Hassan alifika na simu mbili.
Moja ilikuwa smartphone aliyokuwa akitumia sasa. Nyingine ilikuwa ndogo, screen yake ikiwa imepasuka kona ya juu, na nyuma yake sticker ya kampuni ya Mawimbi Groundworks & Haulage.
“Hii ndiyo ilikuwa work phone,” alisema.
Walikuwa wamekutana tena katika office ya Balozi Kenga, si kituo cha mafuta. Mlango ulikuwa wazi, na Hassan alikuwa ameomba kiti chake kiwe karibu na dirisha.
Salma hakumuuliza kwa nini.
Kenga akaweka karatasi mbele yake.
“Leo tunataka vitu vitatu tu. Delivery note yako, call log inayohusiana na dispatch, na voice note ikiwa bado iko kwenye source device. Hatutaki messages za clients wengine.”
Hassan akatikisa kichwa.
“Na statement yangu?”
“Utaisoma kabla hujasaini.”
“Sitaki mniandikie kwamba nilijua kuna standstill.”
“Hatutaandika hivyo kama hujasema hivyo.”
Hassan akamwangalia Salma.
“Wewe ndiye unaandika?”
“Nitaandika observation notes. Statement yako utasema kwa maneno yako.”
Hassan akatoa pumzi.
“Vizuri.”
Kwanza waliangalia work phone.
Date and time settings zilikuwa automatic. Network time ilikuwa on. Kenga akaandika model ya simu na mwisho wa serial number, bila kunakili identifiers zisizohitajika.
Hassan akafungua call log ya tarehe 8 Septemba.
Saa moja na dakika arobaini na nne usiku kulikuwa na incoming call kutoka namba isiyokuwa na jina.
Dakika moja baadaye voice note ilikuwa imeingia kwenye messaging app.
Salma akalinganisha digits.
“Namba ileile Musa alionyesha.”
Kenga akasema, “Record that as matching digits, si owner.”
Salma akaandika.
Hassan akabonyeza voice note.
Sauti ileile waliyoisikia jana ikatoka kwenye speaker:
“Endeleeni na rear side kwanza. Mambo ya mbele yasubiri. Gate itakuwa wazi.”
Kenga akauliza, “Hii ndiyo original message kwenye device uliyokuwa nayo usiku huo?”
“Ndiyo.”
“Ume-forward au ku-edit?”
“Sijui hata ku-edit voice note. Nili-forward kwa supervisor asubuhi baada ya matatizo kuanza.”
“Original bado ipo kwenye thread?”
“Ndiyo.”
Salma akaandika distinction hiyo.
Wakatengeneza copy ya voice note kwa cable kwenda laptop ya Kenga, wakahifadhi filename ya original na file size, kisha wakatengeneza checksum ya copy. Hassan alibaki na simu yake. Kenga hakudai checksum hiyo ithibitishe nani alizungumza; ilikuwa tu njia ya kuonyesha copy waliyo-review baadaye haijabadilika.
“Can you identify voice?” Kenga akauliza.
Hassan akatikisa kichwa.
“Hapana.”
“Uliwahi kuongea na Doto kabla ya usiku huo?”
“Hapana.”
“Juma?”
“Ndiyo.”
“Ni sauti ya Juma?”
Hassan akafikiria.
“Sidhani. Lakini sitaki kusema no kwa asilimia mia. Phone audio ni mbaya.”
Salma akaandika exactly hivyo.
Kisha wakapitia delivery note.
**Order received: 30 August.**
**Dispatch authorized: 8 September, 17:30.**
**Site arrival logged: 8 September, 20:56.**
**Operator: Hassan Pori.**
**Access: rear gate.**
Hassan akaonyesha signature yake kwenye arrival line.
“Juma alikuwa hapo ulipofika?” Salma akauliza.
“Ndiyo.”
“Unaweza kuweka saa?”
“Karibu saa tatu. Nilifika 20:56 kulingana na log. Yeye alikuwa gate.”
“Alikaa mpaka lini?”
“Siwezi kuweka exact. Labda dakika kumi na tano, ishirini.”
“Alisema nini kuhusu rooms?”
Hassan akatazama statement draft yake.
“Nilimuuliza kwa sababu niliona desks ndani ya window. Akasema rear side ilikuwa ina-clear, vitu vilipaswa kuwa vimeondolewa, na nianze nyuma kwanza.”
“Alisema ‘vunja classrooms’?”
“Hapana.”
“Alisema rooms hazitumiki?”
“Alisema site ilikuwa ina-clear na vitu vilipaswa kuwa vimeondolewa.”
“Difference muhimu,” Kenga alisema.
Hassan akatikisa kichwa.
“Kwangu usiku huo haikuwa muhimu. Sasa ndiyo naona.”
Salma hakumfariji.
