Chapter Eleven

Timi stood at the entrance of the police building and announced, "Hello officers! We are the kidnapped COVID-19 patients reported in the news. We've just escaped by overpowering our abductors. The young man abducted with us, Abdul, and our abductors are here with us. We're waiting for your response." Timi then walked back to join the others beside the cab.

"Why did you do that?" Jane asked Timi, her gaze inquisitive.

"Because that's the best thing to do until the government doctors officially certify us negative for the virus," Timi replied, leaning back against the car.

Evans and Roja exchanged glances and burst into laughter.

"So, we've been living with Corona Virus patients all these days," Evans remarked loudly through his laughter. He then muttered to himself, "See how stupid I am. Damn!" he lamented.

Shortly after Timi re-joined them, the District Police Officer (DPO) emerged to address the four men and woman. The DPO was a chubby, tall man, easily mistaken for a bodyguard due to his imposing physique. He stood on the staircase in front of the building, wearing a face mask and gloves, and addressed Timi and the others from ten meters away:

"Hello, Mr. Timi and Miss Jane, congratulations on your freedom. I guess the boy standing with you was a victim too. The medical team is on their way now; we've already called them. Please exercise some patience," the DPO said before turning and walking back inside the station.

Within 20 minutes of the DPO's address, a white bus pulled into the station, parking a few meters away from Timi and the four others.

Timi, Abdul, and Jane sat in Timi's car—Timi in the driver's seat, Jane beside him, and Abdul in the back. All the car doors remained open.

Jane and Abdul held their weapons, their eyes fixed on Evans and Roja, who sat on the sandy ground, their hands still tied.

Five men and two women, all in white overall suits with face masks and gloves, disembarked from the bus. Two of the men carried gadgets connected to devices mounted on their backs.

"Hello, Miss! Are you the kidnapped victims?" one of the ladies from the medical team asked through a megaphone.

"Yes, we are," Jane replied.

"Who are the ones sitting on the ground?" she inquired again.

"The animals who abducted us," Abdul answered bluntly.

Evans turned and glared at Abdul.

"Of course, I'm an animal. Otherwise, I should have terminated your life after releasing your friend, and the story would have been different today," he muttered, sighing.

Only Roja, who was close to him, heard his comment. He said nothing but worried about the grim prospect of prison life.

The woman with the megaphone spoke to one of the men with disinfectant tanks, then briskly walked into the station. After a quick word with the DPO, she reappeared with two handcuffs. She approached Evans, fitted a mask over his mouth and nose, and did the same for Roja. She then cuffed their hands with the metal restraints she'd obtained from the police, cut off the rags binding their wrists, and tossed them into a wastebasket held by one of her colleagues. Timi, Abdul, and Jane were also given face masks before she walked away.

One of the men with disinfectant tanks stepped forward and sprayed both abductees and abductors from head to toe. Afterward, they were instructed to board the waiting bus once their weapons had been disinfected and handed over to the waiting policemen.

As they departed for the government's COVID-19 Isolation Centre, a police car with two officers followed the medical vehicles, taking the abductees and their former captors for medical tests, treatment, and a two-week period of isolation and observation.

Peter Elichi Cho paced his spacious, luxurious office. The pleasant Japanese weather perfectly mirrored his current mood; he was undoubtedly the happiest man on Earth at that moment, visibly relieved and content.

He settled by the window on the 35th floor, which offered a commanding view of the bustling street and the train station. He watched the crowds of people going about their daily lives and the impatient drivers honking their horns. Being a commercial hub of Japan, the street teemed with people from all walks of life—the poor, the homeless, vendors—from various races across the world, all hustling and bustling, some in a hurry, others nonchalant. His mind drifted back to a time 22 years ago, when, as a young married man, he roamed these very streets searching for work. Life, they say, has its phases, and men come in all sizes. He had been married to Christine for just a year when he lost his job. Christine, an American woman he had met during a year-long training assignment in the States for his company, came from parents who disliked him from their first meeting and made no effort to hide it. Christine, resolute in her decision to marry him regardless, had eloped with him to Japan after his training. When her parents eventually learned of her whereabouts, they had no choice but to accept her choice of husband and make peace with their daughter.

