A Death in the Family (37 page)

“Look, Koma, we're wasting time. This is cut and dried. One, you obtained an illegal gun. Two, your father was shot with that caliber gun. Three, no one else had the opportunity. Forget about the mysterious assassin with the silenced gun. We have the photographs, remember? There wasn't anyone else close enough to fire a shot from that angle, let alone take out your pocket in the process. So we know you bought the gun from Emefiele. We know you fired the shot that killed your father through your pocket. Actually, two shots. You even left the spent cartridges in the revolver cylinder. We even know why you did it.”

For a long moment Julius said nothing. At last he repeated, “Why I did it?”

“Your father was going to throw you off the council of elders, wasn't he? You knew he'd turn down the mine's offer. But that wasn't the real reason, was it? You were going to lose all that money from the mine. And even that wasn't the main reason.”

“It wasn't?” Julius was transfixed now, as though watching a snake.

“No, the real reason was for the people of Shoshong. To preserve the town you loved and its young people. To make a future for them. That's why you did it.”

Slowly Julius nodded. “Yes,” he said as though recognizing a revelation. “That is why I did it.”

The lawyer started to say something, but Julius brushed him aside. “There was no other way. I respected my father, but we had to move forward. There was no other way, was there?”

Kubu leaned forward, almost touching the glass. His mouth was slightly open.

Mabaku shook his head. “No other way. He wouldn't listen to you, would he? He wouldn't accept that Shoshong would die without the mine expansion. Perhaps I would've done the same in your place.” Mabaku nodded slowly.

“He's overdoing it,” Kubu muttered. “Julius is too smart. He'll wake up.”

But he didn't. Over the next half hour, he told a rambling story. How his father had always despised him, always blocked his ideas, always lived in the past. How Julius had seen a way forward with the mine. It was a story he wanted to tell. His lawyer was flabbergasted and tried to shut him up, but Julius ignored him, and so the whole story came out.

“That was brilliant,” Kubu said at the end, breathless. “How did the director know?”

Ian thought for a moment. “Julius needed a justification for his hatred of his father, Kubu. Mabaku gave it to him, and he couldn't resist it.”

 

CHAPTER 57

Mabaku allowed them all a half-hour break and suggested to the lawyer that he advise his client to get everything off his chest. The lawyer nodded nervously, wondering what further revelations lay ahead. Julius was turning out to be a nightmare client.

Samantha came into the viewing room with a big smile and accepted Kubu and Ian's congratulations, telling them that Mabaku had gone to phone the commissioner. Julius's confession would finally put the
kgotla
riot case to rest, but the tension around the mine expansion and the issue of the new chief would remain, of course.

The break was soon over, Samantha rejoined Mabaku, and Kubu realized that the main act was about to begin. He felt a little light-headed as he anticipated knowing at last what was behind his father's brutal murder. However, things started slowly.

“My client has nothing more to say,” the lawyer announced. “He's told you the circumstances behind his father's death. That's it.”

Mabaku ignored the lawyer and focused on Julius.

“Tell us about Wilmon Bengu,” he said.

“I've told you everything before,” Julius said, and went on to summarize the story of their meeting.

“What about the second meeting?”

“I didn't see him again.”

“We found Rra Bengu's blood on a belt you were wearing. How do you explain that?”

Julius seemed thrown by the question. Kubu leaned forward so far that he almost touched the glass.

“All right, there was a second meeting. But I didn't kill him! I found him lying on the ground. I thought he'd collapsed, so I tried to help him up, and my hand came up covered in blood. That must've been how I got it on my clothes.”

“He's lying!” Kubu said. “Why can't he just tell me what happened? I have to know!” Ian put his hand on Kubu's shoulder. Julius glanced up at the mirror, as if he'd heard something. Then he returned his attention to Mabaku.

The director stared at him for so long that eventually Julius dropped his eyes and looked away.

“Start from the beginning. How did you arrange this second meeting? I thought Rra Bengu wasn't too keen on your visits.”

