The Intern Affair (40 page)

“I see that you appreciate fine furniture and tasteful décor,” a man said, approaching her in a wheelchair. He was elderly and sick
-
looking.
His pale face was deeply marked by the disease’s signature.

He stopped in front of Talya, an
d looked at her appreciatively.
“Before we start our conversation, perhaps you would like some refreshments.
Mr.
Najib
makes excellent coffee.” His hair was practically non-existent and his eyes only betrayed sadness and indifference. He was not a pleasant man.

“No thank you, Monsieur…?” Talya looked into the old man’s eyes, deliberately ignoring
Najib
who was standing behind her chair.

“Pardon my bad manners,
Ms. Gilmore
. My name is
Charos
, and although it is not the name my father gave me, it is the one I have chosen to use since an accident charred some of my bones.”

This man is at the end of his life and has nothing more to lose
.

His hands, lying flat on top of the blanket covering his lap to the waist, were long and wiry.

“I can’t say that
I am pleased
to meet you,
Mr.
Charos
, but at least I will say that your invitation was unexpected and I was curious.”

“Well said,
Ms. Gilmore
.”
Charos
tried to smile.
“Now however, I will not waste your time or mine in further niceties.
I’ll get straight to the point.”
His voice was coarse and uneven, but it imparted his profound determination to attain clarity of thoughts through each spo
ken
word.

“I am listening.” Talya was still looking into the eyes filled with unwanted tears.

“For some months now, our organization has been hampered in its progress by one man.
This man you know. His name is
Mr.
Mustafa Kareef
.
Mr.
Kareef
has shown to my superior that he could not control his insatiable need to do hurt where it was not needed, especially since you have come along and disturbed his little house of horrors.”
Charos
stopped for a moment to roll his chair to a table, where a glass of water fitted with a straw stood in readiness
. He sipped a little and turned to Talya once again. “You see,
Ms. Gilmore
, we produce and sell various items that are on high demand all over the world. We are business people, and as in any business, we do not appreciate unruly employees.
Mr.
Kareef
has been extremely unruly as far as we are concerned. And since you have managed to show his true colours to the authorities, he is going to pay the price for the insanity he has inflicted on innocent people.”

Talya liked the old man’s last comment, but she knew that she wasn’t facing him to hear his applause. She continued to listen.

“However, you have unfortunately overstepped your bounds when you advanced your return to
West Africa
.”

“What do you mean ‘overstepped my bounds’? I didn’t know I was
bound
by your rules as well—”

Charos
held up a hand, indicating that he hadn’t completed his commentary on Talya’s actions. “What I meant,
Ms. Gilmore
, is that we were actually grateful to you for the timely removal of
Mr.
Kareef
’s presence. But we are not pleased at all when your intention of returning to
Dakar
for
Mr.
Kareef
’s trial was precipitated into coming down much earlier than anticipated or warranted.”

“But you have only to thank
Mr.
Kareef
for that. If he hadn’t ordered the killing of three of my friends, you and I wouldn’t have this discussion.”

“I am fully aware of the reasons behind your early return.
And therein lays the problem.”

“And what problem could that be,
Mr.
Charos
?”

“The problem is that you are intending to investigate the reasons behind the unwarranted killing of your friends. And this investigation is not only extremely worrisome to us but also totally unnecessary on your part.”

“
Mr.
Charos, you surprise me!
I would have thought, from what you’ve just explained, that you would want to make sure that our friend,
Mr.
Kareef
, remains behind bars for a long time or is executed for his crimes. So, investigating his offences and bringing further evidence to the courts, would only reinforce the demonstration of his guilt… Or would you prefer for him to go free and kill him yourself?”

“No,
Ms. Gilmore
, we would not like to attract attention in such a manner.
It would not serve our purpose.
However, as far as your investigation is concerned, we have decided that we would like you not to go any further than where you are today. We would actually like for you to stay in
Paris
until
Mr.
Kareef
’s trial.”

So that was it!
The drug lords didn’t like Talya’s meddling into their affairs and didn’t appreciate her quick return onto the scene. They needed time to clean up the mess
Kareef
had left behind. Talya knew
Charos
wasn’t so stupid as to believe that she would do his bidding without opposing some resistance.

“And, what am I supposed to do now,
Mr.
Charos
? My boss does not care about my investigating anything at the moment; he only cares for me to carry out my assignment, which is to return to
Dakar
and to
Bamako
as soon as I can.”

“That may be true,
Ms. Gilmore
, but then tell me why is
Mr.
Durant
expected to land in
Dakar
in a few hours?
Isn’t he taking over your job while you proceed with your investigation?”

He threw her for a loop with that one. She didn’t know
Charles
was returning to
Dakar
tonight. Several thoughts raced through her mind, but it was not the time or the place to dwell on those.

