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  Now, Femi recounted the events at the warehouse to Baba in the even, responsible tone that inspired fear in everyone but his boss.

  He had arrived with Kwesi and Niyi at the warehouse around one a.m. They found the gate wide open when they arrived and the guards were dead from gunshots to the head. Kwesi and Niyi checked the perimeter of the property to ensure that whoever killed the guards wasn’t still around before they entered the warehouse. Once they’d cleared the outside of the property, they made their way inside and found the workers gathered in the middle of the warehouse, still shaken. Among them were bodies covered with sheets—slain by the robbers during the robbery.

  Femi paused. Baba listened quietly, reserving his anger.

  So, Femi continued. As Kwesi and Niyi stood guard by the open door, Femi interviewed the workers. The stories agreed: six or seven men had rushed in the side door, which was open for ventilation. Some of them were armed with guns and some had cutlasses. Then they stole a great deal of money. The money from this particular Peters Group business was basically transfer station money. If you needed to move money around the world without going through the banks, and to keep it hidden from anyone trying to track it, you went to see Baba. He didn’t take on just anyone as a customer. You had to be referred by someone who was already a customer, and a thorough vetting took place. The fee that Baba charged to provide this service was non-negotiable. Baba was the best at what he did due to his vast network, which he had painstakingly cultivated over the many years, making trips around the world on bank-related business. Baba was also someone you could trust, but it was known that you’d best not double-cross him or bring any trouble to his business. Referrers knew this very well, and they were careful to only send those they trusted. Thanks to a few unfortunate occasions, Baba had gained a reputation as someone who would take out both the new customer and the referrer if the deal went south.

  The warehouse fronted as a car repair shop, but not all cars were getting repaired. Baba used the warehouse to ship cars weekly to every part of the world. Money was well hidden in various compartments of each car going out. His employees were very good at their jobs, and he paid them a good salary. They knew that if anyone breached his trust, they and their family members would disappear into a black hole. For their part, his customers didn’t care how he moved their money, only the secured and untraceable text message about where to pick up the delivery. Baba controlled every aspect of the route, the timeline, and also where they would pick it up once it reached its destination. Baba had people all over the world who worked for him—which made this operation run smoothly. That was the reason he was the best at what he did.

  Therefore, it was with real perplexity that Baba finally asked, “How did they get through the gate?”

  Femi explained that it looked like the robbers snuck up to the gate unnoticed and shot the guards through the slats. It was a very organized hit, begun and done in less than thirty minutes. They knew how to move around the warehouse and knew exactly where the money was kept. Femi thought that meant it was an inside job.

  “The money. How much money?”

  Femi said, “A total of $24 million in various currencies.” After having checked the warehouse ledger of accounts he was able to add up, with a growing feeling of sickness, all that was taken. “Sir, broken down it was $6 million in US dollars, $4 million in Nigerian naira, $5 million in Singapore dollars, and $9 million euros.”

  Femi had to repeat it twice before Baba heard him correctly. Baba had no response.

  Who could have done this? Who gave them information about where the money was and when to come and steal it? Who would know? Someone always knows, Femi thought, and he was going to find out and fast.

  “Okay, Femi,” said Baba in a calm voice. “Clean up the place and call Bonny to help you. Make sure Bonny takes all the bodies to the morgue so that the families can claim them.”

  Baba, of course, would take care of all burial costs and will continue to pay those workers’ salaries to their families for as long as they are alive. He would also make sure that their kid’s school fees are paid even if they were in university. This was the least he could do for them. He would also attend each funeral to pay his respects to the dead.

  *

  Baba hung up after getting the details from Femi. One question he hadn’t bothered asking was where was Lanre during the robbery? He didn’t bother to ask, since Femi didn’t say. If Lanre was there, Femi would have said so. And they both knew Lanre was supposed to be there as instructed. Lanre was to ensure that one shipment, in particular, had gone out without any issues.

  But now there were issues.

  That shipment to Singapore was important to Baba as it was for his close personal friend and longtime business partner Mr. Vue. Baba would have to call Mr. Vue in a couple of hours to explain the delay. Baba knew his trusted friend would understand the delay, but would be more concerned about the breach and what it meant for Baba’s business and safety. Singapore was seven hours ahead; by the time Baba had to make the call, he could have the money wired to an offshore account to make Mr. Vue whole. Setbacks happen, and everyone in this type of business only wanted to know when they would get their money—not the gory details.

  Baba used the satellite phone to call Mr. Vue. The phone had a built-in security scrambler which would bounce the signal all over the world with no trace of where it originated from. It was CIA-grade.

  Mr. Vue picked up after the second ring.

  Baba said in Hmong, “Nyob zoo kuv tus phooj ywg, koj puas nyob zoo?” (Hello my friend, how are you doing?)

  “Peters, my old friend, how are you doing?” came Mr. Vue’s reply, also in Hmong.

  Baba was fluent and regularly conversed this way with Mr. Vue. This had always impressed Mr. Vue since it was nearly impossible to find an African who could speak it.

