Goma Lake Victim 2 (The Bigger Picture)

GOMA LAKE VICTIM 2

(The Bigger Picture)

Besa Mwaba

GOMA LAKE VICTIM 2

(The Bigger Picture)

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2017 Besa Mwaba

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Acknowledgements

I wish to express my gratitude to everyone who had a hand in ensuring that this project came to fruition. It has been no easy task and has taken many months to compile.

In my research I faced a number of limitations, basically to do with time resource as well as source material. However I wish to express my gratitude to my research assistant Jonathan Lungu who spent hours intensely reading through a ton of literature.

I give special thanks to Harriet Storrs for her incisive and carefully thought out review of the plot. I am equally indebted to Tracy Collins for her insightful review.

I am also grateful and indebted to Joseph Chona for proofreading the material.

I am thankful to Kasao Chinyanta, Anthony Musonda, Fungai Kalindawalo and Mwila Kabaso for their unwavering support and encouragement throughout the project.

My family deserves special thanks for their support and understanding especially during the long nights of work.

*****

Senior Detective Phil Chisha of the Zambian Police service must make a tough decision after his investigation into the circumstances surrounding the discovery of a second woman’s corpse in the university of Zambia grounds points to a member of the first family. As he attempts to negotiate his way through this politically dangerous maze where he necessarily must step on some big toes, he realizes that he must adjust his own lifestyle to avoid being a target of his powerful and influential opponents.

*****

Chapter 1

POLICE TOP CAT IN INTERNATIONAL SEX SCANDAL

By staff Reporter

Police in Lusaka have now finally revealed that one of the accused persons arrested in connection with the recently unearthed international sex scandal is the Commanding Officer for Lusaka Central police. According to an inside source, the top cat was the co-mastermind of the trade route that linked Zambia to Greece sexually. There is panic within the top command as public confidence in the Zambia police has waned considerably. The illicit syndicate came to light after a series of revelations which began with the discovery of Molly Tembo's body at the Goma lakes within the University of Zambia grounds. Molly was a leader of one of the most active NGOs in Zambia.

In another development, Republican President Henry Miyanda has assured Zambians that the new Mines and Minerals law will remain in place despite fierce protests from the mining companies.

Addressing the press during the official opening of the Zambia Trade Fair show in Ndola yesterday, the President said that minerals are a wasting asset and that it was the duty of any responsible government to ensure that its citizens benefited from the country's resources while they lasted. There has been a steady rise in metal prices with copper fetching at over US$6,800 per ton on the London metal Exchange today.

The new Mines and minerals law places a royalty tax of thirty percent over and above the prescribed profit threshold. With the prevailing prices, Mining corporates are enjoying super profits.

But the mining companies have been protesting for months against the implementation of the law arguing that the almost forty percent corporate tax that they already pay is suffocating enough. They also complain of high electricity tariffs as well as logistics costs in Zambia which significantly raise the cost of production thus negating any gains that are made from the elevated international market prices. The Mining companies have threatened to pull out their investments from Zambia if this law is not reversed.

Last week, the President declared that he would rather nationalize the mining industry than reverse the law.

Detective Phil Chisha put the Times newspaper back on the old wooden reception table next to the Daily Mail. He scratched his hard cheekbone for a second before releasing a sigh. The wooden door on his right opened and a young female receptionist walked towards him. Phil stood up from the visitor’s chair in order to greet her. Spotting an afro hair style which enhanced her natural dark complexion, she moved in quick, short steps towards him.

She is waiting for you. Sir. You may enter, she said to him. Phil nodded and then walked towards the door that she was pointing at. He knocked once and then entered the office.

It was a large office whose four walls were painted blue. The curtains were blue and visibly old. There were two filing cabinets in one corner and a fridge in another which kept emitting a low, buzzing sound. Near the window and seated behind a large table was a dark, chubby woman in dark green striped police uniform.

Sit down, Detective, she said, pointing to an empty seat across her table. Phil sat down.

I shall get straight to the point. We, the police high command, are pleased with your efforts lately. And here, I am referring to the manner in which you solved the international sex trade syndicate involving your boss. We had been suspecting about its existence for a long time now, but we couldn't get any evidence.

