Chapter Five

Timi woke and began his morning devotion. He was a devoted Christian. Relieved and feeling great after the ups and downs of the previous day, he sat up and took a brief look at Jane. She was still sleeping. He was glad that, by the look of things, she was relieved of the feverish feelings and pain. It seemed the medication was working.

Only God knew how badly her health would have deteriorated, he thought. He almost regretted the idea of giving her the Chloroquine injection when its side effects began in the middle of the night. He couldn't help but wince when she started to weep like a baby as her body began to itch badly. By the time the itching subsided and she fell asleep, it was almost dawn. For this reason, seeing her snore peacefully at the moment gave him a boost of hope. All is well, he affirmed within himself.

Watching her, he felt attracted to her. He loved her, not only for her beauty but also because she seemed to have a kind personality.

He was impressed by how she initiated the idea of helping to give the sick soldier and his colleague a ride to the hospital.

A kind-hearted woman would always be a good wife. That was what he had heard a million times from his father. His father would say to him, "Pray to have a woman like your mother. A kind-hearted woman will always be a good wife." He believed him.

His mother could give her heart out for charity. That was how kind his mother was, and she had never changed a bit. It was one big factor that made him cherish her so much.

His eyes remained on Jane's body, which lay on the bed with only her bra and underwear on. She looked tempting as she snored.

As he left for the bathroom to relieve himself, he wondered how on earth she didn't have a clue why he opted to sleep on the floor instead of sharing the bed with her. Could it be that she was pretending? He pondered. She had urged him to join her on the bed, but he had declined.

He was against her sleeping half-naked, but when she complained of being uncomfortable in her jeans, he had no option but to agree. And if not for his Christian discipline, watching her breasts almost spilling from her bra whenever she rolled out of the bed cover could have made his feelings uncontrollable. It had not been easy.

He decided to cover her up. After leaving the bathroom, he walked up to the bed and gently stretched the blanket back over her body. He checked her temperature by placing the back of his hand on her neck and was glad that her temperature was normal. Nothing would make him happier than seeing her recover fully from the sickness.

After walking away from her, he decided to take his bath so that she could have the bathroom all to herself when she woke up.

He entered the bathroom, and on a small shelf on the wall were two new toothbrushes and a tube of toothpaste. What kind of kidnappers are these? he wondered aloud. They were different from the ones he had heard of or seen in movies. Here was a kidnappers' cell where virtually everything was made available to make a captive's life comfortable for the duration of their captivity: an en suite room furnished with an air conditioner, a king-size bed, and a giant fridge fully stocked with essentials like bottled water, fruits, and packs of juice. On the table were a few old magazines and books to while away time with. It could best serve as a honeymoon getaway room for couples, he thought.

He needed no one to tell him that the new toothbrushes and the tube of paste were specially provided for him and Jane.

"This is a well-planned kidnap," he soliloquized as he took one of the brushes and tore open its plastic cover. He looked around and saw a cup on the basin. After applying the paste to the brush and starting to brush, he took the plastic cup and filled it with water from the sink to rinse his mouth. But suddenly, the cup slipped from his hand and crashed on the floor, making a loud sound that woke Jane.

She looked around and didn't see Timi, but she could hear splashes of water in the bathroom. The moment she opened her eyes, she felt pressed and hurriedly stood up to go and urinate. Taking her handkerchief, she left for the bathroom. Her nose drooled, and she wiped it and knocked on the door.

"Yes," Timi answered and opened the door.

"Good morning. You want to use the bathroom? I'm almost done," he said, rinsed his mouth in haste, and came out.

"Sorry I woke you up. A cup fell from my hand," he added as he walked out for her to go in.

"Good morning," she said and rushed into the bathroom. He lay on the bed after Jane had entered the bathroom and stared at the bathroom door that was left half-open by her. He was actually getting used to her carefree attitude, and he was liking it.

Still staring at the door, his mind wandered away from Jane. He thought it would be nice if there was a radio or television to keep them abreast of happenings in the outside world. Were the medical officials who were tied and left in the bush found already? he pondered. Only when they were found would the police know what exactly happened to him and Jane, he thought.

After five minutes in the bathroom, Jane came out.

"Is it because of the fear of the virus that you refuse to sleep on the bed?" she asked and walked to the fridge to take a bottle of water.

"You mean the fear of contracting a virus I've already contracted?" Timi asked, smiling.

"How did you know you've already contacted it?" she asked and walked back to the bedside. She pulled the chair out from the table and sat down.

