FATHER CONFESSOR - For The Motherland Book 2

Chapter 6

The shrill sound of the phone pulled Tsholo out of her deep slumber. What the hell? It was 5am. She had intended to be up at six. This was not on.

"Hello?" she mumbled into her cellphone.

"This is Nariti," a cold voice said into her ear. Tsholo swore her brain had a case of frostbite from that tone. "Meet me downstairs in ten minutes." The line went dead.

"I swear I'm going to wring the neck of that scrawny --" Tsholo mumbled as she kicked the covers back and got out of bed. Ten minutes didn't even afford her the luxury of a shower but she could at least look decent before she went down. She hurriedly brushed her teeth and got ready for the day. If the VP and Maboetsi's kids had not been in danger she would have flipped Nariti the proverbial finger. As it was, she was one of the few people who she had to rely on. For now. As soon as she was able, she was going to throw her in a ditch That thought cheered her up immensely and she made it downstairs with a minute to spare. She found Nariti at the front desk.

"Good morning, Detective Chief Inspector Nariti," Tsholo said with a cheerful grin. "I trust you are well rested and are ready to start the day. You are looking mighty -" Stiff? Cold? Aloof? Like you have a stick up your -- "Punctual today," continued with a huge smile. "To what to I owe the honour of your call at such a primitive hour?"

Nariti turned and headed to the entrance. With a roll of her eyes, Tsholo followed her. "We are going to interview the VP and the Commissioner General. We need to understand if they know why this has happened."

Tsholo followed the popsicle officer out the front entrance and to a 2018 Corolla. Getting into the passenger side, Tsholo buckled her belt and sat quietly in her seat. She didn't really have anything to say to Ms Arctic Butt in the driver's seat. At this early hour, Tsholo had thought the streets would be quiet, with most people still at home, waiting to start the day. Clearly not. While the streets were not packed with back-to-back traffic, there certainly were enough vehicles to warrant a little impatience on her part. After twenty odd minutes of driving, they arrived at the large gates of the Government House. After trading a few formalities with the guards, the gates were opened and Nariti drove in.

Tsholo didn't believe the number of guards who milled around were the normal number. Security must have been tripled following the previous night's events. It looked like sugar ants had been released atop a doughnut. Nariti parked the vehicle and got out, clearly expecting Tsholo to follow her without question. It was too early in the morning for words and Tsholo got out quietly and followed her. A couple of officers in uniform were waiting for them and they led them inside after a sharp salute. They were shepherded to a room where they found the Commissioner General pacing, his hands behind his back and a deep frown on his face. His wife sat on a chair, dried tears on her face and fatigue making her look like she was about to drop. Clearly she had not slept a wink that night.

The VP, Lawrence Merika and his wife, Miriam, sat opposite them, both looking haggard. They nodded at her and she returned their greeting with her own nod.

"Sir," Tsholo said as she walked up to her superior. "Mrs Maboetsi," she said, acknowledging his wife.

"Do you have anything for me, Detective?" Maboetsi demanded. His eyes were sunken in and his voice was raspy with fatigue. Despite that, he stood as straight as a baobab tree, defying the turmoil inside of him.

Tsholo opened her mouth to speak but Nariti spoke before she did. "We are following up a couple of leads, sir. We will have more information inside thirty minutes."

Tsholo almost took a step back as Maboetsi's dark brown eyes turned to appraise Nariti. She could see the fury start brewing in his eyes and as he took a step towards the unfortunate officer, Tsholo took a step forward to stand between them. Realisation finally dawned on Nariti's face and she took a hurried step back.

"Thabo," she said softly, calling him by his first name. She placed a hand on his forearm and stayed him. "Our team has been working non-stop with the Zimbabwean officers. There is nothing that we will not do to get Liam and Silvia back. They are two innocents caught in a war we don't understand but we will find them. I will do everything in my power to get them back."

Maboetsi closed his eyes tightly and took a deep breath. Without a word he turned and marched to his sobbing wife's side. He wrapped his arm around her where she sat and pulled her gently into his embrace. Tsholo felt tears prick the back of her eyes and she closed them tightly. She knew Moagi and had spent time with his family. This was personal for her.

"Sir, we --"

Tsholo was interrupted by Miriam's phone going off. Kenny G's Songbird floated gently over the team. The couple shared a look and frowned. Who would be calling them so early?

She answered the phone and her face changed. She looked helplessly at her husband and put the phone on speaker.

"I want to speak to the officer in charge," a dismembered voice said harshly. Merika grabbed the phone and snarled at it.

"Who is this?" he barked.

The line went dead.

"Can you trace the call?" Tsholo asked Nariti.

"Not at this point, no, but my guys will work on it immediately," she said. For once, there was no hostility in her voice.

She turned towards one of her officers. The man hurried over to her and she whispered something to him. He hurried off immediately. As he left the room the Kenny G song started up again.

Nariti moved quickly to the VP's side, took the phone and answered it. After a second she pressed the speaker button. A deep, guttural voice with a British accent came out of the speakers.

"Nariti," the voice said with a little chuckle. "The one person on the force who has zero negotiation skills. How pathetic that you would be put on this case."

Nariti's hand tightened on the phone and Tsholo thought for a moment that she would crush it in her hand. When she spoke however, her voice was cool and pleasant.

"What do you want?" she asked. "All we want are the children back."

"Don't you dare patronise me," the voice shouted suddenly. Then just as suddenly another chuckle filled the quiet room. "Because if you do, I have two very fresh little bodies that I am dying to try my new cleaver on. Do you know how easily a sharp knife goes through fresh meat?"

The two mothers in the room started sobbing as their husbands held them tightly.

The laugh sounded again.

"Now listen, and listen well. I need you to find a man for me. I will be magnanimous and give you two and half a hours to find him." The people in the room looked around at each other, confusion evident on their faces. "What? Nothing to say?"

"Who do you want?" Nariti asked, her voice flat.

"I thought you would never ask," the voice said jovially, as though the man on the other side was having a conversation about the price of bread at the local grocers. Then, his voice hardened and all trace of teasing was gone. "Find me Garikai Rukope in the time I have stipulated or I kill one of the children."

The line went dead as wails sounded in the room and a stunned Tsholo stood frozen in the middle of the erupting chaos.