Detective Tom scratched his head irritably. His life, reputation and job were on the line because if he fails to nail Senator Nnamani, he will lose virtually everything he has labored for and O’Brian was the only key to achieving that result. He was baffled too; baffled because he has done everything he could to track O’Brian but all have proven abortive. He could hardly believe also that O’Brian could just disappear into the thin air just like that without a trace.
He stood up abruptly and started pacing up and down the small terrace in his two-bedroom police apartment as the questions started tumbling down, seemingly unending, just like they’ve been doing ever since he was assigned to the job. Why is everybody connected with the trial dropping dead like fowls in the street and why is the entire police force reluctant to follow up leads or bring the perpetrators to book? Who is responsible for Sergeant Kolade Ajayi’s death, the officer on duty the night the suspects were poisoned and could it be possible he was killed because of his involvement with the trial? Has Senator Nnamani and his associates an inside looking out man in the police and if so, who? All these thoughts and questions filled his brains like flushing water fills toilet and he vowed to get to the bottom of it all. He brought out the crumpled address he had found along with the photograph in O’Brian’s apartment and picking up his car keys, he went in search of the girl. He pointedly refused to tell the inspector about the address because he has a hunch that Chief Nnamani has an inside looking out man. As a born again Christian and patriotic citizen, he was hell-bent on dispensing justice to the best of his ability, no matter whose ox is gored. 
A 52 minutes drive brought him to Tamaya city and in another 5 minutes, he was at number 10 Fashanu Street. It was one of those low cost three bedroom apartment buildings recently built by the State Governor to ease accommodation problems in the city. The detective felt for his gun as he made his way through the staircase. He knew it was dangerous going off like that without informing anybody or a back up, but it was a risk he was willing to take for the sake of that girl.
When he got to the door, he paused briefly and inhaled deep. Unhurriedly, he pressed the bell push and heard a bell ring somewhere inside the house. He waited and when nothing happened, he pressed the bell again and a woman’s voice asked.
“Yes, who is it? I’m coming.” 
After a brief moment, the door opened.
“Miss Cyndi?” he asked.
“Yes, what do you want?” she asked and was about closing the door again.
“Good afternoon, Miss. I’m detective Tom, I’m from the police head quarters,” he said, showing his police ID.
“Yes,” she said as calmly as she could. But inside her she was panicking but she refused to let her feelings show. That is one thing being in the street all her life has taught her- being calm under pressure.
“I’m investigating the whereabouts of one of your friends,” he said, watching her closely.
“One of my friends?” she retorted, showing no emotion.
“Yes. If you will only let me in, I will explain.”
“Oh come in, but please, you’ll be brief. I was on my way out before you called.”
“Thank you. I was thinking if you know the whereabouts of this young man. I learnt he is your friend,” he said giving her O’Brian’s photograph. But if she has any emotion, she didn’t show it. She merely looked at the photograph and handed it back to him.
“I don’t know anything about him; we parted ways so many years ago.”
His countenance changed. She could see that he was disappointed.
“How long ago was that?”
“3, 4 years ago or so.”
“3 years, you said?”
“Yes, why, is he in trouble? Why are you looking for him?” she asked, trying to divert his attention further. She was still not sure whether he knew he was there. She thought it unlikely, because the whole team would have been here.
“Don’t mind. I thought maybe you have seen him just lately. How many rooms do you have here?” he asked looking around.
“3, why do you ask?”
“It’s fairly big for you alone. Do you stay here alone or do you share it with a friend?”
“No, I share it with a friend, now if that’s all, I’ll …”
“Your girlfriend isn’t at home, is she?”
She hesitated. “Yes, she is. She is deaf and dumb and she isn’t feeling very well.”
“Oh sorry, deaf and dumb, you said?”
“Yes, can you leave now?”
“What’s in the other room?”
“Do you have orders to search my house?”
“Sorry, just curious,” he said, standing up.
“O’Brian was your boyfriend, wasn’t he?”
“Yes, he was but that was years ago. I haven’t seen him since.”
“Do you know where I can find him?”
“I’ve told you no.”
“Yes, but can’t you think of any names, maybe places he often visits?”
“I don’t know anything about him, he is secretive.”
“Now Miss, off the record, is he still blackmailing you?” 
The question took her by surprise and she started, the colors left her face temporarily, but came back immediately. Had he not been watching her closely, he wouldn’t have noticed it. “Why would you ask such a question? Of course, no, he wasn’t blackmailing me.”
“Oops! Wait a minute, do you mean he has never blackmailed you before?” 
She hesitated. “I…I don’t understand what you mean.”
“Well, in that case, I guess there’s nothing more, I better run along. Here’s my card, call me if something comes up. You could earn yourself some booty,” he said, dropping his call card. 
“Police never pays.”
“What was that again?”
“Never mind. I was saying you don’t expect him to come running down here, do you? He is not that dumb or stupid, you know? I’m the number one suspect and he knows that too.” 
“Well, we can’t take chances, besides; it is only a routine check. Well, so long,” he said, feeling really disappointed. She was his last hope. Shrugging, he jumped into his car and just as he was about to start the car, his phone rang. It was Barr. Nwaka.
“Hello, Barr, what’s up?”
“Where are you Tom?”
“I’m in Tampa city, anything?”
“Yes, something cropped up. Can you come in for a moment while on your way?”
“Yes, I think I can. Give me a couple of minutes.”
Thirty minutes or so later, detective Tom was on the lift to the 12th floor of the Ivory Tower that houses Barr. Nwaka’s office.
