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
“I had a question for you,” Gordon said, “and you don’t have to answer if you can’t or don’t want to.”
“I’m all ears.”
“Have you heard anything, or do you know anything about whether there’s any truth to the claim that some senior officials, including in the police force, may be in cahoots with these sakawa boys?”
“Cahoots in what way?”
“Well, they support the system and receive money from those lower down on the chain.”
“Oh dear. I must confess I don’t know much about that kind of thing.” Josephine was still smiling. “I make it a point not to talk to James about work. He’s in such a sensitive position, being that close to President Bannerman. I don’t ever want to create a conflict of interest for my husband, so, as they say, don’t ask, don’t tell.”
“Gotcha,” Gordon said.
“I’m curious why you asked.”
“I just wondered. I read some stuff online—”
“Can’t believe everything you read,” she cut him off with surprising swiftness. “Especially online. And certainly not from that Sana Sana—if that’s who you’ve been reading.”
“Full disclosure,” he said. “I have.”
“He’s a sensationalist and a dishonest journalist,” Jo said, her tone sharpening. “What he calls investigation is pure entrapment of innocent people.”
In Gordon’s mind, that wasn’t exactly accurate, but he had no desire to argue with her over this. “Okay,” he agreed. “Then I’ll take whatever I read from him with a grain of salt.”
“I just want you to be careful, that’s all.”
They smiled at each other but Gordon detected a change in Jo’s mood. He shifted the topic to talk about his granddaughter and show Jo pictures of Simone on his phone. But now, Gordon felt awkward. Jo wasn’t the same woman he had met in DC. Or maybe that wasn’t it. The woman was the same, the circumstances were radically different. Now Gordon was on Jo’s turf, where she belonged to a certain elevated class and was in complete control. Here, the world was hers and she was James’s wife. Her body language was clear. There was no romance. She would not be having any sort of sexual liaison with Gordon in Ghana. He knew that was appropriate, but a morsel of him felt somewhat hurt.
He could tell that as far as Jo was concerned, Sana Sana was a piece of shit. Hence Gordon deliberately did not mention that next week Thursday, he would be meeting up with the man.
Battle lines were being drawn. Looking at it from Cas’s point of view—and to an increasing extent, Gordon’s as well—this was going to make an excellent story.
FIFTY-NINE
FIFTY-NINE
May 28, Accra, Ghana