Chapter 46 : The Search

 

Three days had passed since Mapaseka disappeared. I had not heard from her. No calls, no messages, her phone went straight to voicemail every time I tried to call.  I had gone to her company, and her staff told me she had gone to meet a client named Lerumo and never came back.

I knew something was wrong. I could feel it in my bones.

I went to the police station, my heart pounding.

"I need to report a missing person," I said to the officer at the front desk. "Her name is Mapaseka Mkoena. She has been gone for three days."

The officer looked up, bored. "When did you last see her?"

"Three days ago, she went to Lerumo's house for what she thought was a business meeting. I am certain he has her."

"And why do you think that?"

"Because I can track her phone," I said, pulling out my own phone. "I have access to her location. It shows she is at this address."

I showed him the address on my phone.

The officer studied it, then laughed. "That is a residential area of a wealthy man's house. Are you sure she did not go there willingly?"

"She went for a business meeting," I said, my voice shaking. "She would not disappear like this. She would call and tell me where she was. She is not safe I can feel it."

The officer sighed. "Sir, there is nothing we can do. She is an adult woman. If she went to this man's house willingly for a meeting, then she has the right to be there. Maybe she decided to stay."

"Please," I begged. "I am telling you, she is in danger. I know her. She would never just disappear without contacting me."

"I understand your concern," the officer said, "but we cannot just barge into someone's home without evidence. We would need a search warrant. We would need to go to court and convince a judge."

I felt my heart sink. "How long will that take?"

"Days. Maybe weeks. You should go home and wait."

"Wait?" I shouted. "She could be hurt! She could be dying! And you want me to wait?!"

The officer's face hardened. "Sir, if you do not calm down, I will have you removed."

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stay calm. "Fine. I will find a lawyer. I will get that search warrant myself."

I walked out of the police station, my mind racing.

I spent the rest of the day calling every lawyer I knew. Most of them told me the same thing—it would take time. The courts were slow. There was no guarantee a judge would approve a search warrant based on a hunch.

But I did not give up.

Finally, I found a lawyer named Advocate Khumalo. He was a former prosecutor, tough and experienced.

"Mr. Qwabe," he said, "I understand your urgency. But I need you to understand something, the police will not act without solid evidence. We need to prove that there is probable cause to search that property."

"I have evidence," I said desperately. "Her phone is there and she has not contacted anyone. She went for a meeting and never left. She would never do this willingly."

Advocate Khumalo nodded slowly. "That is not enough. But it is a start. I will file an application for a search warrant. But I cannot promise it will be approved."

"How long will it take?"

"If we are lucky, a day. If not, longer."

"Please," I said. "Do whatever it takes."

The next day, Advocate Khumalo filed the application. The judge listened to our arguments—the missing person report, the phone tracking, the fact that Mapaseka had never gone this long without contacting anyone.

The judge approved the search warrant.

I rushed to the police station with the warrant in hand.

"Here!" I said, shoving the paper at the officer. "I have a search warrant! Now come with me!"

The officer looked at the paper, then nodded. "Fine. We will go. But if we find nothing, you will be in trouble."

"I do not care," I said. "Just come."

We arrived at Lerumo's house with a team of police officers. I was shaking with anticipation and fear.

The door opened, and Lerumo stood there, calm and composed.

"Officers," he said smoothly. "What is this about?"

"We have a search warrant," the officer said. "We need to search your property."

Lerumo smiled. "Of course. Search as much as you like. I have nothing to hide."

The officers spread out, searching every room. I searched too, my heart pounding.

But we found nothing.

No Mapaseka. No sign of her.

Lerumo watched us, his smile never faltering. "As you can see, she is not here. She came for a meeting, and then she left. I do not know where she went."

I grabbed him by the collar. "Where is she?!"

"Sir!" the officer shouted, pulling me off. "Calm down!"

Lerumo straightened his shirt, still smiling. "I told you. She came for a meeting. We discussed business. Then she left. Maybe she went back to her ex boyfriend. Maybe she decided she did not want to see you anymore."

"You are lying!" I shouted.

The officers finished searching, they found nothing.

"I am sorry, Mr. Qwabe," the officer said. "There is nothing here we have to leave."

