The Invisible Path

The number of robbery cases reported in Kampala over the past year was almost impossible to record. The robberies were carried out by a gang whose methods were so consistent that even the most experienced detectives could not trace them.

They had been operating for years, moving from city to city across Africa and leaving no trail behind. Now, they had settled in Kampala, and it seemed they had no intention of leaving. Instead, they were growing bolder.

The police were on their case. People were dying, losing their belongings, and becoming afraid to sleep at night in their own homes because of these heartless robbers. They did not target only the wealthy; they also invaded poor communities and robbed people who had very little to begin with.

But robbery was not the only crime this gang committed. They were also hired assassins.

Every city they had passed through had been ravaged by their activities. They did not simply arrive and start committing crimes. They gathered information, studied their targets, and made strategic plans before invading homes and attacking people.

One would think that robbery and murder would be enough.

But they had added kidnapping to their list of crimes.

The level of wickedness and injustice caused by this group finally forced the police to sit up and look for a way to bring these criminals down.

The man who headed the gang was known as Breeze.

He had repeatedly boasted to the police that he could never be caught. He made videos and had members of his gang post them online, showing people just how dangerous he was.

He had put fear into the hearts of the people, and even the police were intimidated by his reputation.

Breeze never showed his face. Whenever he appeared in one of his videos, he wore a mask, ensuring that no one knew his true identity.

He had people everywhere—inside the police, within the government, in higher places, in hospitals, churches, and mosques.

The police believed he had connections to powerful officials in Kampala.

The authorities spent enormous amounts of money on sophisticated technology in an attempt to bring Breeze down, but nothing worked.

Eventually, they involved the CIA for specialized training and intelligence support to help local law enforcement catch a criminal as elusive as Breeze.

The government finally agreed to share intelligence with international partners.

But the CIA would not enter the streets of Kampala with guns.

Their role was to provide useful intelligence, analyze the patterns in which Breeze and his gang operated, and help local law enforcement find a way to stop him before he moved on to another city to continue his atrocities.

Breeze had to be stopped.

OCTOBER 5, 2023

It was Thursday afternoon.

Breeze and his right-hand man, Ghost, were seated inside his cave—a hidden place where they discussed their business without anyone seeing or hearing them.

Breeze trusted Ghost so much that he hid nothing from him, including details about the women he was involved with.

“Chief John. Do you remember him?” Breeze asked.

Ghost sat beside him, counting the stack of cash spread across the table.

“Yes, Boss. I remember him,” Ghost replied.

“He needs someone to do a job for him. And I don’t want any of these old men for this work. I want someone new, and you can get rid of the old ones afterward.”

“What job is that, Boss? I’m ready to get you anyone you want—anytime, any day. Just name it.”

“He needs a mule to help bring his cocaine into Kampala.”

“Oh, that’s new, Boss. Cocaine?” Ghost looked shocked.

“Yes, cocaine. We might start moving into that now. I want to expand my business, replace the men I have, and start afresh,” Breeze replied, flicking away his cigarette.

“Start afresh? Boss, everything you’re saying right now is new to me. We can’t just change our men like that. It’s so hard to find faithful and trustworthy men these days.”

“Just a few of them. The compromised ones. I want to stop robbing and start dealing cocaine. Chief John has a huge market waiting for me,” Breeze said. “Within days, I’ll start the operation. I want new and reliable men—educated and marketable ones.”

“Let’s start working on that, sir. I’ll begin today.”

“I’ll be going to the club tonight to meet Chief John. He said he’s bringing a new set of women tonight.”

“Prostitutes?”

“Nah. These ones are new breeds. I might just find one tonight and take her home with me.”

“My boss,” Ghost said, laughing. “I might do the same tonight too. Who knows?”

One thing Breeze loved was a beautiful and submissive woman. He had a wife and children at home, but his wandering eyes always wanted something more.

“Ah, just focus on hiring new people. I want the old ones gone.”

