An Evening With Eva

Episode 5

“Start the ignition!” Shina barked
at the man at the wheels.

He obeyed immediately. The engine
roared to life, making a very
silent and barely audible
humming sound. Iyke and
Francis watched Shina closely,
desperately trying to know what
stage of the plan they were at.

Shina was not scared of the two
criminals despite their menacing
look, especially Iyke. Iyke had a
deep scar that ran from his
forehead through the middle of
his eyes and stopped just by his
left nostril. A scar he had gotten
while in a brawl with a ‘friend’
who owed him money. His friend
had come at him with a matchet.

He had just his hands. That was
how he got the scar. He served
four years in jail because of that
incident. He was lucky. His friend
wasn’t. His friend currently lived
in a permanent wing in a federal
hospital popularly called Igbobi.

He was paralyzed from the neck
down. Iyke was a brute. He did
not fear anything or anyone.

People shook and trembled at
the sight of him. Even Francis
secretly feared him. And when he
got angry every one took to their
heels. But not Shina. Shina
detested him. Shina could finish
him with just a phone call. In a
way, Iyke knew he did not
intimidate Shina. He did not
know what kind of strings Shina
pulled. He was always keeping
his distance from him. Somehow,
THE GHOSTS had a way of putting
up the perfect team for an
operation. Shina was the head
for this mission. A smooth,
calculating man, never under
pressure and always with back
up plans A – Z, no matter the
situation. Francis was the very
handsome and sexy serial killer.

He loved to kill pretty women for
fun. He was never caught. When
he was accosted by The Ghosts
he had no choice. They could
give him away. They offered him
good money, a good home and a
family. And they were letting him
kill once in a while. He was
satisfied. Iyke the brute. The kind
of thug you need when the
situation gets tough and needs a
deal of rough handling. No one
does it better than Iyke.

Iyke was getting irritated at
Shina’s silence.

“Oga, wetin dey happen na? You
just keep us for silent since.

Which ones na? Abeg wetin be
scores? How e dey go? Time don
reach to arrange the baggas?”

He barked.

Shina just smiled. A kind of smile
that could annoy the meekest of
men.

“Move to the pick-up point.

Now!” he said to the driver
raising his voice with his left
hand still pressed to his ear.

He looked at the two men at the
back, then said,
“Beauty has got the girl. We are
moving in to pick them up. We
expect no incidence. This should
be as easy as dipping a hot knife
through butter. But if anything
comes up you know what to do.

Iyke, stay alert. Francis, you have
your orders.”

Francis was relaxing with his
hands across his chest and his
eyes closed. His back was resting
firmly on d seat and when Shina
spoke he just nodded, his eyes
were still closed. Iyke was almost
falling off the edge of his seat in
his eagerness to pick up every
word Shina spoke. The jeep
moved slowly and turned right
towards the waterside. It turned
again, reversed and re-parked
facing the traffic light. They were
looking directly at FourPoints by
Sheraton with the back door exit
of Oriental Hotels to their left.

They waited.

Beauty, the pretty woman in
glasses opened the bathroom
door and entered. She moved to
the last cubicle, entered and
gently folded the handkerchief
into place. She listened carefully
as Eva stepped out of her own
cubicle and approached the
central mirror, admiring herself
and adjudging the extent of
cleanup she had done. She felt
contented. She looked into her
purse.

Beauty stepped out quietly and
approached Eva from behind. She
took four quick steps. Eva
brought her head up from the
bag and noticed someone in the
mirror coming at her. She saw
her too late. Beauty placed the
handkerchief on Eva’s nose,
making her inhale every bit of
the handkerchief. There was very
little struggle. Beauty dragged
her into the cubicle she was in.

She felt Eva’s pulse. Normal.

Things were going according to
plan. She brought out a tiny
whitish substance and put it into
Eva’s nostrils. She jerked as
though she had just come out of
a nightmare. Eva regained
consciousness. She was weak.

“Who…who…who are you? What
do you want?” Eva said, looking
at Beauty. She was very afraid.
“Do you want to die, dearie?”

Beauty asked rhetorically, her
face totally hard.

“No ma. Please I don’t.” Eva
begged.

“Then listen to me very carefully.

Do you inderstand me?” She
asked.

Eva nodded.

“Do exactly as I say and no harm
will come to you or your uncle in
Gbagda. We also know your
mother lives in Ajegunle and
goes to church by 6pm on
Fridays. Your younger brother
attends the University of Lagos.

He stays in Jaja Hall, Room B212.

