OKEZIE

...continued

               Soon his oga’s assistant came and he released Okezie to go. Okezie shivered and left amidst ‘sorry’ that everybody kept telling him. When he was far away from the office, he walked fast and kept looking back to know if someone was running after him to call him back. At the major road, he entered taxi drop back to his house.

                  When he was alone behind closed doors, he brought out the money and counted it. It was nine thousand five hundred naira. He thought about what to do with it, whether to give it to Nkechi like that or to buy something with it. After a while, he picked his ‘torch’ phone and called Ebuka who told him to hold on till he comes.

                After Okezie left the office, office work continued as usual. No one noticed any wrong doing. Okoro help Okezie out as usual by cleaning his assigned section of the whole office and also doing Okezie’s section. The office accountant came later in the afternoon and that was when the missing money became an issue. He needed to take it to a bank and brought out the envelop. The envelop was not exactly how she left it the previous day. He was surprised. He hurriedly opened the envelop and counted the bundles, and noticed that some money was missing. It was then that he raised an alarm.

  “Some money is missing from here,” he announced.

                All the staff were shocked. They wondered what had happened to the money. The Oga came out.

  “What is happening here?” he asked.

  “I left some money in the drawer yesterday,” the accountant said. “Now it is not complete”

  “Why didn’t you pay it in yesterday?” the oga asked.

  “By the time we were true, it was late and I didn’t want to go home with it. So I left it in the drawer”

  “and you locked the drawer?”

  “I think I did.”

  “Are you sure of what you are saying?”

  “Very sure sir.”

                The Oga asked every staff one by one but they all denied knowing anything about the money.

  “Who was the last to leave the office yesterday?” he asked.

                The accountant accepted being the last. “I wanted to be sure no one else was left here because of the money I left behind,” he said.

  “Then who was the first to come here today?”

  “It is either Okezie or Okoro, the cleaners,” the secretary told him.

  “call them here,” he roared.

                The junior staffs scampered out in search of the duo. Okoro was found in mama janet’s kiosk sipping dry gin. With the way he was told that oga was calling him, he threw away the gin and ran with them to answer the oga.

  “Sir..oga..good afternoon sir..” he stuttered.

  “Where is Okezie?” oga asked ignoring his greeting.

  “He went home early in the morning sir.”

  “Why?”

  “He was sick so he left. I worked for him today. I cleaned everywhere for him today,” he added, trying to curry favour.

  “Who permited him?” He looked around at the staff.

  “I did,” his office assistant said. “He was so sick, I let him go.”

                The oga turned back to Okoro and asked him, “You said you cleaned all the offices?”

                Okoro answered in the affirmative.

  “Then you should know what happened to the money that was left in the drawer this morning.”

                The grin on his face disappeared.

  “Money kwa?”

  “Yes money”

  “from where sir?”

  “what kind of stupid question is that?” The oga was getting angry.  “Where did you keep the money you took from the accountant’s office?”

  “Sir..i did not clean the office sir?” Okoro was shaking at this point.

  “But you said you cleaned everywhere?”

  “Sir..no sir..”

  “Rubbish. Security!”

  “No sir. I swear I didn’t clean this side.”

                Two of the security men in the compound came to the office and stood waiting for the next instruction.

  “What are you looking at?” the oga shouted. “Arrest this man.” He pointed at Okoro

                Okoro went on his knees begging.

  “Sir I think we should also apprehend Okezie,” the assistant said.

  “I though you said he was sick and had to leave?” Oga asked him.

  “It may have been a plan to escape.”

  “So how do we get him? Who knows where he lives?”

  “His address is in the file,” the secretary said.

  “Go get him immediately. Try calling him first”

  “No sir,” Okoro said.  “If you call him, he may know that something is wrong and may run.”

  “You call him since he is your friend.”

  “Sir…”

  “yes. Don’t let him know we are after him.”

                Okoro brought out his phone and dialed Okezie’s number. It went through but Okezie did not pick. He dialed five more times but did not get any reply.

  “Maybe he is too sick to pick.”

  “Sick my foot. Guilty conscience will not let him.” Oga turned to his deputy and said, I don’t care what it takes, make sure Okezie or whatever his name is, is brought here and the money recovered.”

  “Yes sir.”

                He went back into his office and banged the door.

  “How much is missing?” the deputy asked the accountant.

  “nine thousand five hundred naira,” the accountant replied.

  “Only?” Okoro blurted out.

  “shut up,” one of the security men said and hit him on the head. “Thief.”

  “It is not about how much was taken. We do not condone stealing here.” He turned to the security men and said, “keep him in holding, then you come let us go and arrest that criminal.

  “Yes sir,” they replied and dragged Okoro out.

  “Tell the drivers to get their vehicles ready,” he told one of the staff.”

  “Yes sir,” she answered and left.

                In less than five minutes, they were on their way to apprehend Okezie.

(..to be continued...)

Chinedu Isaac