Chapter 32

MILANI CELE

"You are the police commissioner, you can make this disappear." I look at this man and I can feel that I am losing my patience with him. I am close to strangling him. I need my brother out of there, not all this nonsense he is telling me now. "Milani stop, just listen to me. Emihle already tried to talk to me to get Malusi out but it is not going to happen. The detective handling the case is not letting anyone close to this case. This is a sensitive case and your hunger for power over that Cele boy activated this chain reaction. I don't know what they have. All I know is that they names of judges that use to handle your brother's cases. Mbhele as is releasing information about this case according to what he wants out there. He is being strategic." I hear him and yet I don't hear him. How did we get to this. I think I have been playing the nice for too long now. It's time Milani came to the party. "This detective will just have to die. I cannot have Malusi behind bars and Emihle cannot lose a husband."

"Milani already you have kidnapping charges against you, conspiracy charges for framing Nqaba and now you want to add murder. Are you insane child? If you kill that man, you bring the whole force down on us. Now, stop being emotional about this and start thinking rationally. Otherwise, we can prepare ourselves to lose everything. "Look, I understand you want to protect your brother, but your methods are dangerous," he continues, his voice steady yet urgent. "We need a plan that doesn't involve violence. Think about what that will do to your family. You would only cause pain that could take generations to heal." My mind races, torn between the desperation to save Malusi and the chilling reality of my choices and stopping the plan that I set in motion already."Why does it always have to be so complicated?" I retort, frustration boiling inside me. "Why can't I just take matters into my own hands for once? I'm sick of being played!" I don't know if I can reset the plan that I set in motion already.
He takes a deep breath. "Because every action has consequences, Milani. You set fire to a bridge, and you will burn with it. Don't you see? You're losing control." I cross my arms, staring daggers into him. "I'm not losing control; I'm taking charge!"

"By risking everything? By putting Malusi and Emihle further into jeopardy?" he counters. "What will you do when the police are at your doorstep? How will that help your brother? You need to think this through, please." Silence hangs heavy between us, and for a moment, I consider his words. Maybe he's right. But the thought of Malusi behind bars is insufferable. "Then what's the solution? We just sit and wait for the worst to happen?"
"Let's find another way to get him out and maybe see if we can't find the evidence they have against your brother. We can't use Ndlela since he is under investigation. If we can't change the game, then we learn to play it the way it is, the game has changed Milani. The pieces are moving in a different direction and we are running out of pieces." he suggests, his voice calm yet insistent.

I nod slowly, understanding the merit in his plan but still feeling the fire within me. "What if the evidence we need is locked away safely in someone else's hands, someone who is unwilling to help?"
"Then we find a way to loosen their grip. We need allies, people who can sway things in our favor. Remember, Milani, there's power in connections. If you haven't notice we losing allies and we need those allies," The idea settles in my mind. "Connections... People. I have a few ideas, but they come with their own risks."
"Risks we can manage," he replies, leaning closer, a conspiratorial gleam in his eyes. "Let's turn the tides without falling into a trap. We will not react; we will act strategically. This is their strategy, they want you ladies to panic. They are giving a long enough to hang yourselves."

Taking a deep breath, I finally feel a surge of resolve. "Okay, let's do it. Let's strategize and move carefully. And as for that detective, we'll keep him in our sights. But I can't promise I'll play nice forever. I'm tired of playing nice. These people are messing with my territory."
"Start with these small steps, and we'll see. But remember, the scars of impulsiveness can last a lifetime, and we don't want that." he cautions. I glance outside, pondering the shadows that have plagued our lives. "Then let's make sure this chapter ends without further destruction.""Right," he replies, his brow furrowing slightly. "Focus on the plan, Milani. One misstep and we could lose everything that matters." I rub my temples, trying to sift through my swirling thoughts. "Who do we know that can help us?" I ask, eager to assemble a task force of our own. "Let's start with your business network. There's Jabulani; he has connections in the legal field and can help navigate some of the murkiness surrounding the case. Then there's Katlego, who you've worked with in the past—she might have insights into the judge's background that could help you, once we know who the judge is."
Nodding, I start to mentally map out the connections. "Good, we can leverage their knowledge. And I have a few more names, but..." I hesitate, "they come with complications that I'm not sure I want to deal with. People like Jabulani, with his shady past and unpredictable nature."

