THE WITNESSES

CHAPTER EIGHT

Ali glanced at his wall clock, it was two minutes past nine, luckily for him, the towing company had returned his car that evening after Detective Usuman had pulled his strings and he had also made some amount of money available.

He had no time to lose, the caller gave only three hours, he knew the answer to the riddle, this one was quite easy, and it was a line from a poem he had studied in secondary school.

The keywords in this riddle were 'I am Abiku, calling for the first and repeated time'

If it was first and repeated time, then it was no one else but Esther Rise, the caller was going after Esther Rise again, he had called on her before, and this to him was a repeat call.

Ali grabbed his phone and dialed detective Usuman's number but on a second thought, he stopped. He had broken the rules the first time and he knew just how much he had pissed off the caller, he wasn’t even sure of the consequences.

He decided to play by the rules this time at least there were two officers watching over Esther Rise at the hospital, all he needed to do was show up at the hospital and be beside Esther Rise before 12.00am and that would be all the caller required to pass over her, that was what he thought, he grabbed his car keys, threw on a jacket over the black T-shirt he was wearing and dashed out of the house, the hospital wasn't so far, he could make it there in thirty minutes.

Ali didn't inform the police about the call, which was his first mistake.

He arrived at the hospital at exactly 9.42pm, he smiled to himself, He was sure he would beat the caller to this one, he crossed the reception hall, the nurse at the reception smiled at him, she knew him, he walked down the hall and climbed the stairs that led to the ward where Esther Rise was admitted. He met the first police officer at the door, he greeted him, and it was obvious everything was fine, he entered into the room. Esther Rise had a special room to herself, which was what detective Usuman demanded as she was a special patient.

The other officer sat opposite Esther Rise on the other empty bed, she was a woman too, and they obviously had things in common to discuss about.

They both greeted Ali fondly, although Esther Rise showed a certain level of anxiety as Ali entered the room, it was strange to see him there at that time of the night, but he assured her that everything was fine, he sold one of his easy get away lies and went out to join the other officer at the door.

He also killed the officer's worries, he didn't want to get them unnecessarily alarmed, he was quite sure that if he kept to the rules, there would be no death that night.

Ali and Officer Victor had a lot to talk about, he had discovered to his surprise that they had come from the same local government area, they would have chatted for over one hour before Ali's phone rang.

Ali was quite sure it was the caller, he could assume he had given up as he had obviously lost on this one but to his disappointment, it wasn't private number that he saw on the screen rather it was Detective Usuman.

He spoke rather fast,

'Ali, we have found the names of the other witnesses, they were six in number altogether, we have found the other three and you won't believe it, Ann was one of the witnesses'

Ali almost choked at the mention of his girlfriend's name

'Wait, how do you mean Ann?'

Detective Usuman replied

'I mean, Ann, your girlfriend was the last witness that testified against the deceased woman in the case three years ago, but never mind, we are channeling out squads first thing tomorrow morning to bring them all to the station, we would provide protection for them till we make headway on this case'

Ali didn't wait for detective Usuman to end the call, he dropped the call and dialed Ann's number.

His heart beat rate was alarming, he had never for once thought about the fact that his own Ann could even be a target for the insane caller.

Officer Victor stared hard at him, he knew something was wrong, Ali was visibly shaken, Ann wasn’t taking her calls, he tried three more times, she still didn't take her calls, he had to respond to officer Victor's questioning eyes.

'I am sorry, it is just that I just got an information now, that my girlfriend Ann was also a witness in the accident case three years ago'

Officer Victor's eyes widened, he could understand just how Ali felt. Ali just needed to warn Ann, she needed to know she was also on the target list of the insane caller, if only he had called her earlier in the day when the detective had told him about the discovery of the possible motive for the murder, he was sure she would have told him she was also a witness and she would have been safely beside him now.

He contemplated sending a text to warn her and just then, the riddle hit him hard again, this time he knew he had got it wrong.

'In vain your bangles cast, charms circle at my feet, I am Abiku, calling for the first and repeated time'

Of course, the keyword was 'first and repeated time'

The caller had met Ann before, when he had dropped her off in his house, now he was going after her again, the first time was a rather friendly visit, now he was going after her life.

Ali got mad, he hated himself, he had been so blind, he should have known the first answer to the riddle was too easy, he looked at his wristwatch, it was already 11pm, he had only one hour to save Ann, he dialed her number again, she still didn't pick up.