Hakumshambulia pia.
Aliandika.
Kenga akauliza, “Baada ya Juma kuondoka, ulipokea instruction nyingine?”
“Supervisor alinipigia karibu saa nne na nusu. Alisema client wants rear side finished tonight.”
“Call recording?”
“Hakuna.”
“Call log?”
Hassan akaonyesha.
Call kutoka supervisor ilikuwepo saa nne na dakika thelathini na saba.
“Na uliendelea mpaka?”
“Karibu saa sita na nusu. Nilisimama nilipoona ndani ya room ya pili kulikuwa na books nyingi na cabinet. Nilipiga supervisor.”
“Kwa nini ulisimama hapo na si desks za room ya kwanza?”
Hassan alikaza taya.
“Sina jibu zuri.”
Kenga hakumwokoa.
Hassan akaendelea mwenyewe.
“Nilikuwa nimeambiwa site cleared. Nilikuwa nataka kumaliza job. Room ya kwanza niliona desks, lakini nilifikiri ni old furniture. Room ya pili ilikuwa wazi zaidi kwamba shule ilikuwa active.”
“Na supervisor?”
“Alisema stop, atapiga client.”
“Baada ya hapo?”
“Hakuniambia continue. Niliondoa machine upande wa gate na nikasubiri. Baadaye nikatoka.”
Salma akauliza, “Kwa hiyo classrooms mbili tayari zilikuwa damaged kabla ya stop?”
“Ndiyo.”
Hassan alitazama chini.
“Najua hiyo haisaidii watoto.”
Salma alifikiria Amina akisema hataki bei ya huzuni kwenye notebook yake.
“Hapa tunahitaji ukweli wa sequence,” alisema.
Hassan akatikisa kichwa.
Baada ya statement kusomwa na kurekebishwa, Hassan alibadilisha sentensi moja:
Draft ilisema: **I believed the classrooms were unused.**
Hassan akasema, “Hapana. Hiyo ni stronger kuliko nilivyojua. Andika: **I believed the rear structures had been cleared for work, despite seeing some desks.**”
Kenga akarekebisha.
Salma akamwangalia Hassan kwa mara ya kwanza kwa heshima kidogo.
Si kwa sababu alikuwa hana kosa.
Kwa sababu hakutumia statement kujisafisha zaidi ya alichokumbuka.
Walipomaliza, Hassan akasema, “Sasa mnanifanya nini?”
Kenga akasema, “Mediation panel haiamui criminal liability. Tutaweka statement kwenye incident record na tutakuita ikiwa verification nyingine inahitaji.”
“Na kampuni yangu?”
“Tutawaomba dispatch records.”
Hassan akachukua simu zake.
“Supervisor atanichukia.”
“Kwa sababu?” Salma akauliza.
“Kwa sababu nilihifadhi voice note.”
“Kwa nini uliihifadhi?”
Hassan akasimama.
“Kwa sababu jobs za usiku zikiharibika, kila mtu husahau alichosema.”
Baada ya Hassan kuondoka, Kenga alifunga mlango.
“Sasa tuna chain nzuri zaidi,” alisema.
“Lakini si direct Doto voice.”
“Hapana.”
“Same unidentified number kwa Musa na Hassan.”
“Ndiyo.”
“Juma site physically.”
“Kwa statement ya Hassan, ndiyo. Tunahitaji Juma response.”
“Dispatch after standstill.”
“Documented.”
Salma akaangalia timeline ukutani.
Saa 15:12 — standstill signed.
17:30 — dispatch authorized.
19:42 — Doto calls Musa.
19:45 — Musa receives second call, according to his log.
20:44 — Hassan receives call from same second number.
20:45 — Hassan receives voice note.
20:56 — excavator arrives rear gate.
Juma allegedly present.
“Tatizo ni dakika tatu,” Salma alisema.
“Kati ya call ya Doto na namba ya pili kwa Musa?”
“Ndiyo.”
“Dakika tatu zinaweza kuwa coincidence.”
“Au handoff.”
“Ndiyo. Lakini hatujui.”
Salma akaweka pen chini.
“Tunapataje owner wa namba?”
“Tusianze kujifanya telecom investigators. Tunaweza kuomba Musa na Juma watambue contact, na contractor records kama namba hiyo ilitumika kwenye job coordination. Zaidi ya hapo inaweza kuhitaji formal process nje ya mediation.”
Salma akatikisa kichwa.
Alimpigia Musa.
Musa alikubali kukutana jioni kwenye library ya shule.
Alifika na old phone yake, kama alivyoahidi.
Call log ililingana na screenshot aliyokuwa ametuma, lakini sasa waliona context ya siku nzima.
Kulikuwa na calls kadhaa kati yake na Juma mchana.
Call ya Doto saa 19:42.
Call ya unidentified number saa 19:45.
