~~~~~ Hymn for the weekend by coldplay~~~~~~~~~~
After a long time sitting in his car, Maurice felt exhausted after a long day of working non-stop, and between interrogating the elite families who had family confabulation,doing a conference call in front of snob journalist who weren't listening only thinking about how they would turn his speech into a spicy headline on the front cover of a local newspaper or imagining all day wrong what condition his son is in.
He couldn't figure out what exhausted him more.
And to add to his series of misery, as a detective and general director of an intelligence bureau, he was forced to come to this crime scene, he wasn't supposed to this because the juniors always went in field and report to him the boss but today that wasn't the case, because this case was beyond the juniors and the fact that it include his son made it a tangible reason to be on the field himself but some of his colleague said that he should stay out of this case because it was personal.
Being trapped in the car alone for six straight hours didn't help either as he was weighing the pro and cons that his son was kidnapped with other golden children.
Cons was that he was more prone to danger because he was associated with them equally.
Pro was that he would be handled with care as others.
Another pro was that it made things easier for Maurice that he also had the elite group support, if he was kidnapped alone, it would have been another case, one to totally strain him.
As he got out of his car, a strange sight greeted him, three police cars with their alarm turned on, the police caution tape, Journalist taking pictures, big Fenix LED Flashlights to light up as it was already dark, a sign indicating that the road wasn't passable, police trying to stop the journalist to cross the caution tape and disrupt the crime scene.
Three burnt cars.
He was still reloading what was going on when a female figure covered with self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) ran to him, he immediately recognized as his secretary.
"Sir, you are here" She remarked as she handed him rubber gloves, self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and specialized filter mask, Maurice scrunched his face at their sight he always hated them they made his face sweat up like he was being boiled.
Aurore noticed and added "It's an arson we are dealing with"
"Do I really need to wear them?" He asked as he put on the rubber gloves.
"Well, not necessary because there's no smoke but still there are ashes" she replied shortly and proceed to walk next to him.
Maurice looked around and saw no smoke but the ashes were still being blown away even though it was dark and he decided he needed the filter mask.
"Why is there no smoke?" He asked and glanced at a famous TV1 journalist who was arguing with a police man about his freedom of speech and that this is a land of Rwandans in general not a land of Police thus to stand near the cars was his right.
"As it was estimated by the local police that the burning occured between 17 hours and 20 hours earlier from now" she reported.
"Didn't it occur to them to call us?"
"No, they called the local RIB branch as they thought it was a normal arson"
"A normal arson? I could not be surprised by a house being burnt but they call three expensive cars being burnt in a middle of a road a normal arson? Who do you think can burn three cars in row? " He exclaimed as he stared at the cars, his heart skipped a beat as he recognized the mini van that Ben have rented this month.
"Fussing about this isn't helping and beside that when we put an alert for the three cars, the local RIB told us about the predicament of their situation and proposed that we can here ourselves" She explained.
"Didn't the accelerant residues evaporate if the salvage operation was prolonged?" He asked carefully.
Aurore merely rolled her eyes.
"To console your mistrust toward the local police, they came here as soon they heard the news for the preliminary scene examination" she added.
"I am not really in a position to trust them because if they mess up anything, things would go upheaval..." He started, Aurore put her hand to his looking at him her eyes speaking volume of empathy.
"You will find him it wouldn't be fair if you lost him, I am sure you will find him in one piece" She reassured the older man, Maurice nodded.
"So if they burnt the cars 20 or 17 hrs from now, it should be between 3am or 2 am, where the kids were heading back home if their party ended and got ambushed by the abductors and the abductors burnt their cars"Maurice suggested.
"That's how it appears at the moment" Aurore added.
"I would advise you to stay where you are" Micheal stated as he approached them but they recognized him by his voice as he was covered from head to toe.
Maurice raised his eyebrow at the Micheal's exaggerated safety precautions and at his statement.
"We are still identifying footprints pattern, we don't want another inclusion" Micheal added upon seeing their confusion.
"You should have done that when it was still day time because you can't find anything useful now even with all those bright flashlights" Maurice remarked.
