Black Horn (22 page)

The old
woman had been looking out to sea while she listened. Now she turned her face
back to look at Creasy. She asked, "Would you have done it?"

"Yes."

"You
could have done that?"

"Yes."

A ferry
was coming into the harbour, loaded with day-trippers. She watched it silently
and then, just as she was about to speak a waiter appeared at the balcony door.
He held a tray on which was a single glass containing a purple liquid. He gave
the glass to Creasy, touched him on the shoulder and left. Creasy lifted the
glass to his lips and drained it in one go.

He said
to Gloria, "About ten years ago I went to a wedding at another hotel and
drank too much champagne. Champagne doesn't agree with me. In the morning the
maitre d' mixed me a drink which cured my hangover in about half an hour.
That maitre d' is now the manager of this hotel." He lifted the
glass. "That was the same concoction. I hope it works as well as the last
time."

"Would
you really have killed Michael after three months, if he had asked you
to?"

"Yes.
But he wouldn't have asked. The mistake was mine. I should have stayed with him
that night in Bulawayo, and the following nights. I thought he was
stronger."

"But
that note!"

Creasy
sighed. "That note was an excuse." He stood up. "Mrs Manners.
What was written in that note contributed probably less than one per cent to
Michael's decision. He never expected you to read it ... I regret that you did.
Now, go back to Denver with peace of mind. Your daughter's killers are dead --
thanks, in part, to Michael. Let him be a good memory, not a bad one." He
put the empty glass on the table.

She
said, "Creasy, please give me ten more minutes of your time. Then you can
leave and so will I."

He saw
the pleading in the woman's eyes, paused, and slowly sat down again.

She
said, "Was what you said just balm for my concience?"

"No.
It was the truth. Maybe you have to live with your conscience in other areas,
but not about Michael's suicide. Last night we held a wake. Some old friends of
mine -- and Michael's -- arrived unexpectedly. Last night we buried Michael's
soul. That is now in the past."

"So
easy?"

"Not
easy. In the next few days I'll travel to Hong Kong and some more bodies will
be buried. Then I'll sleep easier."

She was
watching him closely and, in spite of his cold and calm exterior, she could see
the pain deep in his eyes. She said, "Hong Kong is why I wanted to talk to
you."

"Hong
Kong?"

"Yes.
During the last two days that we were in Bulawayo you were obviously
preoccupied and busy. Did you have a chance to study Commander Ndlovu's report
on the Beckers?"

"No,
but I have a copy. I'll be reading it over the next few days."

"Well,
I read it very carefully and then discussed it with Commander Ndlovu. Much of
it was compiled from the files you found in the safe at Becker's house. Three
things came out of it: first of all, Becker got his orders from someone in Hong
Kong, who the police assume is the 14K Triad -- but they cannot prove that.
Second, it was a chance remark made by my daughter, Carole, at a cocktail party
in Harare that caused her death and that of Cliff Coppen, Lucy Kwok's family in
Hong Kong and, ultimately, Michael's."

"A
chance remark?"

"Yes.
Perhaps she was boasting a little. The conversation had been about the black
rhino. She said that her boyfriend was working with an eminent Chinese medical
researcher who had proved that powdered rhino horn does not improve male
potency, but actually contains a cancer-causing agent. It turns out that the
man she was boasting to was an associate of Rolph Becker's who, naturally,
immediately alerted him. Third, Commander Ndlovu spoke to a senior policeman in
Hong Kong in the Anti-Triad Department. Although they know that 14K was behind
the murder of Lucy's family, they do not have enough evidence to proceed
against the leaders."

"That's
always the case," Creasy said. "It's why I'm going to Hong
Kong."

"You
will go alone?"

"Yes."

The old
woman noticed that his face was slightly wet with perspiration. She watched as
he took out a handkerchief and wiped his forehead. He looked down at the empty
glass in front of him and said, "It seems that the hangover cure is not
working so well this time. If anything, I feel worse."

"I
won't keep you too much longer, Creasy. It's just that I want to ask you
something. And before you say no, I want you to think about it for a day or
so."

