Chapters (109)
- Part One
- ONE
- One day earlier
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- PART TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-FOUR
- FORTY-FIVE
- FORTY-SIX
- FORTY-SEVEN
- FORTY-EIGHT
- FORTY-NINE
- FIFTY
- FIFTY-ONE
- FIFTY-TWO
- FIFTY-THREE
- FIFTY-FOUR
- FIFTY-FIVE
- FIFTY-SIX
- FIFTY-SEVEN
- FIFTY-EIGHT
- FIFTY-NINE
- SIXTY
- SIXTY-ONE
- SIXTY-TWO
- SIXTY-THREE
- SIXTY-FOUR
- SIXTY-FIVE
- SIXTY-SIX
- SIXTY-SEVEN
- SIXTY-EIGHT
- SIXTY-NINE
- SEVENTY
- SEVENTY-ONE
- SEVENTY-TWO
- SEVENTY-THREE
- SEVENTY-FOUR
- SEVENTY-FIVE
- SEVENTY-SIX
- SEVENTY-SEVEN
- SEVENTY-EIGHT
- SEVENTY-NINE
- EIGHTY
- EIGHTY-ONE
- EIGHTY-TWO
- EIGHTY-THREE
- EIGHTY-FOUR
- EIGHTY-FIVE
- EIGHTY-SIX
- EIGHTY-SEVEN
- EIGHTY-EIGHT
- EIGHTY-NINE
- NINETY
- NINETY-ONE
- NINETY-TWO
- NINETY-THREE
- NINETY-FOUR
- NINETY-FIVE
- NINETY-SIX
- NINETY-SEVEN
- NINETY-EIGHT
- NINETY-NINE
- GLOSSARY
- Acknowledgments
- Continue reading
- Part One
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
As Frankie emerged into the courtyard again, it began the death spiral—flipping itself over and over to free itself. Instead it only tightened the rope around its jaws with each revolution. Kweku kept the tension on the rope. He couldn’t see where Bruno had got to and he screamed out for him.
Out of nowhere, Bruno appeared brandishing the machete and moving almost in rhythm to Frankie’s gyrations. As the reptile’s sallow white underside appeared, Bruno struck, and the pale pink flesh of Frankie’s gullet opened wide.
THIRTY-NINE
THIRTY-NINE
May 21, Akosombo, Ghana
Emma and Sowah arrived at Kweku Ponsu’s compound to discover they had missed him by a few hours. He had left for Atimpoku early that morning. When would he return? None of the numerous, miscellaneous people hanging around knew.
“What next, sir?” Emma asked her boss as they stood at the roadside to hail a cab. Sowah often left his vehicle behind to avoid the headaches of finding a parking space in a city of chaotic traffic.
“Little choice but to go after him in Atimpoku,” he said, flagging down a rickety taxi. “We don’t know when he’ll be back in Accra. We might as well go back to the office, pick up my car and drive directly there.”
They headed north to Atimpoku, eight miles southeast of the Akosombo Dam. At the last minute Sowah had also arranged to meet Mr. Labram, the owner of the nearby Riverview Cottage where Mr. Tilson had stayed before his disappearance.
En route, Emma said, “Sir, I should tell you about what DI Damptey said to me yesterday at the Autism Center ceremony.”
“Ah, yes?”
“She seemed upset that we are looking into Tilson’s disappearance and she said I should please respectfully ask you to leave the case alone.”
Sowah tossed his head back and laughed. “And if I don’t, what will happen to me?”
“Please, she didn’t tell me that part.”
Sowah sucked his teeth. “Don’t mind her. She’s full of hot air.”
Well, Emma thought. If the boss is not worried about her, neither am I.
They arrived in Atimpoku a little after eleven Monday morning. The transport hub was alive with tro-tros, buses, taxis, and merchants swarming every incoming vehicle to offer bread, water, cold drinks, abolo, and the ubiquitous one-man-thousand, silvery anchovies from the Volta River deep fried till crisp and crunchy.