11 CHAPTER :11 THE TRAP
The next morning Kwame stood in front of his bathroom mirror, trying his navy -blue tie, eyes hard and focused. The revelation from big Joe the previous evening had shifted something in him . He wasn't just protecting Ama anymore, he was declaring war.
As a BNI officer, Kwame had seen betrayal in many forms . He had chased smugglers, exposed corrupt officials and broken drug rings , but nothing, nothing boiled his blood like this : a greedy uncle plotting to kidnap his own niece for money. It was personal now. And he was going to make sure the consequences were unforgettable.
The Briefing
That same morning, Kwame held a quiet briefing at an old warehouse near Dzorwulu -BNI off grid oprerational base for sensitive fieldwork. Inside, five men sat around a worn , out table. These were his most trusted field agents: mensch, Tuga, Binet, Seth and mark.
Kwame stop before a whiteboard, using a red marker to outline the plan .
Intel from our informant confirms the target, uncle kwesi, intends to abduct Ama during school pickup at Achimota primary," kwame began , tapping the center of the board . His plan is to block the taxi at the cocoa junction.. we'll let them make their move…..then trap them."
He turned to mensah and Seth . You two will act as AMA's official escorts, one drives the other shadows from a separate vehicle. Tuga and Biney will blend with civilians near the cocoa seller. Mark , you will monitor the Area from the roof of Lantey's Grocery."
They nodded silently.
No one makes a move unless I give the green light, Kwame said. The safety of Ama comes first. We don't shoot unless they threaten the girls life."
He handed each of them a folder .
This is personal, And it's clean up time."
AMA's protection Detail.
That afternoon, sister J was surprised to see two new faces at the gate , mensah and Seth , both dresses like private school drivers, complete with caps and friendly smiles.
Kwame pulled sister J aside. These are AMA's new escorts. No more random taxi. They will take her to school and back everyday.
You don't tell anyone.
Sister J blinked, then modded. Thank you she's is all I have.
Not anymore," Kwame said gently. She's our now.
Ama beamed when she saw her new school uncle Seth, had a soft spot for kids brought her chewing gum and even promised to teach her chess . Mensah , the quiet one , drove carefully never speeding, never distracted.
Everything seemed normal. But behind the scenes, the web was tightening.
Meanwhile: uncle kwesi's Desperation
Uncle kwesi was getting the girl yet ? He barked over the phone.
One of the hired thugs stammered, Boss everyday she dry follow new people now.
They no be ordinary drivers."
Kwesi hissed you Dey fear them?
No , boss but I Dey suspect ebi security people. We see them get earpiece and day talk inside car like CID ."
Kwesi slammed his palm on the table.
Listen , that girl is the key to the money. Without her , we get nothing. Do the Job this Friday. I don't care how.
He ended the call and took a long breath.
It was silpping from his hands, he could feel it. The inheritance, the house, the social security funds , and now even the bank account, he had secretly tried to access….. nothing was working.
Sister J and that stupid boyfriend of hers shad made things difficult.
But kwesi wasn't the kind of man to give up easily.
The setup- Friday morning
Friday came with overcast skies and the smell of rain .
Kwame kissed sister J on the forehead before leaving early. Stay in . Keep the gates locked. Whatever happens today you will hear from me by 6pm ."
She modded nervously . Be careful
Ama was dressed in her neat brown and cream uniform. Her hair, freshly braided, bounced as she skipped to the car.
She waved at the compound dogs and blew kisses to sister J .
Mensah opened the car door. Ready , Ama ?
Yes , uncle mensah ! She grimed .
Seth winked . Today we'll get ice cream after school. Promise."
They drove off , while a white pickup truck followed from a safe distance, Tuga and Biney inside, scanning every corner, every passing face.
At 3pm , the man were already in position. Mark crouched behind a vent on lantey's rooftop, eyes fixed on the cocoa junction, Tuga pretended to sell handkerchiefs. Biney acted like a trotro mate waiting for customers.
