My Christmas On You... A Nine Days of Christmas Inspector Gloria Mystery DAY ONE

Day 1: The Bathhouse

The Bathhouse at Westpoint was something of an institution. Amid the crowded noisy streets the Bathhouse founder had managed to find a space to build it right where the old fish market had been. Close to the sea but built on the rocks meant it was safe from the endless encroachment of the waves which had already taken down some of the local buildings, the Fula Bakery, a night shelter for children and were now threatening the local school.

Since its construction, just after the first coup had brought Samuel Doe to power, it had grown into a centrepiece for the whole of Westpoint and beyond. A long building with a wide porch on the side facing the sea, it housed shower and washrooms where the people of Westpoint could, for a small fee, take bath, wash their clothes and even, the latest addition, enjoy the steam room and so-called spa. But more than that were the services which had grown up all around it. The small clinic, the fish and food market, the coffee house and the community hall had all been developed by Ismael Tartoh, the current proprietor and grandson of the original builder. The Bathhouse, by a combination of fate and cunning, had become one of Westpoint’s most sociable and useful places.

Inspector Gloria Sirleaf leaned back in the uncomfortable plastic chair and heaved a sigh. She loved this particular spot. Setting up a coffee house had been her suggestion but she had been surprised when Ismael had enthusiastically agreed, found a space for it and had allowed Ma Mary, Gloria’s favourite coffee provider near Pollice HQ, to set it up. Ma Mary had overseen the work and had installed her daughter-in-law as manager. Gloria had been a little surprised at Ma Mary’s energy and business sense but apparently she was quite the coffee entrepreneur with small cafes all around the city.

She beckoned to Ada for another cup of the thick sweet coffee and sighed again. It was the holiday season and she was getting used to having some time for herself after what had been a busy year. She offered a silent prayer that the criminals would take a holiday and let her and her team enjoy themselves. Just a few days of doing nothing would suit her just fine! The noise and the heat wrapped her like a comforting blanket and she stretched her arms over her head and sighed contentedly for a third time.

The sound of raised voices roused Gloria from her sleepy state. In Liberia everyone’s ear was attuned to different noise types and levels. What might just sound like more shouting among the usual wahala of everyday life in Westpoint to a stranger was much more to a Liberian.

Gloria stood and looked over to the Bathhouse. The noise seemed to be coming from the spa end of the building. The spa was the one part of Bathhouse life Gloria had never understood. To go sit in a hot steamy room when the whole country was hot and steamy made no sense to her but then again, her coffee drinking made no sense to many of her friends and family.

She debated with herself whether to go and look for the source of the noise or wait and hope it died down but before she could make her mind up a small crowd of people trooped into the coffee shop.

‘You’, the leader of the group pointed an accusing finger at her, ‘you mun solve this crime.’ The small crowd of people surrounding Ismael Tartoh echoed his shout. ‘Yeah, ehn you police, solve the crime!’

It took Gloria a few minutes to quieten them down and when she had Ismael Tartoh alone at one of the tables she glared at him. ‘Right, what happen here to get you and your people so vex?’

‘Hmm, vex? This is more than vex Gloria. Someone has stolen our Christmas?’

Gloria frowned but Tartoh carried on talking. ‘Someone has stolen all the costumes for the Christmas parade, even Old Man Bayka is left with nothing.’

Gloria sat back in her seat and raised an eyebrow. She knew how seriously the Christmas masque parade was taken in Westpoint. The Bathhouse managers had taken the traditional Christmas celebrations, including Liberia’s version of Santa Claus, Old Man Bayka, and turned it into a week-long celebration of dancing, singing, eating, drinking and competitions which attracted people from all over the city and beyond. The money raised meant that everyone in Westpoint had a good Christmas but also ensured that the annual repairs to the Bathhouse were carried out. Without the annual ‘Bath and Wash’ – when the Bathhouse was shored up against the soft ground and reinforced against the encroaching sea – the building would eventually just slip into oblivion.

‘So you see now? You mun save Christmas and save the Bathhouse. Today, today – ooh.’

Gloria thought of pointing out that she was on leave and that theft wasn’t her department but knew that would get her nowhere. She was police and she was from Westpoint, of course she had to solve this.

‘Ok, Ismael, I will do what I can. Tell me everything.’

‘What to tell? Everyting is kept in a room in the Bathhouse, near my office. When I went to look today it was all gone.’

‘But who would want to steal all that,’ Gloria hesitated, ‘that stuff?’ As far as her memory served her it was mostly tatty costumes, raffia masks and fake jewellery.

‘Well not for the stuff itself but we had decided not to commission any repairs on the costumes this year and that has really riled the tailors and jewellers. So,’ now it was time for him to lean back, ‘I suggest you start there. They have been harassing me for weeks for a contract which I will have to give if we don’t get our costumes back.’

He frowned and raised an eyebrow. ‘A good place to start?’