Kgole let a thin smile curl across his lips, the kind that didn�t quite reach his eyes.
�You know our locks are plastic, Sir,� he said, voice dripping with sarcasm. �So I keep the evidence in my office.� It was a lie�one Mazibuko would recognize instantly�but Kgole delivered it as if daring the lieutenant to call him on it.
�I think we�re done here, Sir,� he added, already stepping toward the door.
That�s when Mazibuko dropped it.
�That laptop belongs to people you do not want to end up on the wrong side of.�
Kgole froze mid-stride, his back still to the lieutenant. A small, involuntary flinch betrayed him before he turned slowly, meeting Mazibuko�s gaze. The man�s usual swagger had been replaced by something else entirely�worry, plain and unvarnished.
�So you know the owner, Sir?� Kgole asked evenly. �Did they open a case? If so, I�ll need the case number to start from there,� His tone made it clear he wasn�t entertaining the threat.
Mazibuko shifted in his chair. �I got a call around eleven this morning. Smash-and-grab at Lillian Ngoyi and Claim Street�Lenovo laptop, iPhone, happened two days ago.�
Kgole�s brow furrowed. �Two days ago� and the complainant waited until today to report it? And does it over the phone?� He shook his head. �That�s odd.�
Mazibuko leaned forward, his voice losing all pretenses. �Just leave this one alone, Captain. You�re a good officer. I don�t want anything to happen to you. All they want are their gadgets. You can do whatever you like with the suspects.�
It was the bluntness�and the unmasked concern�that told Kgole everything. Something inside one of those recovered items was worth far more than its market price.
�Okay,� Kgole said at last, masking his amusement with a measured nod. �But at least the owner needs to come in and prove ownership. That�s how it works, isn�t it, Sir?� He was already moving for the door. �That will have to be tomorrow, though. I�ve lost valuable time on this case. My forty-eight-hour window is thinning out.�
He slipped out before Mazibuko could respond, his mind already racing. Now more than ever, he needed to get his hands on that evidence�before anyone else did.