Black Magic Woman by Justin Gustainis Page A

mild. "I meant no slight, Agent Fenton, either to you or to your… ancestors. Cultures differ, beliefs differ. People are different. If I describe the beliefs of the tribal religions of South Africa, that does not mean that I sneer at them. It means I know them, and I know them because I deal with them every day."
    "Yeah, all right. I'm sorry I snapped at you. It's just that… I used to read stuff in the papers about apartheid when I was younger. See things on TV, sometimes, that just…" Fenton let his voice trail off.
    "I understand, I think." Van Dreenan let go a sigh that made him sound old and tired. "Apartheid was what it was. Neither of us can change history. And now it is gone. And neither of us need mourn its passing."
    "Okay, look, let's just forget I brought it up, all right? You were talking about magic and religion."
    "Yes, well, muti murder has been around a long time, quite possibly for centuries. It refers to the killing of a human being in order to obtain body parts, which are in turn used in magical rituals. That is what I meant when I said these murders we have here are not themselves ritualistic. The ritual comes at a later time, and the bodily organs that have been taken are a vital part of it."
    "So, the victim isn't being used as a sacrifice at all." Fenton spoke so softly he might have been talking to himself.
    "That is correct. In fact, you might say that death is almost incidental. The object is the removal of the organs."
    "So there is a ritual involved, just not the kind we thought."
    "Oh, there may be a few ritualistic elements to the murder. A special knife might sometimes be used, certain incantations might be uttered as the organs are taken, but that varies from region to region, and seems to be of little significance. Oh, except for two things that are considered important."
    When Van Dreenan didn't continue, Fenton said, "You're going to make me ask, aren't you? Okay, mister expert, what are the two ritualistic elements?"
    "You've seen them both, even if you did not recognize them as such, at the time. One of the bodies was found on a riverbank, ja? Another not far from a creek, the third close to a pond. That is not coincidence. Muti tradition holds that the body must be left outdoors, near water."
    "That's not going to help us much," Fenton said. "Hell of a lot of rivers, creeks and ponds in this country. What's the other thing?"
    "Most unfortunately for the victim, muti tradition requires that the organs be extracted while he or she is still alive."
    Fenton shook his head. "Poor kids," he said softly.
    "Indeed, yes, the poor children," Van Dreenan said. There was something odd in his voice that caused Fenton to look at him closely, but before he could say anything, Van Dreenan went on, "It was once the case that muti murder was confined to the outlying villages. But in the last decade or so, cases have been reported in urban areas, as well."
    "All the victims children?"
    "Not always, no. But some of the umthakhati believe that the organs of the young convey more power."
    "Um-what?"
    "Umthakhati," Van Dreenan said. "Zulu for 'witch' or 'sorcerer.' In Sotho, the name is baloyi."
    "You speak Zulu?"
    Van Dreenan shrugged. "Not fluently. Enough to get by."
    "How about that other one you just mentioned?"
    "Sotho? A few words and phrases, no more."
    Fenton nodded, as if this made perfect sense. "This muti murder, is it unique to South Africa?"
    "No, cases have also been reported in Lesotho and Swaziland. There have been unconfirmed reports of the practice in a few other places, such as Nigeria. But it seems to be most common in my country."
    "So the killers are all black Africans. How about the victims? Same thing?"
    "Not always. Sometimes they are white. Especially in recent years."
    Fenton heard that change in intonation again. Then Van Dreenan had a coughing fit that lasted several seconds. Fenton offered to get him some water.
    "No, I am all right, thank you," Van Dreenan said, and cleared