RIGHT ON TIME

chapter 22

commissioner Abubakar Abdulrahman didn't close his eyes that night. He had been too on-edge to go home after his closing hours.

He sat down in his office, anxiously waiting for the report his men were about to bring to him in the early hours of the morning.

It was almost 2:30 a.m. and his men had yet to report back to him about the outcome of their operation. 

Indeed, he would have gotten the information he wanted by simply listening to the police walkie talkie but he had categorically told his men that this was not an official operation and they must maintain radio silence all through the duration of their assignment. Not implicitly trusting his source, he had earlier decided not to follow formal procedures to avoid making a fool of himself if everything had turned out to be a joke after all.

Now, feeling quite edgy, he was beginning to second-guess himself. 

Conflicting emotions tugged furiously on both sides of his heart, one trying to condemn and the other to applaud his course of action, and, quite frankly, he was at a loss of which to believe.

He'd followed instructions of the unknown caller to the letter. Well, almost to the letter. There was one instruction the commissioner had left out when he was briefing his men about the operation.

He had asked them to capture the six armed robbers alive but there was one instruction that he had left out and now, that would be between him and the unknown caller. He would hold it like that secret ace card that could be a game changer.

Really, there was no reason feeling anxious or second-guess himself. What was done was already done.

The commissioner remained seated in his office waiting for the much anticipated call. His phone suddenly rang, startling him. He looked at his caller ID. Private number. Something told him that it was the unknown caller that had succeeded in turning his world upside down in this past week, but he quickly dismissed the notion. But, on a second thought, who would have the effrontery to call him at this ungodly hour but the very person who was the reason he was awake.

Tapping the answer button on his phone screen, he placed the phone on his left ear. "Rivers State commissioner of police speaking."

The commissioner wasn't surprised upon hearing the voice that replied to him. If anything, he was relieved that he hadn't simply made a fool of himself. But, it also meant that something serious was brewing and the commissioner had the premonition that he was going to have a big part to play in it.

"Hello, Mr Commissioner! I told you that I would call after the operation." 

Abubakar was seriously itching to know the outcome of the operation and he wanted to ask the unknown caller, but he knew that it would give away the fact that his men had not reported back to him, so he decided that he would be calm and cool.

"You said so indeed," the police commissioner replied coolly.

The airway was silent on both sides of the call until the unknown caller spoke up again.

"I just thought I should let you know that your men did very well tonight and the operation was successful beyond my expectation. Don't worry that they have not yet returned to give you the reports; they are just doing some routine work, albeit quietly." 

Saying that Abubakar was surprised that the unknown caller knew so much would be putting it mildly.

"But how did you...?" 

"I will call you again soon." 

The line went dead.

Abubakar stared at his phone in shock. He couldn't believe that the unknown caller had so much knowledge about him and his designated officers.