“The same way as before. But I told him the chief himself wanted to meet him. That if he proved what he said, the chief would use it to block the mine's expansion. That's what they all wanted, these old men…”

“And did Chief Koma know about all this?”

“Of course not. I wanted to see it myself.”

“What was it you wanted to see? What Rra Bengu claimed? And what was that?”

Julius put his head in his hands. They came away wet with sweat.

“The deed. The deed that he had rights to use much of the land where the mine was going to expand. My father had said he remembered such a usage grant, and Bengu confirmed it the first time I met him.”

“Did you tell your father that?”

“That would've been crazy! He'd have used it as an excuse to block the mine! But Bengu was an old-timer. He had great respect for the chief, so he agreed to meet with him and discuss the situation. So I set up the meeting, and he promised to bring the document to show the chief.”

“Go on.”

“I've told you! When I found him, he was dead. Murdered.”

“Why didn't you tell us this before?'

“You wouldn't have believed me.”

“No,” Kubu muttered. “You're damn right about that. And I don't believe you now, you bastard.”

Mabaku took his time. “Did you tell anyone else about this land title?”

Julius hesitated. “I told Hong.”

“Why did you do that?”

“They needed to know. It was important information for them.”

Julius didn't sound convincing to Kubu, and clearly Mabaku felt the same way.

“No, it was important for
you
, Rra Koma. If you could get your hands on that document, the mine would have to negotiate with
you
to keep it secret.”

Julius shrugged. “Shonhu must've got to him before I did. Killed him and took the document. Probably he destroyed it. There wasn't any other record of the land grant. I checked.”

“Did you know his house was searched the next day? Was that also Shonhu?”

Julius waited for so long that Kubu thought he wasn't going to answer. When he did answer, he said it almost too softly for the mikes to pick up. “No, that was me.”

“Why search his house if you believed Shonhu already had the document?”

“I thought maybe the old man had left it at the house by mistake. He was senile. It was possible; worth checking before his wife found it. And I knew the house would be empty after the murder.”

“And did you find anything?”

“No. So Shonhu took the document. He probably destroyed it.”

“Did you ask him?”

“No. I was scared of him. By then I'd learned that they'd stop at nothing to get what they wanted. That's the real reason I got the gun. I was scared of Shonhu!”

Kubu shook his head and said to Ian, “He's forgotten that having the gun for protection was part of the other set of lies. We're long past that.”

“When did you tell Hong about the second meeting with Bengu?”

Julius shook his head. “I was going to look at the document and see what to do. Then I would have spoken to Hong. Maybe the whole thing existed in the old man's head. I didn't want to get them upset for nothing. I told you they're dangerous!”

“So how did they know where to find Rra Bengu? How did they know he'd have the document with him?” It was Samantha who delivered this question.

Julius looked at her as though noticing her for the first time. Then he looked back to Mabaku and spoke to him. “They must've tapped my phone.”

Samantha spoke again. “No, Rra Koma. You never called Rra Bengu from your phone, or we'd have been onto you long ago.”

Julius glanced at her and again addressed Mabaku. “I don't know how they found out! I don't know. Why don't you ask them?”

Mabaku folded his arms. “Oh, we'll do that, Rra Koma. But they won't know either, because that's not what happened at all. You set up the meeting, and you
did
meet Rra Bengu, and you
did
ask him for the document. But he didn't trust you, did he? He wanted to see the chief. He wouldn't show you the document. In fact, he hadn't brought it with him. You discovered that after you killed him. That was a mistake, wasn't it? Because after that you couldn't ask him where it was!”

“No, no! You're wrong. I didn't—”

“Come on, Julius, get it over with. You've already admitted killing your father. What does one more old stick-in-the-mud matter? Let's finish this now.”

However, that seemed a step too far for Julius. He denied it and denied it. And he kept glancing at the mirror as though he knew Kubu was there, waiting to pounce when the words of admission finally came out of his mouth.