"We have been identifying them since daytime but.... "Micheal handed them resume pictures " The footprints pattern appear to be familiar to the footprints of Rwanda police boots but yet at the same time different so we are still confused.... " He explained.
"More to that, footprints vary to three different sizes and to confirm that they were more than one person none can drive three cars at the same time"
"What do you mean police officers?" asked more to herself as she reviewed the resume, she saw the drawn footprints on the ashes and the other was the scanned footprint next to a police's boot footprint.
"The police aren't the only security force and people in general wear boots in Rwanda, Did you check in other security forces database?" Maurice asked as he snatched the resumes from Aurore to take a look for himself.
"We checked with the DASSO, no match, checked with other private security guards organisation still no match and with local cell guards but still no match" Micheal ranted.
"What about the RDF ( Rwanda Defence force)?" He asked without looking up from the resume.
"What?" Micheal asked in confusion.
"I said, what about the RDF? aren't they a security forces?" He asked again glancing up from the resumes.
"It is not likely or even possible that the military would be involved in this" Micheal replied scratching his head.
"Is it likely to you that people are abducted in Rwanda? Let alone Minister's children? Not one person but eleven people and burn their cars knowing how cars are expensive in cars are expensive in Rwanda"Maurice inquired.
"0.000001% probability" Micheal replied "But still, their part or any other possible security forces would be hard to explain and their motive"
"I am not implying that the security forces are involved maybe some individuals who belong there acted individually without the upper hand orders"
That seemed to satisfy Micheal because he took his phone out, he registered in the RDF database and inserted the already scanned footprint.He gasped when he read the result, 99.999% match, he raised his phone to show the results to others.
Maurice nodded "This thing is beyond our imagination that's why we have to keep our minds open throughout this all because next to impossibility have been buried"
"Anyway, can we identify that young man working with the abductors? Maybe we can get more information about this if we do" Maurice added.
Aurore removed her iPad from her work jacket "About that, I have already looked into him" She handed him the iPad.
"How did I land you?" Maurice remarked as he took the iPad from her hands, she gave him a thin smile for the compliment.
"Shyaka Ahmad, 28 years of age,joined the police in 2013 after trainings, retired when he was a third grade Police officer in 2016 and they are no official records of what he did after that, he disappeared" Aurore recited.
Maurice stared at the grim face which belonged to someone who was holding his son's fate in his hands, they were in the same age.
"Interesting, first military boots and a retired police officer, I wonder what we find next" He said grumpily, handed back the ipad looking around for CCTV, he found one in the left side of the road.
"Is there any central control room nearby?" Maurice asked.
"Yes, forty meters from here" Micheal replied wondering why this sudden question.
"Let's go there"Maurice said as he turned to head to his car.
Aurore and Manzi who was removing his heavy outfit followed.
"I don't think they are there, it's eleven Pm, no one should be working" Aurore commented.
"We are no one and if we are working so they should" Maurice said and he entered his car.
"I never approved of this lifestyle" Aurore exclaimed with a heavy sigh and entered the car next to him, she was at least grateful that he never asked her to drive him around thanks to his energetic nature but that didn't remove the danger lurking around as he drove like a lightning as if he own the road always making Aurore question her life decisions.
She looked up the number of the manager of the central control room in and dialed him to distract herself and announce their arrival.
The manager picked up and when Aurore explained the situation at hand, the man excused himself saying that he was in his daughter's birthday, Aurore wanted to go through her phone and smack him, but patiently explained that she was with the general director of RIB, the man scoffed and said that they would find him there.
"You do enjoy threatening people with my name" Maurice remarked noticing this little habit she had developed recently. Not that it bothered him in the least but merely amused him.
"More than I should" Aurore replied shortly with a pleased smirk.
When they arrived their destination five people were on the gate to welcome them.
"Where are the footage from the CCTV?" He asked not bothering with pleasantries, a habit he was developing all day and he wondered if after all this case he would even remember it all, he would end up being an indiscipline old investigator.
Not that he cared.
"This way, sir" The manager, they entered the room full of different screens showing different road directions but still the same small part of the route which goes from Kigali to Rusizi.
"Check Saturday,20th three am" Maurice inquired.
They turned the screen to the exact time only to find a blurry scene, everyone frowned in confusion.
