“Okay, so tell me how long have you known Sara October?” Vankyker asked after turning on the recorder on the table. He also had a file and pen in hand.

I cleared my nervous throat. “Two days.”

“I’m serious here,”

“So am I,”

“So in these two days, you managed to book her in a fancy hotel after you helped her pack her things at her house?”

“She came to me asking for representation, that’s all.”

“And when was that Sir?”

“Yesterday.”

“Interesting. So if that is the case, why the hell were you two seen at her house? Not to mention the hotel? Mr Mahlangu I’m not here to play so I’m gonna ask you again. What was your business with Mrs October?”

“I told you dammit,” I shouted in frustration. “I’m not gonna answer any of your questions anymore without a lawyer.”

“So you think a lawyer can get you out of this one? You better be kidding me, Sbu! A man has been murdered here, not just any man; a very high profile man, who owned multibillion companies all over the country. So if you think any lawyer is gonna get you out of this then you are dreaming.”

“Where the hell do I fit in? I just told you everything and you keep asking me questions I can never answer because when he was killed I wasn’t there.”

“I think you were there. And I think you helped clean out all his company’s accounts with her wife before you killed him. I also think that you should start speaking the truth now, or there’ll be hell to pay.”

If this Vankyker guy had his facts straight, it could only mean one thing; Sara didn’t rob only me but also her husband. How the hell she embezzled all the company accounts I didn’t know. And why she would want thirty thousand from me I just couldn’t figure it out. Unless if she just wanted to use me as a scapegoat, so when they do their research they find that I gave her money and think we’ve been dating for long. That bitch didn’t only use me but she dug my grave for me.

While Vankyker interrogated me, the door opened. It was another guy in a suit.

“Sir there is new evidence regarding the October case,” he informed Vankyker.

“What new evidence?”

“This file has pictures of the same woman with different names. She was married to Judge Mathews Greenstein a year before she was married to October. The judge was found dead ten days after being shot in his basement and his wife, Portia Greenstein, was nowhere to be found.”

“Where the hell did all this take place?”

“United States, Washington DC, Sir!”

Vankyker took the file and threw it around the table. He was so furious it even scared me.

“You want to tell me that this woman managed to trick us all? How could she possibly marry another rich, famous man and no one realises it’s her?”

“She uses disguises sir and false identities.”

“I think she had a partner and that partner is right here in this room with us. Mr Mahlangu, I’m going to leave you for a while. And when I come back, I expect to find all the answers I’m looking for, you hear me?”

I sat there staring at him. I couldn’t nod to his question because if I did that would mean I knew the answers. He left the room furious as hell, the other guy following him. I was left in that cold interrogating room alone to ponder the situation. If only I knew the answers to his questions. Mantoa’s words rang in my ears, the words she would tell me when she was angry: “Go rata basadi ga gago, go tla o tsencha mathateng one day.” And here I was being questioned about things I had no idea of.

I sat there four hours, alone, itchy, hungry and thirsty. Sitting on that chair for hours didn’t make it any easier for me. I spent time counting seconds, minutes, hours for someone to finally come back. If they decided to arrest me, let them arrest me; that would be better than sitting in that cold, stiff room feeling like I was being watched by the entire police force.

When Vankyker finally re-appeared he looked more serious than before. His blue eyes pierced at me, his shirt sleeves still up. He was carrying a cup of coffee which filled the entire room with its aroma. He took a chair and sat down, his eyes showing no form of emotion.

***

Tell us what you think: What should Sbu do now? What would you do?