Musa akasema, “Nilipoona Doto amenipigia, halafu hii namba, nilifikiri ni mtu wake.”
“Kwa nini?” Salma akauliza.
“Kwa sababu namba hii ilikuwa imetumika hardware zamani.”
“Na nani?”
Musa akafungua old contacts archive.
Namba haikuwa saved sasa, lakini kwenye exported contact backup kulikuwa na entry iliyofutwa:
**JM Site / Hardware**
Salma hakupumua vizuri kwa sekunde.
“JM?”
“Juma Mako,” Musa alisema. “Alibadilisha namba baadaye. Hii ilikuwa line aliyokuwa anatumia kwa deliveries.”
Kenga akauliza, “Unaweza kuthibitisha zaidi ya contact label yako?”
Musa akatikisa kichwa.
“Naweza kuonyesha old messages za hardware deliveries.”
Thread ya miezi kadhaa iliyopita ilikuwa na cement deliveries, roofing sheets na pickup instructions. Messages zilikuwa signed mara kadhaa:
**— Juma**
Namba ilikuwa ileile.
Salma akaandika:
**Historical device evidence associates second number with Juma Mako; current ownership/use on incident date still requires confirmation.**
Musa akasema, “Hiyo bado haitoshi?”
“Inatosha kumuuliza Juma swali lenye msingi,” Kenga alisema. “Si kumaliza swali.”
Juma alipigiwa mbele yao.
Hakupokea.
Salma akatuma message:
**Juma, tunaomba verification meeting kuhusu dispatch ya Upendo Ridge tarehe 8 Septemba. Records mbili tofauti zinaonyesha namba iliyohusishwa kihistoria na wewe ilitumika kwenye coordination usiku huo. Hassan Pori pia amesema ulikuwepo rear gate alipofika. Tafadhali thibitisha muda wa kukutana na Balozi Kenga.**
Dakika tano.
Hakuna jibu.
Dakika kumi.
Musa akaondoka.
Kenga akaanza kukusanya papers.
Simu ya Salma ikaita.
Juma.
Hakusema hello.
“Usitume watu hardware yangu.”
“Hatukutuma mtu.”
“Rukia ameuliza wafanyakazi wangu.”
“Sijui hilo. Tunataka verification meeting.”
“Kwa nini?”
“Kwa sababu Hassan amesema ulikuwa site. Na namba iliyohusishwa na wewe historically inaonekana kwenye call chain.”
Kimya.
Kisha Juma alisema, “Nilikuwa site.”
Salma akamwangalia Kenga.
“Ulikuwa site kwa capacity gani?”
“Nilienda kuhakikisha gate iko wazi.”
“Baada ya standstill?”
“Ndiyo.”
“Kwa nini?”
Juma akavuta pumzi upande wa pili.
“Kwa sababu Doto alinipigia akasema tusiharibu deal ya contractor. Alisema rear work inaweza kuendelea kwa sababu standstill ilikuwa kuhusu front boundary.”
Salma alihisi chumba kuwa kidogo.
“Doto alisema hivyo moja kwa moja kwako?”
“Ndiyo.”
“Una record?”
“Hapana.”
“Voice note?”
“Hapana.”
“Na namba iliyompigia Musa na Hassan?”
Juma akakaa kimya tena.
“Ni line yangu ya zamani.”
“Uliitumia usiku huo?”
“Ndiyo.”
“Ulimpigia Musa?”
“Ndiyo.”
“Ulimtumia Hassan voice note?”
Juma hakujibu kwa sekunde kadhaa.
Kisha alisema, “Ndiyo.”
Salma hakusema chochote.
Kenga akamwonyesha kwa mkono asiendelee haraka.
Salma akasema, “Tunataka useme hayo mbele ya mediator na usome statement yako mwenyewe.”
Juma akasema, “Nitakuja kesho. Lakini Salma—”
“Ndiyo?”
“Usiandike kwamba Doto alisema avunje classroom. Hakusema hivyo.”
“Alisema nini?”
“Alisema rear work iendelee. Mimi ndiye niliwaambia watu wa site rear structures ziko clear.”
“Ulikuwa unajua classrooms zinatumika?”
Kimya cha mwisho kilikuwa kirefu zaidi.
“Nilijua shule bado iko hapo,” Juma alisema. “Sikujua vitu havijaondolewa.”
Simu ikakatika baada ya kupanga saa ya meeting.
Salma aliweka simu mezani.
Kenga hakutabasamu.
“Hiyo ni admission ya simu, si signed statement.”
“Najua.”
“Kesho tunathibitisha.”
“Najua.”
Lakini Salma alitazama timeline tena.
Kwa mara ya kwanza, sauti ya operator haikuwa imewapa tu instruction.
Ilikuwa imewapeleka mpaka kwa mtu aliyeituma.
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