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
Bruno nodded, his heart pounding. “Okay.”
A one-sided smile played at Kweku’s lips. “Are you sure? When I brought Nii Kwei to see the crocodile, he ran away.”
Bruno joined Kweku in laughter. He could just picture the scene. “Please, I want to ask you something, Mr. Ponsu.”
“Yes?” Kweku’s phone beam was dying, so he switched it off. Now they were in almost complete darkness.
“Let’s say,” Bruno began, “me and you, we kill the crocodile.”
“Eh-heh? Go on.”
“If that be the case, then can I meet Godfather?”
Kweku released a small gasp, switched the phone light back on and trained it on Bruno’s face. “Heh! Who told you to ask me that?” Kweku grasped Bruno’s bottom jaw. “Who told you?”
Bruno shook his head. “No one,” he tried to say. Kweku released him. “You want to meet Godfather?”
“Yes please.”
Kweku snorted. “You small boys, you think everything is so easy, eh? Even after you kill the crocodile se’f, you won’t be ready.”
“Then when, please?”
“You have to prove yourself,” Kweku said irritably. “You have to be better than all the rest in order to see Godfather. Most of the sakawa boys are not good enough. Only those who make a lot of money or can do all the rituals.”
“Okay, then I will do that.”
Kweku turned away with a grunt. “You think it’s so easy. But it’s not.”
THIRTY-FIVE
THIRTY-FIVE
May 19
Emma and Derek Ubered to the Flamingo Lodge in affluent Labone where Poem Van Landewyck had agreed to meet them. The house stood in a shady cul-de-sac of neem trees and frangipani. A wall topped with an electric fence encircled the property.
As the Uber driver dropped them off at the driveway, Poem was waiting for them just inside the entrance of the front gate. She was the tallest woman Emma had ever seen, elegant in a vanilla pants suit and swept-up blonde and gray hair.
“Welcome,” she said, smiling. “You must be Derek.”
“Hello, Poem,” he said, shaking hands. “Good to finally meet in person. This is Emma Djan, the private investigator I’ve hired to find my father.”
“Good morning, Emma,” Poem said with approval. “Are you a solo investigator?” She had a Ghanaian-Euro accent.
“I’m with the Sowah Agency,” Emma said.
“I believe I’ve heard of it,” Poem said. “Please come in. I don’t have a tenant for a couple of days, so we can sit inside.”
The house really was flamingo in color and looked especially striking with its dark, energy-saving windows. As they followed Poem in, Emma couldn’t help but admire the polished wood floors, soft leather chairs, and fluted window blinds. The kitchen had a large, stainless steel stove with a matching refrigerator. I need a home like this, Emma thought, and then checked herself for coveting “thy neighbor’s house.”