₦airaland Forum

Vulcanheph:
Are You sure?

Vulcanheph:
Since You want me to speculate, i'll speculate.......i think junior is actually peter black(jnr) the son of peter and maria and lola is his wife.

mainzillionaire:
when is the update coming?

QuintessentialW:
Years.

QuintessentialW:
Why is this story on Front Page? Larrysun left us to dry for months!

babaireti:
Great writer of out time,bravo

UnusualJhay:
More please
Larrysun! !
You are gifted bro

IgweBUIKE1:
story so wow

mainzillionaire:
Wow!!! This is the kind of things that should be gracing the front page. Fly on bro

Kentuforchrist:
Lovely Write Up Mr Larry, I Just Cant Wait For The Next Episode

gift01:
Dammy how are you? Long time. I enjoyed your story Larrysun

airminem:
Lovely work. Be strenghtened more by His Grace.

Vulcanheph:
Dear Larrysun

I went back to book 1 and read the prologue and i think i know who junior, his wife lola and his wife really are...but For your Sake of peace, i won't say.

Kaycee9242:
Larry thank u so much for this update

rukidanty:
your number again please?this is mine 07038266331

tonaldo1:
Ride on bro

Abdulreheem:
it's just like movie to me .Larysun i have being sarching in an oxford dicksionary to know the best word to describe ur talent but i see non .that was why i have not comment all this while, if not i being following ur story like ur village people. Thank's 4 ur entertainment.

queenitee:
“The bag in the dustbin” My friends and I need our own language please

Fazemood:
'The bag in the bin' larrysun you are too much. Thanks buddy

EkopSparoAyara:
Absolutely thrilling,I must confess,it has always been the norm when it comes to your work.... The 5 magic words is indeed powerful,just like peter black envisioned.. The conversation was so good that i could make an image of it in my head,it got me smiling.. I don't think John Efe Balewa will back off easily,it will be a tough one.. Well-done..Larrysun The Great...

crossfm:
Sometimes its difficult for me reading your work because I can't stop wishing for more.You are a great writer.

jenifer007:
Thank you larry

jayman00004:
am in love with this story please don't break my heart Larr

Ann2012:
Reunion things, I really hope Basket will let Black be.
Thanks for the update

Sheggun1:
thanks for d update

Update 7

***

John Balewa left office immediately; he was as piqued as the time he heard about what had happened to Maria in prison. He wore his usual police uniform and held his pistol along. He always felt safer carrying his gun; there might be a time he would need it. carrying it with him had saved his life in the past, and he wasn’t ready to gamble with his own life now. Even when he wore mufti, he preferred his pistol around him. For the past years, the gun had proved to be his closest companion. Although he hardly used it, he never always felt really complete without it.

He arrived at the hospital in a little over an hour. He was immediately directed to the old man’s ward.

“I recognise you,” he told the man as soon as he saw him.

“You didn’t recognise me when I approached you.”

“I didn’t know who you were,” relied John sitting on the only chair in the ward, “You acted very strange that day.”

“How are your parents?”

“Wait, do they not know you are here?”

The man shook his head. “Nobody knew I was still alive.”

“Where have you been all these years? The news I heard was that your canoe capsized and you drowned.”

The man shook his head slowly. “Your parents didn’t want you to hate me. That was why they told you that story.”

“What really happened?”

“I was a terrible grandfather. As soon as your grandmother died, I became someone else entirely. I didn’t care anymore about my children, about my family. I became totally lost. Obiajulu was the love of my life; she was the only one who held my sanity together. I didn’t imagine that she would go before me. I became a shadow of myself. I couldn’t concentrate on anything. Nothing mattered to me anymore. The world became blank, my world turned black. I started living a reckless life. A life that was not meant for someone in my position. I took to drinking, smoking – gambling. I was totally damaged. Then I met a younger woman along the way and sacrificed the rest of my life just to be with her. It wasn’t that I loved her or anything like that. She just gave me her body willingly for everything I had. As long as I continued giving her money, she was okay with satisfying me. I sold a lot of my property just to keep her. It got so worse that my children deserted me. All my family members hated me. You were my favourite grandson but your parents kept you away from me. They were afraid I might influence you negatively with my lifestyle. My family deserted me and I disowned them in return. After selling my property, I left Delta with the seductress and lived a life of carelessness.

