Rhinoceros

by Colin Forbes

  Marler reported Harry's warning to everyone in the car. As he did so, Tweed was studying the topography. To his right the surge of maize. To his left they were close to a rare copse of trees.

  'Drive into that copse,' he ordered Newman. 'Leave the car so it can be seen. When we stop everyone dives into that maize field, go deep inside. Three separate sections as we planned . . .'

  Paula checked her hands, found they were dry. Inside she was ice-cold. Newman reached the copse, a small wood, backed the limo into it, leaving its bonnet exposed to view from the autobahn. Doors were flung open. The moment they left the car was like entering an inferno, the sun roasting them as though through a burning glass. At different points they plunged into the maize.

  Newman and Marler were on the right flank, facing the autobahn. Tweed and Paula were in the centre. Nield and Lisa, a distance away, were on the left flank, again facing the autobahn. A second before she dived in Paula heard, then saw the helicopter, flying in from the direction of Hamburg.

  'There's a chopper,' she shouted.

  'It's seen us. It will inform Delgado,' Tweed shouted back so everyone heard him.

  They shoved their way in among the maize, the crop almost as tall as they were. The heat was intense. They heard the chopper hovering, trying to detect where they were, Paula guessed. Then she heard the racing engines of the Land Rovers, their sudden braking.

  They couldn't see, but Delgado drove his vehicle a fair distance up the autobahn beyond where the other three had parked by the cream Merc. Men piled out of the vehicles, rushed into the maize as they saw movement. Tweed had shaken plants to attract their attention. Twenty men pushed their way into the maize, seeking their targets.

  Paula heard the chopper move away to the south. It had done its job, had pinpointed the location of Tweed's small team. But it had left too early. Tweed and his team had pushed well back from the autobahn into the maize until they dropped into a small gulley - probably an irrigation ditch to carry water during the rainy season. It gave them cover.

  'Here we stand,' Tweed said.

  He had just spoken when two of the attackers appeared almost above them. One was wielding a machete, which he swung in a vicious circle. He almost beheaded his companion when he was shot in the chest by Tweed. Paula fired twice at the other man. Both fell sideways, crashing into maize plants, then lay still. In the distance they heard Delgado's voice screaming.

  'Kill. Kill. Kill.'

  'All right, if that's the way he wants it,' Tweed said.

  To their left, well over, Lisa was wiping her damp hands on her jeans when another attacker with a machete saw her, grinned gleefully, hoisted his wepon. Nield shot him in the throat. He went down.

  Delgado's men had moved through the maize more quickly than either Marler or Tweed had expected. Marler realized it would soon be close combat, so something had to be done about it. He stood up after taking the pin out of a grenade from his satchel. Four grim-looking men were advancing shoulder to shoulder, rushing forward to overwhelm their opponents. Marler hurled the first grenade, took the pin out of another, hurled it. Three of the men fell down. The fourth had moved sideways, understanding their mistake. The second grenade landed at his feet. He threw his rifle into the air, dropped.

  Marler grabbed two tear-gas canisters, threw both where he saw movement in the maize, then hoisted his Armalite. Two men jumped up as though electrocuted, hands clasping their eyes. Marler took swift aim, shot them both. By the side of Lisa, Nield had dropped his Walther, had grabbed hold of his Uzi. Not a moment too soon. Five men were charging en masse through the maize in a frontal assault. Nield pressed the trigger. A deadly sweep of bullets cut across them, then back again. All five went down, dead as dodos. An eerie silence fell over the battlefield. No sign of movement, no sound. Paula began to stand up and Tweed grabbed her shoulder, hauled her down again. He was sure it wasn't over.

  After the four Land Rovers had got well ahead of him, Harry had pressed his foot down. The Mercedes roared up the autobahn. A few minutes later he saw three Land Rovers parked in front of a small wood, heard the sporadic sound of shooting.

