Tarasha - Season 5 - Episode 38

Episode 4 years ago

Tarasha - Season 5 - Episode 38

‘That guy driving is fast,’ Dave said to Stephanie who was seated by his side in the car. ‘I was thinking that we’d be the ones to follow the Vice President directly.’
‘The person might probably be in a hurry to get to his destination,’ Stephanie replied calmly with an innocent look. She stared at the camera still hung on her neck and wondered why they had come with it without making any use of it.


Dave caught her staring and decided to answer her unvoiced questions. ‘The Vice President made no stop, so there was no need to capture him. I saw a representative of Desert Media House already with one of those taking pictures so there was no need to join again.’
Stephanie shrugged and spread out her arms in a nonchalant manner. She wasn’t in anyway excited about taking the Vice president pictures, the only thing that had made her want to go nearer was Madam Henrietta who she saw with him.
Dave glanced at her face briefly. He noticed she isn’t looking cheerful in anyway and that’s it’s beyond the pictures which they did not take. He had noticed the change in her demeanor right after he allowed her look through the sighting device but he had thought it was her hatred for Vice President that had changed her mood and now he expected it to have faded away.


‘Steph, is there something wrong? You’ve not been the same since you used the telescope device,’ he finally asked.
She looked at his face briefly and made a hum sound as she rested her head against the headrest of the seat. She wondered why she was hiding it from him. It wasn’t because she was so confused about what Madam Henrietta was doing with the Vice President but she was feeling somehow ashamed that her foster mother was associated with someone as terrible as Chief Elvis.
‘Are you not going to talk with me?’ Dave pressed.
She sighed. ‘Didn’t you see any lady standing with Chief Elvis?’
‘A Lady?’ Dave squinted. ‘I think I noticed one but I didn’t give that any attention.’
‘You didn’t look at her face?’
‘No, I didn’t.’


‘It was Madam Henrietta,’ Stephanie gaped out.


Dave frowned a while, trying to assimilate her words. Then he stared at her face and raised a brow. ‘Madam Henrietta? What was she doing there?’


‘I don’t know and I can’t even imagine. I never knew she had any personal contact with the Vice President.’
‘That’s strange,’ Dave said shaking his head with a thoughtful look on his face.
There was silence for a while. They continued to follow in the direction the Vice President went until they got to a flyover. The cars carrying the Vice President and his escorts drove up the flyover while the car directly in front of them continued on the low land.
‘I thought you were going to take the flyover,’ Stephanie stared at Dave’s face. She was wondering why Dave had taken the low road. She was now even more anxious to trail the Vice President than Dave was himself.
‘The Vice President is driving in direction of the Presidential quarters, which could be his destination.’
‘So we don’t need to follow him anymore?’
Yes, we don’t. We’d just meet him from the front,’ Dave replied.
‘I don’t understand what you’re trying to do, this route you’re taking is longer and even if they are driving to the Presidential quarters, they would get there in nothing less than ten minutes before us.’
That’s wrong,’ Dave said with a smile on his lips. ‘That route is truly the quickest to the quarters but by this time of the day, there would be a little bit of traffic jam on the way. I’ll be passing through the streets here and would be on the other side before them.’
‘Well, if you say so.’ She shrugged.
The car in front of them turned into another road and they followed sharply.
______


‘Boss, this vehicle has been following us from the airport,’ Cole said to Tarasha, looking at the rearview glass.
‘I’ve noticed that and I’m watching closely,’ she replied.
‘Do you think someone is aware of our presence in Lagos?’
‘I don’t think anyone apart from Dave James is aware, except a member of our team has sold us out again.’
‘Can Dave James be aware?’ Cole asked with a doubtful tone.
‘The possibility is one percent, the only way he could be aware was if he knew about our flight this morning but I still don’t want to strike it out.’
‘These guys are following us, I’m sure’ Cole said staring intently at the rearview mirror.
‘We got to find out if they are,’ Tarasha said. She pulled out her gun and put a cartridge into it. She took out a dark eye glasses from her bag and put it on. Then she adjusted the side mirror to enhance visibility of what she wanted to see. ‘Maintain the fast lane, put on the indicator and slow down the speed.’
‘Huh?’ Cole widened his eyes at her. ‘I have to move to the slow lane to indicate before reducing my speed.’
‘No, do it on this lane. I’m the one holding the gun, ‘ she insisted.
Cole tried to reason it out but he couldn’t still understand what she was trying to do. He had no choice than to obey her. He turned on the indicator and reduced his speed. The car metres behind them which maintained it’s own speed turned slowly to the other side and began to level up with them.
Tara held her gun tightly as she looked into the side mirror. She could see the driver now and the girl beside him, there was nothing suspicious about them and there was no sign that they were coming after them.
______

