Chapter 13

MABUTHO ZUNGU

It's a Saturday and I decided to go spend it with Nqaba's family just to check on them. I am going to see him tomorrow. His parents are doing better now but I can't say the same for his son. Lwandle misses his father a lot. He's been a very quiet child lately which is unlike him. But he will be ok. All this will be over like it never happened.

"Do you think they will find new evidence that will clear my brother?" Sizwe asks as he downs the last bit of his beer. We are sitting at outside in the backyard of his parent's house. He's been worried about Nqaba. Being accused of murder and assault in not child's play. This will affect his future when he get out of jail. It will hang over his head for a long time before people can forget about it. Even if he is proven innocent, it will still be there. I look at trying to find the right words to answer his question. "Yes they will. He will be cleared. Trust and believe. Mandla is not only doing his job, he cares about Nqaba. He is not just his lawyer, he is a friend." "I hear you man. I just don't want my brother to struggle. I must say Milani is selfish. I think she needs a mental evaluation." Sizwe says and he laughs, it's not the happy laugh. It's laced with anger and hatred. "For five years she has been mistreating Nqaba and now this. Which tells me that the first years of their relationship she was pretending waiting for the right moment to pounce at her prey." He is not wrong. Milani played this well. "That woman is after something Nqaba has. This is not just hunger for power and control." He says trying to process it in his head, trying to understand.

We sit there just talking enjoy the quiet Saturday afternoon. My phone pings and I don't recognize the number. **Hi Mabutho it's Nomonde.** What does this woman want from me. I thought I made it clear that I want nothing to do with. How do you say you love someone when you can hurt them the way she did me. No thank you. I am not going back there. She can stay where she is. She decided to cheat, she must deal with it. She sends another text, it's a with a caption: ** Malusi Nkabinde.**

I look at the picture and it's a picture of Malusi. He looks so relaxed, no worries in the world. "Fu*k!!! What is this? This can't be true!" Sizwe jumps startled by my reaction. "Man! I almost spilled my beer. What the hell is wrong with you?" You can't miss the panic in his voice. I take my phone and show him the picture that Nomonde sent. Malusi. It can't be. "Where was this taken? My brother is in prison and he is walking around like his Jesus's son, practising to walk on water. Wait, was Detective Mbhele not looking for this men?" Ok, he is more angry than shocked. I don't know where this was taken. I'll have to ask. "Hold on let me ask quickly."

** Where was this taken Nomonde?**

** I took the picture myself, I'm on holiday in Coffee Bay. He is not alone."**

She sends another picture and this one is of him and Milani smiling at each other. I show Sizwe the text and he is livid. "So these two sent my brother to jail so that they can do whatever it is that they are doing. Couldn't they live my brother out of it, continue with their shenanigans without making Nqaba suffer for it. He was not going to stop them. All he wanted was a divorce and the bitch decides she is going to play with my brother's life, ruin his reputation, take a father away from his son. Why? Just because he wanted to be free of her. They are going to pay. They are going to pay." He is pacing up down trying very hard to keep himself calm. "Calm down Sizwe, you don't want the parents to hear you. Let's go see Mandla. He is Nqaba's lawyer. He needs to know about this." I say grabbing my key walking towards the exit and he follows closely behind me.

As we drive through the familiar streets, my mind races with thoughts of Nqaba and the betrayal he has faced. "How could Milani do this? Wait, this means Milani was not sleeping only with Mnqobi, she was also sleeping with Malusi because they look very cosy in that picture." I mutter under my breath, gripping the steering wheel tightly. Sizwe is silent, but I can feel his anger bubbling beneath the surface, ready to explode. "Dude, they were supposed to be a family," he finally says, his voice low. " and she just ruined everything, she betrayed Nqaba and not only with one man but two and for what, just to have control over a man."

"I know," I reply, trying to keep my own emotions in check. "But right now, we need to focus on getting the evidence to Mandla. We can't let this go without a fight. It's obvious that Malusi is linked in all this."

The tension in the car is thick, you can cut through it with a knife. As we pull into Mandla's office parking lot. My hands tremble slightly as I cut the engine. We step out and stride towards the entrance, determination on our faces. Inside, the air feels charged, a mix of anticipation and anxiety.

