“Did Witness see Mma Gondo?”
“Yes. He told me he was very disappointed. He said he had spent nearly all his money, and all she had said was that he must look for a man who was nothing, and is now something. He was very angry, because he didn’t know how to find such a man in a big city like Gaborone. He said there must be hundreds of men like that.”
Big Mama shook her head.
“Sometimes men don’t listen. I told him when the time was right, he would recognize the man. I didn’t convince him, and he stormed out.”
“Is that all? Did he say what Mma Gondo had told him about muti?” Samantha was getting frustrated.
“I haven’t finished. Mma Gondo didn’t talk about muti, only about who may have benefited from it. Anyway, a few minutes later, Witness came back and said he knew who Mma Gondo meant and started talking about Bill Marumo and the Freedom Party. He said that they were going to win the by-election. I told him that was impossible because the BDP always wins in this area, by a large margin. He told me to wait and see. Then he left.”
She took a deep breath and looked at Kubu.
“And the Freedom Party did win—against all odds,” he whispered.
Big Mama nodded.
“And Bill Marumo was murdered right after.” Samantha’s eyes glistened with excitement.
“Was that the last time you saw Witness?” Kubu asked.
Big Mama nodded, then hesitated. “I went to his house to look for him yesterday. I was worried after that talk about the Freedom Party and then the news about Marumo. I think Witness was in the house because his car was there, but he didn’t answer when I called him. So I gave up.”
The three of them sat quietly for a few moments.
“There’s one other thing,” Big Mama said. “A few weeks ago, just after his daughter disappeared, Witness went to a rally for the local Freedom Party candidate, Jacob Pitso. Marumo was also there. Witness tried to attack him. Luckily some of Marumo’s supporters stopped him before he did any harm.”
“Did he tell you why he went after Marumo?”
“No. But people I spoke to said Witness called him the Devil and accused him of being a rapist.”
“A rapist?” Samantha asked. “I haven’t heard anyone accuse him of that.”
“It was nonsense,” Big Mama replied. “He was very mixed-up.”
Kubu struggled to his feet. “Thank you, Big Mama,” he said, a little self-conscious at using that name. “Thank you very much.”
AS SOON AS THEY left the shebeen, Kubu phoned Mabaku and told him what Big Mama had said.
“I’m going to get a constable over to Witness’s house in case he comes back,” Kubu concluded.
“Good,” Mabaku replied. “And I want you to come to the office now to fill out a search warrant application for his house. I’ll phone Judge Lope to alert him we need the warrant signed this evening.” He hung up.
That’s Mabaku, Kubu thought, a bit miffed. Not long on positive reinforcement.
“How will the courts regard a revenge killing?” Samantha asked. “Especially if that muti you found at Marumo’s came from Witness’s daughter.”
Kubu shrugged. “Nothing’s clear when muti is involved. Everyone’s scared that a spell will be put on them. I think you’re going to see the ball passed along the line like a hot potato.”
“That’s why muti murders never stop,” Samantha cried. “Nobody has the guts to stand up to the witch doctors. If the president had a daughter, and she disappeared, maybe things would change.”
Before Kubu could answer, his phone rang.
“Assistant Superintendent Bengu,” he answered. He listened for a while.
“Are they sure it’s not at his office?” He frowned.
“And you’ve searched the house and his car?” He listened to the answer.
“And the garden?” He nodded.
“I’ll send someone there right away to get the details. Thank you very much for calling me.” He pressed the red button on his cell phone.
“That was Jubjub Oteng, Marumo’s girlfriend,” he told Samantha. “The new head of the Freedom Party just phoned her asking for Marumo’s briefcase. It has important party documents in it. Apparently they saw Marumo take it with him when he left the office on Saturday evening. Jubjub checked in his car and around the house but can’t find it. Please go and speak to her and get a detailed description. Check also whether she knows what he may have had in it. Then do the same at the Freedom Party offices. If it’s still missing, let all the local police stations know and also the garbage haulers. They should all keep a sharp lookout for it.”
Samantha nodded. “I’ll see if anyone at the Freedom Party headquarters has a photo of him with it. That’ll help.”
“Good thinking.” Kubu nodded. “Also, talk to the woman who saw the man running from Marumo’s house. Ask her if she can remember whether he was carrying something. Call me when you’ve finished. I’ll probably be at Witness’s house if we get the warrant. Maybe the briefcase is there.”
Samantha left and walked to her car. Kubu stood deep in thought. If we don’t find the briefcase, maybe it was a politically motivated murder, he thought. The country doesn’t need that. He shook his head.
I’d better give Joy a call, he thought. Tell her I’ll be late. And to put my dinner in the oven. He grimaced. He detested dried-out meals.
TWENTY-THREE
WHEN ZANELE ARRIVED AT Witness’s house, Kubu was already there. She spotted his Land Rover first, and then saw him standing at the front door. He was talking to two policemen who had just come out of the house. Obviously the assistant superintendent had obtained the needed search warrant, and they had broken into the house already. She sighed as she pulled in next to the Land Rover. She doubted that they’d been careful not to disturb things inside, but she accepted that the house had to be secured before she and her team entered.
