Chapter 8: Chapter 8

Colleen ran into the mechanic village, looking worried and almost in tears, the place was scanty as most of the mechanics have gone for a lunch break; the few around were either resting inside the grounded rickety vehicles, resting under the trees where birds flew in and out, singing excitedly. “Good afternoon, please, I’m looking for Ajax?” She asked the first person she met; a young man who was working on a Mercedes Benz. The young man looked at her admiringly. Indeed, she was a paragon of beauty with fair skin, penetrating beautiful eyes, and a statuesque figure. The frayed hem of her black skirt swished enticingly about her shapely ankles, and it matches with her white shirt. Her hair was neatly tied back with a velvet bow. “Why do you want Ajax?”

“My dad sent me to call him because our car broke down on our way to an important engagement.” She explained desperately,

“You are lucky that he is around; see him under that big mango tree,” He pointed to a tall gangling young mechanic who sat on a bench eating bread with a bottle of Fanta in his hands. She rushed towards him and explained the situation of things to him. Ajax tried unsuccessfully to remember her father, but he couldn’t place him; he concluded it was normal as he had many customers, so he quickly finished his drink and bread. He picked the necessary working tools and followed the girl whom he curiously found attractive. They left the mechanic village and took a lonely path that led from the lake into the thicket. This was where most of the mechanics used to go and defecate; so, the path was littered with human faeces and flies hummed around it. “Why are we taking this path, young lady? I thought you said your father’s car broke down?” He asked, not in the least afraid because he believed she was only a girl, if she should misbehave, he can always handle her. “We will soon get there, Ajax,” she answered and moved on. A sixty-yard walk brought them to a clearing and facing them was a log cabin with a bench in front of it; on the bench sat a boy who smiled at Ajax, “Welcome, Ajax,” He greeted, “Do you remember me?”

“I’m supposed to be here for an assignment?” He said, ignoring the question, “Are you trying to kidnap me?”

“I’m surprised you forgot so soon, Ajax, the boy said as he stood up and advanced towards him with a mean and menacing grin on his face. Ajax held one of the working tools in his right hand like a weapon. “If you come too close, I will use this spanner to smash your heads into pieces!” He snarled.

Colleen who was watching with interest laughed loudly, “Ajax wants to be a real man!” “Do you remember one woman who tried to operate a mobile restaurant about two weeks ago?” Nabeel asked as Colleen tactically went behind Ajax placing him in their midst.

“Yes, what about her? Ajax retorted, recognizing Nabeel instantly. He started fidgeting involuntarily; he believed he could fight his way through as they were only two of them Nabeel and Colleen. “You assaulted and abused her, Ajax; nobody does that to any of my family members and gets away with it!”

“Is that why you lured me here?” Ajax asked, looking out for a route of escape. “She deserved what she got!”

Colleen lashed out to him with a whip she was holding from behind and as Ajax turned to face her. Nabeel also lashed out to him from the other side. “If she deserved what she got from you that means you also deserve what we are about to do to you.” Colleen retorted as she gave him the beatings of his life with the whip. “You are a wicked soul, Ajax.”

“You won’t get away with this!” Ajax cried painfully. He made to run away through a narrow bush path but was stopped by the emergence of a boy who also held a whip in his hands. “Hello, Ajax!” The boy known as Collins greeted, laughing like a jackal, following him closely was his identical twin brother, Conan. “You don’t think it is only the two of them. Do you?” Collins asked, “We came prepared for you because we know what it takes to revenge on a rascal like you.”

They advanced on Ajax and beat him to a pulp. “I’m going to give you a second chance, Ajax, by not killing you.” Nabeel said, standing over him “If you meddle into things that don’t concern you again and I happen to know, it will be your last on earth.” After they were satisfied with their accomplishment, they went away.

