Jazz Nights at Jupiter
the continent’s first-ever crime thriller mini-series based on Agenda 2063
Ep. 15
“All the Sinners are Saints”
At an undisclosed location on the 14th floor of the AU Commission, you could have been forgiven for thinking someone was having a birthday party. Cindi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” blasted, with finger chops and drinks in abundance.
It was the Crime Scene Analysts at AFRIPOL Liaison office enjoying the New Year like it was 1999. They had invited selected law enforcement agencies working in Addis to help celebrate the departure of the old year, and also celebrate the return of Maggie.
Maggie and Mendacity burst out of the party venue together for some fresh air laughing at a private joke.
‘Gosh, Addis is beautiful at night isn’t it?” Maggie asked as if speaking to herself.
Mendacity inhaled from the relief of everything that had been going on, adding “it sure is, Maggie.” He paused “you still haven’t told me how you were rescued. I can’t believe you seem so relaxed about it all?”
“Mends, if you’ve been a “True Crime” author for as long as I have been, you will know abduction is an occupational hazard: it comes with the territory of seeking the truth…”
“I get that philosophical bit, but am still waiting to hear of the rescue. Remember, this is Africa. We don’t do those SWAT and FBI rescues. You’ll be lucky if we get a car full enough of…”
“…petrol…” they both squirted out laughing viscerally.
“I know, TIA and all that, Mendacity. But look, it was all dark in a room for the time I was gone. Blindfolded. I was blindfolded. No voices. I found that strange. I was just given water every day after the blindfold was removed. Then ordered to drink. There were two people. Both wore a baseball cap and wore black clothes from top to bottom. I don’t know if there were more or the same people just taking turns.”
“And they demanded no ransom? That’s odd..”
“You and I know that’s not odd. I don’t have any money! And am new in town”
“Still no idea of who might have wanted to harm you?”
“None! And as far as my rescue is concerned, before I knew it on the day of my release, there was tear gas. All over. Then I heard grunts.”
“Grunts?”
“Yeah, like the two guys had been overpowered. They lay motionless. Then someone wearing a cloak ushered me out of the room with his colleague. They removed the blindfold for me to see that I was outside in a place that looked like the Kazanchis zone”
“That makes sense. They wouldn’t have gone too far from Jupiter Hotel. Most abductors keep their captives close to the place where they cause an abduction.”
“Then, the bigger guy wearing the cloak motioned for me
me to keep quiet as he made a call.” He then handed me what looked like a disposable phone and asked me to throw it away when done.
As police sirens sounded, they disappeared into the crowd”
“Cloaks. Surgical rescues. All sounds cloak and dagger stuff from a superhero set piece!” said Mendacity dismissively. “What I don’t get, Maggie, is why you? You think there’s some connection to Neeves?”
Maggie shook her head categorically. “Whoever did this is a new perp. Connected to Neeves? Difficult to say. I just get a funny feeling it’s not about the team. The bombing in SA…”
Mendacity cut in “yes…there’s already a connection between that and your kidnapping. Will tell you more at the station. You save your strength. Let’s let our hair down and prepare for what’s coming.”
Maggie in a quiet moment burst out laughing “what hair? In your case, dude, it’s the beard that needs to come down!”
Mendacity found himself nudging her playfully, which segued into a tight hug, with Mendacity almost whispering “good to have one of AFRIPOL’s finest back. Looking forward to your Agenda 2063 presentation to the team!”
“Gosh, I almost forgot!”
Mendacity quipped “it’s a good thing I won’t let you forget. Happy New Year Margaret Paxton!”
She winced “sounds like I’m just out of a convent!”
They both looked at the moonlit sky in quiet contemplation, sighed and headed back inside to more eighties hits.