Kwame was two blocks away in an unmarked van , laptop open, headphones on, monitoring all the live cameras feeds. The new was set.
The Attempt .
At 3:18 pm, mensah's car turned onto the road. Ama sat in the back seat humming her favorite cartoon song . Seth , in the passenger seat , turned slightly slightly stay low small girl."
Ama laughed, why ? Are we playing spy game?
Just as the car approached the cocoa, seller, a grey Toyota Corolla blocked the road abruptly.
Three men jumped out , hooded , nervous, one holding a long cloth sack.
Grab the girl! One shouted .
But before they could move , two things happened at once.
1. Seth pulled out his concealed weapon and stepped out, gun pointed . Freeze Drop it!
2. From the side , Biney and Tuga tackled the man hard , forcing them to the ground.
Screams enepted. The cocoa seller ran.
A woman dropped her bag and ran into a store . AMA's eyes widened, but mensah calmly pulled her out of the car and shielded her.
Kwame voice buzzed into the earpieces
Don't let them out . No injuries if possible
Secure the girl."
By the time police sirens blared minutes later, the situation was under control.
The kidnappers were cuffed and placed in the back of a van.
Kwame arrived last , nodded at his men , and crouched beside Ama.
You okay. Princess?
Ama nodded, still shaking. That was seary."
Kwame smiled gently. But you are safe now . And you were very brave ."
That fallout
Later that evening, sister J hugged Ama so tight the girl could barely breathe. I was so scared sister J whispered, tears streaming down.
Ama simply said, uncle Kwame and his friends save me."
Kwame stood beside them . This is far from over ," he told sister J But we have enough to arrest uncle kwesi now . They gave names
Sister J clenched her fists . Let him come , I will face him.
Kwame nodded, already dialing a number.
Time to end this.
12 CHAPTER:12 THE ONE WHO ESCAPED
The new broker like wildfire. The attempted kidnapping at cocoa junction had made waves, not on the evening news, not yet but within the close knit community of Achimota and the street of kaosa, where the plot had been Orchestrated.
By down the next morning five men all from kaosa were behind bars at the cantonment police station. Their faces were bruised, their eyes swollen from the beatings they received not just from the officers but from the boys in the community who had also helped subdue them.
But there was one problem, uncle kwesi was not among them
The Escape
He had disappeared.
The minute the kidnappers were nabbed and the operation was compromised, kwesi had received a frantic call from one of his boys . At the time, he was sipping beer at a small chop bar in Dansoman.
Boss Yawa don gas oo! They catch all the boys ! Some security men … BNI oo. That your niece be guarded Boss!
Kwesi didn't even finish his drink. He stood up , threw some cerise on the table, and walked briskly to his old Toyota Camry . Sweat poured down his neck despite the cool night air . He wasn't just worried he was terrified.
He had underestimated Kwame. He thought
the man was just a civil servant a low -level ministry officer with a neat beard and a calm voice. But now , everything was falling apart.
Kwesi drove straight to an old friends house near Nsawam . That was the last anyone saw him.
Back. In sister J's house
Sister J sat on the edge of her bed , holding AMA's hand. The child was fast asleep, curled under the big white blanket that still smelled of washing soap and powder .
Kwame stood near the window, speaking quietly into his secure line. Yes … five men in custody. All confirmed from kaosa, Names have been logged .
They claim to have been paid by one man kwesi... yes , her uncle….No , he's not in custody yet….understood."
He ended the car and turned to look at sister J . He's on the run
I knew he was wicked, sister J said softly, voice trembling.
But to try and kidnap a child?
He's own brothers daughter?
He's not thinking straight any more, Kwame said. He's drowning. And drowning men grab anything even their own blood to stay afloat
The interrogation
At the station , Big Joe stop behind the one way mirror, watching the suspect's one by one. Kwame had asked him to handle the initial interrogation.
Joe had a way with getting the truth out of people without lifting a finger.
The third suspect, a wiry man named smart , finally broke.