ΩΩ

Conan, Collins, and Colleen Sanders are identical triplets. They were Nabeel’s schoolmates before their expulsion from school same months before Nabeel dropped out. It happened that one of their teachers who know them very well discovered that their examination scripts had the same handwriting, and it wasn’t supposed to be so. She knew Colleen and Collins were dullards so how come they performed excellently and with uniform handwriting? She took it up with the Vice Principal Academics, Mr. Owen. “Sir, I was the one who supervised this particular subject and I know these students couldn’t even write their names talk more of attempting a question, but now I’m surprised they are scoring eighty percent and the handwriting is the same particularly that of Conan Sanders?”

“What are you insinuating, Miss Tracy?” Mr. Owen asked, rising swiftly to his feet behind a desk piled with flies and exercise books. He walked towards her and checked the scripts she was referring to confirm. “Sir, what I mean is that these students didn’t write this paper themselves, these are Conan’s handwriting. This is not the first time they are doing this, and I can’t take it anymore!” She said heatedly.

“Take it easy, Miss Tracy, I will follow it up; leave their scripts with me?” Mr. Owen appealed, trying hard to hide his discomfort.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Owen but I don’t think you are capable of handling this case. You said the same thing the other time, but you did nothing, so it made me realized that if I need action I should go elsewhere.”

“Miss Tracy, do you realize you are talking to the Vice Principal Academics? You are accusing me of incompetency. Aren’t you?” Mr. Owen asked, astonished at her outburst. She had headed for the door, swung it open, then looked back, “I’m not a fool, Mr. Owen, I have discovered your dirty deals; just pray that you get out of this unscratched!” She banged the door and disappeared.

Mr. Owen sat back dejectedly; he was sweating profusely as the revelation hit him below the belt. “These students have destroyed my career,” he pondered thoughtfully, trying to find a possible solution without success. Mr. Owen who was married with three children was a drunkard who frequents the popular Yoppy Night Club in the heart of the town. It was in the club Colleen met him, she was seductively dressed that he couldn’t resist her in his drunken state, so he quickly booked a room and took her there; not knowing that it was been recorded by her brothers; immediately he undressed and began to caress her, at a signal from them, she excused herself to use the restroom and bolted. Two days later which was a Monday, Conan took one of the pictures to his office after the morning assembly, “What do you want?” Mr. Owen had asked after glancing at the picture.

“Mr. Owen, it is a pity you left us with no choice but to take this drastic measure; we tried to talk to you like children to parents, but you refused. Our demand will be communicated to you in due course.” Conan said and took his leave.

Mr. Owen, whose face had become a mask of anger watched him leave, immediately the door closed he took the picture and tore it to shreds. Conan opened the door and entered again. “I guessed it might happen and I was right, we have a lot more from where that came from.” He dropped another one on his table.

“You are going to regret this…” Mr. Owen had threatened.

Conan laughed and left, since then Mr. Owen had been cooperating with the trio. After sitting for a particular paper in the examination, all the scripts normally go to the Vice Principal Academics, so at an agreed time, Conan would go and write for his twin brother and sister, this had been going on until Miss Tracy discovered. She took the matter up to the principal who expressed shock and instantly followed it up. At the end of the day, Mr. Owen having been found guilty was dismissed and the triplets expelled. “This is one of those times I missed Daddy so much,” Colleen whispered to her brothers after their expulsion letter had been handed over to them. “Yes, Daddy would have reversed the situation,” Collins agreed, wearing a sad look instantly and the sad countenance disappeared the same way it came. “I still see it as a blessing in disguise,” Conan said brightening up. “It is an opportunity for us to make money?”

Their mother who was with them was visibly angry and she minced no words in giving them a piece of her mind. “You all are a bunch of disgrace; how can you hold your Vice Principal to ransom?”

“Mum, he deserved it! We did it to save ourselves,” Collins interjected, “We would have repeated a class if not for our wisdom.”

“Wisdom my foot!” She retorted, “You are going back to school!!”

