Rule number one of the jungle: Never look back. Jacob made the one mistake that almost cost him his life. Even the best forget the rules sometimes especially when they’re being chased by an angry mob armed with stones and large sticks. Jacob, a once-promising policeman, had found himself in the same position as the people he swore to remove from the streets. But was it a case of mistaken identity or was the mob after the right person?
Let’s go back to where it all started. Sunny stuck out like a sore thumb in the cluttered and dilapidated marketplace. Her pure white dress was already stained by droplets of mud but she didn’t seem to mind or notice. The shoes she was wearing were the only thing that somehow blended with the environment. You could hardly see their original colour under the mud stains.
Despite the attention she was attracting, she walked confidently around the market stalls chatting with the tall, slender man next to her.
“Let’s check here.” He said pointing at a kibanda where a group of men were enjoying their midday meal.
“Habari zenu (How are you?).” The man greeted them but was met with silent nods and confused murmurs. “We’re looking for Janet.”
From his authoritative poise, they could instantly tell that this was no ordinary man.
“Polisi, polisi.” They whispered amongst themselves referring to the man.
Some attempted to leave the kibanda but Michael’s men were already standing by the door. They had been following the pair stealthily to not attract attention but it seems Sunny didn’t get the memo.
“Anitwa Mama Hakim (She’s called Mama Hakim),” Sunny spoke up but Michael jolted her back before she could say anything more.
“I know Mama Hakim.” One of the women who was seated behind the counter volunteered to the policeman.
“Follow us, madam,” Michael instructed her and the woman did as she was told.
“Watch the business.” She told one of the girls then removed her leso and followed the entourage.
“You didn’t have to be so rude.” Sunny protested. “I told you to let me talk when we got there. What will they think of us now?”
She turned back to look at the heavily built woman who was struggling to keep up with the pair.
“I’m sorry.” She whispered to her then turned to Michael. “Can we at least slow down? I have been walking for three hours without a break.”
“It’s been thirty minutes and that’s why I made you change your shoes. I don’t know where you thought you were going dressed in a white dress and heels.”
“You said to dress casually. That’s my casual wear.”
“We’re almost there. Just hang in there.” He said gently. That was the first time Sunny had seen a somewhat soft side of him.
He then pointed to one of his men and instructed him to get the car to a certain location. A black SUV with tinted windows was parked right in front of them and the slender but surprisingly strong man bundled the two ladies into the back of the car and then sat in the front. The car drove off leaving a cloud of dust that left onlookers in a daze.
“Is that a policeman?” One of the bystanders asked.
“I don’t know but did you see that fine girl that entered the car?” Another asked.
“Yeah. She must be an escort. Why would they arrest her?”
The crowd laughed and dispersed as soon as the excitement settled.
**********************************************
“Do you know why you’re here?” Michael, who had now changed to a crisp navy blue suit, asked.
The market woman shook her head but the policeman’s stare down made her open her mouth.
“Mama Hakim.” She answered in a timid voice.
“What do you know about her?”
“She’s one of the market women.” She replied a bit more confidently but the man’s bloodshot eyes instantly instilled fear in her.
“She hardly comes to the market anymore. We were also looking for her.” She added as a junior policeman wrote down what she was saying.
“Janet or Mama Hakim is a wanted woman and any information you might have will help us find her.”
She was quiet as she processed what the intimidating man had told her. As they expected, the woman was more than willing to talk about the mysterious Mama Hakim. Sunny had stayed outside the room the whole time but could hear bits and pieces of the interrogation. After three hours, the woman was finally allowed to leave but not without warning.
“You better keep this to yourself and if you see anything, call me immediately.” The policeman said briefly but the message was heard loud and clear.
She nodded then dashed out of the room and police station without looking back. Sunny followed her closely behind trying to catch up to her until the woman stopped at the bus station.
“Thank you for your help.” She said, handing her a folded Ksh 1000 note. “This is your bus fare. Do you mind if I took your number?”
“Of course, madam. Can I ask what Mama Hakim has done? I know she’s a bit strange but she was always friendly with us.”