“When the money drained out, I took to gambling. At first, I hit it big and lived a more lavish lifestyle. I had enough wisdom to buy an old house from the family of the deceased owner. The woman and I lived there for a while. I gave her everything she wanted. We lived expensively. But that didn’t stop her from bringing other men into the house whenever I was away. But I didn’t care about that either, as long as she gave herself to me whenever I wanted it. I hadn’t spent half of my winning when I hit another jackpot. It was as if nature used goodluck to console me for my loss; like life was sorry for taking the love of my life for me, so it was making up for its mistake by blessing me abundantly.

“I was quite rich. I couldn’t spend all the money in five years. But one day, the seductress I had forsaken my family for betrayed me. I should have seen it coming; in fact, everything was staring at me in the eye but I was too blinded by lust to reason well or take proper action. I went out one day and returned to an empty house. The woman had grabbed all my money and disappeared with her lover. I remember being drunk that day I discovered that I had been robbed. I didn’t care at all about it. I was very sure I was going to win another big money from gambling.

“But it was not to be. What I didn’t realise was that the woman, the cheater, the seductress, was the one who brought me the goodluck. And when she left, she left with the goodluck. Since the moment she left, I didn’t win anything substantial. I lost more than I won. And at this time, I was too addicted to gambling to stop, including the bout of drinking and smoking and eating just anything I could find. Every coin I found, I gambled it away. I was an old man with nobody to take care of me. I was too poor to go back to my family in Delta, and no one was willing to buy the house for me. Apparently, when the money was too much for me, I had bought the house for a price way more than its worth. But now, no one wanted to buy it for a quarter of its price. I soon accepted my fate and continued living my life until the sickness began this year.”

“You were sick?”

“I was dying. I was lonely. I had nobody; there was no friend, no neighbor. I was all on my own. At first, I was taking drugs but when no drug seemed to be working, I stopped taking them and accepted what was meant to be. It was time for me to go and meet Obiajulu. I was glad that I would finally be with the only woman in the world I ever loved. Then the boy came in.”

“Which boy?”

“Peter Black.”

“The same Peter Black that told you to call me?”

“Do you know of any other Peter Black?”

“How come?”

The old man shrugged.

“How in the world did he know you?”

“I’m not sure that he knew me,” said Old Man Balewa. “He was running from people chasing him and hid in my house. He found me dying and brought me here.”

“Wow!”

“I owe my life to that boy. If not for him, I would have died.”

“This is so hard to believe,” said John, “How did he know that you were my grandfather?”

“He put two and two together and got twenty-two.”

“Old Balé,” said Basket, “You should stay away from Peter Black. He is of no good.”

“He’s a thief, isn’t he?”

“Did he tell you that?”

“I knew before he told me. But he’s has stopped.”

Basket scoffed. “Is that what he told you?”

“According to him, everything depends on you?”

Basket frowned. “What does that mean?”

“The bag in the dustbin,” the old man suddenly said, “Tell me, what does that mean?”

Basket was reluctant about talking.

“Speak out, boy.”

“Did he tell you how we met?”

“No. he said you would tell me.”

“It’s a long story.”

“That’s the same thing he told me. I’m tired of hearing that nonsense. Tell me what happened between both of you.”

“He betrayed me.”

“Tell me how you met,” said the man, staring directly into his grandson’s eyes. “And don’t you dare lie to me, boy.”

“We met in Port-Harcourt.”

“What were you doing in Port-Harcourt?”

“I ran away from home.”

“What!”

“Mother and Father were always fighting. I had to leave the toxic environment. They did not care about me. They were always drunk. I needed to go out and make a life for myself.”

“And what were you doing to survive in Port-Harcourt?”

Basket was quiet.

“Has the cat got your tongue?”

“Stealing.”

“So you and Peter Black were stealing together?”

“Not at first,” said Basket, “He found me trying to rob a blind man and stopped me. Then he took me to his home and gave me food. I was dying of hunger. I was desperate. He gave me food and shelter. We later discovered that we were both thieves and things started from there.”

Basket’s grandfather sighed. “I will hear the rest of it later. For now, tell me about the bag in the dustbin.”

