She Dies - Season 1 - Episode 17

5 years ago

She Dies - Season 1 - Episode 17

The presidential villa was located in Sar Tor
and it took up an entire city block. It was a
large bombproof grey building with red brick
and a design that was made with great
expertise. The villa was electronically wired
with security cameras positioned at strategic
points of both the interior and the exterior.
Over the main entrance, the blue-white-and-
red Gennanian flag swayed and behind it
stood an effigy of Sir Arthur Smart, the father
of nationalism in Genna. There were always
battalions of armed forces scattered all over
the compound and they were armed to the
teeth. A convoy of cars lined at one side of the
compound and by the other side was a large,
garage housing rows of parked vehicles
belonging to visitors and staff working in the
presidential villa.

The presidential conference hall was modern
and it was located at the left extreme of the
villa. A massive table surrounded by colourful
seats stood at the centre of the hall. The
attractive range of colours of the walls and
floor were tasteful. The hall looked more royal
than gorgeous and on the wall hung
enlargements of the past presidents up to the
incumbent.

President Paulinus Wilfred sat at one edge of
the table talking with someone over the
phone. He was facing two security chiefs
seated at both sides of the enormous table.
The Inspector General of police sat at his right
and opposite the IG was Ogbeei Michaels.

Mike was the head of Counter Criminal Unit.

He was a devastatingly tall martinet with
strong square jaw, big powerful shoulders,
enormous girth and long legs. His body was
fit and muscle-bound. At fifty-five, he looked
sixty. He had a craggy intelligent face with
sympathetic blue eyes. As a kid, Michaels
built a reputation for decency. At seventeen,
he was enlisted into the military and he
quickly soared away that at thirty, he was
already a Major-General. At forty-nine, he was
falsely accused of planning to plot a coup and
was dismissed and incarcerated until he was
fifty-two. When Barr. Williams Bruno became
president; he set up a panel to investigate his
dismissal. The panel found Mike not guilty of
the allegations and exonerated him. He was
immediately reinstated in the force. President
Williams in an attempt to eliminate crime from
the country inaugurated the Counter Criminal
Unit (CCU) and appointed Mike the head of
the security agency. The agency had the
duties of fishing out terrorists, investigating
complicated crimes, and giving helping hands
to the other security forces of the country in
maintenance of stability and order. CCU with
its effective leadership, shrewd personnel and
in collaboration with other security forces of
Genna, had recorded series of laudable
achievements since its birth.

When Stella was reported dead, the president
went jittery for the first time and feared that
whoever murdered Williams and his daughter
still had other things in mind. He was a man
who saw danger when it was in the pipeline.

Though President Wilfred never liked Williams
when he was alive, he was determined to
expose his killer and restore normalcy in the
country. Now Stella was murdered, it dawned
on him it was time he called in CCU.

President Wilfred tapped a button on his
phone and ended the call. He inhaled slowly
and removed his glasses from his eyes, “That was the senate president.” He wiped the lens of his glasses with a handkerchief and replaced it on his eyes, “He said he’s on his
way.” He looked from the IG to the head of
CCU, “We had better exercised a little
patience.” He watched them nod
simultaneously in agreement. The hall became
quiet for some minutes and they started
discussing. For the next twenty minutes, they
discussed the happenings around the world.

They were interrupted when Senator Mahoney
swaggered into the hall. He was dressed in an
ill-fitting black suit and a white shirt that was
poorly ironed. As he approached them, he cast
a quick glance at his wrist watch and a rictus
appeared on his face. He walked over to the
president, “Your Excellency,” he stopped
beside him, the rictus replaced by a seemingly
sincere smile, “my late coming was
unintended. Some exigencies that needed my
urgent attention cropped up.” He bowed
slightly, “I crave your pardon.”

The president nodded and smiled. He stole a
glance at the senator’s attire. That was unlike him.

The senator was a man known for his
smart appearance during official and unofficial gatherings. Some citizens even nicknamed him Smart for his apparent neatness, but there he
was, putting on the very clothes he so much
detested. The president immediately came to
the conclusion that all was not okay with the
senator. Even the expression on his face
showed that. Was the news of Stella Bruno’s
death troubling the senator? He imagined but
quickly remembered that the senator was not
in good terms with late President Williams
Bruno. Senator Mahoney offered his hand for
a handshake and the president shook him. He
turned to the IG and widened his smiles. They
shook hands. He faced Mike and shook him.
He strode across Mike to a seat next to the IG,
pulled it back and sat on it.