“Then Calmy-Rey is now the one who has the motive to kill you-Tetteh.”
“Good, but he’s not the only one,” Dawson said with a slight smile. “Terence Amihere is also a target. Allegedly, he has taken a bribe of at least two hundred thousand dollars, which is very serious.”
“How does Amihere come to find out about the allegations in the article you’ve written?”
“Because I-Tetteh-go to personally confront him.”
“Do you think Tetteh would really have done that?”
Dawson nodded with conviction. “No doubt. Think about the kind of man he was. Straightforward, direct, honest, and incorruptible. He sacked the people in Goilco that he found out were taking bribes. He wouldn’t have been diplomatic about this. He would have challenged everyone he believed to be involved in corruption. It was a brave move, but it also got him murdered.”
“I can see how that could happen,” Chikata said, “but what about Charles Smith-Aidoo? Where do he and his wife fit in?”
“I have always believed that their murder was connected to Tetteh’s,” Dawson said, taking his seat again. “Now I think I know what happened. After Tetteh’s death, Charles must have taken up the cause against corruption. What Tetteh had told him had begun to weigh on his mind. Once Charles began this crusade, whoever killed Tetteh had to get rid of Charles as well. And the message delivered to the Malgam oil rig in the form of a terrible double murder and beheading was, ‘Don’t even think about challenging the powers that be.’ ”
“Why kill Fiona Smith-Aidoo as well?”
“That wasn’t the original plan. The killer or killers weren’t expecting Fiona to accompany her husband to Ezile Bay.”
“So who killed them or had them killed?”
“I don’t know,” Dawson said, suddenly feeling weary. “Tomorrow we’ll think again when our brains are fresh.”
Chapter 35
THEY HAD TO GET some sleep. Chikata, like Baah, was out within a few minutes, but Dawson, exhausted but bereft of sleep, lay awake on the horrendous mattress, which was giving him a backache. His phone buzzed, and for some reason he thought it might be Christine, but he was wrong. It was Armah. Dawson leapt out of bed as he answered.
“Hello, Daniel!”
“Darko, my dear man, how are you?”
“I’m very well,” he said, opening the door to step outside. “Hold on a moment. I want to go somewhere I can talk.”
“I hope I didn’t wake you.”
“No, I couldn’t sleep.”
“I had the feeling. I saw that you had called and took the chance you were awake. Are you troubled?”
Armah and Dawson had that kind of bond where one could almost sense the other’s worry from hundreds of miles away. During Dawson’s childhood, then CID detective Armah had doggedly investigated the disappearance of Dawson’s mother, Beatrice.
“I am troubled,” Dawson said, walking around to the opposite side of the building where the potent ammonia smell of the latrine was less pervasive. He told Armah the story from the beginning, bringing him up to the minute.
“Now I’m starting to have doubts,” Dawson said, kicking a large pebble away. “How big is this affair with Tetteh, and should I delve further? Is Amihere or someone else going to come after me, or my family? What if the BNI director has conspired with someone high up in the police service? If I’m going up against them, they’re going to crush me.”
“Hmm, this is tough,” Armah said. He paused for a while. “I don’t think you or your family are in any danger yet, so what we need to do is keep it that way. First you need to go immediately to Chief Superintendent Lartey.”
“He’s going to explode,” Dawson said.
“Maybe, but it can’t be helped. He has to know about this now.”
“I almost hate to pose the question, but no way he could be involved in a cover-up?”
“I can practically guarantee that,” Armah replied. “He wouldn’t have assigned this case to you if he was, and he certainly wouldn’t have included Chikata in the investigation. And in any case, it’s not only you in the thick of this, Lartey’s beloved nephew is involved as well, so he has to take action over the information.”
“Okay,” Dawson said, feeling better.
“Now if at any time you receive a threatening note or phone call, you’ll know it’s the BNI director because that’s the way he operates,” Armah said with confidence. “Then you know it’s time to get out. You’re deeply dedicated to your work, but don’t sacrifice yourself. You have a family you love and who loves you. If you receive threats, call me immediately, because I have some options. We can discuss them if and when the situation comes up, but I don’t think it will. How does that sound?”
“Thank you, Daniel.” Dawson felt his eyes pricking. “I miss you. I have to get up to Kumasi soon.”
“You really must. Talking on the phone is not enough, and as for all this texting you young guys like to do, I will not abide by it.”
They had a good laugh and bid each other good night. Dawson returned to the stuffy, smelly room, and to his surprise, he felt himself drifting off very quickly.
IN THE MORNING, the chief superintendent was so pleased to see his nephew that Dawson might as well not have been present. Finally, Lartey acknowledged Dawson and invited both of them to sit down in the two chairs facing him on the opposite side of his desk. The office was air-conditioned, a relief from the heat outside.
“So tell me,” Lartey said, getting comfy in his luxurious leather chair. “Are you close to completing the case?”
He was a small man whose slight stature belied his toughness and effective use of power. He was very likely up for the elevated rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police.
“We believe we are, sir,” Dawson said. “I’ll bring you up to speed.”
Lartey’s demeanor remained receptive during Dawson’s account until he first heard of the connection between Charles Smith-Aidoo and Lawrence Tetteh. Then his expression began to cloud like a stormy sky.
“Last night,” Dawson went on, “we made contact with Lawrence Tetteh’s housemaid-”
“What?” Lartey bellowed, shooting forward. “What for? What the hell are you doing?”
“We had to,” Dawson said bravely. “We’re convinced the Smith-Aidoo and Tetteh murders are connected.”
“Completely different signatures,” Lartey snapped, slapping his palm on the table. “Even a five-year-old could tell you that. This is nonsense.”
“Uncle,” Chikata chimed in quickly, “the housemaid gave us the pen drive Mr. Tetteh had given her for safekeeping, and we made a discovery you should know about.”
His laptop open and ready, Chikata brought it around for Lartey to read, which he did immediately, tapping his middle finger unconsciously on his desk.
“Oh, Lord,” he said, when he was finished. He slumped back in his chair. “What have you done, Dawson?”
“It was my idea to get in touch with the housemaid, Uncle Theo,” Chikata said. Dawson opened his mouth to protest the lie, but the sergeant sent him a look that said, don’t say anything.
“You, Philip?” Lartey said in disbelief. “Why didn’t you come to me first, eh?”
Chikata looked sheepish and kept his gaze down in submission. “I’m sorry, Uncle,” he said meekly. It always worked.
“It’s okay, Philip,” Lartey said rather gently. “What I’m most concerned about-” he turned to Dawson “-is you. You are the senior officer and you take a suggestion from a junior officer without providing him guidance, without showing him the correct thing to do?”
“You asked me to give him free rein, sir-”
“But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t exercise some common sense instead of getting up to this foolishness, does it? I’m waiting for your answer, Inspector.”