“Mum, as for me, I’m not going back to school.” Conan announced, “What is the essence of going to school? Is it not to make money? Give me three months, I will be a millionaire!”

“Mum, I agreed with Conan, I’m not going back to school, also I want to make money,” Colleen added.

They walked towards the car park where the driver was waiting beside a white Toyota Sienna. “You cannot get far in life without education.” Mrs. Sanders argued in a soft voice. “I am ready to enrol you in another school and you must all promise to be of good behaviour and take your studies seriously?”

“Mum, as for me, my mind is made up!” Conan insisted, “With affluence, I can buy all the certificates I need but certificates can’t buy wealth. Can it?” Conan argued; his mouth tilted stubbornly.

“Conan, I won’t take that nonsense from you. Do you know your father left enough wealth for you? Why do you want to chase wild geese at this tender age instead of engaging in a meaningful venture which is your studies?”

“I’m through with this discussion!” Conan said angrily and began to walk away while his siblings followed him.

“Conan! Colleen, come back here at once!!” She shouted vehemently. “Collins, aren’t you the one I’m calling?” As none of them even turn back not to talk of responding to her call, she entered the vehicle and began to sob uncontrollably.

“Dad has left enough wealth for her not us, let her enjoy it while it lasted,” Conan said, “We will work for our own.”

“I feel some empathy for Mum,” Collins said, looking back as her vehicle moved towards the exit gate.

“You can follow her!” Colleen retorted spitefully. “What do you have in mind, Conan?” She asked, walking faster to catch up with him.

“Operation Skeleton,” He muttered with a sly smile.

“Operation Skeleton?” They parroted and eyed each other in bewilderment, “What the hell does that one mean?” Colleen asked, staring at him as if she could read him like a book.

He was unperturbed and smiled with absolute confidence. “I learnt this secret from Dad, and I vowed that if I have the opportunity, I will capitalize on it.”

“Go on, you have not made any sense, Conan?” Collins asked.

“Dad used to say that everyone has a skeleton in his cupboard.”

“Are we going to look for skeletons in people’s cupboards?” Colleen asked irritably and suddenly wearied. “I hope you are not going diabolical?”

“Far from it.” He responded, “We are going to discover those skeletons and use them to our advantage.” He explained.

“Are you talking about blackmail?” Collins asked, blinking fast and furiously while Colleen’s eyes simply focused on Conan’s own.

“Listen to me very well and afterward, you can make up your minds if you want to be part of it or not,” Conan said, studying both. He had no doubt they will go with his idea because they have always been together. “This is how it will work…”

ΩΩ

Barrister Benjamin Sanders was a radical lawyer who was much sought for in Mpoto because his unprecedented records were there to speak for him. He had never lost a case in his twelve years of active legal service. He never failed to tell his fellow members of the bench that success isn’t doing the normal but abnormal; you must go the extra mile to attain victory, not just being smart but outsmarting others. “I’m succeeding because I added extra to my ordinary ways of doing things making it extraordinary.” His fellow lawyers envied him. His secret was blackmailing, he believed that everybody has a skeleton in his cupboard, no matter your status in society. He just identified it and used it to exploit the person for his gain. He worked with a photographer who used to be a journalist. Whenever he had a case to handle, the photographer would be monitoring the counsel opposing him and the judge handling the case. If it required sending a lady to seduce the judge, he would do it.

He married an Italian, Lucy who bore triplets for him, Conan, Collins, and Colleen. Right from their childhood, they were given freehand which made them spoilt and disrespectful. Barrister Sanders loved them to a fault even whenever their mother raised an alarm over the way he pampered them he would wave her fears aside. “Leave them alone, they are my kids,” he would say, so they grew up to become over pampered. Barrister Benjamin Sanders died in a ghastly motor accident on his way to the airport to take a flight to Washington for a conference. Some think it was more than a mere accident that it was a murder; nevertheless, his victims heaved a sigh of relief.