Officer Victor continued to stare at him, he was at a loss as to what to do, Ali briefed him on the situation, there was only one option, since Ann wasn't picking up, he had to go get her, he had to get to her before the caller did, officer Victor insisted on Ali informing Detective Usuman but Ali recalled the caller’s warning, this was about his girlfriend now, he wasn’t going to give the caller a reason to murder his girlfriend.

As he made to leave the hospital, officer Victor volunteered to go with him at least as a safety measure, as he didn't want to involve the general police force, Ali declined but eventually gave in when officer Victor kept pressing and urging him to accept it as an offer from a friend and not just an officer. He was in plain clothes too so Ali agreed, after all, he didn't know what could be out there waiting for him.

Officer Victor went into the room, he briefed the female officer and in another two minutes, he and Ali were in the car heading for Ann's off campus residence.

Officer Victor should never have left the other officer all by herself at the hospital that night, which was another mistake that was made that night.

The road was free and Ali drove at top speed. In another thirty minutes, they were at Ann's house. It was exactly 11. 20pm, Ali was sure he had beat the killer, it was a student dominated two storey building, Ali got out of the car, officer Victor remained in the car because Ali insisted he did, Ali got into the compound, the security man knew him, he had been there a couple of times, he ran up the stairs, she lived on the first floor, he tapped on her door for a while and decided to use his personal key, there was no one in the room, the room was neat and tidy, it seemed no one had even been there all day.

Ali dialed her number again, still there was no response, now he was very confused and scared for her, and it was 11. 25pm already, he climbed down the stairs, he was going back to meet Officer Victor, maybe he had to involve the general police now, this had gotten out of his own hand as it were.

Meanwhile, Officer Victor had been trying to reach the female officer he had left in the hospital on phone but there was no response, if only he had special powers he would have known that her phone was lying just beside her dead body with a bright red bullet hole on her forehead. He would have also known that the bed where Esther Rise had lain was empty and that the nurse at the reception also had a bright red hole on her forehead, eyes staring into space, murdered in cold blood.

Officer Victor only raised his head when he heard Ali's footsteps as he walked towards him, Ali knocked on his window and he got out of the car too.

'I can't find her, her room is empty, I think I might have to involve detective Usuman after all'

The officer nodded, he agreed with Ali, he replied

'I think so too, I have been trying to get feedbacks from my partner at the hospital but am making no headway'

He was still speaking, when Ali received a message on his phone, the message was short and precise

'If you ever want to see Ann alive again, meet me at the devil's park, you have thirty minutes'

Ali wasn't thinking, he immediately jumped into his car, Officer Victor couldn't understand, Ali banged the car doors hard and turned on the ignition, there was no time to waste, devil's park was a popular park, people nicknamed it such because bad things happened there at nights, he knew the place, he could make it in less than thirty minutes, officer Victor stood there staring in surprise as Ali drove away, Ali hadn't even given him a single explanation, he watched Ali drive away, leaving him stranded on a road like that at that time of the night.

Ali should have told Officer Victor his destination, which was the third mistake that night.

Ali arrived at the park in twenty minutes, he had driven like a mad man. He couldn't lose Ann. She meant everything to him. He got out of the car, he could see flickers of light, like it was from a torchlight it was coming on and off, it was coming from a secluded part of the park, he was very scared but his love for Ann gave him strength, he moved closer and closer to the spot where the light came from, then suddenly the light stopped flickering. He continued to move forward, he expected anyone to jump out at any moment, he got to the point where he assumed the light had been flickering from, there was a white paper on the ground, he bent down to pick it up, as he bent down, he felt a heavy bang on his head, no doubt it was heavy metal, he felt the strength disappear from him as his body crumbled to the ground, the last words he heard before he passed out were

'Sweet dreams dear child'

Ali opened his eyes, he blinked severally to adjust his eyes to the light, he lay on his side, his hands were bound behind his back and his legs were bound to each other, he couldn't tell his location, he had to force himself up to a sitting position, that was when he observed for the first time that he was in a bush, a clearing in a forest so to speak, he could hear sounds of vehicle horns some distance away, he could tell that he wasn't very far away from an highway, a soft moan made him turn around, that was when he discovered that he wasn’t alone. There were five of them, there was Ann, Esther Rise, an old man and a woman, they were all tied same way he was and they all formed a kind of circle with the way they sat. They were gagged so they couldn't speak too.

