Danger Woman (7 page)

Chapter Fourteen

As it happened, the bar was closed and, as predicted, the bottle store had no ice. The clerk suggested they go to one of the hotels if they wanted their drinks chilled. In the end Sanderson and Modise bought a few cold beers and drove into the park. Sanderson took the river road. After bouncing along the road for a quarter of an hour, Sanderson turned west which put them onto a smaller and less defined track. It took them away from the river road.

“We have left the track, Sanderson. We are not going to the river now?”

“Later, yes, but first, a treat for you. I am taking you to see the lions.”

“Lions? I have seen lions before, Sanderson. Is there something special about these particular lions that I must see?”

“In my eyes there is and you said you wished to see my park as I see it, yes? So, we will visit the lions. We will, that is, if they are there today. Sometimes in the afternoon they move closer to the river where it is cooler, but most of the time we will find them here. Ah, there, you see? The safari trucks from the lodges have found them and are already parked. That means the lions are waiting for us.”

They drove slowly past the three safari trucks and edged closer to a clearing in the dry brush. A lone acacia tree provided a measure of shade for the pride. Some preferred to bask in the sun. They were a magnificent sight. Modise had seen lions before. He was Motswana. Of course he had seen lions, but he had to admit that he'd never been this close or witnessed anything quite so magnificent. The animals stretched out, some sleeping, some watching the tourist vehicles as if they were hoping a fat tourist would hop out and provide them with lunch. He could almost hear them purring like big pussy cats. They weren't, but he imagined they were.

“So, what does the city policeman think of my lions?”

“Your lions? You have purchased this pride?”

“It is a figure of speech, silly. Of course not. Oh, you are making a joke.”

“A poor one, I am afraid. Sanderson, I admit, they are most impressive. But I worry about our time and our bottles of beer. If we don't find the riverbank soon, our drinks will be warm and not so good.”

Sanderson put the truck in gear and kept moving westward as they circled around the pride.

Modise swiveled in his seat and looked back at the way they had come. “We are not going to the river?”

“We are. This way brings us back out on the road farther down and nearer the river. It will save us time.”

As they approached the river, the growth became more forest and less bush. Also the humidity climbed. At the river she reversed, made a three-point turn, and parked. After checking for wildlife, they climbed out and moved to the back of the truck.

In front of them, the river flowed eastward toward the Zambezi. They sat on the tailgate, rifle close at hand. There was no real danger this close to the river, but caution dictated the gun. It would be too great a distance for a crocodile to heave itself across the riverbank and come after them, and they reckoned there would be no threat from the hippos in the heat of the afternoon. These deceivingly fast giants preferred the water to land, though they had been known to attack an unwary tourist who wandered too close to their territory on the bank or in a boat. A small herd of gazelles had scattered when they drove up. Now, in the relative quiet, the delicate animals began to drift back to drink and graze in the shade.

Sanderson uncapped two bottles and handed one to Modise. “So, can you speak of the operation you are running in the area? Will you catch this bad man, this Lenka, and put him away forever?”

“About the plans, I cannot, sorry. As to Lenka, it is not so easy. He is a man who is like a snake in the water. He slithers away from you and disappears. You never know where he will pop up. He has no outstanding warrants out, even though Interpol has a watch on him. His crimes to date are all in Russia and it seems like their police system is for sale to the highest bidder. At least for the Bratva it is. So, we must wait until he does something against the law here. Our hope is that he will make a big mistake so that we can deport him back home with all of his people. Then, we round up the locals. The border crossers we send home, the rest visit our jails.”

Sanderson sipped her beer. It was not a drink she really enjoyed. It tasted bitter and fizzy. Not a combination that suited her. Although, on some very hot days and after she had been in the field many hours, a very cold beer was welcome. That was not the case now. Keeping company with Kgabo Modise, however, did make it almost enjoyable.

“I would think that he would be considered an undesirable person and his visa cancelled. Why is he still here?”

”It is not so simple, that. The thinking is that if he were expelled, someone as bad, maybe worse would just take his place. Also, we are under the impression that he is not the real brains of the operation and the person who is, has a clean slate.”

“Who is this brain?”

“The woman with him is, they say. Her name is Irena Davidova. She no warrants, no real reason to deny her a visitor's visa.”

“Oh. So, now you agree with me about the woman?

“I don't know for sure, but she is now my prime interest. Okay, I say that but it is still the man we want. He pays the bills, you could say. We get him, we get her, we get them all.”

“So, will he do something illegal? Or will she?”

“It doesn't matter who or which. The orders come from him and I am certain eventually he will be the one who acts. I am equally certain he already has. The dead policeman didn't just happen because Rra Botlhokwa had disagreements with his organization. The problem is, I can't prove it. We will get him sooner or later, for sure.”

“Sooner would be better. What can the game rangers do to help?”

Modise cocked an eyebrow. “You are joking.”

