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
Edwin laughed. “Are you forgetting I’m a SWAT guy? I know about negotiation tricks. You’ll get me to drop the gun and then you’ll arrest me. You’re not taking me anywhere. And Mummy is not going anywhere either.”
“Edwin,” Josephine whispered. “Listen to him. Please. We can work something out. I can help.”
“How?” he said, his voice laced with contempt. “Your husband, the big chief, is out of the picture. Commissioner Andoh hates both you and me. And you are inside this thing too. How are you supposed to help? Or are you just trying to betray me now? I release you and then you turn on me and blame me for everything?”
“What is he talking about?” Courage whispered to Emma.
She thought she knew, but she wasn’t sure and she didn’t answer the question.
“What is it she will blame you for?” Dazz asked Edwin.
He looked at his mother. “Tell them, Mummy. Tell them what you made me do.” He pressed the muzzle against Josephine’s neck and she began to shiver with fright.
“Edwin,” Dazz said. “Edwin, look at me. Put down the gun. Think about this. It’s not really worth it, right?”
“And all that just because you wanted your husband to remain IGP so you could continue your life of luxury,” Edwin said to Josephine, the muzzle still pressed into her neck. “Tell them what the ballistics will show, Mummy.”
“But I’ve been supporting you all these years, dear,” she said, beginning to cry.
“The money isn’t your love,” Edwin said, his voice cracking. “It’s your guilt. Guilt that you let your mother send me away to Techiman to stay with your sister, guilt that you never let me come back into your life. Even autistic Kwame is okay to be in your family, but me? Nothing but shame over me.” He had begun to cry with her and Emma had a feeling that the situation was spinning out of control. Edwin was getting more overwrought instead of more reasonable.
“Edwin,” Dazz tried again, “you know as well as I do that we can do things to cool down the situation. You have a lot of people on your side—me, Courage, all your colleagues.”
“No, no,” Edwin said. “You think I don’t know? You’ll turn against me the moment I’m in jail.”
“Why would you think that?” Dazz asked, and Emma caught a slight tremor in his voice. It was important that he stay rock steady, but she wasn’t sure how much more he could take.
“Why should you think that of your friends?” Dazz repeated.
Edwin brought the gun down away from his mother’s neck. Emma prayed. Please God. Make him drop it and surrender.
“I just don’t know what to do,” Edwin said, sounding like a small, lost child. “Nowhere to turn. Nobody to trust.”