Facets of Death

by Michael Stanley

  Mabaku concentrated on the driving, and there wasn’t much conversation, but Kubu found it an interesting trip anyway. He hadn’t been to this part of the country before, and the hills they passed through reminded him of Mochudi. For the rest, it was typical Botswana semi-desert, with lots of sand and clusters of small bushes bravely trying to survive the harsh conditions.

  After about an hour, they came to the roadblock near the Sejelo police station. Mabaku pulled over and spent a few minutes talking to the officer in charge. As he climbed back into the vehicle, he said, “They’ve found nothing new. He said we’d see a police vehicle on the main road when we come to the scene.”

  They drove towards Jwaneng on the A2, and the country became flatter. After about fifteen minutes they spotted a police vehicle on the verge of the road.

  “This is it.” Mabaku pulled over. A few minutes later, they were being shown around. There was little to learn since forensics and the pathologist hadn’t arrived yet from Gaborone. But all Kubu’s ideas of neatly solving a puzzle were shattered by the sight of the bodies. The man was bad enough, but the woman was even worse. She lay collapsed on the ground like a crushed doll, her face unrecognisable through the mess of congealed blood. Only a few hours before, these had been people with lives and aspirations. Now they lay in the veld with flies buzzing greedily around them. There was no stink as yet, but there was a smell of death.

  Mabaku noticed Kubu’s expression. “You okay, Bengu? This is bad, but you’d better get used to it.”

  Kubu nodded. He wasn’t feeling sick. He was angry.

  Chapter 21

  Henkel led Gobey and Neo from his office to the control room. They gathered behind one of the workstations and watched the operator as he tracked the last vehicle. Every few seconds, the indicator dot jumped a short way on the screen, following the road heading to the Debswana processing plant. After about five minutes, the dot became stationary at its destination.

  The last vehicle was home.

  “Thank God,” Henkel exclaimed.

  “It’ll take a few minutes before we know if the diamonds are in the box. They have to take it to the secure area before they open it. I’ve asked them to phone me immediately with the news, and I’m sure they’ll let the mine know as well.”

  * * *

  At just after six, the phone rang in the major’s office. He picked it up, gave a couple of grunts in response to the news, thanked the caller, and hung up. Goodman held his breath.

  “So that’s it then,” Chamberlain told the others. “The first and third boxes were the ones with the gravel. The robbers got the diamonds. All one hundred thousand carats of them.”

  He pushed his chair back from his desk. “I’m going to get something to eat. We’ll meet back here at nineteen hundred hours to talk to the detectives. Waste of time if you ask me.”

  Chapter 22

  After Mabaku, Kubu, and Samkoa left the scene of the hijacking, they continued in silence on the A2 towards Jwaneng. Eventually Samkoa burst out, “Why kill them? The guards. What could they do?”

  “Do? Nothing,” Mabaku responded. “But maybe there were things they could tell.”

  Samkoa nodded. “I suppose so. I’d like to get my hands on the bastards!”

  “So would I. And we will, sooner or later.”

  The detectives at the scene had been helpful with what information they’d gleaned, but they were sensitive about turf. This was their crime scene, their murder investigation. They had been polite, but there was an undercurrent that they didn’t like the implications of Gaborone CID taking over the case. But they did what Director Gobey had instructed, which was to cooperate fully.

  Mabaku switched on the car radio, and they caught the evening news. There was the usual discussion about what the president and his ministers had been up to, but at the end there was a short piece that caught their attention.

  “Just in, we have a report that the Botswana Police Service is investigating the heist of a cash-in-transit vehicle. There are no details as yet, but there is a major police presence along the A2 outside Kanye. However, traffic is still flowing smoothly. We’ll keep you updated on this breaking story!”

  “I knew they would never keep this quiet,” Mabaku commented. “So much for that idea.”

  * * *

  When they reached the mine at Jwaneng, they were met by Eddie Tau, who immediately took them to the office of the head of the mine. The man introduced himself as Major David Chamberlain. That didn’t impress Mabaku. He wasn’t going to call any civilian “major.”

  “You’ve already met Eddie, our head of security, and this is Elijah Goodman, the head of administration for the mine. We can chat here in my office if you like.”

  Mabaku introduced himself and the others, but then he made it clear that he wanted to talk to each of them separately.

  He started with Chamberlain. They sat around the major’s conference table, and as instructed, Samkoa and Kubu took notes while Mabaku asked the questions.

  “Mr. Chamberlain, when did you first realise there was a problem with your usual delivery method to Gaborone?”

  “When Mr. Tau and Mr. Goodman informed me about the accident at the airport. I think that was about ten a.m.”

  “Do you believe the plane catching fire at the airport was an accident?”

  “That’s what we all thought at the time. Now, I’m not so sure. Do you have any information on that?”

  “Not yet. So, you decided to use a security company to transport the diamonds?”

  “That’s right. As you probably know, we have a detailed contingency plan in place, approved by senior management and the police. So we went ahead with that.”

  “Why didn’t you just wait for the airport to be cleared?”

  “The authorities wouldn’t allow us to move the burnt-out plane that was blocking the runway. We were told it could be several days.”