Ali looked at Ann, he felt like crying, he could tell just how much hurt she felt, he felt so bad that he could do nothing to help her, Ann on the other hand wore a rather confident face, she didn't show any sign of fear, she seemed like one who had resigned herself to whatever fate befell her.

Esther Rise was sobbing, the old man and the woman wore confused expressions on their face.

None of them could move, they were securely bound hands and feet.

'Good day Ladies and gentlemen, did anyone miss me?

The voice sounded from afar and they heard his footsteps approaching until he appeared.

Ali recognized him, he was the same man that had met him three years ago, Esther Rise recognized him too, he had attempted to murder her a few days before, Ann could place his face now, he was the cab driver she had met a few days ago, the woman gasped in shock, she knew him as Pastor, he was one of the pastors in her church, a very rich and influential man he was too, the old man had seen him before, he had visited the old man on two occasions claiming to desire supernatural powers for that was what the old man did, he claimed to help people out with their spiritual problems.

Jason walked up to them and stood in the middle of the circle, he always loved being the center of attraction.

He laughed in a very crazy manner, as he danced to sounds he alone could hear, he dressed rather smartly, black T-shirt on black jeans and he put on a pair of white sneakers too, he stopped laughing and spoke slowly almost in whispers

'In vain your bangles cast, charms circle at my feet, I am Abiku, calling for the first and repeated time'

He looked at Ali and shook his head,

'Ali you are so rusty, that was the easiest riddle of all, call it catching four birds with a single net, yet even a single one of the birds you couldn't save'

He revealed a pistol and held it on his right hand, he began to move around, he stopped in front of the woman and touched her head with the muzzle of the pistol.

'Here goes the jewelry merchant, she represented the bangles’

He pointed the pistol at the old man

‘There goes the spiritual prophet, he represented the charms’

He turned towards Ann and again turned swiftly towards Esther Rise, 'and those two represented my first and repeated calls'

He smiled like a victor as he repeated the last riddle 'in vain your bangles cast, charm circle at my feet, I am Abiku, calling for the first and repeated time'

'Okay, this is how this would go, I would make this a simple game, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the Russian roulette' with that he produced another pistol, a revolver this time around, he produced a single round and placed it in the revolver, then he spun the cylinder and placed his fore finger on the trigger.

He was having so much fun, he was enjoying himself, he continued speaking 'three years ago, you all except our dear Journalist here aided and abetted six idiots to go free for the murder of a very harmless old woman. Let's just say today is judgement day, see me as God, today I would give only one of you a chance to make it out of here alive, in this game, we would have only one winner and that winner would win his or her life back'

He laughed again, he was really enjoying this, he basked in the ambience of their fears, Esther Rise was crying now, the woman was crying too, Ann was expressionless same as the old man, Ali wore a murderous look, he would kill this maniac if he had a chance.

'Okay, who would be our first players?'

Jason looked round and went to the woman, he drew her to the middle as she cried, he went to the old man and drew him to the middle too. He cut their hands lose but made sure their legs and feet were still securely tied, he made them sit directly opposite each other and handed the revolver to the woman

'Ladies first, buy your life'

She was trembling, she refused to take the gun, and she continued to sob. Jason shook his head as he spoke 'never say, I didn't give you a chance' he spun the cylinder and handed over the gun to the old man, the old man received the gun pointed it at the head of the woman as directed by Jason and squeezed the trigger, the woman screamed through her gags, but she was safe, it was an empty chamber.

Jason laughed and jumped excitedly, he loved the game. He took the gun from the man and spun the cylinder and handed it to the woman again 'now you have a second chance at life, buy your life'

She was crying and trembling, she rejected the gun again, Jason handed it again to the man, the old man squeezed the trigger again, still there was no luck, it was another empty chamber, Jason spun the cylinder again and handed it to the woman, she was still trembling but this time she took the gun, it was obvious she had to at least try to save herself.

With trembling hands, she pointed the muzzle at the man's head and pressed the trigger, the sound of the gun shot was deafening as the bullet created a hole on the man's forehead, the woman screamed as she threw the gun away and the man's dead body hit the floor.

Jason continued to laugh and jump in excitement, he loved this game, and he could do it all day. He pulled the dead man away from the circle as he pulled Ann to the middle of the circle to face the woman.

Ann was still expressionless, Ali tried to force himself up and defend his girlfriend but he was helpless, the bond was strong. Jason produced another round, placed it in the revolver and spun the cylinder, he gave the gun to the woman first.

