Day One
Noon
1200 hrs
Noon news if reached to the city would had them evacuating for their homes or higher lands. But no one heard it. Typhoon Jimmie is confimed to hit landfall by 1200 hrs
The Capital is trying to contact the island but no is responding. One expert confers that the typhoon is discrupting signals, and even the GPS system is not working well. So the officer in charge decided to shut down communication until the other side calls them.
The sea is clear but the fishes in the water are getting very agitated with the coming storm. A slight breeze is coming in and the people are relief by the wind as its mean less hot weather.
So no one knew of the promotion on the Beach Road for the lobster thermidor at Jake’s Place.
1204 hrs
I was asked how did I know the Police Warehouse will be a target. How come I was so sure of it. I could not tell them the real reason I know, but I did repeat what I said. Its the drugs and money stashed here. Some officers once speculated we have about ten million in value of unprocessed drugs of market value. The real reason I know is because I was asked to assist in it as a member of the Death Squad by the Governor. All six of us in the squad report to him for instruction and todate we have carried out ten missions for the Governor. The squad was formed to combat the serious crimes committed by the underworld and we cannot persecute due to lack of evidence or missing witnesses. The Governor called me into his office last month.
‘Lieutenant, I may need the squad to deal with a coming mission. Durinng that mission, the city may be in chaos and your squad is to raid the Police Warehouse for the drugs and money stashed there; and bring it to me at a pre-advised location for safe storage. I do not think the Police can guard the place well.’
‘Pardon me, Sir. You mentioned chaos in the city, but what kind of chaos?’
‘The President has confer with me to used the military to takeover the island on a scheduled date. We are doing it as we do not trust the enforcement agency here, and the army will take over the works of theirs. But to ensure safeguards of the above ‘stash of funds’, I am expecting the squad to assist in holding it and expecting the gangs to revolt on that day. ‘
‘Is that why the two hundred troops are here? They put up in the old school.’
‘Er, yes. They are the first batch; there will be others.’
But I never told the squad of this matter. I was concerned on the instructions and decided to play it at the last moment. All our mission under the Death Squad had been on gangs related issue and two opposing politicians to the Governor. The later was my concern as we could be used as a personal army under the Governor. But an order is an order.
I was fishing two weeks back at a remote spot known to me, when I saw two cars nearby. I was not too keen to check on them until I recognised the number plate on the cadillac. It belonged to General Mahua, and he is my source of curiousity. I slowly made my way to the spot and overheard a conversation.
Its General Mahua and The Governor.
‘It shall be on scheduled. Your investment is well spent, General. I assured you once the report is oit, we move.’ That was not all I heard before the call came in. It was from the General’s phone.
‘Okay, thanks. Governor, operation Wildcat is operational. See you then.’
Both men laughed and walked back to their cars. There their personal guards took care of their trip. As for me, I had another mile to walk to my car if I knew there was a road in, I would had used it but then I will be a dead man by now.
I never heard of the word Wildcat until the day before the Commissioner was leaving for the capital. That was three days ago. He called me into his office.
‘Marius, I am leaving for a few days in the Capital. I want you to take charge of all comms from here and the capital. If you hear from me of the word ‘Wildcat’, I want you to called in the men to the station for an immediate briefing. Or you can call me on the phone. See ya.’
That was his last order and I never questioned orders.
I had my doubts of the Governor, but he was soon to placed me on an assignment to removed an arms dealer. I borrowed the sniper rifle we were testing and I did the task.
1234 hrs
I offered him a drink and some bread which one of the policeman offered. Marius took my offer and gobble on it, while looking out the window by the entrance.
‘Its too much a coincidence for you to tell the men to hold this place, Marius. I know you better than that. So tell me why?’
He looked at me like the day he left me at the corner of 5th Street ten years ago. He told me, he is going to be a policeman and I can’t be with him. We were both rebels of the street for the last ten years since Ma’ died. It was only the day before we send off Melanie to our uncle in overseas to continue her tertiary education. Marius and me; we were car jackers and peddler of stolen goods. But we did not touch drugs or killing. We drew the line on that, and we made it known on the streets. We were called the Elites, and we do not do scumbag products.
But now he tells me he is leaving for the right side of the law. He is going to be a policeman, and a damned good one too. That was he said. So we said our goodbye and split our ways, and our money in the bank was transferred to Melanie.
I was on the street; a discarded half of the Elites and the wares stopped coming in. The Elites were ‘finito’ on the streets; now there are new dealers and they pay good. So I tracked them down and found them on the yard near the dockyard. They are also brothers’ by oath; and there are three of them. Big arseholes with a bigger attitude and a deeper pocket of money. And to add to that, they had guns. I had none, so I walked back to my smaller turf.
Until someone offered me a gun to use. He was then named King Charles Manning, bookie for the capital’s syndicate. King told me, anybody takes from me is like taking from him. I believed in him and took the gun. It was a Caliber .45 or M1911 with a seven round clip. I pocket it and did my surveillance on the ‘brothers’. I took the first one in the bar off 3rd Street one early morning when he walked out drunk, the second in the toilet at the petrol kiosk at the dockyard after lunch break. The third I went looking for him at his place, and I shot him point blank in the chest. His assorted guns were all duds.I took over his place and made it mine with the peddler name of ‘Janitor’. My motto ws; ‘I cleared all sludges’.
Business picked up with the help of King but the obligations came in too. I took my next killing the week next and so on. I became from pedder of stolen goods to hired killer or enforcer. I called in bad books for King. They named me on the street as ‘prince’, and its a feared name. Until I was put into the slammer by a young dectective by name of Marius about five years ago. He roughed me up bad as we were the ‘Elites’ and ‘Elites’ don;t kill. But none of the charges sticked so I was released on bail. King told me to be a real janitor with a tax file so that the authorities cannot find faults with me.
I did with a series of ‘janitorial’ positions and also cleaned the sludges for King. Marius and myself did not speak until his fatal shooting. It was Melanie who brought me there to see the half dead brother. But he turned up alive and we had to sit for dinner once a week at Melanie’s. But we never talk of work until today.
‘So Marius, you talking or do I shake it out of you?’
He told me of the whole thing and the Governor. And also of his involvement in Death Squad or in his book, its called Special Ops.
Wildcat?
I seen or heard of that. But I can’t place it where.
It was Melanie who helped me to remember.
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