The Disappearance of Sgt Sophia
At the police conference in Mombasa, a mysterious event has taken place. Sgt Sophia has vanished without a trace, and the top brass is now involved in an urgent search for her. The only leads they have are the clues she left behind: a lipstick found between the bedsheets and a note that has sparked intense debate among the investigators.
The note, written in a hurry, contains several elements that have raised questions. Sgt Makini, who is closely involved in the investigation, believes there are hidden messages within it. However, not everyone shares this view. Snr Inspector Simon Noklu, who is leading the case, is skeptical about the significance of the clues.
“We all agree she wrote the note in a hurry,” says Noklu. “How can typos be clues?”
Makini had already pointed out that it was unlikely for Sophia to write “fore ever” unless she was under duress. Now, he is analyzing the note more deeply.
“I don’t think she wrote the word ‘man’ by mistake,” Makini says.
“But she struck through it,” Noklu responds.
“That’s the point. It’s still there, and I believe it’s a clue saying she was abducted by a man. And I think there’s another clue in there, in the sentence ‘I see us stuck between ending up dead or worse.’ That has nothing to do with us, as in me and her. I think she means there is an ‘s’ stuck—”
“An ‘s’ stuck between dead or worse?” Noklu interrupts. “How does that make sense?”
Inspector Tembo, Makini’s boss and also Sophia’s father, is scrutinizing the note and has caught on. “Maybe he’s on to something,” he says. “The first letters of the words ‘dead’ and ‘worse’ are the same as the words ‘crossed’ and ‘words’ in the second line of the note.”
“So what?” asks Noklu. “You stick an ‘s’ in there and you get what – ‘crossed s words’? And that is supposed to make sense how?”
“The only thing that makes sense,” Makini says, “are the words ‘crossed swords’.”
Noklu shakes his head. “That still means nothing, and I think we’re only wasting time here.”
Makini looks to his boss, hoping that since he’s seen it his way, the next bit of information comes from him.
“What Sgt Makini is trying to say,” says Inspector Tembo, “in her note, Sgt Sophia is telling us the man who is responsible wears a uniform bearing the crossed swords insignia.”
Noklu’s face goes solemn. He’s finally realized what Makini is implying. “Let me get this straight. Are you insinuating that Sgt Sophia was kidnapped by either the Inspector General, the Deputy Inspectors General, the Senior Assistant Inspector General, or the Assistant Inspector General?”
“Well,” Makini says, choosing his words carefully, “only the AIG is at the meeting.”
Noklu tries to say something, then starts laughing. “You’re not serious, are you? You want me to accuse the Assistant Inspector General of Police of kidnapping a low-ranking female sergeant at a police convention?”
Inspector Tembo sees red. “The fact that she’s a female means diddly. She’s missing and she left these clues.”
“She’s also your daughter,” Noklu erupts. “So you cannot be expected to be objective. You should stay out of this.”
“With all due respect, sir,” Makini says, “my boss has a point. The other clue she left, the lipstick in bed, we had been fighting over her re-applying makeup in bed after we… you know.”
“The last day of that fight, she told me she was under Witness Protection for a case against fellow officers. I think the AIG has something to do with it.”