BE MINE, MS LAWYER
– CHAPTER 4
NOMBUSO
Being a lawyer comes with a lot of dirty work. It is not always about sitting in a nice office and looking at books. Sometimes you have to go where the blood was spilled. Right now, I am walking inside the tavern where everything happened that day. The air inside is thick with the smell of old beer, cigarettes, and sweat. My boss, Mr. Smith, is walking next to me. He looks out of place in his expensive suit, stepping carefully over the sticky floor.
The tavern is still operating even though it is early. Music is playing low in the background. We walk deeper into the shadows until we see an elderly woman behind the wooden counter. She is cleaning a glass with a dirty cloth.
Mr. Smith leans toward me and whispers, “Are you sure about this, Ms. Khumalo? This doesn’t feel safe.”
I don’t even look at him. I keep my eyes on the woman. “This is how I do things, sir. To win, you have to see the truth with your own eyes. Follow me.” Mr. Smith nods, though he looks nervous. We walk up to the counter. The woman looks up. She has tired eyes and deep lines on her face. “Hello, Ma,” I say, trying to sound friendly.
“Hello,” the woman says. Her voice is scratchy. She looks past me and stops at Mr. Smith. A small smile grows on her face. She clearly likes what she sees. Mr. Smith is a handsome man, even when he is grumpy.
I look at Mr. Smith and give him a little wink. Then I turn back to her. “Ma… um, do you know Mihlali Sibinda?”
The woman stops cleaning the glass…. “Yes. I know him.”
I smile. “Okay. Can we talk to you about him? Just for a few minutes.”
“About what?” she asks, crossing her arms over her chest.
“About him… as a person. We want to know what kind of man he is when he comes here.”
The woman sighs and looks around her empty tavern. “Sisi, I am running a business here. I don’t have time to gossip about people who get into trouble.”
“But a person got killed inside this tavern, Ma,” I say, my voice getting a bit harder. “So you should have expected that people would come asking questions.” As I speak, I let my eyes wander. I’m not just looking at her. I’m looking at the walls. I see one camera near the door and another one right above the shelf where she keeps the shots…. I smile to myself. “You should have expected… anything.”
The woman shrugs her shoulders. “Yes. People fight. People kill each other when they are drunk. It happens. It’s bad for business, but it happens.” I tap Mr. Smith on his arm. He looks at me, wondering what I’m doing. I give him a look that says just trust me. “Will you be buying anything?” the woman asks, looking at our empty hands.
“No,” I say quickly. “But I think my colleague here would really like to have your number. He has a few more questions, and he would prefer to ask them when you are not so busy.”
Mr. Smith’s eyes go wide. “Ms. Kh…”
The woman’s smile comes back, bigger this time. She looks Mr. Smith up and down.
“Omah… I can give you that. You look like a man who knows how to talk to a lady.”
She pulls out a piece of paper and a pen. She writes her name and number down in big letters. I reach out and take it before Mr. Smith can say a word.
“Thank you, Ma,” I say, looking at the paper. “Samke? That’s a lovely name.”
“Thank you, sisi,” she says, still blushing at my boss.
“He will be in touch, I promise,” I say with a grin.
Samke nods and leans on the counter. “I cannot wait…..”
I grab Mr. Smith’s arm and pull him toward the door before he can embarrass us. As we walk out, I keep my eyes moving. I see another camera hidden under the roof outside, pointing right at the parking area. I smile even wider.
When we are finally outside in the fresh air, Mr. Smith pulls his arm away. He looks frustrated.
“What was that, Ms. Khumalo? You just gave my identity to a tavern owner! I have a wife!”
I laugh and hold up the piece of paper. “That was us winning the case, sir. Look up there.” I point at the cameras on the corners of the building.
Mr. Smith looks up. “CCTV?”
I nod. “Exactly. We need a court order to get that footage from the day of the murder. If the woman likes you, she won’t hide the machine or delete the files before we get back. She’ll be waiting for your call.”
Mr. Smith blinks. He finally understands. “Ohhh. So I am the bait?”
“That’s how we solve this case, sir. You are the handsome lawyer who is going to make her feel special so she cooperates.”
Mr. Smith fixes his tie and sighs. “Ms. Khumalo… you are dangerous.”
“I’m just playing the game, sir. Let’s just play along to get what we want. My client’s life is more important than a little flirting.”
We walk to the car and get inside. The heat is jumping off the leather seats. Mr. Smith starts the engine and turns on the aircon.
“What about your client? What did he say?” he asks as he pulls out of the dusty parking lot.
“I am going to see him tomorrow morning,” I say, opening my notebook to write down the camera locations. “But we need those court orders by tomorrow too, sir. We can’t wait. If the police get there first and the footage disappears, we are in trouble.”
Mr. Smith drives silently for a moment, shaking his head. “I will see what I can do about the court order. I’ll call a judge I know tonight.”
I smile and nod. “Thank you, sir. I knew I liked working with you.”
Mr. Smith just keeps shaking his head, but I can see a small smile on his face. He knows I’m right. This is how you win. You don’t just wait for the law to help you. You go out and grab the truth by the neck…….
×
×
×
MALIME
I walk inside the house, and immediately, I hear the sound of small feet hitting the floor. Mthunzi and Nqoba come running to me, their faces full of joy. I chuckle and open my arms.
