₦airaland Forum

sparta191:
If chinua Achebe and chimamanda Adiche had baby boy it definitely would have turned out to be Larry sun. May whatever you believe in bless you and keep you safe

Update 12

Then just as the doctor completed that statement, a car pulled up in front of Peter Black’s old apartment. Immediately, Peter’s sense of flight was activated. He sensed that there was trouble. No one was supposed to know this place besides him and Maria. He blamed himself for putting the address of this place in the hospital form a decade ago. Now his mistake was going to cost him big – he might even end up in prison once again. The thought of prison did not scare Peter Black, but the thought of being separated from his son once again terrified him. Not now, not now when he was just bonding with his son after a decade – not now when he had just found out that the love of his life was still alive. No, he would not go back to jail; at least not now. If he could unite his son with his wife, then his mind would be at rest. Then again, he thought about why he would even go back to jail – as Peter Black was concerned, he did nothing wrong. He had only taken what belonged to him. A part of him doubted that Basket would accuse him of kidnapping the boy. The respectable police officer would not want the scandal exposed to the public. It would not look good on his career if people discovered that he had been harbouring the son of a convicted thief for ten years. His superiors would not like that at all, and they would not want to associate themselves with him. So, the truth coming out would only result in Basket losing his job. Peter knew that Basket was rash and short-tempered, but he was not foolish. Officer John Balewa would not come and arrest him now. As a matter of fact, Basket could not touch him whatsoever now.
Now if it wasn’t Basket and other police officers in the car, then someone had followed the doctor.

“Did you tell anyone that you were coming here, doctor?”

Rukewe shook his head, “Of course not! I would never do that.”

“Did anyone else know about this place?”

“I don’t think so.”

Peter Black was about to rush into the apartment, grab his son, hide the diamond, and then try to run. But as he took a few retreating steps, all the four doors of the car opened and four men stepped out. Peter saw Murphy first but he did not recognise him – all that occupied his mind was that police officers in plainclothes had come to arrest him. He saw Yinka next but still did not recognise him too, for the boy had matured considerably since the last ten years.

“Peter!”

He heard the third man call his name and turned to look at the person. This one, he could recognise.

“Solo?”

“Yes, Peter, it’s me!” Solo said in excitement as he took hasty steps towards the black man.

Peter immediately whispered into the doctor’s ears, “Whatever happens, do not let them know that Maria is alive except I tell you to do.”

The doctor nodded in understanding.

“What are you doing here?” Peter asked as he hugged his old cellmate. “How did you know this place?” Before he could receive a response to his question, he noticed the fourth man and recognised him as Warden Kareem. Peter broke the embrace immediately and looked at the warden in shock. The last person he ever expected to see associate themselves with him was Warden Kareem.

“Warden, what are you doing here? How did you guys know this place? What’s going on?”

The warden was smiling at Peter as he responded. “We only came to celebrate your freedom with you,” replied the warden and pointed to Yinka, “He brought us here.”

Yinka stepped forward and stretched out a hand for a shake. “It’s so nice to finally have you back, Peter.”

Peter frowned as he shook the recipient’s hand. He was not sure about what’s going on. “Do I know you?”

“Oh my goodness!” Yinka looked genuinely hurt, “You have forgotten me so soon?”

“I’m sorry it’s been such a long time. Could you kindly tell me who you are?”

“I am Yinka.”