“It was a bag containing money we found during one of our operations.”

“You robbed someone of his bag of money?”

“Not exactly.”

“How exactly?”

“We found the bag where armed robbers hid it. They were running from the police and threw it in the dustbin.”

“And you found it?”

“Yes.”

“You or Peter?”

“Actually Peter. He found it and called my attention to it.”

“And where is the money now?”

“Old Balé, it was a long time ago.”

“What happened to the money?” asked the old man. “If it wasn’t important, Peter Black would not have mentioned it.”

“Well –” he paused.

“Well what?”

“I took the money when I was leaving.”

Bale frowned. “I don’t seem to understand what you mean.”

“When he betrayed me, I took the money to serve as his punishment.”

“Wait, pause right there. Let me get you right. You carried the money he discovered because he betrayed you?”

“That’s right,” Basket replied grimly.

“What could he have done to deserve such kind of cruelty?”

“Balé, it’s more serious than you think.”

“I thought you said it was a long time ago.”

“What he did was about five years ago.”

“Tell me about it.”

“He was sleeping with the woman I loved.”

Old Balewa frowned. “Tell me the feud of half a decade wasn’t about a woman.”

“I loved her, Balé! I loved her and he slept with her! She was the only woman in the world I loved.”

“You sacrificed your friendship over a woman? This boy gave you shelter and fed you. He was the only person who truly cared about you. And because he made a mistake, you robbed him. That’s cruel.”

“Why are you supporting him over me?”

“Because you’re stupid! That’s why! You gave up something as sacred as true friendship because of a woman? How have you been able to live with yourself? You took the money he discovered and left him high and dry. Did you even consider how he was going to survive when you walked out on him?”

“He was a thief. He would always find a way to survive.”

“That’s a selfish thought. Did you listen to his own side of the story?”

Basket was about to tell him that the girl was originally Peter’s girlfriend but he held his tongue. He knew how the old man would react to that news.

“Now what happened to the money?”

“I used it for my education.”

The man stared at Basket as if the young man had just soiled his own trousers. “So what you are now was all because of Peter Black. You became the person you are because of his money. He indirectly made you the person you are. Yet you are hunting him down, why?”

“I’m a police officer now. It’s my job to arrest criminals. Peter Black is a criminal; I am obligated to arrest him. It’s nothing personal.”

“That’s nonsense! You know deep in your heart that it’s personal. You want to exact more revenge on him. I can see it in your eyes. You hatred for him is very raw. You want to bring him down. I bet you intentionally became a policeman because you want to destroy him for what he did to you years ago.”

“Peter Black is not the kind of person you think he is. You don’t know him at all. He’s a snake.”

“I think I know him pretty well. He saved my life. He gave you shelter. He literally saved your life too. I think I know him enough. It’s you I don’t seem to know. I cannot believe my own grandson would sacrifice something most important over something as ephemeral as a woman’s pleasure. If I was dead, I would be turning with disgust in my grave.”

“It’s not what you think.”

“I think you have had enough revenge. He has asked me to talk to you.”

“He and I have nothing to talk about.”

“He knew you wouldn’t listen to him. That’s why he came to you and begged me to talk to you. You need to stop chasing him.”

Basket stood up slowly. “I’m afraid that’s impossible.”

“You wouldn’t want to disobey me, would you?”

“I can’t disobey you.”

“Then I forbid you from arresting Peter Black. You should be putting medals on his neck, not handcuffs in his hands.”

“He’s a notorious thief. He’s known all over Lagos and Port-Harcourt. He’s a wanted man, Balé.”

“You were once a thief, too, right? Now see how you turned out. It shows that everyone can change.”

“Not Peter Black. He’s a lost cause. Stealing is his way of life. There’s no way someone like him can ever stop stealing. I lived with him for almost ten years. There were many times I had told him to seek other ventures but he never listened. He told me himself that he would never stop stealing. Don’t believe anything he tells you. He’s a liar and also a deceiver.”

“It’s true. He’s ready to stop. If he’s not, he wouldn’t have asked me to talk to you. He’s willing to give up stealing if you would back off and stop hunting him. He just wants to live a quiet life now, Efe. You owe him that, at least.”

“It’s not as simple as you are looking at it.”