  He braked, switched off the engine, grasped the Uzi, left the car. Then he went back, climbed on top of the Merc. Well over to the right he saw five men with automatic rifles crouching down as they moved steadily forward. He realized they were outflanking Tweed and his team, were going to come up behind them.

  Harry lowered his head, charged through the maize like a mad bull. When he felt he must be close to the five men he nearly fell into a ditch, stood up briefly, saw the back of the five killers as they began to circle. He crept forward swiftly, making as little noise as possible. When he stood up he was within yards of them. One turned round, saw him, raised his rifle. Harry fired non-stop, swinging his weapon in an arc. All five dropped to the earth, all with several bullets in them. Harry walked forward carefully, stared down at the blood-soaked bodies. He had foiled them.

  Then he heard sounds from the autobahn, the sounds of running feet. He began rushing back.

  Delgado had been careful to stay at the rear, to have his escape vehicle ready, parked further along the autobahn. He reached the road, ran along it, jumped into the Land Rover. He had reached for the ignition when he heard something. Turning round, he saw Barton and Panko about to jump aboard. He waved them away. Then he saw Barton's automatic, aimed at him point-blank. He swore foully but let them join him. Turning the ignition, he pressed his foot down and the vehicle shot forward like a shell from a gun.

  Harry reached the road just in time to see them speeding off. Much too fast for him to bother taking a shot at them.

  CHAPTER 29

  The blue Mercedes was travelling towards Flensburg, a long way north of where the battle in the maize had taken place. The autobahn ahead and behind them was deserted. Butler was in the rear, seated between Nield and Lisa. He held up another sandwich he was about to eat.

  'This was a great idea of yours, Lisa. I like to eat regularly when I can.'

  'It was a brilliant idea,' Paula called back over her shoulder to Lisa. 'Arranging with the hotel kitchen last night to make up cartons of sandwiches, some fruit and litre bottles of still water.'

  'Litres and litres of it,' said Marler, sitting in the front next to Newman who was driving. 'Absolute life-saver in this heat.'

  'The chopper's back,' Paula said suddenly. 'It's a fair way off across the fields, doesn't seem interested in us. Looks to be flying on to Flensburg.'

  'That's because we're in a blue Merc,' Tweed said. 'Back in Hamburg they got used to us travelling in two cream cars.'

  'So you foresaw this might happen,' Paula commented. 'Hence getting one car switched to this blue job.'

  'I like to change the image from time to time.'

  'Well, at least we can look forward to peace and quiet when we reach Flensburg,' Paula remarked.

  'Don't you believe it,' Marler warned. 'You heard Harry describing the three men who escaped in a Land Rover and headed north. You heard Lisa describing Barton and Panko and Harry agreed he'd seen them jump aboard the vehicle. And he also saw Delgado behind the wheel. My guess is those three make a lethal combination.'

  'Except,' Newman objected, 'they wouldn't expect us to go on to Flensburg after the job we did. They'd probably think we skedaddled back to Hamburg.'

  'Maybe,' said Tweed. 'Maybe.'

  Flensburg. An old town and port where Germany runs out, close to the Danish border. They had hidden the Mercedes in a car park crammed with vehicles. They wandered into the centre of the town. Paula was surprised at the difference in atmosphere from Hamburg. Instead of massive block-like buildings there was a country-town feeling. They entered the Grosse Strasse, a pedestrian-only street. The buildings were only three or four storeys high, the ground floors occupied by small shops. Many had picturesque arched windows and trees, in full leaf, were growing on either side, their trunks protected with wire cages.

  Tweed had earlier ordered they should not b
unch, that they should walk as couples not too close to each other. Paula, alongside Tweed, breathed in fresh air coming off the nearby fiord which led to the Baltic, or Ostsee - the East Sea as the Germans called it.

  'It is peace and quiet,' Paula said. 'There's hardly anyone about. Not even tourists.'

  'That's why,' Tweed told her.

  He pointed to a poster with a picture of a fair and the name of a place he'd never heard of.

  'They've all gone there,' he said. 'All the fun of the fair.'