"Jane! We've shared virtually everything since we met, and you still don't know I've contacted it? Do you need a seer to tell you that?" Timi looked away from her. She was close to him, and he was tempted to stare at her half-covered breasts.

"Thanks to the fact that I got shots of Chloroquine injection before I met you. And that I've been taking the antibiotics and Vitamin C," he concluded.

He stood up and walked to the wardrobe where Jane had put her jeans and blouse. Picking them up, he brought them to her.

"Well, that's true, and that reminds me. Please give me the shot for today; it's obvious that I feel better," she said.

"Before anything else, Jane, put on these clothes. It's morning already, and you can't be like this when these guys come in," Timi cautioned her, and he was serious. She looked at him and smiled. That was the very first time she had smiled since all the trouble started.

At Timi's advice, she stood up, put on the clothes, and sat down again. She was about to put the Paracetamol in her mouth when he reminded her that she needed to eat something before taking both the pills and the injection. So, she dropped the pills on the table and walked back to the fridge to take fruits and a bottle of juice.

"I wish we could get a radio to keep us secretly informed about what goes on outside these walls, as we don't know how long we'll be held up here," he said, watching her cat-walk back to the chair.

"Radio?" she asked, as if she hadn't heard him properly.

"Yes! A radio to keep us informed of what happens outside this comfortable cell we're in," he repeated.

"I've got one here," she said as she peeled a banana.

"Where?" Timi asked.

"Here," she said again, pointing at her wristwatch.

"Is that a smart watch?" he asked in amazement.

"Of course, yes. But you need an earpiece to make the radio work," she replied.

Timi stood up, moved closer to her, and held the hand with the watch.

"This is nice, for it doesn't look like a smart watch at all. Does it make calls too?" Timi asked.

"Yes, of course, but it's my Japan SIM that's in it. It's useless," she replied and gulped the juice.

"Then, I have an idea. Please, are you done eating? I want you to come and lie down on the bed again. When any of the guys comes in, you'll need to act as if you're still having a fever. Then, leave the rest to me," he instructed.

He made a move to return to the bathroom to bathe, and hardly had he finished the sentence when there was the sound of a key in the keyhole on the door. Evans opened the door without a knock, and Jane, like a movie actress, put her head down on the table immediately. When Evans came in, she didn't raise her head.

"Good morning," Evans said and walked over to Jane. He touched her and asked, "Are you okay now, Miss?"

Jane, in a gradual movement, raised her head and dimmed her eyes like someone affected by sun rays.

"I feel feverish, and I have body pain," she replied and dropped her head back on the table.

"You said you'd give her an injection yesterday, didn't you?" Evans shifted his gaze to face Timi and then took a few steps towards him.

"Yes, I did. She took the first treatment yesterday, but I haven't given her the one for today," he replied.

"And why?" Evans asked, and there was a hint of anger in his voice.

"Because I need to get the pain reliever from the car compartment, and she needs to eat also before getting today's injection," Timi touched Jane's body, acting like he was trying to check her temperature.

"Oh! That's right. It's not a good thing to take pills or an injection on an empty stomach," Evans said.

"I've sent guys to get you your breakfast. I can see she's eating a banana already," Evans added.

"Yes, sir, I told her to do so, in case the food comes late," Timi replied.

"Okay! That means she can take the pills now. Follow me as I go out," Evans instructed.

"But before then, Miss, take the phone and call your father. Tell him we're giving him three days to give our agent in Japan the amount they're asking for, in cash. And if he fails to do so, I'm sorry, you and your friend will be killed," Evans added and handed his cell phone to Jane.

Jane collected the phone and dialed the number while Evans and Timi watched.

"Papa…" Jane started to talk to her father in Japanese, and Evans stopped her at once.

"Talk in English!" Evans ordered.

"His English is bad, sir," Jane replied and looked up.

None among the two in the room with her knew that the very first thing she said in her native tongue was, "Papa, there is a problem; please act as if you don't speak English."

"Okay, speak on," Evans said, and she continued speaking.

The phone was on speaker mode, so her father's voice was loud and clear. He spoke in Nihongo, as advised by his daughter.

"Tell him our three days is three days," Evans said and raised the pistol in his hand, shooting at a dartboard on the wall beside the wardrobe. The gunshot was deafening, and the phone fell from Jane's hand in fear.

"Pick it up for her!" Evans yelled at Timi, and Timi quickly bent down to pick up the phone and then handed it over to Jane.

She collected the phone and checked if the call was still on.

"Yes, Papa…" she continued to talk in her native tongue. The sound of the gunshot made her father panic. Therefore, he told her to tell Evans that he would be expecting to hear from his agent in Japan. He promised to give them the money without involving the police.