"Ask."

"I
want to continue with the whole operation ... all the way to Hong Kong. I won't
get in your way, and I won't be issuing orders or waving my so-called magic
wand. I just want to be there at the end. I don't want to return to Denver
without knowing what's happening."

Creasy
started to say something.

She
said, "Please, Creasy -- two more minutes. Please understand -- it was my
daughter who set this whole thing off. She could not have known it, of course,
but it was her fault. She paid with her life and so have others. I want you to
let me keep funding the operation and base myself in Hong Kong. I've had some
research done and faxed to me. The Triads are very powerful, especially the
14K. You will need people to help you -- and not just Maxie. You will need much
more than Maxie."

Creasy
wiped his forehead again and stood up. He said, "Mrs Manners, I don't have
to think about it. The answer is no. If I need to hire a couple of guys, I can
do it myself. You paid promptly and I thank you for that." He turned to
go.

She
said, "The research on the Triads is in the green folder on the table.
Take it with you. Meanwhile, I'll stay here for at least seventy-two hours in
the hope that you'll change your mind."

"You
can stay as long as you like, Mrs Manners. It's a free country." He went
into the sitting-room. The green folder was very bulky. He paused and then
picked it up. He would look through it and send it back tomorrow.

As he
drove back towards Victoria the sweating stopped and he felt his body going
cold in the warm air. On impulse, he turned left and into the village of
Xewkija, where his doctor lived.

As he
was shown into his doctor's study, he said, "Sorry to bother you, Stephen,
but I've got a fever, and I think it might be malaria."

The
doctor gestured to a chair in front of his desk and asked, "Where have you
been lately?"

"I
just got back from Zimbabwe. I spent some days in the Zambezi Valley."

"You
surprise me, Creasy. Surely a man of your experience would have taken
prophylactic pills at least three weeks before your departure?"

"Naturally,"
Creasy replied. "But I only knew I was going a couple of days
beforehand."

"Okay,
so we take a blood sample and I'll let you know tomorrow. In the meantime, I'll
give you some medication ... I suppose it would be a waste of time asking you
to spend the next twenty-four hours in hospital?"

"Yes,
it would. I'll be fine at home."

The
fever broke on the second night. Creasy was fortunate; the infection had not
been very bad. But, still, Maxie and Guido had to change the sheets on his bed
half a dozen times, when they became soaked with his sweat.

His
recovery was swift. When the doctor came in the morning, he was sitting up in
bed, leafing through the pages in the folder that Gloria had given him.

The
doctor checked him over and then said sternly, "It wasn't so bad. But
you're weaker than you think. I would normally ask my patients to spend at
least five or six days in bed after such a bout of malaria. But, knowing you,
I'll be happy to extract a promise of forty-eight hours. Then don't overdo
anything for a few more days."

After
he had left, Maxie came in.

"How
do you feel?"

"Fine."

"The
doctor said forty-eight hours. Just make sure you follow instructions for a
change."

Creasy
closed the folder and asked, "What are your plans?"

"I'm
heading home tomorrow. I'm going to close the bistro for a couple of weeks and
use some of Gloria Manners's money to take Nicole and Lucette on a luxury holiday.
I spoke to Nicole on the phone last night. She said Lucette's really cut up
about Michael."

Guido
came in, and after more inquiries about Creasy's well-being, he turned to Maxie
and said, "Laura phoned and invited us for lunch. She's making rabbit stew
and, believe me, you don't want to miss that."

"Bring
some back for me," Creasy said, "She always makes too much,
anyway." He lifted the green folder and gave it to Maxie. "On your
way, please drop that off to Gloria Manners at the hotel and tell her that I
won't be changing my mind."

"What
is it?"

"Oh,
just some general information on the Hong Kong Triads. Just say goodbye for
me."

When
Juliet came into the bedroom half an hour later with a cup of hot soup, Creasy
was fast asleep. She stood for several minutes, looking down at his face. Then
she turned around and went out, taking the soup with her.

