Elephant Dropping (9781301895199) (40 page)

‘It’s not just
that.’ He told Doug what had happened outside the telephone
booth.

Doug chuckled
softly to himself. ‘Now you know not to use swear words around her
don’t you.’

‘Yeah, but I
wasn’t swearing at her, she has a short fuse.’

‘Nevertheless,
don’t use swear words around her or any African, particularly a
Somali and whatever you do, never, ever, call her stupid because
that she certainly isn’t. I think she’s perfect for the part and if
she can pull Evans, it will make our job much easier.’

‘You’re right;
I’m disappointed I couldn’t speak to my sister.’

‘Okay mate,’
Doug said cheerily, ‘let’s leave Lucy here and go back to the
telephone place, the lines may be back on, it’s seldom a long time
glitch.’

Brian
brightened. ‘Yes, but do you mind if you tell her,’ pointing at the
bar, ‘I don’t want another fight.’

‘No problem
mate,’ Doug went into the bar. In a few moments he was back. ‘She’s
happy, she’s with her mates.’

They drove back
to the old town and this time Brian was able to get through. His
sister was relieved to hear his voice. He reassured her that
everything was okay but it was very important that she carry out
the instructions in the email.

‘Brian, are you
sure that you want me to do this?’

‘Yes Sally,
it’s vital. You’re the only one I can trust.’

‘Okay, I’ll do
it.’

He joined Doug
back in the Landrover. ‘I got through. She’s got the email and is
going to do what we suggested.’

‘Great, now
it’s my turn, I need to leave a message for my uncle.’

TWENTY

Dogra sat and
shivered with cold as the car made its way up the last few hills
into the outskirts of Nairobi. Cyrus and his companion were
oblivious to his plight. They chewed miraa and tossed the stalks
out of the open windows. Loud rap music blared on the radio, they
had forgotten about him.

Twice they had
been forced off the road by on-coming lorries in a race to the
coast, each near miss adding to his fear and misery. The two in the
front getting high, viewed it only as a game, cheering and grinning
at each close encounter. He wished he had never come to this
country; it was all so wild and dangerous. As soon as he saw Patel,
he was going to resign from this job and insist he be sent back
home. Holding this thought, strengthened his resolve and took the
edge off his fear.

Soon they were
driving through the city. Cyrus had hardly slowed his highway pace
and all but ignored the traffic lights as they hurtled recklessly
through intersections and roundabouts. Eventually they turned off
into a leafy tree-lined suburb and came to a halt outside a double
story non-descript house; there was no gate.

‘Ok Patel, time
to meet the boss. Cold eh?’ Cyrus said, as he noticed Dogra
shivering and unlocked the handcuffs. They went into the house
where a uniformed policeman was lying half asleep across the
reception counter.

‘Is the Boss
in?’ Cyrus asked in greeting. The cop waved his finger at the
stairs. ‘Keep an eye on this one,’ Cyrus pointed at Dogra as the
two of them went up. ‘Put him in the interview room,’ he called
back over his shoulder, ‘and make us some tea.’

The cop got up
wearily. ‘Follow me,’ he said to Dogra and led him down a
passageway into a small windowless room. A few scattered plastic
chairs and a table were all the room contained. ‘Sit.’

Rubia was on
the phone as Cyrus and his companion knocked and went in. He put
the phone down, smiling. ‘You made good time. So tell me all your
news.’

Cyrus related
all the events that had taken place over the last few days,
interrupted now and then by Rubia as he clarified a point.

‘Very good,’
Rubia congratulated them, ‘and this Patel fellow, he was no
trouble?’

‘None at all,’
they agreed.

‘Ok, I can take
it from here, you two must be tired.’

Cyrus got up.
‘Sir, do you know where I can get hold of Titus? I haven’t heard of
him for the past few days and there is some mystery over how Loda
got himself shot.’

‘Yes, it’s a
shame about Loda, now you can see how ruthless these terrorists can
be. Patel will have answers for me I’m sure. As to Titus, I told
you on the phone, he is on another secret assignment.’

‘Ok, very good
Sir,’ Cyrus said as he left.

Rubia stretched
luxuriantly in his chair as he waited for the sound of the car to
leave. He rubbed his hands together in eager anticipation. He went
to the door and yelled down the stairs. ‘Sergeant! The
muhindi
, bring him to my office.’

‘Ok Sah!’