"What's wrong with the cameras?" Maurice asked looking at the manager his new profound hope vanishing as it came.
"They were smashed by street kids" The manager replied.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Aurore asked feeling bewildered.
"We didn't know that you were look for this time-frame" The manager replied.
"Okay, show another direction of the roads maybe we can spot a car or people walking around" Maurice suggested.
But from the CCTV near the incident up to the last one in 20 meters were all blurred.
"When was the last time they worked?" Maurice asked his head already spinning again.
"On friday at eleven am" The manager replied shortly.
"Why didn't you fix them immediately?" Aurore cried out.
The manager sighed looking ruefully after all they have just interrupted his enjoyment in his first girl anniversary how much he have spent in it expiring his salary only not to attend it.
"Using my salary? Oh yes! as a good law abiding citizen I should use my little hard earned salary to fix public materials in case the government prolong or fails to do it" The manager retorted.
Aurore sneered but said nothing.
"Okay, at least put it back to the last time they worked" Maurice asked again.
The manager complied and the screen showed five kids near 10 and 14years of age but you couldn't tell as they ran rapidly threw stone at the CCTV, running wildly from one to another without skipping a beat up to the last,one was holding a white broad.
"Hiring street kids to damage CCTV at least something predictable" Maurice said and sat to the couch nearest "Cunning bastards"
Small silence passed everyone wondering what was going to happen next.
"What type of accelerants did they use?" Maurice asked suddenly, directing the question at Micheal, a new idea shining in his eyes.
"How this accelerant help our helpless situation? It's useless, we should be getting back in Kigali because we are going to die from brain failure unless you prefer to die in my hands" Aurore exclaimed as she also threw in a seat next to him.
"Are you deliberately trying to get yourself fired?" Maurice asked intensely glaring at her.
"It depends on you, are deliberately trying to make us working machines or deliberately trying to waste our youth?"Aurore replied glaring at him returning the intensity.
Micheal who was used to their semi father-daughter antics cleared his throat.
"When we used PID (photoinozation detector) to detect an accelerant, we found it to be Gasoline" He paused "but to confirm if it was true, we used coupled gas chromatography mass spectrometer only to find bits of black powder which have been burnt before using Gasoline for two or one hour indicating that the cars were burnt twice "
"Interesting, why would they use Black powder first and then use Gasoline? Black powder burns well than the Gasoline?"Maurice asked.
"We had three theory about that, one was that they didn't have enough Black powder and carried gasoline with them explaining the large gap of time,other was that black powder burns fast and very portable but doesn't burning completely to the level of erasing spot of blood but gasoline does that" Micheal paused "and the last one was that they burnt with black powder and made a huge mistake deciding to bring gasoline to cover it all and the last being that they didn't have "
"Let's go with the two last theory because if they are more reasonable why they would burn new expensive cars"Maurice remarked.
"Now that you are done here can we go? " The manager asked.
The attention turned to him.
"It's but let my secretary take copies of the footage on her flashdrive to examine them further"Maurice replied turned to Micheal "What do you suppose were they trying to hide when burning the car?"
"I said it they possibly trying to hide spot of bloods"Micheal replied, Aurore signaled them that she was done and they headed back to their car.
"So, one of them was probably injured by one of the kids who were trying to defend themselves and they burnt the car to avoid being identify by their blood or one of the kids was injured or died and they covered it up to prevent chaos"Maurice decided.
"Why not buy erasing chemicals to erase bloodspot instead of burning cars?"Aurore asked praying that Maurice drives normally.
"Erasing chemicals are only available in Kigali and in this kind of condition they had to hurry up this using what was more available at the time" Maurice elaborated.
"And is black powder more available?" Aurore asked.
"No, I have a theory that they were using Chinese first gun or second gun version and the nearest place they are available is in Congo Brazzaville"Manzi explained.
"I still don't understand why they had to burn the cars, they could just carry out their kidnapping and take the cars with them to cover their asses"Aurore exclaimed.
"We have to consider that even though they had guns, they lacked manpower, two people can't drive three cars and kidnap eleven people at the same time" Maurice explained.
"Did you check the nearest station which have gasoline? I think we can see them if some people at the station may identify them"Maurice asked.