Jane narrated all her father said to Evans, and Evans collected the phone and ordered Timi to go out of the room. When they stepped out of the VIP room, he closed and locked the door. Then, he walked behind Timi as they walked out of the house to the mango tree where Timi's cab was parked.

Evans walked Timi to the cab and watched him keenly as he tried to open the cab door to pick what he came for.

Thinking about how to get all he wanted from the taxi's compartment without Evans knowing he took them, Timi opened the vehicle door slowly. He intentionally started to search the plastic bag on the floor of the car as if he didn't actually know where exactly the drug, the SIM card, and the earpiece he needed were. Luckily, he was still intentionally searching in the wrong place when he heard Monster-J call Evans. Evans shifted his attention from him to Monster-J. He looked back towards the entrance of the house where Monster-J stood.

"What is it?" Evans asked.

"The chief's son is vomiting and looks sick," Monster-J replied.

"I'll be there in a minute," Evans turned on his heel and shifted his attention back to Timi. But Timi had already done all he wanted to do. He had picked the drug, the SIM, and an earpiece, but he still searched around for nothing.

Seeing Timi acting sluggish, Evans shouted at him, "Aren't you done yet!"

"I'm through, sir," Timi replied and stepped out of the cab. He closed the car door and walked away towards the house, and Evans followed behind him, holding his pistol.

Evans took him back to the VIP room and locked the door. Then, he left for the other room where he held the two young boys captive. He wanted to know what happened to the boy who was reported vomiting.

Knowing that Evans and his boys must not see the SIM card and the earpiece he brought into the VIP room, Timi's first action was to hide them under the mattress immediately after Evans left for the other room.

It was not even thirty minutes after Evans left Timi and Jane when he opened the door of the VIP room again, holding a plastic bag containing food. He dropped it by the door and told Timi that he needed to come and attend to the sick boy in the other room. Timi arose immediately and followed him.

Jane was still sneezing occasionally, but it was not as bad as the day before. Her temperature had gone down to normal completely, and she felt no more pain. Standing up from the bed, she walked to the door to pick up the plastic bag Evans had dropped. The hunger dealing with her was terrible, and she couldn't wait for Timi to be back in the room before eating. She sat on the floor and opened the disposable plates in haste. Luckily, it was one of her favorite foods: Chicken and Chips. Like a hungry lion, she devoured her share of the food in no time.

Timi had been away for twenty minutes. Evans brought him back into the room and seemed pleased with his usefulness as a nurse. He had prescribed a drug for the boy's treatment, and Monster-J was already on his way to get the drug at the chemist.

"Take care of the lady!" Evans instructed him. He found Jane lying on the bed.

"I will, sir," Timi replied. He watched him walk out of the room and close the door. Then he heard him turn the lock and walk away.

Looking at the empty plate of food on the floor, he looked at Jane with an expression indicating he was surprised, and she giggled.

"Famished," she said as she watched him eat too.

Peter Elichi Cho sat in his office, thinking of how to rescue his daughter from the kidnappers. He had been disturbed since Jane called him about her abduction, and the news had affected his mood. He remembered how Jane felt when he first told her about his reservations and fears regarding her intention to travel to Africa. As a businessman with vast investments, he had toured many parts of Africa and had been to Nigeria many times without any bad experience. But that was years back, when the nation's economy was as good as that of many developed nations, and there was a low rate of crime. Jane, who was eager to visit Africa for the first time, had ignored her father's fears and assured him she would be fine.

Felix Iyanga knocked on the door of his CEO. He knocked again, and when he didn't hear the GMD speak, he slightly opened the door. His boss sat by the window, his back facing the door, looking out at the city view from his 35th-floor office. He held his pen close to his mouth, tapping it against his opened teeth as he was lost in thought. He was scared to death for the life of his daughter, his only child. He looked worried.

"Hello, sir," Felix said after a few steps into the office.

"Hello, Felix, have you made the call to the guys in Nigeria?" Peter Elichi Cho asked.

"Yes, sir, I dialed the number, but it wasn't going through, but I'll still try again in a few minutes," Felix looked concerned too.

"Keep trying. And when you finally get them, speak to them as a Nigerian. Tell them the ransom isn't a problem, but how to get it to them in cash at once. There are laws that guard against moving such a huge amount of cash here," Peter Cho turned around in the chair, now facing Felix.

"Alright, sir," Felix replied. Concern could still be seen through his sad facial expression.

"You can go," Peter Elichi Cho told him and went back to his laptop to check his mail.