“Oh, do come in,” Barr. Nwaka invited as soon as he saw the IPO. “Sit down, any news?”
“Yes, yes a few disappointments here and there, but we are making progress,” he said, sitting down.
“Good. Fill me in, what’s up in your angle?” the Barrister asked. He told him about Cyndi, the photograph and the visit.
“That’s fine, that’s fine,” he beamed. “Tell me, is she saying the truth? Do you think she doesn’t know his whereabouts?”
“Well, we are yet to find out. I want to have her watched.”
“Wouldn’t be a bad idea. Yes, you said she is staying with a girlfriend? Did you find out her girl friend’s identity, what’s her name?”
“I didn’t bother. She is a lousy deaf and dumb idiot.”
“Wait a minute, do you mean to tell me you didn’t take a look at her. I mean, you don’t know what she looks like?”
“Haba, how…”
“Oh shut up, you idiot. How could you have let an opportunity like that to slip through your fingers?” 
All at once, the pictures began to fall into place. He could remember the taxi driver said after he dropped off O’Brian at his apartment that morning that he picked up a deaf and dumb woman. Could he be the same woman? 
The Barrister stood up and pulled out a file and flicked through the pages. “Here it is, ‘he likes imitating, talking and walking like a woman…’. O’Brian is definitely that same woman.”
“Did you collect her finger prints?”
“No, I didn’t think of that.”
“How could you?”
“I’m sorry, sir. I burgled it.”
“Well, it’s okay. I hope she did not suspect you?”
“No, I don’t think so,” he said hurriedly. “They completely had me fooled.”
“Well, I’m not taking any chances. I’m sending somebody over there right now to keep an eye on them until we can move in and take them.” He picked up the phone and dialed a set of numbers, listened, then said, “Come over to my office now.”
“Who is that?” Tom asked.
“A private dick. Am sending him over to her apartment now,” the lawyer told him.
“That’s not a bad idea. So what’s up in your angle? You said you wanted to see me.”
“I had two interesting visitors yesterday. One of them was Tony’s ex-girl friend.”
“Tony’s ex-girlfriend? What did she want?”
“She said Tony lied about not using condom. She insisted he use condom regularly.”
“That’s good. How long did she date him?”
“She said close to one year.”
“Will she testify in court?”
“Unfortunately, no.”
“That’s the problem. The information is useless if she can’t testify in court. And the other visitor?”
“The second visitor was one of his friends too. He wouldn’t give his name and insisted Tony use condoms always and that he has a rucksack where he stores all the used condoms.”
“That’s unbelievable.”
“He said Tony often boasts of the numerous women he has slept with. He also said they made a bet on who will sleep with the highest number of girls in the shortest possible time and used condoms were the proof.”
“I can’t believe this.”
“You had better believe it. That’s not all. He claims Tony keeps a dairy where he records all his exploits. I want you to go over to Tony’s house and tear that place apart. I want that bag and dairy found at all cost. If we can only lay our hands on that bag or the dairy, I think this case will be over.”
“Okay, sir. I think I have to do that right away. We need to nail that mother fucker,” Tom said, standing to his feet.
“Good. You can go now.” 
The police man stood up to go but he called him back.
“Em… I don’t know how good you are at keeping secrets.”
“Try me. I am good,” the police man said, coming back into the room.
“Sit down,” he commanded.
Tom sat down.
“You see, I don’t know how to tell you this without jeopardizing my own chances, but I have a feeling someone up there, someone at the headquarters is working extremely hard to make sure that our efforts come to naught.”
“Are you saying Senator Nnamani has an inside looking out man in the police force?”
“Exactly what I mean.”
“I think so too, but who?”
“That is what we are going to find out. Meanwhile, from now on, anything we turn out remains between us. I have a feeling someone is telling on us. Nobody, including Inspector Uhuru and the Commissioner of police must know you have found the girl let alone suspecting O’Brian could be holed up there. If you turn out the bag or the dairy, bring it straight to me here and then I’ll tell you what to do. If you love your life and career, this should remain top secret until we nail those bastards.”
There was a knock at the door. The two men stopped talking and sat frozen. The knock came again.
“Come in,” the Barrister called out.
The door opened and Mr. George Ogan came in, dressed in an impeccable black suit over a matching white shirt and black tie. The moment he stepped into the room, the strong aroma of his perfume filled the entire room with fresh, sweet smelling aroma.
“Good afternoon, sir.”
“Afternoon, George. Right on time,” he said checking his time. “Right on time, sit down,” he said, offering him a seat beside Tom. “Meet Detective Tom Onyemaechi, he is the IPO of the  Nnamani case and Tom, meet George Ogan, he is a very good friend of mine. He can be of help.”
“It’s nice meeting you,” Tom said, shaking him warmly.
“Me too.”
“Well, down to business. There’s a woman Tom wants you to watch. We don’t want her to know, of course, that she is being watched. She is supposed to be staying with a deaf and dumb woman. I want you to find out all you can about them. I want to know their relationship, who visits them and who they visit, is that clear?”
“Yes sir.”
“Where does she stay?”
“No 10 Fashanu street, Tamaya city,” Tom said, writing the address and his telephone number on a piece of paper.
“When do I start?” George asked as he took the piece of paper from him.
“You are starting right away. Here,” the Barr. said giving him an envelope. “Inside the envelope is everything you need to know and a N100, 000. That will be able to take care of you for two days, at least. Any question?”
“At what intervals should I report back to you?”
“Two hours, at most. We may have to move in a hurry if we confirm our suspicion. Now, get going and call us as soon as you get there. Good luck.”