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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

“The American man also went to see Ponsu to ask about sakawa boys. And then something happened, and the white man went missing.” Damptey waited for a comment from Nii, but none was forthcoming. “Do you know something about it?” she asked.

“About what?”

“That the white man went to see Ponsu. Did Ponsu tell you?”

Nii shook his head. “No.”

“Are you sure?” Damptey pressed him.

“But why are you asking me all this?”

“If you want my protection, I have to know what you know.”

“Mummy, I don’t know anything.”

Damptey started on her meal. “Because people may come around asking questions. I must be prepared. Did you and Ponsu ever discuss what to do about Mr. Gordon?”

“Never. I swear, Mummy.”

“What about your friend—Bruno?”

“No. Bruno is just a small boy. He doesn’t know anything.”

Damptey licked her fingers, keeping her eye on Nii. “It’s getting more complicated now. More work for me.”

Nii’s expression was something between weary and resigned. “Okay. I understand. Don’t worry. You’ll get more chop money.”

Damptey looked away, and then back. “Double,” she said with finality.

THIRTY-FOUR

THIRTY-FOUR

Bruno was sweating when he got to Kweku Ponsu’s compound in Shukura past 5 p.m. In one hand he carried a sack containing two bound, squawking chickens. He was late because traffic everywhere in the city was worse than normal due to diversions and street closures for the international conference.

Bruno walked along a narrow alley, which branched to the left and ended in a courtyard with a single-room house along each of three sides. A muddy enclosure with two gigantic cows made up the fourth. The smell of cow dung hung in the air. A group of men sat in front of one house drinking mint tea, an Arab tradition. They were undoubtedly from Northern Ghana where the majority Muslim peoples were nomadic cattle raisers by custom—hence the cows.

One of the men asked Bruno what he wanted.

“Please, I’m looking for Kweku Ponsu.”

“He’s not here.”

“Please, when will he come?”

“I don’t know the time. You can wait for him.” The guy got up and dragged an extra chair over. “Maybe you can call him too,” he suggested.

“Thank you,” Bruno said, putting down the sack. It shifted around each time the hens made a pointless attempt to break free.

Bruno sat and tried Kweku’s number, but it went unanswered. He browsed through Instagram and Facebook for a while until his battery started to get low, at which point he switched off his phone.