  'They can keep it. Crowds and noise. I like it here. It must look lovely at night. Quite dreamy.'

  At intervals they passed a lamp standard with a large glass globe perched on top of it. There were little market stalls but hardly any customers for the wares displayed. Paula looked up as a helicopter droned low overhead. She stared at it. Inside the control cabin the man next to the pilot was peering down through binoculars. Then the machine vanished.

  'You know,' she said, 'I meant to mention it earlier, but I'm sure the second chopper that passed us on the way here was not the same machine as the one which tracked us to the maize field. Now I think the same chopper, that is the second one, which was smaller, has just flown over us.'

  'Lots of choppers about these days.'

  A distance behind them Marler strolled with Newman. He stopped abruptly, his hand grasping the Walther inside his jacket. He was sure he had just seen Barton. When the man turned round he saw he was wrong. He resumed his stroll.

  'False alarm,' Newman commented and grinned.

  A little way behind them Nield was walking with Lisa. He had too much in one of his pockets. His hand was trying to sort out one thing from another when he pulled out his Walther. It fell down on to the smooth paved area of the pedestrian street. Lisa wandered ahead as he scooped up the gun, slipped it into his hip holster, where it should have been anyway. He looked round to see if anyone had noticed his mistake. The few people who were about were staring into shop windows.

  Lisa came to an archway on her right. She walked under it into a small deserted square with an opening beyond. She passed the Tourist Office on her left, continued on and through the second exit. It was very quiet and there were narrow alleys leading off at intervals. She peered into one stone-paved alley, saw another at the end running at right angles, guessed it would lead her back into the Grosse Strasse.

  She passed an open door in one of the long terrace of old buildings. She heard a noise behind her, then a gloved hand covered her mouth. She kicked back but it was like kicking a tree trunk. She saw another hand holding a cloth appear, caught a whiff, sucked in a deep breath a second before the cloth was pressed over her nose. She'd detected the smell of chloroform. Then the cloth was pressed hard over her face.

  Her assailant used one hand to keep the cloth in place, his other to slam the wooden door shut, then to drop a lever which locked it. Both hands and arms were now free to hold her round the waist and she made her body go limp to fool him into believing she was unconscious. Even so, her mind was swimming and she felt she was living in a nightmare as he switched on a feeble light. Forty watts maximum. Then he gripped her under her knees and began climbing what she thought was a narrow staircase. She could hear the clump of his heavy boots on stone steps, which pounded through her head like the tolling of some dreadful bell.

  He stopped briefly, used his shoulder to push open another door. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. Moving inside a dark room until he switched on another light. She saw the room through a mist. She quietly let out the breath she had held, now he had removed the cloth from her face. Although she had only absorbed a whiff of the foul stuff she was feeling nauseous, addle-headed.

  She was vaguely aware that he had sat her down in a chair and she slumped forward more than she need have done. She was terrified and she was furious. He straightened her up so her back leant against the chair. Then he was doing something with her hands, her wrists. She felt the cold metal of handcuffs clamped over her wrists. When he released them she realized there was at least a foot of chain linking one wrist to the other.

  Now she felt him tying her ankles together with a length of rope. Then he stopped messing about with her. She heard his feet clumping away from her and took the risk. She began to take in long deep breaths.

  The next thing she knew he was pouring cold water over her face. It drove away the lingering nausea. She still remained limp. Without warning he slapped the right side of her face a hard blow, then the left side. She let her head swing with the blows. Her terror was giving way to a murderous fury. She opened her eyes and gazed at her captor. It was Delgado.

  She wanted to kill him. It was not a momentary emotion. If she ever got the chance she was going to kill him, using whatever method presented itself. She took the opportunity to study her prison. It was an old room built of wood, with two weird wooden doors alongside each other in the wall she was facing. She could see daylight filtering between the joins. What the hell was this place? Doors on the first or second floor? She had been carried up a lot of steps.

