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
He went back in. Emma put her hand on Derek’s shoulder and rubbed it lightly. “I’m sorry.” Tears pricked her eyes. She felt sick with a heavy sense of doom.
He smiled weakly. “Thanks.”
Sowah returned, phone in hand. Emma was dreading this moment, even more so as she saw how grim and sorrowful Sowah appeared. He exchanged a glance with her that told her that the worst possible nightmare was unfolding.
Sowah went to Derek’s side. “Can you please take a look at the photo?”
Derek looked at the image of the wedding band almost nonchalantly, as if there was no point but he would oblige. The ring was shiny, despite its presumably long period of immersion in water, and it had three inlaid diamonds.
Derek snorted. “Someone with the same ring as my Dad’s? That’s ridiculous.”
He looked up at the sky. “Ah, this is so stupid, the whole damn, fucked-up situation.”
“Yes.” Emma took his hand in both of hers.
His legs began to quiver. Sowah grasped his arm and guided him to sit against the wall.
Emma sat beside him, watching him closely.
“What I don’t understand,” Derek said, his voice shaking, “is why he had to do any of this. The whole coming to Ghana thing, trying to track down who did this to him, and it was all so unnecessary, right?”
Emma nodded.
“And I told him, I said, ‘Dad, just come home. We might have had differences, but I still love you, Dad. I still do.’ And I don’t know if he believed that. I don’t know. But I do. I love you, Dad.”
“Yes,” Emma said. “I know you loved him very much.”
“It’s him in there, isn’t it?” he said, looking up at her. She nodded.
Derek crumpled and shrank, as if trying to disappear inside himself. Emma put her arms around him and brought him closer as his sobs came one after another like wave upon stormy wave.
SIXTY-TWO
SIXTY-TWO
The day had been long, troubling, and draining for Emma. Yes, Gordon Tilson had been found now, but this was the most dreaded end. Crawling into her narrow bed with every muscle tense and aching, Emma felt a dark, awful heaviness. Who could have done this to Mr. Tilson? One name repeatedly came to her mind: Kweku Ponsu.
She thought of Derek, his heart ripped from his chest, his spirit destroyed. He would never unsee his father on the autopsy table, monstrous from the putrefaction and prolonged aquatic immersion. Dr. Biney had offered to do an autopsy but Derek had declined. He wanted the body flown back to DC as soon as possible and have the postmortem done there instead. It was understandable. If Emma had been in his position, she would have wished the same. The American Embassy would assist in airlifting Gordon home.