Losing his job back then had taught him invaluable lessons about life's unpredictability. It takes a determined heart, he mused, to refuse to simply accept everything life throws at you. When life attempts to take control, a determined heart rejects it and remains in charge of its own affairs.

He had lost his job while his wife was also unemployed. She had experienced complications during childbirth and was advised by her doctor to stay home. During her absence, her office fired her.

Jane was barely two months old when all this unfolded, and he knew he had to do whatever it took to provide for his family. He became a pizza delivery man. Finally, luck smiled upon him during one of his deliveries when he met a billionaire who hired him and revealed the secrets to success. Within a year of working with him, Peter made his first half-million dollars and subsequently launched his own business, which eventually blossomed into a multi-billion dollar empire. However, just a year after his breakthrough, Christine was diagnosed with cancer, and she passed away a year later. She was a loyal woman who deserved to be cherished and treated like a queen for standing by him through the most challenging period of his life.

Jane was a toddler, nearing her second birthday, when she lost her mother. So, when her American grandparents came to take her to live with them, Peter Elichi Cho had no choice. He knew his daughter would be safe. Jane lived in America until she was 20 and then decided to relocate to Japan to live with her father.

Now, she was all he had, and he would let nothing take her from him. She was every inch a replica of her mother, and he would sacrifice his life for her if necessary—not just because she was his only child, but because she was the last living embodiment of Christine in his life.

Peter Elichi Cho remained by the window, standing. He was eagerly awaiting another call from Jane. It had been over an hour since she called to inform him of her escape from the kidnappers, and he longed for an update on the situation.

Although he hadn't felt this relieved in the past four days, he would be even more so if she and the other captives eventually made it to the police. To him, that would guarantee their complete safety.

A soft knock on the door startled him from his deep thoughts. "Come in," he called out, still gazing out the window at the bustling street.

Felix Iyanga entered with some files and walked to his CEO's executive table.

"Sir, the files for the diamond deal in Sierra Leone," he said, awaiting his boss's response.

"That's okay, when is it arriving?" Peter asked.

"In four weeks, sir," Felix replied.

"That's not good enough. I'll go through it," Peter Elichi Cho said, still facing the window.

"And have you heard from the kidnappers, sir?" Felix asked, having shown significant concern since Jane's abduction was reported.

"Oh! That reminds me. My girl and the other abductees have escaped, and the kidnappers have been arrested," Peter said with a tone of immense relief.

"Wow! This is great news. I'm so happy for you, sir," Felix replied, but his heart plummeted with a sudden pang of fear.

"Thank you so much, Felix. This calls for celebration," Peter Cho said, turning to face Felix.

"Get me six bottles of my favorite champagne and tell everyone to gather in the conference hall for a brief celebration. I'll be there as soon as I speak with my daughter," Peter Elichi Cho directed.

"Okay, sir, and congratulations, sir," Felix replied, leaving his boss's presence consumed by profound sadness.

Three minutes after Felix closed the door behind him, a call came in from Nigeria. It was Jane, her voice vibrant and happy:

"Hello, Papa, we're with the police and the government medical team now. We're heading to the hospital for tests," Jane said, intentionally omitting any suspicion of having the COVID virus to spare her father from panic.

"That's alright, my dear. I'm so relieved now. I'm taking the rest of the day off, and I'll call you later this evening," Peter Elichi Cho said cheerfully before hanging up and immediately leaving his office to join his employees in celebrating his daughter's freedom.

At the Isolation Centre, Jane, Timi, and Abdul were ushered into the waiting hall by medical officers. They found five people already seated, all wearing face masks, waiting to be tested. They were instructed to join the queue.

Before them stood a room marked "Consultation Room." While they awaited their turn for screening, Evans and Roja were taken to another section of the center by the police officers who had followed them from the station. There, tests were conducted on them, despite their hands still being cuffed. Minutes later, they were confirmed to have contracted the virus and were admitted for treatment. A special room was prepared for the two criminals. With one hand each handcuffed to a metal bed, they were to be treated under constant police surveillance. Outside their room, by the entrance, sat two armed policemen at their post.

In another section of the center, Abdul tested positive. Surprisingly, Timi and Jane, who were the prime suspects, tested negative. They were nonetheless detained and isolated for fourteen days of close medical observation, believed to be the incubation period of the virus. They were also to receive treatment.

