Chapter 7: JUST BEFORE THE DAWN

Chapter 7: Just before the dawn

One year came and went. The second followed as did the third, the fourth and the fifth. In fact, a score and three months flew by, yet, Ikenna, Obinna and Chinenye were unable to find one another. It was as if they were never meant to be together again. But it was only Chinenye, their younger sister, who had made it her duty to always visit the train station every 31st of the month, with some undying hope of seeing her brothers again.

Ikenna, the eldest,who has tactically joined the American Centre Intelligence Agency. Had never had any opportunity to travel back and look for his siblings, after the last search yielded absolutely nothing. So he decided to give in to what fate had brought to him.

On the other hand, since the graduation of Obinna from the school of detectives and prosecutors, he has always been from one police station to another digging up crimes and arresting countlessly, law breakers.

He was busy arranging files on his desk,when his telephone rang. He picked it.

And behold, it was another case of kidnapping that happened yesterday. According to the report from the victim's guidance, she sent her daughter to buy some food stuff in the market that fateful day, but they waited for her to return till 1am but she didn't return. Just early this morning, she got a phone call from the kidnappers who were asking for a ransom in order to release their hostage. Failure to yield to their demand, they will kill her.

"Relax ma'am, you are in the right place at the right time now. You said they demanded afor ransom of how much?" Detective Obinna asked.

"Ehhm....they demanded two million sir".

"Two what!! Those bastards really think that money grows on a tree huh!". Obinna soliloquized.

"Do you have any of her pictures here with you ma'am?"

"Yes, I brought one with me. Here is it."

"Ok. She looks like one in her early twenties".

"Yes, she will be 24 next month. She is the reason my husband and I are still living. She has a singing contest that she must participate in, on the 28th of this month. But I know why this catastrophe surfaced to my family".

"Calm down ma'am. Nothing will happen to her. You said she is a singer right".

"A perfect one for my son. I always knew that someday she will make us proud".

"Ok. And next week Saturday will be the D-day for the audition. Ma'am do you by any means have anyone in mind as a suspect? "

"Ehmmm.. my son, honestly i don't have anyone to. The least I would suspect now is Mama Nkechi,my neighbour. Because the last i talked with her, it ended up with a serious quarrel ."

"You said quarrel? What led to that quarrel?"

" I can't explain my son, but ever since my daughter came first in her last audition four months ago, making her own daughter come second, her countenance with me totally changed. I tried asking her what the matter was,but she ignored me. But I don't think that might be the reason for my daughter's disappearance."

"Ok ma'am, you don't have to suspect her, because you don't have any rigid evidence against her. All you have to do is to go home and stay calm. My boys and I will do the work. But never hesitate to let me know if those kidnappers contact you again."

"Okay sir. Please help me in any way you can to save my daughter."

"Ma'am, i already told you to go home and relax, will start digging up her whereabouts".

"Ok sir, i will be going then".

Some hours passed. Obinna was returning from their director's office after he reported the recent case of kidnap to him which he gave him the go ahead order to investigate the case. He left the office and drove off with some of his boys to the victim's house.

He arrived at the victim's house two hours later. Him and his boys were already seated in the living room alongside with the victim's guidance. They were all seated silently waiting for the abductors to put them on a call. While they were still waiting,the phone rang.

"Hold on for a sec, let me copy this number and use it to track them, while am doing this, make sure you put the phone on loudspeaker." Obinna stated.

"Ok sir." The victim's father answered as he picked up the call.

"Hello?"

"Hey mister, I told you guys earlier that today is the deadline for you to fulfill our demand. Once I don't see you here by 1am dot with the money, then consider your daughter a dead person. "(He slapped the girl very hard, making her scream, heard over the phone to her parent's hearing).

"Ok sir. Please don't kill her please, i am coming there before twelve midnight. So I beg you to take it easy on her".

"Hey mister, one more thing, if you dare to bring any forces with you, be it police, vigilante or even army,then you will see the stuff I am made of".

"Ok sir. I won't dare to try such sir". (the abductor hung the phone instantly before he could finish what he was saying).

"Now it's 12:00pm. See what the plan is. You will take a polythene bag and fill sand underneath then you take some money and fill up to the surface of it. Immediately you hand them the bag, they will first search to confirm if it's actually money. But our chances are 50/50, if they eventually decide to pour the content of the bag on the ground in order to verify it, then all of us will be in deep trouble, but if it happens that they only search it with hands, then will have an edge over them."

"Ok sir, i do whatever you say as long as it guarantees my daughter's safety, no problem".

"We don't have much time, let's go, but you drive first ahead and will be right behind you in low profile". Obinna asserted.

"Ok sir ".