“Mali! Mali!” they shout…..
I kiss their heads and hold them tight for a moment. “How was school, my boys?”
“It was good!” they say together. “And Mankonzo was helping us with our homework.”
I smile, Mankonzo is always helping us around the house…. “That is good. Where is Dumisani?”
Mthunzi looks toward the stairs. “He is in his bedroom.”
I nod….. Dumisani feels the pain of his father being away more than the little ones. “Okay. Let me go and change, then I will come back down to you right now, okay?”
“Okay….” they shout and run back to play.
I walk upstairs to my bedroom. I am tired from the hotel, but seeing the kids always gives me energy….. I start to undress, pulling my shirt over my head…. ust as I am about to reach for my gown, the door opens. I don’t even have to look to know who it is. I can feel his energy…
I turn around and see him leaning against the doorframe. He is smiling, but his eyes look tired. He walks toward me and wraps his big arms around my waist….”Bambolwami” He says….
“Hey, baby,” I whisper, he pulls me into a deep kiss.
I pull out and look at him “How was work?” he asks, his hands resting on my waist.
“Everything is going smooth at the hotel,” I tell him. I look into his eyes and see the worry hiding there. “But you… how is it going with the lawyer thing? Is your brother still being stubborn?”
He sighs, and the sound is heavy. He lets go of me and sits on the edge of the bed, rubbing his face with his hands…..
“You know Bhut’omdala [Big brother],” Qaphela says. “He thinks he can sit in that cell and wait for a miracle. And the lawyers out there are cowards…… I did my research. I called three big firms today, and they all said the same thing. They say this case is too bl00dy. They say it will ruin their careers to defend him…..”
I walk over and stand between his knees, putting my hands on his shoulders. “Dammit. The trial is tomorrow, Qaphela.”
“That’s what is stressing the shit out of me,” he growls, looking up at me. “I don’t know what to do anymore…… If we don’t find someone tonight, he is going to stand there alone. I can’t let my brother rot because of some scared lawyers.” He pulls me closer, his hands resting on my hips. We stay like that for a moment….
“Nombuso,” I say.
Qaphela looks up at me, his eyebrows pulling together. “Nombuso?”
I nod quickly “I think she can help….” Qaphela chuckles
“She works for Cele….. Why would she help the people who destroyed her old bosses?”
I shake my head. “Qaphela, listen to me. Cele is no longer alive….. and she knows the history between you two…. I think she can help….”
“That’s crazy….” He attempts to get up i hold his shoulders….
“Nombuso is good Qaphela I am telling you…. and she has a new boss so I dont think she will mind helping….”
“New boss?”
I nod “Mmmmh, his name is Smith or something…. I don’t know…”
“She knows Mkhonto pulled the trigger on the people who paid her salary for years….”
“She is my best friend,” I remind him. “Maybe if I speak to her she might listen.” Qaphela looks at me like I am speaking a different He stands up from the bed. He starts pacing around the oom.
“Malime, listen to what you are saying. My brother killed her old boss’s people. Why would she help us?” I grab his arm to stop him from walking.
“She knows the truth about what happened that day…… She knows Mkhonto did not start that fight.”
Qaphela shakes his head. “Even if she knows, she works for a new boss now. Why would she risk her job for my brother?” I put my hands on his face and make him look at me.
“Because she is my friend. Because I am asking…… And because she is a real lawyer, Qaphela. She fights for people. She doesn’t just sit in offices and look pretty.” He sighs……
“I don’t know, bambolwami…”
“Let me call her,” I say….. “Just let me try. What do we have to lose?” He is quiet for a long time….
“Okay. Call her.” I smile and kiss his cheek. I grab my phone from the bed and find Nombuso’s number…. “Wait. Don’t call her yet.”
I frown. “Why? You said okay.” He comes back and sits on the bed. He pulls me down next to him.
“I said okay to meeting her…… But we can’t just call her and beg…. That is not how this works.”
I look at him confused. “Then how does it work?”
Qaphela rubs his beard….. I know that look…. “Your friend Nombuso… she is smart, right?”
“The smartest.”
“And she works for this Smith guy now. A new boss…… She has to be careful.”
I nod slowly. “Yes, she has to prove herself.”
Qaphela points at me. “Exactly. So if we call her and just ask for help, she might say no. She might think it is too risky.”
“So what do we do?”
He stands up and starts pacing again…. “We give her a reason to say yes. We don’t just ask for help. We show her that helping us helps her too.”
I stand up. “How?”
He stops and looks at me. “What does a lawyer want? What does Nombuso want?”
I think about it. “To win cases. To be respected. To…”
“To make a name for herself,” Qaphela finishes. “If she takes this case and wins it… everyone will know her name. The lawyer who saved Mkhonto Shabalala….. The case everyone was too scared to touch.”
My eyes go wide. “You want to use her ambition?”
He shakes his head. “No. I want to give her a reason…… A good reason. Not just because you are friends. Friends don’t risk their careers for friends. But lawyers risk everything for a case that can change their lives.”
I sit back down. I am seeing Qaphela differently now….. “So what is the plan?” I ask…..
×
×
×
150+ COMMENTS