We no know say ei be government people oo! The man talk say the girl get big money from e dead papa em bank . We go only carry am go kaosa. That be the plan.
Nobody say make we harm am.
Joe leaned closer, narrowing his eyes where is kwesi
I swear, boss we no know. After yesterday, e phone switched off. He say make we wait for signal but signal never come.
Joe slammed his palm on the table. Give me the address you last saw him."
Mama Grace Reacts
Meanwhile, mama Grace sat alone in her boutique shop in Osu , she hadn't spoken to sister J since their daramatic reunion outside the bank . The shame in her chest was growing everyday.
But when news reached her , thought one of her church friends, that AMA's life and that kwesi was behind it, her stomach twisted.
She locked the shop immediately and began packing
Kwesi….. no you wouldn't "
But deep down, she knew he would Ashe knew what he was capable of. She had known it for years. After all they did once shared a secret a dark one . A son.
Her affair with kwesi , back when her husband was bedridden, still hunted her .
And even now , she feared it might come to light.
She picked up her phone and called him for the first time in months
Kwesi, she whispered when he picked up
Grace , his voice was fuiet and full of panic. They are coming fro me. I need a place to hide
I can't help you , she said you ' ve gone too far."
You think they won't drag you into this too? You think your daughter won't find what we did ?
There was silence
Then a beep.
She had hung up.
Back at the house
Later that evening, sister J and kwame sat together in the hall . Ama was watching cartoons in the corner, headphones on
Kwame held a brown envelope in this hand .
What's that ? Sister J asked,
The list of assets in your father's name.
The social security money, his pension fund and two bank accounts All untouched.
Sister j covered her mouth .
Everything uncle kwesi has been fighting for is in here . He knew he just didn't want you or Ama to have it."
Sister J's hand began to shake.
I ve lived in pain for so long…..just trying to survive, she said while that man was planning how to steal from a child ."
Kwame leaned forward. Now you survive with power."
She nodded slowly. Let press charges let's finish this.
The search widened
By Saturday morning, kwesi's face was on the police bulletin.
Wanted: Kwaku kwesi' Addo
Suspected of attempted child abduction,
Fraud and Obstruction of justice
Call 185559 for any information,
Reward GHS 10,000
His photos were everywhere- on WhatsApp statuses, Facebook groups and even pasted outside betting shops.
The net was tightening .
He couldn't hide for long.
13 CHAPTER:13 THE TRUTH HIDDEN IN THE REPORT
It was just another quiet Sunday morning in the house. The sun poured gently through the curtains , casting gold patterns on the floor tiles . Ama was in her room revising for her class test . Sister J was folding launder humming a gospel song. Kwame on the other hand, sat quietly at the dining table, holding a brown file sister J had handed to him just minutes ago
He had asked her for it several weeks ago, her late father's hospital report far a long time, sister J didn't think much of it
The report was written in medical terms
Things she couldn't quite understand. She had kept it in her drawer all this while, not knowing that within it lay the key to the questions that had haunted her heart for years.
J , Kwame called softly.
She looked up . "Yes , my love
Do you know what this report says?
I don't. All I saw was that Daddy had complications. I assumed it was from the strokes."
Kwame nodded slowly. His fingers flipped through the pages . Then he paused, his face growling still. Read again. And Again.
What is it? Sister J asked, apporching him.
There's something in here that doesn't add up
The shocking Discovery.
Kwame pointed to a specific line on the report. See this part here?
Presence of central nervous system depressant in patient's bloodstream. Observed irregularities in heart rhythm and delayed response to reflex tests.
Sister J blinked. What does that mean?
It means your father wasn't just sick .
Someone was drugging him, kwame said, his voice low.
She gasped . Drugging him? No no kwame, what are you saying?
Kwame looked her dead in the eyes. The type of medication found in his system isn't part of any treatment for stroke.
They are sedatives. Strong ones . This wasn't by accident
Sister J stumbled back , grabbing the edge of the table. So all those months he couldn't speak, couldn't move ….it wasn't the stroke alone?
