LET'S CALL A TRUCEBarrister Alfred Crusoe was sitting in his small office in the less busy area of Brava going through some documents when his private phone buzzed. He picked it up and looked at the number on the screen.Don El-Zaki!A look of pleasant surprise spread across his face."The Don? He remembers me today after all these years?" he chuckled. "He must be in some serious trouble. Just like I am in dire need of some serious cash," the shrewd lawyer muttered out loud looking around his dingy office. He had been looking for money to relocate from Brava to a highbrow area where he would stand a better chance of meeting business clients, contractors, and most especially those moneybags criminal politicians who needed the services of an equally badass lawyer to defend their corrupt asses. He was a lanky, tall man in his late fifties. A barrister no doubt but not by any means a 'legal' practitioner. His reputation as a shrewd, conman in suit preceded him. But he was a very smart
MAKING GOOD HIS THREAT "You do not want to make an enemy of us all, Don." The barrister said coolly as he headed for the door. Then suddenly he turned around as though forgetting something. "Think carefully about what I just said." El-Zaki clenched his fist as the barrister shut the door behind him. "Why is everyone daring to stand up to me?" he growled. And the answer came a few seconds later. A notification had just buzzed on his computer which was on the table. He turned it to face him, clicked it open and it read: "The police to reopen investigations into the murder case of a billionaire businessman and his family." Without waiting to read the full details, El-Zaki knew it was the Dezani case. He felt his limbs go limp on the spot. "Did that boy make good his threat already?" Then the words of the barrister flashed rapidly in his subconscious: "You do not want to make an enemy of us all." "Was the barrister aware of something he didn't yet know?" he wondered out loud. His
THE ENEMY WITHIN Caleb was with the comptroller when El-Zaki called. The man saw the call and ignored it. Caleb became curious. "Is that one of the cartel members calling?" "It's the Don's official number," he said. "Maybe you should hear him out," he said with a distracted shrug. The comptroller looked at him askance. "I think if you don't, he'd suspect you are the brain behind it." "I will return his call at my own time." But Caleb didn't like the idea. He wanted to be present when the comptroller spoke with the Don. If he offered to pay him more money than they were offering, the comptroller might be tempted to change his mind. *** Barrister Alfred Crusoe got back to his office more furious at himself than he cared to explain to Linda. "If there are other appointments for today, they should be cancelled. I'm leaving the office for home," he announced as soon as he stepped into the reception. "Any problem, sir?" the petite lady asked, a slow frown creasing her forehead.
PERFECTING THE PLANAn anxious El-Zaki sat beside the land phone willing it to ring. He had tried several times to reach Nathan but he didn't pick up. "There better be a good explanation for this," he roared, slamming down the receiver. The next thing was an email notification beeping on the computer. He checked and it was a bank withdrawal alert. The sum of five million dollars was being taken out of his account. "Holy shit!" he muttered under his breath stubbing the end of his Treasurer Aluminum Gold cigarette in the ashtray beside him. It was the only thing that could calm his nerves whenever he was anxious. "What is that boy up to?" For a man like El-Zaki, five million was a paltry sum of money. What actually bothered him was the inexplicable behaviour of his personal assistant. He had already lost a dozen of his loyal men and couldn't stomach another betrayal. He immediately picked up his phone to call his account officer to stop the payment but the man said the transaction
THE ENEMY OF MY ENEMYCaleb was with the comptroller when all this conversation was going on. But before then, something very strange happened. He was on his way home after giving the money to the comptroller when he got an email from an unknown email address. In the email was written detailed information about his parents and DeZ Cosmetics. The sender wrote, "If you need any piece of information regarding what happened to your parents; their deaths and the original documents of the company, you can reach me via this same email." Then the mail went on to explain how the deal between El-Zaki and Barrister Crusoe was struck, and every other detail which the comptroller read out to the barrister during the phone call. It sounded like the job of an insider. Maybe someone was trying to set up the Don. He had stepped on too many toes, apparently. Caleb then immediately dialled the comptroller's line who told him to come over to a secluded hotel somewhere in town. He got into his new Cad
THE PLOT THICKENS "We are in deep shit," blurted Nathan as he burst into the room. The barrister sprang up. "What happened?" But Nathan could only stutter. "T-the Don..." "What about the Don?" Nathan put his hand into his pocket and fetched his phone. "What happened to your phone?" "The Don's call was connected," he swallowed hard. "I didn't know. And we were still talking." Nathan's awkward breathing echoed against the wall as he tried to explain to the barrister. He gasped. "Are you saying the Don overheard our discussion a while ago?" "Very likely that he did," Nathan replied, cold sweats perspiring from his forehead. It was the barrister's turn to digest the shock. His face grew pale. He dug his fingers into his palm till his temples turned white. Moving away, he began making a quick mental calculation. Then he said, "Let me see the phone." Nathan handed it over to him. "Remove your security code." He did. The barrister checked the call log and the history: how man
A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL "What do you want to discuss with me, sir?" Caleb asked Mr Ramirez. "Call me Antonio," he drawled. Caleb kept silent. The man continued, "You look like a promising young lad. What I want is to make you a life-changing proposal." "I-I thank you for this offer. However..." "Don't turn it down just yet until you hear everything I have to say. Which of course I cannot outrightly tell you on the phone until we meet one-on-one." Caleb thought to argue that it was too late into the night for him to drive. But the man's next statement was as if he was reading his mind. "If you are worried about your safety, then I can send my men to bring you wherever you are." At this point, Caleb knew he would have no excuse to turn him down. "I will come over by myself, thank you." When the man ended the call, he growled in agony. "What have I gotten myself into?" But he knew he couldn't go alone. He needed someone he could count on their loyalty. And someone that could hav
HOLD HIM DOWN As she was arranging the guns, she overheard some voices coming from behind the room. She pressed her ear against the wall to listen and the conversation was about Caleb. "It's almost time. Are you sure the Dazani boy is coming?" one of them was saying. "He gave me his word. So I have to believe he will keep to it," his partner said with confidence. "That must be the stranger Caleb was talking about," thought Adriana. "How do you propose to do it?" the first person went on to ask. "I don't think he's going to like the idea one bit." "I have my ways. I am not called a sweet talker for nothing," his partner replied chortling loudly. "You must not be present when he comes," he added as a suggestion. "I don't want him feeling overwhelmed. However, you can be within earshot in case we have to use a little persuasion to make him cooperate." "I copy that, boss." "A little persuasion?" repeated Adriana in a whisper. "What exactly does that mean?" "Although, I'm hoping