....................#Episode 9........... ...
The day had finally come. Madam Grace had made the mistake of trying to be smart with me and she must pay for it.
Based on the plans, I was not supposed to follow Jose and his friends to the venue. They were Portuguese citizens and if things went bad, they could easily get out of it.
But I wanted to witness the exchange whether it was dangerous or not. I took a taxi and stopped 300 meters down the street. I walked slowly up to a few meters from the roundabout at the beginning of AVENIDA DA LIBERDADE.
It was the busiest avenue in Lisbon with trees planted in the middle of the roads. The entire area was spared during the great earthquake that turned Lisbon into a Valley city.
I went into the Louis Vuiton shop near the roundabout and stood near the window where I could see everything that was going to happen outside. I had a feeling that the shop owners at Louis Vuiton would ask me to leave if I stood in one place for a long time, so I brought out 200 euro and held it in my hand for everyone to see, then I walked around the window inspecting some over-priced Tshirts.
A few minutes later Efe and Abu came out of a Taxi and entered the Calvin Klein shop across the road opposite where I was. I had seen them once during the botched Elephant Blanco meeting but they didn't see me, therefore I assumed they couldn't identify me.
I removed my phone from the pocket and called Jose.
'' I am at the AVENIDA. I just saw Madam Grace's two thugs. They went into the Calvin Klein shop near the roundabout. You need to call Madam and change the venue'' I told him.
He thanked me and hung up. Five minutes later, two black Policia cars stopped in front of the Calvin Klein shop and four heavily built police officers entered the shop.
They came out Five minutes later with Efe and Abu in cuffs. They pushed both of them inside the backseat of one of their vehicles and drove away.
I called Jose again but he didn't pick the call. I left the Louis Vuiton shop and walked ten meters down to a public pub. I ordered a cup of Sagres beer as soon as I sat down. The beer was brought together with the receipt. I paid for the beer and waited for Jose's call while drinking .
My phone rang in my pocket and I grabbed it as if it was hot. I looked on the screen and saw Jenny. Then I picked the call.
'' How are you baby'' I said.
'' I am fine. I just want to make sure nothing had happened to you. I told you not to go. I can't imagine.....''
'' Jenny'' I cut the words from her mouth.
'' I am fine. I will be back before wanawa( one hour). Prepare something for me to eat.'' I said and cut the call before she could say anything else.
Ten minutes later, a message came into my phone. I checked it and saw that the number wasn't stored in my phonebook. It was Jose's number. I opened the text message and it read
'' Business good meet bar 30 minuto''
I slowly put the phone back into my pocket and looked around carefully. Nobody was staring at me.
I left my beer glass half way and scrambled out of the pub. I looked left and right to make sure nobody was interested in me, then I crossed the road and stopped a cab.
I drove to our rendezvous point; the bar where I had met Jose in the MONTIJO district.
Jose wasn't there when I came. I waited for him with a half glass of Chivas Regal scotch. He showed up alone twenty minutes later and located me at the extreme end of the bar where I sat alone.
He walked up to me and sat down opposite me. I did a great job at hiding my anxiety.
The end of the bar where we were seated was poorly lighted. It was getting dark outside too.
Jose brought out a bundle of Euros carefully strapped with a rubber band. It was a mixture of 200s, 100s and 50 euro bills.
He said he had not counted them. I told him to count them and after two minutes, he announced that we had made 5000 euros.
I asked him how much he promised his two friends, he said it was 500 euros each.
He took the 1000 Euros and another 1000 for himself and gave me 3000 euros.
I handed him another 500 euros and told him that the job has not yet finished.
Madam Grace would pay again for sending the thugs to the AVENIDA DA LIBERDADE where the original exchange was supposed to take place.
Jose, after learning from me that Efe and Abu, two African Immigrants had been sent to the exchange point, he called the Police and informed them. He told me that he suspected that they could have come with weapons, so he called the Police emergency number and told them where they entered as I had told him.
The Police had searched them and found out that they had no weapons but they had no resident documents as well. The Police took them away.
Jose had found out from the manager of the Calvin Klein shop.
Now that madam Grace's thugs were out of the way, it was time to ask for more money or smash her syndicate.
I opened my phone and called madam Grace. She picked the call after the first beep.
'' Where is Jennifer, I don settle your agent, send Jennifer back now now'' she yelled from the other end of the call.
'' Listen Madam Osasere or Grace, I think you should be more concerned about your thugs'' I said calmly. She kept quiet from the other end of the phone.
'' they are in the Police station and they are going back to wherever they came from'' I said without expecting a response from her.
'' Next time when I call you, do as I say or you will be the next person in the Police net'' I said and hung up.
Jose laughed and sipped his Chivas. He was apparently enjoying the game.
I called Jennifer and told her to come to the bar if she was bored. She said she was watching a Nigerian movie. I told her that I would come back in an hour and hung up.
Jose and I drank more scotch and about 40 minutes later, we left the bar and dispersed.