Near Matori, on a street on Palm Avenue, beside stagnant black water in an open gutter, people sat on metal chairs, drinking beer and eating fish pepper soup. They were shouting to be heard over loud Fuji music playing from a speaker hung over the front door of the beer parlour.
Chucks, on his sixth bottle of Guinness, looked around, took another look at a light-skinned woman with large hips, a full back, and breasts that stretched the words STARING WON’T MAKE THEM BIGGER across the front of her t-shirt, and pointed at her.
She had been waiting for his eyes to sweep back to her. She picked her handbag, went and sat next to him and fixed her attention on men at other tables, those sitting alone and still drinking up the appetite for sex.
‘Let me see you properly,’ Chucks said.
‘You want me to stand up?’
‘No. Just uncross your hands.’
He read the words on her shirt.
‘How much?’
‘Ten k.’
‘Five.’
‘Five.’ He looked around and spotted a large woman getting off a motorcycle taxi.
‘Won’t you even buy me a drink?’
‘What do you want?’ He would deduct the cost of the drink from the five thousand.
‘Malt.’
He raised his hand for a waiter and felt his phone vibrate. It was Sergeant Saliu calling. When he had learned that the Iron Benders had been arrested, he called Saliu and asked if the boys had mentioned his name. Saliu didn’t know. He told Saliu that, if the gang members died in detention without mentioning his name he would pay two hundred thousand naira for such good news.
The girl placed her hand on his thigh. He put his hand on her crotch and tried to dig through her skirt. She took his hand away and he laughed.
‘Let me talk to my friend,’ he said.
He stood up and had to steady himself. He pulled out a wad of one thousand naira notes and plucked one off, tossing the money onto the metal table.
‘Buy whatever you want.’
He walked away from the noise.
‘Hello, Saliu, how you dey? Any better?’
‘Where are you?’
‘Why are you whispering?’
‘Where are you?’
‘I’m at Palm Avenue. Wetin dey happen?’
‘Please, delete my number from your phone.’
‘What?’
‘Delete my number from your phone. From all your phones.’
‘Those Iron Bender boys have sold you out. They have told the police everything. They are coming to get you now. They know where you live. They know all your hideouts.’
He stopped walking. This was not a call to warn him. Saliu was calling to protect himself.
‘You say they’re coming for me now? Why didn’t you warn me earlier?’
‘I just got the information now.’
‘Saliu, what will I do now? Where will I go?’
‘I don’t know, but please, delete my number from your phones.’
‘Saliu, if I go down you go down with me.’
‘What do you mean? Am I the one that said they should come and arrest you? There is nothing I can do, I can only advise you to leave Lagos today-today.’
‘Saliu, I’m warning you, get me out of this mess or else I’ll tell them everything that you have been doing for me.’
‘Why? Why would you do that? Am I not warning you now?’
‘You are warning me when they are already on their way. What kind of warning is that? What do you want me to do? Where do you want me to go? You said they know all my hideouts.’
‘Look, what else can I do? This is a very serious matter and they are determined to catch you tonight. Just get out of town immediately.’
‘Saliu, I will not delete your number from my phone. You must help me get out of this mess.’
‘What do you want me to do?’
‘Saliu, you have to help me or we both go down together.’
‘What kind of talk is that? What do you want me to do?’
‘Where do you want me to go and hide now? You have to help me.’
‘Fine. Go to my house. You know the window by the door? Put your hand in the hole in the mosquito net. My key is at the bottom. When I finish my duty I’ll come and meet you. Do not let anybody see you.’
‘I should go to your house?’
‘Yes. Now. And don’t warn your boys. If they reach your shop and they don’t find anybody there to arrest they’ll know you received information. Go to my house and do not call anybody. And delete my number.’
‘OK.’
‘Do not call anybody.’
‘OK.’
Chucks turned to look at the girl. She was wrapping her lips round the neck of a bottle of Maltina. She must have bad luck and she had infected him with it. He turned and began to walk away – slowly at first, then he picked up his pace, till out of sight of the beer parlour he broke into a sprint.
Each bus took a different route towards Chucks’s shop that was also his home, and parked in side streets. As usual, a power failure had the neighbourhood in silent darkness. Hot-Temper told a swollen-eyed member of the Iron Benders gang that it was time.
The cleaned-up, battered criminal limped alone on the road. Silent shadows followed him, finding hiding places in his wake. He stopped in front of Chucks’s house and called out for his receiver of stolen goods.
‘Chucks, come out.’
‘Who is that?’
‘I want to see Chucks. Tell him to come out.’
‘Pascal, is that you? It is me, Rotimi. Pascal, where is Chucks? Tell him to come out and meet me.’
‘Rotimi? They released you?’
‘Tell Chucks to come out and meet me.’
The boy unlocked the door, stepped out of the frame and caught someone moving out of the corner of his eye. He raised his pistol at the crouching policeman. A shot shattered the silence and found its mark between the man’s eyes. Shots cracked from the building, illuminating the previously dark windows.
The policemen returned fire. The Iron Bender’s body wriggled as bullets flew through him from both directions.
‘Hold yah fire, hold yah fire,’ Hot-Temper said.
By the last shot, plaster had been peeled off the walls, the glass had vanished where louvres had been, and the house was silenced.
‘You bastards,’ Hot-Temper said. ‘You have killed everybody.’
Chucks paced around Saliu’s studio apartment, opening drawers and looking behind seats. He lifted the cover off a pot left on a kerosene stove and sniffed at the stew inside. He squeezed his face, turned away, and replaced the lid. He wanted to call his home. Had the police come for him? He sat on the thin mattress on a narrow bed covered in a sheet that smelt of sweat. How could the Iron Benders sell him out like that, after the blood oath they had sworn? He held his phone. At least, he should warn Pascal, the son of his eldest brother. A knock on the door made him jump.
‘Saliu, is that you?’
‘Come and open the door.’
He switched on the light to undo the lock. Saliu walked in, followed by three men Chucks did not recognise.
‘What is happening? Saliu, who are these people?’
Saliu grinned, mischief in his eyes. ‘Chucks, meet my oga, Inspector Ibrahim.’
Ibrahim shook hands with Chucks. When he didn’t let go, Chucks looked up at him. Ibrahim kept a tight grip as an officer slapped a handcuff onto the criminal’s wrist. Chucks did not struggle as his other hand was pulled behind his back and secured with the rusty manacles.
‘Saliu, what is happening?’
‘You’re under arrest,’ Inspector Ibrahim said.
‘Saliu is working for me. He has been giving me information. He takes money from me.’
‘And we are very grateful for the money.’
The policemen laughed. Chucks wobbled and the men held him up. Inspector Ibrahim’s radio crackled.
‘Whisky Bravo, Whisky Bravo.’ It was Hot-Temper’s voice over the static-laden line.
‘Talk to me,’ Ibrahim said, putting the device to his ear.
‘We have recovered the car, sir. It even has blood inside it.’
‘Good. Take it back to the station.’ He returned his gaze to Chucks and smiled. ‘Now, you will tell me what you’ve been up to.’