When he
awoke, it was mid-afternoon. He drank some water from the flask by the bed and
pulled himself out of the bed to go to the bathroom. It was then that he
realised how weak he was. He moved carefully across the flagstoned floor. As he
came out, Guido was entering the bedroom, followed by Maxie. Creasy tried to
walk normally and almost tripped. Guido hurried forward and put an arm under his
elbow and helped him to the bed.

"How
was lunch?" Creasy asked.

"In
fact, it was so good there was nothing left for you."

They
both sat down at the foot of the bed, and Guido said, "We've come to talk
to you."

"About
what?"

"About
Hong Kong."

"What
about it?"

"We
didn't take that folder back immediately. We took it back after lunch.
Meanwhile, we read the contents. We already know that the Triads are
formidable. We also know that once you're over this malaria you're heading to
Hong Kong to take out the head guy of the 14K. When Maxie gave Mrs Manners the
folder and your message, she told him that she had offered to fund a major
operation to take out that guy."

Maxie
interjected, "She also told us that it was her daughter's indiscretion
that caused her own death and those of Lucy's family. We think you should take
up her offer."

"Is
it any of your business?"

Guido
provided the answer. "Yes, it is. We liked Michael very much. For me, he
was as a nephew. Apart from that, you already have the nucleus of a good
team."

"And
the money's good," Maxie said.

Creasy
gave them both a hard look and then said; "If I decide to take a couple of
guys with me, I'll pay them from my own pocket."

"Like
who?" Guido asked.

"Well,
like Frank and Rene. They're staying on a few more days. I'll make my decision
before they leave."

Guido
sighed. "Creasy, you're an intelligent man. But sometimes you can be very
stupid. Of course, Frank and Rene will go with you. But there's no way they'll
accept any money from you, apart from basic expenses. They too were very fond
of Michael. And of course that goes for me."

"And
me," Maxie chimed in.

"I
thought you were going off on holiday," Creasy said.

"That's
no problem," Maxie answered. "I'll cut it down to seven or eight
days. You won't be ready to move for at least a week."

In a
determined tone of voice, Creasy said, "There's no way that I'm going to
be working for that woman any more. This time it's personal."

"She's
changed," Maxie said. "That's very obvious from just a brief
conversation. She just wants to be in Hong Kong. She just wants to stay in her
hotel and only asks that she be kept informed."

"There's
another aspect," Guido said. "I was talking to Frank and Rene last
night. The market for mercenaries is pretty bad, these days. Frank's working as
a security consultant with an airfreight company, and Rene's resting."

"And
another thing," Maxie said. "Jens and The Owl haven't had a good
paying job since the end of last year."

Creasy's
eyes felt heavy, and he knew that within a few minutes he'd fall asleep. He
looked at Guido and said, "All this sounds suspiciously like a subtle form
of blackmail."

Guido
shook his head.

"It
sounds like good common sense. You'd be in total control of your own team. The
fact that an old woman is sitting in a wheelchair in a hotel seems immaterial.
You won't even have to see her or talk to her. Maxie can do that."

Creasy's
eyes were closed, and his voice slightly slurred. "I'll think about
it."

Rene
Callard and Frank Miller were sitting by the pool with Lucy Kwok. The two men
had just come back from fishing and their catch was proudly laid out on the
patio floor. Three baby tuna and two small lampuki.

Maxie looked down at the fish and remarked, "That's all you got after four
hours? They won't even cover the cost of the diesel. You'd have been better off
buying them in the market."

"They probably did," Guido said with a grin, "and spent the rest of the day
chasing tourist girls on the beach...When are you guys heading out?"

"We're booked on the morning flight to Frankfurt."

"I should postpone it," Maxie said.

Guido said, "There will be a job and it will pay very well. Also for Jens and The
Owl."

Maxie was looking at him. He asked, "Are you so sure?"

Guido nodded. "Yes. I know his mind like it was my own. When he wakes up he'll
call a meeting in his bedroom. By the way, where are Jens and The Owl?"

"They went for a drink in a bar called Gleneagles," Lucy said, "about two
hours ago."