“I am not. We know the area better than you do, you people who come up here from Gaborone in your suits. Even Superintendent Mwambe knows more about this place than you. We are the ones who found your bones, remember, and they are important, yes?”

“Yes. That is true, but—”

Sanderson slumped forward and scowled, jaw set. “You are too filled up with ‘buts,' Modise. We have to be considered in this business. Why do you think I showed you the lions?”

“So that I could see the Chobe as you do, you said. Very impressive they were.”

“I showed them to you to remind you that we are not afraid of danger. What do you think would happen if one of those animals went rogue? I will tell you. Some of us would have to go out and confront it just like you confront your Russian gangster.”

“Yes, I understand but—”

“Buts again. Suppose this man continues to dump his dead bodies in the park. Who will be tasked to take care of that? My people will be, that is who. So there, we are important. Who found that wallet of the man they tell me is your dead agent, even though Mwambe and his slow nephew are now upset about it? I did. If I had not done that, where would your investigation be? Do you know Derek Kgasa, the nephew, is now permanently assigned to us? He is underfoot all the time. I am surprised he isn't sitting in the backseat taking notes and drinking our beer.”

“There, you see. You have mentioned the man who thinks you should be removed completely. Superintendent Mwambe is complaining about you and your people, but mostly about you, all of the time. ‘You meddle where you are not welcome,' he says. He is not happy with you, Sanderson.”

“He is a man past his time of usefulness. He should be retired and put to work feeding the chickens.”

Modise brushed away a mosquito. “You are being very hard on him. I have seen him work a crime scene. He is very thorough when he puts his mind to it. Besides that is not a decision you will be asked to make.”

Sanderson rolled her eyes and snorted. “Which is not the big news of the day. Besides, what has he to do with solving your problem? You are not taking him into your confidence, are you?” Modise stared at the river and said nothing. “I thought not. So, why not me and the game rangers?”

Alerted by movement in the brush, the gazelles bounded away. A few spotted hyenas came panting to the river to drink. They inspected Modise and Sanderson much as the lions had earlier. Sanderson saw them and instinctively put a protective hand on Modise's arm. Modise shook his head. He might have been suppressing a smile; Sanderson could not be sure. “It is not in your description of duties. As you just pointed out, you manage many dangerous beings, lions and leopards, and those hyenas who sit and stare at us over there, but criminals are not supposed to be one of them.”

“The big hyena is
Kotsi Mosadi
.
If you think your criminals are bad news, you should spend an afternoon with that one. She and that pack of hers are wondering if they dare make a dash at us. They would love to have a policeman for their dinner. And, yes, we deal with bad things like them all the time, you know. Also, don't forget, we are the only people in this area who are permitted to have rifles and to fire them. We know the ground and its dangers. We are out and about all the time and see things you do not. Why not use us?”

Modise turned and gave her his most serious policeman's look. “There is the other thing. It was one of your people who arranged for the break through the fence and the nonsense in the park with the orgonite, which cost a young man his life and started a series of events that ended with a dead policeman. There is some evidence one of them still does, or how else do these gangsters bring the bodies to the park? The director has not forgotten the first and worries about the second. So, for now, no game rangers will be placed in the loop.”

“One bad egg…there is another one betraying his trust?”

“Do not concern yourself with that. We want him in place for the time being. If we arrest him, Lenka will only find another or make different arrangements. Worse, he will know that we know.”

“That makes sense only to a policeman. He is breaking the law, deceiving his co-workers, and giving a bad name to my department.”

“Sorry, Sanderson, that is the way it must be. You must attend to your animals and the safety of the tourists. Police work will be done by police, not civilians. Later, if the circumstances change, we might talk again about the game rangers, but not now.”

When he said it, Modise knew that it wasn't entirely true. He would be relying heavily on a civilian with a criminal record, six Americans with more energy than skill, and the aging owner of a casino, to set in motion the circumstances that would bring down Lenka. And he didn't like it at all. Greshenko might be the reformed man he claimed, but do leopards change their spots? Do hyenas eat vegetables?

Chapter Fifteen

Lenka paced. Twelve steps out, twelve back. Irena sipped a vodka martini and waited. It would be only a matter of time before he would ask her what to do. He wouldn't put it quite like that. He would ask her what she thought about the Greshenko person. Then, instead of answering the question he'd expect her to lay out what needed to be done. He pivoted and returned to the middle of the room.

“So, what do you think we should do with Greshenko, Renee?”

“I think he needs to disappear before he gets his people in place. Maybe four or five of you could just reduce his organization to a memory.”

“So, I should…?”

“Eliminate them. Find a way to lure them away from the casino, and introduce them to the game park. If they are deep enough in and, say, unable to run, well, nature has a way of cleaning up messes, yes?”

“I don't know. Since we have been using their park for clean-up, the police are watching everything I do more closely than ever.”

“If the police are honest about it, they will say you are doing them a service. Just don't get caught.”

“Don't get caught? What kind of an answer is that? I need a plan with some details. I cannot just keep picking up people who get in the way and dropping them off for the lions.”

