ENVY 54

How do you plan on getting away with killing  both of us?" Siji asked. "You already have one murder hanging on your neck. I'd  advise you to turn yourself in, than add to your crimes."
"And let you two go free? Nice try, but you will have to come up with something more convincing." Pago scoffed.
"Your mother would be turning in her grave for the beast you've turned into." Victor said.
Pago acted as though he was giving his father's words a thought before saying. "You're right Dad. I know mum would be disappointed in me, but I also think she'd understand. What am doing is partly for her. You didn't only cheat on her whilst she was being good wife to you, you also wanted to cheat her children off what is rightfully theirs. I'm doing this for Mum, Fela and Sike."
"No matter how hard you try Pago, you cannot justify your actions. You are doing it for you and you alone. You are too selfish to think of others in your actions."
"Believe what you will Dad, it won't save either of you. Like I said earlier,  at times a man gotta do what he gotta do. You two are the only ones standing in my way to getting what I want."
"I don't care one inch about whatever your father has Pago. I am here only for Rose, just give her to me and you won't hear from me again." Siji said.
"I wish I could believe you, I really do, but as long as you are alive, you're a potential threat. And it's always wise to eliminate threats. I simply can't let you live. Don't worry about Rose, I'll continue to treat her as my own. She'll be well taken care of."
At that point Siji knew Pago had made up his mind and nothing could change  it,  their only hope was to delay him while praying Ese and her friend got there on time. He felt the rope tying his hands to the back of the chair and discovered that he could still wriggle his hands a little bit. Pago had not tightened the knots well enough because he had been holding the gun. Siji started working on the ropes surreptitiously while he tried to buy more time for them.
"Tell me please, how do you plan to explain two dead bodies, both shot? The authorities will suspect foul play and everything might soon be traced to you."
Pago smiled self-confidently. "I won't be killing you both with this gun. I plan to set this house on fire with you in it."
Siji's heart skipped a bit, he cast a furtive look at Victor, and could noticed the sweat forming on the older man's temple. He was putting on a brave face, but Siji could tell he was scared too. Their survival depended only on how long they could keep Pago talking, but Victor seemed to have gone dumb. Siji tried to push his fear aside as he smiled up at Pago. "The police are still gonna ask questions. Two men found burnt in a building in the middle of nowhere is bound to raise eyebrows, don't you think?"
"You give the police too much credit my friend."
"The ropes. They will notice the ropes and know we were tied up."
"You must think I'm a fool. The fire will handle the rope. Nothing better to destroy evidence than fire."
"Not entirely, if they look well, which I'm sure they would, they will notice the burnt ropes."
Siji thought he had struck a chord when Pago shouted "No one will be looking nowhere." But then he smiled almost immediately and said. "After leaving here, I'll report Daddy missing and name you as the suspect. I will inform the authorities that he confided in me that you've been calling him, claiming to be his son and threatening to make him pay for what he did to your mum. So when they eventually find the burnt building and your bodies, they'd have their answers. You had eventually tracked him down while he was holidaying in his country home, and though no one can exactly say what happened,  the theory will be that things got out of hand and you both ended up dead. In a country where countless murder cases go unsolved, you'll agree with me that that is a plausible answer."
Siji knew that their time was about to be up, he didn't know about Victor but he was not ready to die, not yet, not when he had just discovered he really did have a child. He worked on the rope more desperately, his fingers straining to loosen the knots but he seemed to be having little success with it. He still needed time, he had to say something, anything, just to gain more time.
"You have a brilliant plan to cover your tracks Pago, but your mind seems to have skipped something. Ese."
"What about her?"
"She knows you kidnapped Rose, others do too, her parents, Kalu, and Teju."
"I guess the fear of your imminent death is affecting your sense of reason. What's wrong with a father taking his daughter out on a picnic. I'd only apologize for the trouble I caused by not informing my wife. They will understand, it won't be out of character for me. They always think I'm crazy anyway. And given that my wife had been hiding my daughter from me, it's something I'd do."
"But Ese knows I came here to get Rose."
"Don't worry your pretty head about Ese." Pago said sarcastically. "I'll take care of her, she could not come out and defend you back in school, why do you think she will now. And even if she did, it'd be my word against hers. And who do you think would be believed? Her, whose lover died while killing her father in-law, or me, the poor rich husband who had just lost his dad?"
Siji could not find anything more to say but he kept on with the rope, he would be damned if he gave up so easily.
"I'll just go get Rose upstairs and we'll be on our way." Pago said as he rushed up the stairs.
Siji used the opportunity to forcefully wriggle his hands from the rope, Victor kept quiet still. Siji had just finished loosening himself when a disoriented Pago rushed down the stairs calling "Rose? Rose?" And searching the living room. Siji quickly hid his hands behind the chair but the confused Pago was not looking towards him.
Pago could not understand how Rose could have disappeared. He had thought the drug he gave her was enough to keep her in bed for long. After searching the living room and not finding her, he remembered he had not checked the other rooms upstairs so he made for the stairs again.
Siji knew it was his opportunity to act, it'd be easier to attack Pago while he was still confused. So as Pago started climbing the stairs the second time, he charged at him. Pago felt him coming but it was too late, he felt the punch on his face just as he turned, then Siji's full weight hit him. They both lost balance and fell, tumbling down the stairs.