She jumped out of her car and directed the driver to park the forensics van next to the house. Then she walked quickly to the others.
“Hi, Kubu. All clear? No one inside?”
Kubu nodded. “According to these two.” He nodded toward the two constables. “I’ll come in with you.”
Zanele nodded. Not much harm could be done now. She liked pristine crime scenes—ready to test her skills and insights like science experiments. This house didn’t look as though it would be that way. She waited while her team unpacked equipment and everyone put on latex gloves and plastic bags over their boots, and then they all entered the house.
The front door opened onto a living area that included a couch and two lounge chairs, a scarred wooden dining table with four mismatched chairs, and a small kitchenette. The room testified to a departed owner. Cupboard doors stood ajar, revealing empty shelves. Zanele pulled out a drawer and found nothing inside. Kubu carefully opened the fridge and found it empty also, and the interior light didn’t come on. It had been turned off at the wall. The kitchen was stripped.
They moved on to the next room, a small bedroom off the living area. It contained a double bed with a worn mattress and a cheap two-drawer bedside table made from a wire frame and woven reeds. No bedding. There was a rickety clothes cupboard, and it too was empty. Kubu shook his head and muttered something Zanele didn’t catch.
There was another bedroom, which was even smaller, hardly more than an annex off the living room. Judging by the magazine pictures stuck to the wall, it had been the daughter’s room.
“He’s on the run,” Kubu said, looking angry. “Damn! I should’ve sent out an APB as soon as we’d talked to Big Mama.”
Zanele wondered what he was talking about, but she wasn’t really interested. She was focused on the task at hand. She was now in the small bathroom, just a washbasin, shower in one corner, and toilet. The cistern was cracked and sweated a little, but the room was cl
ean. Their suspect was a good housekeeper, or maybe he’d cleaned the room recently. She felt a twinge of excitement. She liked bathrooms. They always revealed secrets no matter how carefully scrubbed. She called over one of her men.
“Jonas, have you got the fluorescein and the ultraviolet light? Bring it in here.”
Using a swab, she collected a sample of brownish stain from around the plug hole. Then she sprayed the basin with the fluorescein mixture, and shone the lamp into the basin, carefully positioning it to pick out a hairline crack in the porcelain. It fluoresced. So did the ring where the plug hole met the sink.
“Kubu, there’s blood here. Doesn’t prove anything, of course. Not yet. We’ll have to test the sample. Doesn’t have to be human at all, or he could have cut himself shaving. Let’s look around some more.”
They walked back to the living room, and Zanele found more blood traces in the kitchen sink. Kubu said nothing, but his eyes roved around the room taking in the signs of the hasty departure. Jonas called out from the larger bedroom that there was a blood smear on one leg of the bed also.
“It’s him,” Kubu said suddenly. “There’s the blue Volkswagen and what Big Mama told us, now the bloodstains, and why did he suddenly take off after talking to Samantha? He killed Marumo all right. We just have to find out why. And I’d bet that his missing daughter and that muti we found at Marumo’s house are involved somehow.” Zanele looked up, puzzled at the mention of Big Mama, but Kubu hadn’t finished. “Damn! I’ve let him have a head start. I’ve got to get hold of Mabaku right away to send out an APB. Then I can finally eat my dried-out dinner if Joy hasn’t given it to Ilia!”
After he’d gone, Zanele was left in peace with her team and her crime scene, checking for fingerprints, scraping up blood samples, packeting hairs, collecting soil particles and even a leaf that might be traced to the murder scene. They worked quietly, efficiently, knowing what to do, starting to build the case against Witness Maleng piece by tiny piece.
TWENTY-FOUR
IT WAS ALREADY 9 a.m. when Kubu walked into his office. His late dinner and his inability to shut down his mind had caused a poor night’s sleep. He fetched a strong cup of tea, then sat down to a stack of notes. On top was one from Samantha—0800: Please call me when you get in, S Khama.
The note felt formal, which made Kubu realize that he was already thinking of “S. Khama” as Samantha. He reflected for a moment. That’s a good sign, he thought. If that’s how I’m thinking of her, she must be doing a good job.
He phoned her and asked that she come to his office in fifteen minutes. He still needed to attend to the other notes.
“I’VE TWO THINGS TO report,” Samantha said as she settled in one of the chairs in Kubu’s office. “Last night I went to see Marumo’s girlfriend. She says that he always had the briefcase with him. He never even left it in the car if he went into a restaurant or meeting. She swears he would’ve had it when he arrived home.”
“And you checked with the woman down the road, who saw the man running?”
“Yes. She thought he might’ve been carrying something, but she wasn’t sure. I don’t think we learned anything from her.”
“And the police who responded to the call?”
“I spoke to them, too. None of them remember seeing it.”
“I didn’t see it, either,” Kubu said, “but I arrived a bit later. What about the doctor?”
“He says the same thing. He didn’t see it. He says whoever murdered Marumo must have taken it.”
“Did you check with the Freedom Party?”
“Yes, I went there last night. There were still people working. They confirmed that he always had the briefcase and wouldn’t have left without it. They gave me several photos with him holding it. It’s nothing special and didn’t have any distinctive markings. I circulated one of the photos to all the police stations and rubbish disposal people.”