After some minutes, Mr.nkenjika, the father of the abducted daughter, arrived at their hideouts. The head gang were already standing there waiting for him to confirm that there were no forces behind him.

"Hahaha, man, I love dealing business with obedient and punctual people like you". The head gang said, puffing off the smoke into the air.

"Hope you come with the package huh?"

"Of course sir.." he went straight to his car and brought out the bag.

"Hahaha. Are you sure it's complete?"

"Ye..yes sir, it's complete".

"Tobi.."

The head gang called one of his boys.

"Go and bring out that girl fast".

"Okay boss."

After some seconds, he came out with the girl. As soon as he saw her daughter, he tried to move to her but the head gang didn't give him that opportunity.

"Hey hey man, not so fast. You hand me over the bag and we will give you your daughter."

"Ok sir".

He went closer and handed over the bag to them. Without hesitation,the head gang collected the bag and peered into it to confirm if it's actually money. As soon as he confirmed it, he pushed the girl over to her father. Without further hesitation, she ran off and met her father. Meanwhile, the head gang had given the bag to one of his colleagues to count the money. Immediately he poured the contents of the bag outside and found out that they had been fooled. Without sparing any time, he let out a scream which reverberated round the whole building to alert others.

"Stop them!! It's not real money they gave us!. The remains are sand ooo!"

As soon as the head gang heard it, he triggered his gun to shoot them but not knowing that they had already been besieged by the cops.

"Hey one more step from you again, I will blow your skull. Drop your weapons and put your hands up NOW!!" Obinna ordered them from behind, pointing his gun at their head gang.

"Now all of you move it, move it now!! Bunch of hullabaloos".

Obinna arrested all of them and zoomed off to the police station. This event lasted not less than one hour.

The following day came. Obinna decided to pay a visit to the guidance of that girl he and his team rescued.

He was already seated in their living room.

"Who do we have here?" Mr.nkenjika said as he went on to shake hands with The detective who has been their waiting not quite long after his arrival.

"Good day sir". Obinna greeted

"Good day, my honourable detective, this one you decided to pay me a visit today, hope all is well".

Obinna chuckled on hearing someone referred to him as honourable.

"Sir, all is well. I am actually off duty today so I decided to use this opportunity to pay you guys a visit".

"Ohh... That's very thoughtful of you. Sit down, let me offer you something to drink."

"Ohh, thank you sir, but you don't have to bother yourself with that, I am fine".

"No no way,, I insist. There is no way a visitor will come to my house and I just leave him to go home without offering him anything. Take more of you; the reason my daughter is still alive today. I know I can't thank you enough with anything but please don't reject the little that I offer". Mr. Nkemdirim persisted.

"Okay sir, no problem with that ,just give me any cold drink you have,i will accept".

"Now you come. Wait for me am coming".

While he was waiting, her daughter, who was just coming back from school, trooped in.

"Good afternoon sir". She genuflected as she greeted.

"Good afternoon my dear, how are you doing today?"

"Am fine sir"

" You are coming back from school,I guess".

"You're right sir. Thank you for rescuing my life sir, may God continue to protect you".

"Haha,Amen my darling, it's God that saved your life. We humans make plans and God almighty establish the plans".

"You're right sir, thank you".

"What's your name dear".

"My name is Chinenye".

For some moments,he thought of her sister who also goes by that name, but he waved it away.

"Really? What a beautiful name from a beautiful damsel".

"Thanks sir". See said with some shyness written all over her.

Immediately her father came out with a tray of orange juice and a tumbler.

"My daughter, you're back."

"Yes papa. I will excuse myself for now".

"Ok my daughter".

"About your daughter; She said her name is Chinenye. What a lovely name."

"Haha, that's my daughter. I wonder what could have become of us if not for her, the joy and happiness she brought to us ever since she came into our lives is incomparable".

"Wow, from the way you sound, she seems like the only child you had".

"Yes, you are not far from the fact. Ever since my wife and I got married, we have had issues with bearing our own children. For almost 12years of our marriage, yet, there were no issues of child support. Then one day my wife came up with an idea of adopting a child, but I didn't agree to that. It all happened on our way to visit our in-law in the village, but on our way back, we saw one girl seated on the roadside crying and looked more stranded, then we decided to stop.

After some questions my wife asked her about her parents and why she was there all alone in the middle of the night weeping. We realised that she was an orphan who also lost her brothers, according to her story. From there, we decided to legally adopt her and that's the girl you see now in my house as my daughter".

For some minutes,Obinna was summarising the whole story in his head trying to put one or two things together before he now decided to speak.

"Ehhm...sir, you said you saw her weeping on the road in the middle of night? And she was about 4 years old at that time?"

