SOLOMON'S BRIDGE {Part I}

A KINGDOM DIVIDED *24*

PRESENT DAY
Dr. Jay

Nigerians, Dr. Jay surmises, are not a punctual people. This doesn't have to be a negative thing. It is highly indicative of their collective mindset, a complete lack of investiture in self and selves. They don't believe that their solution is their cooperation. Thus, their cooperation, then becomes less of an active platform, and more of a passing fancy. He suspects he can say the same thing for all Africans!

The boy who shines his shoes tells him that God Himself has placed curses upon most Africans, at home and in the diaspora, for neglecting to keep the commandments. Of course, this makes Africans hebrew Israelites, a position the prevailing narrative still grapples with. And here, in the governor's office, waiting for the different factions to arrive, Dr. Jay wonders, if, there is something else at play beneath the surface, some secret embargo, that will not allow Canaan to find any solution, in Canaan. Because, here he is.

The imported solution.

Governor Hiram Duke bursts through the double doors, "Dr. Hall!" His voice booms, "Apologies for the delay, I was speaking with president Jonathan, on a conference call, and, a very, very good morning, to you!"

Jay stands up, respectfully, "Good morning, excellency. I received a message, stating my presence is needed in a meeting with various city stakeholders, at eight a.m."

"Yesss!" The governor orders his secretary, a very black, heavyset woman, to prepare some refreshments for his guest. She approaches him as he sits back down in his chair, and politely asks,

"Sir; please can I bring you coffee, tea or if you prefer, some fresh juice?"

"No, thank you, I'm fine."

She nods her head, leaving the office silently, as her boss quickly pours himself a shot of bourbon from a flask on his desk,

"I must get the truth from you, Dr. Hall," he drops a black folder on his massive desk, moving round his long conference table to stand by a fully stocked coffee trolley opposite Jay's comfortable arm chair, "-your director is not responding to my query. Are you, ehh," he lowers his great bulk into the armchair beside the coffee trolley, his eyes sparing the clock above Jay, high up the wall, a quick glance, "-are you related, to our legendary hero, then?"

The governor looks him right in the eye, squarely. Jay sees tenacity and intelligence in the man's charcoal black pupils. By legendary hero, he means the Navy Commander who built the castle, he has secretly been sent, to raid. To retrieve a virus called the African Codex.

"What gave me away?"

Is it his name? But why him? Why not Rodney Sheldon, or Salem Hartford, Tom Price? Does his personal connection add to the subterfuge, is he being set up then, to take the blame for an international crime against humanity? But what does his boss want to do with the African Codex?

"Dr. Hall, in your transfer letter from the home office, you are named Dr. Justice Benedict Hall, and its part of the reason I accepted your posting!" He revealed, even grinning from ear to ear, "I'm quite excited!" The wide grin slowly fades away, "-besides, at this point, our city needs all the help it can get!"

A wicked, horrible suspicion is forming in Jay's mind. It is the basic principle of cause and effect. Cause problems, and people will be eager for, solutions, and solutions, are money makers. Pandemics, mean access to unproven vaccines. War, is opportunity to gain resource control, and increase sale of weapons. But Murders? A string of violent, gruesome murders, requires expert criminal investigation in law enforcement. Canaan city opened it's gates, eagerly for British aid; that is... him, the virus thief. How long, has foreign aid, been stealing things from Canaan? Did this method execute before? Was the Navy Commander really a black sheep?