“Are you saying you are not going to back off? Do you mean that you are not ready to let bygones be bygones? Why don’t you consider all the good he has done in the past? If not for him, you wouldn’t be speaking with me now. Do you want one single wrong to destroy all the good he has done? Haven’t you done enough by taking the money from him?”

Basket stared into his grandfather’s eyes. The way the old man looked at him tore at his heart. This was the man he knew as his hero when he was a little kid. It hurt him to break the man’s heart now. Now that he was a grownup and he had found his lost grandfather, he wanted to be the hero to the old man now.

“Okay,” said Basket, “I will stop chasing him.”

The old man’s face brightened up. “Is that a promise to your old man?”

“I will make the promise on one condition.”

The smile disappeared from the elderly man’s face. “Condition?”

“Peter Black escaped with a girl that used to be a patient of this hospital.”

“You mean Maria?”

“How did you know her?”

“Peter told me about her.”

“Well, if he wants me to stop chasing him, he has to hand over Maria to me.”

Old Man Balewa shook his head vigorously. “No, that cannot work.”

“How do you mean?”

“Peter is not going to give her up.”

“Why not?”

“He’s not going to betray her, that’s why.”

“Betray her? He just met her. He doesn’t even know her. What he did is against the law. I am willing to let him be but he must give up Maria. He’s keeping a wanted criminal with him. That’s a crime.”

The man frowned again. “Why do you have to complicate things, Efe? Why? Can’t you just let them be?”

“This is why I told you it’s not as simple as you think. Apart from the fact that Maria is a prisoner, she also needs medical attention. She’s not going to get better under Peter Black.”

“Can’t you just leave them alone?”

“I’m a police officer, grandpa. I have duties. I am willing to do what you requested from me. We must come to a truce, too.”

“He’s never going to give her up.”

“Why not?”

“He’s in love with her.”

John Balewa was silent for a while. “Love?”

The old man was silent.

“Did you not just tell me that I allowed a woman to come between us? Are you going to tell Peter the same thing? I was in love with Rhoda, I was genuinely in love with her, but the significance didn’t occur to you. Instead, you told me I allowed a woman to come between us. If Peter really wants peace, he must give up Maria.”

“He cannot. He cannot give her up. She is the major reason why he came to me to plead to you.”

“That is the only thing I request. If he can give up Maria, I promise you I will never go after him again. But if not, I will hunt him through a thousand universes. I will not rest until he ends up in jail. This is my sincere promise.”

The old man stared at his grandson’s eyes and saw determination. The stubbornness and the stupidity of the Balewas were written all over Efe. He was suddenly afraid, very afraid indeed. He knew how it always ended when best friends suddenly became sworn enemies.

“I tried my best,” the man finally said. “I really tried my best.”

He reached under his pillow and brought out the piece of paper. It was folded. He didn’t bother opening it for he knew its content already. He didn’t understand what it mean, he doubted that his grandson would understand it either. But Peter had told him to give it to Basket if he refused to back off. He stretched the paper forward.

“What’s that?” John asked.

“Take it. Peter told me to give it to you.”

John Balewa collected the slip and slowly unfolded it. He ran his eyes through it. He frowned at what he saw.

[img]https://larrysunwrites.files./2019/11/img_20191028_171158.jpg?w=354&h=95&zoom=2[/img]

He looked up at the old man. “What is this?”

The man spread his hands in reply. “How am I supposed to know?”

“It’s like a code or something.”

“Then crack it.”

Riele:
Litlanders , I've read lot of stories here that leaves me Wowed especially Larrysun .

I can't help but wonder your inspiration behind each stories you write .

So hey , here I am trying to find out .

What inspires you to write ?

chenzen:
Larrysun has exited nairaland... he now writes for his own blog

Update 6

***
Peter Black waited another two weeks before showing himself. This time, he was certain that the hunt for either him or Maria was beginning to grow cold. But he knew that he could not stay hidden forever; he had to take some steps. He had spent these two days planning well about what step to take next. He would need the assistance of Maria to make his plan successful, but he would need her to be absolutely well.

On the third day, he decided to reach out to Basket, but not directly, at least not at first. He dressed up in his usual disguising attire and left the house.

“Be careful,” Maria warned him, “Officer JB is a very smart and intelligent man. Do not take him for granted.”