At last Mabaku called it a day. “Rra Koma, I'm charging you with the murder of Rra Wilmon Bengu, an old man who'd done you no harm, but who you thought stood in your way, so you killed him. Be glad his son isn't sitting here instead of me. He'd tear you apart. I'm tempted to do that myself.”

He rose to his feet and signaled Samantha that they were leaving. “Take him back to his cell,” he called to the guard as he slammed the door.

In the observation room, Kubu sat stunned. “He didn't admit it. He admitted killing his own father, but not my father. Why not?”

Ian shook his head. “Humans are strange, Kubu. Who knows what goes on in their heads? But it doesn't matter. Mabaku painted him into a corner. Julius set up the meeting, and his story about telling Hong makes no sense. So no one else knew about the meeting. He admitted being there with Wilmon's body. Obviously, he demanded the document and stabbed Wilmon when he refused to give it to him. He must've searched the body—that's how he got blood on his clothes—and the next day, he searched the house. Maybe he found the document and destroyed it, but I don't think so. He's a hoarder. He even kept the coat he used when he shot his father. He would've kept the document in the safe with the gun.” He paused. “You never heard about this land grant? Maybe it didn't even exist.”

Kubu shook his head. He had no idea how to answer.

Then Mabaku came in with Samantha, and Kubu realized that the last act of the performance was over.

 

CHAPTER 58

Kubu felt a pang of loss as he and Joy climbed the stairs to the veranda of his parents' home. It was the first time since Amantle had moved back to Mochudi that his family had driven up for their weekly Sunday visit. Normally his father would be sitting there, quietly awaiting their arrival, but today his chair was empty.

Ilia, too, knew something was different. She yapped excitedly as she bounded ahead of Kubu to where Wilmon usually sat, but then stopped and looked around for the man who loved to rub her ears. When she didn't see him, she sat down and whined.

“Hello, Mother. We're here,” Kubu shouted as he was overtaken by Tumi and Nono, who ran straight into the house.

A few moments later, Amantle appeared, each girl clinging to a hand, pulling her outside.

“
Dumela
, Mother. How are you?” He wanted to hug her, to help close the void he'd felt since his father's death. Instead he extended his right hand, touching his right forearm with his left hand in the traditional way.

“
Dumela
, my son,” Amantle said, letting go of the girls and taking his hand. “You are welcome in our home, and…” She stopped abruptly, then continued, “You are welcome in
my
home, and…”

It was too much for her. She hung her head in confusion and burst into tears. Before Kubu could react, Joy took her in her arms.

“Don't worry, my mother,” Joy said. “It doesn't matter. For us, it will always be your and Wilmon's home. He's here in spirit anyway.” She patted Amantle on the back. “Come, let's go and prepare lunch. I've brought some cold meats and a potato salad.”

Amantle nodded, unable to speak, and the two women went inside to prepare the food.

As usual, Kubu stayed outside, except, this time, his father wasn't there to talk to. Kubu stood at the railing, lost in memories of his father.

“Daddy, Daddy, can we go and play in the garden?”

Kubu didn't hear Tumi's request.

“Daddy, Daddy, can we go and play in the garden?” This time Tumi grabbed Kubu's arm and shook it.

“Yes, my darling, but don't pull any plants out,” Kubu said, coming out of his reverie. “See how many names you can remember and teach them to Nono.”

With squeals of delight, the two kids ran to the back of the house, where Wilmon had tended a herb and vegetable garden ever since Kubu could remember. It had been Wilmon's passion.

What's going to become of it now? Kubu wondered, realizing that his mother knew nothing of gardening. It would be a shame to see it overtaken by weeds. He shook his head. So much is going to change, he thought.

*   *   *

“DARLING, PLEASE GET
the girls. Lunch is ready,” Joy called from inside the house.

“Yes, dear. We'll be right there.”

Kubu went down the stairs and walked around to the back of the house. As he neared the little fenced garden, he was pleased to hear the girls giggling. It was a blessing that they got on so well.