“Let’s just say, she has something that belongs to me.”
“So, has she done anything wrong?”
“No, she’s not in trouble.” She lied.
The truth was Janet was a hardcore criminal who had stolen from Sunny and her husband. They had hired her as a nanny shortly after Sunny welcomed her bundle of joy. Everything was going great and Sunny grew fond of Janet. However, she didn’t know that she was secretly plotting against the family and when they let their guard down, she struck.
That night, Sunny and her husband went for a gala dinner where her husband was being honoured. It was the first time she was leaving the house since she had the baby. While they were away, Janet ransacked the house taking anything of value. She then got to the master bedroom where the safe had been left unlocked. She took everything including their 3-month-old baby.
********
When they returned from the gala dinner, they could feel something was wrong. The security guard hardly acknowledged them and every light in the house was still on at around 1 am.
“Henry, what’s going on?” Sunny asked the security guard.
“I don’t know, madam, but Janet left early in the night and hasn’t come back.”
“What? And you didn’t call us?”
“She said she was going to buy some medicine for the baby. He wasn’t feeling well.”
“I will deal with you later. Let me go and see my baby first.”
They didn’t expect that Janet would rob them. They simply thought that she had snuck out to meet with a man. However, when they entered the house, they were welcomed by a horrific sight. Everything had been thrown on the ground and it looked like a tornado had struck the house.
“Call the police!” Her husband shouted as he ran upstairs to check on their son.
He found the same carnage in his son’s room; when he peered in the crib, it was empty. He let out a loud scream that alerted Sunny who was on the phone with a policeman. He handed the security guard the phone and then ran upstairs to the baby’s room.
“He’s gone! He’s gone!” He said frantically.
Unlike her husband, Sunny kept her cool. She was always calm and composed even in stressful situations. That’s what her husband loved and admired most about her. She kept him calm when things weren’t going right. Now more than ever, they needed to stay calm and come up with a plan.
A tear rolled down her smooth face but she didn’t let out a single sound.
Within a few minutes, almost 5 police cars drove into their compound with sirens on, drawing more attention than they wanted.
“Shut those things off!” She commanded one policeman.
“Sorry, madam.” He then instantly signalled them to switch off the sirens.
“What happened here?”
“Are you blind? Can’t you see we have been robbed and she took my son?”
The policeman stopped looking around and then turned to Sunny who had a cold emotionless look on her face.
“Sorry, madam. Do you know who did this?”
She unlocked her phone and then showed the policeman a picture of Janet.
“This is her. She was our nanny but I guess she had other plans.”
After taking pictures of the crime scene and taking a few notes, the policemen left. Sunny went to her husband who was still in their son’s room.
“I’ve talked to them. They’ll handle it.” She said embracing her husband.
A few days went by without any news from the police. Every time they called, they were simply told that it was under investigation. Even the calm and composed Sunny was losing her cool and there was only so much she could take.
***************************************
“Call him. He’ll be able to help you.” A policeman handed her the number of one of the best DCIs.
“Thank you.” She said then walked away looking at the number.
She didn’t even reach her house before calling the number. After a few rings, a man answered.
“Hello.”
“Hello, Michael?”
“Yes. How can I help you?”
How did he know she needed his help? Were her nerves betraying her? It had now been a week since her child went missing and her mind was racing even though she tried to stay composed. Her husband had stopped going to work and the happiness that was once filled in their beautiful home had been replaced with sadness.
“My name is Sunny. I need your help finding someone.” She purposely left out the part that her son was missing.
“Sunny, I’ve heard about your case. I was wondering when you would call.”
She let out a loud sigh as if she had been waiting for those words. Somehow, she felt more hopeful that they would find her son.
“Can we meet in person? You can come to my house.” She said after composing herself.
He agreed and promised to be at her house in an hour. Sure enough, he was there in less than an hour and the pair went to the home office where they could talk in private. Her husband didn’t join them since he was already too emotional.