“I know him more than you think,” replied Black, “He can never catch me except I allow him to.”

She stared at him. “Sometimes your confidence worries me instead of assuring me. You are too overconfident, I hope this does not end in your destruction, Peter.”

“People who do not understand me think I am, but that is not the case. I only believe so much in myself. Don’t worry, Maria, I will be back.”

“Why is it so important for you to go?”

“I have a very important message to give Basket.”

“It’s not my whereabouts, is it?”

Peter scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous. He’ll have to go through me to get to you. I’m not letting anyone take you to jail.”

“Is that a promise?”

“It’s a vow.”

High Cross Hospital was crowded today. There had been a truck accident not far away from the hospital and the victims had all been brought down here. All the nurses and doctors had been very busy since morning. Some of the victims had been referred to the city’s general hospital when there were no more available beds for more patients.

Peter walked to the nurse at the reception. He flashed his best smile.

“I know today is a very busy day for you,” he began, “But I need to check a patient.”

“A male or female?”

“Male,” he replied, “An elderly man.”

“Was he brought in with the accident victims? If he was, the only elderly one among them was already dead by the time they brought him here, and he has been taken to the mortuary.”

“No, no. He’s not party of the accident victims. He has been here for over two weeks. He had an appendicitis surgery.”

“May I know his name, please?”

“Old Cargo.”

The nurse suddenly smiled. “Oh, Old Cargo. That delightful old man. Are you his family member?”

“I brought him here.”

“What’s your name? I need to check our record.”

Peter was reluctant about answering this question. If he gave his real name, it might be used to apprehend him in future. But then again, it was his name he gave when he brought the man in for the first time. Lying now or trying to change it would not help his cause.

“Peter Black,” he finally replied.

The nurse brought out a big book and flipped through its pages.

“Oh, here it is,” she said delightedly. “He’s in his ward.”

“The same Ward 32?”

“That’s right.”

“Thanks.” He was about to leave for the ward when something suddenly occurred to him. He stopped and returned to the nurse. “Can I ask a question, please?”

The lady giggled. “Technically, by asking if you could ask a question, you have already asked the question.”

“Has anyone else ever visited Old Cargo since the last time I came?”

The lady glanced through the record again and shook her head. “Nobody. As a matter of fact, he is due to be discharged but the man doesn’t seem ready to leave.”

Peter smiled and thanked the nurse again. He located the ward in no time. He expected to find the old man alone, possibly sleeping, but he wasn’t. There was a nurse there with him. She was feeding him spoonful of rice; she was laughing hysterically as the old man kept cracking old jokes. Black was glad that the elderly man was fully all right. He knew exactly why Old Cargo had not left yet. The man wanted him, Peter Black, to be the one to take him out of the place. Also, he probably didn’t want to return to his old home where life was lonely. At least here in the hospital, he got to crack jokes with the nurses. He didn’t want to return to that godforsaken house he was dying in.

“Hello old friend,” Peter greeted.

“Peter!” the man was genuinely glad to see him. He turned to the nurse. “Hey, meet my grandson. Isn’t he goodlooking?”

The nurse laughed and looked at Peter shyly.

“You have been taking good care of my old man,” Black said, smiling warmly, “How do I pay you for your kind hospitality?”

“She’s still single, you know?” the man said, laughing out loud.

“Let me leave both of you to talk,” the nurse said and started to walk out of the ward. “Make sure you finish your meal.”

“You know I won’t. You must come back later to continue what you have started.”

Peter watched as the nurse walked away. He then turned to the old man. “You have really made yourself comfortable around here, old man.”

Old Cargo’s expression suddenly changed from humorous to a serious one. “Where have you been all these days?”

“Been hiding.”

“You’ve been stealing again?” asked the man. “Are you ever going to stop?”

“It’s not what you’re thinking,” Peter replied quickly. “Old Cargo, I need to ask you some few questions.”

“You seem ill at ease. What’s the matter, child?”

“What’s your real name?”

“I told you. It’s OMB.”

“And what does that stand for?”

“Old Man Balewa.”

Peter breathed in slowly and then out. “That explains it.”

The man stared suspiciously at him. ‘Make me understand what you’re talking about.”

