The Razor

By Kunle Esan

I started writing this novel on the 4th of November 2009. It started as a film script, but soon evolved into a novel.

The Storyline

Somewhere in Africa, a gang of thieves, known as the deadly trio decide to recruit a new member in order to strengthen their gang. They recruit a mysterious man called The Razor.
Robert Owatu, Peter Zendi and Anthony Okinye are three ordinary citizens struggling to make ends meet. All three men suddenly have a financial break-through, and all become suspects. Each is accused of being The Razor after the gang is renamed the Awesome Foursome.
The three citizens desperately attempt to prove to the police and their loved ones that they are not The Razor.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris UK
• Release date: Aug 16, 2010
• ISBN: 9781453529508

Book preview

Copyright © 2010 by Kunle Esan.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

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CONTENTS

About The Novel

The Storyline

The Characters

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

About The Novel

I started writing this novel on the 4th of November 2009. It started as a film script, but soon evolved into a novel.

The Storyline

Somewhere in Africa, a gang of thieves, known as the deadly trio decide to recruit a new member in order to strengthen their gang. They recruit a mysterious man called ‘The Razor’.

Robert Owatu, Peter Zendi and Anthony Okinye are three ordinary citizens struggling to make ends meet. All three men suddenly have a financial break-through, and all become suspects. Each is accused of being ‘The Razor’ after the gang is renamed the ‘Awesome Foursome’.

The three citizens desperately attempt to prove to the police and their loved ones that they are not ‘The Razor’.

The Characters

MAD DOG: Many characters call themselves Mad Dog, but this one actually lives up to his name. He is the leader of the deadly trio. He thinks of himself as half human, and half dog, and he refers to money as bones. He is sadistic, psychotic, poetic, and sometimes funny. During a robbery, he tells one of his terrified victims: ‘Don’t be afraid. A dog is a man’s best friend.

LUCIFER: The second member of the deadly trio. He’s the one who introduced The Razor to Mad dog.

COBRA: The third member of the deadly trio.

THE RAZOR HIMSELF: A friend of Lucifer. He joins the deadly trio, and they become the ‘Awesome Foursome’. A man who claims to be quicker than 007 and deadlier than the Terminator.

ANTHONY OKINYE: (Suspect number one) A mechanic who works hard but never seems to have enough money. Becomes a suspect after being caught in the middle of one of the robberies. When confronted regarding the skeletons in his closet, he replies: I have no skeletons in my closet. I hide them under the bed.

PETER ZENDI: (Suspect number two) An unemployed man who according to his girlfriend, does nothing but drink, smoke and party with his friends. Becomes a suspect after claiming to have secured a job, but seems to be living beyond his means.

ROBERT OWATU: (Suspect number three) A businessman whose business isn’t progressing as quickly as it should. Becomes a suspect after claiming to have received a big contract, but would not reveal the identity of the man who offered it to him.

ROSE: (Robert’s girlfriend and future wife) A woman who talks so much, her mother wishes that she was born without a tongue.

ANGELA: (Peter’s fiery girlfriend) Constantly interrogating her boyfriend regarding his actions. Drives Peter to the point of saying: ‘Man’s most difficult task is trying to please a woman’.

SARAH: (Anthony’s girlfriend) Trusts her boyfriend, but becomes suspicious of him when he comes home injured, and claims to be a victim of police brutality.

KATIE: Angela’s dear friend, and workmate.

JOHN FRANCIS: The officer leading the hunt for the deadly trio.

MR ARUTTO: Anthony’s grumpy old boss, who struggles with his English. Doesn’t know the meaning of pay-rise, and can’t pronounce the word ‘Compensation’.

ROSE’S MUM: Constantly tries to convince her stubborn daughter that Robert is not the Razor, but soon gives up and tells her: ‘Trying to convince you is like trying to drown a fish’.

Chapter 1

8-10 people are lying face down on the floor, with three masked men standing above them. The leader of the gang who goes by the name of mad dog fires three shots, killing three of the people. He pulls up the manager of the bank.

