FicStorm's The Chase

Chapter Seven

12:58

“I had no idea that the FAC-Ops have taken over the case.” Mrs. Abisoye Agbetunge said leaning forward to pour another shot of whiskey for herself. Her guest had decided to have nothing except orange juice but he had left it untouched on the small stool set in front of him. Her guest was a federal agent clad in a cheap suit and he had been there for a while interrogating her about her husband’s kidnapping and pouring salt on fresh sores-The reason why she had opted for whiskey. They were seated in her living room and he sat opposite her with as much as three feet of space between them. She was in her late thirties but her face was wrinkled and her eyes bloodshot.

“We picked interest in the case this morning.” The agent said watching her take a sip.

“Just a couple more questions, ma’am.” The agent said. She thought maybe he saw the pain he was putting her through and wanted to get it over with. He was just doing his job and she could understand, but why not? This was about her husband. She waved a hand for him to continue.

“According to the reports, the night your husband was kidnapped you were both driving home from a party.”

“Yes. A small get-together with his colleagues. They were celebrating a huge success. I don’t know what it was about but he kept saying something about a breakthrough in science.”

The agent scribbled furiously “Did you know any of the people at the party?”

“Yeah. A few. They were all senior staffs of Zyberdine laboratories.”

“Were you and your husband the last to leave?”

“We were among the last to leave. A few minutes past midnight we hit the road and we got hit.”

“Your husband wasn’t drunk now, was he?”

After a pause, she said, “It was an ambush. I got clonked on the head, and then I woke up in the hospital to hear that my husband was missing.”

“Did your husband have too much to drink?”

“It was an ambush.”

“Ma’am, I need to…”

“Yes. Yes. He had too much drink but that wasn’t the problem. We were bushwhacked, okay? It all happened really fast. I didn’t even see their faces.”

“Have you gotten anonymous messages from your husband’s kidnappers?”

“No, not at all.” Abisoye said fondling with her glass.

“Most times these people tend to make threats. They tell you not to involve the authorities or else bad things would happen, but I want you to know that we’re willing to help if you let us.” The agent said and stood up to approach her. He tore out a page from his notepad and stretched it to her. “Call me if they contact you in anyway.”

Abisoye collected the note without saying a word and stared at it. It contained his name and number. The agent gave her a reassuring smile and told her he was taking his leave. She bade him goodbye but didn’t bother walking him to the door. When he was out, she looked closely at the note he had given her. His name was Collins. He had said that before the interrogation, but as if he knew she had forgotten it, he had bothered to write it boldly on the paper. She tossed it aside and pulled from under the hassock a neatly folded note. This one had been slipped under the door earlier this morning. She never saw who did it. It had elicited tears from her eyes, but here she was looking at it again. It was his handwriting. It had his signature. The words were clear. It was a sign of hope.

I’D BE WITH YOU SOON.

In the convenience of his car, the Agent pulled out his phone and dialed a number while at the same time tugging at his neck tie to loosen it a bit. The call was picked on the first ring.

“Robin. I got to the doctor’s wife under the cover of a FAC-Ops agent.” He said

“Nicely done. What did you get, Cole?” The receiver asked.

“She’s hiding something. I suspect she has heard from the kidnappers but she claimed otherwise.”

“Sit on that house, Cole. Don’t leave her for a moment. Keep an eye on her at all times.”

“Eyes and ears. I planted a bug in her house while she went to fetch refreshment.”

“Perfect. I want twenty four hours surveillance.”

“Any news from Victor?”

“The doctor was killed before he could get to her but he’s working on finding out who did it.”

“Alright, Robin. I’d call you if anything comes up.”