Luveve Police Station, 9am.
"We've finally caught the culprit Captain but you don't look too happy." One of the two people observing the interrogation happening in the room in front of them spoke. The people inside obviously couldn't see anything through the one way glass thus they couldn't see the frown adorning the beautiful woman's face.
She was clad in a navy blue suit, she had forgone the suit jacket for a bulletproof vest instead. She folded her arms as her expression darkened even further. "Lieutenant Nkomo, who would be happy having a culprit being shoved at their hands? This man is not our suspect." Captain Lunga shook her head in disapproval.
"Why not?" Lieutenant Nkomo asked.
"The victim's hands were cut off indicating they had the assailant's DNA. It's possible for this man to have done that but he inflicted the wounds post mortem. Cindy also deduced that the assailant was of a smaller body frame, possibly younger than this man here because the victim struggled. It's also the killer's first murder. It's probably someone quite close to the victim who loved and hated her."
Lieutenant Nkomo marveled at the skills of this high level deduction. He also happened to make eye contact with the culprit through the window and shuddered. That man was no good himself. It also didn't help that the man in handcuffs smirked at the one way glass as if he could see the frustrated officers inside.
"A young woman died in a bar after being brutally violated and this man's word is all we have. We don't have the murder weapon either." The female captain essentially summarized the case. "He must take us for fools! Doesn't he know we'll investigate to the very end!"
Lieutenant Nkomo flipped over the investigation notes. "The DNA of the assailant was destroyed, it's a dead end there. For some reason the CCTV wasn't working that night and we don't have any credible witness except for the beggar who found the body."
This case was quite fishy. The killer confessed to the crime but his confession didn't quite match what forensics had discovered.
"Should we stop interrogating him then?"
"He might be wasting our time but continue, he might let slip who paid him to take the fall for a crime he didn't commit."
Since the suspect was found then the case had to be closed and handed over to the prosecution. The old guys upstairs were already hammering at Captain Lunga to finish the The Oval Bar murder case. The bar was owned by the Sibanda family, the spades of Bulawayo. Who didn't know they were in cahoots with the government? The longer they dragged on the case the easier it was to suspect that the Sibandas had something to do with the murder. The higher-ups definitely didn't want to offend the Sibandas like that.
Captain Lunga pressed on a button, "Officer Moyo, have him recount the murder again! We need to find a loophole in his statement."
"We have 24 hours to finish the investigation and hand it over to the prosecution. Captain are you sure we'll find something?" Lieutenant Nkomo asked. This case had made them work overtime for three nights in a row. Everyone couldn't wait to have it closed.
"The City of Kings and Queens isn't as clean as you think Malcolm. You transferred here from South Africa so you don't know. We might just be lucky." She focused on the suspect's recount. They would definitely find something.
Shortly after there was a knock and the door was pushed open.
"Yo Boss Lunga, Director Ndau wants you in his office." Lizwe, one of the guys on the tech team informed her. He was a slim, light skinned youth with dimples when he smiled. "We've been staring at the footage from the bar for the past few weeks. Nothing's going on there. It's too clean." He reported as he accompanied the Captain to the Director's office.
"I see. They must have handed over fake surveillance footage." She fixed the collar of her blouse and knocked on the door. Lizwe gave her a thumbs up, turning to leave.
A man who looked to be in his forties but with a potbelly and greying hair sat on a chair gazing at the Captain with a serious expression. The man coughed for a moment before speaking.
"I hear the culprit has been found, why isn't the case being closed already!" Director Ndau demanded. His mustache puffed up as well whenever he spoke. "I know you sympathize with the victim but this is work..."
"I don't sympathize with the victim." Captain Lunga ruthlessly cut off the man, "With all due respect Director, when has the Criminal Investigation Unit nailed a culprit without proper evidence?"
The man shifted awkwardly in his seat but still stubbornly responded, "Hasn't he confessed yet? What else do you want to investigate Lunga!"
"The Oval bar belongs to the Third of Spades. Who doesn't know that it's the Sibanda's third child's establishment? I'm not summoning that brat here out of respect for you because we both know that someone else murdered Ellie Noels and this man is simply covering for them."
Director Ndau looked like he was seconds away from having a stroke as he banged his hand on the table.
"As long as he refuses to tell us where the murder weapon is, I won't stop investigating Director even after we hand him to the prosecution." She saluted and left the fuming Director behind.
At the same time in a villa kilometers away from the police station a loud slap resounded in the room as the King of Spades disciplined his son. All the servants had quickly hidden themselves when they caught sight of the angry old man.
"How could you make such a silly mistake Sanele?" Sibanda bellowed angrily at the boy cowering on the floor.
"Dad, I fixed it! I didn't leave any trace."
"Do you think that makes it okay?" Sibanda felt his blood pressure rise. Each and every one of these brats was utterly useless. His only hope of a successor was his second son Sandile but that one didn't care one bit about the family business. "You know that female Captain is like a hound out for blood and you just gave her a huge juicy steak to latch on!"
"Dad, someone else is covering for me. They don't know I did it." Sanele looked at his father wanting to sell pity so he could get off easily.
"Tsk, you should learn from those Khumalo boys! Each and every one of them is good at what they do so much that Old Man Khumalo is always gleeful during our meetings."
Sanele inwardly sneered as his father mentioned the Khumalo boys. He hated those guys so much! Always being compared to them ever since they were kids and it also didn't help that those bastards were arrogant as hell. He couldn't help getting into fights with each and every one of them whenever they met.
"They're still mere Clubs, lower than our family." Sanele mumbled. His father who had turned away to grab a cigar sharply faced him with an even darker face.
