Chapter 19
It was a chilly Saturday night at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport. An Ethiopian Airline plane was on the runway. Next to it stood a South African plane. Phil checked his time. 21 hours.
He looked across at the other end of the airport terminal and noticed Nawa talking to some woman. Like him, Nawa was clad in black trousers and a black coat with a head cover, which only exposed his face. Nawa shot a quick glance at Phil and their eyes met for a second before Phil looked away.
An announcement was read on the loud speakers urging the passengers to start embarking. Phil quickly looked at the departure terminal and noticed a white couple emerging. Kneeling next to the exit and pretending to be doing some painting were two undercover cops.
"What if Chileshe is wrong about this?" Mercy asked Phil as she moved about with a broom pretending to be an airport cleaner.
"Let's hope not," replied Phil.
He again shot another discreet glance at the departure terminal and saw more people walking towards the plane.
"How many cops are we?" asked Mercy.
"I have deployed twelve cops for this operation and that doesn't include me, you or Nawa. They are all in position."
"I am sure they are tired of waiting. We have been here for the past two and a half hours."
Nawa lit a cigarette from his position. He stared at Phil.
"You are right Mercy," said Phil. "I can see and feel the tension myself. But you must continue sweeping now before people become suspicious."
Mercy moved away and began to sweep the area in front of them.
“I love you,” he whispered to her.
He coughed as he saw more and more passengers heading towards the plane.
"Have we messed this up too?" He said to himself. He went and stood near the firefighters where six of his armed men were. He stared at them and they stared back. He moved on.
A cargo vehicle moved on the runway towards the plane. Phil noticed two of his cops clad in Airport coats in it next to the driver. They reached the plane and started offloading the luggage.
Phil saw Nawa throw away his cigarette as more and more people entered the plane. In the dark skies above he could see blinking lights as an incoming plane moved towards the airport.
He looked at his watch again and sighed loudly. In the distance he could see Mercy chatting with an airport worker, whose broad smile seemed permanent.
The movement of people out of the departure terminus stopped. Phil began to walk towards the plane. Then he turned back and scratched his head. He spat on the ground. In the distance Nawa lit another cigarette as the engines of the plane became more intensely loud.
Another announcement concerning late arrivals came through the speakers. Phil stared at the terminus. Then he saw them.
He could clearly recognize Judy as well as her six friends. They were accompanied by a white man in a gown as well as two huge African men in black suits and hats carrying suit cases. He could not recognize them as he couldn't see their faces at that distance in the artificial night light.
The seven girls and the three men walked casually towards the waiting plane in groups of threes and twos. They were about to reach the stairway of the plane when Phil made a dashing run towards them. Nawa also started running towards the plane. The other cops followed suit.
"Excuse me ladies and gentlemen! Police!" yelled Phil slightly out of breath. The whole group turned to see who was stopping them.
"Phil!? What's going on?" asked the huge dark man in glasses. Phil blinked twice. He hit his head with his palm once.
"Sir, what are you doing here?" Phil asked.
"I am travelling with my colleague here. Anything the matter?"
Phil looked at the man's colleague and then at the white man. He put his hand on his heart. He felt that he might succumb to a heart attack, and then thought that he actually could, but then feared that he might not.
"Tell me that I am dreaming. Tell me I am not seeing and hearing what is happening now," pleaded Phil.
"What is wrong?"
“Is there a mistake somewhere? It looks like a serious mix-up,” said Phil.
“What is going on, Phil?”
"I am supposed to have all of you arrested," said Phil.
They all laughed loudly. Then the huge man said, "Look if this is somehow important, let us discuss it when I return in two weeks OK?"
"I know what is going on. I know what you have done. I know these girls by name and I know where you are taking them. It is just that I cannot believe what my eyes are seeing right now."
Phil turned to look at his twelve cops who had by now surrounded them. The airport staff as well as the airline staff had also approached the small crowd to witness the unfolding drama. Faces were seen on windows in the airport building as people peeped to witness the confusion near the plane.
“That is not only ridiculous but also it is also indiscipline on your part, Phil.”
“There is no mix-up. This is what has been happening all along. You are the actors running the show.”
“Which show? Have you started smoking dagga?”
“This show is over. The international sex trade is over. The court will determine the way forward.”
The three men looked at each other. Phil did not move.
"If you take this right, you can go away as rich men tonight. In addition you shall all earn promotions on your ranks. You have my word, Phil."
"What about Molly? Will she emerge out of this with a promotion too? What about Jane? She has left behind two little children. What about bashed guys in Garden? Do you even know anything about them or the pain you have left behind? The girl who died at Red Pepper sex den? What about these girls with you?" Phil shouted.
"You have a conscience hey? Things are not as they seem. In every situation, there are casualties, collateral damage. But life moves on. You must be concerned about fearing poverty. My offer frees you from that fear forever. Do you want to pursue a meaningless ideology?"
"What did Molly do wrong to deserve what happened?"
"Molly poked her nose into our business. She didn't listen to our warning. And neither are you, Phil."
"Are you threatening me sir?"
"Phil, a stubborn fly accompanies a corpse to the grave. That word is enough to a wise person."
"You shock me."
Four men dressed in airport security uniform arrived on the scene.
"You managed to catch the criminals, sir?" the airport security team leader asked Phil. Phil looked at him and acknowledged his presence with a slight nod.
He then turned to face the three men again.
The huge man the stretched his arm and said, "Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars for you and your men."
Phil cleared his throat. Then he said, "I now understand why our investigations were going nowhere."
"Three hundred thousand dollars. Right here, right now."
Phil motioned with his left hand towards the terminal, and the girls began to follow one armed cop towards the airport buildings. None of the men moved.
"Alright, you have taken the girls away. Congratulations. Now it’s only us. Three hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Take it and face the other way. You have earned it."
Phil turned and looked at Nawa. He nodded. He looked at Mercy and she nodded.
"Arrest them!" Phil ordered.
"Arrest us?" The huge man asked as he tried to move away.
At once, three cops moved in and there was a free for all scramble as they forced their Commanding Officer Mwenda's arms behind his back. They handcuffed him as the crowd of curious onlookers watched.
“You have made a terrible mistake Phil,” shouted Mwenda as the cops led him away. “You have no idea what you are up against.”
Three other cops moved on Kabongo and forced his arms behind. Kabongo resisted and pushed one cop away with a kick, for which he was struck with a baton on his head. He staggered and covered his left temple with his hand. When he le
t go, there was blood both on his temple as well as on his hand. The curious crowd grasped in horror. Another cop swept a kick across his legs, and Kabongo flew in the air before landing on his back. The cops then stepped onto his back and pinned him to the ground, thereby easily handcuffing him.
Two other cops forced a frightened Father Pacciotti's arms behind his back.
END OF PART ONE
About The Author
Besa Mwaba is a Zambian writer whose passion for the art started nearly twenty years ago. An engineer by profession but a creative writer by nature, he has worked on four contemporary fiction novels in addition to writing for several weblogs.
GOMA LAKE VICTIM 1 is his second fiction work.
Other Books by the Author
The Fifteenth Attempt- A perspective on Zambia’s participation at the Africa Cup of nations (Non Fiction)
Contact him on
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