Scum 4
Two years ago
“Are you alright?” Faith passed a bottle of water to a coughing Paul. They were standing in the compound of her parents’ house, taking a break from the parents-boyfriend firing squad. Paul emptied the bottle in one swig.
“Your mother is a brick wall,” he whispered.
“No, you can’t say that when you were fairly warned.” Faith held a hand up. “Wait. Did you say my mum?”
“Yes. Your dad was predictable. But Mrs Ahenful clearly did not like what she saw, and she wanted me to know it.”
“What are you talking about? My mum loves you.”
Paul rolled his eyes. “Yes, you keep ‘lying’ that.”
Faith chuckled. “I know I lied before about the other thing, but I promise, this is not a lie.”
“How would I know the difference, babe? I’ve listened to your many work stories. You’re literally a professional liar.”
“He’s right about that.”
They both turned. David Jones was standing in front of the gate, a smirk scrawled on his lean face.
“I should know.” He shrugged. “She gets it from me.”
Paul exchanged glances with Faith, his eyes questioning. She averted her gaze.
“What are you doing here, Jones?”
“I heard you were in town. I thought I’d say hello.”
“We had an agreement.”
“What?” He walked closer. “I can’t speak to you because you gave me some pocket change?”
He turned his attention to Paul. “You must be the boy toy.”
Paul smiled, his tongue pushing against his cheek.
“You know who I am, bruh?”
“I think you should leave,” Faith stared daggers.
“Or what? You’re going to arrest me again?”
“Try me.”
Jones charged towards her. Paul stepped forward, cutting him off.
“You don’t want to do that,” he warned.
Jones was in his face. “I asked you a question, bruh. You know who you’re talking to?”
Paul nodded. “Look, I get it, man. If I were you, and I lost her to someone like me, I’d probably do the same thing you’re doing right now. But if you don’t leave, there’s a chance you’ll get yourself arrested again. I mean, we both know she doesn’t bluff, right?”
Jones drew back, took a searing look at Faith, then backed away, one step at a time.
“You know what Karma is? A bad bitch. She’s gonna come get you, bruh. And you best believe that when that happens, I’ll be there to dance on your graves. You feel me?”
Paul waited till Jones was out of sight, then turned to Faith.
“Okay,” he sighed, “start from the beginning.”
***
Present Day
“Anything?”
Oteng joined Faith outside the event gardens. She shook her head. “No sign of him anywhere. The smart play for him would have been to get out of town.”
“Except he came to the church. Why do that in the first place?”
“To watch everything unravel. He wanted me to suffer, and he wanted to watch it happen.”
Oteng nodded. He wanted to ask his friend why she’d kept all this from him in the first place? She’d done this a hundred times. She knew better than to hold back information.
“I keep going over the past three days,” she said. “I can’t shake the feeling that I missed something, some sign that this was going to happen, but I don’t know what.”
Faith closed her eyes, tapping her phone against her forehead. Oteng watched her, contemplating addressing the elephant in the room. Faith had lost a man she loved less than twelve hours ago, and she was actively involved in the search for his killer. And now it was possible the killer was her ex. How long could she keep this up?
“Jones lived here for five years. He has friends here. I’m checking to see if I still have their contacts. Maybe he’s with one of them.”
“Why was he arrested before?”
Faith sighed. “Jones and I dated for a long time. When I broke up with him, he was angry. He told everyone I had stolen money from him and sent around posters that said I was a fraudster wanted by the police.”
“That’s weirdly specific. Any idea why he went that route?”
“He paid my fees in the University. My father was still out of the picture then, and my mum couldn’t afford it. So Jones offered to take it up.”
Oteng nodded, piecing the web together.
“Ace said that he was obsessed with going to America. What’s the connection?”
“He never got a visa. Got denied many times while we dated. Then, after the arrest, he claimed he was getting rejected because there was a conviction on his record. He blamed me for that.”
“I see. So you paid him back his money?”