"You pride yourself over being a Spade huh?" Sibanda jabbed a finger in Sanele's direction, "Let me tell you I fought hard for that honor. The Ndiwenis declined from power and I quickly snatched that spot from the other hungry wolves. Do you think impressing Langa was easy, huh?"
The Sibandas originally weren't part of the Card Legacy. The Card Legacy was a group of four powerful and influential families. Their influence spanned the entire country and even to some neighboring countries. They basically ruled the City of Kings and Queens as their main fort. Each of them had a territory where they ruled, strictly governed by Langa and their word was law. Even the President had to give them face when he came to Bulawayo. An underground group that operated in the shadows and when their influence spanned all over they finally stopped hiding.
Sibanda was covered in a cloud of smoke when Sandile arrived from university. He was studying IT at the National University of Science and Technology.
"Don't smoke so much Baba, it's bad for your health." He chastised as he handed over his laptop bag and coat to one of the maids. "What did Sanele do this time round?"
"Killed someone in his bar." The old man sighed with exhaustion.
Sandile's eyes raised a bit in surprise but quickly composed himself. That younger brother of his was always wild and unrestrained even more so than their eldest brother Sam. Although Sanele wasn't as destructive to the family business like Sam was, Sandile would have to reel him in as well. "That's pretty stupid of him. Where's mom?"
"Still cruising with her friends, she'll be back next week." The old man stared at his son with an indescribable gaze. "Are you sure you really don't want to take over?"
Sandile placed the glass of water he was holding back on the table. He leaned back with an easy smile. "I don't really want to get my hands dirty dad. Why not let others do it for me?"
The old man perked up in interest, "Oh? You are finally revealing your plans now." He smiled. This prodigy son of his was the reason he could still hold his head high in the Card Legacy.
"Let's just say it's high time we usher in a new and different era." His expression was undecipherable that Sean sneered, "Stinky brat stop being so secretive!"
Sandile only smiled and waited for dinner to be served.
The cemetery was often an eerie place no matter what time anyone visited. The atmosphere would always be chilly despite the season. Every lunch break, Rebecca Lunga would always drive to the cemetery. Even if she was busy with a case, she never missed a day. Today she didn't expect to find the person who always left behind flowers right in the act. It was a lanky boy in a Mpophoma High school uniform. From the looks of it he was in Upper Six.
"I never realized Luba had so many friends." Rebecca said as the startled teen whipped around to face her. He stared at her shyly for a moment, not knowing what to do with his hands now that they were empty.
"I used to tutor her for her Science subjects." Came the timid voice.
"Tutor? You are Thuba?" She asked to which he nodded, "Good child, thank you for always keeping Luba company. She was quite fond of you."
"Uh she was a good kid." Thuba said, his anxiety somewhat eased as he realized that this wasn't exactly a foe. Luba was a good girl, he knew her mom was a police officer so she should be good too. Although Thuba didn't hold police officers in high regard with all the directors always visiting their house and trying to please his father, "I should leave."
He picked up his school bag. Staying too long would warrant suspicion. He knew the photos were already sent to his father's desk but he had only met Luba's mom as a coincidence. Thuba wasn't stupid enough to think he was safe from that. Countless beatings had engraved the lesson in him. He'd just hope his father would ignore this incident.
"Take care of yourself." Rebecca said. She stared at his retreating back in a frown. This Langa prince was quite strange. He didn't exhibit any of the characteristics of a second generation heir. He looked anxious, timid and shy. Some of his actions although quite well hidden that a normal person wouldn't notice, hinted at trauma. Rebecca had seen enough victims to notice the symptoms instantly. With how dangerous and strict Langa was known to be, she suspected that Thuba wasn't being treated well at home. He was too skinny to be called slim and he was a bit jumpy. It was frankly concerning.
Rebecca's phone vibrated signalling an incoming call. The number was restricted, she knew who it was. "Please tell me you have something good for me." She said getting straight to the point. The person on the phone chuckled, they always used a voice changer since they didn't want to give their identity away.
"I can't give you anything on a silver platter now can I?"
"Yeah yeah yeah, what's the hint this time?" She rolled her eyes.
"It's more than just a hint this time. Your suspect gave you a wrong address. I really want to know, what the hell do your tech guys actually do if they can't find useful information like this?"
"Hacking is illegal." Rebecca sighed. Such restrictions were really annoying.
"Well that's what I'm here for." The voice laughed, "Get your team to request the Highway CCTV footage from the Ministry of Transport. I've already looked into it. Your suspect was driving a truck to Marondera on the night of the crime. His face was captured in the toll gate cameras."
"So he was most likely given a huge sum of money to go to prison for a crime he didn't commit." Rebecca finalized. At least now they had the evidence to prove her initial thoughts. She was already walking back to her car.
"Even if the suspect was paid, it should have been in cash. We won't be able to trace that money. That money could be hidden anywhere."
"Then it's up to you to find where the cash is hidden and who actually has the murder weapon. Till next time Cap." The person hinted.
"Thanks." Rebecca didn't hesitate to call Walter afterwards. They were running out of time. "Get Lizwe and Farai to go ask for the toll gate CCTV footage from the Ministry of Transport. If no one tampered with it, it should still be in the archives. You and Malcolm go to Proton and request their drivers' timetable and driving routes. The suspect was still at work during the time of the crime! Also check if the suspect has any close relatives who could hide a huge amount of cash for him."
"What about you Captain?" Walter asked. There was a rush of footsteps signalling that people were already moving.
"I'm going to Mpophoma High."