“Her name is Janet, or so we think. She approached me at the supermarket and begged me to give her a job. I spent the whole day with her and I couldn’t see anything wrong with her. At first, she was a day nanny but as time went by I needed full-time help and we asked her to move in. She worked for around two months before this.”
The man listened carefully, noting down important details just like the other policeman had done. They were quiet for a while then the man finally spoke up.
“I need her phone number and ID if you have them.”
“I do.” She said and immediately sent them to him on WhatsApp.
“Okay, I will call you as soon as I get any news.”
She had heard that line before but somehow, she felt hopeful this time. After all, the policeman had recommended Michael and hailed him as one of the best DCIs.
Janet had not tried to contact her or her husband regarding her son. This made Sunny more nervous. She didn’t know whether they wanted ransom for his return or if they would do something bad to him. There had been a lot of cases of children who had been mutilated in the news and she was scared that her son would meet the same fate.
One day after the visit, Michael called Sunny.
“I have good news. I think I know where Janet came from. She’s commonly known as Mama Hakim and she’s a market woman at Gikomba.”
“We should go there now.”
“I agree. Get dressed and I’ll come to pick you up.”
He was there in a few minutes and Sunny came out with an outfit that was not meant for the market.
“Heels? Really? We’re going to Gikomba.”
“I always wear heels.”
“It’s fine. We don’t have time to change. I think I have some old sneakers in the boot.”
“I’m not wearing your old shoes.” She protested.
“You will have to. We don’t know how long we’re walking for.”
“I’ll buy a pair of sneakers there.”
They got to Gikomba and the pair descended making their way inside. Shortly after, they resumed with mud stains on their clothes and a heavily built woman in tow.
*************************************************
Michael received a tip-off about a woman who matched Janet’s description in the market. She was wearing a disguise but someone had recognized her and informed the heavily built woman who called Michael immediately.
He drove to the market where the woman was still there. After observing her for a while, he was convinced that it was her and he approached her.
“Come with me.” He said in a low tone but still commanding.
“I know you’re not working alone.” He said as soon as she entered the car. “I wanted a location and names.”
She was uncooperative but one earth-shuttering slap from Michael made her sing like a canary.
“Donholm.” She said. “The baby is there with three other men.”
He called a policeman to take Janet to the police station and then drove to the house where he had been directed. Just as she said, there were three men and a baby inside the house according to the caretaker.
“I thought it was very strange that three men are living with a child.” He said. “There’s a woman who comes every morning.”
He approached the house along with two other policemen. However, when he peeped inside, he only saw two men. He instructed the policemen to back him up and arrest them as he went to get the baby.
The arrest was successful but Michael still wanted to get the third person. He asked the policemen to take the criminals to the police station and take the child to Sunny. He then sat in the sparsely furnished house waiting for their counterpart to return. At around 6 in the evening, he had a commotion outside.
“Ndio huyu (this is him).” They yelled and Michael peered through the window to see a small crowd surrounding a man.
“Tutamchoma (we’ll burn him).” The crowd was growing in size and aggression.
Michael had to intervene before they killed him. However, by the time he got down, the man had attempted to run away and the crowd chased him.
They had ransacked his pockets and removed a police badge along with a loaded gun which had been left on the ground.
“He’s a policeman,” Michael said.
He was able to catch up with the crowd and switched on his siren to disperse them. He then loaded the badly beaten man into the back of his car and drove him to the police station.
“Is this one one of yours?” Michael asked the police boss as he held the man.
“No.”
“Well, he’s a policeman.” He said putting the badge and gun on the desk.
The criminal gang was charged with robbery and kidnapping. Sunny and her husband were grateful to Michael for reuniting them with their child but they were also traumatized by the experience. Sunny became a full-time stay-at-home mum and they hardly let anyone who wasn’t their family into their home.
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This story first appeared on the blog as The Nanny Disappeared With Their Baby And Money. It Was A Shocking Discovery To Find Out The Mastermind Of The Kidnapping Part 1 and The Nanny Disappeared With Their Baby And Money. It Was A Shocking Discovery To Find Out The Mastermind Of The Kidnapping Part 2
