Murder at Cape Three Points (2 page)

“I’m okay for now,” he said, slipping his fingers into her soft palm.

Hosiah must have heard their voices. He stirred and his eyes fluttered open.

“Hey, Champ,” Dawson said, smiling. He passed his hand gently back and forth over Hosiah’s hair, cut low just like his dad’s. The more the boy grew up, the more he resembled Dawson.

Hosiah’s eyes lingered on Dawson’s face first and then traveled to his mother’s and back to Dawson’s.

“How do you feel?” Dawson asked him.

“Good.” Hosiah gazed around the room for a moment as he again familiarized himself with his surroundings. General anesthesia played tricks on the mind and the memory. “Mama?”

Christine went to the other side of the bed to be closer to him. “What is it, sweetie?”

“I’m hungry.”

She exchanged a smile with Dawson. That was a good sign. She kissed Hosiah’s forehead. “They’re going to bring you something soon.”

“How hungry are you, Champ?” Dawson asked.

Through his sleepy haze, a smile played at the corners of Hosiah’s lips. He had a little game with his father. “I’m very, very, very,
very
hungry.”

“Hungry enough to eat twenty balls of
kenkey
?”

Kenkey
, made from fermented corn, was a staple particularly among the Ga people.

Hosiah began to laugh, then winced. “Daddy, don’t make me laugh. It hurts.”

“Dark,” Christine said reproachfully.

“Sorry,” he apologized sheepishly.

Hosiah turned pensive. “Daddy, did they really fix the hole in my heart?”

“Yes, they did.”

“So, now I’ll be fine? I can play soccer and do everything?”

“If the operation went the way it was supposed to and you heal up well.”

“And how is my favorite patient?”

One of the nurses had arrived with Hosiah’s lunch on a tray. She smiled at him. “Are you ready to eat something?”

“He’s more than ready,” Dawson said.

Christine and Dawson helped Hosiah to sit up. Dawson watched the boy’s face to see how much discomfort he was having, but his son registered little. Over countless visits to the hospital, Dawson had observed just how tough sick children could be. Hosiah could take any injection or tolerate a large-bore intravenous catheter with barely a ripple of concern. Dawson, on the other hand, was afraid of needles.

The meal was light—two slices of tea bread with honey, and a bowl of Tom Brown, a popular cereal made from lightly toasted corn. Hosiah attacked it ferociously.

“Slow down,” Christine said, laughing. “Breathe in between mouthfuls.”

The boy took a rest. “When is Sly going to be here?”

“I’ll pick him up from school later and bring him to spend time with you,” Dawson said.

He had first met nine-year-old Sly on a previous case. For a while, the boy had disappeared, surfacing later as a homeless street kid. Neither Dawson nor Christine could leave him to that fate, especially after they’d learned that Sly did not even know who or where his parents were. They began adoption proceedings, and months later Sly was officially a Dawson. Two years older than Hosiah, he was protective of his younger brother and anxious to visit him in the hospital after school.

Dawson’s phone buzzed, and he went out to the corridor to take the call. It was his junior partner, Detective Sergeant Philip Chikata.

“Where you dey?” Chikata asked in fashionable pidgin.

“I’m at the hospital.”

“How is Hosiah?”

“Fine, so far. He’s a strong boy.”

“He is. Can I visit him tomorrow?”

“For sure, no problem. He’ll be happy to see you.”

“How long will they keep him?”

“They say he can go home on Tuesday.”

“Okay.” The sergeant paused. “Listen, my uncle will be calling you soon.”

Chikata was the nephew of Chief Superintendent Lartey, Dawson’s boss. Lartey doted on his nephew, who sometimes acted as a messenger between him and Dawson.

“What’s going on?” Dawson asked.

“He wants you back at work on Monday.”

Dawson’s eyebrows shot up. “But I’m on leave,” he protested, his voice sharpening.

“I know, but he says an urgent case has come up.”

“Do you know what it’s about?”

“Not exactly, but I know it’s in Takoradi.”

“Takoradi!”

