ruki is my daughter"

"oh....well if Jess comes out before 3 we can make a quick stop on our way" I suggested

"No no need, I don't want to see Barakat or her evil sister"

"why do you hate the sister so bad?" I asked him

He looked at me as if I just asked the dumbest question. "She's evil"

"But still, the only reason you can leave your pregnant wife behind for days, is because you know she's looking after her"

"It doesn't change the fact that she's a witch....and Barakat isn't my wife how many times will I tell you?"

I raised an eyebrow, "bro let me give you an advice, just marry your woman so you can be at peace"

Kanaku snickered,"ote' what do you know about marriage? lemme also give you advice, stop catching feelings for Jess. She's obviously sick of you and I know deep down you're hoping she finds the map so you'll have an excuse to still see her, as a fellow man it's embarrassing watching you throw yourself over that girl"

It was my turn to snicker, "please....she's not my type, she's spoilt and sassy, very vain and I've noticed she doesn't let go of things easily, of course I hope she finds the map but that's causing the only thing I'm interested in is securing the bag"

"Speak of the.....no she looks nothing like the devil" Kanaku looked over my shoulder and I followed his eyes.

She had changed into one of the new dresses. A high necked long-sleeved dress that reached her ankles. It didn't expose any skin but it hugged her figure, clinging to her subtle curves, it had a waist-high stylish slit and every step revealed the dark blue calf hugging leggings she wore underneath.

I stood up slowly, still looking on as the salesgirl followed behind, holding half a dozen bags to bring out to the car. Kanaku was right. She looked more like an angel.

We got to the airport on time and I paid for a week's parking ticket. We boarded our flight a few minutes past 4pm. 20 minutes later, we were in the air.

DannyG8:
Thanks for update
You made my date

you're welcome my good man

U are the best bro.
Keep it up!!!

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JECINCTA

Home Sweet Home

Fuoyo chattered a direct Taxi from the airport and it was yet another long drive. Luckily the driver was a pro and knew a lot of hidden shortcuts which halved the time it would have taken us to reach my Town. By the time we got to the Makurdi park, Kanaku and Fuoyo helped me transfer my bags into another Taxi drop that would take me home. I negotiated with the driver while they loaded my bags and after that, we had an awkward moment staring at each other, This could very well be the last time we saw each other. I had gotten used to them and we had become close friends in such a short time. There was no doubt I would miss them but it was time to move on. They would always be a reminder of the bloody night Mr. D was killed and even if I might never fully forget what had happened or put it completely behind me, at least I wouldn't have to see them and be reminded all the time. I just wanted to spend some months with my family and seek some level of normalcy.

Kanaku was the first to grab me and crush me in a bear hug. I hugged him back affectionately, remembering how I had misjudged him the first time I set eyes on him. He was a man of many layers, easy to be misunderstood and dismissed as nothing but a mere thug but he was much more than that and beneath his hard and tough exterior and crooked ways, I knew that deep down he was just a soft-hearted man who loved his daughter and shuffled his feet uncomfortably while his girlfriend shouted at him.

"Be good kiddo, whatever you find, remember you don't owe us anything. If you truly see the map and you want to burn it, burn it....just do what would make you happy ok?" He released me and I smiled

"Thank you Kanaku..what's your real name?"

"Kanayo"

"like the actor?"

"yes," he laughed, "like the actor"

Fuoyo stepped forward a little unsure. "Jess....I want you to know I agree with Kanaku...your state of mind is more important than any stupid treasure....you were right, I've been selfish all these while, I never really thought how hard this could be for you, I promise whatever-"

"shhhh, it's alright, I'll miss you too" we embraced, it was a short hug and he gave me a gentle squeeze before releasing me.

"I understand if you don't want to see us again, but I hope we could still check up on each other at least"

I just smiled, "Goodbye Fuoyo"

My driver tried to make small talk, commenting on a radio talk show and trying to bring me into the conversation but my mind was far away. I couldn't help feeling a little guilty about how I had treated my friends. Especially Fuoyo, I had been ruthlessly blunt with him and the worst part was I didn't want to cut off contact with him....or Kanaku, but sitting in the car that morning, hearing him talk about his map theory and the cursed treasure...he had seemed almost as excited and determined as Mr. D had been, almost as obsessed as he had been the night he'd been killed for it. And that had scared me. Especially when the thought of him dying spread a kind of ache in my chest. I had to stay away, he was trouble nothing more.

For the umpteenth time, I prayed the package my father had mentioned would be just a gift and nothing more, or something personal that belonged to Mr. D and wasn't linked to the treasure. It had brought nothing but bad luck and I couldn't bear seeing another person I'd come to care for lose his head in the hunt and ultimately lose his life.

It was nearly 10 when I got home. The driver was friendly and helped me carry my bags to the gate and stood with me until my parents opened up before he took his leave.

My dad was surprised to see me. "Jess, you didn't tell us you were coming..." he looked behind me as if expecting to see Mr. D

"He couldn't make it yet...he got delayed with work," I explained before hugging my mom tightly.

My father shut the gate and hefted my bags. "It's good you came alone, we have to talk....Jecincta that man is almost my age, I can't believe for 3 years you never mentioned-"

"Percy not now, she's had a long journey..." my mom cautioned, "she put her arm around my shoulder and led me into the house, "have a nice hot bath and something to eat then you rest"

"I'm not hungry, I'll just bathe and go to bed.." What I really wanted was to demand to see the package and end the suspense once and for all but I wasn't ready for whatever I would find yet. It could wait till tomorrow.