“Do you remember the girl you told me about two weeks ago?”

“The sick girl that stayed in the ward down the corridor?”

“Yes.”

“What about her? I heard she escaped. Did you break her out?”

“No.” For some reason, Peter Black was suddenly reluctant to talk further. “Her name is Maria.” He added.

“How did you know that?”

“I found out.”

“Then why did you ask me about her? What does she have to do with you? What does the meaning of my name have to do with anything?”

Peter spoke slowly. “I know who your grandson is.”

There was silence for a while. “How did you meet him? Did you tell him about me?”

“Your grandson was my childhood friend.”

Another silence descended.

“Why are you just telling me this?”

“It’s a long story. What you need to know right now is that he is after me and Maria.”

“Every word that comes out of your mouth puts me deeper in the dark. I don’t understand anything you are saying.”

“Your grandson’s name is John Balewa.”

The man thought about it. “That’s not the name I gave him.”

“That doesn’t matter. He is a police officer and he is out to arrest not only me but also that girl named Maria.”

“I understand that Maria was a criminal when she was brought in but what does that have to do with you? How did you get involved in her?”

“Maybe later when I have time, I will explain everything to you right from the beginning, but for now I need your help.”

“”I hope you are not asking me to commit a crime.”
Peter shook his head.

“What do you want me to do?”

“I want you to call your grandson,” said Black, “I want you to call him. if you explain who you are to him, he will come to you and listen to what you have to say. I need you to place a call to him and tell him to stop hunting for us.”

The man frowned. “I don’t know if he’s going to listen to me. He doesn’t know me.”

“You are his grandfather, you have to try,” Peter sounded desperate. “If you don’t talk to him, I will go to jail. He will put me and Maria in jail. Please you have to do this for me. You have to really try to convince him to back off.”

“I really don’t know if he would listen to me, Peter. You are trying to make me an accessory to crime.”

“What is he going to do to you? Send you to jail?”

“He may not listen to me; and if he’s truly my grandson, he will not listen to me. I will talk to him like you requested, but I can’t promise you that he would listen.”

Peter reached into his pocket and brought out a piece of paper. “If he doesn’t listen, can you at least give him this piece of paper?”

“What’s contained in it?”

“It contains everything. If he’s still the Basket I used to know, he would understand. But you should only give him this when it’s certain that he’s not ready to back off. Please try to convince him as much as you could. He needs to stop hunting for us. If he stops, I promise that we will not commit any wrong again. All we want now is just to be left alone.”

“You sound like someone who is in love.”

“My love for her is genuine. It’s true. We are meant to be together. Your grandson will try to keep us apart. This is why I am begging you to make him back off. To make him stop. We just want to live our quiet lives.”

“Why would he want to separate you?”

“I can’t tell you. Maybe he will tell you when you meet him. everything depends on his decision. If he does not listen, give him the piece of paper. It’s a heads-up.” He rose to his feet. “I need to leave now, Old Cargo.”

“When am I going to see you again, Peter?”

Black shook his head. “I don’t know. I really don’t know.”

“Will I ever see you again?”

Peter put his hand in his pocket. Frustration seems written on his face. “Everything depends on your son now. If you don’t see me again, it could be the work of your son.”

“How would you know if he agreed to my request or not?”

“I’m going to know. I am definitely going to know.”

“What if he does not believe that you came to visit me?”

Peter was about to tell the old man to inform Basket to check the visitors’ list with the nurse at the reception but he changed his mind.

“Tell him these five words: The bag in the dustbin.”

“What does that mean?”

“He’s the only person in the entire world who understands what it means. The bag in the dustbin was supposed to make us even, but from all indication, he’s not yet to let go of the past.”

“I hope someday you kids make me understand everything that happened between you,” said the man, “And I pray that you both will not end up destroying each other’s future. The path both of you seems to be treading seems to only lead to destruction. I would rather die now than to see both of you ruin each other.”

***

Officer John Balewa was in his office thinking about how he was going to apprehend Peter Black and Maria when the telephone on his desk rang. He had been wondering what had become of the girl. It had been two weeks and he had not gotten any lead to where Peter Black must have taken her. He had exhausted every available clue there was. The car Peter had driven in had been towed to the station and taken apart. They had discovered that almost everything about the car was not original. The engine was different from the body, the windscreen and all the glasses had been different from the frame; virtually everything had been change and it gave them no lead whatsoever, except of course that the transformation had been done in the popular Iron Market. He had gone there but he knew it was a dead end even before he arrived there. No one in the market had been able to give him anything tangible.

