Inspector Kpodo examined the man who stood before him, still coming to terms with the fact that he was even breathing. This man had been the subject of many sleepless nights over a significant number of months. How was the subject of a murder investigation suddenly living and breathing before him?
“Mr. Glazer, please have a seat. Would you like some water, maybe a soft drink?”
“No thank you, Inspector.”
“Right. I’m certain you know by now that you’ve been the subject of a murder investigation for the last two years.”
“I’m aware of that, Inspector.”
“So, you would forgive me if I’m more than a little shocked that you’re alive and well.”
Marcus leaned back in his chair and took in a deep breath. “The goodness of God is not to be underrated, Inspector. I’m sure you have a lot more questions, and I am prepared to answer them all.”
*****
Katherine was seated in her office, preparing her sermon notes. The office of the bishop looked almost like a shrine to her father, with pictures of him with many different dignitaries and preachers lining each wall. Only two pictures had her in them: one of them with her father and the president, and the other with Caris. There was a smaller picture on her desk of all three of them but it had a crack in it from when the Archbishop threw it against the wall in anger at Caris.
The office phone rang but she ignored it. It rang again and she still ignored it. After the third ring, it stopped ringing entirely. She paused her sermon prep and stayed still.
After a few seconds, the phone rang again, she didn’t answer. It rang again and she remained in her spot. It rang again, and then it stopped entirely. A few seconds passed, and then the same sequence recurred. After that third time, it did not ring again.
She took out her phone and sent out a text, “Phase One: Complete. Prepare for Phase Two.”
She stared at the phone screen for a few seconds and then got a response.
“In His Service.”
She smiled and went back to preparing her notes.
****
As Winifred drove, Marcus looked at the tablet that Jenny had given him. He seemed quite pleased with what he saw. “I love it when couples get together. Cutting the cameras right before they got down and dirty was a nice touch.”
“Just as you requested, Mr. G.”
“Indeed, Jenny. I trust we did not lose any men on either side in our endeavors?”
“No blood was shed, Mr. G. We made sure of it. We did create an impression to the contrary, though, just to get the point across.”
“This machine is even better oiled than I’d given it credit for. To think that the divine can be so devastatingly effective. Maybe God is a god of excellence after all, despite the multitude of incompetent worshippers who display the opposite trait.”
“Indeed He is, Mr. G.”
“I would love to go to church one Sunday, when all of this is over.”
“You will have the opportunity sooner or later, Mr. G.”
“Good. Now, is everything prepared for Phase Two?”
Winifred responded from the front, “All ready for your go, Mr. G.”
“Perfect. You both should’ve seen the look on the Inspector’s face when I walked in. He was sure he’d died and gone to hell in that moment. If only he knew what’s to come. Let’s be sure to make it to the play tonight. It’s been a while since I stepped out into society amongst my people. I have forty years of authentic in-person experiences to catch up on.”
Winifred nodded and said, “Gladly, Mr. G.”
******
“Goddamn, sir.”
“I know, Mary. I know. I’m still coming to terms with it all.”
Julius had spent the last three hours after Marcus had left processing the interview they’d had. There was so much he’d learned, yet none of it had proven useful.
Marcus had been living under an alias for fear of another murder attempt, and had managed to build a nice life for himself. He was now in the fashion and garments industry, and was quite familiar with the big players on the global stage.
Julius looked into this and found videos of Marcus at every event he said he’d been at over the last ten years. Marcus had come with a briefcase filled with tax statements, bank statements, travel records, and every single bit of evidence any officer worth his salt would think to look for. Everything checked out.
Everything looked great, but Marcus’ story lined up with Goosman’s version of events perfectly, which was a problem. In Goosman’s version, Marcus was supposed to be dead. Yet somehow, a drugged, drunk man who’d been tied in a large carpet managed to escape in the dead of night, hours before the sedative used on him could possibly have worn off. To top it all off, there was still a dead body in the morgue downstairs which had been identified as his.
“You know, the one thing I can’t understand is why he came back. I know he told you that he’d been homesick, but he couldn’t come back for fear of being killed, yet the suspects are still at large. The only way he could believe he was safe enough to return is if they are dead, or there’s something compelling enough to risk it all.”
Julius looked up at Mary in surprise. “I see all these years of eavesdropping on my strategy sessions has paid off. You’re right, but it goes deeper. He could have had his assailants killed at any time over the last ten years. He could’ve reported himself alive and shut this down entirely. He did none of those, but instead chose to live in hiding. Kane Glazer had a chance to even the score and instead chose to run? Something doesn’t add up.”
“Well, sir, I know you’ll figure it out. I’ll be back at my desk.”
Mary was just about to walk out when they both heard a loud sound like the alarm on an old, digital watch.
They both looked at each other in full panic and immediately ran out, just in time to avoid the pieces of bricks flying into the office from the explosion.
What the hell just happened? Someone’s trying to kill Inspector Kpodo? But why?