“Yah. I wanted to let you know before he calls you, so you won’t be too shocked.”

Dawson heaved a sigh. “Okay. Thank you for warning me.”

He ended the call and returned to the ward. Hosiah had finished lunch and gone back to sleep. At his bedside, Christine looked up from her romance novel.

“You don’t look too happy. Who was that on the phone?”

Dawson sat down, reaching over to tilt her novel up so he could see the cover. “Honestly, what do these men have that I don’t?”

“You wouldn’t understand,” Christine said enigmatically. “So, who called you?”

“Chikata. He says Lartey wants me back at work on Monday.”

She stiffened visibly. “Why? For what?”

“A new case. In Tadi.”

“
Takoradi!
” She put the book down and dropped her voice to a sharp whisper. “No, you can’t do this. Hosiah needs us both right now.”

“I know.”

“Why does Lartey always do this?” She demanded furiosly. “What is wrong with that man?”

“You’re asking me?” Dawson said gloomily.

“He’s your boss, isn’t he?” She snapped.

“He could be my twin brother, and I still wouldn’t understand him.”

“You can’t go,” Christine said, shaking her head vigorously. “You simply cannot.”

She snatched up her novel. Dawson, sensing a looming crisis, said nothing. He was praying something would come up miraculously to change the chief superintendent’s mind. However, when Lartey called within half an hour, Dawson had a sinking feeling.

“Massa,” he answered in the colloquial but respectful manner of addressing a senior officer. “Good afternoon, massa.”

“Afternoon, Dawson. How is your boy doing?”

Dawson stood up again to go outside the ward. “He’s making a slow recovery, sir.” He didn’t want to give too glowing a report.

“Good. I need you to return to your duties on Monday.”

“You gave me ten days off—”

“You can make it up some other time,” Lartey interrupted briskly. “We have a petitioned case from Takoradi, and I’ve assigned you to take it.”

“Please, sir, it won’t be possible to leave Hosiah right now. He’s still quite sick, and he needs me to be around for at least—”

“You have a wife, don’t you? Now you listen to me, Dawson. Your solving that serial killer case last year doesn’t suddenly make you a VIP. Your rank is still inspector, and you are still a junior officer. If you’re planning to move up the ladder, may I remind you that you are up for chief inspector next year, and I will be one of the senior officers on the panel recommending your promotion?”

Dawson swallowed hard. Lartey had cut him down to size with a single swipe.

“If you’re refusing to go to Takoradi,” the chief superintendent continued crisply, “don’t expect me to endorse your promotion. Instead, I will initiate dismissal procedures for insubordination. Take your pick.”

Dawson shut his eyes for a moment and gritted his teeth. Promotion
versus dismissal was hardly a dilemma. The chief was serious about his threats, and he had Dawson by the throat.

“Yes, sir,” he said lightly, as if an unpleasant exchange had not just occurred. “What’s the story, sir?”

“Do you remember about four months ago a fishing canoe was spotted from an oil rig off Cape Three Points floating around with two dead bodies inside, one of which was decapitated?”

“Yes. It was in the news for some time. The victims were a Mr. and Mrs. Smith-something, if I remember.”

“Charles and Fiona Smith-Aidoo. She was a member of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly. He worked for Malgam Oil as director of corporate affairs. The canoe came drifting in full view of the Malgam rig. As if that wasn’t enough, their niece, Sapphire Smith-Aidoo, who is a physician, was on duty on the rig at the time this all happened.”

Dawson frowned. “What a bizarre story.”

“It is. The bottom line is the murder is still unsolved, and the doctor filed a petition with CID Headquarters last month asking us to investigate, and the director general has approved it. Someone has to go to Takoradi, and I have decided it will be you. Superintendent Hammond is the regional crime officer in charge at Sekondi HQ. You’re to report to him once you get there.”

“And when am I to leave, sir?”

“Monday.”

“Please, Hosiah goes home from the hospital on Tuesday. Can I leave on Tuesday instead?”