Evans' partners in Japan only used their email address to send instructions to him. They did so out of fear of being tracked and located through a phone number. He opened his mail again, and there was no message yet. Then he picked up his cell phone and called his close pal.

"Hello, Terry, what were you saying this morning? I couldn't quite get you," he asked.

"Yeah! I said I have IT guys who can track these criminals so that we can bring them to justice," Terry said.

"Won't that be risky and put my daughter's life at risk?" Peter Cho asked.

"Let's meet at the club this evening; we'll discuss it there," Terry suggested.

"That's right. See you then," Peter Elichi Cho dropped the phone on the table.

He went back to check his mail and saw a new message from the kidnappers. "48 hours running out" was all he saw in the mail. He looked worried, and the thought of how devastated he would be if anything bad happened to Jane crossed his heart, and fear gripped his mind even more for his daughter's safety. Jane was worth more than the whole world to him. A million dollars taken out of his wealth to save his daughter's life was like using a cup of tea to take water from the ocean. And he was ready to part with it, as long as it would save his daughter's life.

He instructed his Nigerian employee to speak with his child's abductors in order to convince them so that he could get the total amount of money broken into four places for easy withdrawal from the bank, because of the strict money laundering policy of the Japanese government. So, he decided to reply to their email with the same information.

It was 11 p.m., a time he believed Evans would not come to check on them. After giving Jane the last shot of Chloroquine, he did the same to himself, to be on the safe side. Although he had yet to have any symptom of COVID-19, prevention, they say, is better than cure. That was one reason he continued to treat himself too. He had determined that after the last dose of the injection, he and Jane would be on a regular intake of Vitamin C and antibiotics to help boost their immune system.

Jane was already on the bed and was set to sleep. The sneezing had stopped, and the feverish feelings were gone.

"Timi, come up on the bed. Stop sleeping on the floor," Jane said. Timi lay face up on the fluffy carpet.

"I'm okay here. Thanks," he replied.

"Please lend me your wristwatch," he said. And Jane removed the watch and gave it to him.

"Press the blue button on the left," she told him.

Feeling uncomfortable sleeping in jeans, Jane removed the trousers and flung them on the floor. She went ahead and removed her blouse too and flung it on the floor. Timi looked back at her and smiled. Jane saw him smile, and she smiled back. That's the major reason I sleep where I am, Timi thought. Wouldn't it look crazy to be aroused into making love in the kidnappers' den? It wouldn't look only crazy but sick also, he concluded.

He finally found a radio station broadcasting news and listened to it with the earphone. He had also put his Nigerian SIM card in the smartwatch and kept the Japanese SIM under the mattress.

"The kidnapped officials of the Federal Health Emergency Team have been found today at the government reserved area of the city. They are presently receiving treatment at the University Teaching Hospital Ibadan…" The newscaster continued with the news: "…they also made it known that two yet-to-be-confirmed COVID-19 patients who were going with them for final COVID-19 tests were kidnapped along with them: an Asian woman and her Nigerian taxi man. While they dumped the health officials in the government-reserved forest, the Asian woman and her driver were taken away. Speaking with the newsmen today, the Police Inspector General promised the families of the victims that the police will intensify their efforts to get the victims freed…"

When Timi heard the news, he turned the radio off.

"What good news about the health officials," he said. But he prayed the news about them as yet-to-be-confirmed COVID-19 patients would not reach Evans and his boys. Otherwise, it might bring him and Jane more trouble.

He turned to look at Jane, and she was already asleep.

"Jane! Jane!" he called her and had to tap her on the shoulder before she woke up.

"Timi, what is it?" She asked, still with her eyes closed.

"It was mentioned in the news that we could be having the virus. If you're asked about it by these guys, tell them the doctor said it was malaria and flu," he advised her quietly to avoid anyone eavesdropping by the door.

"Alright," Jane rolled back, faced the wall, and slid back to sleep.

He could see that sleep had overcome her, and there was no assurance she was conscious of anything he had said. Therefore, he decided to repeat it to her first thing the following morning. After this, he stood up and walked to the wardrobe. He opened it, entered it, and closed the door behind him. Then, he dialed his mother's number. She must have been worried for not being able to reach him after he had promised to call her back when he called her at the hospital. When she came online, he told her not to panic, that all efforts were being made by Jane's father to get them out. He instructed her not to tell anyone about his call, not even the police, because it could make their abductors go wild and put their lives in more danger if they found out there was a device with which they could reach people in their possession.

After the call, he hid the earphones again and fastened the watch on Jane's hand; she was still deeply asleep.