  Baba and Mr. Vue’s relationship didn’t start very well when they first met at a posh restaurant in Ikoyi twenty years ago. Their paths crossed due to a seating mix-up. The restaurant had booked both parties for the same time and didn’t realize their mistake until both groups showed up to claim the private dining room. Each man stood his ground and expected the other to retreat. Things escalated when their bodyguards started pushing each other in full view of the patrons just outside the private dining room entrance. After the fracas subsided due to the quick intervention by the restaurant manager, Baba suggested a compromise. He proposed that they share the private dining room and that he would pick up the costs as a good host should do for a visitor to his beautiful country. By the end of the night, they had learned a lot about each other and even discussed a business agreement. Baba learned that Mr. Vue spoke perfect English and promised to learn the Hmong language. They had talked at least once a week for the past twenty years, and they visited each other once a year.

  Mr. Vue asked if everything was okay, and that’s when Baba broke the news to him that his warehouse was attacked and the contents of the safe were removed, which included Mr. Vue’s money that was to be shipped to him as planned.

  “I have made arrangements to have your money transferred to your offshore account,” Baba added.

  “I’m not worried about the money—you know that,” Mr. Vue replied.

  They said their goodbyes and promised to talk again the following week as normal.

  Chapter 16

  Heir to the Throne

  Sade Peters had heard the news while on her business trip to Surrey, England. She was not due back until the following week, but cut her trip short to head home. The flight leaving Gatwick wouldn’t arrive back at Muritala Mohammed International Airport for six hours. The perks of flying first-class afforded her the luxury of collecting her thoughts in a private seat. Sade waved off the flight attendant’s pre-flight wine. Sade wasn’t in the mood. Today, she just wanted to rest. Sade leaned back in her seat, situated the complimentary eye mask over her face, and didn’t wake up until she heard all the pre-landing sounds and pilots’ a
nnouncements over the plane’s intercom. After the plane taxied, Sade was ready.

  She headed straight for the exit doors, as she knew the driver would be waiting. But today, it was Femi waiting for her.

  “Welcome back, Sade,” he said, with a worried look. As usual, his eyes were constantly scanning the moving cars and bodies for threats. She was sure that his mood had to do with why she was called back from her trip.

  The driver arrived back at the car with her luggage; pink Louis Vuitton trunks are not easily missed.

  The car ride was a quiet one. They never talked about business or personal stuff if there was a driver.

  Femi said, “The trip should take about thirty minutes to get to Lagos according to Google Maps.”

  Sade just smiled. There he goes again. Femi always found Google’s ETA amusing.

  Femi said, “Those guys programming Google Maps have never traveled to see Lagos traffic.”

  Two hours later, Sade and Femi got out of the car at the compound. Baba concluded his business each day before sundown, so she wasn’t surprised that there were no cars that belonged to anyone visiting in the compound when she arrived. When the last piece of luggage was inside and the driver was gone, Femi recounted the events of a couple of days ago. Just like Baba, Sade listened attentively and neutrally. The only time she exhibited any emotion was when she heard about the fate of the security guards and the three workers who were slain. She knew all of them; Sade knew everyone who worked in Baba’s organization. She knew that one of the guards, Samson, was expecting twins with his wife. This would have made six kids for them. She was heartbroken.

  Sade was Baba’s daughter from his first marriage. She was thirty-five, regal and almost tall, with short black hair, brown eyes, and the swagger of someone in line to inherit the family business. Baba trusted no one more than he trusted her. Baba had let it be known that she, Sade, was his heir and he didn’t care what anyone else thought about his decision. She was the son he didn’t have around, and he chose her for her business sense, her calm demeanor, and her fairness. He made no decision unless it ran through her. He would always end every business conversation with the same statement: “Let’s see what Sade thinks.”

  You’d best come prepared if you were pitching anything to Baba. Sade was always at his side wanting the facts, figures, risks, funding, location, alternative location, long-term outlook, short-term outlook… Sade had her MSc in Economics from the London School of Economics, and didn’t tolerate sloppiness. But most of all, she was his daughter. Everything he said or did was a learning experience for her. She felt she couldn’t have a better teacher than her father.

  Today, Sade was tired and wanted to get some rest, but first she had to visit with Baba. He would most likely be in his private office as he always wanted to spend the last hours of the day catching up on world news or watching a movie on IROKOTV. Or he’d be on the phone with his friends or business partners. Sade found him exactly where she knew he would be. She walked into the office without knocking. She was the only one who could come in like that. She met Baba sitting at his desk with his face buried in a newspaper, and hugged him.

  Baba said, “Ah, welcome home, Sade. How was your trip?” They both sat down.

  “The trip was going well until I was called home,” she said, sounding exhausted.

  Baba got right down to it. He was eager to hear Sade’s thoughts on what they should do about the robbery and loss of life. Sade was ready as usual. By the time Femi had finished briefing her when they got back, her mind was already thinking of what to do next.

  “It had to be someone on the inside,” she said.

