“Yes, every time he ax me a question, he slap me here,” Yahya said, touching the left side of his head.

Emma and Sowah exchanged glances, reading each other’s minds. If Yahya was telling the truth about the abuse, and they believed he was, then any kind of confession on his part was suspect.

“Then they arrest me and bring me here to the cell,” Yahya continued. “In the afternoon they take me to some room in the big building and they started the questions all over again, shouting on me.”

A wretched, crushed Yahya stared at the counter in silence. Emma felt terribly sorry for him.

“Did Mr. Quaino and Madam Damptey have you sign a statement?” Sowah asked.

“On Saturday night, they said if I sign a statement, the judge will be lenient with me and not send me to Nsawam Prison.”

“What did the statement say?” Sowah asked.

“They didn’t give me chance to read it,” Yahya said morosely. “Or maybe I read it and I forgot what it said. I was tired. I felt like I was having fever too.”

“Okay, Yahya,” Sowah said. “Let me see what we can do. We will try to talk to the officers who arrested you and get back to you.”

Yahya’s eyes sprang to life with hope. “Thank you, sir. God bless you, sir.”

Emma and Sowah left the charge office and headed upstairs to DCS Quaino’s office.

Climbing flights of narrow, worn steps to the fourth level Emma cringed. She was physically separated from Commissioner Andoh’s office, but mentally and emotionally, she might as well have been right there. The image of him, his smell, the sounds he made—they were all still vivid in Emma’s mind. She had to consciously block them out.

Neither Quaino nor Damptey was in. Sowah and Emma decided to give them an hour or so. At the 75-minute mark, they were about to call it quits when the pair appeared on the floor.

Damptey saw Emma and a flicker of recognition betrayed her deadpan expression. She clearly did not want to see Emma, and she would have continued walking by had Emma not stood up and sidled into her path. “Good morning, Madam Damptey. Good morning, sir.”

“Good morning.” Damptey said, without interest. “Yes? Can I help you?”

Sowah was close behind Emma and she introduced him to the two officers.

“Ei!” Quaino exclaimed. “Are you the Yemo Sowah who used to work for CID?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Wonderful! My father is Christopher Quaino. He was also in CID but is now retired. He used to talk a lot about you. He admired you very much.”

“Yes, yes!” Sowah said, laughing. “Thank you. Chris Quaino—of course. We worked some cases together.”

“Oh, very nice to meet you, sir,” Quaino said. “What an honor. You are welcome to your old stomping ground.”