bet is to tell us exactly what really happened that night and who you were working for. You and Demene are just the hired help; we know that. We want the man behind this crime. If you help us get him, we can consider a deal for you. You know perfectly well what the witch doctor was going to do to the albino, but you can say that you didn’t. That way you won’t find yourself hanging at the end of a rope.” He glared at Molefe, but the man held his stare. Half a minute passed before he replied.
“What I’ve said is true. Demene has told you lies! Why has he said these terrible things about me?” Then another thought struck him. “Maybe he’s said nothing. Maybe you’re only telling me this to try to confuse me. Maybe you’re telling Demene that I said he attacked this albino. You’re just fishing. What evidence have you got? Nothing. Because there isn’t any.” He folded his arms. “I’ve nothing else to say.”
And that was that. Kubu tried threatening, cajoling, leaving him to stew for half an hour, letting Samantha try on her own. Nothing worked. Molefe was a very different character from Demene. When Kubu mentioned the awful things that could happen to persons who injured albinos, Molefe laughed. Eventually he demanded to speak to a lawyer.
At that point Kubu gave up, thoroughly frustrated. “Very well, Molefe. You’ve had your chance, and you won’t get another one. I’m charging you with aggravated assault and kidnapping. And you’re wrong about evidence. You can’t imagine what we can find with modern forensics. We’ll find plenty of evidence—in your car, on your clothes, through your cell phone. You’ll have your lawyer, but that’s not going to help you one little bit.”
He walked out and slammed the door.
FORTY-FOUR
THE MORNING AFTER MOLEFE’S arrest, Kubu went to report developments to Mabaku. “We may have a breakthrough, Director,” Kubu started, after settling in the most comfortable chair in front of Mabaku’s desk. “Do you remember Big Mama from the BIG MAMA KNOWS ALL shebeen?”
Mabaku nodded.
“On Monday afternoon, she phoned me to report a missing person. He was to meet some people on Saturday night at the shebeen, but didn’t turn up. Big Mama tried to contact him at his place of work to find out what had happened but was told he hadn’t been at work for a week.”
Mabaku frowned. “You’ve got better things to do than run around trying to find someone who has probably taken an unauthorized vacation with a woman he’s just met.”
“That’s true, Director. Normally, I wouldn’t pay attention to such a call. But when Big Mama told me that the missing person was an albino, I paid attention.”
“Shit!” exclaimed Mabaku uncharacteristically. “An albino missing?”
“Yes,” Kubu said. “That’s what I thought. There’s too much talk of muti to ignore it.”
“So, what have you done about it?”
For the next twenty minutes Kubu recounted the events of the previous day—the confession of Demene, the refusal of Molefe to answer any questions, and his subsequent arrest.
“On what charges?”
“Kidnapping and aggravated assault.”
“If Molefe hires a decent lawyer, he’ll be out in no time at all. You’ve nothing except what one person says. Who knows why he said it. Maybe he can’t stand Molefe and is trying to get him put away. Has anyone received a ransom note or some sort of demand?”
Kubu shook his head. “He’s not a Motswana. He’s from Tanzania.”
Mabaku groaned. “This gets worse and worse.”
“I’ve applied for a search warrant to go through Molefe’s car. Demene says they used that car to take the albino to a remote place outside town, where they left him on the side of the road. Demene also told me that he and Molefe had been hired to abduct an albino—any albino. That sounded like a witch doctor wanting an albino for strong muti to me.”
Kubu was about to try to link this with Gobey’s witch doctor, when Mabaku’s telephone rang.
“Miriam, I told you I didn’t want to be disturbed!” Mabaku listened to the response. “Okay. Please put him through.”
He waited several seconds before the caller was on the line, a worried frown on his face. “Commissioner, dumela, rra. What can I do for you?”
Again he listened, this time for longer.
“That’s terrible news, Commissioner. He brought so much to the force. He’ll be sorely missed. Thank you for letting me know.” He replaced the receiver, stood up, and went to the window. Kubu said nothing, but he was sure he