Danger Woman (5 page)

Chapter Nine

Charles Tlalelo studied his boss behind lidded eyes. What should he say? Would she be angry or have her feelings hurt? He had come to admire this woman who seemed to fear no one and nothing. Sanderson, he'd learned, was not a weak woman, but when it came to those things of the heart, who can tell.

“Charles, you are looking at me like a meerkat looks at an eagle. What is it you have on that mind of yours that has you shaking in your boots?”

“It is nothing, Boss. I am thinking of…I am missing something…my lunch. I forgot to bring my lunch today.”

“The box in the fridge with your initials on it is lunch for someone else, then?”

“My initials on a box? Oh, well, yes. I see now. I am mistaken. Yes, I did bring my lunch, Thank you, Sanderson.”

“Charles, you will tell me what is eating at your brain right now or I will write a recommendation that you see the doctor because you are definitely going crazy.”

“Okay. You are sitting down so, I will say what I must say. Modise, the policeman from Gabz, is here. I saw him going to the American's casino. So there it is.”

“Oh yes? And this is of such great importance that you are forgetting your lunch and acting like your undergarments are too tight?”

“Sanderson! No, I thought you and he…I thought he would have been in touch with you but I heard no phone ringing and so I thought, why is it he doesn't call?”

“Modise will call when he is ready to do so. He is a busy man and if he doesn't call, there will be a reason. I have no claim on that man. We are friends and we sometimes work together. Now, collect your things. We must check out a sick hippopotamus.”

“What?”

“One of the river guides calls and says there is a hippo making funny noises down near Sodudu Island. He thinks this hippo is sick. Bring the big tranquilizer gun and loads. We will see what is bothering Mr. Hippo.”

“Are you sure you want to do this, Sanderson? Sick or well, those animals are dangerous. One false move and you could add to the statistics of homicide by hippo.”

“Charles, it is what we do. Who else do you suggest should go to the river to see about the hippo? Of course I will be extra careful and so will you. Besides, we have not walked the bank for a while. This same river guide reports he thinks he saw evidence of a vehicle having been on the bank. We will check into that as well.
Tsena.”

“I'm coming, I'm coming.”

The only vehicle available was the old Land Rover with the missing doors. How those doors had become detached in the first place, and remained so for so long in the second, had become a source of chronic annoyance for Sanderson. She'd asked, begged, and submitted countless work orders to have the truck repaired and yet, there it stood, still door-less. Some of the younger game rangers preferred this truck. They thought it made them appear rakish and cool when they cruised through Kasane. Sanderson did not have the heart to tell them that the young women they sought to impress with their macho presence, mostly thought they were silly. Her annoyance at the absent doors did not seem to change anything in the one place it could. The doors remained detached. She tried to impress on the repair department the importance doors on a vehicle had. Doors provide a layer of protection from animals with bad attitudes. She'd declared that if doors were not reattached to the truck soon, she would ask her son, Michael, to do the job for her. He could fix anything.

“You hang on tight, Charles, or you will tumble out of the truck when we go around a corner.”

“I will have my seat belt. I will be perfectly safe.”

“That seat belt is broken as well. It will click and you will be thinking you are tucked in safely but it will unclick with just a tiny tug and out you go. So, we will stay on the main track and away from hungry animals.”

They drove into the park and followed a well travelled road that led northward toward the Chobe River. They had gone a kilometer and a half when Sanderson slowed to a crawl.

“Now you must hold onto the handle on the dash very tight, Charles.”

“Because?”

“You will see. Hang on.”

The front end of the truck jolted and dropped first right and then left. Charles was thrown into Sanderson and then toward the door. He grabbed the dashboard handle and yelped. His seat belt came loose.

Sanderson eyed a frightened Charles Tlalelo “There, you see. That belt is bad.”

“What just happened there?”

“Ah, this is for your future education. There is a sharp drop-off at that point in the road. A shallow ridge runs through here for a few hundred meters. You must ease the truck down it or bad things can happen. If you are not careful, you can do some damage to the truck and passengers. Without doors, you might have fallen out, you see.”

“Falling out would not be the experience I want.”

“It is worse. You see that large area of thirty meters over there? That is one of the places the new lion's pride can sometimes be found. You remember Sekoa? The pride was his. Now there is a new male and things are different. The safari trucks will always look for lions there first.”

“They do not drive the tourists over that drop-off, surely.”

