Charles was woken up by the sound of a dog. Enough light came in under the door to tell him it was morning. His body ached, but he felt better than before. He stood up and searched around his prison using his hands. As he felt along the wall, he found another door.
He felt for the handle and turned it. The door opened into another room. The room was much brighter than his cellar, and the air was fresher. The window let in more light and air, but it had been nailed up, and there was no way out. There was a washbasin and a toilet in the room. Charles washed his cuts and bruises and felt much better.
Charles went back to his cellar and closed the door. He sat down with his head against the wall and thought. He was sure that the owner of the large house was the brain behind the cocaine business. He was sure he was right. But he must wait for the meeting at the airport to take place and prove him right. Perhaps then his friends would find him. He prayed the evil man with the whip would not come back.
Several hours later, at about midday, he heard a man's footsteps. A loaf of dry bread was thrown through the window in the cellar door. The man went away without a word. Charles did not see anyone until the evening of the next day.
************************
Casper's pickaxe came down on the hard, stony ground. He threw down the pickaxe and took the spade. He dug up the soil and piled it up on the sides of the trench he was digging. The sun beat down, and the prisoners' bodies ran with sweat. Casper took off his shirt and put it on his head to shade himself from the hot sun.
"Hah! This is hard work," he complained to another prisoner.
"How many days have we been digging?"
The other prisoner stopped digging and leaned on his pickaxe. "Three days," he answered.
"This is terrible work," Casper complained again.
The other prisoner looked up at the sky. "The rain clouds are gathering," he said. "If it rains this evening, it will be easier digging the soft ground tomorrow."
"I hope it does," Casper remarked.
"Which teams are playing on Saturday?"
"Block C against Block K," the other answered.
"I play for C. You play for K, don't you?"
The other nodded.
"Then we shall meet on the football field," Casper said.
They went back to their digging.
It was another hard day for Casper as he worked with five other prisoners. They were digging the foundation for a private house in a nearby village.
Varney, Casper's prison friend, had gone. But Casper was now a little more cheerful than he had been at first.
He now played football two or three times a week, and that kept him going. Casper had realised that he could do nothing about the suitcase. He had not heard anything from his lawyer, but he felt that one day, somehow, the truth would come out. That feeling helped him to stay hopeful.
************************
Mallory was having a late lunch when Gyan walked into the compound. She was sitting at a low table on the verandah, eating.
"Where's your bike?" she asked.
"In the house. I decided to walk."
Gyan did not look cheerful.
"Shall I give you water to wash your hands?"
"Thank you, I've already eaten."
"OK, I'll finish soon." Mallory put a chair in a corner of the verandah for him. "I thought you would have been here earlier," she said.
"Yes, I know. But I've been to Charles's place twice today."
Mallory stopped eating and looked at him. "Any news of him?"
"No." Gyan shook his head.
"Are you serious?"
"I am. If he had returned, we would have come here together. Anyway, finish eating first," Gyan said, trying to look calm.
"I've had enough." Mallory went to wash her hands at the tap, then came back and sat beside him. "What are we going to do?" she asked.
"His father asked me about him."
"What did you tell him?"
"I told him we went to town together," said Gyan, "but we separated there. I said he was going to see a friend. I had to lie. What else could I do?"
"You had to say that. You didn't want to make him panic."
"He looked very worried," Gyan said.
"He said he would wait for a day or two. If his son doesn't come home, he'll go to the police."
"We must stick to our plans, whatever happens," said Mallory, looking into Gyan's face.
"We have to be careful, Mallory. These people are dangerous."
"But you will help me, won't you?"
Gyan did not answer immediately. He sat in silence, thinking. At last, he spoke.
"Casper is in prison just because he bought that suitcase. That's how dangerous these people are. Charles tried to follow them, and now he has disappeared. If we continue, what will happen to us?"
"Oh, come on," Mallory said. "There's only one day left. We must not panic."
"I'm not panicking, but you must understand. Drug traffickers are dangerous. Think of what happens in places like Colombia-explosions, shootings-all because of drugs."
"Be a man, Gyan!"
"They can kill. They don't value human life."
"Shake yourself. We can do this-I know we can," Mallory insisted.
"What about the police?" Gyan suggested. "Can't we tell them our plan and leave the rest to them?"
"That won't work. You're the one they know. They're going to try and plant the suitcase on you. You must be there."
Gyan looked at Mallory. He couldn't back out now.
"Alright. We'll go ahead as planned," he agreed.
"Brilliant!" Mallory smiled.
"Come on then. Let's go and tell the police everything."
************************
Fosu was the head of the Drug Squad at the Central Police Station. He had recently returned from Britain after taking a course with "The Romeos," the top British anti-drug division.
"My young friends, are you wasting my time?" Fosu asked.
"No, sir, we're serious," Gyan replied.
Fosu studied their faces carefully. Then he called in his assistant, Amaga, and asked Gyan to tell the whole story again from the beginning.
"That sounds very interesting," Amaga said when he heard the story.
"So you think a cocaine gang tried to use your friend Casper to smuggle drugs?" he asked.
"We're certain of it," Gyan said.
"And you say your friend is innocent?"
"We know he is," Mallory replied.
"And you think the gang has captured your friend Charles?" Fosu asked.
"That's what we're afraid of," Mallory said.
"Where's the second suitcase you bought?"
"At my house," Gyan replied.
They answered more questions, and Gyan showed them the receipt.
"This is our chance to catch them," Amaga said.
"How many officers will you need?" Fosu asked.
"Five will be enough, including one woman officer," Amaga replied.
"Bring them in."
A few minutes later, Amaga returned with five officers. After discussing the plan, Fosu told them to take a good look at Gyan and Mallory.
"These are the people you'll be working with tomorrow," he said.
When the officers left, Fosu turned back to the two friends.
"You'll remember everything we've told you?"
"We will," they answered together.
"Good. We'll see you tomorrow."
He shook their hands, then turned to Amaga.
"Go to the KLM office immediately. Make sure Gyan's name is on the passenger list. We don't want the gang checking on him before tomorrow."
"Yes, boss," Amaga replied.
Gyan and Mallory left the station feeling hopeful.