"No!" I shouted. "There must be a hidden room! Search everywhere!"

"We have searched everywhere," the officer said. "There is nothing."

They began to leave. I stood in the middle of the living room, helpless.

Lerumo walked over to me. "I am sorry you wasted your time," he said quietly. "But your girlfriend is not here.”

I glared at him. "I know you have her and I will find her. No matter what."

He laughed. "Good luck with that."

I walked out, my heart heavy.

For the rest of the week, I did not give up. I camped outside Lerumo's house, watching. I called the police every day. I begged them to search again.

But they refused.

And all the while, Mapaseka was trapped in a hidden basement that no one had found.

A basement that was invisible to the police.

I did not sleep. I did not eat. I spent every moment thinking about her, praying she was alive.

I would not rest until I found her and brought her back safely.

Four days had passed since Mapaseka disappeared. I had not slept. I had not eaten. Every moment was torture, wondering if she was alive, if she was hurt, if she was scared.

I knew the police would not help me. They had searched Lerumo's house and found nothing. They believed his lies. They thought Mapaseka had left willingly.

But I knew the truth. She was in that house, somewhere hidden. Somewhere they had not looked.

I called Sipho.

"Sipho, I need your help," I said, my voice desperate. "I need men. Armed men. I am going to Lerumo's house to get Mapaseka."

Sipho did not hesitate. "How many men do you need?"

“Seven with guns. We are not asking for permission. We are taking her back."

"I will find them," Sipho said. "Give me a few hours."

While Sipho gathered the men, I called Tshepo. I had not spoken to him since the attack on my workshop.  He was Mapaseka's brother, he needed to know.

"Tshepo," I said when he answered. "Mapaseka has been kidnapped. A man named Lerumo has her. He was pretending to be a client."

There was silence. Then Tshepo's voice, tight with anger. "Lerumo? Who is Lerumo?"

"A client who became obsessed with her. Now he has her locked up in his house."

Tshepo was quiet for a long moment. "I think this is my family's doing. They must have hired him. They have been trying to break you two apart for months."

I felt my jaw tighten. "I know. But I do not care who hired him. I am going to get her back."

"Qondanisa, please be careful. If my family hired him, he could be dangerous. They would not hire just anyone."

"I do not care," I said. "I will fight for my woman. Even if I die trying."

Sipho arrived with seven armed men. They were tough, experienced, and ready for anything.

"We are going to Lerumo's house," I said. "We are going to get Mapaseka. No one gets hurt unless they fight back. But if they fight, we fight harder."

The men nodded.

We drove to Lerumo's house in two cars. When we arrived, the gates were locked. Sipho and his men jumped out and forced them  to open.

We stormed the property. Lerumo's men came running—five of them, armed with guns.

"Drop your weapons!" Sipho shouted.

They fired instead.

The battle was fierce. Bullets flew everywhere. Sipho and his men were better trained, better equipped. They took down Lerumo's men one by one. Some were wounded. Others surrendered.

I ran into the house, searching for Lerumo.

I found him in the living room, a gun in his hand.

"Lerumo!" I shouted. "Where is she?!"

He laughed, raising his gun. "You will never find her she is mine now."

I lunged at him, grabbing his arm. We struggled, the gun firing wildly. A bullet hit the wall, another hit the ceiling.

I was stronger. I twisted his arm and forced the gun from his hand. Then I hit him. Again and again.

"Where is she?!" I screamed.

He laughed through the blood. "You will never find her."

I hit him again, until he could not stand.

Then Sipho grabbed me. "Qondanisa! Stop! You will kill him!"

I pulled back, breathing hard. "Where is she? Tell me! Or I swear I will finish you!"

Lerumo spat out blood. “Basement hidden entrance... behind the bookshelf."

We found the hidden entrance behind the bookshelf. A narrow staircase led down to a small dark room.

I rushed down the stairs.

And there she was.

Mapaseka was lying on a small bed, weak and pale. She had lost weight. Her eyes were hollow but she was alive.

"Mapaseka!" I cried, running to her.

She looked up at me, her eyes filling with tears. "Qondanisa... you came... I knew you would come..."

I scooped her into my arms. "I am here. You are safe now."

She was so weak she could barely hold on to me. I carried her up the stairs, out of the house, and into the car.

