Officer Lakhani glanced upwards, wiping away a bead of sweat that trailed down the side of her forehead. The rickety ceiling fan spinning leisurely above her head proved no match for the afternoon sun that blazed mercilessly through the netted windows. Only five minutes left on the clock. And boy, was she glad to be finished. As Rea waited for the second hand to tick upwards, her eyes lingered on the mahogany desk positioned opposite her own. Polished silver frames filled the sleek brown surface, each featuring titles such as “Excellence in Performance” and “African Police Award for Meritorious Service”. When Martha Okeno first transferred to the Parklands police station at the start of the year, Rea had found her partner to be cold and unsociable. However, as the months went on, she slowly came to appreciate Martha’s responsible, hard-working nature – and decided that other departments would benefit from employing individuals that took their job as seriously as her. Just as her mouse hovered over the ‘SHUT DOWN’ button, the hinged office door swung open, leaving a handle-sized dent in the plastered wall. “There’s been another one!” Officer Okeno’s shrill voice echoed through the air. Rea jumped out of her seat; brow furrowed in concern. “What! Where? We have officers around the full perimeter of the forest! How can this happen again?” “I know, Lakhani. I thought it was all over too. It is at Camp Carnelley’s - you know, on the banks of Lake Naivasha?” Rea nodded quickly as Martha grabbed a manila folder pinned to the cork-board. “They must be taking bribes from those witch doctors in Kampala! It is the only explanation.” As they hurried out of the small police station, Rea grimaced at the thought of the barbaric rituals performed on vulnerable children in the shadows of Africa. Although a plausible theory, the seasoned Officer could not help feeling like there must be some other explanation for the current series of abductions. “Why would they take children so far from their villages?” Rea questioned, seating herself upon the warm leather seat. She switched on the ignition. “We are close to the border, but it would still be hard to smuggle a screaming child all the way from here to Uganda.” Martha’s manicured fingernails tightened around the grab handle as the police car hurtled down the empty road. “I heard they use beans from the castor plant to poison them, so that they do not make any noise” Loud sirens reverberated through the air, muffling Rea’s response. As they approached the edge of the dense forest, a procession of large white vans and excitable crowds blocked their way. “Dammit! How do they always get here so fast,” the younger Officer muttered, barging her way towards the black and yellow barrier. A tall, stocky man in an ill-fitting grey suit greeted the two women with the smallest of nods. Rea could not help noticing the damp stains on his shirt which leaked out from under each armpit. “Three-year-old male, been missing for approximately four hours. Family went to sleep. They wake up - the boy was no longer in the tent. A full sweep has been done of the immediate area, but nothing has come up” “Have the Officer’s near the border reported anything unusual?” “Nothing so far. Although, if they are not travelling on foot, they may have been able to slip by unnoticed.” A deep pressure pressed down onto Rea’s temples. She massaged them slowly, regretting leaving her migraine pills on her desk. Six abductions in two years. The ethnicity and age varied between the victims, but the abductions always occurred whilst the child was camping with their family. Some, like Martha, believed it to be the work of the voodoo Witch Doctors that preyed upon the ignorance of rural communities. Although Rea respected her partner’s theories, she could not help but wonder if this explanation originated from an unconscious resentment towards the traditional villages whose practices differed from the more “civilised” city dwellers. An ear-splitting wail sounded from behind the officers, interrupting Rea’s thoughts. She watched a bereaved woman crouch down into a foetal position, while her husband sat in silence beside her. In the distance, white lights flashed incessantly. “Pigs. Do they have no shame?” A sharp voice hissed next to her. Rea shook her head slowly, before glancing back at her partner. “I’m happy to talk to the family, if you want to go over to forensics?” Martha hesitated for a moment, before nodding in assent and headed towards a white tent situated towards the centre of the blockade. Inhaling deeply, Officer Lakhani walked towards the woman whose world had just been shattered. *** The last remnants of the afternoon’s sun filtered into the cheap