JIJI NDOGO: Pride and fury of a not-so-mad father

Up to now, I’ve been the only one believing she left clues that meant she was abducted by an Assistant Inspector General of Police. For a mere sergeant like me (or any lowly serf anywhere), accusing such a senior officer of such a huge crime is very dangerous ground to walk on. Not only do I have to be right, I have to produce enough evidence for my claim to stand a chance in court. If not, it’s bye-bye to my career, possible jail time and a lifetime of powerful enemies.

Sophia’s father came to my rescue.

In case I haven’t said this enough, Inspector Tembo is both my boss and Sgt Sophia’s father. On the work front, he and I get along well, especially now that he’s slowly going senile and Sophia and I are doing a really good job of hiding it from the powers that be.

As far as being his son-in-law, that’s a different matter altogether. I wasn’t his first choice in that department. Or his second, or third. I guess most fathers-in-law are like that. I think they aren’t supposed to like the person that steals their precious daughters.

“This is the only avenue we’ve got,” he says to his bosses, eyes blazing with fury. “Until someone comes up with a better option, we have to assume Sgt Makini is right.”

He looks at me not with pride in his eyes, but a kind of begging, a hope that I am right now that he was casting his lot with me.

Inspector Noklu is the man handling the case. “We have to open a formal investigation against the AIG then.”

He had reported that a button belonging to a female officer’s uniform had been found inside the AIG’s quarters. That has given him (and us) hope that we might be on the right track.

Still, he turns eyes so cold they could freeze champagne to me. “Sergeant, you better pray to God that you’re right on this. If not, I don’t have to tell you who we will hang the coat on.”

Maybe you’ve heard this kind of talk. Veiled threats cloaked in strange wording so that you have to read between the lines. “Let’s all take responsibility. And by ‘all’, I mean one person in particular.” Or “Somebody definitely did this, and that somebody definitely knows who they are.”

The blame will be on me, but it’s my wife we’re talking about. I’d rather be wrong than not do anything at all. I thank my father-in-law for trusting me.

He looks at me strangely, as if seeing me for the first time and says, “Remind me — am I annoyed at you today? I feel like I am.”

That’s how it is with him. The other day he told me, “I’ve decided I’m no longer talking to Thursdays. They’re unreliable.”

That’s senility for you. He’s going downhill fast and we don’t know how to stop it yet. But I’m glad he has enough sense left to fight for his daughter.

This evening we received the best news yet. Inspector Noklu calls Tembo and I aside and says almost in a whisper, “The AIG says he has some information to share. But it has to be off the record.”

That’s side speak for, “I’m guilty but you can’t touch me.”

I’m okay with it.