"Sometimes the right people are wrapped in layers of complications," he asserts. "But they can also be the most effective. We need to face the truth, Milani. Our situation is far from uncomplicated. We cannot afford to be picky who we deal with. They have the judges, soon they'll have the cops, they'll have me and then what. Milani what you are not seeing here, is that someone on the inside is feeding the cops everything about us. The branches are falling off one by one, very soon they'll be no tree."

"The stakes are high, this isn't just a game," I remind him, my voice lowering. "It's my brother's future on the line."
"And the clock is ticking," he adds, glancing at his watch. "We can't wait forever. The detective is growing bolder with each passing day. We must act before the narrative becomes more challenging to shift." A knot of determination forms in my stomach as I take in his words. "All right. Let's start making calls. I'll reach out to Jabulani first; he owes me favor from last year's negotiation. And if anyone knows how to manipulate the system, it's him. Then we can assess what Katlego knows about the judges. If we can establish a foothold in the legal side of things, maybe we can find a way to push for Malusi's release."

"Exactly," he says, his confidence radiating reassurance. "And remember, don't show your hand too early. Be tactful. The last thing we need is to alert the opposition."
I can feel the tension digging into my shoulders, but with every idea I generate, the embers of hope flicker alive. "And in the meantime, we need to keep Malusi focused. He can't feel abandoned or desperate. That's when mistakes lead to bigger consequences."
"Agreed. Keep him grounded. Remind him that we're putting a plan in motion," he stresses. "We can't risk him losing faith. I will visit him... make him understand we're on his side." As I rise to leave, I can feel the pressure building inside me, yet there's a spark of clarity in my actions. "And we will be smart about this," I reaffirm. "No more reckless decisions."

"Yes," he nods, his expression now serious yet proud. "Now we're talking. Remember, Milani, every empire rises by turning chaos into strategy. We're not here to play the victim—we're here to rewrite the story."
With those words echoing in my mind, I step out of the room ready to take control of my own narrative—ready to use every tool at my disposal to protect my family. The battle may be daunting, but I am no longer a mere player in this game; I am the one who holds the pieces now. I feel his heavy steps following behind me as we get to the lounge the door bell rings. I open the door and there stood the detective with two uniformed officers. "What are you doing here detective?" He has this foolish grin on his face. "Oh! Milani. I remember telling you that I am going to get. This is me getting you. You are under arrest and the commissioner is here as well, now this makes things easy. Commissioner you under arrest. You know all the cases that you squashed, those cases the never made to court because you would make sure the file never existed. You and your assistants really did a good a job over the year of losing case files. You know what your problem was in all of this, you had too many people involved in this dirty work that you were doing. You and your lackeys are the reason most of us are labeled bad cop. One rotten potato can cause others to rot of not gotten rid of. You have poisoned the force for so many year and now, now it all end. You are going to watch your little empire crumble." He turns looking at me and smiles but he doesn't say anything. The uniformed officers take us to the car and they drive off.
Kanti what happened here? I thought I was awaiting trial outside. What's going here. I look at this old man next to me, looks more lost than I am. He probably also doesn't know. Where is Emihle in all this. Malusi is going to be beside himself.

