It was too risky to defy the orders of the evil workers, so Runo and everyone else congregated at the house to wait out the release.
Dele, flanked by Pastor Goodwill and Veronica, who seemed glued to his side right from the time the prayers ended two hours earlier, sat on the couch and murmured silent prayers. The police officers who installed the camera in the pastor’s office sat in their vehicle stationed a mile from the church premises and monitored Shakira. They communicated the progress to Runo through their radio. She would join them once they confirmed she had delivered the ransom money and was back inside the church alone.
The wait was the worst part of the night. His heart thudding at an alarming rate, Dele counted the cost of a loss. What would happen to him if Shakira wasn’t returned or came back dead? Eddy had hinted at the possibility. Her country’s embassy may wage war on this town and the country. Her family may blame him for assisting her at all, but deep down he knew it would affect him in the least way, and this he dreaded. He had nothing to lose. He may even be seen as a hero, and he hated the idea. The foundation of his heroism was faulty, and would he be bold enough to denounce it?
He spoke to Pastor Goodwill. “Can we worship?”
Goodwill nodded. “Yes.”
Runo curled her lips. “Softly, please. I need to hear what the guys on the other end of the radio are saying.”
Pastor Goodwill raised a solemn song and soon it filled the room. Some people went on their knees, others lifted their hands in the air.
Dele didn’t know how long it continued until Runo screamed, “She’s out!”
It was music in the ears of a dying man, water to a thirsty soul. The church members jumped on one another, shouting, “Hallelujah!”
Everyone hurried to the different vehicles which had conveyed them to the house and drove to the church. The police car with the two monitoring officers was parked outside the gate. One of the policemen directed the cars to the side of the road several feet away from the entrance.
Dele, Eddy, and Runo hurried to the men.
One of them spoke. “She’s alone inside the church now. The bomb belt tied on her has been removed.”
“I will go and get her,” Runo said. She opened the door of the police vehicle and removed the bulletproof vest and helmet she wore. “I’ll be back.” She tucked in her service pistol and walked into the premises, her hands raised.
Dele paced, praying. It seemed like forever, but when he checked his watch it took only five minutes before Runo resurfaced with a limp Shakira. She was fainting on the officer’s arm. He scooped her up and rushed to the car Eddy drove.
“Disperse!” Runo shouted. “Go home. Everyone. She’s fine.”
Pastor Goodwill and the leaders rode behind to the house. A nurse from the police clinic waited with a drip line for Shakira. It seemed she had not eaten since her kidnap.
Veronica, who had joined the team from the church, helped to get Shakira in bed. After her condition was ascertained as stable, Runo asked everyone to leave.
“We will check again in the morning,” Pastor Goodwill said.
Runo shook her head. “Much later in the evening will make more sense.”
“Okay, madam.” Goodwill gave a simple bow and left with his members.
The three remaining in Joshua’s team sat in the parlor with the police nurse.
Runo squeezed her eyes shut. “Ah, aren’t we grateful it all went well?”
Dele could feel all the emotion he’d kept at bay burst. He laughed until he cried. “Yes. Thank You, Lord. What would I have done?”
Runo cackled. “Your cover almost broke there, you know. Mine sure did.”
“They think you are a housekeeper from the police, just like I’m a police nurse,” the rotund woman with twinkling eyes said.
“It makes sense that Shakira’s housekeeper would be a policewoman.” Runo stretched and stood. “I tasted the soup the lady from the church brought in the morning. Anyone interested?”
She got a chorus answer from her colleagues, but Dele still didn’t have an appetite. “I think I’ll sit with Shakira a while.” He stood.
Runo waved him off. “Sit down and get some food in your stomach. She’s asleep.”
The nurse nodded. “And will be for the next few days.”
Dele frowned. “Sleep for days?”
“The trauma was too much, so we’ll keep her lightly sedated and bring her out little by little.”
Runo left and returned with a tray full of fruits and food Veronica brought in the morning of the previous day, when the tension in the house was too much for anyone to eat.
“We can feast now. She got out!” She threw a punch in the air. “This is my first operation as an OIC, and I nailed it. Wow.”
Eddy threw a salute in her direction. “Great job, officer in charge.”
They dished out the meal of boiled white rice and goatmeat pepper soup into plates and served it round.
Dele didn’t know he was hungry until the food touched his tongue. He gobbled it in record time and took more.
The officers may have noticed and found his gesture funny, but none showed interest. Their topic of discussion captivated their interest much more than Dele’s hunger pangs.
“I saw it in my email,” Runo was saying. “Of course, I had Shakira to rescue so I didn’t pay attention. But I got the gist of it quite alright. I don’t know what would make such a promising person turn evil.”
“Greed,” the nurse said. “We get so exposed to these criminals, and they have a lot to offer. Imagine if you could earn an extra five to ten thousand dollars every month.”
“But you will get caught sooner or later. I have never seen one single officer get away with it.” Runo groaned. “Dollars that will ruin a lifetime career.”
Dele paused and listened. Eddy ate on without saying anything, but his gestures showed he was following the conversation between the ladies.
“Hmm, this one got away, my dear. He just took the wrong taxi, and he’s in the neighboring country.” Runo started to interrupt, but the nurse continued. “Which we all know by now he is a citizen of. From there he moves on. He’ll disappear much the same way the criminals he aids do. The guy works with an international organization and has citizenship in at least three countries.”
Runo rolled her eyes. “I never could have imagined. His arrogance just put me off. I mean, he acted like he owned the world. And everyone in it.”
Dele cleared his throat. “Who are you talking about?”
“Joshua.” Runo jerked her head back. “I was right. He compromised us.”