Thank you, Commissioner. But we owe it to Molly Tembo. She uncovered it and lost her life in the process.

Yes indeed, she said, running her fingers in her short, natural hair.

Phil pulled at his moustache as he stared at her.

By the way, what have the suspects said so far? She asked him.

As you are aware, I have a total of four suspects. Kabongo has been charged with the murders of Molly and Jane. He has also been charged with aggravated robbery. He has also been charged with escaping from lawful custody. He has also been charged with causing death by dangerous driving. And we have charged him with illegal recruitment of girls into sex work.

That son of a bitch! Is there a law which he has not broken?

We have solid grounds on each of those counts, madam. We have nailed him.

What about the other suspects?

We have charged Chileshe with running an illegal brothel and complicity in sex crimes.

Is that all? After all from your report, this is the guy who was at the center of the trade and facilitated everything. Surely we can do better than that?

Yes madam. That is true. But we entered into an agreement with him. It was solely due to his lead that we managed to arrest the two masterminds Mwenda and Pacciotti. In consideration we gave him a lesser charge.

Alright I can't argue with you. You are the hero of the moment, boy. Even the Police IG himself has mentioned your name to the government leaders.

Phil blushed.

She continued, What about Mwenda and Pacciotti?

They have been jointly charged with masterminding the international human trafficking syndicate as well as the murder of Molly.

How has Mwenda taken it?

Badly. He was my boss, madam. Each time he looks at me when I visit him in detention, he shakes his head sadly.

And the other officers at Central police? How are they taking it?

Well, there is a mixed feeling at the station. There are those who are happy with the outcome. And there are some who ask me why I didn't simply save my boss the embarrassment by negotiating with him instead.

How exactly did these clowns pull it off?

"The idea was conceived by Pacciotti who came into Zambia under a religious collar. He already had contacts for the drug and sex trade in Greece and Turkey before coming here. He set up an NGO to launder his image and the money. He contacted Kabongo the notorious criminal with contacts within the police as his agent. That way they had one eye in the police and could control investigations.

They then set up the business and housed it at Pepper Lodge on the outskirts of Lusaka. That is how Chileshe's greed drew him inside. The money was good. It ran smoothly and lucratively. But the turning point was when the pressure to deliver bigger and faster came in. They started recruiting from the streets and soon the secret was in the air. Molly found out what was happening at the NGO where she was the executive director. They tricked her into agreeing to a meeting. She turned up. Instead they killed her and then dumped her body at the Goma lakes at the University of Zambia to make it appear as though she had drowned. That was our entry point. The moment of breakthrough was when we discovered that it wasn't suicide."

She stared at him attentively. Then she said, So what happens next?

They are appearing in court on Monday.

Well, she said, taking a sip from her glass of orange juice. Sometimes we need to make tough decisions in our careers. And like I said earlier, the high command is pleased with you. You have made the right choices. We are maintaining you to act as Commanding Officer pending confirmation.

Thank you, madam.

You are welcome, boy. The sky is the limit.

Phil thanked her again, stood up and then headed for the door. As he touched the door handle he passed a quick glance at her. He caught her looking at him longingly while her fingers were caressing her chin. He opened the door and exited the office. He waved at the receptionist and then passed by the visitors' table where three uniformed cops were reading the newspapers.

He took the corridor to his right and then used the staircase to get to the ground floor. He then walked to the parking area and got into his white Toyota Corolla. He started the engine and it coughed twice before running. With a sigh of relief, he drove out of the Zambia Police headquarters and took the direction of Central Police station.

Chapter 2

So what happened at Police headquarters earlier today? Mercy asked Phil later that evening while preparing supper.

Well, Commissioner Chisenga only informed me that I shall continue in this acting capacity until High Command confirms me to the position.

How long will that take?

I have no idea. It may take days, weeks or even months, he replied, cutting some tomatoes into tiny bits with a sharp knife. He handed the plate of tomato pieces over to Mercy who put them onto a frying pan. A loud hissing sound ensued as the tomato bits landed into hot cooking oil.