Rubia went back
to his desk and sat down. There was a knock on the door and Dogra,
followed by the sergeant, walked in. ‘Ahh Patel, I have been
looking forward to our meeting.’ Rubia waved the sergeant away. ‘I
don’t want to be disturbed. So, Patel, you have led us a merry
dance, eh?’

Dogra held his
hands between his knees and shivered. ‘Is this the imm
immig..ration depart…ment ..?’ he stammered.

‘Immigration,’
Rubia laughed, ‘no, no, no, my friend, this is anti-terrorism, and
you are in a lot of trouble.’

Dogra looked
confused. ‘And Patel, he said he..he..he, he would meet me here in
Nairobi..’

‘Patel, what is
this shit? You want to play games with me?’

Dogra his head
nodding up and down said, ‘No sir, I was told there was a
problem...m..m with my work permit.’

‘What who told
you that?’

‘Patel …
s..sir.’

Rubia scowled
at him, suspiciously. ‘What is your name?’

The Indian
looked fearfully at the scowling face. ‘Patel, no, I mean, yes. My
name is Jayant Dogra,’ he finished miserably.

‘What!’

‘I was told by
Patel to say I was Patel because of a problem with my work permit.
Patel said he would meet me here, and sort it all out,’ his voice
trailing off and head nodding from side to side.

‘Do you have
any ID on you?’

‘Yes sir,’
Dogra fished out his work permit from his pocket and handed it over
the desk, hand trembling.

Rubia read the
details. ‘Let me get this straight,’ he put his fingertips
together. ‘You are Dogra. You have just started work at the
Pollycans factory in Malindi. And Patel told you there was a
problem with your work permit, and you must say your name is
Patel.’

‘Yes sir.’

‘Well what does
Patel look like?’ asked Rubia.

‘I-I-I have not
met him sir.’

Rubia leant
back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. Suddenly he leaned
forward and shouted. ‘Fucking Fimbo!’

Dogra jerked
back in alarm.

‘You Patel,
Dorga whatever you name is, when you were arrested, was there a big
policeman with a stick?’

‘YesI..I, there
was one,’ Dogra fingered his face.

‘Right,’ Rubia
clenched his fists, eyes bulging in frustration. ‘Fuck off.’ He
pointed at the door.

‘Pardon sir,’
Dogra said, looking confused.

‘I said fuck
off, get out of my sight, now!’

Dogra got up
and gingerly reached for his papers.

‘No!’ Rubia
rounded his desk and manhandled him roughly all but throwing him
down the stairs. ‘Sergeant, take this man away.’

The sergeant
held Dogra by the wrist. ‘The interview room sir?’

‘No, throw him
out, I don’t want him here.’

‘Very good
sir,’ he dragged Dogra behind him and then pushed him out of the
door into the car park.

Dogra hesitated
in confusion. ‘Please,’ he began.

‘Get lost
muhindi
, before my boss changes his mind.’

Dogra looked
about wildly. ‘I don’t know where I am. I must get to the Indian
embassy,’ he pleaded.

The sergeant
said. ‘Follow that road and you will get to your embassy,’ he went
back into the building and shut the door.

Dogra fought
back tears as he stumbled down the road. It was bitterly cold and
dark, he held out his hands in supplication to a passing motorist,
but the car swerved around him and drove on.

He stood and
bit onto his shirtsleeve to quieten his teeth and listened
intently. In the distance he could hear traffic and the sky through
the trees was lighter. He was so cold he could hardly think
straight, as he doggedly headed in that direction. He reached a
cross road lit by a single street lamp, the noise of traffic now
louder, he continued on the road and stopped to listen, he had a
feeling he was being followed. Was that a padding noise he could
hear behind him as he quickened his pace?

He took a few
quick steps and stopped. The padding noise also stopped, a tad
slower, only this time it was closer. In a panic he started to run,
an animal was after him, maybe a wild dog or even a lion! His shoes
slapped the tarmac loudly as he rounded a dimly lit corner. He
could make out the highway, cars and lights at last he was safe.
Suddenly he was struck viciously on the head from behind. He
stumbled to his knees, lightning quick little hands emptied his
pockets and removed his shoes as he knelt there trying to
comprehend what was happening to him, and then they were gone,
three street children merging into the inky blackness of the
forest. Dogra lay on the tarmac and groaned, tears pouring down his
cheeks. Eventually shoeless and bleeding from the head, he stumbled
onto the edge of the highway, and passed out.

