The police officers arrived at the Heavens Gate hotel panting severely. Mr Eddie was the last to arrive. "I knew we'd survive the journey", he gasped out. He would have collapsed but the Constables were quick enough to prevent him from falling.
     "Are you okay Sir?", one of them asked him.
     "I think so", he breathed calmly to try regain himself. He told them to leave him, he could now stand on his own without support. "Let's go in", he said to them and they swiftly ran in. Because they were police officers, the security personnel did not have the mind of stopping them to interrogate.
     They ran into the building, past the receptionist's office, reading for the backyard of the hotel. The receptionist watched them run pass in amazement and shook her head, trying to overlook what she had just seen.
     The police officers stopped as soon as they got there. The Chief Constable hurriedly dialed Nicholas's line.
     Nicholas saw the call from the Chief and felt relieved. "Mr Eddie's calling me", he said to Sarah who was more bothered about the condition of Careen, Wisdom and Mr Okechukwu.
     "I'll need direction. We're at the backyard but we need to know the exact place they are", said Mr Eddie.
     "Uhmmm...", Nicholas turned to Sarah, "There are no security cameras there so...we can't help unfortunately", he replied.
     "Darn it!", he was not happy, "I forgot about it", he said calmly. "Let's do it ourselves then", he hanged up the call. He and his crew ran behind the smaller building opposite them. Nicholas went back to watch what was going on with Careen and the rest.
     Careen's Dad saw the door which was widely open this time, and led everyone into the building.
     Meanwhile, there was a lot of drama going on between the secret agents with the Professor and the drug dealers. The criminals gave a niggle about Careen's lengthy prayer.
     "Your prayer is too long. Stop it right now", the Manager said to her.
     Careen moaned, feigning annoyance at him. "You should never interrupt a rosary prayer...so I have to start all over again the FOURTH time", she sighed to express being fed up. She wanted starting all over again but the Commissioner interrupted her.
     "So you think we're going to wait for you to finish such a lengthy prayer", he said, aiming his gun at her.
     Careen controlled her fear and was good enough to hide it. She behaved boldly while she replied;"I'm going to die soon right? So there's nothing for you to lose. Just let me pray my last prayer so God can forgive me." She was talking dramatically though. She began the rosary prayer the fourth time.
     "Okay then", the Commissioner shrugged his shoulders. We turned and saw his partners-in-crime not happy about what he said. "Relax", he gestured, "Where we have to go to is meant to be 4 hours from now", he explained. His bouncers then walked in with three chairs which they sat on, waiting impatiently for Careen.
* * *
     A Constables opened a door and they saw a room filled with a variety of fruits in big baskets. "This is heaven", he remarked feeling awestruck.
     "They're not here...let's go check another", the Chief Constable adjured. Everyone followed him but the Constable who opened the door. He was salivating at the sight of fruits.
     "Come here fool!", a colleague of his dragged him along by his collar.
     Mr Babatunde opened another door and they saw an empty room. "Hmm! Where are they?", he kept a worried look. They all began to hear chatter and laughter from somewhere close by. It was the criminals making fun of Mr Okechukwu.
     "Shh! Be quiet", Mr Babatunde adjured. The Constables looked at each other, wondering who was really talking. "Follow me!", he said quietly and led the way as they sought for where the chatter was coming from.
     After a short stroll, they stopped by a room where they were beginning to hear the chatter loud and clear. They crept slowly towards the entrance and saw it had no door. Careen's Dad peeped into the room and saw everyone. His daughter, Wisdom and Mr Okechukwu were tied to chairs, four bouncers and the three criminals on their seats chatting with each other nineteen to the dozen.
     He turned behind to the Constables and signalled to them that they would barge in on them after the countdown of three. He counted with his fingers and when he said 1, they all went in suddenly, aiming their guns at the criminals.
     "No movement at all!", Mr Eddie ordered when the Commissioner tried getting up. The drug dealers sat still, the bouncers did not move a muscle. "Untie the three of them", he told the Constable by his left hand side. Careen had stopped her prayer already.
     The Constable untied Careen first and she got up. She went to her Dad and smiled at him. "Thank you very much Sir", she said to him. She did not want the drug dealers to find out she was the daughter of the Chief Constable.
     Wisdom and his Dad were eventually untied also. "Thought you were among them?", Mr Eddie questioned Mr Okechukwu.
     Mr Okechukwu got startled. "Why would you think I'd do this?", he questioned.
     "Because I saw you walking with the chargé d'affaires", replied Mr Eddie.
     "I was being kidnapped. Just had to pretend so I wouldn't get killed", he explained. He then thought about what Mr Eddie said and got fazed even more. "Wait! How did you see me walking with him?", he asked, pointing at the chargé d'affaires.
     "Thank goodness my friend is innocent", Me Eddie said dramatically. He purposely did not want to reply to his friend's question.
     "So you're already done with your prayer?", the Commissioner looked at Careen angrily.
     "God has already answered my prayers", she smirked at him.
     "Both of you should handcuff them", Mr Eddie instructed two of his constables. When everyone was handcuffed, including the bodyguards, they were all forced out of the room. Careen and Wisdom had a high five and he kept his hand across her waist as they moved out. His Dad cleared his throat dramatically and he quickly removed his hand.
     "I forgot you were still here", Wisdom stammered. His Dad stared at him mischievously and walked past them out of the room. As soon as he left, Careen giggled and held Wisdom's hand.
     "Let's hold hands then", she said with a smile. Wisdom smiled back at her and they walked out of the room holding hands.
     "Yes!!", both Nicholas and Sarah exclaimed and had a fist bump.
     They all entered the hotel's main building and walked past the receptionist's office again. Seeing the Manager being taken away in handcuffs, she was astonished. "What is going on Sir?", she asked with concern.
     "You know police officers in our country...always arresting innocent people", he feigned a very sad face. Wisdom and Careen waved at her with a cheeky smiles. She watched them go feeling totally confounded.
     "Aren't those the chefs for the Spanish guests?", she thought.
     They got to the hotel's gate and stopped. That was when the Chief Constable realized they did not come with their vehicle. A Constable whispered to him;"We didn't come with our vehicle Sir."
     "I realized it just now", he replied sheepishly. He brought out his phone and called the police line. "Send down a vehicle to Heavens Gate hotel", he said. He hanged up the call after.
     "So a whole Commissioner is going to stand here waiting for the police?", he felt ashamed. He did not want yo he seen in handcuffs in the open.
     "But you're a criminal not Commissioner", Wisdom mocked him with a giggle.
     "Shut your mouth up you fool!", he said to Wisdom angrily. Wisdom dramatically behaved as though he was afraid of the Commissioner...it was more of a mockery. They kept on exchanging insults until literally everyone, including the bad ones got fed up with their non-stop noise making.
     "Shut up!!", they all shouted at them. They both became silent immediately, the Commissioner facing downwards in letdown while Wisdom held his lips tightly, so he would not talk.
____________________________________
What a dramatic end to the plans of the drug dealers...Wisdom and Careen were saved right on time!!
Question for the chapter: What can you say about this dramatic victory over the criminals?