Father Confessor - For the Motherland

Chapter 19

Garikai felt like he had been punched in the gut. He fought to keep the despair from his face and voice as he queried Moyo.

The place had been booby-trapped, the captain told him. When the team went inside a chain of explosions shook the old factory, killing four officers and injuring five more, but team leader Captain Svoto was not among the dead.

The most disturbing piece of news Moyo had to tell him was that the DCI and the foreign detective were missing.

"Did you just say missing?" Garikai asked in incredulity. "How?"

Moyo shook her head. "At this point, sir, the information we have is still sketchy. We have people already on the way to help the injured and try to establish what we we're dealing with. I'm heading out there myself and can offer you a ride, if you want."

Not wanting to waste precious minutes, Garikai followed the police captain out to the garage where a white and blue Land Rover Defender was reverse-parked. Moyo drove slowly out of the high gates of Government House, then put her foot down hard on the accelerator once She was clear of the huge building, her klaxon and flashing lights acting like a giant broom that swept the streets clear. Even the notoriously stubborn kombi drivers had the good sense to avoid the police's wrath on this day.

Garikai stared at the streets flashing by without noticing them. Through the seat of his pants, he silently willed the vehicle to go faster, though Moyo had the needle kissing the 140 km per hour mark on the speedometer. After three minutes they left the hustle and bustle of the central business district and were heading south east. Even though they had to stop and give way to two wailing ambulances, a quarter of an hour was all it took to arrive at the smouldering hilltop that looked as if a giant hammer had been swung at it with malicious vehemence. Only a few steel beams still stood upright, and even those were blackened by fire. Huge concrete and metal blocks lay in an ungainly heap, smoke wafting from the entire heap, with small fires still burning unchecked.

Over a dozen policemen and medics were there, rushing hither and thither, their faces masks of anguish and sorrow. As the Defender came to a dusty stop, a tall figure in SWAT fatigues turned and limped over to them. A bloodied bandage was wrapped around his head, encompassing his right eye and ear. The visible remainder of the face sported a ferocious scowl and fury-filled eye, both aimed at Garikai.

Garikai debarked and faced the approaching captain, deciding at that moment that the man was a prick. He remembered him from earlier in the day when he had rescued the cops from Chavapi. He was the SWAT team leader, name of Svoto.

"You!" Svoto growled, lifting a gnarly and muscled hand and pointing at Garikai. "You damned spook! This is all your fault."

"What on earth are you talking about?" asked Garikai with frown.

"You sent us here to a trap!" the captain yelled, charging forward and invading Garikai's personal space. Garikai did not budge. He merely altered his position slightly so that if there was a need to lay the idiot captain on his ass, one well deserved punch from him would do the job.

"Captain!" Moyo rushed over and tried to pull Svoto away from Garikai but the hulking man did not budge. He leaned forward so that his fist-sized nose was intercepting the oxygen intended for the other man.

Garikai did not blink,did not speak. He was silently willing himself to calm down, to keep his hands to himself, as they were aching to knock this cop down. He felt impatient at this man who was preventing him from searching for a very specific Motswana detective. And a Zimbabwean detective chief inspector, of course. God knows they could be dying right at that moment, and this fool here was wasting precious time.

"Svoto, right?" Garikai said calmly. "I can see that you sustained a head injury. It is my fervent hope you didn't get a concussion, but your actions these last few seconds are disturbing. Why don't you take some pain meds and lie down? By the time you wake up, everything will be alright."

Svoto stabbed his finger into Garikai's hard chest. "You have no authority to tell me what to do, you bastard. I'm holding you responsible for the deaths of my men. You will pay."

"I doubt that," Garikai answered, keeping his large hands on his side. "This happened on your watch, Captain Svoto." He smiled briefly then his tone became loud and authoritative. "As a matter of fact, the brass are waiting for your report and no matter what you think, you are toast. Pray with me that we find the DCI unharmed, otherwise Internal Affairs is gonna chew your ass up! If you ever said a bad thing about her, grumbled about her, you're in for it. Now, step aside!"

Svoto hesitated for a fraction of a second, sizing Garikai, probably wondering how much of what he was saying was truth. For a moment, it looked like Svoto was not going to move. That he was actually getting ready to do more than just rant and Garikai wanted that suddenly. He wanted the idiot cop to take a swing at him because he wanted someone that he could vent his frustrations on. Someone he could lay into and tear apart because then he would have a few minutes that would take his mind off the fact that his Tsholo was missing. Svoto, however, seemed to rethink his desire to punch him and the bandaged up captain reluctantly turned and slinked to a medic's van. Much to Garikai's disappointment.

Garikai turned and surveyed the destruction with a sinking heart as officers came to report to Moyo.

"We are still searching, but we have no signs of DCI Nariti or Detective Baboloki so far."

"The debris is still hot in some areas so we can't do a complete sweep. We are waiting for the Fire Brigade to arrive..."

As if on a cue, the wailing sirens of the municipal fire trucks cut through the air, and a moment later, two bright red vehicles sped into view, raising a mini dust storm.

Great, thought Garikai, these guys are an hour late. He hoped they would not live up to their clichéd reputation for being late to respond and coming without water or any fire suppressants.

He asked Moyo if there were any underground levels to the factory and the captain relayed the question to her subordinates who all responded that they did not know."

"This used to be a chrome mine before independence," Svoto said, coming close to the duo. "Over three hundred metres deep. It flooded in the early eighties and was sealed. My old man worked here a long time ago."

Garikai regarded the SWAT captain in silence and nodded. "Where's your father now?"

"Tending his garden in Sakubva, as always. You want him to give a call?"

"That would help."

"Only one problem. He doesn't have a phone."

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