“Yes, but it turned out it was never about the money. He’s always believed that I betrayed him and that Paul came between us.
Oteng held on for a moment, then asked the obvious question.
“Did you and Paul become a thing before or after you broke up with Jones?”
Faith held his stare. She didn’t have to say it.
Oteng nodded. “Got it.” So Jones had a very strong motive.
A figure appeared behind Faith. Oteng waved. “Your mother’s coming here.”
“What?” Faith turned and all but rolled her eyes. “I don’t have time for this. Tell her we’re leaving.”
Theodora reached them. “Maame, your brother told me you’re looking for Jones.”
“Yes, I just found out he was at the wedding. I didn’t get a chance to talk to him.”
“Well, you could have met him if you had listened to me earlier when I asked you to come with me.”
“You saw Jones?”
“Yes. I met him in the lobby after you walked out on me. You should have seen him in that suit and tie. I told him to wait and talk to you, but he said he was in a hurry. Call it a mother’s intuition; I could tell he still misses you.”
“Did he tell you where he was going?”
“He should be on his way back to Accra by now. I hear he’s built a beautiful mansion there.”
Faith turned to Oteng. “Okay. We go to the bus station. His bus might still be loading.”
“Station?” Theodora shook her head. “He was holding his car keys. And to think that he booked a night here. Jones? I’m telling you, that young man turned his life around.”
“He stayed at the hotel?”
“Mhm. That’s what he said.”
“Thank you, Maa. We have to go now.”
“I packed something for you two.” Theodora held out the takeaway bag she’d brought with her. Faith was already heading to the hotel lobby.
Oteng took the bag. ‘Thank you, Maa. That was very helpful.”
She nodded. “Please, make sure she eats something for me.”
He smiled. “I will.”
***
The receptionist, Ohenewaa, remembered Jones. She had checked him out seventeen minutes ago. No, she didn’t know anything else, but they could talk to the gateman. The security man took another look at the picture on Faith’s phone then looked up.
“Have you seen him today?”
The man nodded. “He left.”
“When?”
“Like twenty, fifteen, ten minutes ago.”
Oteng pulled out his notepad. “What car was he driving?”
“KIA Sorento. Like silver.”
“Anything else? Something noticeable about it?”
The man thought for a minute. “There’s a sticker at the back. A church sticker.”
“What church?”
“Yesu Mogya Tumi Fire Ministries.”
“Of course. Nameplate?”
“Oh no.”
“You know about the wedding, right?” Faith asked.
He nodded, pity creeping into his eyes. She held up a photo of Paul.
“Did you see him leave this morning?”
“No, madam. I come to work at six. The night shift guy was here.” He brightened up. “But I was here when the other man came in.”
“Are you sure? Oteng stepped in. “Ohenewaa says he arrived last night. Were you on night shift then?”
“No, no, not arrived o. Like he came back around seven when I was eating breakfast this morning.”
“He came back from where?”
The man shrugged. “He had earphones, camboo, and he was sweating plenty. Like when people do exercise.”
Faith turned to Oteng. He nodded.
“Thanks, boss.”
Oteng followed her into the parking lot. The ex went running too. There was no doubt now that this guy was guilty. He couldn’t imagine what was going through Faith’s mind. Did she somehow blame herself for his actions? Was she wondering what she could have done differently?
“Faith.”
She stopped.
“I’ll get the car’s description out. We’ll track his address and have a team waiting for him in case he slips through.”
“No.” She shook her head. “We’re going after him.”
“Faith, he’s at least ten minutes ahead of us. He could be anywhere right now. We can’t trail him all the way to Accra.”
“So, what, we just sit here and wait?”
Oteng baulked at the venom in Faith’s voice. “No. You said he has friends here. We can talk to them, maybe find a way to get a hold of him.”
“The minute we talk to his friends, he’ll get to know that we’re onto him.”
“Not necessarily.”