“Yes, Boss. I’m working on it right now. I’ll get you the mule as soon as possible.”

AT THE CLUB

That night, at about 9 p.m., Breeze and Ghost, along with some of their men, sat in the club with Chief John.

When it was time to discuss business, Chief John pulled Breeze aside so they could speak privately.

“Do you have the mule now?” Chief John asked.

“Tomorrow morning, Chief. I will never fail you,” Breeze replied.

“Make sure they don’t track this back to us, please, Breeze.”

“You can trust me, Chief. I know this is a new business between you and me. You won’t regret it. I promise you.”

“I trust you,” Chief John said. “The women are ready. They should be here soon.”

“My man.” Breeze smiled and shook Chief John’s hand. “I believe you know exactly how I want them.”

“I know. I do… These women make me forget my worries.”

“They sure do.”

“Let’s go wait for them,” Chief John said as he returned to the main club.

The women arrived that night. They were young women between the ages of twenty and thirty.

The moment Breeze saw Tatiana, a young woman in her late twenties, he was immediately attracted to her.

Ghost saw her first and wanted to approach her, but Breeze came over and took her.

“Ghost, let her go,” Breeze said to him as he tried to speak to Tatiana.

“My boss, of course, of course. She’s all yours,” Ghost replied.

Tatiana sighed and smiled immediately when Breeze approached her. It was almost as though she had been expecting him.

Breeze took her to the VIP section so they could be alone.

“You stand out, you know,” Breeze said to Tatiana as they both sat down in the lounge.

Tatiana smiled.

“I know I do. I mean, I get that a lot.”

“Hmm. A woman who knows her worth. I like that,” Breeze said, touching her lips.

Tatiana smiled and licked her lips.

“Just the way I like it. Yes,” Breeze said. “Can you dance for me now?”

“I will do anything you want, sir. Should I call you sir? Do you like that?” Tatiana asked as she began undressing herself.

“Yeah,” Breeze replied, pulling her closer.

They were making love together when Ghost came rushing in, sweat covering his face.

“Boss! The police are here!”

Breeze quickly pushed naked Tatiana off him and pulled on his trousers. She began getting dressed.

“I know where we can pass so the police won’t see you,” Tatiana said. “You don’t have to go through that path. They will arrest you if you go through the main door.”

“What do you know, and who are you?” Ghost asked, looking at Tatiana.

Before she could reply, they heard a gunshot.

“Lead me now!” Breeze ordered her, getting scared.

This is new to him, it has never happened before. Police raiding the place he is? Who gave them the information.

“Sir, you can’t trust this woman. You barely know her…” Ghost warned as he watched Breeze follow Tatiana through the back door.

The police who arrived that night arrested Ghost and the other men working for Breeze.

But Breeze escaped with Tatiana.

That same night, Tatiana took him to an apartment she claimed was hers.

“Where is this place?” Breeze asked.

“My hiding place,” she replied.

She made sure the door was locked. She also checked the window to make sure no one was watching them.

“Why do you have a hiding place?”

Breeze checked himself to make sure he still had his gun. He pulled it out and placed it on the table in front of him. He did this deliberately, wanting Tatiana to know that he was armed because he did not trust her.

“Well, I get pimped out to a lot of men—powerful and influential men who don’t want to be seen outside with women like me because they’re married,” Tatiana replied.

Breeze scoffed.

“Women like you? Give me a cigarette and come here. Let’s continue. I need to get my head cleared from the nonsense that happened tonight.”

Tatiana gave him a cigarette and stripped naked while dancing for him.

They had sex several times that night.

The next morning, Breeze received a call informing him that his men had been arrested.

Chief John also told him that he needed the mule as soon as possible. Otherwise, he would lose the deal.

Breeze became angry when he realized he could no longer contact Ghost, who had promised to get him a mule for Chief John.

Tatiana noticed his frustration and asked him what was wrong.

“I can help you with that,” she said.