                            ☆☆☆

Ese was out of breath when they finally saw the building. She could not match Fatima's fast strides and she had had to jog a few times to catch up with her.
"Now that we've seen the house, can we please take a breather." She begged
"You may." Fatima replied but kept on walking.
"I said we not I."
"I heard what you said, but in my experience, arriving late at times may prove fatal. You never can tell the difference a few minutes or even seconds can make."
It was as if her words energized Ese. The thought of Rose in danger gave strength to her weakening limbs and she quickened her steps.
They saw the three vehicles when they got to the cottage.
"This Jeep belongs to my father in-law." Ese whispered even though she could see no one. Everywhere was quiet
"Were you aware he'd be here?"
"No, he is the last person I was expecting to see here. That's Siji's car, he's here. Let's check inside." Ese said as she went towards the entrance but Fatima stopped her.
"That's too obvious . Let's get in through a less obvious entrance. There should be one behind the building." They both went round the building. They soon found a backdoor but it was locked from inside. There was a window with louvres just beside the door. Fatima gently and quietly removed one of the louvres, she then took a knife from her side and cut a round hole on the net covering the window. Then she passed her hand through the hole to unlatch the door from inside. As the door opened, she smiled at Ese and said. "Always be prepared." Then returned the knife back. The door opened into the kitchen. Immediately they entered the kitchen, they heard people struggling from the room next door, then they heard a gunshot, then another, and another.
"Stay here." Fatima commanded an already trembling Ese. Then she pulled out her gun, opened the door and entered the room with her weapon raised . Ese followed her. In the dinning they could see Pago and Siji wrestling on the floor. Pago had the gun and was shooting indiscriminately while Siji held on to his wrist with one hand in his attempt to wrest the gun from him. Tied to the chair, in the middle of the room was a fear strickened Victor.
"Police!" Fatima shouted pointing her gun at both of them on the floor. Siji looked up, and Pago used the opportunity to kick him in the tummy to get him off him. Pago stood up still holding the gun, while Siji held on to his tummy on the floor .
"Drop the gun Mr. Adebantu and raise your hands above your head." Fatima ordered but Pago was not listening. He knew his game was up but he was determined to take Siji along with him. He aimed the gun at Siji.
"Mr. Adebantu I'd be forced to shoot you if you don't drop your weapon now." Fatima warned but her voice sounded as a distant cry to his ears. He placed his finger on the trigger and pulled. But his finger was not moving, he tried again, but he couldn't. That was when he felt it, the sharp pain on his arm. He looked at his arm and saw the blood flowing down his arm. The lady police had shot him, his arm dropped and the gun fell off his hand to the floor.
Fatima approached then handcuffed him while saying. "Don't worry sir, it's a clean shot. It only went through your flesh. You'd be fine but you still need medical attention."
Ese had closed her eyes as she heard the blast, and she had opened it expecting to see Siji writhing in his blood. She knew Fatima had no bullet in her gun and was just bluffing. So when she opened her eyes to see Pago bloodied arm instead, she had been surprised. She speechlessly watched Fatima handcuffed Pago, then rushed to Siji's side to help him up.
"But you said you had not bullet in that thing." She said to her friend accusingly.
"I lied. You looked as if you'd have a fit, so I had to lie." Fatima answered as she loosened the rope binding Victor.
Ese gave her a look of gratitude then turned to Siji and asked. "Hope you're alright? "
"I'm fine, but we need to find Rose. I think she snuck out of where Pago kept her."
"So you are yet to see her?" Ese asked, disturbed. Then she turned to Pago and asked. "Where have you kept my daughter?" She pounced on him when he did not reply her, hitting and scratching his face with her nails. It took an effort for Siji to pull her back.
"Attacking him wouldn't help, Ese, he doesn't know where she is either. He was looking for her a while ago."
"Look, there, under the stairs." Victor said in alarm.
They could all see the blood flowing from under the stairs. Then Ese saw her bare feet, then the school uniform.
"Rose!" She and Siji screamed in unison as they both ran to the stairs

About the Author

 Soji Adeola Ayanleke was born about 3 decades ago in Kano.
He studied Electronic and Electrical Engineering at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, he speaks Yoruba and Hausa fluently and he is trying to learn Igbo and Spanish. His hobbies are reading, writing and playing some indoor games.