He stood up angrily. “You not only deceived me, you deceived Dr. Luyt. What happened to this girl is a terrible thing. But it has nothing to do with me.”
Gritting her teeth, Zoe threw her calculation to the wind. “Did you have an affair with Charity Mizinga? Is that why she wrote you all these letters?”
His eyes flashed. “How dare you come here and accuse me of such a thing? Please give Godfrey my best. But do not contact me again.”
With that, he turned around and left.
Zoe took the expressway back to OR Tambo and bought a ticket on the mid-afternoon flight to Lusaka. When the plane landed, she met Joseph at the curb and slid into the passenger seat, preempting the question in his eyes.
“The trip was an abysmal failure. There, I said it.”
He stayed silent until they left the airport complex. “Did you learn anything?”
“I learned that sometimes I need to keep my mouth shut. Oh, and I learned that a bunch of epidemiologists have proven that we could end the AIDS epidemic in a generation, but that the politicians might scuttle it by gutting foreign aid.”
He laughed under his breath. “You do speak your mind. What did you learn about Jan?”
She calmed down. “I think he’s hiding something. He explained the journal by suggesting that Charity had some sort of schoolgirl crush. I think something happened between them, but I have no proof.” She looked at him. “You think all this is crazy, don’t you? You don’t think it relates to the case.”
He shook his head. “When you have a hunch, you have to follow it. I can’t tell you how many cases I’ve broken that way.”
She took a breath, grateful for his vote of confidence. “So what did you do today?”
He glanced at her. “I found a link between the magistrate and the Nyambos.”
“You’re kidding!”
He smiled. “I had lunch with my friend at the Department of Energy. When I mentioned Thoko Kaunda, he told me that Kaunda’s father is high-level official in the Department of Water Affairs. He was hired by a certain Minister of Energy.”
Her eyes lit up. “Frederick Nyambo,” she said. Then she had another thought. “With Nyambo’s interest in Batoka Gorge, I wonder if they still have a relationship.”
“It’s possible. The link isn’t as direct as a personal friendship, but it raises doubt about the magistrate’s impartiality. Mariam is going to take it to the DPP tomorrow.”
Zoe looked out the window and saw that traffic was unusually light. “Have they announced the election results?”
“Sata is ahead, but it’s too close to call. PF is making a lot of noise about fraud.”
“If anything happens in Woodlands, you can stay over at my place. Kabulonga will be safer than anywhere else.” She regarded him and saw the weariness in his eyes. “You look tired. Are you getting enough sleep?”
“Probably not.”
“Is it the case?”
He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “I have dreams. They keep me awake.”
“About what?”
“My sister.” He blinked as if trying to shake off the memories. “It’s too long a story.”
“Not if we get dinner. I bet Arcades is open tonight.”
He shook his head. “I really don’t want to talk about it.” Then he surprised her with a grin. “But I wouldn’t mind dinner. What about Plates?”
She laughed. “You’re on.”
chapter 15
The following morning, Zoe took a seat at the table in Mariam’s office. Joseph, Sarge, and Niza were already there. Mariam dialed the DPP’s number on the speakerphone, and Levy Makungu answered after three rings. His tone made obvious his displeasure.
“I heard about the decision on DNA. I presume you plan to appeal?”
“Not exactly,” Mariam replied. “We believe the magistrate has an undisclosed conflict of interest. His family has a relationship with the family of the accused.”
The DPP took a breath. “I’m not sure I want to hear this.”
Mariam forged ahead. “We could file an application for recusal, but we’re certain he won’t remove himself without persuasion.”
“Just a minute,” Makungu said, and put the phone down. Seconds later, Zoe heard the sound of a door being closed. The DPP came back on the line. “Unless you have concrete evidence of bias, I’m going to hang up and forget you called.”
“Our VSU officer is in the room. Joseph, will you tell Levy what you found?”
Joseph rolled his chair closer to the phone and shared his findings and his source.
Makungu grunted. “I’m going to need confirmation.”
“I can give you his number,” Joseph said. “He’ll talk to you.”
The DPP took his time replying. “Mariam, what do you propose I do about this?”
Mariam shifted in her seat. “Give the information to the Principal Resident Magistrate. He’ll know how to handle it.”
“I have great respect for Flexon Mubita, but he assigned Kaunda to the case. What if he already knows about this?”
“I trust him more than anyone on the bench. But you’re right. It’s a risk we have to take.”