“Who are you? And how can you help? Do you think this is a joke? I thought you were only meant for sex and nothing more?” he replied angrily.

“I know it isn’t a joke. And that’s true—I might have been brought to give you pleasure, but I can also help you. I literally did that last night,” she said. “Try me.”

“I will. But if you mess this up, I’ll kill you straight away. I do not have mercy in me,” he said.

Breeze got dressed that morning with Tatiana beside him, and she took him to Saliu, a friend of hers who was in need of help.

Saliu was a drug addict, but he had connections and ideas about how to get people to carry cocaine.

“This Saliu guy. How long have you known him?” Breeze asked, smoking.

“Ten years now. He’s trustworthy. He’ll get your job done,” she said.

When they arrived at Saliu’s place, he questioned them to make sure Breeze was not a police officer.

Tatiana assured him that Breeze was with her and that he simply needed someone to help bring cocaine into Kampala.

Saliu agreed.

He gave them his price, and Breeze paid immediately.

Saliu then called one of his men to follow Breeze.

“This one?” Breeze asked when he saw the young man.

“Yes. He’ll get the job done. Just tell him what you want,” Saliu said.

Breeze and Tatiana went with the young man to Chief John’s place.

“You stay here,” Breeze told Tatiana. “I don’t want Chief John seeing you. I’m not even supposed to be with you by this time. I don’t know how my men were arrested last night. This looks like a setup.”

“I’m so sorry about that. I’m always here to help if you need me,” she replied.

“Keep your mouth shut and stay in this car. I need to hand this man over to Chief John and then look for a plan to get my men released.”

Breeze took the young man to Chief John’s office.

“Thank you, Breeze. I will send him over soon,” Chief John said.

He called someone to come and collect the man so that he could be alone with Breeze.

“If this man can get the job done successfully, I promise you we can start this business right here in Kampala,” Chief John said.

“I can’t wait. Can you believe my men were arrested last night?” Breeze said.

“What? How come I didn’t hear about that?” Chief John replied.

“It looks strange to me too,” Breeze said. “I’m on it, anyway. I should get them released today.”

“Your men getting arrested is risky at this hour. You should do something urgently. Which police force arrested them?”

“I don’t know,” Breeze said, looking clueless. “I think…”

“What?” Chief John asked.

“Don’t worry, sir. I need to start going. I have a lot to do today,” Breeze said, standing up.

“Thank you, Breeze. This is the start of something huge for us. I believe that man will not mess things up.”

“He won’t. You can be rest assured,” Breeze replied.

He left Chief John’s office and went back to meet Tatiana in the car.

“How was it?” Tatiana asked.

“Don’t ask questions. I need you to get down now,” Breeze said.

“Why? I know you’re trying to get your men out. I can help with that, I promise,” Tatiana said.

Breeze paused for almost a minute.

He realized how much trouble he was in, especially considering that he was trying to enter a completely new business. Now his men had been arrested, and he was left with a woman he had met only the night before.

Am I being set up? he thought to himself.

Tatiana broke the silence.

“What are you thinking?” she asked.

“I’m thinking you set me up.”

Tatiana chuckled.

“What? No, I didn’t. All I’ve been doing is trying to help you, sir.”

“You’re just an escort. Know your place. Now get out of my car,” Breeze said.

“Listen, don’t send me out. I’ll shut up if you want me to. Just don’t send me away,” Tatiana cried.

Breeze realized at that moment that something was wrong. He just couldn’t figure out what it was.

Then he decided to take her to his cave, lock her up, and torture her until she confessed whatever she was hiding.

THE CAVE

Breeze drove Tatiana to his cave and tied her up.

“I have no man standing with me right now,” he said angrily, looking frustrated.

“I told you I can help,” Tatiana said, now sweating profusely.

Breeze walked over and slapped her hard.

“I will kill you! I will kill you! You are not real. I don’t believe you!”

Breeze realized at that moment that he was nothing without the men working for him.

