"Mr Casper, do you agree with the court that the powder found in the suitcase was cocaine?" the judge asked.
"Yes, Your Honour-except the suitcase is not mine," Casper answered. He turned and looked at Tamashi, but Tamashi turned his face away.
"From my experience in this courtroom," the judge continued, "cocaine never has an owner. Even when it is taken from a person's body, that person knows nothing about it."
Some people in the courtroom began to laugh. The court official quickly silenced them.
"Yes, it's true," the judge said, now looking very serious. "Who were you carrying the cocaine for?"
The courtroom fell silent. Everyone looked at the accused sitting in front of them. Casper had lost weight since his arrest. Dark rings showed under his eyes. He looked tired and miserable.
"Your Honour, I am innocent. I know as little about this cocaine as you do."
The judge frowned. "Young man, are you suggesting that I know about cocaine? Be careful. I do not want to send you to prison for insulting the court."
"Your Honour," Casper's lawyer said quickly, "he did not mean to insult you."
"Very well," the judge replied. "But the accused has still not answered my question."
"I was not carrying cocaine for anyone, Your Honour," Casper said.
The judge nodded slowly and wrote in the notebook in front of him. Then he looked up again.
"Apart from the cocaine, the suitcase contained clothes that are exactly your size. I do not believe that is a coincidence. The evidence against you is strong."
He paused.
"You are a young man of twenty-one, about to study medicine in the USA. Your country expects you to be a good ambassador. Drug trafficking is against the law. You know that, don't you?"
"I do, Your Honour."
"And as a future doctor, you understand the danger these drugs pose to people's health, don't you?"
"I do, Your Honour."
Casper felt all hope slipping away.
"What do you have to say before the court passes sentence?" the judge asked impatiently. It was already past lunch hour.
"Your Honour, I swear I am innocent," Casper cried. "I swear on the Holy Bible. If you imprison me, you will be imprisoning an innocent man. I beg you-please order further investigations."
He looked again at Tamashi, but Tamashi remained expressionless.
The judge ignored his plea.
"You are guilty of attempting to smuggle drugs out of the country. The court sentences you to ten years with hard labour."
Gasps filled the courtroom.
Casper's mother, sisters, and friends cried out in shock. Tears ran down Mallory's face.
"Silence in court!" the court official shouted.
The judge stood and left the room.
Two policemen took Casper away. Outside, he was not allowed to say goodbye. He was pushed into a police van, and the doors were slammed shut.
Through the bars, he saw his mother crying bitterly. Mallory had fainted and was lying on the ground. Charles and Gyan rushed to help her.
The van drove off toward Nyansa prison.
Casper's face was wet with tears.
***************
"I wonder what Casper is doing now," Mallory said quietly as she sat with Charles.
"Ten years... He may never go abroad now. He may never become a doctor."
"I'm sure that suitcase was planted on him," Charles said. "But how do we prove it?"
"That's the question," Mallory replied.
"The lawyer is going to appeal," Charles added.
"But that may not work," Mallory said. "I have another idea."
"Tell me," Charles said quickly.
"Isn't it strange that the suitcase appeared with Casper's name on it?" she asked.
"Yes..."
"And the clothes inside were all his size."
Charles nodded.
"The customs officer said there was only one Casper booked on that flight. That was our Casper. So who brought the cocaine suitcase to the airport?"
Charles leaned forward, looking very interested.
"I remember something," Mallory continued. "There was a man in the queue with a suitcase exactly like Casper's. What if that was the real suitcase? What if it was switched during the confusion?"
Charles's eyes widened.
"Someone tried to use Casper," she said. "They planned it."
"Go on," Charles said.
"And that woman in the shop... don't you think she asked too many questions?"
"I thought she was just trying to make a sale," Charles replied.
"No. I think she wanted information about his journey," Mallory said. "I'm sure that suitcase came from that shop."
Charles thought for a moment.
"Yes... there could be a connection," he said slowly. "I feel terrible."
"Why?"
"If I hadn't suggested going to that street, none of this would have happened."
"You couldn't have known," Mallory said gently. "What matters now is getting Casper out."
Charles nodded. "We'll get him out-and we'll catch the criminals."
"Where do we start?" Mallory asked.
"Let me talk to Gyan first. Then we'll make a plan. I'll go to his place this afternoon."
"Good. But we must act quickly," she said. "Casper can't stay in prison."
"We'll start immediately," Charles promised. "It's a good thing I've kept up my training. We might need strength for a knock out."
Mallory laughed . "I don't think we'll be fighting."
For the first time since Casper's arrest, she felt a little hope.
***************
On a pineapple plantation near Nyansa prison, a group of prisoners worked under the hot sun.
They cut through thick weeds while the sharp leaves scratched their arms and legs. They wore grey shorts and sleeveless shirts marked with black stars-the prison uniform.
"Hey, you! Keep working!" a guard shouted at Casper.
Casper bent down and continued. His back ached and his body was already tired.
"God, have mercy on me," he whispered.
The work was exhausting. Whenever a prisoner tried to rest, the guards shouted immediately.
Casper looked up. He had fallen behind.
"Lazy boy!" the guard shouted. "Don't let me see your ugly head again!"
"Ignore him," whispered Varney, another prisoner.
Casper nodded, but inside he was angry. He was suffering for a crime he had not committed. He thought of home-his mother's food, his friends, and especially Mallory.
When would they come? At the thought of his mother, tears rolled down his face.
"Be strong, be a man" Varney said quietly. "Stop crying."
***************
"We need to buy a suitcase from that same shop," Charles said.
"But where will we get the money?" Gyan asked as he pushed his bicycle. "We can't ask our parents."
"No. Let's keep them out of it. I was thinking of selling my radio," Charles said.
"No, don't do that. There must be another way," Gyan said.
Charles paused. "We're young, aren't we?"
"Of course," Gyan said. "Strong too."
"What about construction work?" Charles suggested.
"A building site?" Gyan frowned.
"People will laugh at us."
"Forget them," Charles said firmly. "Do you want Casper out or not?"
Gyan sighed scratching his little beard. "Alright. Where do we go?"
"BASS Construction. They're building those flats nearby. They'll need workers."
"Come on! Let's go there now. They won't have finished work yet."
"Today's a saturday. Will they be at work?"asked Gyan
"I'm sure they will." Charles answered
"Let's go and see." Gyan concluded
"OK, jump on. Gyan held the bicycle while Charles sat on the crossbar. They rode off."
Half an hour later, they both had jobs.
"Seven hundred cedis a day isn't bad," Gyan said. "It will be hard work, but it's for Casper."
Charles nodded. "If we work for two weeks, we'll have enough."
"I can't wait to see that woman in the shop," Gyan said.
He got on the saddle and rode slowly while Charles walked beside him.
Catherine_writes