The Guilty Party

Excerpt of the book titled, The Guilty Party
Author: Omoruyi Uwuigiaren
Publisher: Human Change Communication Co.

Chapter One
There was no rain for weeks and the scorching sun showed no mercy on the leaves such that one could hear the sounds the leaves made when they fell. The sun shone as if there might never be tomorrow. In the midst of this hardship was a man that most people called Ogbuefi. He grew up in a dinky little town that did not even have a movie theater. The man seemed to be robust due to many years of inactivity and his baldhead shone like an afternoon sun. Ogbuefi had lost so much and there was no way he would forget in a hurry the truckload of misfortune that crept into his life like a man that dined with mischievous people. Adversity came like the rushing wind upon the poor soul.
However, all that had befallen Mr. Ogbuefi were nothing in comparison to the harm that he had caused the world. With nothing better to do, the man in the pool of old age sat on a sofa in his sitting room, and spread his hands on the soft cushions like the mother hen that protects her chicks from the cruel hands of scavengers. The house was befitting and a man did not need a prophet to tell that Ogbuefi had tasted fortune.
One day, Ogbuefi and his cohorts were in a deal that could rob them of their jobs in the progression of days. One of the key men in the company that they had tried to lure into the deal had backed out and vowed to expose the fraud should they go ahead with the deal. Against all odds, Ogbuefi and the men that saw the deal as an opportunity to set foot on the corridors of wealth were in a room plotting the way out of the bloody mess. “I’m afraid, since Ekanem and Efe are out of this deal, we might not make it,” Ogbuefi said.
“I have pondered it too. Do we call off the deal?” Sam inquired.
“No! Eteh said. “We can’t give up because Ekanem and Efe are not interested. This money is enough to put a smile on our faces.”
Ogbuefi heaved and sat up, “You are right, Eteh. But the money could also ruin us if we are caught!”
“I wonder why they refused to be part of this deal,” Sam said with a frown.
“My mind tells me that those men are up to something,” Eteh disclosed. He sat back and exchanged glances with the other men.
Ogbuefi coughed a bit and said, “Me too. We shall do ourselves great harm if we back out of this deal now because they will end up executing it alone in the future since they are already aware.”
Sam sat up, “Ah! That will be sheer madness if they try it. If that is the case, what do you want us to do?” He flung a glance at Ogbuefi.
“We must get rid of them! It will only cause the company few weeks of search to replace them,” Ogbuefi suggested.
Sam shook his head, “You are going too far. Can’t we visit a witch doctor to prepare charms for us?”
Ogbuefi swallowed hard and replied, “It is risky. I don’t want us to involve a third party. When we get there, we may end up disclosing all that are supposed to be kept secret to the witch doctor. And I don’t want that.”
“The assassins are also third-party. So what is the difference?” Eteh protested.
Ogbuefi nodded, “There is a huge difference, Eteh. We shall not be under any obligation to disclose information about the deal to the assassins. All they need from us is the whereabouts of the target and their cash once the deal is done!”
Sam nodded affirmatively. He seemed to like the idea. “If that is the only way we can all smile, then let’s go ahead with your idea, Ogbuefi.”
Ogbuefi straightened his chin as if he had just won a lottery and took a deep breath. “I will see the boys tonight and they will take it from there.”