A new victim.
***Ghana - Accra***
- MARKUS: Any news on my wife's case?
- MELSA: No sir! No news!
- MARKUS: s**t!!!!
He pushes the papers off his desk and knocks them to the floor.
He jerks his wrist at the computer keyboard before standing up abruptly.
Panicked, the secretary takes a step back.
- MELSA: Excuse me, sir," she says in a trembling voice.
- MARKUS: Please leave me alone and if anyone tries to see me, tell them I'm busy... no, tell them I'm in a very important meeting... no, tell them I'm not here!
His hands are shaking and his body is heating up. He is very nervous and risks breaking everything.
- MELSA: Copy that, sir!
She goes out immediately for fear that his behavior will scare her more and more and goes to the entrance of the building where she settles in her secretary's office and at the same time, she receives a call.
She puts on her work headset connected to a microphone before answering:
- MELSA: d**g Squad Secretariat speaking! Good evening, what can I do for you?
- Good evening madam! I found my son almost lifeless an hour ago and once in the hospital I was told that he had consumed a large amount of cocaine. Do something for this country damn it! Drugs are destroying our children, our husbands, many wives and who knows what else?
The tone of her voice shows how upset she is... She is almost in tears.
- MELSA: We are sorry about your son, Madam, and we hope he recovers as soon as possible! Have you filed a complaint?
- A complaint you say? What good would that do? You can't even catch the person or persons who have been hiding behind this affair for years and it is by filing a complaint that the things that...
Melsa doesn't let her finish her sentence because she already knows what she is going to say.
- MELSA: I can understand your pain, madam, I am a mother like you and I can imagine the situation you are currently in, but please, I beg you to file a complaint on behalf of your son. Tell me, is he a minor or an adult?
After asking this question, she opens a page on her computer to take notes.
- He is twenty-one years old, my boy! He is of age since midnight!
- MELSA: Good! So if I understand correctly, today is his birthday! Tell me, when did you find him in this state?
- Madam, all I want is for this affair to stop because I swear that if my son dies, you will pay me!
She is so angry and upset that she starts to raise her voice but Melsa keeps her composure because this is not the first time she has faced this kind of situation and she is trained to stay calm in front of it.
- MELSA: Okay, more questions, please. What is your name, your son's name and what hospital is he in, please?
- Elisabeth MANKA is my name and Junior MANKA is his. He is in the UGMC hospital.
- MELSA: Okay, ma'am, I'll send a team to check on him to make sure he's safe!
- Protect him? Is my son in danger? She asks in a very surprised tone.
Melsa, not wanting to worsen the pain of this lady, decides not to answer explicitly to her questions.
- MELSA: Don't let him out of your sight, madam! Are you currently with him?
- I'm in the courtyard of the hospital... Wait...
On the spot, she feels a great danger inside her and she starts to run as fast as possible to go inside. She takes the first free elevator that she sees among ten that there is and she goes up to the fifth floor.
She runs as fast as she can to get to room 21...
- MELSA: Can you hear me, ma'am? Are you with your son?
- One moment, one moment please!
She is out of breath and in a panic and when she arrives in front of the room where her son is, she opens the door and what she sees makes her burst into tears.
- No, not my son, not Junior!!!!
She throws the phone on the floor and runs to the bedside. Agitated and distraught by what she sees, she collapses to the floor but is still conscious.
Melsa immediately understands what is wrong.
- MELSA: Stay where you are and don't do anything, ma'am! I'm sending a team right now to investigate and keep your phone with you because I'm going to call you back in exactly three minutes.
Devastated and crying, she still hears what Melsa says even though her phone is almost a meter away from her.
But not having the strength to do anything but be in a state because of her son's condition, she does not get him back.
Meanwhile, Melsa calls in a unit.
- Melsa YONGA calling! At the UGMC hospital, a twenty-one year old boy named Junior MANKA was found dead by his mother Elisabeth MANKA after she called to report that she found him unconscious. According to the doctors, he had consumed a large quantity of cocaine! Please come to the scene as soon as possible...!
- JEFF: This is JEFF DOZZO, Commander of the Gz unit. Copy that! We'll be on the scene in less than ten minutes! he replied, looking at his watch and nodding to his colleagues.
- MELSA: Good!
She hangs up to call the chief of the brigade but he doesn't want to be disturbed as he told her a few minutes before. But she feels she has no choice, so she calls him and against all odds, he picks up.
- MARKUS: Melsa, I gave you an order earlier!
- MELSA: I'm sorry, sir, but I think they've struck again!
When she says that, he immediately stands up, straightens his tie and glasses before saying:
- MARKUS: What do you mean?
- MELSA: A lady just called to tell me that she found her son unconscious and that the doctors told her that drugs were the reason. I asked her not to take her eyes off of him until I send a team over but apparently...
She doesn't need to finish her sentence for him to understand the problem since she is not the first one to face this.
- MARKUS: Which hospital is he in?
- MELSA: UGMC sir!
- MARKUS: Well, do you have any income from a unit?
- MELSA: Yes sir! Gz unit is on its way to the hospital under the authority of command Jeff DOZZOS!
- MARKUS: Well, I'm on my way there too!
He takes his notebook, puts his service phone in his pocket and leaves his office through a secret door that leads him directly to the parking lot where he gets into his patrol car and starts it up...
Melsa during this time calls back the lady but this last one does not answer.
She insists again and again but without answer. Having her desktop computer in front of her, she searches the number of the hospital on Google and she calls.
In less than five seconds, her call is accepted.
- This is the UGMC Hospital Secretariat, what can I do for you?
- MELSA: Secretariat of the narcotics squad speaking...
Melsa doesn't finish speaking when the call cuts off.
To be continued...
