On My Honour II
“Going somewhere?”
Aikins shoved the paper into his pocket and turned. Viva raised an eyebrow, her face unreadable. She stood tall enough that he had to tip his head back to face her.
“Yeah, I’m just going to get lunch.”
Why was he even lying? He didn’t owe her an explanation.
“My presentation was that boring?”
“No, I’m just that hungry.” He leaned against his desk. “Are you done with it?”
“Yes. My associate is finishing up.” She pressed a hand over her scalp. “I was hoping we could talk.”
“I know. I’ll be back to help with the setup.”
“No, I won’t be here for that.” She pursed her lips. “I have some questions about your colleague’s death.”
Aikins frowned. Why would she have questions about Rahim? Was she looking to get a scoop for some newspaper? He had made that mistake of once his first month at the newspaper, and he wasn’t going to fall for it ever again. He glanced at his watch. Ten minutes gone already and he still had no idea where he was supposed to go.
“Sorry, but I’m in a bit of a hurry.” He walked past her.
She took a step forward. “I’ll walk you to your car.”
“How about I find you when I get back?”
“I promise to be brief and decidedly not boring.”
Aikins looked past her to the meeting room. The chief could step out of there any minute. He pulled open the door to the reception.
“After you.”
“How long have you worked here?”
Aikins waved at the ‘security man’ lounging on a bench in the compound of the complex.
“Nine months.”
“Do you like your job?”
“I love my job.”
“And the people you work with?”
He stopped. “What is this, an interrogation?”
“I’m just getting to know you.”
“In your capacity as what?”
She brushed the sleeves of her pantsuit. “We just need to know what happened so we can make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
“And what does that have to do with me?”
“Well for one, you’re most at risk, pursuing this same story covertly.”
Aikins laughed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I see. And you keep looking behind you because…”
He turned to face her. Maybe he’d pegged her all wrong. Or she was just fishing, hoping he’d take the bait. It didn’t matter.. He had to leave while he still had a chance.
“Look, I don’t need you to trust me, Mr. Aikins. But your safety is now our priority. And until we know what happened here, it’ll be in your best interest to steer clear of the danger.”
“Thanks, but I can take care of myself.” He opened the car door.
“Fair enough.” She held out her business card. “I look forward to wrapping this up.”
He slotted it into his pocket. “Great. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Viva smirked. “Something tells me it won’t take that long.”
She turned and went back the way they had come.
Aikins cleared his passenger seat of a paper food bag and his tracksuit. He didn’t need anyone to remind him to be afraid. Of course, he was scared. But it wasn’t like these guys were listening to every phone call and tracking their movements. He didn’t blame her for using good old-fashioned fear tactics to sell her business. He was no stranger to fear-based marketing. His parents had employed the same method in his childhood, telling tales of Sasabonsam and Kaakaamotobi to get him and his sisters in line. Aikins paused.
Tales.
He pulled the paper from his pocket and flattened it out, reading the coded message again, a key in hand this time. The minions gave him a thumbs up. Aikins punched the air in excitement. He’d make it in time. It was not too far away.
He started the ignition, fingers gripping the steering wheel a little tighter.
“Okay, man. Let’s do this.”
Accross the street, a motorcycle nestled beneath a Neem tree lurched forward. Its rider sat up when the grey sedan eased into the street. He dialed a number, deep-set eyes trained on the car’s movements. The phone rang twice.
“Yes?”
“He’s on the move, sir.”
“Where to?”
He squeezed the clutch, ignoring the senseless question.
“I’ll be close behind, sir.”
“Good, good. Stay on him.”
He started the vehicle, the sound of the revving engine filling the air.
“Roger that.”
©2020 AMA POMAA
Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash
To be continued