“No, they turn off the track ten meters or so back and skirt the area from the south. Then when they are finished with the lions, if lions are there, they either turn back or loop around and rejoin the track down twenty-five or so meters farther on.”

“Why didn't we take that route? You could have dumped me in the dirt.”

“As I said, it is for your education to know about that hazard. Also, this is not the
bakkie
to drive in the park if you can avoid it. With the doors off you are available to the animals and some of them will be hungry for a lunch of Charles. We did not take the detour first, because it is nearly one hundred fifty meters out of our way. Second, today is not the day to tempt a lion. What if they are lolling out there and you have no door to separate you from them? Now you are educated in this very important matter.”

If Sanderson had not been grinning, he might have been angry. As it was, Charles smiled back. Sanderson was a good boss no matter what the old-timers said.

They heard yapping and growling and caught the scent of death long before they came upon the hippo. As it happened, determining what ailed the hippopotamus would not be necessary. When they arrived at the riverbank they saw that the vultures and hyenas were having a dispute over which would feast first and most. It wasn't as if there wasn't enough for all, but in the wild there is no concept of sharing and when the topic is food, there is never too much. The strongest would eat until they were sated and then leave the remains for the next highest on the pecking order. Today, spotted hyenas ruled although a daring vulture occasionally darted in and sank its beak into the carcass and managed to escape the combined jaws of the pack. Small scavengers would take what was left and then the ants would clean up. Nothing edible goes to waste in the wild.

They drove west until they found the tire tracks the guide had mentioned.

“What do you think, Sanderson?”

“I cannot say, Charles. These tracks could be from the BDF training for poaching prevention. Of course they usually tell me when they are in the park. The tracks could have been made by smugglers. A man in a coracle poles over from Namibia or maybe has a motor boat upriver from Zambia. He meets his man here at night and off goes the stuff to Gabz to rot the brains of young people.”

“I think it does not stop at Gaborone, Boss. There is not enough money there. I think it is on its way to Jo'berg. Many more brains to rot and money to pay for the privilege in that town.”

“I hope you are right, but I am thinking they are connected to our latest visitors to Kasane. They are not so nice people, these newcomers. That woman, they say, is a big problem.”

“Is that what Modise the policeman says to you?”

“No. He thinks like a man. He thinks the problem is Rra Lenka. But I think it is his woman.”

“Do you know the woman who is with the crook?”

“I have observed this woman one time when she insisted the hotel take her and her man only into the park for safari. She was very bossy and the man, he just smiled a weak smile. She is the alpha in that group for sure.”

“All this you assume from that one meeting?”

“It was enough. You will see.”

“I hope I will never see, if you want the truth.”

“With any luck, you will not. Now, take pictures of those tracks and we will report them to Superintendent Mwambe.”

“Are you sure he is the person you wish to have this information? He is not exactly your great fan.”

“He is the police. It is his job to stop smugglers. He will receive the report. Now we must get back and write up the dead hippo and send pictures to Mwambe.”

“Can we avoid that tooth-cracking hazard on the way back? Perhaps we should check and see if the lions are in the bush over there.”

“You have not been listening, Charles. Besides, you have seen the lions many times, Charles. We have work to do, so, no. We take the bump. It will not be so bad coming at it from this side. You will see.”

Chapter Ten

Leo and Yuri watched Modise cross the ten meters between them and the door. Modise knocked and entered without waiting for a response.

“Police Officer Kgabo Modise, come in. Oh, you're in already. So, to what do we owe the honor?” Leo said.

“I am here to speak to Mr. Greshenko. Could I have a word?”

Leo was not to be put off. “Certainly, shoot.”

“I wish to address Mr. Greshenko alone.”

“We have no secrets.”

“Nevertheless, I must insist. I wish to speak to him in private.”

“Not happening, Modise. My house, my rules. You are here to complete the subornation of my friend. I am here to prevent you from getting him killed. You can have your little talk, but as this is, as I said, my house I have no intention of leaving. Can I order you something? A beer, coffee…?”

“No drinks, thank you.”

Yuri slumped in his chair. “It's okay, Inspector. Leo knows everything. He is only here to help.”

“This is police work. With respect for his acknowledged skill in the world of business, I cannot see where any help will be coming from your employer.”

“Hey, I'm over here, right? I can hear you and besides, I'm not just his employer. I am his friend and as such, I will stay.”

“Very well, if you insist, but I must warn you, nothing said here can be shared with anyone else.”