“Did the Freedom Party people say what was in the briefcase?”
“They said the most important was the party’s plan for the next election. If someone in another party got hold of it, it could really hurt their efforts. They claimed that the murder and theft of the briefcase were both politically motivated, probably by the BDP.”
“Why would the BDP do such a thing?”
“They say the BDP is running scared after the by-election and will do anything to stop the Freedom Party.”
Kubu felt depressed. “And I suppose Zanele and her crew found nothing, either?”
“Well, they didn’t find the briefcase,” Samantha said, glancing at Kubu, who leaned back in his chair. “It’s starting to sound like a politically motivated murder.”
“That’s the last thing we need,” Kubu groaned, shaking his head.
“I also checked that the APB went out last night,” Samantha continued. “The Daily News will have a short article in today’s paper, but there won’t be a photo. And some of the TV stations will broadcast a request this morning for the public to keep their eyes open for a Witness Maleng. I sent them all a copy of the picture on his driver’s license. Not very good, but better than nothing.”
“Excellent,” Kubu responded. “We’ll go and see if we can find the witch doctor he consulted, but I’ve no idea whether she’ll be there. We’ll just have to take our chances.”
“I wouldn’t know how to contact a witch doctor.” Samantha frowned. “Would you?”
“No. But I’m sure if you wanted one, all you’d have to do is put out the word and you’d get several phone calls.”
“It’s weird, isn’t it? They’re all phonies, yet they’re such a big part of our culture. People actually believe in them. In this day and age.” She shook her head. “I would’ve thought we knew better today.”
“As long as people believe in them, they’ll be around—whether we think of them as charlatans or not.” Kubu stood up. “Let’s go and meet one.”
FOLLOWING BIG MAMA’S SCRIBBLED directions, Kubu negotiated his Land Rover through the dusty streets until they found the witch doctor’s house.
“She can’t be doing very well,” Kubu said wryly, as he looked at the nondescript structure. “I wonder if that’s her receptionist.” He pointed at an old man who was sitting outside the house on a milk crate.
“Dumela, rra,” Kubu said. “We are looking for Mma Gondo.”
The old man slowly stood up. Kubu thought he could hear the man’s knees creaking.
“She is not available now. Only by appointment. Who wants to consult her? And for what purpose?”
Kubu pulled out his police badge. “If she’s here, I need to see her now.”
The old man squinted at the badge.
“She is very busy, but I will see what I can do.”
A few minutes later, the old man gestured that Kubu and Samantha could enter the house. Once they were in, he pointed to the side room. “There.”
As their eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, they saw an old woman wrapped in a blanket. She had white hair and a heavily wrinkled face.
“Sit over there.” She pointed to two low wooden stools.
Kubu and Samantha sat down and waited.
The old woman stared at them. Eventually she spoke in a husky voice.
“You want to know about Witness Maleng.” It was a statement, not a question.
Samantha gasped. “How did you know that?”
The old woman ignored her.
Kubu nodded. “Yes, mma. We are here about Witness Maleng.”
After a short silence, she spoke. “He came to see me after his daughter disappeared.” She paused again. Kubu and Samantha said nothing.
“His spirit was disturbed and angry. He said he had lost all he had. He wanted to know what had happened to his daughter and whether someone had put a spell on him.” Another pause.
“I told him to
look for someone who had recently been nothing and was now something.”
“Why did you say that?” Samantha asked eagerly.
Mma Gondo turned her head slowly and stared at Samantha. “Muti from a young girl is very powerful. It is used to bring success and power.”
“And you believe that nonsense?” Samantha’s voice was tinged with anger.
“Samantha. Please listen to Mma Gondo.”
“Your friend does not believe in the spirits.” Mma Gondo nodded. “But she will learn.”
“Mma Gondo,” Kubu said quietly. “Did you suggest that Rra Marumo was responsible for Witness’s daughter’s disappearance?”
“Why would I do that?”
“Big Mama told me that he came to her shebeen thinking that Marumo was going to win the election even though no one thought he could.”
“You think he killed Rra Marumo?” The old woman looked into Kubu’s eyes.
“Yes, mma. He is a suspect, but we don’t have final proof yet.”
“You asked if I mentioned Marumo’s name. No, I didn’t mention anybody’s name. I told him to look for someone whose luck had changed. That is the way of powerful muti.”
“Do you make muti?” Samantha blurted out.
Again, the old woman stared at Samantha.
“Of course.”
“From children?”
“My child. You know so little. It is not allowed to make muti from humans. And it is not proper.”
“But you said you made muti!” Samantha’s exasperation showed in her voice.
“Muti does not have to use human parts. Most witch doctors do not do that. They think it angers the spirits—harming one person to benefit another. Our muti uses herbs and barks and flowers. And sometimes we use parts of an animal if we can get them—from a cow or a lion. But never human body parts.”
“But some witch doctors do?”
The woman nodded slowly.
“Mma Gondo,” Kubu said quietly. “We need your help. Do you know anyone who would use human body parts to make muti?”
Deadly Harvest Page 13
