(Continued from Married to a Gangster I)
Satisfied that their mission is complete, the two thugs shoot in the air twice to scare away the crowd that is beginning to form. They jump onto a waiting car and speed away. Inside Donald’s car, one of the men sitting beside Melody is groaning in pain, while the driver appears to be dead. But Melody and the third man are fine. The shooters concentrated the bullets on the driver’s seat. A few bullets were fired at the backseat and they hit the man who is now groaning beside Melody, but the focus appeared to be the driver.
“Tell your husband that this is not over, yet,” the unharmed man tells Melody as he yanks the door open. He walks around one block and then disappears. Melody remains in a daze even as onlookers dash towards the car and help her and the injured men. Well-wishers rush them across the road to Kiambu County Referral Hospital. They are taken to the emergency centre where the driver is declared dead on arrival.
“She is not injured but she is in shock,” Melody hears someone saying from a distance. The workd now appears to be blurred. “Her blood pressure is slightly high, and I think we should send her to the observation room for a couple of hours.”
“What about the police?”
“I have told them to give her a couple of hours before they can question her. The shock needs to wear out first. I think we should actually put her to sleep.”
*
It is a friend at the hospital who informs Donald about the shooting. There is no doubt in his head that he was the target of the massacre; and he even knows why they wanted him dead. What he doesn’t understand is who the three men who were in the car with Melody were. There is only one way of finding out: going to talk to Melody.
Going to see Melody at the hospital is a dangerous prospect. Sooner or later the men who tried to kill him will realize that they killed the wrong man and come after him again. But if he doesn’t go to see his wife, then everyone will become suspicious. He has worked so hard to create some distance between himself and his gang, a distance he is certain that the police can’t see through, that he is unwilling to allow simple suspicions ruin it. The natural thing for a man to do under these circumstances is to go and visit his wife. The mechanic has finished changing the oil and the filters in Melody’s car, so Donald pays for the service, gets into the car and heads to Kiambu County Referral Hospital.
*
When Melody wakes up, Donald is in the room, together with two police officers. She smiles at her husband.
“I am so sorry babe,” Donald says emotionally. “That must have been very frightening.”
“It was, I was so scared.”
“I am so sorry about what happened, Mrs. Kirima,” one of the police officers says. “My name is Inspector Mwacha, and I am attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations. The gentleman with me is Corporal Sanya. Can you tell us what exactly happened?”
“Can’t you give her space to rest?” Donald snaps at the youthful inspector of police who is leading the investigation. “She has undergone a traumatizing experience and so you need to be considerate.”
“You have a point, Mr. Kirima. But I have criminals to catch, and they are not going to be considerate. I need all the information I can get as quickly as I can. Besides, the doctor said she is fit for questioning.”
Donald wants to say something else but his wife cuts him short.
“It is okay, Don. Let the officer do his job. What do you want to know, officer?”
“Can you start from the beginning, when you left your house, or office, and tell us what happened?”
“Well today is Saturday, and on Saturdays I normally go to the market to buy groceries. But today, my husband told me that my car was due for service so we agreed to exchange cars. He left before me. When I eventually left the house, I was confronted by three armed men just outside the gate. I considered speeding away but I realised that they would start shooting. I stopped the car but before I could roll down the window, one of the men pulled me out of the car and sat behind the steering wheel. The other two pushed me to the back seat and I sat between them. They told me that they would not harm me if my husband paid them money. We drove into town, although I didn’t know where we were going. When we got outside the general hospital, at that junction where the court is, two men appeared from nowhere and started shooting at the car…”
“Do you know on which side of the road the shooters were standing?”
“They were standing on driver’s side.”
“Did you see their faces?”
“It was all so abrupt and traumatizing, Inspector. I am sorry but I cannot recall their faces. I don’t think I even had a chance to look at them.”
“I understand. One more question. You said there were three men in the car with you. We found two. What happened to the third?”
“When the shooters ran away, the third man opened the door of the car and then ran away.”
“Thank you Mrs. Kirima. You have been most helpful.”
“You are welcome Inspector. If you need anything else do not hesitate to ask. Have you identified the men you have in custody?”
“Yes. One of them is already dead, and the other is in critical condition. They are members of a gang that calls itself Whiteforce. We have been monitoring them for some time over white collar crimes, although we honestly have never been able to gather enough evidence to arrest them. To the best of my knowledge, they are not involved in violent crimes, so this is a first.”
“By white collar you mean fraud?”
