Chapter 31

I smiled, Baba was at work, and there was already an uproar in the city of Abidjan. I ordered the chauffeur who picked me up to go slow so I could hear people speak their pieces.

The location was revealed in Baba's news, so, people were taking bikes and cabs, heading towards the location, to break it down on behalf of the government who was rather dishing out some lies to retain the property for future use.

I laughed.

"Follow them to where they are heading," I ordered the chauffeur.

"Ma'am?" he asked.

"You heard me clear enough, man," I said while looking out through the window.

He followed them. police vans were also heading down the same location, to take glory for what they didn't do. We stopped where there was space, and I alighted.

"Officer," I called at a police officer at sight. I'm popular, I knew he would recognize me as he turned towards me.

"Ma'am." He came close to me. "Good morning, ma'am."

I smiled and passed him a hundred bucks in his palm. "I need to get to the front. Get your colleagues to make way for me to get there.

"No, ma'am." He replied. "The mob got here before us. They were already destroying everything before our men got here. Some police officers were beaten for trying to stop them. I suggest you go home already because I was informed the army is coming to tame the noise."

His report was lengthy, but on hearing the army, I was petrified. That mad general might order his men to toss teargas at these innocent people, or even order his men to shoot them, all in pain of his massive loss, a loss he must never have anticipated.

"Take me to the front," I ordered, this time, with a stern face. I could be the one to protect these people from being manhandled by the army.

"Okay." The officer said on realizing he had no choice this time.

He gathered a few of his colleagues to help me pass, but it wasn't them that got me across, it was the same angry mob that had gathered to destroy the evil. They made way for me and I got to the front row.

"Ma'am, this place is not safe." A police officer at the forefront announced to me as I got to the forefront.

"What happened here?" I asked.

"The special squad raided this den and freed the captives, but before we could get here, the people who were released were already back with their relatives to destroy the den." He lied shamelessly.

I wished I could pick a stone from the floor and smash his mouth, at least, leave spaces of missing teeth in his ugly mouth.

"We got a call that the military is coming." He hadn't finished his words when I heard a loud thud in the air. It wasn't the military, it was Honorable Yapi and too many police officers and men in suits, all armed to the teeth.

"What is this evil I'm hearing?" he asked.

"Sir, it was the special unit, they cracked down on this mess of a place." The lying officer said.

"And they left these mad people to break the structures and put all these rotten bodies and organs out here," Yapi yelled. "Pack all these things and take them to the station. Do your work."

With Yapi at the crime scene, I knew the military would not come unless the mob overpowered Yapi and his men. More policemen came in, almost two hundred men, and boom, they started kicking off the mob.

"Do you have live victims?" Yapi asked. "We need to ask them questions."

I smiled. He wasn't wiser than we were. We informed the captives we freed last night to never show up at any police station to report their ordeal, else, they will be reacquired in the name of questioning.

"No, sir." Said the police officer. "It's just dead bodies everywhere, including that of a white man."

Yapi paused. He knew the white man; he knew all the deeds. He knew everything. I wished I could grab the police officer's gun and shoot the bastard in the face.

"Make sure this is well investigated." Said Yapi.

He made to the bulk of police officers who had blocked the entrance of the so-called criminal den. They seemed to be arguing when he joined them. he pointed towards the masses who were still throwing stones and flame bottles at the buildings.

They want it to go down in flames.

He said something to them, and they swung into action, arresting those who tried forcing themselves into the den to break it down at all costs.

"Honorable," I said as I got close to him. "This is such a horrible thing."

He looked me in the face. There was awe in my eyes. I did my very best to look super scared. He hugged me and rubbed my back, while I cried in pretense on his shoulder.

I imagined what picture we would make if we were to be adapted in books, a hug between monster and the knight out to kill it right in front of its ruined cave.

"Stop crying, it will be alright, our country will be freed of crimes." He whispered, his stupid hand slipping down my waist. I allowed him. He should have his damn toll. Mine was coming bigger than what lay before him. I slipped and fixed a bug the size of a thick on his cloth.

***

I returned home to meet at a press conference. Maria was a mad creature. All notable press houses in Cote d'Ivoire were here. They should be at the place where it was hot, but they were all here, looking for what they would distract the masses with.

I went upstairs unnoticed because I couldn't afford to stand before large and small cameras to declare that my house was raided by military boys because their general wanted to hang out with me last night but I wasn't home to satisfy his madness.

I edged into my room, took off my clothes, and laid on my bed. I'll get my legal team involved in this if the general didn't apologize and promise to keep his eyes off my body and my house.

My phone buzzed once more. I sighed. I hardly ignored calls, but I decided to ignore this particular call. It continued till I picked it up.