“No? Why not? Okay, you need a plan. Yes, of course you do. Can you think of a plan, then?”

“How does a person make people who know you are their enemy, and what you are likely to do, follow you to the game park like some sheep?”

“Okay, first, you kidnap that American, the owner of the casino. He is old and slow. It should be easy. Greshenko will come after him and once they have been drawn off from the police, then you…”

“Then I what?”

“You do know it is not lawful to feed the animals?”

“I should break this law, you think?”

Irena smiled and poured another martini and held it out to Lenka. “It is such a small law to break. You will be forgiven.”

“There is the other part.”

“What other part?”

“This woman who is now in charge of the game rangers. My people say she is friends of the policeman who is nosing around. That will make it more difficult to enter the park even with our man in place.”

“Leave her to me.”

“You? What can you do?”

“She is a woman. I am a woman. We have things in common. Also, she has a daughter, did you know?”

“A daughter? So?”

“A daughter who is a student at their University in Gaborone and far away from her momma. She will be an easy mark for one of our people in the city to grab. We grab her. Then we tell Mamma to look the other way or the kid is very hurt. You, and the people you need—into the park you go, whenever you want. See, simple.”

A tap at the door brought the conversation to a halt. Irena raised her eyebrows. Lenka shrugged and walked to the door. Alexei Grelnikov, a man of no discernible age or nationality, but who was clearly a person to be reckoned with, standing six feet seven and weighing three hundred and fifty pounds, give or take twenty, stood on the sill. He had few friends and was known to those who purchased his services only as Gur.

“Okay,” he said and made no move to enter, “those guys at the airport? They went to the casino. They are like us but from America, yes, Rus? They are meeting. The blackie you sent over there to spy on them was sent away on an errand. He didn't know better and he went, so I don't have anything to tell you except they have guns. I couldn't find out where they got them. What you want me to do now?”

Irena studied the hulking figure at the door over the rim of her glass. “See if you can get one of them alone and pump him for answers. You don't have to be nice if you need to persuade him,” she said and waved to Lenka to shut the door. Long conversations with Gur were rarely useful.

Lenka repeated what Irena said and closed the door. They heard Gur clump his way down the hall. There was no doubt in either of their minds that Gur's next stop would be at the casino where he would waylay one of Greshenko's people and beat some answers from him. They only had to wait. Irena poured another martini.

***

Modise stood and gathered the beer bottles. “Time to go.”

“So soon? Am I boring you, Modise?”

“Don't be so absurd. You never bore me, Sanderson. You are a person with infinite charms. I have to work. Something is telling me that there will be something happening and soon. I have stayed away from the casino because I cannot…” Modise caught himself. Sanderson was not privy to the plans worked out by Painter and Greshenko. The less she knew the better.

“Because…? Because you are cooking up something with that Russian and the American. That was why he came to the airport wearing that silly black suit. Were those friends of his who came in on that flight? I bet the bad man…Lenka, right? I bet he had people there too. Do you think they saw us leave together?”

Modise had not thought of that. If they saw them leave together and made a simple addition in their heads, Sanderson could be in trouble. “Where are your son and your daughter?”

“Mpitle is in university and my son is working at the panel beaters in Kasane, why?”

“Nothing. I just needed to know.”

“You just needed to know because, oh my gosh, you think they might try to get at you through me and my children.”

“No, it is just a precaution and—”

“It is not just a precaution. I will call Mpitle and have her come home at once.”

“That is not a very good idea. She is as vulnerable here as there and closer to them. I will make a call. She will be safe.”

“How can you do that? You will put an officer with her twenty-four hours a day? Is that possible?”

Modise knew it probably wasn't, not within the authority he's been given. He could have someone watch at the times she'd be most vulnerable, but he could not justify three shifts of police protection on what the director would call a “Maybe.” He'd need to think of something else. But what? He drew a blank.

“Kgabo…?”

“Let me think about this for a minute.” It could cost him his job if he overreached. Resources were not what they used to be. Budgets were tight. No more hotel stays, personnel freezes, and there was the other thing: what would he do if he was not a policeman anymore? He was already out on a limb with this Greshenko plan. If it failed…He'd worked so hard to become the “Top Cop” he'd set as a goal so long ago. He looked at Sanderson. She wrung her hands. What to do?

He made the call. The voice on the other end asked him to repeat his request several times. “On my authorization,” he finally snapped. How would the director react to that, he could only guess, but it was done. He had crossed a line. The question left to be answered: did it demonstrate good or bad judgment on his part? He'd find out soon enough. In the meantime Sanderson, her daughter, Mpitle, and her son, Michael, would have twenty-four/seven police surveillance. He told Sanderson what he'd done. She threw her arms around him and kissed him.

It would be another hour before, disheveled and grinning like a pair of teenagers, they drove out of the park. They would have been content, except that Modise's phone chirped. Without looking at the caller ID, he knew that something had gone wrong.