While in school, they were a thorn in the flesh of teachers and students alike, they bullied fellow students and were rude to teachers who were tired of punishing them. They would have been expelled but for their father who was the school legal adviser. Nabeel somehow curbed their excesses when their path crossed, it happened during the break time. Nabeel was discussing with Nicola and Anita beside the football field where a group of junior students played and skipped when Collins called out to Nicola, “Nicola, come here I want to see you!” Collins shouted irritably. Nicola looked at him, hissed with contempt, and continued her discussion with Nabeel and Anita. Collins who was with his brother, sister, and a group of boys mostly, his classmates and his admirers sent one of them to call Nicola for him. The boy walked towards Nicola and tapped her. “Collins wants to see you right away,” the boy informed her.

“I’m not coming!” She answered sharply.

“What is this guy’s problem?” Anita asked with dismay, “He likes fermenting trouble, you better go and see him and hear what he has to say,”

“I will not go and see him because I know he has nothing concrete to say. He just wanted to use me to boost his ego.” Nicole protested vehemently.

Collins walked up to them and faced Nicole, “I was calling you and you refused to answer, is it because of the goat you were discussing with?”

“Who are you referring to as he-goat?” Nabeel asked, tugging Collins by the shoulder. Collins turned and slapped Nabeel on the cheek. “How dare you touch me? You dirty he-goat!” Collins snarled, his face, a mask of anger, Nabeel retaliated fast as he swung his arm and hit him squarely under his nose with the side of his hand and the effect was devastating as the blow broke Collins bridgework making his eye watery and transmitted a thousand red-hot needles into his brain. He slumped back on the ground like a paper kite covering his school uniform with sand. “Serve you right!” Anita and Nicola spat disgustingly.

Most of the students had stopped playing and gathered to watch what was happening. “What did you do to my brother?” Conan snarled as he stepped into the ring formed by the gathered students.

“Ask your so-called brother,” Nabeel replied and made to walk away as Conan shot forward with a flying tackle at him, Nabeel fell on his face but was quick to his feet and he faced Conan with an askance look on his face. Most students feared the triplets; they always trembled at their presence and so they were secretly glad that someone was able to confront them. Conan took a sideswipe at Nabeel’s face, but Nabeel saw it coming and got his face up in time and hastily gave a numbing blow on the fleshy part of Conan’s bicep that made him cry out. He grabbed hold of Conan’s wrist with his left hand and drove his right fist into his face.

His knuckles smashed against teeth that gave in under the impact and Conan couldn’t help cursing. Colleen wanted to go and help her brother, but Nicola stepped in and they also started fighting before teachers rushed into the field and bundled them to the principal’s office where they were severely punished. After that episode, the triplets stopped bullying fellow students.

Nabeel had met Conan at a Filing Station where he went to see Jero, a friend who was to help him get employment as a pump attendant. Jero who also was a pump attendant was attending to Conan Sanders when Nabeel walked up to him. “Jero, I’m getting worried because I have not heard from your manager.”

“I’m sorry, Nabeel, he said there is no vacancy for now,” Jero replied as he served the white Toyota Rav4 jeep. The owner of the Rav4 jeep gaped at Nabeel. “Is this truly the Nabeel I used to know?”

“Conan, is this you?” Nabeel asked, taken aback.

“Nabeel, so you know this big man and you are looking for the job of a pump attendant?” Jero uttered for lack of anything concrete to say.

“Have your money and shut up!” Conan retorted and turned to Nabeel, “Come on, Nabeel, enter and let’s get out of here.”

Conan took Nabeel to his office which was at the shopping mall owned by his late father. That was where they discussed extensively, “I heard about what happened to your father, it is a tragedy and very sad.” Conan consoled.

“My father was set up…” Nabeel said, a faraway look in his eyes which had become misted. “I intend to unravel the mystery.”