They had all been arrested the night before, and now he looked completely helpless.

He questioned Tatiana for hours, but she kept repeating the same thing.

She could help him.

“I do not need your help. I want the truth,” he said, still frustrated.

He paced around for hours, smoking continuously while interrogating Tatiana.

A few hours later, someone started knocking on the door.

Breeze became frightened.

The only people who knew the way to the cave were him, Ghost, and his workers.

“Who is that?” he asked Tatiana, who was still tied up.

“I don’t know,” she cried.

“Ghost? Is that you?” Breeze asked as he moved closer to the door.

“Boss. It’s me,” Ghost replied from outside.

Unknown to him, the police were already on his trail.

And with the help of the CIA, they had sent Tatiana to him to bring him down.

Breeze opened the door without thinking much. He knew that only his men knew the way to the cave.

But the moment he opened the door, he saw the police, his men, and Chief John.

“You are under arrest, sir. Whatever you say or do will be used against you in a court of law. Put your hands up now,” one of the police officers said, pointing his gun at Breeze.

When Breeze saw Chief John smiling, he knew he had been set up.

He looked back at Tatiana.

She was smiling too.

THE TRUTH

So, this was the rundown.

Chief John had been sent by the CIA to bring Breeze down.

He himself had been caught in cocaine trafficking a few months earlier, and the authorities had discovered that he was friends with Breeze.

“We want to strike a deal with you,” the police told Chief John during his trial.

“What deal?” Chief John asked.

“We know you are friends with the notorious Breeze,” the police said.

Chief John laughed.

“You want me to help you bring Breeze down?”

“Yes.”

“What do I get?”

“We lessen your sentence, and you can go scot-free.”

“I’m in. I can’t spend the rest of my life in this shithole.”

“Good. Get ready, because we have a plan.”

Chief John then introduced Breeze to the cocaine business, even though he was lying to him.

He told Breeze that he needed a mule, and Breeze agreed to get one.

He also convinced Breeze to stop stealing and focus on cocaine instead.

“Most importantly, change your men too. You know this is a new business. You can’t have a lot of men around you—it is dangerous,” Chief John told him.

He had said this so that Breeze would become helpless on the day they arrested him.

And the plan worked.

“My men are my covering. That will be hard,” Breeze said to him that day.

“Well, if you want more money, you’ve got to make changes, Breeze.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Don’t take too long. And you know I need a mule as soon as possible.”

“That I’ll get you.”

After this meeting with Chief John, Breeze went to meet his right-hand man, Ghost, and told him that he needed to change his men.

That same day, Ghost asked many of the workers to leave so they would no longer be needed.

Then they went to the club, where Chief John had invited them.

Chief John came with the police that night, without Ghost knowing, and they arrested Breeze’s men, leaving Breeze alone with Tatiana.

Tatiana was also working for Chief John through the CIA.

Yes, she was working for them.

The police burst into Breeze’s cave and found his guns, people’s belongings that he had stolen, and a large amount of cash he could not take to the bank.

Breeze had been betrayed by Chief John, who needed to free himself from the shackles of the police.

“You are not a man of integrity,” Breeze said to Chief John while the police handcuffed him.

The police laughed, and so did Chief John.

“That shouldn’t be coming from a notorious thief who spent all his life robbing people, killing and kidnapping them. You shouldn’t be the one accusing anyone. What do you know about integrity?” one of the police officers said.

“He’s also bossy and weak. Without his men, he’s nothing,” Tatiana interjected.

“Even you?” Breeze said angrily to Tatiana. “I should have killed you.”

“Enough. Take him away. His time is up,” one of the police officers said.

Instead of the thirty-year sentence originally given to Chief John, it was reduced to five years because he helped bring Breeze and his men down.

Breeze, on the other hand, was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.

The next day’s newspaper carried the headline:

“THE MOST NOTORIOUS ARMED ROBBER ISN’T SO WISE AFTER ALL.”

THE END