MISSING - Episode 12

What now?’ Tola asked. She wrapped her hands around her torso in a bid to calm her trembling.

‘Everyone, just stay calm. We'll get out of this,' Ike said. ‘I have an idea.’ He looked towards Kabir, who raised his brow in return.

‘Yes?’

‘Blackmail.’

‘I don’t understand.’ Omorose looked from Ike to Kabir, her eyes bloodshot and face streaked with tears. ‘Who do you want to blackmail and why is that even an option right now? We can’t reach anybody and they have our phones.’

Kabir’s face lit up as he cued in on what Ike said. Blackmail. The chef had no clue about the information they'd stumbled on, so, they could use it to their advantage.

‘I know what he means.' Kabir spoke feverishly. 'The only person we need to reach right now is the Chief, and reveal what's been going on with his men. Ike this could work!'

He turned to Omorose and lowered his voice.

‘Mrs. Omorose, we would need you to draw the chief into an emotional discussion as best as you can, and we'll do the rest. Can you do that for us?’

Omorose nodded, but her expression betrayed her confusion.

Her nod was enough for them to proceed.

Ike walked to the door and banged furiously and repeatedly till the man from earlier, who Ike had subconsciously named Hulk, opened the door. He stepped into the room and towered menacingly over Ike.

‘And what do you think you are doing? If that’s your attempt at calling for help, you must be more pathetic than I thought.’ Ike swallowed and stood up to his full height, which still dwarfed compared to the man.

‘I am not calling for help. I demand to speak with Chief Nosakhare.’ Ike’s voice was steady, and he silently thanked his stars that his voice didn’t betray his anxiousness.

Hulk scoffed.

‘What do you want to say to him and why would the chief what to listen to you spineless chicken.’

Ike laughed.

‘Me? Spineless? I don’t agree. I think we both know who's spineless here. How's your crotch?' he mocked, 'I heard that girl over there bruised you.’

‘How dare you?’ Hulk grabbed Ike by his shirt and lifted him off the ground.

‘Please don’t hurt him,’ Tola whimpered.

‘What is going on here?’ At the voice, Hulk dropped Ike and he fell back to the floor. The Chief stood at the entrance, his face stoic, his stance rigid.

‘Uh, nothing Sir. He was trying to cause trouble.’

‘Nothing of such Chief,’ Ike interjected quickly. I only requested to see you. Please, it won’t be for long.’ The Chief considered Ike for a moment and then gestured for Hulk to leave the room.

‘Thank you. Chief, what I want to tell you is very importa...’

‘You are a monster!’

Ike and Chief turned abruptly to Omorose who still sat on the floor. Chief chuckled.

‘Now Omorose…,’ Chief drawled ‘don’t get all emotional. You don’t want to upset me any further.’

‘Upset you? Didn’t you think of that when you kidnapped my only son? And now you’ve taken us hostage under my very own roof. What do you plan to do with us huh? Kill us maybe?’

Chief now wore a bemused look on his face and walked over to her. He squatted to meet her at face level and lifted her chin gently to meet his gaze. He tapped her cheek like she was a child.

‘Oh poor poor Omorose,’ he mocked. ‘My plan was simple, and didn't involve killing anyone…well, that was until the girl came into the picture.’ Chief stood up and walked around the room, genuflecting as he spoke.

‘The kidnap was just to force Osarumes' hand so he would drop out of the governorship race. Your husband is a young man, with years ahead of him to pursue his aspirations, but I am aging with only a few more chances at power. But Omorose, you know how stubborn that nephew of mine can be. I think that's one of the things that drew you to him, but you see, that's what has brought us here. I wouldn't have had to go to such lengths if he'd listened to me. So it isn't my fault at all.’

‘You want power so bad that you were willing to destroy your family?’ Omorose scream rang through the room

‘No, no dear, not at all.' Chief's honeyed voice contrasted Omorose. 'I would never hurt my family. You have to trust that I didn't plan to harm Ehioze at all. There were specific instructions to treat him well, and you would have gotten him back after Osarume stepped down. You wouldn’t have had to deal with me at all. This was supposed to be a last resort.’

‘I don’t believe you.’

Chief sighed deeply, feigning hurt at the exclamation. He sat on the edge of the chair where Tola was and she scooted to the opposite edge.

‘Before the primaries,' he explained, 'we discussed my plans and ambitions and how I needed his help, but he refused to step down. When he won, I had to do something. The first attempt to shake him was the infidelity scandal we plotted. The pictures of him with his secretary…those were a setup.'

Omorose gasped. ‘Oh my God! You were behind all of that?’

‘Don’t look so shocked dear. It was easy to get a testimony from the girl. Money can work wonders you know. You fell for it, yet the scandal did nothing to reduce his favourability ratings, instead, people empathized. The only thing he truly lost was you. Pity! He must have been shattered that his wife didn’t trust him. Well, I had to get results, so I borrowed something else from him...his son. That was working out fine till that girl showed up.’

‘Her name is Eunice.’ Kabir’s voice was curt.

‘Well, Eunice…’ Chief drew out the name, ‘was a clog in the wheel that was to be removed, but somehow, she managed to escape with the boy.’

‘Re… removed? Were you going to kill her?’

‘Yes.’

‘But that doesn’t make any sense. If you were going to kill her, why did you demand a ransom?’ Kabir asked, elated that he'd finally found an opening.

Chief shot to his feet, and looked sharply at Kabir.

‘What ransom?’ he asked, his voice had taken on a dark threatening tone.

Kabir glanced at Ike, ‘The Five Million Naira that was demanded in exchange for Eunice.’

‘What Five Million Naira? There was never any plan for a ransom. I did not authorize any request for a ransom.'

He paused for a moment, but when he spoke again, his voice was laced with fury.

‘Those Idiots! He spat. 'Oh, now I see how this became such a mess.' He walked towards the door in slow calculated strides.

'They would pay for this'

Kabir nodded at Ike who walked towards the Chief and stopped a feet away from him.

‘Chief…that wasn’t all that they did behind your back.’

Eunice who'd watched silently all the while could feel the weight of Chief's anger, as his face contorted in fury, while Ike and Kabir jointly wove a story of lies and betrayal.