by Deon Meyer
Weve booked you onto the nine oclock flight to Port Elizabeth. Its the last one today.
Ill go and pack.
I need you there, Benny.
He nodded again. Then Boef Beukes and Mr. Red Tie came up to them. The unknown man was holding a big brown envelope.
Matt, can we have a word? Beukes said, and Griessel wondered why he was speaking English.
Things are a bit mad here, said Joubert.
We have some information . . . said Beukes.
Were listening.
Can we talk in your office?
Whats with the English, Boef? Or are you practicing for when the
Argus
phones? Griessel asked.
Let me introduce you to Special Agent Chris Lombardi of the DEA, said Beukes and turned to Red Tie.
* * *
I work for the United States Drug Enforcement Agency, and Ive been in your country now for three months, said Chris Lombardi. With his bald pate and long fleshy ears, Griessel thought he looked like an accountant.
Superintendent Beukes and I have been part of an interagency operation to investigate the flow of drugs between Asia and South America, in which South Africa, and Cape Town in particular, seems to play a prominent part. Lombardis accent was strongly American, like a film stars.
Three months, thought Griessel. The fuckers had been watching Carlos for three months.
Lombardi took an A4-size sheet of paper from his brown envelope and placed it on Jouberts desk. It was a black-and-white portrait photograph of a clean-shaven man with dark curly hair. This is César Sangrenegra. Also known as
El Muerte.
He is the second in command of the Guajira Cartel, one of the biggest Colombian drug-smuggling operations in South America. He is one of the three infamous Sangrenegra brothers, and we believe he arrived in Cape Town early this morning.
Carloss brother, said Griessel.
Yes, he is the brother of the late Carlos. And thats part of the problem. But let me start at the beginning. Lombardi took another photograph from the envelope. This is Miguel Sangrenegra, a.k.a.
La Rubia,
or
La Rubia de la Santa Marta.
Rubia means blond, and as you can see, the man isnt blond at all. He is the patriarch of the family, seventy-two years old, and has been retired since nineteen ninety-five. But it all started with him. In the nineteen-fifties Miguel was a coffee smuggler in the Caribbean and was perfectly positioned to graduate to marijuana in the sixties and seventies. He hails from the town of Santa Marta in the Guajira province of Colombia. Now, the Guajira is not the most fertile of the Colombian districts, but it has one strange advantage. Due to soil quality and chemistry, it produces a very popular variant of marijuana, called Santa Marta Gold. It is much sought-after in the US, and the street price is considerably higher than any other form of weed. In the Guajira, they refer to Santa Marta Gold as
La Rubia.
And that is what Miguel started smuggling, hence his nickname.
Lombardi took a map out of the envelope and unfolded it on the desk.
This is Colombia, and this area, on the Caribbean coast, is the Guajira. As you can see, what the province lacked in soil fertility, it made up for in geographic location. Just look at this length of coastline. If you wanted to smuggle marijuana to the US, you either sent a boat to the Guajira coast, or you sent a cargo plane. Miguel knew the farmers who grew the stuff in the mountains, and he knew the coast like the back of his hand. So he became a
marimbero.
A smuggler of marijuana. The Colombians refer to it as
marimba.
Anyway, he made a killing in the seventies. But then, in the late seventies and eighties, cocaine became the drug of preference internationally. And the balance of drug power, the money, and the focus of law enforcement moved to central Colombia. To people like Pablo Escobar and the Medellín Cartel. Carlos Lehder, the Ochoa brothers, José Rodríguez-Gacha . . .
Miguel did not like cocaine, and he didnt have the natural contacts for it, so he stuck to
marimba,
made good money, but he never reached the dizzy heights of wealth and power like Escobar or Lehder. However, in the long run, this was to his great advantage. Because when we started hunting the big cartels, Miguel was quietly going about his business. And in the nineties, his family stepped into the vacuum after the removal of the big guns.
Another photograph came out of the brown envelope.
This is Miguel Sangrenegras eldest son, Javier. He is short and stocky, like his mother. And we think he has the old ladys brains and ambition too. He was the one who put pressure on his father to expand the family business into cocaine. Miguel resisted, and Javier sidelined the old man. Not immediately, but slowly and quietly retired him in a way that meant everybodys respect remained intact.