‘Sorry to disturb you,’ he says. My name is mad dog. Do you know what a mad dog is? A mad dog is a dog that is mad, and as you can see, I am very mad. Do you know how to tame a mad dog? Give it a bone. Give the dog a bone, and it will leave you alone. Have you got any bones?

The manager stares at mad dog, completely speechless.

Mad dog continues: ‘You don’t understand? OK, let me translate. Open the safe and give me all your money or I’ll blow you to hell.

The manager grabs a set of keys and rushes towards the safe. He opens it and throws two bags at mad dog. He opens the two bags and sighs.

‘Sanity restored,’ he says. Congratulations. You live to die another day. Now get back on the floor.

Mad dog throws each bag to his accomplices, and all three calmly walk out.

IN broad day light, there is a car chase. Several police cars are chasing the gang of armed robbers known as the deadly trio. As they fire several shots at the robbers, a bullet hits the back tyre, forcing it to stop. The three masked men jump out of the car, and flee into a nearby bush. 10-15 police officers storm out of their vehicles and chase after them. They search for the robbers, but they are nowhere to be found. After several minutes, the police call off the search.

AT the police station, Officer John Francis, who is leading the hunt for the robbers, is giving an account of the latest robbery to his superior officer.

‘How many dead?

‘Three Sir,’ replies Officer Francis.

‘And you are absolutely sure it’s them?

‘Yes sir. According to the witnesses, all three robbers had their symbols on their masks. One had a wild dog, one had the image of the devil, and the other had an image of a snake. These are depictions of mad dog, Lucifer and Cobra. It was definitely the deadly trio. We pursued them for a few minutes. Then they got out of their getaway vehicle and fled into the bush. We pursued them and searched the whole area. They were nowhere to be found. It’s like they vanished into the air.

‘They are almost toying with us,’ replies the Senior Officer. They want us to know that it’s them.

‘To them, it’s just a game. A game of cat and mouse.

‘We are the cats, and they are the mouse. We’ll soon get them. They can’t hide forever. Have you informed the victim’s family?

‘Some of my men are on their way to the family of the victims.

‘Notify the press, and appeal for more witnesses. Then we’ll notify other branches and carry out another nationwide hunt. That will be all for now.

‘Yes Sir.

Officer Francis salutes his boss and walks out.

THAT night, in a dark and isolated area, the three robbers are at their hideout. Lucifer and Cobra are whispering to each other. Mad dog notices them, but remains silent as Lucifer approaches him.

‘Hey boss, I’ve got something to say. Do I have permission to speak?

‘Permission granted,’ replies mad dog.

Lucifer continues: ‘On our last two operations, we’ve had very lucky escapes. Today, we escaped by the skin of our teeth.

‘So what’s your point?

Cobra steps in.

‘Boss, I think we need to strengthen our team.

‘That’s right boss. Let’s initiate more members. Maybe two or three men.

Mad dog laughs.

‘We are known as the deadly trio,’ he says. That title carries power, fear and authority. I’ll like to keep it that way. If we initiate more members, then we will have to change our title to some garbage like the fabulous four, or the famous five.

‘But we need to think of our safety. Remember, there is strength in number.

‘Lucifer is right. What’s the point in having a good title if we all end up dead? If we don’t strengthen our team, then we will be changing our title from the deadly trio, to the DEAD trio.

‘The two of you may end up dead, but dying is not currently on my agenda. If a cat has nine lives, then how many lives do you think a dog has? However, I hate to admit it, but you guys actually have a point. In that case, cast your nets deep into the river, and let’s see what you catch. But we must be very careful who we initiate. There are lots of undercover police officers and detectives out there. Remember the dog’s first commandment: ‘Thou shall not screw up’. The dog has spoken.

Lucifer and Cobra begin to bark.

SARAH emerges from her bedroom the next morning, and walks into the sitting room. Her boyfriend, Anthony Okinye, is talking to a man on the phone, and he is unaware that Sarah is standing behind him.

‘How was your last project? he asks.

‘Very successful,’ replies the man. My business partners and I made a