"Mandla!" I call out as we enter the office, my voice echoing slightly off the walls. He looks up from his desk, surprised to see us and it looks like he was getting ready to leave. It is a Saturday. I didn't even think we would find him here. "We need to talk. It's urgent."

I quickly explain the situation, showing him the texts and images from Nomonde. His eyes widen in disbelief as he processes the information. "This changes things. We might be able to apply for early parole," he finally says, leaning back in his chair. "If Malusi is linked to Milani, then it is grounds to apply for an appeal, we can absolutely contest the charges against Nqaba. The man is drug dealer, he might have sold the drug to Milani that she used that night."

Sizwe leans forward, his passion reignited. "Mandla, we need to act fast. We have to gather more evidence about Malusi's whereabouts and contact anyone who might have seen him. We can't let Milani get away with this. Another problem is that we don't know what drug was used. Remember they couldn't any in his system."

Mandla nods, a spark of excitement lighting up his eyes. "Let me send this Detective Mbhele, he will know what to do. But we need to be careful. There may be more at play here than we realize. Tomorrow I am going to visit Nqaba. He called and asked to see me. He said he can't talk about over the phone. He said he had some information for me."

The gravity of his words hang in the air as we begin to formulate a plan. My heart races with a mix of hope and anxiety. This could be the turning point for Nqaba, a glimmer of salvation in the chaos of his life. I can't help but feel a sense of responsibility; we owe it to him to uncover the truth and bring justice where it is so desperately needed.

"Mandla, we should also consider reaching out to people in Coffee Bay," Sizwe says, excitement seeping back into his voice. "There might be locals who saw them together or even know Malusi's exact movements. We need witnesses."

"Good thinking," Mandla replies, jotting down notes as we brainstorm. "I know someone who can help me with contacts that side. I'll get in touch with them and we'll also need to gather intel on Milani. She is starting to leave a trail and being careless." The mention of her name sends a fresh wave of anger through Sizwe, and I can see his fists clenching at his sides. "That woman doesn't have a conscience. It's all about her," he spits.

I take a deep breath, trying to steady my thoughts amid the chaos. "We have to keep our emotions in check. Acting rashly could jeopardize Nqaba's case," I remind them firmly. Mandla looks thoughtful, nodding in agreement. "Mabutho is right. You need to promise me that you are not going to do anything stupid Sizwe. Leave this to me and the detective, we'll handle it. Mabutho, I know you are going to see him tomorrow as well, we can drive together but we are not going to mention this to him. We are going to hear what he has to say and we'll take it from there. We can't tell him about today's discovery, not yet."Mandla's firm and authoritative. We nod agreement and Sizwe seems to have calm down a bit. With our plans taking shape, I can feel a sense of urgency settling in my stomach. "Let's meet tomorrow then. I'll ask Nomonde for more information, hopefully she'll have more that we can use." I just hope this will not make her think that I want her back. God knows I'd rather die.

"Agreed," Mandla says, gathering his papers. "And I'll monitor any legal ramifications that may arise. The last thing we want is for this information to get out before we're ready."

Red flags appear as the thought crosses my mind. What if Milani finds out we're on to her? What if she tries to manipulate the situation further? The stakes are higher than ever, and time is not on our side. "Let's keep everything under wraps for now. I don't want Milani finding out that we are on to her, not even by accident."

As we finalize our plan, I'm suddenly hit by a wave of guilt deep in my gut. "Guys, what if we're just playing into their hands? If they find out we're investigating, they might fabricate something else to keep Nqaba imprisoned."

Sizwe looks contemplative for a moment. "Then we need to outsmart them. We have to move quickly but discreetly. If we can make Milani believe she's still in control, it might give us the edge we need."

"Exactly," Mandla agrees. "Let's turn the tables—use her arrogance against her. We need to be shadowy but effective. That's what she is all about anyway. Milani wants control, she wants power and we are going to give it to her"

The buzz of determination fills the air as we prepare to leave Mandla's office. With our next steps in motion, hope begins to kindle in my heart. Nqaba will not suffer for this betrayal; we will work tirelessly until we expose the truth. As we step outside into the late afternoon sun, I feel the weight of our mission ahead. We are not just fighting for Nqaba's innocence; we are fighting to reclaim a life stolen by deceit and manipulation.

