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’m investigating a lot of things,” Emma said. “Who killed Mr. Tilson is the first. Who attacked Bruno is the second, and I’m curious to know why yesterday you called him and warned him to be careful.”
“I was afraid for him,” Nii began, “because someone saw the selfie I took with you and Bruno and recognized you, saying you work with Yemo Sowah’s detective agency.”
“Who is that someone? Kweku Ponsu?”
Nii didn’t answer. He seemed awfully jumpy and tense. For a moment Emma wondered if he was on something else besides the marijuana.
“Look,” she said, “I know you’re always in contact with Ponsu. There’s no point in you pretending. Did he tell you to warn Bruno off?”
Nii shook his head. “No. I did that on my own. I was angry that it seemed Bruno was secretly working with you, but at the same time I didn’t want anything to happen to him.”
“So, you’re saying Ponsu didn’t tell you he was planning an assault on Bruno?”
“Yes, that’s what I’m saying.”
She noticed his eyes darted briefly to a point behind her and she instinctively turned. No one was there. She came back to Nii. “But it could be he commanded the twins to do it.”
“Well, of course. They do whatever he tells them to. If Ponsu doesn’t like you and he sets the twins upon you, it’s bad.”
“Then it must have been bad for Gordon Tilson.”
“Who is that?”
“Gordon Tilson. You know him. Don’t bother lying. He was the guy you scammed on the Internet, the same one you met at a sports bar—Champs, I’m guessing. Everyone knows Champs. And a lady called Susan was also there.”
Nii appeared shaken. “Who told you all this?”
“It’s true, isn’t it? And then, somehow, Mr. Tilson ended up dead in the Volta.”
Nii clamped his jaw. “I heard he drowned, but I don’t know anything else about it, okay?”
“So, how did you come to meet Mr. Tilson at the bar?”
“He was just a friend of Susan’s, and I knew Susan from university.”
“Did he know you were the one who had been scamming him?”
“No, and at first I didn’t know either. He said he wanted to learn something about sakawa, so we discussed it. It was as we were talking at Champs that I realized who he was.”
“But the discussion turned sour.”
“No, he made it so,” Nii said indignantly. “Started to say he was going to expose sakawa boys and the big men who take part in it. He was talking shit and I didn’t like it.” Nii sucked his teeth.
“And so, you called Ponsu and told him all about it?”
“I mentioned it to him.”