  When the major didn’t elaborate, Mabaku prompted, “And that was a problem?”

  “It certainly was. The plane we normally use for transporting the diamonds had just been out of commission for two days for routine servicing, so we’ve slipped behind with deliveries. We couldn’t afford to wait several days to get the diamonds out to be processed. That’s exactly why we have the contingency plan in the first place.”

  As Kubu noted that down, he thought that he’d have tried to find out more about the aircraft fire before he committed to the ground transportation plan, but he kept that to himself.

  Mabaku took a deep breath. “Can we back up a bit? I know nothing about your operation. Could you give us a very brief summary of how you end up with a box full of diamonds?”

  “Okay. As you probably know, this is the richest diamond mine in the world. It’s an open-pit mine covering about forty hectares and is about three hundred metres deep. The first step is blasting at the kimberlite pipe to get transportable chunks of rock. They’re brought in from that pit on huge trucks.” The major waved at the now-dark window behind him. “Then they’re put through a crusher and separated from the rock in a cyclonic separator. Next, they go to the acid cleaning plant. Finally, they’re packed in our special, locked transport boxes and sent to Gaborone.” He paused, then continued. “We have to mine nearly a tonne of ore to produce one carat of raw diamond, and we produce about ten million carats a year. That gives you an idea of the size of the operation.”

  “That’s amazing. So what’s the usual way the diamonds get from the mine to Gaborone?”

  “The boxes are taken to the airport in our armoured car. After that, they’re flown to Gaborone and again collected by an armoured vehicle and taken to the sorting and polishing facility near the airport.”

  “So, having the runway out of service triggered the backup plan. Who knew the details of the contingency plan?”

  “Here at the mine? Just the three of us. I
t was strictly confidential. Need-to-know basis. The senior Debswana management in Gaborone approved it, of course, and the police who were involved in setting up the strategy knew the details. Your director was one of them. And the owner of Gaborone Cash in Transit, of course. They were under contract to provide immediate response if it was required.”

  Kubu wrote down all the names. That was already quite a few people, he thought. And each may have mentioned it to others despite the strict confidentiality. They would have to follow up with every single one.

  “Mr. Chamberlain, did you mention the plan—even casually—to anyone else?”

  “Absolutely not! I just told you it was strictly confidential.”

  “And where are the documents kept?”

  “You’ll have to ask Mr. Goodman about that. I don’t do the filing.”

  Mabaku nodded. “Please explain the plan to us in detail, and tell us exactly what happened after you decided to implement it.”

  The major did so, and Mabaku asked for clarity on a couple of points, but it soon became clear that having made the decision to go ahead, Chamberlain had left the implementation to the others.

  Eventually Mabaku said, “Thank you, Mr. Chamberlain. That was very helpful. I’m sure I’ll need to follow up with you on some points as they come up.”

  “Of course.” The major got to his feet.

  Mabaku rose as well and added, “I’ll also have to get a set of fingerprints from you, to eliminate them if they turn up on the boxes or something like that.”

  The major stiffened. “I can assure you I don’t handle any of that stuff. I’m a manager.”

  “Nevertheless, it’s the procedure.”

  The major pouted. “Can I ask you something, Assistant Superintendent? How is all this helping to catch the robbers and recover our diamonds?”

  “I believe the robbers knew about your plan, Mr. Chamberlain, and I suspect they knew which vehicle had the diamonds as well. They were behind the fire at the airport and the sabotaged security van. This was all carefully planned and executed. I must also remind you that they murdered at least two people, not in a shoot-out, but to silence them. That’s our top priority now. Don’t you think it’s important that the police know at least as much about your strategy as the robbers did?”

  The major nodded but didn’t meet Mabaku’s gaze.

  “Now, I have one more question for you. Why didn’t you just split the diamonds into thirds between the three vehicles? That way you would still have two-thirds of them.”

  The major hesitated and looked uncomfortable. “We don’t normally have such a large shipment. I told you we were behind. This shipment was more than double the normal one.”

  “How big was it?”

  “About a hundred thousand carats.”

  That made Mabaku pause and Kubu look up from his notebook.

  “So why not split them?” Mabaku prompted after a moment.

  “It wasn’t the plan,” Chamberlain replied, still not meeting Mabaku’s eye.

  Chapter 23

  As the white SUV neared the A1, it passed the Botswana Police College on its right. The men were in high spirits and made jokes about how they could teach the recruits a thing or two. Then they turned south on the A1. The hills of Otse surrounded them, and they slowed as they searched for a minor road to the left into the village. Finding it, they swung onto the dirt road and picked their way between the houses. The road crossed the Nywane River that supported the farms to the east, and then skirted Manyelanong Hill. After that, they turned off onto a bush track and bumped their way towards a farmhouse.

  They stopped at a rusty farm gate. The leader told one of his men to open it. No lock, the leader thought. But the Otse people know the doctor lives here. They keep away.

  A few hundred metres farther on, they came to a ramshackle farmhouse and pulled up outside. A grizzled old man, dressed in slacks and a jacket despite the heat of the day, was waiting at the door. A younger man, wiry with a pinched face, was with him. He watched them without smiling.

