Later that day, Phil sat next to Nawa at the counter at Goodies night club in Kalundu drinking Castle beer. The club was small but lively with overhead lights of various color illuminations shifting above them. Most of the seats were already taken and there were a few patrons already on the dance floor.
"So how did your investigations go earlier today?" Phil asked Nawa as he sipped his beer.
"We asked around campus. We talked to students and staff. They all don't know the woman."
"Did you also try the Registrar? Just in case one of the students..."
"Nothing. They don't know her either," replied Nawa gulping down his beer as Paul Ngozi's song "Ulemu" played through the loud speakers. Then he continued, "During our youthful days in the early eighties, Paul Ngozi was our main star. Just listen to his lyrics as he goes Ulemu, Ulemu."
Phil took another sip without replying. Then he asked, "What about the person who fished her out of the pond?"
"She was fished out by an old man. He is a cleaner at the campus. He said that two young fellows- a boy and a girl- were walking hand in hand early morning by the ponds. Then they saw a shoe protruding above the surface of the water. You know students boss. The girl wanted to get the shoe. But when she bent to pick it she realized that there was a dead person in the water. So they ran and reported to the cleaners. One of then, the old man, eventually fished her out of the pond."
"And they never saw or heard anything?"
"No they didn't. I took all their statements. It’s part of my report sir."
Phil took a longer sip from his bottle. Then Nawa said, “It is like this woman is just from outside campus. Just these prostitutes. Like you know sir prostitutes travel far and wide. Maybe she is from another town."
"And how exactly did you know the behavior of prostitutes?"
"Ah boss, we are both men here."
Phil opened his mouth to reply but then stopped himself. Instead his eyes landed on two scantily dressed girls across the hall. Nawa followed his gaze and then said, "See what I mean? Can I get them for company boss?"
Phil nodded. As Nawa left the seat, Phil ordered another beer. He received his order at once and took a long sip. After about two minutes he shot a second stare at the girls, only to see Nawa dancing with one of them already. With a smile, Phil shook his head. He looked at his wrist watch. 22:13 o'clock.
He was about to take another sip when he felt a soft tap on his left shoulder. He turned sharply and found himself looking at a light skinned woman with heavy makeup. She had dreadlocked hair.
"Hello ba brother," the woman said in a hoarse voice.
"Hello sis. What are you taking?" Phil said, happy to be in charge.
"Smirnoff."
Phil ordered Smirnoff for the woman. She sat down next to him without waiting for an invitation. The waiter brought the Smirnoff and the woman removed the bottle top using her teeth. She immediately downed half a bottle at a go and started tapping her feet on the ground.
"So you come here a lot?" Phil asked her while tapping his foot also on the ground in sync with Sam Mangwana's "Zimbabwe My Love" song which was now playing.
"Yes, ba brother. Is good place this one."
"Why do you say so?"
"OK, no fighting here. Like you are fighting because of the man, awe."
She finished her drink on the second gulp. Phil clicked his fingers at the waiter. The waiter looked at Phil who raised three fingers and then pointed at the empty Smirnoff bottle in front of the woman. The waiter brought three more drinks for her and she beamed with a broad smile.
"Ah ba brother," she said with another soft tap on his shoulder.
"By the way you didn't tell me your name."
"Agnesi," she said, shifting in her high stool and revealing her thighs which her black mini dress could hardly cover.
"Nice to meet you Agnesi. My name is Phil."
"OK ba Fiwu. Are you married with wife at house?"
"Not yet."
"Oh ba brother fye."
"You said women don't fight here over men, tefyo? What about drugs?"
"Which drugs ba Fiwu?"
"I hear that one woman got so drunk here with drugs that she went and drowned in the campus ponds."
"I don't know," she replied and then sipped her Smirnoff beer.
Phil shot a glance at Nawa who was now sitting in a corner. The girl was on his laps.
"Your friend, can she know about the dead woman?" he asked, pointing at the girl on Nawa's laps with his head. Agnesi turned and looked at her friend. Then she shouted, "Iwe Estele, come just one minute."
The girl walked over to Phil and Agnesi. She stared at Phil, lit a cigarette and asked thoughtlessly, "Has he agreed?"
"He is ba Fiwu. He is asking if you have heard about the woman who died at campus?" said Agnesi.
"Yes I heard," replied Estele
"Please sit down," said Phil excitedly. "What are you drinking?"
"Buy me Amarula. Plus cigarettes."
Phil repeated the order to the bar man.
"So Estele, you know the woman?"
"I said I heard."
The waiter brought a bottle of Amarula to them and opened it.
"Where?" Phil asked.
"On radio. They said a prostitute had drowned at campus."
"Did they? Which radio station?"
"Almost all of them reported at 13 hours and also 18 hours."
"Which radio station ba sister?"
"I heard on Phoenix, on UNZA radio and ZNBC radio 2."
Phil shook his head. He gulped down the remaining beer and then stood up.
"Excuse me ladies, I am going to the loo," he said.
"Don't run away from us ka? We give special service," said Estele. Phil laughed loudly as Estele displayed her sexual skills by wriggling her bottom and waist vigorously. Nawa clapped and then raised his thumb.
Phil walked across the club and then exited. Once outside he took a deep breath of cool fresh air and said to himself, "So who the hell authorized the statement to the media and yet I am still investigating?"