‘What the f***!’ Dave exclaimed as he saw the indicating lights at the back of the car in front of theirs. ‘What is that driver trying to do?’


‘Where’s he trying to move to?’ Stephanie joined in, also wondering why the car was slowing down.
‘Something may be wrong with the car, he was driving well up until now’ Dave said and slowed down until he was able to overtake a car driving slower at the other lane.
He increased his speed and soon got to the same point as the blue car. His eyes met with the two people in front of the car but lingered more on the lady’s face.
‘I don’t know what they’re trying to do,’ Dave said to Stephanie as they drove past and overtook the blue car. He had a frown on his face as he realized the lady looked like somebody he had met before.
‘That lady looks like someone I’ve seen before,’ Stephanie said in a thoughtful tone.
Dave turned to her sharply. ‘She looks familiar to you too?’
‘I can’t really say if I’ve seen her before, maybe I’m just imagining things,’ she said and shook her head, trying to shake off the thought.
_____

Tarasha’s shoulders dropped and she released her grip from the gun after the car drove past them. She let out a breath and rested her back.
‘Boss, that guy is Dave James,’ Cole said to her in a surprise tone.
‘And the girl is Stephanie George, they’re following the Vice President like we are,’ Tarasha added in a baffled tone, wondering what Stephanie George was doing with Dave.
‘Stephanie George?’Cole echoed. The name didn’t sound familiar in any way to him.
‘Yes, Steph George.’ Tarasha repeated.
‘Boss, does he recognize your real look?’ Cole questioned.
‘No, he doesn’t but he may recognize this exact look, I used this same disguise when I visited the SSS office in Anambra.’
‘So should we continue in the same direction now that we know where he’s going to?’
‘Is there another route to the place?’
‘If we’re to take any other route, it’ll take us a longer time to get there.’
‘Hmm,’ Tarasha paused to think. Cole had moved to the slow lane now and Dave’s car had gone far ahead of theirs.
Tarasha’s phone made a beep sound and she took it out. She had received a message from Chief Gab.
‘Please take back your accusations against the Vice President, that’s the only way to ensure Chief Nonso’s safety.’
The message totally changed the subject of her thoughts. She could have published their blackmail on the blog but didn’t want to cause a situation where Chief Nonso would be killed angrily.
She dialed Chief Gab’s number.
‘Hello, Tarasha,’ the call was answered without delay.
‘Chief Gab, why do you think taking down the allegations would make them release your friend.’

‘That’s the only way Tara. Nonso called me earlier and told me that they already issued a warning to you and if you don’t publicly declare the allegations as wrong in about thirty hours, he would be killed. I’ve also thought about it and I think that it’ll be the best option for us.’
‘We won’t have to wait till thirty hours Chief, Chief Nonso’s fate would be decided before the end of today.’ Tarasha replied.
‘How would you do that? Do you know where they took him to?’
‘Did he tell you where he was taken to?’ Tarasha asked.
‘No, he doesn’t know where he was taken to.’
‘I’ll get back to you tomorrow morning Chief,’ Tarasha said before the call ended.
Cole flashed a look at her face expecting her to give him new instructions, he was sure the plan must have changed.
‘Do you know the road to Igbede?’ she asked.
‘Yes, I do.’ Cole answered and paused to check his wristwatch. ‘We might encounter traffic jam if we decide to go there now, it’ll take us approximately two hours to get there.’
‘Let’s go back to the lodge first, we need Henry with us.’
______