Laryea rose from his seat and started to move menacingly toward the sofa on which the two women sat. “Miss Djan,” he said quietly, “if you don’t leave now and allow me to handle this myself, I will arrest you on the spot.”

Emma jumped up and stood in front of the DCOP as if to bar him from taking another step in Josephine’s direction. “Wait, sir. Please. You’re telling me a mother shouldn’t be able to see her autistic child when she wants? Do you know the kind of pain Mrs. Akrofi went through when she had to abandon Kwame in the UK?”

A stifled noise came from Josephine and she began to weep, her chest and back heaving with every pained breath. “I didn’t abandon him,” she struggled to say. “It’s not fair of you to accuse me of that.”

Emma hurried back to her. “Madam, no, no. I didn’t mean it like that. I’m sorry to have upset you. The way you feel about Kwame is something I understand because I have that kind of deep love for Kojo at the Autism Center, and he’s not even my son. If I was in your position, I would move heaven and earth for him. No one can take away your right to use your husband’s position to Kwame’s benefit.” Emma gave Josephine another wad of tissues. “And no one should ever try to bring your husband down. Not Sana, not Mr. Tilson.”

“Mr. Tilson,” she said blankly. “What do you mean?”

“He was nosy, not so?” Emma said. “Going around asking all kinds of questions about whether high police officials, including your husband, were involved with and supportive of Internet fraud in cahoots with sakawa boys. And Mr. Laryea has also told me about the obnoxious, threatening letter Mr. Tilson wrote to Mr. Akrofi—and I know you don’t take well to threats, either to you personally or your family.”

Josephine smiled very slightly. “No, I don’t.”

“And Mr. Tilson even went to Kweku Ponsu to ask questions that were none of his business,” Emma continued. “Madam, you’ve known Kweku Ponsu a long time, have you not? Abena saw you and him having an argument the night after I was supposed to have drowned in the Volta River. You were angry with Ponsu, of course, for having failed to get rid of me.”

Josephine stared at Emma. “Have you taken leave of your senses?”

“I had no idea you and Ponsu were acquainted,” Emma continued, “but Edwin told Dazz Emma wasn’t there and Courage that you took Kwame as a child to a traditional priest to try to banish the autism, and I guessed it was Mr. Ponsu you consulted. Am I right?”

“I was desperate,” Josephine said, almost indignantly. “I had to do something. Ponsu said he could cure Kwame but failed.”