Page 49 of Stolen Salvation

“Then what did you do?”

“I said I was unhappy about the setup and they said they’d kill me if I stopped. That all the women I was helping would be left with no hope.”

“So you carried on.”

Sniffles sounded throughout the room, as sweat dripped down the man’s throat before disappearing into his shirt. “I had no choice.”

“There is always a choice, Dr Nkosi. We sometimes make the wrong one, but you’ve been given a chance to put some of those wrongs right. Tell us where they take the women.”

“I don’t know, just that they collect them from the clinic after I put in the call.”

“And the girls, do they know they’re being moved?”

“Yes, I tell them there’s a special clinic funded by the government that can help them with a few days of respite and counselling after the procedure. They’re collected after hours but I never see them leave or do the handover.”

“How righteous of you.”

“I’m not a bad man.”

“You are the worst kind, Dr Nkosi, because you don’t see yourself for what you are.”

“I’m gonna need that number you call.”

“They’ll kill me.”

Charlie gave a short humourless laugh and Bishop crossed his arms to stop himself from reaching out and throttling the man. He’d had a gift and he’d thrown it away.

“What makes you think I won’t kill you, Dr Nkosi.”

The man whimpered and shifted in his seat. “Please.”

Charlie leaned forward. “The number. Now!”

“It’s in my phone under monopoly.”

“Why that name?”

“Because that was what he said to call him.”

Reaper went through the man’s pockets and found the phone before grabbing the doctor’s hand so he could get his fingerprint to unlock the phone. He nodded when he found the contact and tipped his head to the door. He’d get the information to Watchdog while they finished up.

“Did you ever see a girl called Andrea, Dr Nkosi?”

“Why, yes. I did recently. She was a sweet girl.”

Noah moved closer to Charlie as he saw the pain flash across her face. The urge to pummel this fake do-gooder had him clenching his fists. “Did you send her to those people too?”

“She said the father was dangerous and she was scared. I just wanted to help.”

“That girl was my sister, and you sent her to the very man she was running from.”

“I was trying to help her.”

“The world doesn’t need your kind of help, Mr Nkosi.”

“Doctor.”

“No, you lost the right to call yourself a doctor when you sent young women to have their babies stolen from them.”