"Let's do this," I whisper, a newfound resolve surging within me. Together, we step forward into an uncertain future, united in our purpose, ready to bring justice to light.

MANDLA MTHETHWA

"Did you see the pictures I sent you?" After meeting with Sizwe and Mabutho I texted Mbhele the picture asking to see him. "I got the pictures. So Malusi disappeared to the Eastern Cape and he is with Milani. I thought Milani cheated on Nqaba with Mnqobi. What's the link between her and Malusi? Did he help her with all this?" He looks thoughtful, more like asking himself these questions. That's what we need to figure out. Whatever brings them together has everything to do with this case." I say. "Don't worry, Detective Nxele is helping me with the case. The judge said you can apply for an appeal and early parole at the same time right? I think you should do that. If we can have Nqaba out by next week, that will even be better but we'll have to keep his release under wraps.

"I'm not going to apply for early parole. I think they are going to deny it since he hasn't even served a year. I am going to apply for bail though." He looks at me shocked. Is not that not going to be difficult. His charges are serious charges, they are Schedule 6 offenses."

"I know. With the new evidence that we have, it will be easy to convince the judge that Nqaba was framed for his crimes. We have more chance of getting bail than parole. It's worth the risk. They might want a big amount but it will be worth it in the end." I am running away from any possibilities of Nqaba not getting out next week. "Ok, if you say so, then I have no choice but to trust you. I'll speak to Detective Nxele. I know he has some contacts that side. I'll ask set up surveillance for those two. Can Mabutho find out from this Nomonde where they are staying, that will make things easy for us." He is more confident now than he was earlier. But she must not put her at risk. It's possible they are staying in the same hotel or same area.

"Has Milani tried to make contact with Lwandle's grandparents?" He asks. "No she hasn't. The last I heard, she was still looking for a lawyer to her dirty work. Apparently Natasha Watkins who was her lawyer refused." Good for Natasha otherwise her career would have been at risk.

I say, trying to catch a glimmer of hope in the grim story unfolding before us. "If Milani is scrambling to find a lawyer, it means she's feeling the stress of her situation. We need to capitalize on this uncertainty."

Mbhele nods, his expression turning serious. "We are going to dig deeper into Malusi's background. What's his connection to Milani? If I can find any links between them, it might help us uncover a flaw in her plan. Also since she is scrambling for a lawyer, he allow her to use his lawyer and you don't want to know who that is." He looks at me, then looks at the picture on his phone. "Don't tell me Ndlela is Malusi's lawyer." He looks at me for a minute. "Ok, I won't tell you." Shit, that is not good at all. "That is not good." He voices out my thoughts, while I am at a loss for words.

"Exactly," I reply. "If they have been working together, it could unravel her entire scheme. Maybe Malusi has a weakness we can exploit." I can see the fire in his eyes; the determination is contagious.

As we strategize, a sudden thought strikes me. "What if there are more players involved?" I suggest cautiously. "If Malusi is involved, it's possible he wasn't acting alone. Milani may have accomplices who are furthering her agenda."

"Right," Mbhele agrees. "We need to widen our investigation parameters. I'll reach out to my contacts to see if anyone has noticed suspicious activity involving her. Perhaps some of the hotel staff or local businesses can help us."

"Good idea," I say, feeling ever more determined as I picture Nqaba's face when he regains his freedom. "And we need to set up a meeting with Detective Nxele soon. He may have information that can give us an edge and share what we have with him."

"Also, let's see if we can't get Nqaba out buy Tuesday morning. We'll make it happen." he assures me, pulling out his phone. "Time is of the essence. I'll also reach out to Mabutho again. Maybe he can press Nomonde for more information about Milani. Every detail counts."

The walls of uncertainty begin to feel less oppressive as we take these steps. With the pieces starting to come together, I can practically taste the victory. We can't let Milani win this game; Nqaba deserves to be free, and justice must prevail.

"Let's keep our heads down and move quickly," I say, steeling my resolve. "We're going to crack this case wide open." With that, we step into the next phase of our pursuit—a relentless hunt for the truth, ready to dismantle every layer of deception that Milani has constructed.