"We sent two police officers already" He replied clearly sharing the same level of exhaustion with Aurore "They have managed to find nothing in particular because as far they went they didn't see any station which sold Gasoline only diesel stations"
"Then that means the abductors had the gasoline with them or in their mode of transportation which is likely to be a truck which consume gasoline" Maurice continued on " they burned the cars with black powder from their guns after the injuries and when they realized it wasn't enough, they used gasoline and the truck explains why they couldn't take the cars with them"
"So let's analyse the leads we have here" Micheal suggested.
Military boots.
Two people.
Retired police officer.
Chinese early version guns from congo Brazzaville.
A possible injured person.
The hiring of street kids to damage CCTV to leave no footage behind beforehand as if they were prepared that the kids were coming.
"I am still sure that it's FDLR, they are near congo Brazzaville to buy guns and they are rebels to have the same supply of clothing as the military of Rwanda and could have hired a retired police officer who was angry at his country for low salary" Aurore reasoned.
"That's reasonable but I still feel like there's a loop hole in this assumption" Micheal added.
"Me too, Maybe you two can continue watching the footage to see if you can see anything useful" he said and zoned out.
They arrived in Kigali at 6 pm, they were all exhausted but decided that they should first at their work place, hand in their report and sum up their findings but regretted it when they saw a la he mob of reported surrounding RIB headquarters clearly waiting for them.
They stared at them wondering where they would how or If they shouldn't just go to their respective homes.
"I think you should all see this" Micheal whispered when he showed them a zoomed picture showing on of the kids in the footage who was holding the whiteboard with big Isaiah 65:1
Which read in Google like:
Those who didn't consult my advice, I let them come to me
Those who didn't want me, I let them see me
I said " I am here, I am here"
Then tell me who will not praise my name.
They all gasped sucking in their breath realization hitting them like ice cubes.
The abductors wanted them to find everything they thought was going to help them and apparently whatever they found was not true.
Uncomfortable silence enveloped them.
"Well that's not even irking" Aurore started and showed them in her iPad. Other kid holding the same kind of board but with Big Job 38:11 enclaved on it and she turned the page to show them the bible verse.
Micheal and Maurice inclined their heads to read attentively.
Now after reading the last bible verse, he felt angry and bolted out of his carry not caring about the mob of journalist.
"Sir, can you tell us why you had to travel to Rusizi with your whole team of detectives? Is it possible that the kids were traveling to Kivu?" One started.
"I heard that one of the household maids of the victims home participated in kidnapping? Is she being held by the police?"
"About that...." He started but to only be cut off by another epic question.
Is it true that Nirere Josiane the mother of Mugesha Hughes committed suicide upon hearing the news?
"Nonsense...."
"We heard that Your efforts went to waste in Huye when you couldn't find anything to trace them? Are you sure the investigation will still proceed effortlessly?"
Now he wondered how they knew that unless the abductors have boasted about it to make him look helpless in the press as he was already.
"Now, why are you here? Shouldn't you be following any trace you found if you have any?"
"God...."
"Is your Kid also in the victim list? Is that why you are overworking your juniors?"
And that was the last thread.
Micheal and Aurore looked at each other.
"With due your respect, I cannot disclose private information to satisfy your curiosity, you would have to pass through a police training center to have the right to and I should remind you that In Rwanda that someone talking blasphemy is convicted for five months, no one is committing suicide, no one is being overworked, so please stop this nonsense of circulating fake news adding fire to the fire and everyone rest assured because the government of Rwanda never fails"
"And for the abductors, I want to tell them that their little pull earlier was quite iconic but iconic is when I catch them red handed because my proud waves as policeman may halt but not as a father" He turned to leave but that didn't stop them to ask questions.
"What kind of pull are you talking about?"
"Why would they kidnap them?"
"Who are the abductors?"
But his secretary Aurore hushed them off.
He collapsed in his office chair hoping to sleep.
After all the efforts he used today, the exhaustion he felt all went in drain as he knew that deep down what he did was useless.
The last bible verse circulated in his brain verse as he feel into a deep sleep.
This far you may come and no farther, here is where your proud waves halt.