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Back The Missing American Save as PDF
Chapters (109)
  1. Part One
  2. ONE
  3. One day earlier
  4. TWO
  5. THREE
  6. FOUR
  7. FIVE
  8. SIX
  9. SEVEN
  10. EIGHT
  11. NINE
  12. TEN
  13. ELEVEN
  14. TWELVE
  15. THIRTEEN
  16. FOURTEEN
  17. FIFTEEN
  18. SIXTEEN
  19. SEVENTEEN
  20. EIGHTEEN
  21. NINETEEN
  22. TWENTY
  23. TWENTY-ONE
  24. TWENTY-TWO
  25. PART TWO
  26. TWENTY-THREE
  27. TWENTY-FOUR
  28. TWENTY-FIVE
  29. TWENTY-SIX
  30. TWENTY-SEVEN
  31. TWENTY-EIGHT
  32. TWENTY-NINE
  33. THIRTY
  34. THIRTY-ONE
  35. THIRTY-TWO
  36. THIRTY-THREE
  37. THIRTY-FOUR
  38. THIRTY-FIVE
  39. THIRTY-SIX
  40. THIRTY-SEVEN
  41. THIRTY-EIGHT
  42. THIRTY-NINE
  43. FORTY
  44. FORTY-ONE
  45. FORTY-TWO
  46. FORTY-THREE
  47. FORTY-FOUR
  48. FORTY-FIVE
  49. FORTY-SIX
  50. FORTY-SEVEN
  51. FORTY-EIGHT
  52. FORTY-NINE
  53. FIFTY
  54. FIFTY-ONE
  55. FIFTY-TWO
  56. FIFTY-THREE
  57. FIFTY-FOUR
  58. FIFTY-FIVE
  59. FIFTY-SIX
  60. FIFTY-SEVEN
  61. FIFTY-EIGHT
  62. FIFTY-NINE
  63. SIXTY
  64. SIXTY-ONE
  65. SIXTY-TWO
  66. SIXTY-THREE
  67. SIXTY-FOUR
  68. SIXTY-FIVE
  69. SIXTY-SIX
  70. SIXTY-SEVEN
  71. SIXTY-EIGHT
  72. SIXTY-NINE
  73. SEVENTY
  74. SEVENTY-ONE
  75. SEVENTY-TWO
  76. SEVENTY-THREE
  77. SEVENTY-FOUR
  78. SEVENTY-FIVE
  79. SEVENTY-SIX
  80. SEVENTY-SEVEN
  81. SEVENTY-EIGHT
  82. SEVENTY-NINE
  83. EIGHTY
  84. EIGHTY-ONE
  85. EIGHTY-TWO
  86. EIGHTY-THREE
  87. EIGHTY-FOUR
  88. EIGHTY-FIVE
  89. EIGHTY-SIX
  90. EIGHTY-SEVEN
  91. EIGHTY-EIGHT
  92. EIGHTY-NINE
  93. NINETY
  94. NINETY-ONE
  95. NINETY-TWO
  96. NINETY-THREE
  97. NINETY-FOUR
  98. NINETY-FIVE
  99. NINETY-SIX
  100. NINETY-SEVEN
  101. NINETY-EIGHT
  102. NINETY-NINE
  103. GLOSSARY
  104. Acknowledgments
  105. Continue reading
  106. Part One
  107. ONE
  108. TWO
  109. THREE

“Open it, please,” Laryea said.

Edwin undid the clasps along the side of the case and flipped up the lid. Close up, the weapon looked formidable to Emma. Laryea studied it for a while. “There’s an empty space where the handgun should be,” he observed. “Where is it?”

“The handgun didn’t come with the set,” Edwin said at once.

Laryea grunted, shut the case again and snapped the clasps closed. “Edwin, we will have to check the veracity of your statement and conduct a further search for that handgun,” he said. “We’ll start here.”

Edwin stood and watched as Dazz and his uncle looked through drawers and closets. That wasn’t difficult, because Edwin had still not finished unpacking all the boxed materials from the move. That was where the work really was, and it took over an hour to carefully search through the crates and boxes in the bedrooms, sitting room, and garage. In the end, Laryea and Dazz were satisfied that there was no handgun in the house.

“What now, sir?” Edwin asked the DCOP.

“We will need to confiscate the weapon while we run a check on it. We will let you know tomorrow and if everything is correct, we’ll return your property to you intact.”

“Very good, sir. Thank you.”

NINETY-SIX

NINETY-SIX

At eleven the following morning, Dazz, Courage, and Emma hung around the CID general detectives’ room waiting for news on the status of Edwin’s weapon. Their mood was somber and Emma understood how the two men must be feeling. Edwin was their colleague. It was demoralizing that he was under investigation for illegal possession of a weapon. Emma wondered how they felt about her. She was the one who had alerted Dazz about Edwin’s rifle and his apparent move to sell it, and then he had called his uncle. They must have been experiencing mixed feelings, she suspected. But they had nothing to chastise her about. The law was the law, criminality was criminality, and they knew that.

Dazz’s phone rang. He listened for a moment then turned to Courage and Emma. “The DCOP is ready to talk to us.”

They all filed into his office feeling anxious. In the room with Laryea were Damptey and Quaino.

“Have you been in touch with Edwin this morning?” Laryea asked Dazz.

“No, sir,” Dazz replied. “What’s happening, sir?”

Laryea was grim. “His weapon is illegal. DI Damptey has been at the Ministry of Interior all morning long. No such long-range rifle is registered.”

Emma glanced at Damptey and thought, goodness, so you really are good for something.