"We need a hospital!" I shouted. "Now!"

We rushed Mapaseka to the nearest hospital. The doctors took her immediately, checking her vitals, giving her fluids.

I waited in the hallway, pacing, praying.

When the doctor finally came out, I grabbed him. "How is she? Is she okay?"

"She is weak and dehydrated," the doctor said. "She has not eaten in days. But she will recover. She needs rest and proper nutrition."

I felt tears of relief stream down my face. "Thank you."

"Are you family?" the doctor asked.

"I am her fiancé," I said firmly. "And I want to make something very clear. Only her brother Tshepo is allowed to see her. No one else from the Mkoena family. Not her parents. Not her sister. I do not care who they say they are. They are not allowed near her."

The doctor nodded. "I understand. I will make sure of it."

Hours later, Mapaseka's parents arrived at the hospital. I saw them walking toward the reception desk, their faces full of worry.

"I am Mapaseka's mother," her mother said to the receptionist. "I need to see my daughter."

The receptionist checked her records. "I am sorry, ma'am. Only her brother Tshepo is allowed to see her. Those are the instructions."

Her mother's face turned red. "What do you mean only her brother? I am her mother! I have the right to see my own child!"

"I am sorry, ma'am," the receptionist said. "Those are the doctor's orders."

Her father stepped forward, his voice angry. "Who gave those orders? I want to speak to the doctor immediately."

"That would be me," I said, walking toward them.

They turned, their faces hard.

"You," her father spat. "You are the one who is keeping us from our daughter."

"Yes," I said calmly. "I am. Your daughter almost died because of what you did. You hired a man to seduce her. You hired hitmen to kill me. You destroyed my workshop and now a man you hired kidnapped her and locked her in a basement for a week. You are not allowed near her. "

Her mother started crying. "We did not know he would do that! We just wanted her to leave you! We wanted her to marry a Sotho man!"

"Your desire for her to marry a Sotho man nearly killed her," I said. "And now you will face the consequences. Leave this hospital. If you try to see her, I will have security remove you."

Her father's face was purple with rage. "You cannot do this! She is our daughter!"

"She is my fiancée," I said. "And I will protect her from everyone who hurts her. Even if that means protecting her from her own parents. Now leave before I call security."

They stood there, frozen. Then her mother grabbed her father's arm.

"Come," she said quietly. "Let us go."

They walked out of the hospital, defeated.

Later that day, Relato arrived. She rushed through the doors, her face full of panic.

"Where is she?!" she asked. "Where is Mapaseka?"

"She is resting," I said. "She is weak, but she will recover."

Relato let out a breath of relief. “Thank God."

She saw Mapaseka's parents standing outside the hospital, looking lost. She marched toward them.

"Hey!" she shouted. "You two!"

They turned, surprised.

Relato pointed a finger at them. "You almost killed my friend! Do you understand that?!"

Her mother started crying again. "We did not know—"

"You did not know?!" Relato shouted. "You hired him! You are responsible! You have been trying to destroy her relationship with Qondanisa since the beginning! And look what happened! She almost died!"

Her father opened his mouth to speak, but Relato cut him off.

"Do you remember Kabelo?" she asked. "The Sotho man you liked so much? The one you wanted her to marry? He broke her heart!  And now you brought Lerumo into her life! Another man who hurt her! When will you stop?"

Her voice softened slightly. "Just let her live her life. She loves Qondanisa. He loves her. He risked his life to save her. He fought armed men to get her back. What more do you want from her? Stop trying to control her life.”

Mapaseka's parents stood in silence. There were no words left to say.

Relato walked back to me, wiping her eyes.

"Thank you," I said. "For saying that."

She nodded. "She is my best friend. I will always fight for her."

I stayed at the hospital every day, never leaving Mapaseka's side. I held her hand while she slept. I fed her when she was awake. I talked to her, telling her everything would be okay.

Tshepo visited every day too. He was the only family member allowed in.

"Thank you for saving her," Tshepo said one afternoon. "You risked your life for her."

I looked at Mapaseka, sleeping peacefully. "I would do it again. A thousand times. She is my everything."

Tshepo smiled. "I know. That is why I am glad she chose you."