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
June 8, Accra, Ghana
Emma had an expanding lump of panic in her throat. It was almost 9 a.m. and, running late to the airport, she was afraid she would miss Derek. He would already be inside Terminal 3 beyond the passengers only sign. With an air of confidence, Emma flashed her Sowah PI Agency badge at the guard at the entrance. “CID detective,” she said. “Here to arrest a suspect.”
He was confused for a second. “What? Heh! Wait!”
“There’s no time,” Emma said over her shoulder. “I have to catch him before he boards.” She scanned the check-in areas ahead for Derek and spotted him at the Delta counter.
Moving closer to the gate entry point to be sure she didn’t miss him, she waited for him to be done. As he walked up with one hand holding his travel documents and the other wheeling a spinner carry-on, he saw her, and his face lit up. “Emma!”
“Hi, Derek. I was scared you had already gone in.”
They embraced.
“Thank you for everything,” he said in her ear. “You’ve been wonderful.”
They were both teary as they separated and looked at each other.
“You know you have my deepest condolences,” she said.
He nodded. “Yes, I do. I can’t thank you enough.”
She squeezed his hand. “I will keep working on this. It’s not over at all. Sowah and I will find who killed your father.”
“I know you will,” he said.
“Did they airlift him home?”
“Yes, he arrived in DC yesterday and they’ll do the autopsy in the next few days. I’ll forward the report to your email.”
“Please do.” She smiled sadly at him. “Will you ever come back to Ghana?”
Derek sighed. “I’m not sure. It will take me some time to heal.”
“I understand,” Emma said. “I would feel the same way. But please stay in touch, and if you ever return, be sure to look me up.”
“I will.” He hesitated. “Emma, it’s possible the FBI will look into Dad’s death once he arrives in the States. If anything comes up, I’ll let you know.”
“Good,” Emma said. “Thank you. Bye, Derek.”
They hugged again briefly. Emma watched him going up the escalator to the gates, and then he disappeared. She wiped away the tears that had welled in her eyes. In another world, Derek would be her husband. Oh, well. She turned away to the terminal exit where the same guard she had encountered on the way in said sarcastically, “I see you made your arrest.”
She blew him a kiss.
SIXTY-SIX
SIXTY-SIX
June 10, Washington, DC
The second day after Derek’s return home, he was horrified at what he saw when he went to pay a visit to Cas. His bony frame was now beyond skeletal. Gordon’s death had deeply affected him, obviously, but Derek wondered if anything else was wrong. Cas was coughing continuously—a ghastly, phlegm-filled cough.