Jane and Timi were admitted to one of the rooms designated for those who did not test positive for the virus but had been in contact with carriers. Abdul, on the other hand, was given a bed in the main hall for male COVID-19 patients.

It was the second day of his daughter's freedom from captivity. He felt alive, his troubled mind finally at peace.

A soft, familiar knock sounded at his office door. He knew who it was even before he spoke the usual "Come in." When the door opened, he was right: it was Felix Iyanga.

"Good afternoon, sir," Felix greeted him, his tone unusual, somber. Peter wondered what the problem was.

"Good afternoon," Peter Elichi Cho replied, unwilling to assume Felix was sad based solely on his expression.

"Sir, I'm sorry, I... I am resigning," Felix stammered, handing him a letter.

The news hit the CEO like a shockwave. He looked surprised and curious.

"Heee! Shigoto yameta no? You are resigning?" Peter Cho asked, utterly dumbfounded. He flipped open the envelope.

"What happened? Did you get a better job or what?" he added, shifting his gaze from the letter to his employee.

"I got a call from home in Nigeria that my father died, and I would need to go and take over the family business," Felix delivered the carefully fabricated lie he had rehearsed since the previous day.

"Oh! Sorry for your loss," Peter Cho said, his voice tinged with concern.

"Now, I understand. I will talk to the Manager and the accounts department to prepare your entitlements. It should be ready in a few days," Peter Cho told Felix.

Though sad to see him leave, he had no choice but to let him go. He was such a dedicated and loyal staff, he thought.

Truthfully, he wouldn't have minded if Jane had fallen in love with him and eventually married him. But she seemed to dislike him, showing no inclination toward Black men, he mused.

He needed a son-in-law who would be willing to learn and eventually manage his business, taking over his position if Jane ultimately rejected leadership of the company upon his retirement.

"It's okay, hand over the papers and assignments on your desk to your next superior, and let me know when you do that," Peter instructed him, watching him leave the office.

Masked and chained to their beds, Evans and Roja answered questions from the investigating officers, who also wore masks and gloves. It was their second day at the Isolation Center, receiving treatment for the Coronavirus.

The two policemen guarding them remained at the door while officers from the Criminal Investigation Department interrogated them. Their conversations were recorded on tape.

"Was the plan to kidnap the young lady conceived after she arrived or before?" the lead investigating officer asked.

"Before she arrived," Evans answered readily. He was prepared to expose the entire operation, given how it had backfired on him and his team. Moreover, since his Japanese contacts had swindled him, taking the lion's share of the ransom despite their agreement, he was eager to reveal everything.

"There must be some foreign connections, am I right?" the lead investigator pressed.

"Yes, a guy in Japan came up with the idea. He has a connection with a Nigerian guy who works with the girl's father. The Japanese guy was our direct contact, though," Evans replied.

He caught a warning glance from Roja, signifying he was revealing too much, but he paid it no mind. He had already decided to exact his pound of flesh, even before his arrest. If this was his chance, he was content with it.

"Do you know the names of the guys in Japan?" the officer asked eagerly.

"Yeah, our direct contact is Fumihiro. His client is a 'Jonny,' nicknamed Johnny Walker, and the other guy working with the billionaire is Felix. I don't know his other name," Evans replied, looking over at Roja, who was staring blankly at the wall clock beside him. Roja had accepted his fate and was ready for jail, if that would be the end of it all.

"How much have you collected already from the girl's father?" the officer asked.

"One million dollars, but I was swindled by the guys over there. The agreement was to share it 50/50, but they sent 30% and told me to ask for more from the man," Evans replied, then coughed.

That was his first cough since learning he had contracted the Coronavirus. The virus was starting to take its toll, he thought.

After the interrogation session, the officers left, intending to return for more information as the investigation continued. They wanted to gather as much detail as possible, just in case. The country had, after all, recorded only one pandemic casualty so far—an Italian man who had flown in from Italy.