“Yinka?” Peter said, still frowning. His expression looked as if he was tasting the name in his mouth. Then his eyes suddenly lit up as his mind flashed back to ten years ago. Of course he remembered Yinka. It was Yinka who told him that the police was coming. Yinka had been totally devoted to both him and Maria. Had Yinka told them earlier about the approach of the police, he, Peter Black, might not have gone to prison. He might not have spent ten years of his life separated from his wife and son. But Yinka was not to blame for what happened; he had tried his best to save them but the damage done was irreversible at that point. Everything had been Doctor Rukewe’s fault; the old man had been responsible for what happened to him. If the doctor had not called the police on him, things would not have turned out so bad. But Peter had no grudge against the doctor – the person who hurt you today might make you happy tomorrow. Peter understood what made the doctor do what he did; he was trying to save Maria and felt the only way he could do that was to call the police and have them force Maria for the surgery. He had not been thinking straight, he only wanted what he thought was best for Maria. So, Peter harboured no hatred for the doctor. As a matter of fact, he harboured no hatred towards anyone else at this point. All he wanted now was to simply live a comfortable life with his wife and son. He would search for Maria, find her and the family would live happily far away without any drama or threat from Basket. He had thought he and Basket would grow old together as friends forever, but Basket had chosen his own path. They had both made their decisions, and so it was now for them both to go their separate ways forever. Peter Black was tired of all the back-and-forth between them. It was clear that things would never be the way they used to be between them when they were both stealing in the streets of Port Harcourt. It was good while it lasted; now it was time for either to move on with their lives. But besides Maria and his son, there was still someone Peter would like to disappear with. The person was like family to him, and he was not ready to forsake this person.

“It’s been such a long time, Yinka,” Peter said, smiling at the young man. I never thought that I would ever see you again. How is Binta?”

“Binta is fine. She would be very glad to know that you have been released. She has not been the same since the ugly incident occurred. I can’t wait to share the good news with her.”

Peter didn’t think that was going to be a good idea for now but he did not say anything. He only smiled. He did not want the news about his release to be exposed now. Of course it had been ten years and only few people might still remember who he was, or even care to know anything about him. A lot of things had changed; various things had been happening these days, and they were taking everyone’s attention. This was now a world of social media. Within a few days of his release, Peter Black had learnt about Facebook, which was now gaining grounds in the social media sphere. The world had moved at a very fast rate. These days you could access the internet without making use of a computer system. All you needed was to have access to an internet-enabled phone.

Peter took a few steps towards the fourth man and said, “You must be Murphy Khalid,” he stretched out his hand for a shake.

Murphy, rather than receive the handshake, bowed his head in respect. “It is a great honour to finally meet the legendary Peter Black. I have heard and learnt so much about you. The news about your release from prison is the greatest I have ever heard. You inspire me, Peter Black, and I am grateful to you. In a way, you made me this person I am right now.”

Peter tried to understand that last statement but could not associate any meaning to it. “I am grateful for taking good care of me in prison. You made my time in prison a lot more bearable.”

Murphy shook his head and said, “You don’t have to thank me. I was only doing my job,” he turned to Doctor Rukewe and said, “Hello doctor. Why did you not tell me that you were coming here?”

Peter stared from Murphy to the doctor and asked, “You know each other?”

Murphy nodded. “Yes, we are the pioneer members of TBF.”

“What!” Peter could not believe his ears, “What did you just say?”

“We created TBF in your name.”

“You are telling me that you are responsible for creating that murderous cult group in my name?”

“We are not a murderous cult group,” Yinka said, “We don’t kill people.”

Peter turned to him, “You are also a member?”

Yinka nodded proudly. “I am a bona fide TBF.”

“So am I,” Warden Kareem stepped forward.

Peter’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets. “Has the world suddenly gone mad? How could you, of all people, associate yourself with a group of killers?”

“We are not killers,” the doctor replied.

“Tell that to Roberto Bonifacio I was told you guys killed.”

“That man was evil. He had it coming. He was planning to have you and your son killed,” explained Murphy, “I could not allow that. He was bent on destroying you and your family. If not for our timely intervention, you, your son, Officer John Balewa and his family would have been killed. I take no joy in killing him but that was the only way to stop the madman. And do not blame the others. I made the decision to kill him all on my own. It was something that needed to be done. You may hate me for it but I do not regret what I did. Bonifacio was a terrible man who is better off dead.”

Peter thought about what Murphy had just said and decided that the man had a good point. It was a decision he had no choice but to make. In a way, Murphy had saved his life and his son’s life, and he was grateful for that. And thinking deeper about it, Peter felt it was something he might do if he was in Murphy’s shoes – although he might not be the one directly responsible for the man’s death. He, Peter, had made the same choice when he was faced with Otunba. The only slight difference was that he had given the notorious prisoner the choice to walk away from death, but the man had remained stubborn and had got himself killed for his foolishness.

