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
“This is beautiful, Poem,” Derek said. “No wonder Dad chose you. How did he find you?”
“Google,” Poem said. “Isn’t that how everyone finds everything? Can I offer either of you some espresso?”
“Yes, please,” Derek said. “I haven’t had my coffee this morning.”
Emma, who wasn’t sure what an espresso was, declined and took a glass of iced water instead. She didn’t understand the whole coffee business and she stared with curiosity at Poem manipulating the gleaming, hissing machine on the kitchen counter. What on earth was she doing?
“Oh, my God,” Derek said as he took his first sip and closed his eyes in bliss. “This is amazing, Poem.”
She smiled, crossing her long legs. “Thank you.”
“No, thank you for seeing us. We appreciate it.”
Poem rested her own cup. “So, tell me how I can help because I want to. I enjoyed having your father here, and it’s worrying that he’s gone missing. It’s why I called you and I’m so relieved that he put you down as his contact in case of emergency.”
“I am too,” Derek said. “Did he tell you the story of what had happened to him?”
“After a couple of days here, yes—this so-called Helena he thought he was coming to meet. I was furious—not at him, but at whoever had pulled off the scam on him. It’s happening more and more now, and it is really spoiling our name in Ghana. I asked your dad if he’d reported it to the American Embassy and he said he had, and that they had told him they would be forwarding the case to CID.”
Derek glanced at Emma. “Speaking of which, did a CID detective called Doris Damptey ever get in touch with you, Poem?”
She wrinkled her nose. “I believe that was her name. She called and we spoke on the phone once, but after that I heard nothing else.”
“Figures,” Derek said, shaking his head.
“And unfortunately,” Poem continued, “in these situations of crimes against foreign nationals, standard procedure for the embassies is to refer the cases to CID. They can’t do any investigating themselves—at least that’s what their official policy is.”
“By any chance, did Dad give you the name of his contact person at the embassy?”
“No, I’m afraid not.”
“Sir,” Emma said to Derek, “I think it will be good if we can track down the person your father spoke to over there.”
“I agree,” he said. “I’ll call the number on the embassy website. Poem, just so I know I have the dates right, would it be March second that Dad arrived here?”
“Let me see,” Poem said, reaching for her phone and her glasses on the coffee table.