Charos
was gazing into her eyes. “I see that you have not been informed of
Mr.
Durant
’s movements.
No matter…. What is important is that you are now fully aware of the extent of our information network. Don’t worry,
Mr.
Durant
’s impromptu arrival on the scene has nothing to do with Maitre
Sangare
’s health.
Maitre
Sangare
has arrived in
Dakar
in the last few hours and will undergo surgery tomorrow, I believe.”

His network is keeping this old man well informed indeed.

“I’m glad to hear that you’re keeping watch on my friend,
Mr.
Charos
, but my question was: what am I supposed to do now
,
besides staying in
Paris
and wait for your authorization for me to leave?”

“Nothing else,
Ms. Gilmore
, and if you do anything else, we will have no choice but to eliminate you.”
And he meant it.
“Here is my proposal:
you are going to stay at the Hotel de Crillon with Captain
Mandalay
until it is time for you to attend
Mr.
Kareef
’s trial and if you don’t, you can be sure that either you or Maitre
Sangare
will be eliminated before you reach the
Paris
Airport
.”

He looked for a reaction and saw none, although Talya’s insides were inflamed with terror and rage. “I see. And may I ask if Captain
Mandalay
would be in danger as well or suffer the same sanction if he went near the airport?”

“Yes, because those are people you care about, and we know also that you would not put their lives in jeopardy in order to satisfy your instinct for justice.”

“What about
Mr.
Durant
?”

“He wouldn’t be in immediate danger, but in danger nevertheless, even more so, because he may pick up where you would leave off.”

“So, and if I understand your proposal correctly, I am liable to be responsible for no less than three deaths if I were to drive to the Paris Airport before the date set for the commencement of
Mr.
Kareef
’s trial?”

“Yes,
Ms. Gilmore
, and this is not a proposal put before you for acceptance, it is a proposal only for you to execute.” At these words, he manoeuvred his chair once again to grab the glass of water.

Talya’s mind was a jumble of conjectures, images and snippets of memories. “
Mr.
Charos
, I don’t think we have any more to discuss. And, of course, since I have no choice in the matter, I will stay in
Paris
for the next three weeks.”

“I think you will,
Ms. Gilmore
. As a matter of fact,
Mr.
Najib
will ensure that you do.”
Charos
lifted his head to
Najib
and nodded his ascent.
For what?
In an instant, Talya felt the prick of a needle in her left arm.
In a fraction of a second as she wanted to get up from the chair, the room disappeared into a black hole.

58

Samir went back
to the Jardins des Tuilleries and sat on one of the benches near the place where he had seen Talya’s anxiety and fears surface again. He needed to recall that moment in every single detail.
She had known she was in danger. Touareg women would know of danger approaching, miles before the caravan would arrive on site. He had learned to trust their instincts. He had also learned that most often, they couldn’t define what they felt but they would give indications in their words or in their eyes from where to expect the danger to come. That was what Samir wanted to remember.
Talya’s eyes, her words….

He stayed in the gardens until long after sunset. His recollection of the afternoon’s walk didn’t lead him to any conclusion.
The only fact, of which he was sure, was that she had stepped into a car at kerbside without force. She had been persuaded into taking a ride, but to where?
Samir walked back to the hotel slowly, looking at every car pass beside him in the secret hope to see Talya’s face in one of them. He felt distraught and powerless. When he reached his destination, he went straight to
Marianne
’s desk. When she lifted her eyes to him, Samir knew there hadn’t been any messages left for him. He turned away without a word and went up to his apartment.
There, the enveloping silence was far from soothing his distressed mind. He decided to call
Michel
and defer their departure for forty-eight hours. The reason he gave was that he had learned that his brother in
Nouakchott
wasn’t quite ready for their arrival.
Michel
accepted the explanation without questioning it, for which Samir was glad. He then phoned his brother at his house in
Mauritania
and asked him to have his small aircraft ready and waiting in Mbout, a small town located some three hundred kilometres southeast of
Nouakchott
.

“We will be ready for you when you land in the city, Samir, and I will take the plane to Mbout as you wish, but may I ask an explanation from you for this change in our plans.”

“Yes,
Abdullah
, you may, and I will only tell you that our Lady has been
taken
from me tonight and I have no knowledge when she will be brought back to me. And if she is returned safely to my home, I know she will need to travel with care and in the comfort of our plane to traverse the mountains to our ultimate destination.”

“The news you have brought to my ears is most disturbing.
But I know Allah is watching over her and that she will be at your side very soon.”

“Inshallah,
Abdullah
, Inshallah.” Samir hung up and went to sit by the fire.
He then remembered the note Talya had written. He hurried to his bedroom, retrieved it from its hiding place, and read it again. “
Evil has finally shown his face!
”

He lay on his bed and kept looking at the words on the note in his hand. In a jolt, he got up, went to Talya’s room, and opened the wardrobe. From looking at her clothes aligned in front of him, he knew what she was wearing. It may not have been important at that moment, but if she hadn’t returned in the morning, he would have to give her description to the authorities. He couldn’t even think how he was going to break the news to
Charles
and
Ghali
tomorrow.