"Exactly. But how did you know of her exact age, because I didn't make mention of that in my narration".

"And again you said she lost her brothers?" Obinna asked intuitively without hesitation.

"Yes, that's what she said".

"Ok. If I am not mistaken, the names of her brothers are Obinna and Ikenna right?"

On hearing this, Mr.nkemdirim marvelled.

"How did you know of those names, cause that's exactly the name she mentioned to us?"

Instantly, tears started pouring out from Obinna's eyes, for he couldn't believe that he would later find her sister.

"Sir, is everything alright? You're crying sir, tell me, what's wrong?"

"She's my younger sister. Her full name is Chinenye Esther Chibuokem. I lost her at the age of eighteen, when we were both waiting to see our elder bro whom we lost in a course of running from our enemies that killed our parents. Both of us were asked to wait for him in the train station at warri by the end of that very month so that we could meet again. But when we were waiting for him, I told my sister to wait for me so that I could go and ease myself so that I could be back. But unfortunately, I returned and couldn't find her again. I searched the whole area that night but to no avail. Later on we made reports to the nearest police station but they couldn't find her as well. So after some years, I decided to let the sleeping dog lie".

Mr.nkemdirim was totally dumbfounded on hearing the exact story her sister told her back then. He was rather dumb nor deaf, but the whole narration made him seems so.

"Wow! I would have objectified from your story, but for the fact that your narration matched hers, who am i to reify it."

"Sir, please i want to be sure of this whole thing, please call her. I want to confirm something please". Obinna requested.

"Okay, if you said so". Mr.nkemdirim said as he obliged to Obinna's request".

She came out immediately.

"Chinenye my daughter,come and sit down, there is a very big issue here we want to verify. This younger person here said that he is your brother, but I am not sure of it. He said he had proof, so listen attentively to him".

She was rather thrilled or amazed.

"My name is Obinna Chibuokem. ******"

After he had narrated the whole story to her, he decided to ask her one more question.

"I bought a red shoe and gave it to her when I asked her to wait for me. But I don't know if you're really the person and still have that shoe?"

Chinenye was really thrilled when she realised that he is indeed her brother Obinna.

Tears were already rolling down her cheeks when she discovered that he was her brother. She got up and went inside her room and came out with that pair of red shoes.

Without much talk, he ran quickly and embraced her, and they both did. Tears were rolling down their cheeks.

Two days passed. Light set again in the family of Mr.nkemdirim. They were all seated in the dining room chuckling and laughing.

Chinenye appeared to be the narrative voice. She was narrating to Mr.mkemdirim and Obinna her first time experience in her audition. The narration was so real that you could actually feel what she felt at her audition. "It started when I was asked to come up on a stage to perform. I was obviously fidgeting since it was my first debut. But for some reasons why I didn't allow myself to be defeated by the crowdy atmosphere was that the girl that performed before me urinated on herself when she was on the stage. At first, she couldn't remember her lines, then the fear of being a dunce before the crowd got a better part of her and she didn't know when she pissed on herself. Before she could say another word, she was dismissed in disgrace. Then, I decided to take the bull by its horn".

"Hahahaha, this is hilarious. How can a full grown up lady pee on herself? She shouldn't have chosen music as her career when she is aware that she can't stand up in public due to her shy attitude". Obinna blurted out inconsiderately.

"Well, you don't have to say it that way, because some parents literally refer to their children in choosing a career for their own benefits. While some even force their children to concur to their bidding". Mr.mkemdirim asserted firmly.

"You are actually right, no doubt about it. Because there is now reason why a full grown up lady would prefer to embarrass herself before everyone, instead of showing off the abilities she got in music career for people to see". Obinna asserted clearly, pointing out reasons why such a thing shouldn't have occurred in the first place. As they were deliberating on that issue, Mrs.nkemdirim came out with a tray of food to serve them. The food was rather sumptuous or even delicious. It was jollof rice and some fried chicken which was used to decorate the sumptuous meal accompanied by one orange juice and red wine to help in flushing it down .

"Here is the food, I am sorry if I have kept you guys waiting". Mrs.mkemdirim apologised sincerely.

"My lovely wife, i don't need a soothsayer to affirm to me that this food is delicious' '.

"But dad,, what of my own cooking, you have never for once praised my cooking skill just as you always did for mom". Chinenye complained.

"Hahaha, my dear, there's no doubt about your great cooking skill, but it's all thanks to your mom who coached you into becoming a great cook". Mr.nkemdirim explained.

"He is the right sister, without her you might never even know how to cook white yam".

Obinna giggled at her sister.

"Am not surprised bro, you have never taken my side in situations like this ever since we were young". Chinenye blurted.

"Well my children, let's eat our food now before it gets cold".

******