Death by His Grace

Book 5: A Darko Dawson Mystery

by Kwei Quartey

Genres: African American Mystery & Detective; International Crime & Mystery; Police Procedurals

Synopsis

Katherine Yeboah's marriage to Solomon Vanderpuye is all the talk of Accra high society. But when it becomes apparent that Katherine is infertile, Solomon's extended family accuses her of being a witch, hounding her until the relationship is so soured Solomon feels compelled to order Katherine out of the house they share. Alone on her last night there, Katherine is brutally murdered by an intruder wielding a machete.

Chief Inspector Darko Dawson of the Ghanaian federal police has personal as well as professional reasons to find the killer fast: Katherine was the first cousin of his wife, Christine, who is devastated by the tragedy. As Darko investigates, he discovers that many people close to Katherine had powerful motives to kill her, including Solomon, her husband; James Bentsi-Enchill, her lawyer and ex-lover; and her filthy rich pastor, Bishop Clem Howard-Mills. In order to expose the truth, Darko must confront the pivotal role religion plays in Ghana - and wrestle with his old demons the investigation stirs up.

Release date: August 29, 2017

Publisher: Soho Crime

Print pages: 272

Sample

Chapter 1
Katherine would never forget the day she married Solomon. The wedding was immense, glorious, and the talk of Accra. Solomon’s father, Ezekiel Vanderpuye, a wealthy ex-member of parliament, spared no expense. Clem Howard-Mills, one of Ghana’s most prominent bishops, officiated the service at the Power of God Ministry Church in La Paz on the outskirts of Accra.
     Four hundred guests flocked to Unique Floral Palace for the reception. The enormous space dazzled in white and gold, with Queen Anne’s lace, white calla lilies, and pink gardenias decorating the guests’ tables. Lights cascaded from ceiling to floor, sparkling like a South African diamond.
     Caterers in crisp white uniforms served up a large spread of food, from palm nut soup to kung-pao chicken. Champagne, wine, beer, and hard liquor flowed while the DJ played loud hip-life. Weddings and funerals—no difference: eat till stuffed; imbibe till drunk. And the first commandment: thou shalt not run out of food or drink, or you will tarnish your name forever.
     Solomon and Katherine observed traditional Ghanaian nuptial customs the day after. With gifts of alcohol and yards of cloth, Solomon’s family paid an official visit to Katherine’s. The elders on both sides poured libation and performed the necessary rites.
     Katherine felt joy and pride whenever she looked at Solomon, so slim and tall in a dark, embroidered smock. Already, she could picture her future life with her husband and two or three kids in a happy home. Katherine wanted a little girl first. After that, she would be perfectly happy with either gender.
     For a moment, Katherine watched her parents, Nana and Ransford. She could tell how elated they were. Both of them liked Solomon and admired his intelligence and educational accomplishments. He was a young, up-and-coming lawyer. Ezekiel, Solomon’s father, was also pleased. Every so often, he beamed at Katherine and his eyes moistened behind his spectacles.
     Solomon’s mother, Maude, was a different matter. She had welcomed Katherine into her family with reluctance. Status was critical to Maude. Vanderpuye, her husband’s name, had been tied to the Ghanaian upper class for generations, since the seventeenth century when Dutch colonists and indigenous people produced mixed offspring. Katherine’s Yeboah family, on the other hand, was of working class stock, and in Maude’s view, fell below a certain “essential” threshold. But to Katherine, her mother-in-law’s preoccupation with caste was a pointless contrivance.
     Always at Maude’s right hand was her daughter, Georgina. She looked and behaved like her mother—down almost to the gesture—and sided with Maude over everything. The two women felt Solomon had rushed into marriage. He had met Katherine a few months before he went off to the University of Virginia to study Business Administration. While away from Ghana, Solomon kept in touch with Katherine by phone, WhatsApp, and Skype. They were in love. Some nights Katherine would stay up until three or four in the morning talking to Solomon. Not long after his return to Ghana, he proposed to Katherine. Thrilled, she accepted.
     Maude and Georgina had been dead set against Solomon’s engagement to Katherine, but Ezekiel had prevailed over his wife and daughter. He told them Solomon had every right to marry the woman he loved.
     In the midst of the laughter, drinking, and dancing of the after-wedding party, Katherine stole a glance at her mother-in-law. Maude’s mouth was hard, her jaw set, and her eyes cold.
 