TWENTY-ONE

The car park at
the nightclub was full so they parked outside just off the road.
Brian and Doug sat in the Landrover. ‘This plan with Evans, how do
we know once we make the initial approach, that he won’t do a bunk
or go to the police and expose us?’ Brian asked.

‘We don’t, so
we must get into the bank tonight.’

‘Tonight! What
if he doesn’t have the keys?’

‘He will have,’
assured Doug, ‘he is the manager, right?’

‘Yes, but I
hadn’t thought we would move so fast.’

‘You want to
give him time to think about it?’

‘No no, it’s
not that,’ Brian tailed off. ‘I guess I never quite saw myself in
this criminal role.’

Doug chuckled.
‘They say cops are just frustrated thieves.’

‘I’m not a cop,
I’m an analyst.’

‘Hang on here,
I will go and see what Miss Malindi has been up too.’ Doug walked
through the gate and spotted a sleek Mercedes, he turned and gave
the thumbs up to Brian. The club was loud and crowded. Along with
the noise, the smell of sweat and beer pervaded the atmosphere. He
found Lucy sitting by the bar looking discontented with a pair of
other wallflowers.

She got up when
she saw him. ‘Where you been?’ she shouted angrily in his ear.
‘Where Birin!’

‘He’s outside,
don’t yell at me sister,’ warned Doug.

She sneered at
him. ‘I no your sister, gowan.’

‘Damn right, is
the man here?’ He asked.

Lucy inclined
her head at a corner table. ‘With thoses girls.’

‘Wait here,’
Doug said and walked over for a closer look. Evans, tie half-undone
held court with two women. Judging by the amount of bottles on the
table he was planning to make a night of

it. Doug made
his way back to Lucy. ‘What time did he get here?’

She shrugged.
‘One hours.’

‘Did you try to
talk to him?’

‘No, he with
those two malayas,’ she said scornfully.

‘Do you know
them?’

‘No theys
uglys,’ she said.

Doug watched
the table. ‘He looks like he is getting pretty drunk, go and see if
you can get his attention.’

She resisted.
‘How? Those two will give me shit.’

‘Have a go, as
you said, they are ugly and you are beautiful.’

‘Yes I know.’
She walked over and waded straight in, leaning over a chair and
tugging at Evans’s tie. ‘Hey mister, you remember me?’

Evans startled,
adjusted his glasses and peered at the hand holding his tie. Then
he looked up. ‘You!’ He said recognising her. ‘The little liar,
have you just got out of jail again?’

One of the
women seized Lucy’s hand. ‘Hey!’ she shouted. The two fought a
small silent battle with Evan’s tie, as he in turn tried to pull
away. Eventually Lucy let go.

‘Are you going
to get me a drink?’ Lucy demanded from Evans, glaring a warning at
the other woman.

The woman stood
up and pushed Lucy. ‘Piss off, get lost.’

Evans cackled
in delight. ‘Yes you heard her, piss off.’

Lucy turned and
snarled at her. ‘He doesn’t pay! You will find out,’ and walking
away from the table made her way back to Doug, the women staring
after her.

‘That went
well,’ said Doug to the fuming Lucy.

‘Where Birin? I
don’t want this shits anymore.’

Doug followed
Lucy outside. ‘Is that his Mercedes?’ he asked as they crossed the
car park.

She nodded.
‘Where’s Birin?’

‘We parked by
the road,’ Doug replied.

Lucy spotted
the Landrover and strode past him. ‘Birin,’ she called out. ‘I
don’t want this shits, let’s go back to the house,’ she reached in
the door and put her arm possessively round his neck.

‘Let’s go
home,’ she said pouting, ‘thisis place full of stupids.’

‘In a moment,’
Brian smiled and gently disengaged her arm.

‘What happened
in there?’ He asked Doug.

‘Evans is there
but he arrived with two whores, and they saw Lucy off. He looks
like he is getting pretty drunk.’

‘Damn, so what
do we do now?’ He asked without much conviction, eyeing up
Lucy.

‘Miss Malindi
here wasn’t much help.’

Lucy waved her
finger at Doug. ‘You, shadap.’

‘We could wait
here till he comes out,’ Brian stroked her arm.

Doug frowned.
‘That could take hours, he will be really drunk by then and a good
chance he won’t be alone.’