  Only someone with intimate knowledge of their operation would know how to move as they did once inside. And from the details she received from Femi, they had been watching the movements of the guards for a while.

  Sade said, “We have to find the inside man.”

  “Then that is what we will do,” he said, decided.

  Chapter 17

  Trouble Brewing

  After the estate had been locked down for the night, Femi went out to the compound and sat in the Audi to call in additional reinforcements. They might be able to breach a warehouse, but no one would dare make that same mistake at the estate. Femi had doubled the guards at the gate. He instructed the additional security inside the compound to step up their patrolling in and around the walls with the expensive guard dogs that Baba just had to have around him. His other changes included how Baba traveled when leaving the estate. There would be no fewer than six security men with him in three vehicles. Femi planned to also have him change cars, no matter how much Baba loved traveling in his Audi S8. The bulletproof Range Rover was the only good option until the culprits were found.

  Femi came back inside and sat down in the empty chair to Sade’s left. He could see they were ready to discuss the particulars of the plan. Quickly, they agreed to his suggestion to put the word out on the street in case the robbers made a mistake in calling attention to themselves.

  Femi said, “I will have two groups who will start asking around. I will lead one group, and Kwesi and Niyi will lead the other.”

  The plan would allow them to cover more ground and speak to more people. Their goal was to shake the trees to find out if anyone was moving large amounts of money or spending large amounts all over town. They would check the underground casinos, check all the large nightclubs for people who were spraying cash, or people who all of a sudden were driving flashy cars. They had connections all over, so it wouldn’t be hard to know something soon.

  “I will provide updates to you both every day, no matter what we hear or find,” Femi added.

  Sade said, “Femi, these people have to be caught and soon.”

  Femi said, “We will find them, I promise.”

  He summarized the changes he made to improve security at the other businesses. Femi had instructed Kwesi and Niyi to add additional cameras to all the business offices or warehouses that Baba owned. The new cameras were the new infrared night-vision type. He also had them go back to the offices and warehouses when they closed to install additional cameras that no one would notice or know existed. The feed from those cameras would come directly to his mobile and also be recorded on the private secure server at the estate. Sade and Baba would be able to access the footage at any time. Some of the cameras would also be pointed toward all the front and cross streets to catch anyone who might be watching the estate.

  Niyi was given the responsibility for reviewing all the footage daily for anything unusual. Good planning meant you had to watch the place you intended to rob; and these robbers had shown themselves to be good planners so far. Femi felt good about the changes. The trap was set. Now it was time to catch flies.

  Sade got up from her seat. It was time for her to make her visits to the warehouse, but first, she was going to visit the families who lost loved ones.

  She said, “Femi, are you coming?”

  Sade wanted to offer her condolences to the families and offer support and empathy to them. The visit to the warehouse was just that, as Femi already interviewed them and found their stories to be credible. The staff all knew her, and they would be very happy to see her—even under these terrible circumstances. Sade was good at getting people to talk to her. There were ten workers at that particular warehouse. Now it was down to seven with the untimely deaths of three of them. It was time to pay some visits.

  Chapter 18

  Sadness

  It took most of the day to visit all the families that lost a loved one. Sade promised each of them that Baba was going to take care of all their needs and she gave them all a message from him that he was sorry for their loss. Sade was also able to promise them that their loved ones would continue to collect their salaries.

  The last visit of the day took her to see Samson’s wife. She remembered him being so excited when he found out that they were having twins. Isla, Samson’s wife, met her at the door of the duplex they shared in Ikeja.
It was a basic one-level house with a front see-through gate that had to be opened manually. There was a car park area inside big enough for three cars. Samson’s Jeep was parked next to his wife’s Honda minivan. He was always proud of his Jeep. He had saved for years before having it shipped from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, via Facebook. He didn’t know where that was, but he had been set on buying it because it was the exact blue of the Leicester Football Club insignia.

  Sade walked past the car and knocked on the front door. Isla appeared from inside the house.

  “How are you doing?” Sade said, worried by the woman’s disheveled look.

  Isla said, “Good afternoon, ma. Please come inside.”

  Sade grabbed Isla’s hand. Sade knew this loss hurt the most. She had sent food and gifts to the house after Samson had told her about his wife expecting twins. Now, she felt so sad that Isla will be raising them without their father. Finding the murderers and making them pay would not bring Samson back, but it would give a lot of people closure. As she and Isla retired to the front parlor, the kids came and went—they all had Samson’s energy. She knew that a couple of them attended Corona School in Apapa—a good education, which Sade would fund without question.

  Over the two hours of their visit, Sade noticed that Isla seemed to be holding it together, but she could see the hurt and pain of a woman who had lost her best friend, her partner, her rock. When her exhaustion seemed to grow, Sade rose. Isla got up to see her out.

  Isla said, “Please find the people who did this, the people who took him away from us.”

  Isla broke down for the first time since Sade got there, overwhelmed. Sade hugged her and let her cry.

  “Don’t worry, I promise you we will find them.” Sade squeezed her one last time and went out to the waiting car.