Leo waved in the direction of the window. “Including your flunky out there?”

“Why do you think that man is ‘my flunky' as you say?”

“It's kind of obvious, don't you think? You just had a short chat with him. Also, he's got cop written all over him. Really, Modise, if I can spot someone who is not what he seems, don't you suppose the crooks you're after can too? After all, they have had much more practice at that sort of thing than I.”

“That's enough, Leo,” Yuri cut in. “Tell me what you want, Modise. Mr. Painter may not like it, but he will not tell anyone about it.”

“Very well. As you know, your continued presence in the country is contingent on your cooperation in our investigation of this Russian Bratva operative, Oleg Lenka. We are in agreement on that point?”

“As you tell me repeatedly, you have discovered my past, yes, and you think I am an undesirable and cannot stay in your country. The past, by the way, which I had hoped to put behind me forever. You have found me out. This man Lenka has a similar past but you allow him to stay. How that is possible is a question I guess you'd rather not answer.”

“It is ironic, but he has no ‘official' past. That is, there are no warrants for his arrest on record anywhere. Were there, we would not be having this meeting because neither of you would be here. So, you see, we cannot send him away but we can send you. The moment he does something, we will send him packing. That is where you come in.”

Leo sat down. His chair was new and the cushion sighed as it took his weight. “You realize that what you are doing is one, extortion and, two, a near certain death sentence for Yuri? The first is a felony crime in most countries and the second would be considered accessory to murder.”

“Mr. Painter, you may listen, but you are not invited to speak.”

“Nevertheless.”

Yuri waved Leo into silence “Just tell me what you want me to do, Modise. Whether I die here or in Russia makes no difference to me, I will still be dead.”

“I hope not, but very well. We want you to become Lenka's man. He will tell you things. You will tell us what he says. That is all.”

“I am a double agent, is that what you see?”

“Yes. Then as soon as we gather enough information, we will eliminate his organization forever.”

Leo stared to say something and thought better of it. Yuri lowered his head and shook it. “I am a dead man.”

“Not if you are careful, surely.”

“Modise, how much do you really know about these criminal organizations that hover over your country like…what is your word…
manong
?”

“I have studied them, read extensively. We have analyses from Interpol, the American FBI. Quite a bit, I should think.”

“Then you know little or nothing. Lenka will have as many spies in place as you do. If he doesn't already know we are talking right now, he soon will. You have your man outside. Don't you suppose he also has one? My becoming an operative for you, he will know already or soon. If I am to survive for more than a minute in this, I will have to tell him up front that I am your agent and that he can use me to spread false news to you, you see?”

Modise leaned back and seemed confused. “This is not what I have been asked to do.”

“Okay, I've heard enough,” Leo said. “You will spend, what, two hundred thousand pula each to airlift rhinoceroses into the Okavango but, you will throw this rhino, this man, to the poachers in the hope of catching a scrap of information. You care more about your damned animals than people. You should be ashamed, Modise.”

“Mr. Painter, I must insist. This is police business and of no concern of yours.”

“Ah, but it is. Here's what I think. You have the wrong end of the stick and you will get nowhere with this cockamamie plan. Now, I'll tell you what you need to do instead.”

“Mr. Painter, you really must—”

“Just sit and listen. My house, my rules, remember?” Leo stuck two fingers into his bush vest and withdrew a Cuban cigar. He lit it and inspected both ends. Satisfied, he sat back. “Docs told me these will kill me. I told them there are worse ways to die.” He drew in and exhaled a plume of smoke. “Okay. If Yuri does as you ask, not what he suggested, by the way, he will not last six hours. Whether he passes the information on to you directly or through some intermediary, Lenka will know. Then, Yuri will disappear. As Yuri just pointed out, there is a better than even chance, a certainty I would venture to say, that they know you are meeting with him right now. You are not the only person who knows Yuri's background. Lenka has used him once before. You don't think he has eyes on him now? Ask yourself this, what is it that Lenka wants?”

“To introduce crime and corruption into the Chobe.”

“That's only a C+ answer. You can do better. You've just scratched the surface. What does he want, Yuri?”

Yuri frowned at Leo and shook his head. “First, Lenka wants this casino. Next, he wants to take it over and then sell protection to the other hotels, introduce working girls, and skim profits, control the liquor trade—”

“And that's just the start, Modise. He would like to control this section of the border, black market, you name it, he would like to own it. To start, he will use Yuri to eliminate me, don't you see? Somehow, someway, he wants this casino. It is the springboard into the rest.”