“O.T, I’m going after him. You can stay here if you want.” She yanked the car door open.
“Fine,” Oteng acquiesced. “Let me use the washroom, and then we’ll go. Okay?”
***
A local gospel tune was playing on the car’s radio. They’d been on the road for ten minutes now. No sign of Jones or his car. Faith pushed a knob, turning the radio off.
“You really should give your mum a break.”
She turned to Oteng.
“The way you spoke to her back there. Not cool. You’re lashing out at her. That’s what we do to the people closest to us when we’re hurting.”
Faith turned away. She didn’t want to talk about her mother. They had to find Jones. She couldn’t let him get away with this.
Oteng slowed down to answer a call, then picked up speed again.
“About the meeting this morning, Dubai thinks it’s time to close the case.”
“What?” Faith turned his way. “They can’t do that.”
“We’ve been at this for months. The trail went cold weeks ago. There’s nothing to go on.”
“That’s not true. We found out that we were wrong about our assumption that she had run off with her boyfriend. We know the texts her family received from her phone were not from her. That girl’s family deserves some closure.”
“We’ve done our best.”
“An innocent girl missing for months, probably dead, and that’s our stance.?”
“Innocent? She’s a sixteen-year-old girl who sneaked out of her father’s house in the middle of the night.”
Faith scoffed. “So we’re blaming the victim now?”
“I think we need to look at the facts. This girl wasn’t naïve. According to her friends, she flirted and doled out money regularly to the boys in her class and even propositioned older men, friends of her father, teachers, even strangers.”
“There was a catalyst for her behaviour.”
“Yes, her parents’ divorce.”
“Which was also the reason she was in Dubai in the first place.”
Oteng sighed. “You know, her friend could be wrong about the texts. Maybe she did send them. Maybe she’s out there somewhere, living her best life.”
“What is wrong with you?”
“What?” Oteng shrugged. “I’m just being honest.”
“No, you’re being unprofessional and judgmental and idiotic! This girl’s family was falling apart, and she just wanted to get attention. She was trying to survive circumstances created through no fault of hers. She deserves a chance to survive that. She deserves to come back home to the people who love her, or at the very least to get justice.”
Oteng took her hand in his. Faith tried to pull it free, but he held on to it.
“I know what you’re trying to do,” she said, her voice still shaking.
Oteng pulled up by the side of the road. “There’s no one here. If you want me to step out, give you a minute, I can do that.”
She blinked away the tears. “I just can’t believe this is happening. I’m looking for my husband’s killer on my wedding day. How did that happen?”
They sat there in silence as cars whizzed past them.
“My mum never liked Paul. She didn’t trust him. He was too good, she said; he had to be hiding something; If he’s that perfect, there are skeletons in his closet. I wanted to show her so badly how wrong she was. I wanted to show her that it was possible. That marriage could be a safe haven. I wanted to do that with Paul. I wanted us to celebrate all the anniversaries, raise healthy and happy children and be proof that it could be different. And now I’ll never get that chance. I deserved that chance. Paul deserved to be here. To live.”
“I’m sorry.”
She sniffled. “Jones and I, we were good together, at the time. Who I was, what I wanted, it fit in with his world until it didn’t. I let him get away with a lot of things because I didn’t think I could do better. He never hit me, but I knew that he could if I didn’t… behave. And for a long time, that was okay. That was what I knew until I met Paul. He showed me that there was better, that I could do better than my parents. I should have ended things with Jones before I said yes to Paul. But I wasn’t strong enough then. The last I heard, he was in Italy. I had no idea he was back in the country. I know I should have told you before, but it’s not something I’m proud of, and I just hoped that it wouldn’t come up. But none of that justifies what he’s done.”
“I know.”
Oteng’s phone rang.
“Inspector Kumi.” He put it on speaker.
“Inspector.”
“Good day, gentleman.”
“What do we have, sir?”
“My men have been searching the area where the body was found, hoping to get some clues left behind. We found a spot scattered with cigarette butts. I think this is where they waited for him.”
