The North

Chapter 21: Gotcha!

KB and Senzo arrived in Fourways with 15 minutes to spare before noon, and KB parked the car in a section of the parking lot from where he could see the entrance to the Baby City store from inside the vehicle. They had taken KB's mother's car to ensure that they would not be recognized, and KB had given Ma his car in return for the day.

"What if no one comes, KB? What if whoever is behind the NorthernBrew account didn't believe your message" Senzo questioned.

Though KB had considered the possibility of what Senzo had said, something inside him refused to be pessimistic.

"Pass me your phone." KB replied.

KB opened the fake Instagram account he had created the previous day, and followed the link that took him to his sent messages. "Read" said the small text next to the green tick at the bottom of the message he had sent to NorthernBrew. It was KB's seventh time checking.

"The person read the message yesterday." KB said.

"Just because he or she read it doesn't mean anyone's going to pitch up." Senzo complained.

"I guess there's only one way to find out, right?" KB said.

***

The plan was a relatively simple one. As soon as noon arrived, KB would approach the Baby City entrance, making sure to first stop at the window as if admiring something on display before going in. Senzo would remain in the car and observe the surrounding area – including the parking lot - in search of anyone acting suspiciously. Upon spotting such an individual, Senzo would exit the car and apprehend the person they believed to be behind the NorthernBrew account.

***

"Keep your shades and hoodie on when you leave the car, okay?" KB instructed as he unbuckled his seat belt. "I'm heading off."

Senzo watched KB make his way towards the entrance of the Baby City store before turning his neck to survey the parking lot.

It was a weekday, so the parking lot was mostly empty except for a few cars scattered loosely around the lot, all of them empty.

Senzo turned back to face KB, who was observing the specials on display in the glass window as discussed, and then turned around again to assess the parking lot. There was still no activity.

"Shit..." Senzo sighed. He was over it. He leaned back into his seat and turned the radio on. A local gospel song came blaring out the speakers and Senzo quickly turned the radio off. "Fucking shit..." he sighed again.

His phone began to buzz in his pocket.

It was a message from KB: "Anything yet?"

"Nope." Senzo typed before pressing the send button.

He sighed for a third time and opened his Instagram account to see how many new followers he had. He scanned through the many new faces, looking for any sexy girls, who he always followed back. But the car drove into the parking lot before he could even begin to scroll through the list.

It was a silver Uber, driven by a gentleman no older than fifty years old. The car came to a stop two empty parking spaces away from where Senzo was parked, and when it departed it left behind an individual dressed in a black tracksuit with the hoody up and black shades. From where he was sitting Senzo guessed it was a male only because of the bagginess of the tracksuit.

"I think we have something." Senzo texted KB before putting his phone in his pocket. He flipped the hood of his jacket over his head and stepped out of the car, pausing once outside to observe the stranger cautiously approaching the entrance of Baby City. Senzo followed a few steps behind, making sure not to draw attention to himself as he watched for any sort of suspicious behavior.