diner, illuminating steaming hot plates that rested upon every table. In front of Rea sat a heaving plate of greasy beef curry, with a side of fluffy white rice. Opposite her sat a smaller plate containing a vibrant salad. Martha dabbed the corners of her mouth with a napkin. The fluorescent ceiling lights reflected off her ruby red acrylic nails. Rea felt a tight knot in her stomach as she compared them to her own stubby fingertips. She had always justified her lack of beauty treatments on the basis that they were unaffordable on a simple police officer’s wage. But if her partner could afford all of these treatments, why couldn’t she? “How did it go?” “What?” Rea asked, still half in a daydream. “Oh! Yes, it was heart-breaking. She had no idea there were kidnappings occurring in the area” Martha waved her fork in the air, sprinkling drops of ketchup onto the ground. “These western women are oblivious to the dangers of the savannah. They simply come here to get likes on their Facebook photographs, with no respect for their surroundings” Rea frowned and looked up. She could not help noticing the lack of empathy in her partner’s tone. “What did Forensics say?” “Not much. An empty sweet wrapper was found near the northern side of the lake, but there was no telling if it belonged to the child.” The younger woman tucked a flyaway strand of hair behind her ear, swallowing her last bite. “I have to go back to the Office to grab a few things before heading back to the campsite,” she said, rising out of the red leather seat. “Meet you there?” Martha smiled, flashing a neat row of pearly white veneers. *** Back at the office, Rea sighed as the ancient computer whirred into action. The events of the day weighed heavily upon her, and she was glad for a few moments of solitude. Alas, her evening was far from over. Once she had transcribed the interview with the missing child’s mother, she would have to travel back to the campsite once more to discuss any further developments with the Officers who were stationed over there. RING RING RING RING Rea sprung up, startled by the sudden noise. She wheeled her chair over to Martha’s desk promptly answering the handset. “Parklands Police Station, Rea speaking——“ Silence filled the room as a tinny voice sounded through the line. “You’ve found something? Yes...yes, of course! I’ll be there right away!” In her haste to stand up from the chair, Rea bumped into the side of Martha’s desk. Several of the frames clattered onto the glossy surface, whilst various papers littered the ground. Swearing quietly to herself, Rea hurriedly attempted to place the documents back in some kind of order. To the untrained eye, the jumbled rows of numbers represented nothing more than accounting bills. However, upon closer inspection, Rea could see that something was clearly wrong. Her heartbeat hammered inside her chest. Slumping onto the floor, she was unable to comprehend what she was seeing. If the numbers were correct, Martha was involved in something very, very bad. Rea was so focused on the sheets that lay in front of her, she did not hear the office door gently opening. “What are you doing Lakhani?” a quiet voice snarled. The young police officer froze. Her eyes shot towards Martha. “I could ask the same of you! What are all these invoices for?” “It is nothing to concern yourself about. You should not be prying through other people's things” “I was not prying!” Rea bounded upwards. Although possessing a small stature, she held her chin high to make herself seem as imposing as possible. “Let’s cut to the chase, Officer Okeno. You are involved in child trafficking. You have abused your power and used it to lure these poor children away from their parents.” A wicked smile grew upon the older woman’s face. From her purse, she pulled out a small vial of perfume, and sprayed it directly into her partner’s face. Rea opened her mouth to protest, but no sound came out. Fire burned inside her. Wide-eyed, the young police officer grabbed at her throat frantically trying to relief herself from the unbearable pain. Collapsing onto the floor, her slender body writhed frantically, thrashing against both of the desks. Martha calmly shuffled her papers into order and placed them into her bag. Her expression remained unchanged even as froth started to foam onto the floor, staining the threadbare carpet. Reaching over to Rea’s desk, she grabbed an orange vial and emptied the pills into her purse, before placing the empty container onto the ground. Within a few moments, the body on the carpet grew still. “Poor Officer Lakhani, consumed by her workload. A most unfortunate overdose...” As the wooden door slammed shut, shrill laughter echoed through the small room.