Free Children of the Street by Kwei Quartey Page A

making a steeple. “What senior officers my rank and higher are looking for in a junior officer is exemplary ”—he emphasized each syllable—“performance, something I can turn to them and say, Look how well this young chap is doing. This is someone we need to push up the ladder. You see?”
    Chikata nodded. “Yes, Uncle.”
    “Now,” Lartey continued, “you are doing well, but let’s see you standing out, excelling above the average officer. I think you get what I’m trying to say, not so?”
    “Yes, Uncle. I understand what you mean.”
    “What’s new on the lagoon case?” Lartey asked.
    “We have one possible lead.”
    Chikata told his uncle about Daramani. “Dawson went to Nima on Wednesday to find him, but he wasn’t there. If Dawson comes back this afternoon, then maybe we can go to Nima again.”
    “You didn’t accompany Dawson to Nima on Wednesday?” Uncle Theo asked with a frown. “Why not?”
    “That’s the same question I asked him. He told me to stay behind and do paperwork, but I didn’t understand why. We always have paperwork.”
    Lartey shook his head. “Dawson can be a little strange at times. But here is an example of where you could have shown your initiative. You knew Dawson was going to be away yesterday afternoon and you knew he wasn’t able to find this fellow Daramani on Wednesday. So why not say to Inspector Dawson, ‘Please, in your absence, let me go again to Nima to look for the man?’ Do you see how that creates a good image for you?”
    “Yes, Uncle, I do see that.”
    Lartey smiled at him. “Good man. I think everything is going to go well.” He looked at his watch. “Shall we go to lunch?”
    H osiah had responded well to the treatment at Korle Bu, and by midmorning, after the doctors’ teaching rounds, he was ready for discharge. Gladly, Dawson took his son home. Christine would be back from school by noon or so.
    Hospitals were exhausting. Dawson and Hosiah fell asleep together on the sofa. Only Dawson opened his eyes when Christine came in.
    “How is he?” she whispered.
    “Much better,” Dawson said. “Just tired.”
    He gently repositioned Hosiah on the sofa by himself and got up.
    “You must be tired too,” Christine said. “Are you going into work?”
    “No, I’m calling it a day.”
    “Do you want some lunch? I bought something from Awo’s.”
    “Oh, perfect.”
    Awo’s Tilapia Joint, directly across the street, was a favorite of theirs. It made Dawson think of his tilapia promise to Jason Allotey in the DNA lab. Hopefully, he was making progress with Musa’s tooth.
    L artey treated his nephew to lunch at the Dynasty Chinese Restaurant on Oxford Street. As Chikata dug into his kung pao chicken, his mobile rang. On the line was a sergeant in the CID Charge Office.
    “Do you know some woman called Akosua Prempeh?” he asked Chikata.
    “Yes, why?”
    “She’s been calling here over and over again,” the sergeant said, obviously irritated. “I don’t even know how she got our number, but she says she has to speak urgently to you or Inspector Dawson. Please, can you call her?”
    “No problem. What’s her number?”
    A minute later he reached Akosua.
    “Please, Mr. Chikata,” she said, voice breathless and shaky, “I’m at Nima Market and I have seen Daramani.”
    Chikata sat up at attention. “You can see him right now?”
    “Yes, please. He is buying some tomatoes.”
    “Has he spotted you?”
    “No, please.”
    “I’ll get there as soon as I can. Try not to lose him, but be careful. I will call you back in five minutes.”
    Chikata pocketed his phone. “Uncle Theo, I’m very sorry, but I have to go. Akosua has spotted Daramani. I’m going to try to accost him.”
    “Good job, Philip. This is exactly the kind of thing I want to see from you.”
    D awson checked his phone and realized he had forgotten to switch his mobile from vibration back to normal mode on his return from Korle Bu. To his dismay, he saw he had