  Lisa glanced round the room. The only furniture was a large old wooden table which Delgado was standing in front of a few feet away from her. In corners of the room were short lengths of heavy chain, rusted, looking as though it had lain there for years. Another corner was stacked with old canvas sacks. One sack had fallen over, tipping some of its contents on the planked floor. It was caulk.

  She recognized the blocks of caulk like these she had once seen in a maritime museum. They had been used years ago to seal up seams in bulwarks with oakum and melted pitch. The door he had carried her through into the room was closed with a wooden bar dropped into place. The room smelled musty and she felt trapped.

  Very carefully, she worked her toes inside her shoes to keep and strengthen, the agility in her legs. She stared at Delgado as though he were a filthy creature, which was the way she saw him. He had a dirty black beard and greasy hair. He was wearing a shirt which had once been white, the short sleeves cut off below his wide shoulders, exposing his hairy chest, with denims that carried the traces of spilt food and maybe beer.

  'Ready to talk, lady?' he sneered.

  'What did you say? I didn't hear,' she lied.

  Anything to give her more time to work out how she was going to kill him. He came forward, slapped her face on both sides again. She twisted her head to minimize the force of the blows. Her face was stinging. Then, for the first time, she thought of her companions. They would never find her. She wanted to blow her nose. Just before he had grabbed her she had been going to do that, had her handkerchief in her hand. She sniffled and he mistook her action for fear. He grinned, exposing bad teeth.

  'You got plenty worry. I play rough, lady.'

  He gave her his dirty grin. Then he came forward, stooped, took out a knife, cut the rope binding her ankles together. He looked up at her.

  'No good with legs tied together. Get in way later. After you talk.'

  She could have spat in his hideous face. She didn't, since that would be bad tactics, might trigger him off. He stood up, stepped back close to the table. She was careful not to move her freed feet. She wanted him to think she was terrorized, limp as a doll, still not fully recovered from the drug. The chain between the cuffs was wide enough for her to clasp her hands over her knees, working her fingers, making sure they had strength,

  'Talk, lady. How many men Tweed have?'

  'Most were shot. By your men.'

  'Good.' Then suspicion came into his yellowish eyes. He came forward, raised his hairy hand as though to strike her yet again. 'You lie.'

  'Why should I? What difference, now you've got me?'

  He liked that. He grinned. He rubbed his hands together like a man contemplating some great pleasure to come. She read his mind, kept her expression blank. Keep him talking. Buy time.

  'I got you,' he said and grinned again. 'Nice for me.'

  'All right. What else do you want to know?'

 
'How many men come with you here Franzburg?'

  The ignorant swine couldn't even pronounce 'Flensburg', she thought. How many should she say? Too many might worry him, cause him to attack her and then get away from this strange room.

  'Only one. He went to have a long lunch. He was hungry.'

  'Only one?' He clenched his right hand into a claw. 'Break his neck. OK?'

  'He has a gun.'

  'Gun!' Delgado exploded into raucous laughter. He produced a long-bladed knife. 'I cut him. Small pieces. OK?'

  'Whatever.'

  'Now you talk. Not lie. Nice face.' He gazed at it. 'Not nice if burned. Then you tell truth.'

  From a jacket thrown across the end of the large table he extracted a crumpled pack of cigarettes, a match-book. For a moment she was flooded with fear. Then the urge to kill him submerged the fear. She watched as he fumbled with the matches, a cigarette hanging loosely from his cruel lips. He lit the cigarette, puffed at it. The cigarette went out. He wasn't a smoker. And he had made one mistake. Perhaps two.

  He lit another cigarette, grinning at her. It went out. He dropped the match-book, bent down, picked it up, stood up. Her legs were already stiffened. She stood up, leapt at him, threw him off balance, toppled him across the table. She hoisted her handcuffed wrists high, brought them down behind his neck, jerked her hands forward, then twisted one wrist over the other. The chain was round his neck, pressing savagely into his throat. She pulled her wrists closer together, digging the chain into his air passage.