Two Hangmen, One Scaffold Book II: In The Hangman�s Shadow

Chapter 15

145 C Chapter 15 adoma Central Police Station was at the only robotcontrolled intersection in the small city. Matipa left the police premises at sundown and walked westwards away from the city’s dysfunctional robots. West was the General Hospital and Jameson High School. Ivy told her Joppa International Ministries was between the hospital and the elite school. As she walked, she reflected on what she learnt from the CID. The interview, especially the name Nomathemba haunted her senseless. She ambled like a sleepwalker. There were strong chances this Nomathemba whom the prophet picked and national records paired with Binga Jochoma was in Akar Muja’s life. A shorter version of the name was Norma, the name her husband often pronounced on the marriage bed. He had tried to console her lamely by saying Norma was a Hollywood star he noticed in a movie and had fallen in love with the sexuality of the character, not the person. In justifying the despicable blunder, he had stuttered. Cunningly, he had curbed a repetition of the fiasco by calling her empty words: sweetie, honey, chocolate and darling. Despite her distaste of the apostolic faith and its leader, there just had to be some correlation between the prophecy and the investigative deductions. Either Nomathemba was married to her husband or he cohabited with her when he wasn’t at the mine. The same applied to Gillian. The prophet ordered her to destroy the bowls if she wished her husband to return. Nomathemba’s bowl was broken and history. On getting home, she would take Gillian’s from the wardrobe, the stubborn one that bounced, and break it. Though it now soured her sensibilities Jatropha was pagan, she hoped his spells had worked on Nomathemba. In the back of her mind, she feared she was delving into witchcraft. K 146 The unknown women were one bother, but now she was almost convinced her husband was Binga Jochoma. It was foolish on her part to suppose Bomani and the government authorities were both wrong. For seven years, she had lived as a wife to a man whose identity she couldn’t vouch for. Many questions plagued her. What if Akar was more brutal than Bomani and turned against her for losing the child to the monster? There were chances he would never return. Would he have the courage to go for Bomani if he knew where to find him? If he had no idea of where to find the kidnapper and his gang, how would he track them? She ambled towards the hospital. When it came into view, she switched her mind to Remegio. The teenager’s corpse lay desolate in the mortuary. If no one failed to coax his father and stepmother, the body would receive a pauper’s burial. At the entrance of the hospital, she turned left into Mashonganyika Avenue. As directed by Ivy, Matipa found Joppa International Ministries along the avenue in Masters Suburb, a middle-income neighbourhood. The church was between Jameson High School and the hospital. A large signboard stood conspicuously near the entrance: THE TABERNACLE Joppa International Ministries Jonah 2 vs. 8 The letters were in red. A service timetable in black and smaller fonts was below the denominational name. Pausing to read the information on the board, she noticed there wouldn’t be any service on the day, which meant the Man of God was free to meet and pray for her, if he was available. A high brick wall of intrinsic designs surrounded the House of God. The hour was 6 pm, but it was already dark and darkening further. Mashonganyika Ave, a north-to-south tarred road flanked with gay Jacaranda trees and garden bungalows, stretched deserted 147 except for a few members of the Johannes Masowe apostolic sect walking from the southern end where there were many hills with various shrines on it, remnants of congregations footing home after daily prayers. She pitied these modern Pharisees and Sadducees; in white apparels, they looked angelic yet lived in manifold darkness. For believing prophets could harness God’s power in earthen bowls, she thought they were verifiable idiots. She had no kind words for them in her reflections. As she started towards the church gate, she trusted Ivy’s word the pastor would be available to entertain church members, especially couples in need of marital counselling. Matipa marvelled at the power and ingenuity of...