“They are mostly cybercriminals. In their latest attack, they breached the security systems of one of the leading banks and carted away thirty million shillings.”
“How can someone run away with so much money and not get caught?”
“These are sophisticated criminals, Mrs. Kirima. They did not withdraw the money. They bounced it around the world in several offshore accounts. We are working with Interpol to try and see whether we can find where the money finally landed. But we are not optimistic. Some of these banks, especially in the Caribbean are notoriously tightlipped. This shooting incident could be our big break.”
“Why is that so?”
“Because my hunch tells me that the gang is split over the money. If that is the case, then there has never been a better time to nab them than now.”
*
“Are you involved in any way with this gang?” Melody asks her husband when the police officers leave.
“What? Why would you ask something like that babe? You know me.”
“Do I?”
“What has gotten over you, sweetheart?”
“The men who carjacked me were looking for you, Don. They were actually surprised when they opened the door and saw me behind the wheel. It is you they wanted. And as they drove me around, they told me that all they wanted was their share of the money. You and them apparently got some cash from somewhere but you apparently decided to keep all the money. They wanted a total of fifteen million. Inspector says thirty million was stolen from a bank. Can you blame me for asking you what you know about this saga, Don?”
“This is all a misunderstanding, sweetheart. You have to believe me.”
“That “misunderstanding” could have had me killed, Don. If those men hadn’t carjacked me, I would have been the one behind the wheel, and I would have been the one lying dead in the mortuary. What is this misunderstanding anyway? Tell me everything you know about this whole thing.”
“We cannot talk here, babe. Let’s go home and I will tell you everything.”
Before Melody can reply, her phone rings.
“Good morning counsel,” a man on the other side says.
“Good morning,” Melody replies. “Who is this kindly?”
“Who I am is not important counsel. At least, it is not as important as what I am about to tell you. But first, receive my sincere apologies for this morning’s incident. Is your husband with you?”
Melody’s heart begins to beat faster.
“Yes he is.”
“Put the phone on speaker.”
Melody obeys.
“Donald, are you there?”
“What do you want?” Donald asks stiffly. He already knows the voice.
“You know what I want big man. Hurry up and do the right thing.”
“I don’t know what you are talking about.”
“That is okay, Don. If that is how you want to play it, that is fine by me. Counsel, are you still there?”
“I am here.”
“Convince your man to return my money if you want to see your children again.”
“Please, whoever you are, don’t harm my children. Don please, do something…”
“Yes, Don, please do something. And by the way, your house help is a really fine girl. I think I will keep her as a concubine. But I can assure you that you will get the children back. Whether you get them alive or as corpses is up to Donald.”
As the man hangs up, he laughs sarcastically.
(To be continued on Tuesday)
Image by Ulrike Mai from Pixabay: https://pixabay.com/photos/children-jump-south-africa-water-486980/
*
*
To purchase any of the books in our e-bookstore (including the latest one, Pawns), you can follow either one of two main ways:
DIGITAL METHODS
- MPESA Automated Digital Payment Method. Log in to the bookstore- register if you are new-(https://www.maroncha.com/book-store ). Select the book. Add to cart, check out then pay by inserting your number on the space provided then clicking ‘confirm’. You will be able to download instantly from the bookstore. A copy will also be automatically sent to your email.
- Pay Via Till Number. Log in to the bookstore- register if you are new-(https://www.maroncha.com/book-store ). Select the book. Add to cart, check out then pay via the Buy Goods Till Number provided. Once you get the message from MPESA, insert the MPESA code on the space provided then click ‘Validate Code’. You will be able to download instantly from the bookstore. A copy will also be automatically sent to your email.
MANUAL METHODS
If you are completely unable to use the above two methods, you can still purchase your copy manually. The only disadvantage of this method is that you will have to wait for a few hours before you get your copy. But eventually it will come.
- Pay Kshs. 100 to Buy Goods Till Number 297264 and send an email to edward@maroncha.com (or DM Sanctuary Side on Facebook) stating your MPESA name. Use the name of the book as the subject of your email. If you send a DM to Sanctuary Side on Facebook, kindly also include your email address. I will send your copy once I verify your payment.
- Pay Kshs. 100 to Buy Goods Till Number 297264 and send an SMS/WhatsApp message to 0105571156 stating your MPESA name and the name of the book you wish to purchase. I will send your copy once I verify your payment.
Remember you can always DM Sanctuary Side on Facebook, email me at edward@maroncha.com or send a WhatsApp message to 0105571156 if you have a query or feedback.
See you all on Tuesday.
–Edward.
