Man In Black

CHAPTER II

CHAPTER II

“O-boy check the place out,” Chuks exclaimed.

“I'm sure they have just about every weapon existing,” Segun said, admiring the guns at the shooting range.

After confirming registration and other details, the beginners' class were herded into a large hall. A man presented their group teacher.

“Good day ladies and gentlemen,” he began. “This is Miss Maryanne Okolo, she will be teaching your class. She is one of our finest weapons experts, so please, if you do not understand anything, feel free to ask her, okay?”

“Yes sir,” they chorused.

Miss Okolo was a young lady of twenty-nine. She had on a pair of recommended glasses, and her warm smile revealed a set of perfectly white teeth.

“Okay guys, welcome to the shooting range. As he said, I will be your class instructor. I hope we'll all have a wonderful time. Well, the instruction for beginners is that we take a few our of the guns at the range, so if you'll all please come this way, we shall start.”

She led them to a showcase.

“In the shotgun category we have the Mossberg 500 pump shotgun. It is called a pump shotgun because you'll have to reload everytime you fire. You reload by pushing the magazine chamber back like this.” She demonstrated.

“You push the magazine chamber back to the reload and then push it back into place when you're done.”

The result was the click which everyone was familiar with from action movies.

“If you hate manual reloading then you'll love the Atchisson Assault shotgun also known as AA-12, a fully automated shotgun with 5-round boxmagazine, 20-round drummagazine, gas-operated automatic fire and a cyclic rate of fire at 360 rounds per minute. Trust me, you need to see it in action. Now, don't look confused, you'll be trained on how to use it in due course. This is just a tour.

“Over here we have the rifle section so everyone move over please.”

The processsion went past a cleaner who was mopping the floors. Segun greeted the sour-faced woman and got a grunt in reply.

“Just so you know, all rifles in this section are millitary grade. First is the AK-103 assault rifle. Its rounds measure 7.62X39mm and has very rapid fire capability. Well, we don't have much time so we'll just proceed to the last one. This one is called the BU-43, short for Bio Universal. It gets it's name from it's 'Bio-Aim' functionality.”

“What does 'Bio-Aim' mean?” a female voice asked.

Everyone turned to see the source of the question. It was a very young lady who looked white, but with hair that told otherwise. Her skin was very light, but not white. Half-caste, obviously. Everyone else turned to the teacher to hear the answer to the question.

But for Segun, it was a different story.

Her voice had shaken him out of his attention to the instructor. He thought he had never heard anything like it. Her voice rang loud and clear and sounded as though she were in song. Her hourglass figure did not serve to help matters. Her jet-black hair swished from side to side as she walked, entrancing him like a hypnotic pendulum.

“Good question,” she said nodding her head. “Shows that you pay attention. Well, 'Bio-Aim' refers to the ability of a fully automated firearm to select targets completely on it's own.” This last part she said with an emphasis on every word.

The 'oohs' and 'aahs' she heard more than repaid her for the information she gave.

“Very cool, right? By the way, what's your name?” she asked.

“Belinda.”

“Okay, Belinda, there are also sniper rifles which support the 'Bio-Aim' functionality, which you'll see over there at that showcase.” They moved forward.

“This one...”

But Segun was no longer listening. He just gaped at Belinda as the others walked. He was lucky to have been seen by only Chuks, who set him right with a prompt tap on the head.

“Bros, shey na learn you come learn or na woman, you come find?" he whispered harshly. "No distract me tor here o.”

“Who's distracting you?” he retorted with a sharp whisper as he hurried on to join the rest.

One more look at Belinda told Segun he would enjoy his time at the range very much. Very much indeed.

********

DETECTIVE TOBI GOT out of his car and walked toward the LIPD, his ever-present assistant by his side, following like a faithful dog. The press members were all lined up outside, demanding a few minutes with the head detective.