Kwame stood up , walking around to hold her , No someone was intentionally slowing his recovery. Weakening him . And the report says it happened consistently even after the doctors stopped administering medication."
Sister J's knees buckled. Kwame caught her just in time and guided her to sit down.
The flashback
Her mind drifted back to the hospital days . The night she sat by her father's bedside. How he would blink slowly, his fingers twitching as though he wanted to say something , then she remembered her stepmother uncle kwesi wife.
She used to bring food every morning. Home cooked meals, she would insist on feeding him herself, saying you people don't know how to care for a man, " she offen, brought water in a blue plastic bottle, always tightly closed always claiming it was filled specially.
That woman never missed a day
Kwame....she said, barely breathing, it was her , it was kwesi's wife
Kwame nodded. It matches the pattern
The sedative were likely being administered through his food and water
Sister J buried her face in her palms, OH God ...OH God , she killed my father slowly
While we all watched.
The Doctor call
Just then, Kwame's phone rang, it was Dr Mensah , the private pathologist he had reached out to for help interpreting the report.
Kwame put the call on speaker.
MR, kwame," the doctor began ." I 've gone through the full report. Your suspension was right. The patient was being poisoned gradually and subtly. Who ever was administering it knew what they were doing. It would make him weaker day by day reduced brain function, and eventually lead to heart failure."
Can this be used in court? Kwame asked
Yes . With the toxicology evidence and the hospital records, a strong case can be made . But you will need a statement from someone who witnessed the administration of the food or water."
Sister J's mind reced . Uncle yaw ! She said " He was there . He questioned her once about why she always insisted on feeding him . I remember!
Kwame smiled grimly ." Then we have our witness.
A new Enemy in sight.
Now it was no longer just about kwesi .
It was also his wife.
She had committed a slow, calculated murder. And she had done it right under their noses. While the family fought over inheritance and property, the woman who caused their father's death remained unsuspected hiding behind sympathy and fake tears
Sister J's eyes blazed . " I will make her pay . I swear. I will make her pay for what she did to my father ."
Kwame placed a calming hand on her shoulder. We will . Legally and with full evidence."
Just then , Ama walked in holding her notebook. Sister J , can you please help me with this maths problem?
Sister J quickly wiped her eyes and smiled. Sure ? Come sit here.
As Ama settled next to her unware of the storm brewing around her, Kwame's phone buzzed again.
It was a massage from his BNI contact.
Kwesi kwesi is spotted in Nsawam ,
Surveillance team moving update.
Grace's Reaction
Elsewhere in Osu, mama Grace was in her kitchen when the news came to her . A cousin had forwarded her a voice note going around WhatsApp you hear ? Sister J's father was poisoned ooo. The woman doing all caring was the one killing him . The thing cast for doctors report inside.
Grace leaned against the wall dizzy.
She remember how she used to put something in her husband's water before kwesi's wife - used to act so innocent, so religious. Always at the forefront during family meetings. She even came to pray for her husband's soul after he passed
And now this?
Grace shook her head.
Everything was spiraling. Her past , her affair with Paa kwesi , her disappearance when the family needed her, and now this new crime.
She needed to act fast.
She needed to come clean before the storm
Swept her away too.
Kwesi's wife confronted.
The next morning, Kwame arranged a quite visit to the home of kwesi wife .
They arrived with a plain -clothed officer and w medical representative.
Kwesi's wife, a plum woman with fake smile, opened the door.
Sister J ? Oh what a surprise
Kwame stepped forward. Madam , we need ta talk . It's about the hospital report."
Her face fell immediately.
I don't know anything." She said quickly.
We didn't ask if you know anything."
Kwame sad coldly. We have evidence. And we have witnesses, you're being called in for questioning about the death of Mr Owusu
She froze , the color draining from her face I,I, I didn't mean to
Sister J stared at her with cold fury
You are going to jail, and I will be there to watch it happen