  The leader jumped out of the vehicle and walked up to the older man. “It is done, Ngaka,” he said, addressing the man as Doctor.

  The man nodded. “You have the box? The guards are dead?”

  “It is so.”

  “Good. You will rest here tonight. We will eat pap and goat seswaa and have some beer. Not too much.” He indicated the man next to him. “This is my son, Vusi. Tomorrow night, when it is dark, he will show you the way.”

  The leader hesitated. “Why not tonight?”

  The doctor shook his head. “The police are everywhere, and helicopters are flying along the border with search lights. Tomorrow night is better.”

  “Will your son come with us into South Africa? It will be hard to find our way there in the dark.”

  Vusi shook his head. “I’ll take you to the border and make sure you’re on the right path. Then I’ll return. That’s the arrangement.” The doctor nodded.

  The leader didn’t like it, but it seemed he had no choice. “We get our money now.”

  The doctor nodded. “When I have checked what is in the box.”

  “You know what is in the box!”

  “There were three boxes,” Vusi reminded him. “We must check you have the right one.”

  The leader said nothing. He hadn’t told his men what they’d stolen, although they’d surely guessed. He signalled for one of them to take the box out of the vehicle. He thought how easy it would be to kill the old man and his son and have both the money and the box of diamonds, but he dismissed the thought at once. They were being very well paid, and he had no idea what he’d do with a box of raw diamonds in any case. But most of all he was scared of the doctor and his dark spells and potions. It was better not to take on those forces.

  “I must weigh everything,” the doctor told him. “They will want everything exact. You will wait here. Then we will eat.” Vusi lifted the case with ease and strode into the house, followed by the doctor.

  There were some plastic chairs pulled up under a large acacia tree, where a woman was stirring bubbling samp in a large, three-legged pot over a small fire. The four men went over and greeted her politely, but she ignored them and went on with her work. So they sat in the shade and waited. The leader was used to waiting.

  After half an hour, the doctor came out alone.

  “It is all as it should be,” he told the leader and passed him a carry-all bag. “Here is the money. It is all there. You can count it.”

  The leader did just that.

  The doctor waited until he was satisfied and then pointed at the SUV. “There is a hidden compartment in the front seat of your vehicle. Hide the money there. No one will know.”

  * * *

  They dined on the shredded goat with samp and vegetables. Although the doctor had warned them not to drink too much, there was plenty of Shake Shake sorghum beer to be had. When they’d eaten their fill and were enjoying a few more beers, the doctor said to the leader, “There are too many police. It is too dangerous to keep the diamonds here.”

  “They will never look here, Ngaka.”

  The doctor shrugged. “People talk. People listen.”

  “They won’t dare come here.” The leader paused. “I’ve done my part. It’s finished. Tomorrow we go home, and as far as anyone knows, we’ve never been in Botswana.”

  “You must take the diamonds with you across into South Africa.”

  The leader shook his head. “Ngaka, you are mad. The SA Police will also be looking for the diamonds!”

  “The same again,” the doctor said. “You will be paid the same again when you deliver the diamonds in Johannesburg.”

  The leader was amazed by the offer. It was a lot of money. “So much? And you will trust me with the diamonds?”

  The doctor smiled, but there was no
warmth in it. “I already have. But I know where you are always. I can always find you. I can always reach you.” He said it as though he was mentioning an obvious fact that everyone knew, but the leader felt the hair rise on the back of his neck.

  Chapter 24

  Eddie Tau was waiting for the detectives in his office. He jumped up when they entered and offered seats at his conference table. There was a platter of sandwiches and a tray with a flask of hot water and tea bags and instant coffee laid out.

  “You must be hungry. It’s been a long day for all of us, but you had the drive from Gaborone as well. I asked the canteen to put something together when I heard you were coming out. Cheese and tomato and some beef.” He pulled off the cling wrap. “Please help yourselves.”

  “That’s thoughtful, Rra Tau. Thank you. We’ll need to talk while we eat, I’m afraid. We’re pushed for time.”

  Tau nodded, and the three men helped themselves to a couple of sandwiches each and poured a hot drink. Kubu was pleased to see that there was plenty of food, so he took two more.

  “We’ve spoken to Rra Chamberlain, and he’s filled us in on the contingency plan. Can you tell us exactly what happened after he gave the go-ahead for it?”

  Tau nodded. “First Elijah and I went to his office and contacted Gaborone Cash in Transit. As you can imagine, they weren’t pleased about providing the transport on essentially no notice, but we persuaded them because Elijah had the contract in front of him. We set the pickup for three p.m. After that, I went and arranged things.”

  Mabaku swallowed a mouthful. “Please tell us step-by-step exactly what that entailed.”

  “Well, I called the cleaning plant and confirmed that the case of diamonds would be packed and ready at two that afternoon. Then I set up the guards to be ready for collection at that time. We normally use our own vehicle—in convoy with armed guards—to take the diamonds to the airport. This time it would be the security company’s vehicles, and there would be three cases instead of one. I needed to explain the arrangements to the men at the main gate also.”