He, on the other hand, hated things like these, and as he waved the reporters off, he walked faster to reach the gate.

He was about to go through the gate when out came Chief Rikau.

Abdul Rikau, a slightly obese man in his late 50s and sporting a potbelly was LIPD's Chief of police. The detective saluted him and the Chief eased him with wave of his hand.

“Good morning sir,” Efe greeted.

“Good morning, Efe. How do you do?” he responded.

“I'm fine, sir.”

“Yes, Tobi, how are things going on the case?” he asked impatiently. “The members of the the public want answers. They want to be reassured,” he snapped, slightly raising his voice. The press members were not missing out on any of the action.

“I'm going to get right into it with my team, sir.”

“Well, be quick about it,” he said, clearly agitated.

Within detective Akano, a volcano erupted. He wanted to tell the Chief how he had started on the case in his mind. He wanted to tell him how stressed out he was. He wanted to tell him to piss off. But instead, he just said:

“I'll try my best, sir.”

“Please do,” he returned and hurried off.

The detective went into the building. Inside, there was a buzz of activity, with police officers and others milling about. He went straight to homicide unit, where he knew his team was.

Everyone got up and chorused a greeting to their superior. The computer operator, Cole, hurriedly minimised his f*******: homepage and stood up with the others to mumble a greeting.

The detective answered their greetings and smiled a little. He alone understood his team, and they understood him. Time to get to business.

“Cole, load it up,” he said, motioning to the large screen in front of the conference table, around which everyone had taken their seats.

The screen came on, and on display was the crime scene, the house of the crime, and the body as it was found.

“Have they brought the body yet?”

“Not yet, sir, but I spoke to the medical team. They're on their way.”

“Tell the coroner I want the analysis of the bullet and a full medical report.”

“Okay sir.”

“Okay, let's see about the victim. Name?”

“Ms. Felicia Durojaiye.”

“Age?”

“55.”

“Occupation?”

“Owns a boutique at er...” He peered harder at the screen. “Victoria Island.”

“Husband?”

“Divorced. Relatives are estranged, but she has one son, Festus Durojaiye.”

“Typical loner,” he muttered. “What about the son, where is he now?”

“He travelled to America yesterday morning.”

“Took off the day of the murder. Isn't that suspicious sir?” Efe asked.

“Right. Cole, look up the passenger lists of all yesterday morning's U.S.-bound flights. Find out if he truly left the country and by which airline.”

“Right away, sir,” Cole responded, his fingers clacking away at a keyboard.

“And yes, there's something I've been thinking about. It has to do with the position of the body and the bullet,” the detective piped up, gesticulating.

“Let's hear it, sir,” a junior detective said, sitting up.

“You see, the window was open, so no glass was broken. I examined the room, and I know no one else was there.

“So let's say the bullet came in from the window. I saw a scratch on the wall opposite the bed, where a bullet possibly ricocheted off the wall. You all have seen the room, haven't you?”

Everyone in the room nodded their heads.

“So you know that the deceased's head backed the window, and the bullet came in through the front, not the back. So it is possible that it came in though the window, ricocheted off the wall, and went into.the front of the head. A lethal shot.”

“Sounds like the work of a sniper,” Efe offered.

“A sniper, no doubt. But you are forgetting that even with a sniper rifle, pulling off such a shot would be next to impossible. So our sniper is a highly trained one. That is a fact,” he finished.

Some of the detectives took notes. Then Cole spoke up.

“He left the country yesterday, sir. Dana flight U-103. He's making preparations to return.”

“I hear you, Cole. Notify me when he gets back.”

“No problem, sir.”

Efe answered a call, excused herself, and was back shortly to whisper in the detective's ear.

Tobi looked up sharply.

“Okay, so guys, I want you to find out everything about this woman, her boutique, her daily schedule, her son, her social life, everything. I'll go talk to her housekeeper. We meet here tomorrow. Good morning.”

And with that, he and Efe left.