“You think it’s more than one person?”
“Yes, I can see at least two footprints in the soil.”
“Okay. How are we doing on the suspects?”
“As I told you, it’s a small town. We have been to their residents, and it seems they have absconded.”
“I’m sure you’ll track them down in no time.”
“Yes, we’re hot on their trail.” He coughed. “There’s one more thing.”
“Go on.”
“There’s a hole in the middle of the forest. Big enough for a body. It looks freshly dug.”
“They were gonna bury him.”
“That is correct. I think perhaps, they were interrupted before they could move the body. Also, considering this location, I don’t think a first-time visitor would find their way around easily. At least, not without the help of a local.”
“I agree with you on that. Thank you, sir. Let us know when you bring them in.”
“Roger.”
“Okay.” He turned to Faith. “We’re going back to town.”
“Yeah. Jones doesn’t know we’re on to him yet. We can pick him up when he gets to Accra.
Oteng turned the ignition. “Faith, Jones never left town.”
“What?”
“His car is parked in his old neighbourhood.”
“How…”
“I asked two of the officers who came for the wedding to check it out before we left. Ace gave directions.”
“Why didn’t you just tell me?”
“Because I didn’t think you were ready to face him. I still don’t, but you let some steam out, so I’m hopeful you’re not going to slit his throat on sight.”
***
When they arrived in Jones’s old neighbourhood, the two officers were standing by his car. Jones was shouting in their faces. Oteng parked the car, and the two stepped out.
“I know my right, ayt?” he was saying. “I’m not afraid of you. You can’t keep me here without any reason.”
“Jones.”
He turned. “Faith. What are you doing here?”
Oteng thanked the two officers and asked them to wait by their car.
“I waited to talk to you, to offer my condolences, but I was in a hurry.”
“So, why are you still here?”
“I came to see Olaka. But my car broke down. We were going to buy some parts, but those lunatics wouldn’t let me leave.”
He turned to Oteng. “Who’s this?”
“My name is Inspector Oteng. We need to—”
“So you sent those hoodlums?”
“We need to ask a few questions, Mr Jones.”
“About what?”
“The death of your ex-girlfriend’s husband.”
Jones turned to Faith. “What has that got to do with me?”
“When did you get into town?”
“Yesterday.”
“What time?”
“I don’t know. Eleven?”
“Were you alone?”
“What is this?” He raised his hands. “Wait, hold up. Am I a suspect or something? You think I killed your guy? Jesus.”
“Just answer the question?”
He sighed. “Yes. I was at the Palace hotel alone. I came for the wedding.”
“Why stay at the hotel? You have friends in town.”
“Because I can afford to choose a comfortable bed over spending the night on a friend’s sofa.”
“Alright. Did you ever see Paul at the hotel?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never met him.”
“Yes, you have.”
He frowned. “I meant it was a long time ago. I wouldn’t remember what he looks like.”
“What time did you leave the hotel?”
“Around nine for the wedding.”
“And before that?”
He shook his head. “What do you mean?”
“Did you leave the hotel before that?”
“No.”
“I see. Anyone who can vouch for you?”
“Like I said, I was alone.”
Oteng took a step forward. Jones, we have witnesses who saw the two of you together that morning. I’m giving you a chance to tell me the truth here.”
“What witnesses? There was no one there.”
Jones cursed, apparently realizing what he’d just said.
“Talk to me, Jones. I mean, what did Paul say to you?”
“Nothing.”
“I get it. He got the girl, so maybe he said something to piss you off, rub it in your face.”
“Nah, nothing like that.”
“You got a little angry. Said a few choice words.”
“That’s not how it happened!”
“Okay.” Oteng shrugged. “Then tell me what did happen. “
He licked his lips, focusing on Faith now. “Look, Olaka and the guys, they have a Saturday morning gyama workout. You can ask him when he gets back. I was on my way, and I saw him across the street. He looked familiar, so I called out his name, you know.”
