I stared at my senior, not really believing what I had been told to do. This was the part I did not like being in the police. Mrs Z had nearly lost her unborn child in an accident. We had reasons to believe that the accident was rigged. I wondered if she was in a condition to talk or face the police.

Gathering strength, I walked towards the maternity ward. As expected in the government hospital, she still had no bed. She was lying on the stretcher in the corridor. Her younger sister was with her. The plight of the government hospital was pathetic. Since this was a police case, the private hospitals refused to admit her. If Mrs Z died, it would be a murder case. The private nursing homes wanted nothing to do with the police.

As I approached, a young girl got alert. Mrs Z was in a semi-conscious state. I looked enquiringly at the young girl.

“The baby is fine,” she whispered. “The doctor is waiting. Maybe her labour pains will start. Maybe it will not. It is her seventh month.”

I nodded in sympathy. I glanced at Mrs Z. Her right arm was in the plaster. If she had the baby now, she would probably not be able to take care of it. “Is there nobody in the family with you?” I asked, finding my question to be stupid.

She shook her head.

“Can I take a statement? It will not be long. Then you can take her to a private hospital.

The young girl bent down and whispered in her sister’s ear. Mrs Z nodded. She looked straight at me, saying, “I was in the kitchen when my husband came home. He asked me to prepare two cups of tea as he was with a friend. When I went to serve the tea, I saw him kissing her. She was trying to fight him off. So I caught hold of my husband and tried to drag him away. My husband got angry and started hitting me. He punched me in the stomach. I fell back. I think I fell on my arm. My husband started cursing and swearing. He said I was a whore. How could he be sure I was carrying his baby.”

Then her sister spoke. “I tried my best to get her into the hospital.” I looked at the girl I had assumed was her sister. “I met Mr Z on the metro. I had no idea he was married. We dated for a while, and then he took me home one day. His body language changed. I was horrified to discover that he was married.”