Peter and Murphy stared at each other for a long time. They both knew, even the rest of the people knew what was going on – this was the moment when Peter would decide if he wanted to associate himself with his followers or not. Even though they had created the group in his absence, he was considered the leader. If Peter said no now, TBF would no longer exist.

“I don’t want grievous crimes committed in my name,” Peter finally said.

Murphy nodded and said, “Bonifacio’s death was unfortunate, but it was necessary. He has killed so many people. He killed Maria. He had to die. Having said that, the fate of TBF lies with you; we now look up to you to guide and direct us, Peter Black.”

markly32:
Thanks for the information.But I have a question regarding the post.

dejavuh0007:
Larry, what year was Peter arrested and sent to jail, and what year are they in in the book?

LarrySun:
He was jailed in 1995/96.

dejavuh0007:
So, that means he came out of jail in 2006, ryt?

I don't think social media and internet-enabled phones were as rampant as u made it seem when Black came out. Though I'm not arguing their existence, just saying they weren't rampant until 2009/10

dejavuh0007:
So, that means he came out of jail in 2006, ryt?

I don't think social media and internet-enabled phones were as rampant as u made it seem when Black came out. Though I'm not arguing their existence, just saying they weren't rampant until 2009/10

Update 13

***

Peter finally decided to invite the five men into the house. He finally admitted that they were a very important part of him. Murphy and Yinka had been responsible for getting him out of jail. If not for them, he would not have received the pardon he got. And Solo had also been responsible. Peter was grateful to all these people. Even Warden Kareem played a significant role in his release, and the warden had been very nice to him in jail. Although everything that led to his imprisonment could be blamed on the doctor, Peter was still grateful to him. It was because of Doctor Rukewe that he might be able to see his Maria once again. Peter Black owed a lot of them big and it would not be fair to just ignore them now. And he felt extremely honoured that they considered him a leader. Life had worked in a mysterious way for him; he had gone to prison a lonely man but had come out not only as a free man but a man surrounded by loyal people. He was grateful to them.

“I’m excited to know,” Yinka said.

“Know about what?” Peter asked.

“When will you go and claim him?”

“Who are you talking about?”

“Your son. When are you going to take him from that cruel officer?”

“Basket is not cruel,” responded Peter, “He only thinks he’s doing the right thing. And come to look at it, he was only doing his job.”

“Even with everything that man did, you still have nice things to say about him.”

“He was my friend. He was my only friend when I had nobody. We both went through a lot together. It’s only unfortunate that things went ugly between us. But deep down, Basket is a very nice person. People who do not know him as much as I do will find that hard to believe, but it’s the truth. I am grateful to you all for making sure that Roberto did not succeed in killing him.”

“Well, we weren’t planning to save him, actually. We were preventing Roberto from killing the innocent kids. And by saving you and the children, we automatically saved him too. I even visited him during his promotion ceremony and handed him the picture of Roberto’s corpse.”

“Why did you do that, Yinka?” Peter was not pleased with that news, “That was a very rash thing to do. It seems like you are underestimating how smart Basket is. He is not someone you can taunt. He likes people thinking that he’s dumb, he loves being underestimated because that is when he is the smartest. He could have easily located and arrested you.”

“I made sure that he didn’t see me,” explained Yinka, “I timed my approach perfectly. He did not even see my face. Anyway, we must find a way to get your son out of his house. You have to be reunited with your son. While we couldn’t stop Roberto from taking your wife from you, we cannot sit idle and watch Officer Balewa take your son from you too. We are ready to invade his home and bring home your son. All you need to do is give us the order.”

Peter shook his head. “That won’t be necessary.”

All the men exchanged glances. “What are you saying?” asked Solo, “Don’t you want to be with your son?”

Peter smiled and said, “I already have him.”

There was a murmur of surprise.

“Where is he? Where is he?” Yinka’s excitement could not be contained.

