A Death in the Family Read Free

blows away. People walk through here all the time, so anything we find might have nothing to do with the murder at all. I’ve already got a whole bag of junk. And I don’t think we’ll get any fingerprints.” She glanced at the rough brick walls.
    â€œKeep at it, Zanele,” Mabaku said. “Collect everything. Some of your junk could turn out to be important later on. In the morning we’ll search the whole area. Maybe the killer threw the knife away. And we’ll start checking right away if anyone in the area saw or heard anything.”
    Suddenly, Samantha had an awful thought. Suppose they never got to the bottom of this? Suppose Kubu had to live without knowing what had happened here and why? Then she pulled herself together. That wasn’t going to happen. Mabaku wasn’t going to let it happen and neither was she.
    The director turned back to her. “If this is just an opportunistic mugging, we’ll get him through the local police. Check with them in the morning and get them to see if their contacts have any information that could be useful. But if this is something to do with Kubu, then we’re going to have to get at the motive through him. That’s going to be painful for him because he’ll blame himself for his father’s death.”
    Samantha thought about it. “What if it’s neither a mugging nor connected to Kubu?” she asked tentatively.
    Mabaku shook his head. “Wilmon was as straight as an arrow. He would never have been involved in anything that would get him killed.”
    Samantha said nothing, but she wondered about that cell phone.

 
    CHAPTER 4
    Kubu walked into the tiny living room, where his mother was sitting. Two elderly neighbors were next to her, and the rest were standing, talking quietly.
    â€œThank you all so much for being here,” he said. Despite his grief, he couldn’t help wondering how they came to be there. Had Amantle gone next door to get support, or had Mabaku called them?
    â€œOh, Kubu,” one of the ladies said. “I am so pleased you are here. It is such a tragedy. What is the world coming to?”
    Kubu, he thought. Even among my parents’ friends, I’m Kubu. Somehow tonight he wanted to be David, the name his father and mother had given him, rather than his childhood nickname of Hippo that had stuck. But he said nothing like that to the kindly neighbor.
    â€œThank you so much for being here, Mma Ngombe,” he said instead as he sat down next to his mother, who was struggling to stand to greet her son.
    â€œDon’t get up, Mother. I’m here.” Kubu didn’t know what else to say.
    He put his arms around her and held her close. They both started crying.
    â€œIt is so terrible,” Amantle whispered. “Your father never hurt anyone. Everyone loved him. Why would someone want to kill him?”
    The two of them rocked gently back and forth.
    â€œI cannot believe he is gone. What am I going to do?”
    â€œMother, you’ll come and stay with us. You can’t stay here alone.”
    â€œYou do not have the room, and all my friends are here.”
    â€œLet’s not talk about it now, Mother. We can discuss it in the morning.”
    Kubu looked up at the two neighbors. “Who told you?”
    Mma Ngombe shook her head. “We woke up because of the lights on the police car. I think it was your boss. Edwin went out to see what was happening. When he heard, he thought Amantle would need me. He went and woke up Lizzie and her husband, and the two of us came over.”
    â€œAaii! I thought Amantle would die also,” Lizzie said. “It is a tragedy.”
    Kubu pulled his mother closer. “Mother, did Director Mabaku ask you any questions?”
    â€œYes. He was very kind. He just asked if Wilmon said why he was going out tonight or where he was going. Or if he seemed nervous or different.”
    â€œWhat did you say? Was Father