Bob Lukas and his gang still couldn't believe the news of Evans's and Roja's arrest. The deaths of Luke-the-Dude and Monster-J were an even bigger shock. How could this happen? They were the nation's most formidable kidnapping gang. Their leader, Evans, commanded immense respect in criminal circles; his gang was the envy of all others. Virtually all of Evans's abductions had been bloodless and highly profitable, as they exclusively targeted the wealthiest members of society or their family members. It mattered little if the target moved with bodyguards or police escorts; every abduction and ransom collection was invariably successful.

Bob Lukas and his boys listened to the news repeat on the radio, awestruck and in low spirits. How could Evans's criminal career end so abruptly? He had been an inspiration to many of them. Every criminal in town aspired to be like Evans, and working with him was considered an honor.

Their sense of criminal brotherhood compelled them to consider how they could help free Evans and Roja. However, they knew such a venture would be fraught with peril. A rescue mission could easily turn into a suicide mission. Ultimately, Lukas told his boys to abandon the idea of rescuing Evans and Roja. They were better off left to their fate, he concluded.

One of the nurses assigned to Evans and Roja's isolation room returned to administer their medication. She made rounds to administer drugs to all the inmates three times a day: at 7 AM, 2 PM, and 9 PM. After her last visit, she would clock out for the day, and someone else would take over her shift until 7 AM the next morning.

Evans had observed that the dark-complexioned nurse often kept her phone in the large side pocket of her overall jacket, a pocket big enough that she likely wouldn't notice if something were subtly removed—especially by an experienced pickpocket. She was a jovial sort, never leaving the room without trying to make Evans and Roja smile, despite knowing they were criminals. To Evans, she behaved like one of those born-again Christians who went to great lengths to please Jesus. Many were, he thought, good to a fault.

She told Evans to sit up for his medication. When he complied, she poured a collection of tablets and capsules into his hand. Evans watched her approach after he had swallowed the pills. All she intended to do was check his temperature, as was routine. She asked him to raise his head, and from her overall jacket, she produced the infrared digital thermometer, pointing it at his eyes. While she was doing this, Evans had deftly slipped her phone from her pocket and tucked it under his mattress. Stealing in such a manner was second nature to him; before he ascended to big-time kidnapping, he started as a pickpocket, and in all his years, he was only caught once. His sneaky mastery had even earned him the nickname "Sneaky" among his pickpocket gang.

The jovial nurse moved on to attend to Roja, and Evans prayed the phone would remain silent until she left the room. A ringing phone at that moment would expose his theft.

The nurse finished with Roja, pushed her trolley out, closed the door behind her, and left the building. Once the door was shut, Evans retrieved the phone from its hiding spot and dialed a number.

"Hello, Lukas, it's me, Evans. Listen! Go to my place and pick up some money. The police haven't been there yet, and I want you to get there before them. Enter the first room on the right, and in the wardrobe on your left, you'll find a sack of money. It should contain ₦20 million or more. Then, enter the next room on the right, and under the bed, there's ₦5 million in two separate bags. Take all the money and keep it for me. If you and your boys can come free us from the Government Isolation Center, ₦7 million of that money is for you and your boys. When you come, there are two buildings at the Isolation Center: the main building and an eight-room boys' quarters behind it. We're held up in the boys' quarters. You'll see two policemen in front of a door—that's where we are. I've got to go. I stole this phone. Bye." Evans ended the call, tapped the phone to erase the call record, and then placed it on his bed.

"Hello, Officers!" Evans called out to the policemen guarding their room. One of the officers opened the door and peeked in.

"What's the problem?" he asked.

"The nurse mistakenly left her phone behind," Evans lied.

"Leave it on the bed till she comes back," the policeman replied. He returned to his seat. He and his colleague had been instructed not to have direct contact with the two criminals they guarded because the criminals had tested positive for the virus.

Fifteen minutes after the jovial nurse had left, she was informed about her lost-and-found cellphone and returned for it. When she retrieved it, she wondered how it had found its way from her pocket onto her patient's bed when she hadn't even made a call. She couldn't figure it out.

After she had left the room and only the two chained criminals remained, Roja burst into laughter.

"Boss, you are an unrepentant criminal," he told Evans.

Evans, taking the comment as a compliment, joined him in laughter.

