Free Treachery in the Yard by Adimchinma Ibe

here on the double. I will send someone to check out this Angus fella.”
    I disconnected the call and looked at Femi. “Well, that’s that. It’s back to headquarters.”
    â€œDo you think he’s being protected?” Femi asked as we walked to my car. Femi has a wonderful sense of sarcasm. “Should we do something about it?”
    â€œSure, we go back to headquarters. I’m not ready for Chief’s tantrum this afternoon.”
    This was when we heard the gunshots. Then a lot of yelling.
    Suddenly police were running everywhere. Something had happened in the front of the building. We ran back and found a group of officers bunched around something on the ground in front of the building. The something was Angus Sekibo, with several bullet holes in the back of his head. He had been shot as he walked out of the building. Someone had solid information, to move so quickly to silence him. Someone organized. Very, very organized. Organized enough to murder someone on the front steps of this local police station, and not be caught.
    Witnesses said two guys in a white Toyota truck stopped abruptly and the one in the passenger’s seat brought out a gun and shot Angus.
    I’d seen all I needed to. Femi and I walked back to my car.
    â€œWhat are you going to do now?” he asked.
    â€œI don’t know. I didn’t count on Angus becoming a dead end quite so quickly.” I got my cell out of my pocket and dialed Chief Olatunji.
    â€œSir, it’s me again.”
    â€œYes, detective. What is it this time?”
    â€œAngus Sekibo is dead.”
    â€œThe bomber? We just spoke. What happened?”
    â€œHe was shot and killed as he left Central Police Station a moment ago. He was silenced before we had a chance to get anything out of him.”
    â€œYou were damned right. I’d like a full report of what happened.” The phone went dead.
    I dropped off Femi at our office, then drove to Osamu’s. I called Akpan while driving and brought him up to speed. I parked two blocks from Osamu’s office and called his cell phone.
    â€œI know about your client’s overambitious plot to take political control of Port Harcourt,” I said as soon as he picked up the call.
    â€œWhat are you talking about?” He sounded truly surprised.
    â€œJust tell him that I am going to get more proof and expose him before the primaries next week.” I snapped my phone shut.
    Then I waited. I had a bet with myself and won: less than ten minutes later Osamu came out the door looking worried. The doorman went ahead of him, making a fuss of opening the door to Osamu’s Lexus when his driver pulled up. They drove off and I quietly followed, keeping the distance between us to at least three car lengths. After a while, the Lexus pulled off the main road and onto a side street leading to the heart of Borikiri. I slowed down, looking the other way as I passed the Lexus, and parked atthe end of the street where I had a clear view of the Lexus in my rearview mirror. I got my camera from the glove compartment.
    The Lexus just sat there. Osamu was waiting for someone. Sure enough, a black Ford Expedition rolled up behind the Lexus and parked. I started taking pictures. Osamu stepped out of his car and walked to the Expedition. The back door opened, beckoning him. He got in. A few short minutes later Osamu climbed out and went back to his Lexus. The Expedition started up, pulled into the street, and came toward me.
    Again, I looked the other way as the Expedition passed. I managed to get a few more shots of it before it turned at the end of the street and disappeared. When I turned back, the Lexus was gone, probably having done a U-turn.
    I started my car, the camera beside me on the passenger seat, next to a couple of bottles of water. The headquarters lab would develop and print the pictures for analysis. Hopefully, whoever was inside the Expedition could be identified.
    I played