We know everything about you
Eva Makinde. We just need you to
help us with some information.

Thereafter you would be free to
go. If you make any funny moves,
we will poison Kunle. We have
people everywhere and we are
invisible. You would be released
in the morning. Try any funny
moves and the death of every
person you love and cherish
would be on your head. Can you
live with that? Do you want
that?” Beauty asked
threateningly.

Eva shook her head again.

Beauty had made her point.

She continued, “Now you will
follow me and make a very sickly
face. I will do all the talking. Don’t
say a word. Where is your
phone?”

“It’s here ma.” Eva said very
frightened.

“When I tell you, you will call
Kunle and tell him you had to go.

Your mum called and she is very
sick. He won’t be too bothered.

We have handled everything.”

Beauty finished.

“Okay ma.”

“Good.” “I have got the package.

Meet me at the pickup spot in
five.” Beauty said to her collar.

“Let’s go.” She commanded.

They went through the back,
passed a corridor and took a left.

She held Eva’s hand as they moved through a maze of corridors and doors. Finally they
got to the emergency exit.

There was a Mopol with a rifle. Shiiitt!!!

This was not planned. Beauty wanted to turn back but there was no time to. The man had
already seen them and she could
not risk raising an alarm. She
decided to risk it.

She approached the police officer.

“Please Oga, my sister is
pregnant. And she is feeling
dizzy. She needs fresh air. She
might faint any moment from
now. We were in the bathroom
and we lost our way trying to get
outside to get fresh air. That is
the only way she would be
better.” Beauty begged.

The police officer scrutinized
them. They looked exceptionally
dressed. He looked at Eva’s
stomach. There was no bulge.

Eva was supporting herself on
Beauty’s arm participating in the
drama.

“Wia una dey come from!” The
Mopol said eyeing both of them.

“We are from the CEO’s party in
the hall. Please sir, help us.”

Beauty begged.

Just then Eva contorted her face
and vomited on the floor close to
the man’s feet. Beauty patted her
and looked at the man. The man
dropped his rifle and began to
open the very difficult emergency
exit. Beauty took the gun and hit
him on the head with the butt.

He passed out falling on the
ground. Eva was shocked. Beauty
smiled at her.

Beauty spoke to her collar again.
“I encountered some hindrance.

He won’t be out for long. I need
evacuation now! I’m at the
zone.”

Shina signaled Iyke and he was
out in a flash. Iyke jogged to the
door and inserted a duplicate key
into the lock. He opened the door
from outside and the two
women stepped out. As Iyke was
shutting the door the Mopol
groaned. He was regaining
consciousness. Iyke dragged him
out and locked the door. He
collected the handkerchief from
beauty and emptied the contents
of her bottle onto the
handkerchief. He gagged the
mopol who was writhing and
shaking his legs. Iyke’s arm was
around his throat while his othe
palm forcefully pressed the cloth
on the mopol’s nose. After a
while, all became still. Iyke locked
the door and threw the mopol’s
body into the water.

They moved to the car and all
three got inside.

“Drive.” Shina directed.

They drove in silence. As they
approached Civic Center, Shina
nodded at Beauty. Beauty got out
Eva’s phone and told her to call
Kunle as planned. It took a while
for him to pick. He explained that
he was talking with his superiors
and asked where she was. She
explained that she was currently
in a cab going to see her mother
at Eko Hospital. She had suffered
another attack. He felt bad. His
proposal had to wait. He did not
pressure her to coming back. His
superiors were looking at him.

He asked her to be safe and that
he would be with her soon. He
did not plan to be.

They got to the traffic light at law
school and took their right into a
rough road where fish mongers
sold during the day. They parked
by the lagoon and every one
came down except the driver.

“The car was becoming too
heavy. We need one less
passenger. Francis, you know
what to do.” Shina said. He
nodded to Francis.

Francis smiled. He brought out
his .23 automatic. It was a
silenced pistol. He aimed at
Beauty and took her with one
clean shot. He got her in the
chest. She fell to the ground
lifeless. Eva was shocked. Iyke
had a grin. Iyke made to took her
jewelry. Shina stopped him.

“She was an undercover spy.

A double agent. What a waste.” He
spat on her body. Iyke deposited
her body in the water and
watched it float.

He came back to join Shina and
the rest in the car. Francis was
caressing his pistol that had just
carried out the hit and smiling to
himself. He would jerk off
tonight, thinking about the dead
body of beauty. He was happy.

Shina removed the earphone
from his left ear and said to no
one in particular
“Let’s go home” .