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
“Oh, he’s healthier than I am, even,” Emma said, making them both laugh. She thought of something but hesitated to verbalize it. Was this the appropriate place? Maybe not, but she was going to try anyway. “Please, do you remember a gentleman called—”
Her final two words got lost under the applause. Damptey signaled they should retreat outside the Center’s gates. Saturday morning traffic was going to and fro, taxi drivers leaning on their horns.
“You were saying?” Damptey asked.
“Do you remember a man by the name of Derek Tilson?” Emma asked. “I think you might have talked to him at headquarters.”
“What is your interest in him?” the DI asked, her face neutral.
“He came to us to report his father missing.”
“Why?” Damptey demanded testily.
“Why what?”
The DI was clearly annoyed. “Why should he come to report that to you when we are already on the case?”
Emma knew she had to handle this carefully, like a piece of hot charcoal. “Madam Doris, I think it’s only because he understands the limitation of resources at CID. Just looking for some extra help.”
“Maybe,” Damptey said, relenting a little but not fully mollified.
“Madam, please, did you find out anything at all about the gentleman? I mean Gordon Tilson—the father. We understand he went to Akosombo last twenty-seventh March, so we were wondering if you were able to follow up there—”
“I have nothing to tell you,” Damptey interrupted, turning as cold as a Fan Milk popsicle. She glanced around, came closer to Emma, and lowered her voice. “Listen, from one female investigator to another, don’t get involved with this case. I respect Mr. Sowah, but please tell him from me, this is best left for the police, and if he won’t do that, then I advise you to request that he take you off the case.”
“Please, may I know why?”
“You don’t need to know why,” Damptey said, shaking her head. “You only need to know not to get involved. I must go back inside. I think the Akrofis will be leaving soon.” She walked away, but slowed down briefly to turn and say, “Don’t play with fire, eh? Or you will get burned.”
THIRTY-EIGHT
THIRTY-EIGHT
That same morning in Shukura, far across town from the Autism Center, Bruno waited at the edge of Ponsu’s courtyard. His jaw tensed rhythmically and his right thumb dug into his left palm. Sweat streamed off him and soaked his muscle shirt.
“If I kill the crocodile,” he had told Sana Sana last week, “I will get closer to meeting Godfather.”
Sana had reacted strongly. “Kill a crocodile? No, I can’t have you doing anything that dangerous. That thing will eat you alive.”
“Mr. Ponsu will help me,” Bruno said. “We’ll do it together.”
“No.”