NARRATED

When they arrive at the police station they are taken to separate interrogation rooms. The commissioner has not said a single word and Det. Mbhele has been please with himself. He remembers that he has to Det. Nxele for his help. He walks into the room where the commissioner is in. He sit across him with a file. He opens it showing him the contents of it. Pictures of him with Malusi and Malusi' business partners. Pictures of him with other people with no connection to Malusi but also in the underworld. The commissioner goes through the file and the list is as long as his arm. The list of case he destroyed. The cases where families never got justice for their loved one. Cases where children went missing and the file disappeared with a trace. It is all laid out in front and he can't even deny it it. It is all here in black and white.

"The first time I suspect your involvement in all this. I couldn't believe it. I thought I was wrong. I started quietly investigating you and you didn't even I was investigating you. I found a few things but then somehow the link would be broken. I didn't give up. I kept a file on you at home. The minute I learned that some of us were being watched. When I learned the walls at the station head ears. I kept everything at home. I slowly pieced what I could piece together but it was never enough to arrest you. Sure probable cause was there but the evidence was circumstantial so I decided to smart about it. Stay quiet and just continue with investigation. I didn't want you arrested and then out again in a matter of hours. I wanted you to rot in jail. Knowing that you have a family and you kids but you were involved in human trafficking of kids. Your son in law might have been the ruthless kind of man, the one people thought twice before crossing him, he was never involved in human trafficking. I wonder if her knows that you use Milani's logistic company, the company she stole from her other brother, the brother she killed for the company."

Mbhele stop talking and looks at the man before him. He sweating profusely, his eyes didn't live the file from the glance. Det. Mbhele decides not continues. He collects his file, gives him one glance and walks out. He head towards where Milani is. With Milani, nothing gives him more pleasure that to see her crumble, breaking into pieces that cannot be put together. He walks in and finds her with her head on the desk facing down. She Iifts her head the minutes she send him. She adjusts herself, sitting straight up as the detective sits opposite her.

"You were supposed to stay good. You were supposed to not do anything stupid and simply await trial in the comfort of your own home." The detective says. She thought that she had everything under control but everything is falling apart. She wonders how it got to be like this. She wonders who betrayed them because this smell like betrayal from within. She would knows what betrayal smell like, she has her fair share of betraying but this, according to her this kind of betrayal was unforgivable. The detective does the same thing again, places the file in front her, with everything she needs to see for now. "You are charged with kidnapping your own child, conspiracy and now I have added three charges attempted murder against Nqaba Cele. If you look at the photographs, you'll see that there's quite a few of them showing the stab wounds and both stabs perfectly in fatal areas. Had the knife been a few centimeters to a certain a side, he would definitely be dead but both these were calculated perfectly." He pauses a little trying gauge where Milani's emotions are about all this but he sees nothing, no remorse at all. "Now, the top tier is the hitman you hired a few days ago to have him killed. What you didn't know is that after Mr Cele walk out of prison, he made he had security around him. His security was not loud, it was not visible to the eye. Your hitman was caught. He made a mistake and he was caught."

She looks down, thinking how this was supposed to be just a quick thing. She hates Nqaba for what he did. She hates him form making her lose control the way she did. She didn't want him to get away with it. "You frame the man for murder and sexual assault and still have the nerve to try and kill him. I give it you Mrs Cele, you are bold and very heartless." She looks at him again thinking that this is all a joke that he is going to laugh and say he is joking. "Where did you get all this?"

"Your forget we have video footage of you actually stabbing a defenseless man in front of his child. The case he opened against you when you did that to him was of abuse but now he has reopened the case and requested that you be charged with attempted. Oh in case you were wondering. He is the one that gave us the information on the hitman. His brother came to see me and now imagine my surprise that after everything you put him through, you still wanted him dead. This is the end for you Milani. Guess what else your husband gave me, a gun he found in your house hidden and linked to Mr Khumalo Senior's murder, which makes me wonder how it got to be in your husband when your husband is the one accused of his murder. That's a story for another time. You should have left him alone after getting his child. Your little stunt of an apology made him more aware that would be up to something. Honesty, he didn't think you would try to kill him." He says shaking his head and walks out.