Lartey paused and then acquiesced. “Yes, all right—but directly after he returns home. There’s no time to waste. I want this cleared up quickly. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

“My assistant has left the docket in your desk at headquarters, so read it and get up to speed.”

“I’ll do that, sir.”

“Chikata will join you in Takoradi on Friday. He hasn’t done a case outside Accra, so I would like him to have some free rein. I expect you to give him the benefit of your experience.”

“Of course.” That was fine with Dawson. In fact, he would be glad
to have the detective sergeant with him. He could be a handful, but Dawson was fond of him. When Chikata had begun working with him years ago, he had been cocky and incompetent, but he had improved so much that Dawson trusted him completely now.

“One last thing,” Lartey said. “Dr. Smith-Aidoo works in Takoradi but has been in Accra the past three days. I told her to get in touch with you this afternoon after I spoke with you, so she will be calling to fill you in with the details of the case.”

“Okay, sir.”

“That’s all, Dawson.”

“Have a good weekend, sir.”

Lartey grunted and ended the call abruptly. Dawson’s heart was heavy. Now he had to face his wife and his two sons, one of them barely out of major surgery, and tell them he was going away. It would not go down well.

Chapter 2

T
HE SOMBER MOOD AT
Hosiah’s bedside was thick enough to chop into pieces. Dawson was despondent, and Christine was furious about the Takoradi assignment, but as Hosiah stirred and woke up again, they did their best to put away their glum frame of mind and keep their son in good spirits.

As Christine propped him up on his pillows, Dawson’s phone buzzed, and the screen showed a number he did not know. His guess was that it was Dr. Smith-Aidoo, and he was right.

“Has Chief Superintendent Lartey briefed you about the death of my aunt and uncle?” she asked him, after mutual introductions. Her voice was as distilled and clear as crystal, and Dawson immediately liked it.

“He has,” he said, “but, Doctor, I’d like to meet with you as soon as possible. Chief Lartey was very brief, so I will need to get more details from you.”

“I was hoping you would say something like that. I’m eager to meet as well. I’ve heard about you—the serial killer case from a year ago made you famous.”

“Thanks.” He didn’t like to dwell much on past achievements, so he moved on. “I should caution you that I might ask uncomfortable questions or things you’ve already gone over with the previous investigators.”

“I expect that and look forward to it. I just want whoever did this to my aunt and uncle to be captured and brought to justice. Where are you right now? Can we meet in the next couple of hours?”

“I’m at Korle Bu. My son Hosiah has just had heart surgery.”

“Chief Superintendent Lartey mentioned that. I understand Hosiah is doing well?”

“Yes, thank you, Doctor.”

“God bless him. I’m so glad. I can meet you there. I assume Hosiah is in the Cardiothoracic Center?”

“Yes.” He gave her the room number.

“Who was that?” Christine asked as Dawson hung up.

“The doctor I was telling you about.” Dawson explained. “The niece of the victims. She’s going to come here so we can talk about the case. You’ll have to pick Sly up, and I’ll stay instead.”

She pressed her lips together with displeasure. It hadn’t been long since Lartey’s call, yet the case was already intruding, turning things upside down like a disruptive houseguest.

A
N HOUR OR
so later, Christine left to get Sly. With afternoon traffic building toward rush hour, it would be a while before they returned. As Dawson read a favorite Ananse comic with Hosiah to pass the time, his gaze shifted to the door where two women were entering. The first was the matron—the senior nurse—whom Dawson knew. She was buxom, but the other woman was tall, with fair, copper-colored skin. She wore a black trouser suit with a glimpse of an indigo blouse at her neckline. Her face was heart-shaped, and her head was crowned with luxuriant black curls. Tiny freckles dotted both cheeks like sprinkles of cinnamon.

“Inspector Dawson,” the matron said, “you have a visitor.”

He stood up. “You must be Doctor Smith-Aidoo.”

“Yes.” She smiled. “I’m very pleased to meet you.”

They shook hands.

The doctor moved closer to the bed. “And this is Hosiah, the perfect patient I’ve heard so much about? How are you, young man?”