IT’s computer lab was holding an exam. Forty or so students sat at computer terminals under the watch of two monitors, one of whom was DeSouza. He saw Dawson standing outside the window. Surprise and then displeasure washed across his face. He held up a finger to indicate wait, whispered something to the other monitor, and then came outside.
“Good morning, sir,” Dawson said quietly, not wanting to disturb the students.
DeSouza gestured that they should walk out of earshot and they moved away.
“Inspector,” he said impatiently, “I’m in the middle of supervising exams. What is it you want?”
“I’m sorry to disturb,” Dawson said cordially. “I won’t take up too much of your time. I want to go over the seventh and eighth of July with you again. You said you taught a class on Monday, the seventh, and Tuesday, the eighth?”
DeSouza frowned. “Yes, I always do. What is your question?”
“I’ve just learned that you had your class on the eighth canceled and rescheduled to Wednesday, the ninth.”
DeSouza shook his head. “Impossible.”
“Not according to Mrs. Chinebuah,” Dawson countered evenly. “You had a funeral on Saturday in Somanya? Does that ring a bell?”
Realization washed over DeSouza’s face. “Oh. Yes, you are correct. That is what happened. It completely slipped my mind. Somanya is my wife’s hometown. We went to her mother’s funeral and after that, a family dispute came up and she couldn’t avoid staying until Monday morning. I wasn’t happy about leaving her in Somanya, so I thought it best to simply reschedule the class.”
“And you returned to Takoradi with your wife around what time?”
“Around eleven, something like that,” DeSouza said, glancing over to the classroom. “Mr. Dawson, I really must get back.”
If he got back at eleven, Dawson thought, he still had time to get to Cape Three Points, although it would have been tight. “When you returned from Somanya, what did you do, sir?”
“I went to my STMA office for a few hours.”
“Can someone confirm that?”
“Yes, Susana, my assistant-she was there.”
Dawson would have Chikata check on that. “Did Superintendent Hammond or any of his people ask you about that Monday?”
“I don’t remember,” DeSouza said. “Why?”
“Because if you told them about your canceling the class that Monday, it seems odd that you forgot to tell me the same thing.”
“I’m sorry if I forgot, Inspector,” De Souza said, surprisingly apologetic. “Please, I must return to the classroom.”
