DO NOT OPEN – Episode 7
© Brian Ngoma
Seated across Ngoma, Nikiwe said, “Tell me the truth, sir.”
Ngoma knew she was either done with the witness statements or halfway throu-gh. “What do you want to know, detective?”
“Everything,” Said Nikiwe. “How come I have never known about those cases? Why hasn’t there been media coverage on them?”
Ngoma smiled and sighed. “Do you think those are cases that would do the police f0rç£ any justice if they were known to the populace?”
“But…”
Ngoma interrupted her, “Detective Nikiwe, I have been around for so many years and I have seen and heard things that I have only kept to myself because I know once I tell anyone, they’d think I’m just stupid. Now imagine us Officers re-leasing a press statement telling people that there is a supernatural element surrounding these cases.”
“I just have a lot of questions in my head sir. Why the women? What’s with the white envelope? Why six years?”
“Detective, leave it alone. You are young and have a beautiful family, just do work within your confines. This is not worth it!”
“Why sir? I feel like you’re hiding something from me? Something you don’t want me to find me out.”
Sternly looking at her, Ngoma said, “These cases have left people who dealt with them un-der serious psychological problems. The detective who initially handled these cases,” he paused. “The man is crazy now.”
“What do you mean crazy?”
“Crazy crazy, detective. The second detective who continued his work died mysteriously. That chap was very young, inquisitive. Just like you Detective.”
Nikiwe was silent lost in her thoughts pondering on what Ngoma said.
“The file was moved to Headquarters after I requested. Then again, when HQ was destroyed during the attack, it found it’s way back. I wished it was destroyed in the process too.”
Ignoring what Ngoma said, Nikiwe asked, “The last witness statement i re-ad was from 2013, does that mean that the next one will be from 2019?”
“Yes detective and that’s the recent one,” Ngoma answered with a wearily face.
“What is it sir?”
“I have been dre-ading this for the last six years but this is 2025.’
“So?”
“Do the math, detective.”
“It’s happening again this year, right?”
“I hope and pray it doesn’t.”
“We nee-d to get to the bo-ttomof this, sir!”
“Count me out detective. Nob©dy ever wants that case. It was hidden for some reason. Whoever put it on your table made a mistake. Leave it alone!”
“Are you telling me we are going to sit down and watch whatever this is terrorise people’s families and unions?”
Ngoma didn’t answer.
“I am requesting you to officially as-sign me to this case. I want to solve it and bring an end to whatever this is.”
“Didn’t you just hear what I said? About the detectives who handled it?”
“I am not them.”
“Think about your family, Detective. You have young boys who still nee-d you. Don’t be selfish.”
“I am a detective, I am doing this for all the affected families and would be affected. If we let this all thing control us, then we’ll just end up with a pile of cold cases in storages across the country.”
Ngoma knew there was nothing he could do or say to Nikiwe. She had pas-sed the reasoning stage. “Okay, detective. That’s your new case but plea-se, keep me upd@t£d. If anything strange happens, let me know.”
“What strange things?”
“You will tell me.”
“One last question, what happened to the murderers?”
“Check the file, detective. After you’re done with the 19′ case. There are some notes on the whereabouts of the murderers and survivors but keep in mind that that information is old. Nob©dy really knows where they are. You have to find out on your own.”
“Can I knock off?”
“Why?”
“I nee-d to finish studying the cases so that I know where to start from.”
“What’s wrong with doing that from here?”
“I don’t nee-d any disturbances. Especially from s£nzo.”
“Just for today, go!”
Nikiwe left Ngoma’s office and went to her office where she found detective s£nzo and the two other detectives. She didn’t say a word to them but cleared her table and gr@bb£d her handbag. She could feel Detective s£nzo’s eyes on her. His stare was even frightening than the cases she’d been investigating. As she walked to the door, she heard him murmur something un-der his breath. She st©pped. Should I say something? She asked herself. Not worth it. She left.
***
Stuck in her study, four hours later after having supper with her family, Nikiwe was up to d@t£ with the cases. She had finished them all. She had re-ad the notes on what happened to the murderers and the survivors. Apparently, out of the six murderers, only two were still alive, Bufwebe who killed her father and mother. She was in prison. The other murderer still alive was Kara who was involved in the previous incident. On Kara’s case, Nikiwe found out in the notes that Kara’s daughter, Tanashe had survived together with the maid. She thor0ûghly checked for the location and found the maids but Tanashes wasn’t in the file.
“I guess I could start from here,” She yawned, checked her watch and it was 01:59 AM. “I better go to be-d.”
As she went to be-d, she kept thinking about how she’d go with her investigations. She resorted to start from the most recent to the old ones. As she felt Clarence’s warm b©dy, she thought to herself why she would risk this for something she didn’t un-derstand but that was her job. She nee-ded to get to the root of this before whatever was happening happened again and whatever it was, it’s urgency could be felt.
To be continued