It was April 1st, 2020. He stood before the calendar on the wall, staring at it as if seeing beyond the numbers. He was clearly lost in thought, missing his daughter terribly and worried that prolonged stay in Africa might expose her to another kidnapping attempt. He would have had her evacuated by his private jet if it were possible, if only all Japanese airports hadn't been banned from international flights.

Most countries were already in total lockdown, making international travel impossible. Although a few nations had begun evacuating their citizens, Japan was on the verge of its third such airlift within five days. Africa, however, had been excluded, as the pandemic had not been as devastating there as in Asia, Europe, and America.

Nonetheless, Jane's health risk was a major concern. Since she told him they were admitted to the hospital after her escape, he had worried she might contract COVID-19 if the hospital facilities weren't up to standard. Despite all these concerns, he paced his office, thinking and thanking God for his daughter's complete freedom.

Waiting for the farewell party he organized for Felix Iyanga, in appreciation of his selfless service, he sat down, expecting to hear from his secretary when the party would commence. It was supposed to start in seven minutes, and he had a big surprise for Felix—something he had never done for any of his workers before. He was going to present him with the fattest check he had ever gifted any of his staff.

As he waited, his landline rang. It was his secretary, Angelina.

"Hello, sir, the party starts in five minutes, and Felix is yet to arrive. I've called his phone lines, and they're dead. I wanted to ask if we should wait or start in his absence," Angelina explained in her baritone voice, which could easily be mistaken for a man's by those unfamiliar with her.

"How can we hold a farewell party in the absence of the person we're staging it for? No! That's not how it's done. I'll get in touch with him now and call you back," Peter Elichi Cho ended the conversation and hung up.

It was unusual for Felix to be late for a function. This is unusual, he thought. He reached for his cell phone on his desk and dialed Felix's number. The call dropped. He tried again, and the same thing happened. What could be happening? he wondered.

Believing the cellphone might have a dead battery, he decided to call the landline. But when he got the same result and the landline was also dead, he panicked and called someone else:

"Hello! Zico, I want you to go right now to Felix's apartment. You're aware of his farewell party, aren't you? He hasn't shown up, and his phones are dead. Go check if he's alright," Peter Elichi Cho ordered one of his drivers and waited for his report.

Like a prodigal son, Felix sat before the television in his friend's apartment. He regretted his actions. He was certain that in a couple of hours, news of his involvement in his boss's daughter's abduction would reach his office, and the police would be searching for him. He hadn't stopped blaming the devil since he heard of Evans's and Roja's arrest. He knew his job was gone. His greed had completely blurred the bright picture of his future he'd always envisioned. Can the $300,000 I got from the kidnap deal compare to my high-paying job and career? Can it compare to my future at the company, considering the trust and love my boss has for me? he asked himself, as teardrops trickled down his cheeks. If only he could rewrite the script, he wouldn't be vengeful and greedy. Why he allowed greed and the urge for revenge to blindfold him was the question begging for an answer in his mind.

He harbored deep bitterness towards Jane for rejecting his offer of friendship. He liked her, desired her from the very first day he laid eyes on her. He couldn't resist the charm of her beauty and wanted her with immense passion. When he discovered her father wouldn't mind if he dated her, he became even more determined to have her at all costs. Just as the fire of love ignited in his heart during the company's year-end party in December 2019, he made his intentions clear by asking her for a lunch or dinner date. And when, without a second thought, she bluntly told him she wasn't interested, he became profoundly upset. What pained him most was that Angelina overheard the conversation, and ever since, she had never stopped joking about it whenever she had the chance.

Still embittered, when the opportunity arose to exact his pound of flesh, even with a cash reward, he didn't hesitate to embrace it.

He looked at his watch; it was five minutes past the party time. Dejected, his mind raced, pondering the atmosphere in his office now that a party was being thrown for him in his absence. Could the news of his involvement have reached his boss? How devastated would the CEO be to learn his most trusted worker was one of the masterminds of his nightmare? Felix wished he could simply die on the spot without needing to commit suicide. What an error! he sighed.

He agreed he needed to leave Japan as soon as possible to avoid being caught by the police, but the international travel ban imposed by most countries due to the pandemic was the barrier to this ideal thought of his, and the only reason he could be arrested at any moment.

He brainstormed every available chance for his escape to his country but was yet to find a clue.