::::
The next day I had a long talk with my parents, they had been impressed with Mr D a lot, and no doubt they had put 2 and 3 together and realized he was the man behind the huge sums I sent them weekly. Yet they were worried about the age gap.

"He swore to us he wasn't married and you were going to be his first wife, is that true?" My mom asked

I thought of the estranged Arabic wife and son he once told me lived in Algeria. I said nothing

"Jecincta I didn't raise you to date married men so you better answer me?" my mom demanded and I quickly nodded, "he doesn't, we started dating normally and I was surprised when he mentioned marriage"

"Oh, he asked you already?"

I had to think fast, "yes, after dad's call I went to see him and he told me he wanted to surprise me but work wouldn't let him come for like a week or two. That reminds me, he also said I should tell him what I think about the gift he gave to dad to keep, dad was right... it's for me"

"How did you two meet?"

"What does he do for a living? He seems really wealthy. Is he a politician?"

The questions were far from over and I tried my best to answer them, mixing the truth with lies and made up facts about his life. Finally, they took me to the kitchen store and showed me the bags of rice, garri, beans, tubers of yams, plantain bunch.

"carton of chicken, turkey, goat meat, your father and I can't even finish it for months, we had to give most to neighbors and friends..." My mom opened the deep freezer which I had never seen so full in all my years at home.

"Then your father made a joke to me that it was too bad our Generator can't carry the freezer and that evening long after he had left, a jumia agent delivered brand new gen...it's in the garage, come and see....there's a dishwasher too...I don't even know how to use it I just left it...."

She led me through the kitchen to the backyard where a 5-foot powerful-looking Generator had replaced our former one.
When they were done showing me all the goodies and satisfied with my answers, I got them to get me the package. My dad was a bit hesitant to hand it over cause Mr. D had insinuated he would be coming back for it, but he had no choice but to give me, I suspected he was curious to see what it held.

My heart was beating fast as I tore open the gift wrapper, trying to slow my movements and keep my hands steady. It felt like a box but when I shook it there was no rattle or sound of trinkets or even the rustle of chocolate wrappers so that I began to wonder if it was empty.

By the time I stripped off the last of the gauze and peeled back the remaining wrapping paper, I knew why I didn't hear anything. It wasn't a box but a book. A big book with a kind of wooden cover which was faded and dirty. The pages were old and weak, so weak that I felt it would tear if I turned a page too quickly.

I knew what it was from the first look and my reaction was a series of conflicting emotions, from anticipation to foreboding, excitement to despair.... There was a faded logo and inscription on the wooden cover but I could make out neither so I slowly turned the page and my heart sank.

'Memoirs of colonel General Gerald F.'

The 'colonel' had been struck out with a single line and 'General' had been written above. I remembered Mr D mentioning the diary of a British commander. The man who had raided the Oba's palace and taken the satchel for himself....I tried to remember what else he had said about the man but I couldn't. Fuoyo would remember, I was sure.

"Is that a textbook?" my dad asked

"no father, it's an old family property... it belonged to his great grandfather, I can't believe he wants me to have it, that means he sees me as a part of his family..." years of lying to my parents had made it one of the easiest things on Earth. My dad was still curious, craning his neck and waiting for me to flip the page.

"What kind of book, What's in it??" he asked thoughtfully.

"It's his autobiography, please I need to call him and tell him yes"

"yes?"

"to his proposal"

I stood up and headed to my room, holding the diary, like it was a time bomb
"you mean you didn't give him a reply yet?" my mom called after me as I entered my room and shut the door.

I lay on my bed, forgetting about everything else, and flipped the page gently. Each page had a new date and a new entry of about 10 lines. From the dates, the book was well over a century old, now brownish and soft to the touch. The writing was curvy and beautiful but time had rendered the letters faint and I had to strain my eyes to read most of the words


Entry 1:
News of the November massacre continues to spread among the people. They seem to be getting bolder, as a result, resisting the invasion and even launching strikes against two Royal Company outposts in the South. Their primitive weapons are no match for our firepower, and they might despise us but they fear us greatly which if fine. I don't need affection from their kind. We expect the admiralty to order the advance of the punitive expedition any day now. Turnpike even says if we're successful the Admiral will commend every officer for a promotion, which means I could be signing my next entry as a Major of the Queen's royal army.
Long live the Empire
Signed, G.Fhorne


He was still a captain here, not in charge of his own battalion yet, which meant the Benin raid was still pages away. I was too engrossed to skip any page. I turned on my back, facing the book towards the daylight streaming through the open window.
I turned the page gently, reading the next entry, then the next. As the captain detailed the advance of the British squadron forces to the South, I realized I was holding a valuable piece of the Nigerian history, a first-hand account of a colonial soldier who would go on to play an important role in the looting of my country's heritage and sacred artifacts. Nothing else mattered at that point but the faded words of a racist soldier who had lived over a hundred years ago.

souloho19 wow, the depth of your imaginative prowess is unfathomable. Well done. Hope to see movies written by you soon. Nigerian producers may not have the resources, think animation. I assure you, it'll be block busters back to back

Thanks for the back to back update. You are far too kind.

This story is out of the world. Thanks for the update

Write a novel or
A movie script
You are talented
Am a writter to but
Am amazed with
Your story
Jah bless your
Hustle

Souloho19 my man, thanks so much for the updates, it is well served. You are truly the best at what you do, you have no rival. Keep it up bro, more oil to your head. Jah gat your back always.