Peter stood up and said, “Wait here.” Then he disappeared into an inner room. He came out a few minutes later holding Danny by the hand.

“Everyone, meet Junior Black.”

All the men stood up and in respect. It seemed like they accorded the ten-year-old boy the same respect they had for Peter Black.

“He’s such a goodlooking boy,” said Solo as tears ran down his face.

Peter frowned. “Why are you crying, Solo?”

“How wonderful would it have been had Maria been alive now?”

Peter patted him on the shoulder and said, “Everything will be fine. Don’t think too much about it.” But that was not reassuring enough as the ex-convict continued shedding tears.

Doctor Rukewe walked up to the boy and said, “Hello Junior. I am doctor Rukewe. I brought you to this world. You are going to be a great person because your father is a great man. I had the pleasure of meeting your mother too. She was also a wonderful person. Do not be afraid, boy, because you are surrounded by loved ones.”

“My name is Yinka,” Yinka said when the doctor stepped back, “I am your uncle. Always call me Uncle Yinks. You also have an aunt named Binta. She’s going to love you. She will be so happy to see you.”

“It’s such a pleasure meeting you, Junior,” said Warden Kareem. “I have known your father for ten years. You couldn’t have asked for a better father. We are all going to watch over you. We all love you.”

The boy did not know how to relate with these new people. Everything seemed wildly overwhelming to him. It was like the world that he knew had suddenly turned upside down. The only family he used to know was his father and mother, granny and his twin brother. But all those were not true; he was not a twin, Izzy was not related to him. Not only that, his name had been converted from Daniel Balewa to Junior Black. Everything was still like nightmare to him. He stared from one man to the other, trying to find out anything he could like about them, but he was indifferent about his feelings for them. He was still in the process of accepting Peter as his own father.

Peter seemed to understand the boy’s confusion. He said to him, “You can return to the room, Junior.”

The boy was grateful for that. He did not appreciate the attention all the men were giving him, as if he was a trophy or something. He still desired to return to the family he originally knew; he missed them immensely. Most importantly, however, he wanted to be taken out of this terrible house where there was no electricity, and everywhere looked dusty. He was not allowed to go out or meet people in the street. He was living like a prisoner – but the man who claimed to be his father had promised him that this was going to be for a short time.

“The boy does not seem happy,” the doctor said as he watched Danny walk to the inner room.

“Everything still feels strange to him,” replied Black, “But I think he’s adapting well, considering the situation. He’s taking the revelation in a more mature manner for someone his age.”

“He obviously takes after his father in maturity.”

This was when Peter suddenly remembered that Solo was supposed to be rich. “Considering the fact that you are sixty million richer now, your clothes look pretty cheap.”

Solo hesitated before responding. “You didn’t know?”

“Know what?”

“I didn’t receive any money.”

Peter smiled. “The senator did not hold up his end of the deal, did he?”

“He didn’t.”

“I’m not surprised. Politicians should not be trusted. When you make a deal with the devil, you should expect a little heat. I suspected that the man was going to renege on his promise.”

“The bastard even tried to have me killed.”

“Count yourself lucky that you are alive. You were playing a dangerous game. He probably discovered that you didn’t keep your mouth shut like you both agreed. Anyway, that would not have changed anything. The senator is most likely a greedy man who wouldn’t want to part with a whooping sixty million naira. He figured that it would be easier and cheaper for him to have you killed instead. Even if the truth about his son is released out there, there is really nothing to do about it. The ten years’ sentence has already elapsed. I’m sure his son would be back to the country now just to tell people that he had done the time. You do not have any concrete evidence against him. Besides, dead people do not testify.”

“Well, I escaped death,” emphasized Solo, “And I’m going to make him regret trying to kill me.”

Peter carried an amused expression. “What are you going to do to him, really? Are you sure you are ready to face someone like Senator Bankole? He’s a very powerful politician.”

“I will get back my sixty million naira from him.”

“How do you plan to do that?”

Solo looked uncertain. “I-I will find a way. I spent ten years of my life in jail while his criminal son lived in affluence abroad. I deserve that money and I must get it.”