Chapter 2
Late one Wednesday afternoon in February when the rush of the wedding had subsided and the Harmattan weather had become insufferable, Katherine and Nana were preparing a meal in the kitchen.
      “So will I be a grandmother soon?” Nana asked her daughter with a sidelong glance.
      “Mama, it’s only been a month since the wedding,” Katherine said with a short laugh.
     Nana searched her face. “I hope you’re not waiting, are you?”
      “Waiting? What do you mean?”
      “Well, you know,” Nana said, wrinkling her nose, “your generation sometimes has a notion to wait awhile before having children, for whatever reason.”
      “My generation?” Katherine said with some amusement. She shook her head. “Not us. Solomon and I want kids as soon as possible, and we’re not wasting any time getting to it.” She hesitated. “In fact, I thought maybe I was pregnant last weekend, but the test was negative.”
      “That sometimes happens at the beginning,” Nana reassured her. “Don’t worry. As long as you and Solomon continue trying to conceive, I’m sure it won’t be long now.”
      “I’m not worried, Mama,” Katherine said. She added more salt to the pepper stew that would accompany the rice, which the guests would enjoy later on in the evening after Bible study. Katherine had made it a tradition to provide a meal whenever she and Nana hosted a bussell session. It was Bishop Howard-Mills who had introduced the concept of bussells to his congregants. Held in the homes of church members, these meetings provided an opportunity to worship the Lord if and when one could not make it to church. This was especially helpful to working professionals.
     Katherine and Solomon had been participating in the bussell program since before their marriage. No more than ten members attended a session, and although the proceedings were less formal than regular church, the Bible discussions still needed some direction. That duty usually fell to one of the junior ministers. Young Reverend Atiemo had customarily officiated at the bussells Katherine and Solomon hosted, and Bishop Howard-Mills’s assistant, John Papafio, often accompanied the reverend to notify members about upcoming community events.
 
 
Around eight, the first of the church members began to file in. Katherine greeted them with hugs and kisses. She was profoundly happy, with enough love and warmth to fill an ocean as far as the horizon. After thirty minutes or so, Reverend Atiemo led the group of seven in prayer, following it with a discussion of Psalm 139: “‘I can never escape from your spirit! I can never get away from your presence.’”
     John arrived late, slipping in as quietly as he could. Solomon pulled up a chair for him.
      “Welcome, John,” Atiemo said.
     John flashed an easy smile. In his late twenties, he had a boyish face and a relaxed manner. He was tall but rather round and soft. Efficient, he seemed to pull off church events with little effort, and his sense of humor could belie his competence. Once the discussion was over, John made a few announcements, and then it was time for the best part: the meal.
     After dinner, the church members talked and laughed among themselves as they straggled out to the courtyard. Gabriel, the faithful little watchman who had worked for the Yeboahs for years and who was related to them in some way, was at the front gate ready to bid the guests good night.
     As Reverend Atiemo was preparing to leave, Katherine pulled him aside and asked if he would stay for a few minutes. He joined Nana, Katherine, and Solomon in the sitting room. Glancing at Solomon every so often, Katherine asked the reverend to pray for them as they sought to conceive a child together. Atiemo listened with patience and understanding, and then the group joined hands and bowed their heads as the reverend led them in a heartfelt prayer.
 
 
I felt blessed as he prayed for us,” Katherine confided to Solomon later as they were getting into bed. “Did you feel it too?”
      “I did,” he said.
      “He’s a caring soul, Reverend Atiemo,” she observed. “Everyone in the church is—the bishop, the reverend, even John.”
      “John thinks the world of you,” Solomon said, as Katherine snuggled up to him. “You should see the way he stares at you sometimes.”
      “Oh, come on,” Katherine said.
      “I’m not kidding.”
     She lifted her head off his chest to look at Solomon with a smile. “Are you jealous?”
     He snorted. “Not at all. John has a pure heart.”
      “He does seem to,” Katherine agreed.
      “So, when you become tired of me,” Solomon joked, “you’ll know where you can turn and to whom.”
     Katherine gave him a mock slap. “Silly boy.”
     He laughed.
      “Honey?” she said after a moment. “I think we’ll be successful tonight. I can feel it.” She reached down to touch him. “Seems like you do as well.”
 
 
Afterward, Solomon turned over and went to sleep, never one to cuddle. Katherine always felt lonely after sex when he moved away from her like that. But it mattered less to her tonight because she was confident that this time, a tiny Vanderpuye was about to form within her.