It seemed for Annette as though the world was in suspended animation. Nothing before these few moments with her brother and sister mattered and nothing else afterward would. Annette held fast to Amy’s hand for the two hours they spent at lunch, as though she feared if she let go she would lose her sister for another lifetime. It was clear Amy felt the same way. Neither of the sisters was speaking, but each knew what the other was thinking. Lydia broke their reverie and announced it was time to go back into court.
“It wouldn’t do to be late,” she said, encouraging them to rise quickly. She gathered her enormous leather bag and her briefcase.
“I’ll …

The soft sound of fledgling swallows chirping filled the early morning air. As if on cue, their mother returned with the spoils of her pre-dawn hunt, bringing food to satisfy their tiny hungry bellies. Sophia had watched the swallow family meticulously build their mud nest underneath her awning months before, and had never had the heart to take it down and destroy it despite Idrisu’s insistence. Sophia preferred the soft warbling of the swallows to an alarm clock. Annette also liked to watch the feathered family dutifully carry out the tasks that nature had prescribed for them. Watching them kept her mind off heavier issues, like Mr. Prah. That was further incentive for Sophia to …

The bullfrogs were croaking a baleful chorus from the lush grass lining the road leading into Elmina. A sudden downpour had drenched the area. The frogs may have been singing praises of thanks for the rain, but 9Lydia cursed it. Although the view of the sea on the way to the Western Region was lovely, she hated the drive, especially in the rain. Ever since the road had been repaved taxi and tro-tro drivers become prone to overtaking in the lanes in breakneck and dangerous speeds, vexing her with each passing mile.  If the directions she had been given were correct, her ordeal would soon be over. She pulled her Mercedes in front of a …

Someone was sweeping outside. The sound of stiff bristles and a woman’s voice humming a hymn pulled Afosua from her sleep. The room was deathly silent, save for the sound of that distant spiritual song and someone else’s breathing. Afosua sat up in a panic and looked around.
“Good afternoon, beautiful,” Tony whispered. “You’ve been asleep for a while.”
Afosua put her hand on her forehead and leaned back against the pillow.
“How long have I been here?”
“Only for a day,” Tony replied, pouring her a small cup of juice. She took the liquid and drank it greedily.
“You’re a bit knocked up, but the doctor thinks the shock of your ordeal might be worse than your physical bruises.”
“By …

Tony paced the floors of the chief inspector’s office. Afosua’s phone had been ringing and gone unanswered for hours. He was worried. Something had to be terribly wrong. The inspector leaned back in his office chair and tried to calm Tony down.
“If what you tell me is correct, she’s okay,” said Frederick Frimpong. “Ms. Gyemfi seems like an intelligent woman. We have a man stationed outside of Phillips & Boakye, and he says Mr. Boakye’s car is still in the compound.”
Tony stopped pacing.
“Has he seen Mr. Boakye?”
Inspector Frimpong leveled his gaze to meet Tony’s.
“Shit!” he cursed. “There are three different ways to get out of that office. Harold could have left through any of them …

“Where are you taking me?”
“Just shut up and drive.”
“And what direction am I actually driving in, sir?” Afosua pulled on her seatbelt slowly, stalling for time.
Harold Boakye pulled a knife from his ankle and laid it on his lap.
“You are in no position to be cheeky, my dear girl,” he said menacingly.
“I’m not being cheeky,” Afosua said calmly. “I am just trying to figure out what you want.”
On the outside she seemed calm and unshaken. Inwardly she was terrified. She couldn’t believe she had fallen for Harold’s simple trick. She kicked herself for not being more aware…somehow she thought he might stage something more elaborate. She had underestimated him.
“Go east,” he commanded. “Head for the …

Tony left two hours later. He was going to make a few calls to see if he could get in touch with the Ghana Police’s lead inspector. Before he left he put a smart phone on her kitchen counter.
“What is this?” Afosua asked incredulously.
“It’s a cell phone.”
“Yeah, obviously.”
“I picked you up another phone for you. You’ll never run out of credits again.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” Afosua frowned.
“Nonsense. Everyone in Ghana has two or three cell phones, why should you be any different?” Tony joked. “Besides, I’ll always know I can reach you. That makes you my girl, doesn’t it?”
“If handing a woman a communication device makes her your “girl”, then yes, I suppose …

Sophia hugged Annette in the hallway as they both prepared to reenter the courtroom. There was nothing sexual in the gesture, but people gave both the women disapproving stares. How could someone as prominent and respected as Sophia Ike rally behind a criminal like this? Two men attempting to find seats in the audience box sneered at Annette.
“What are you hissing at? Heh?!” growled Sophia. “Come on. Get away from here!”
Annette pulled her lover’s sleeve.
“We have to stay calm,” she said pleadingly.
Sophia and one of the men locked eyes in mutual distaste, until both the men had disappeared into the courtroom.
“Foolish twat,” she spat.
“Sophia…Please.”
Annette’s pleas for civility brought her back to center.
“Look, we need to …

Afosua left the courthouse as soon as the recess was announced and went back to her office. She prayed that Mr.  Boakye would be out when she arrived. Someone must have been listening in the heavens;  only Gertrude and Mark Phillips were in the office when she pulled in.
“Hey Gertrude,” she said breathlessly. “Where is Mark?”
Gertrude pointed towards to break room without looking up from her computer screen. She had been sullen and sulking since they returned from Germany, but Afosua didn’t have time to investigate out why. As far as she knew, there was no reason for Gertrude to be upset about anything concerning the trip, and her sulking made her look childish. Mark …

Monday morning came sooner than Annette had anticipated. She walked bravely up the few steps leading into the local court house at Kanda and waited for her lawyer to appear in the foyer. Sophia had gone to find parking, leaving Annette alone and exposed. The clouds had begun to gather outside, threatening lightning and torrential rain by the time the morning was out. The gloom outside hardly compared to the desolation threatening to take over her spirit.
The sound of approaching footsteps pricked her attention. Annette whipped around, coming face to face with Kwame Prah. He reached out to stroke her forearm in greeting.
“Hello my dear,” he croaked.
Annette snatched her arm away from the reach of …