“You might just be inviting him to try to kill you again. This time around, he might be successful.”

Solo frowned. “But something weird happened the night I was supposed to be killed; I saw Officer John Balewa at the scene the soldiers working for the senator were supposed to bury me.”

“Basket?”

Solo nodded.

“Are you sure about what you just said?”

“I was surprised when he told me the same thing,” Warden Kareem said.

“Officer John Balewa most probably saved his life,” said Murphy, “Why he did it is still a mystery.”

“I thought he was dead when I saw him there that night. He seemed to have a gunshot wound, but he was able to bring down the two soldiers that tried to kill me.”

“If Basket was really there, then his intention was not to save you. He most probably had his own agenda,” Peter explained.

Solo’s eyes opened wide. “Are you saying Officer John Balewa was working for Senator Bankole?”

“Of course not. If he was working for the politician he would not have killed the soldiers working for the man. If I’m to guess, I think Basket was investigating the politician.”

“Investigating him? About what?”

“Could be something related to your imprisonment. I strongly advise that you desist from trying to associate yourself with the senator now that Basket is involved. You know him, he will eventually find out the truth, and if he does, you will not have enough days to enjoy your sixty million naira. No amount of money is worth your freedom.”

Solo shook his head. “Oh, no! I can’t simply have spent ten years in jail for nothing. I must take my money from the man.”

“It’s dangerous. I assume that Basket will be on your trail by now. Even if you get the sixty million naira, you will continue to live in fear. You have to lay low and disappear. If Basket finds you, he will drag you back to jail. This time around, he will make sure that you don’t ever come out, especially if he finds out that you are connected to me and Maria. Just keep your head down. Perhaps someday you will be able to get back your money from the senator – this is, of course, if the Basket does not put the senator himself in prison.”

“I think we can still get back the money from the man if we act fast,” Murphy said. “We only have to be very careful. If he discovers that his plan to kill Solo has failed, then he will be scared.”

“What makes you think he has not realised that by now? Solo himself said it, his soldiers were dead that night. He would have known that something was wrong when his soldiers did not return that night. But like you said, if you are very smart about it, you may be able to get the money from the man.” He paused and added, “I have a personal favour I need to ask you, Murphy?”

“Tell me, I will do anything for you.”

“Please give me a moment.”

Peter Black returned to the inner room and reappeared with the black diamond.

Rick9:
Chai this story Sha seeing everyone together.. especially Murphy Khalid.
If only this story could make it to the big screens.

dejavuh0007:
So, that means he came out of jail in 2006, ryt?

I don't think social media and internet-enabled phones were as rampant as u made it seem when Black came out. Though I'm not arguing their existence, just saying they weren't rampant until 2009/10

Update 14

Again, the five men stood to their feet and stared in awe as Peter approached with the black object.

“Oh my God! It’s the black diamond!” the doctor whispered.

“It’s so beautiful!” said Warden Kareem.

“And shiny!” commented Yinka.

“I never thought I’d ever set my eyes on the famous black diamond,” Solo said.

“I thought it was just a myth,” added Murphy, “I didn’t know it was real.”

Peter Black stared at them in amusement. “How did you all know about the diamond?”

“It was all over the streets ten years ago,” explained the doctor. “Everyone knew that it was the reason Roberto killed Maria; it was a major news topic for a very long time. At a point, people were searching for the black diamond. Everyone knew how priceless the diamond was, so the search for it was like treasure hunt; but none was able to find it. No one had any idea that it was in this apartment all along.”

Peter smiled and shook his head, “No, I didn’t leave it here. I wouldn’t act so foolish. I’m sure that those searching for the diamond would have searched this house. That’s probably why I met a different padlock when I arrived here from prison. And I also noticed some few things out of place. Those who searched this place had only wasted their own time.”

“Then where did you hide it? I’m sure you didn’t take it along with you to prison.”

“With Peter Black,” Murphy chipped in, “anything is possible.”