“What did he say?”
“Nothing. He looked surprised to see me, but he waved. I said good luck today, he did a little salute, and he was gone. That’s it.”
“If that’s all that transpired, why lie about it?”
“What do you think? I heard he never came back to the hotel after he left. So that could mean I’m the last person who saw him. Right? I mean, I know how this works. I watch NCIS, man. The last person to see the victim is always a suspect.”
Oteng exchanged glances with Faith.
“Jones, you need to come with us to the station for further questioning,” she said.
Jones cursed. “I’m telling you; I did nothing to your boyfriend. I never even touched him.”
“You’re not under rest, Jones. Not yet.”
“So, I can say no?”
Faith smiled. “You can go of your own free will, or we can drag you kicking and screaming. Those are your only options.
Oteng waved over the officers.
“I don’t believe this.” He slammed his fist into the car’s body. “I should have known nothing good could come out of this. I should have told your mum no.”
“My mum?”
“Yeah. She’s the one who thought this was an opportunity for us to bury the hatchet. And like an idiot, I agreed with her.”
“What are you talking about?”
“She called me, sent me messages on Facebook. I didn’t want to be disrespectful. And I thought you were on board with it. I guess I was wrong.”
“You’re lying.”
“What? Why would I do that? Ask her if you don’t believe me. Ask her!”
He followed the officers into the car.
Oteng followed. He stopped when he realized Faith was still standing there.
“Are you coming?”
She was staring, a faraway look in her eyes. Oteng came up to her
“You remembered something?”
Her head bobbed up and down. “My mother brought up Jones on Thursday, after the traditional ceremony. Ace had got the call from his client to get to Accra, and we all came out to see Ace off. We stood around, chatting for a while. Divine told us Paul told him he would marry me when he came home from our first date. My mother said Paul was lucky that my ex Jones walked away, that Paul wouldn’t have stood a chance otherwise. Then everyone started teasing me about it. Paul said nothing the whole time. I thought he was uncomfortable. He was just staring at the ground, his hands in his pocket. And when l got him to look me, he had this look, so I told them to cut it out.”
Faith buried her face in her hands, wondering now why she explained it away, why she didn’t ask him about it. If she had, maybe he would have told her. Maybe she could have stopped everything.
“Faith?”
She watched the car and Jones disappear down the road. “I don’t think Jones is lying about my mother, and I don’t think Paul was uncomfortable. I think he was afraid.”
Oteng narrowed his eyes. “Afraid of what?”
***
The large compound was filled with plastic chairs. Guests were weaving in and out of the house. Theodora Ahenful moved from table to table, receiving condolences and recounting the days’ events over and over again. Presently, she was talking to the parish priest. Fr. Manu had expressed regret over his actions that morning and wanted to convey his regrets to Faith. As she had done all day, Theodora explained that the whole thing was too much for the poor girl, and she was trying to get some rest. In the middle of that lie, she looked up and saw her son talking on the phone. Theodora excused herself from the table and waved Ace over to her side. The two entered the house and found an empty room. Closing the door did little to drown out the loud music.
“Was that your sister?” She asked.
Ace nodded.
“What did she say?”
“They’ve picked up Jones, and they’re taking him to the station.”
Theodora nodded, adjusting the neckline of her Kaba.
“Maa, what is it?”
She held her son’s hand in hers and looked around the room to make sure they were alone.
“I need you to listen to me and do exactly as I say. Do you understand?”
©2021 AMA POMAA
Photo by Houcine Ncib on Unnsplash
Okay, I can explain. No, you know what? No excuses. This is on me, but I made up for it with a much longer episode as you can see. Thanks for reading. At this point, all my cards are on the table. You should have your number one suspect in mind by now because the next episode will remove all doubts. As always, let me know your thoughts in the comment section. And if you don’t want to miss the next part, let me notify you of updates.
Have a productive week!
