Come Back Abayomi

CHAPTER THREE

Pia was sicker to her stomach with fear than from the antidote administered by the medics. Her choking had slowed down enough for her voice to return, but no medical care was enough to help rest that night. Morning was already peeping in through the curtains' edge, and Pia had spent all night waiting. She had been pacing to and from the security office, again repeating the ritual endlessly in a vicious circle that tick-tocked by excruciatingly slowly. Pia's thoughts became progressively darker as she obsessed about what might happen to Abayomi. Worse still, she felt helpless as a foreigner in a hostile world.

"How many?"

"Dunno. We haven't caught any," the detective replied.

"Bring me the !" Captain Ndlovu instructed, before turning his attention to Pia.

Pia had been brought to the security office earlier, hoping she may have information which could lead to finding Abayomi. He wasn't getting the intended . Pia still fingered the telephone he handed her hours ago; she hadn't made the call yet. She knew that she had to make that call home, but didn't want to - she was afraid. Ndlovu surmised that she must have a hope that Abayomi would be found quickly.

He poured Pia a cup of coffee from a flask and took a seat next her, trying to be as gentle as possible under the circumstances. But it only took a few questions to frustrate Pia. She slammed the cup of coffee down and got up to pace around again. Good thing Ndlovu had to take a call or else Abayomi's rescue team would've gotten off on the wrong foot!

"Yes sir... we're doing all we can...That's not...uh huh...Yes sir," Ndlovu cut the call, cursing beneath his breath. Pia realized that he was under pressure too.

"Look, the longer we wait, the slimmer the chance of finding Abayomi," Ndlovu said earnestly. Pia nodded in agreement. She could see that her anxiety about calling home with the bad news was not helping.

"Your boss?" she asked. Ndlovu waved his eyebrows in the affirmative.

"The trade talks are in jeopardy because I let this happen" Ndlovu said, emphasizing the word 'I' as if he was being blamed for Abayomi's abduction.

"Sorry I snapped at you," Pia apologized. He calmed down himself, and assured her that he'd go easier on her too.

"You could anticipate Abayomi's choices in the hands of her captor. I need you," he said.

Pia knew that he was right. She grabbed her cup of coffee and they moved on to the kitchen, where the last of the crime scene was being processed. As they were being walked through the evidence by Detective Arby, Pia learned that the attack emanated from the kitchen.

"The poison seems to have been smuggled in before the time," Arby pointed out some tomato sauce bottles in a bin.

invasive media.

"You alright?" Ndlovu asked Pia once the door was shut again.

He looked her up and down as if measuring her words against her appearance, then switched on the little television set on the counter. Pia sat down, it was terrible - there she was, crying on worldwide television. The newscast was a live stream, showing her befuddled state moments ago, when the reporters accosted them. The scrolling headline at the bottom of the screen read "Trade talks go on despite xenophobic attack." Further reports from ministers and international dignitaries followed, emphasizing that attacks wouldn't be allowed to derail any peace-making efforts which could be facilitated by the trade agreement. This was an international incident but, with a larger vision at stake here, everyone was not as concerned about Abayomi as Pia was.

The newscast switched to a priest who was being interviewed along with conference organizers.

"Hey, that guy...." Pia muttered. It was the same priest she read about in the conference brochure.