“But how can he do that?”

“Muscle, strong arm, force me to sign over control to Yuri or to him and then I disappear, and it doesn't end there. You will be next. Most Russian gangs work with corrupt police. They promise to reduce petty crime and in return only ask you turn a blind eye to what they are doing in the dark. See, if you buy that, you will be allowed to arrest the bit players, a drug dealer, a small smuggler, a prostitute. It will appear you are doing your job but, for some reason, you never get the big fish. They think this arrangement is a win-win. Are you prepared for that? If you aren't, and they are established here as a base, you will join Yuri among the casualties.”

Modise slumped down in his chair. “So you are suggesting the operation is finished before it starts?”

“Your version of it, yes. Sorry, but I don't think you've thought it through. Somewhere in one of those books you read you figured out a plan. What was it called, ‘How to infiltrate the mob?' It's not good enough. They read the same books, you could say. You need to try something off the books. What do the motivational speakers say? ‘You must think outside the box.' Modise, think outside the box.”

Modise rose to leave. Leo's words must have had an effect. “This will not do.”

“Sit. I am not finished. First, how do you suppose Lenka will react when he discovers someone got to me first?”

“Someone beat him to taking over your casino?”

“Right,”

“But who? How?”

“Okay, you know I used to run a company called Earth Global. We specialized in energy resources, among other things. As you probably also know, things in the Ukraine are somewhat dicey at the moment and Gazprom is in hot water with the EU. No? Not a hot item on the evening news? Never mind. The point is, there are a half dozen Earth Global employees sitting at desks in Chicago with nothing to do at the moment. More importantly, they speak Russian with a Ukrainian accent. That's what I have been told, anyway. Three of them are ex-Army Spec Forces.”

Modise started to speak and then thought better of it. Greshenko frowned.

Leo placed his cigar in an ashtray. “So here's the deal. The six of them are, at this moment on a plane to Cape Town. They will arrive here sometime late tomorrow or the next day. They will be Yuri's alternate to Lenka.”

“What?” Greshenko and Modise said in unison.

“Yuri, when you ran an errand for Lenka last month, would you say you behaved in a manner consistent with someone as interested in gathering information as someone just caving in to threats?”

Yuri thought a moment and shook his head and then his eyes flashed. “Ah! Okay, but what about the tattoos?”

“Tattoos?” Modise was clearly out of the loop. “What tattoos…why?”

“There are fakes we can use if we need them. They will last long enough to convince Lenka's people our guys are the real thing.”

For the first time in months Yuri's eyes showed a hint of optimism. “It might work. It's better than committing suicide. What do you think, Modise?”

“About what? I am lost. Who has tattoos?”

“
Bratva apparatchiks
do. They mark their journey into the depths of crime. Where they've been in prison, things like that. I'll explain later. We will need guns and fake IDs. Can you arrange that?

“IDs and guns, and an alternate to…Sorry, I need this spelled out to me. I am a simple policeman, remember?”

“You are many things, I think, but simple isn't one of them. Look, you are limited in what you can do, in resources you can call in. I, on the other hand, have access to all sorts of things not generally available to the average citizen. We will assemble a rival Bratva gang that will challenge Lenka. Given the new circumstances this will create he will be much more likely to do something truly felonious or stupid. Either will work for us.”

“Oh, I see. Yuri will be competition and draw them out. Yes?”

“And I will be the idiotic American who brought this on himself, yes. In a nutshell, yes. It will be a little more complex than that, but that is where you start. So far, if I understand the situation, Lenka has been tidying up—removing local crooks and an occasional interloper from outside. He has no real competition in the area now. Another Bratva group is a different kettle of fish. The threat of a war between competing gangs will identify the players quickly. You pick them off as they emerge from the woodwork. He will understand that the Chobe is not his for the taking. He will have to rethink his plans. If we are lucky, he will be slow to figure it all out.”

“I am not familiar with woodwork, but I think I follow. So, now it is you who airlifts the
ditshukudu
, sorry, the rhinos, into the park. At what expense? Never mind, I do not want to know. I will notify my boss of the change. When he understands, he will be pleased. I hope.”

“And if he isn't?”

“Well, you have a saying, I think. ‘Sometimes it is better to ask for forgiveness than permission.' Yes?”

“Yes.”