Peter scoffed and shook his head. “Some things are impossible. No, I didn’t take it to prison. I couldn’t even if I wanted.”

“Then where did you hide it?”

Black spread his hands, “In plain sight. The best way to hide something is in plain sight with just a little bit of disguise. If those searching for it had considered the most unlikely place with a little bit of deep thinking, they might have found it.”

“And where was that?”

“It was buried in Basket’s backyard,” Peter replied, smiling.

“What!” all the men chorused.

“You mean the diamond had been lying in Officer John Balewa’s compound for ten years?” Warden Kareem asked.

Peter nodded. “That was the only place I knew I could hide it.”

“And Officer John Balewa did not discover it?”

“Luckily for me, he did not.”

“What if he had?”

“I doubted that he would,” answered Peter, “Basket is a rash fellow. Although he’s a very smart person, he is often too impatient to think things through before acting. If he exercises a form of patience before acting, he can even be smarter than I am. Basket is one of the smartest persons I have ever known, but his impatience is his bane. I was counting on his rashness when I buried the diamond in his backyard. Even when he visited me in prison and asked about the diamond, I gave him the clue to its location but he was too impatient to understand what I was saying. However, if he had discovered the diamond, I would have been greatly impressed. I’d rather have Basket have the diamond than any other person, as long as my child was still under his care. Besides, he lost a lot because of the diamond. His men, father-in-law, and mother-in-law died because of the diamond.”

“But there is something I don’t understand,” Yinka said. “How come the diamond was hidden in Officer John Balewa’s backyard? I know I was with you when you were arrested, and I knew the diamond was in the bag you carried.”

“Did you?” Peter asked him, still smiling. “I have been expecting someone to ask that question. The truth is, the diamond had been buried in Basket’s backyard weeks before Roberto came after me. I already suspected that someone would try to take the diamond away from me. I thought it was going to be Chief Salami; I never knew someone a lot more dangerous was involved. Anyway, I sneaked into the compound one late night when the family was sleeping and started digging the hole in his backyard. But I was discovered by Rhoda when I was about to put the diamond in the hole and cover it with sand.”

“Who is Rhoda?” Murphy asked.

“Officer John Balewa’s wife,” Solo responded immediately.

“I thought she was going to scream in fear that night,” Peter continued, “But to my surprise, she was very calm. She recognised me immediately and asked what I was doing there. She had caught me red-handed, so I could not lie to her. I truthfully explained my mission there and she agreed to keep it a secret. She promised that no one was going to find out the truth.”

“Is that not the same woman rumours had it that you had been sleeping with?” the doctor asked.

Peter was genuinely shocked by that question. “Who told you that?”

Rukewe shrugged, “It’s just a flying rumour. We don’t know the origin of the information or how true it is. Further rumour flying around was that the main reason why Officer John Balewa put you in jail was because you had been having an affair with his wife.”

Peter was silent.

“Were the rumours true?” the doctor pressed.

Black slowly shook his head. “No, they were not true – at least not entirely. You see, it happened when we were still very young. We were about teenagers at the time. In fact, that was what ended the relationship between Basket and me. It was a long time ago, long before Basket married Rhoda. Maybe someday you will all learn the full story.

“So, that night, Rhoda promised to not tell anyone about the location of the diamond. I had no choice but to trust her promise. Besides, I knew that she was still in love with me; she would do whatever I told her.”

“So what do you plan to do with the diamond?” the doctor asked.

Peter smiled, stood up, reached above a dusty shelf in the living room and extracted a hammer. He returned to his seat, carefully placed the diamond on the table and hit it hard with the hammer. The diamond broke into four uneven pieces.

“What are you doing?!” Warden Kareem screamed.

“Have you gone mad?” the doctor demanded in shock.

The rest of the men opened their mouths in utter surprise.

Peter ignored them and carefully picked two pieces out of the four. He held one of the two pieces up and said, “This one belongs to Junior and me.” He held the other one up, “This one belongs to someone special.” As he spoke those words, he gave the doctor a knowing glance.

“Who is this special person?” Yinka asked curiously.