Meanwhile from one end of the forest, Viper heard the sound of the gun shot, he had trailed Jason to the bush that morning but somehow he had lost him, he knew Jason had to be up to something, the institute had sent him to take care of Jason when Jason had gone out of hand. Jason had broken the policy by setting up Raphael, it had taken them three years to track him down because when he relocated, he totally went underground, the training institute had rules, Jason had always been a rule breaker but taking out Raphael was just the height of it all, Raphael was important to the organization, Viper was here to take out Jason.

At another end of the forest were a team of policemen led by detective Usuman, they had finally been able to crack the case, they had identified the killer, he was Pastor Jason, a very wealthy man too, he wasn’t so popular though as he loved being in the shadows but most elite in the society knew him. This team of policemen had also tailed Jason to the forest, they knew he had taken hostages, they wanted him to lead them there. They had also lost him when they got here, but they heard the sound of the gun shot too, it gave them a new sense of direction.

Ann had refused to partake in the game, she wasn't going to give the insane killer joy, she would rather die than murder anyone for him, and the woman had pulled the trigger three times already. Every time she pulled the trigger, Ann's heart would take a big leap, but Ann had been lucky three times.

Ann knew her luck would soon run out though, the woman didn't seem so scared anymore, probably she did think Jason would let her go, if she won the games. Ann stared hard at her as her shaky hands held on to the revolver, she put her fore finger to the trigger, the woman had tears in her eyes, Ann could see it, she wanted to live, Ann closed her eyes as the woman pressed the trigger, she heard the gun shot, it was loud and deafening, she heard it again, that was strange, she opened her eyes and it was Jason that was on the floor, the woman still had the gun, she had pulled the trigger but again Ann was lucky, Jason was holding his chest, the blood was pouring out, he couldn't believe it that he could bleed that much, he saw himself as a god.

Ann turned and there was a man in mask and combat outfit running down towards them. That was Viper, he was a professional, he had fired at Jason from a long distance, he hit his mark too, two bullets were enough or so he thought.

Viper met them, he ignored Jason as Jason continued to struggle in pain, he got out a knife and began to cut the ropes that bound Ali, He wore a mask, so Ali couldn't see his face, but just as he made to turn around to probably help someone else, a bullet burst through his head as particles of his brains splattered on Ali's face.

Jason was up!

As Viper's lifeless body fell on Ali, more gunshots were heard, the police had come, as Ali pushed Viper off his body, he could see Jason running away, he was sorely wounded but he was trying to make a run for it, Ali looked behind him, the police were running down and firing at Jason but they were still far away, at that rate, he knew Jason would get away, he looked into Ann's eyes, she knew what he was thinking, she urged him to do it, her eyes said all the words that needed to be said.

Jason had managed to struggle out of the bush, he was still bleeding profusely but he was determined to survive, he was about to make a run for the road when he heard a voice behind him

'Stop!'

He turned around and saw Ali pointing a pistol at him, no doubt it was Viper's pistol, and Jason laughed

'Can you even handle one of those?

Ali ignored his question and continued

'I want to play a game, you win, you go free, you lose, and you die'

Jason laughed despite his hurt,

'Bring it on boy', he staggered as he spoke, he still had his own pistol on his right hand

Ali watched Jason's right hand as he spoke

'What comes to the world with cheers but returns with a bang?'

Jason stared at him in confusion

Ali grinned as his finger played on the trigger,

'The answer is you sucker',

With that he pulled the trigger, the bullet burst through Jason's head as Jason fell back to the road, he died instantly. No one could have survived that kind of impact.

Ali heard the voices of the police as they tried to find their way towards him from the trees behind him, he sat on the floor and dropped the gun, his father had trained him well, he knew how to use a gun and he was a good marksman too. It was over, the golf stick murderer was gone, this time for real.

It was six months after the whole incident, the golf stick murder saga was fast fading off as there were always new trending crimes in the city of Jos. Ann had returned back to school, Ali had returned back to work, he missed Alhaji Hassan so much but work had to continue. The daily tidings newspaper and magazines experienced a major boom and rose to fastest selling newspaper in Jos. Ali became a state hero too, his popularity spread all over Jos as the man that had ended the reign of a menace to society.

Ali was working on a story so he stayed up late at the office, it was 8pm, when he heard his phone ring, he looked at the screen, and it was private number. He answered the call and heard a strange unfamiliar voice.

'I heard you are very smart, let us play a game of cat and mouse, you be the cat, I will be the mouse, if you find me you win, if you don't, let's just say the cost would be in lives'

And the line went dead.