He had returned to the office frustrated. If only the car had contained papers of the owners, but there was nothing like that. It was as if Peter had taken extra care in making sure that the car did not lead back to him. John Balewa wondered if Black had taken the papers when he was escaping with the girl or he had been driving the car around without particulars all along. But that did not matter now, what mattered was how he was going to locate Peter and Maria.

At first, he was reluctant to pick the call as the phone rang. He was afraid it might be a superior officer presenting him with another case. He was not interested in handling any other case until he got his hands on those two people. Peter Black was the reason he had become a police officer; he would not stand around to watch him roam freely in the streets of Lagos while he remained here taking charge of other irrelevant cases.

He picked up the receiver and placed it against his ear, ready to inform the superior officer that he was not interested in any case he might be bringing before him. He needed to concentrate on arresting the thief called Peter Black and getting back the girl named Maria. It turned out that Peter Black had been in Lagos for a while after all; the information that got to him was that Peter Black was a wanted thief who usually left black pieces of clothes in the locations of his robbery. For a while, no one had heard anything about the elusive Black until Officer John Balewa came to the office with his recent experience with him. peter Black’s file with the police had been pulled out and given to Balewa to go through. It had been very interesting but no information about it gave him any lead.

“Hello, is this Officer John Balewa?” a woman’s voice spoke to him. He was surprised; he had been expecting to hear the familiar thick voice of Superintendent Hassan.

“Yes, this is Officer John Balewa,” he replied, “Who is this, please?”

“My name is Nurse Blessing. There is someone who is willing to speak with you.”

“How did you get my number?”

“I’m calling from High Cross Hospital.”

“High Cross?” Basket was suddenly excited, “Have you found her?”

“Found who?” the nurse seemed confused.

“Maria, the patient. I thought that was why you were calling me.”

There was a short moment of silence. “I don’t know anything about that.”

“Then why are you calling me?” He was beginning to get frustrated.

“Someone wants to speak with you.”

“Who the hell is that?”

He heard the woman gasp from the other end.

“That’s no way to speak about an elderly person, officer.”

“Elderly person? Who are you talking about?”

“He claims to be your grandfather.”

Basket took the phone away from his ear and stared at it as if a hand had crawled out of its holes and flicked on his earlobe. “Is this a joke?”

“No, sir. This is serious.”

“I don’t have a grandfather,” he said, “My first grandfather was dead before I was born, the second died when I was very young. Please Nurse Blessing or whatever you call your name, I am in no mood for one of your pranks.”

“Efe,” the voice of an elderly person spoke into the phone.

Basket became suddenly silent. How in the world did this person know his middle name. No one, absolutely no one except his parents, knew that he bore the name Efe. That was his middle name; and from what he heard, it was a name given by his grandfather.

“Who is this?”

There was a nervous laugh at the other end. “The first time I saw you in this hospital, that was the name I was trying to remember but I couldn’t.”

“Who is this?”

“This is Old Man Balewa.”

Memories came flooding into Basket’s head. For a brief moment, he was a little kid again. He remembered how granny used to carry him on his shoulders and take him to the farm. He would sit him down on a fallen branch and pluck oranges and mangoes for him to eat. Sometimes, granny would stop a palm-wine tapper and request for a pint. He would give him a little of the wine. Basket remembered, he remembered indeed.

“Old Balé!”

“Yes, my child. It’s me, your granny!”

Basket could not believe his ears. “This is impossible,” he said, “I was told you were dead.”

“I’m very much alive, child. It’s a very long story. Efe, I need to see you urgently.”

“What are you doing in High Cross? Are you all right?”

“What I need to see you about is very important. You need to come immediately.”

“Are you sure everything is all right?” Basket sounded concerned.

“It’s about Peter Black.”

John Balewa was rocked. “How did you know about that name?”

“He sent me to you.”

“Is this a prank or what?”

“He told me to tell you this: The bag in the dustbin.”

Basket paused and said:

“I’m on my way.”