The money collectors - Season 1 - Episode 23

5 years ago

The money collectors - Season 1 - Episode 23

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He didn’t have to wait long before he heard Adimora mutter a curse and spring to his feet. Dike
decided to hold his .38 in his left hand and the cosh in his right hand.

He didn’t intend to kill, but if it became necessary, he had to do it to save his
own neck. As the music was playing, Dike pressed himself hard against the wall and waited while Adimora vowed to kill whatever ghost was disturbing his peace.

Adimora opened the door and with a torch started to search for the tape recorder. Then, with lightning speed. Dike’s cosh descended on Adimora’s head.

Dike’s first mistake was that he failed to make certain
he had put Adimora away for at least the whole night.

As the man fell, face first, on the floor, Dike felt he had put him away for good and there was no point wasting more time.

He picked up the small tape recorder and put it back in his agbada and then made straight for the safe,
the duplicate key in hand. He opened the safe and dragged out the heavy bag of money. Sweat was running down his face. The bag was a lot
heavier than he had expected.

He removed the key from the safe and slung the bag across his shoulder. He stepped over Adimora’s inert body and paused for a biref moment. He then thumbed the elevator button.

On reaching the ground floor, he looked cautiously into the deserted lobby and then dashed into the street. Satisfied that he had the street to himself, he bolted across to the scrap metal junk yard. There he hid the bag as he had planned and went back to the street.
The first part of the operation had gone without a hitch. He ducked down a side street and began to run. It could no longer
turn sour now. One million naira was his. There was a surge of triumph in him cautiously. He had outsmarted Otike and would never be
suspected.

Who said it couldn’t be done?
As he ran, heading for Pauline’s house, he remembered Alhaji Giwe and was glad he had not been nervous.

Suddenly, he saw the headlights of an on-coming vehicle and quickly ducked behind a deserted canteen.

He did not want to run into anybody.

It would destroy his alibi. The vehicle soon zoomed past and he saw that it was one of the police anti-crime vehicles on night patrol. He thanked his stars that he was not spotted. He would have been as good as a dead duck.
Darting through the back streets, he finally reached Pauline’s apartment. He paused in the shadows ro ensure that no one was there. Moving fast, he entered the house and took the elevator to Pauline’s floor.

Once at the floor, he paused in the elevator to make sure there was no one in the passage; he then crossed to Pauline’s door, turned the handle and was in. He
leaned against the door, his heart thumping. He glanced at the watch. The time was 1.55a.m. The heist had taken 55minutes.

Fifty-Five minutes of live and death. But now he was afe.

“Good God!”, he said half aloud.