Peter, still maintaining his smile, replied, “Maybe someday you will find out, but for now I’d like to keep that a secret if you don’t mind.”

“What about the remaining two pieces?” the doctor asked.

Peter shrugged, “It depends on you.”

Rukewe frowned. “I don’t understand what you mean by that.”

“The remaining pieces belong to TBF.”

“You are giving us your diamond?”

“Well, technically, the diamond does not belong to me. I thought it belonged to my father – that is why I stole it from Chief Salami. It turned out that both my father and Salami stole it from someone else. Roberto Bonifacio is the real owner of the diamond, but he is dead now. Giving TBF half of the diamond is my way of thanking you all for everything you did for me. You all contributed to making this moment right here possible. How many members of TBF are there?”

Murphy spoke this time around, “Besides the lot of us here, there are two other pioneer followers – they are Nurse Muyiwa and Uche.”

“Who is this Nurse Muyiwa, and how was she a member?”

Rukewe explained, “Nurse Muyiwa is my most trusted nurse in my hospital. She was very loyal to me, but she was more loyal to Maria – before her death. She was also one of Roberto’s victims. Roberto had her family massacred when she was a little girl. She still bears the scar of that terrible machete cut inflicted on her. She miraculously survived. I can say that Muyiwa played a significant role in ensuring the downfall of Roberto Bonifacio.”

“She sounds like a very nice woman. I’d like to meet her someday.”

“She will be very pleased to meet you.”

“How about Uche? How did he become a member? And why is he not here with the rest of you?”

“Well, Uche would have been here had he known that we were coming to this place,” answered Murphy, “He has been dying to meet you. You should know that Uche used to be a trusted employee of Roberto Bonifacio. In fact, Uche was Roberto’s second-in-command. He had been working with Roberto for about thirty years.”

“How were you able to turn someone like that into helping you defeat his master?”

“I’m sure it was all luck; and it turned out that Uche’s heart was not entirely black; he had a sliver of humanity left in him. He was not in support of Roberto’s decision to kill the twins. Although he did not care about what happened to you or Officer John Balewa at the time, he just would not allow the killing of innocent children. He also fell in love with Nurse Muyiwa. Now they are married and living happily with two kids. Killing Roberto Bonifacio might not have been very easy for me had Uche not helped us. I was determined to sacrifice my own life into killing Roberto, but I am alive today because Uche chose to help us.”

“And what about the rest of Roberto’s men?” Peter asked.

Murphy hesitated about responding to the question. He was not sure about how to answer it. He knew the history; he had learnt that some of Roberto’s men had been responsible for Maria’s death. He was not sure how Peter was going to take the news; he had not yet prepared himself for this kind of question, or that this situation would present itself so soon.

“What’s wrong? Why are you quiet?”

Doctor Rukewe spoke. “They have been converted.”

“I don’t understand. What do you mean by converted.”

“When their master died, they had no other leader to look up to besides Uche. So they considered Uche as their new master. Uche made them become the foot members of TBF; but a few of them walked away because they could not cope with the new lifestyle. The ones that left were hardened criminals who had no intention of turning their own lives around. However, a significant number of them are now member of TBF.”

“How many are they?”

“They were about thirty before but the number has increased to about fifty.”

“How come?”

“Well, there were so many other people who were faithful to you. Many of them were people that loved you and Maria so dearly. They joined as their form of loyalty to you.”

“Are you saying TBF is filled with criminals and thieves?”

“Of course not,” replied the doctor, “Many of us are respectable men and women. Our major goal is bringing down powerful people that use their power to oppress the masses. We simply find out about the skeletons in their cupboards and expose them – then the law always did the rest. Of course, some of us take from the rich and give the poor, but we choose to believe that we are doing the right thing. We try to do for the less-privileged what this blasted government will not do for them. In a way, we work based on your principles. We all know about how you steal from the rich and give to the poor. You were like our own Robin Hood.”

“I’m not a prince of thieves,” Peter replied, “Actually, I’m planning on turning my life around. I have a son now. I must try to be a responsible father to my boy.”