Conan smiled, “I know you very well, Nabeel; you can be ruthless if you want to be. “Do you remember how you dealt with us back at school?”

Nabeel nodded his head and smiled back, “You intend to revenge too?”

“No, far from it, we were wrong, and you were right. You curbed us of our excesses and above all, let bygone be.” Conan intoned. “I’m going to help you,”

Nabeel sat upright, he couldn’t believe his ears, “You are going to what?”

“Nabeel, you are God sent; you are the type of person we need in our team.”

“A team?” He asked sarcastically, “What I need now is money to pay my siblings’ school fees,”

“Listen, if you want to take revenge against those who killed your father? If you want cool money to solve all your problems? We are the only one that can help you, forget that you know us when we were in secondary school; we have passed that level.”

He looked around the posh office. “Indeed, Conan couldn’t be bluffing because the office speaks volume,” he pondered thoughtfully. The office was expensively furnished like a lawyer’s chamber; books were neatly arranged on a shelf. The air conditioner gently hummed away. Nabeel guessed that whatever Conan and his siblings were doing couldn’t be legitimate, but he desperately needed money. “As long as I’m alive and healthy, my family will never suffer.” He declared solemnly, “Am I putting myself in bondage because of a family bond?” He shuddered involuntarily. “It is worth it, I’m sure if Majeed and Barira graduate, they will get good jobs and we will all be better for it.” He turned to Conan, “Give me till tomorrow; I will get across to you.”

“That is okay,” Conan answered, “Tomorrow morning, exactly nine o’clock meet me in the office; I will give you some money to pay your siblings’ fees.”

“I’m grateful, Conan,” Nabeel said enthusiastically. He heaved a sigh of relief. “I have to go now,” he announced and rose to his feet, at the same time a knock sounded on the door followed by a click, Collins and Colleen breezed in, carrying a bag which Collins dropped on the mahogany table before Conan. “We got it, man!” Collins shouted excitedly while Colleen gaped at Nabeel, wondering what the hell he was doing there. “It calls for celebration,” Conan chuckled. “We have a guest in the house.” He announced joyfully and turned to Nabeel, “Nabeel Shaphat, we just got a deal of two hundred thousand dollars!” He gave Nabeel a bear hug, “It is an indication of good fortune from you, assuming the deal didn’t click; it shows you are a carrier of bad luck,” He whispered to Nabeel, meanwhile Nabeel’s mind was running riot. “Two hundred thousand dollars? That’s a whole lot!”

“Have you come to beat us up again, Mr. Man?” Colleen retorted, gearing up for a confrontation.

“Come on, dear sister, let bygone be bygone,” Conan intervened and saw Nabeel to the door while Collins went to the refrigerator and retrieved a bottle of red wine. “Dear Sissy, forgive the poor guy; he has gone through a lot, losing his father and inheritance in quick succession is enough trouble to last one for a lifetime.”

“I concur with Conan; the guy will be an asset to our business,” Collins said as he sipped his drink.

“Fuck all of you!” Colleen spat disgustedly and crashed on the sofa. “Will you give me out of that fucking wine, I’m thirsty!”

“Take it easy, sister, you are getting worked up.” Collins observed, “You don’t need this now.” He served her and sat beside her as he also served himself. “Somebody like Nabeel who is strong in mind and body is what we need.” Conan explained, “You know that he once lived in the government house?”

“I understand you perfectly well, Conan,” Collins said. “But my fear is whether he will not constitute a threat to us?”

“I don’t think so because he is like a blood-thirsty vampire now owing to the calamity which befell his family. He is bitter against the society which has been unfair to them.”

“I hope you know what you are doing because I don’t like him for anything,” Colleen said and stood up from the sofa. She walked to the window, lifted the blinds, and observed Nabeel as he walked out of the gate towards the streets; she saw him hail a taxi and spoke briefly to the driver after which he opened the back door, sat down and the cab drove off.