Now lets talk about Carlos. Another photograph, this time of the youngest brother. Grainy black and white. In a sunny street in a South American town, a younger Carlos was getting out of a Land Rover Discovery.
Griessel checked his watch. He still had to pack. He wondered what the point of this story was.
Carlos was the runt of the litter. The least intelligent of the brothers, bit of a playboy, with a taste for young girls. He managed to get a fourteen-year-old girl from the neighboring town of Barranquilla pregnant and Javier shipped him off to Cape Town to avoid trouble. He needed someone here he could trust. To oversee his operations. Because, by 2 00 1, the Guajira Cartel, as they are now known, had gone truly international. And they had branched out into the whole spectrum of drugs.
Carlos was doing okay. He kept out of trouble, managed his side of the business reasonably well with the help of a team very loyal to Javierthe four guys we have in custody. And then he got into the mess with the prostitutes daughter. And now, as you know, Carlos is dead.
Enter César Sangrenegra.
El Muerte.
The Death, they call him. If Javier is the brains of the cartel, César is its strong arm. He is a killer. Rumor has it that he has executed more than three hundred people in the last ten years. And were not talking about ordering the death of opponents. Were talking about personally twisting the knife.
The last photographs came out of the envelope. Lombardi spread them over the desk. Men with amputated genitals pushed into their mouths. The bodies of women with breasts removed.
And this is the necktie method. See how the tongue is pulled through the slit throat.
El Muerte
is one sick puppy. He is big and strong and very, very fit. He is totally ruthless. Some say he is a sociopath. When his name is whispered in Guajira, people tremble.
So whats he doing in Cape Town? Matt Joubert asked.
Thats why were here, said Boef Beukes.
You see, there is a simple code in the Guajira, said Lombardi. When someone takes from youmoney, possessions or whateverit is said that he walks with
culebras
on his back. It means snakes. He walks with a snake on his back, a poisonous thing that can strike at any time, which keeps him looking over his shoulder in fear. The
guajiro
unconditionally believe in
justicia.
Justice. Revenge.
So what are you saying? asked Griessel.
I am saying that you, Inspector Griessel, will be held responsible for Carloss death. You, the spearman and the prostitute. You are all walking with
culebras
on your backs.
* * *
The detective inspector with the snake on his back was going to be late. He packed his suitcase in too much of a hurry and when he reached the kitchen he grabbed the brandy bottle from the cupboard and put it in as well.
He tore a sheet of paper from his notebook and wrote a thankyou note
to Charmaine Watson-Smith in an untidy scrawl. For a moment he thought that the only rhyme he knew began with, There was a young man from Australia . . . He couldnt remember the rest, but it didnt matter, as it wasnt exactly relevant.
He put the clean dish down at her door and hurried to the entrance of the block of flats. As he walked he realized what was happening to Charmaines newspaper to make it disappear. He stopped in his tracks, turned and jogged back to her door and knocked. He picked up the dish.
It was a while before she opened.
Why, Inspector . . .
Madam, Im sorry, I have to catch a flight. I just wanted to say thank you. And I know what happens to your newspaper.
Oh? she said and took the dish.
Someone takes it when they are going out. They take it with them. In the morning.
My goodness . . .
I have to run. I will look into it when I get back.
Thank you, Inspector.
No, madam, thank you. That . . . and for a moment he couldnt think what the English word was. He wanted to say sheeps meat although he knew it was incorrect. . . . Lamb, that lamb was wonderful. He jogged back to the front entrance and thought he had better hurry, because now he
was
late.
* * *
When the second brandy and Coke flooded through him like a heavenly heat wave, he leaned back in the seat of the plane and sighed deeply in pleasure. He was a fuck-up, a drunk, but that was thathe was born to drink, made for drink. That was what he did best, that was when he felt whole and right and one with the universe. Then the rhyme came back to him.
There was a young man from Australia
Who painted his arse like a dahlia.
The colors were bright,
And the look was all right
But the smell was a hell of a failure.
He grinned and wondered how many others he could remember, now that his brain was working again. He could rattle them off in his jokester days.
There was a young man from Brazil, who swallowed a dynamite pill
. . . Perhaps he should compose one about himself.
A detective inspector who drank.
. . .
He took another swallow from the bloody small plastic airline cup with its two blocks of ice and thought, no,
There was a dumb cop from the Cape,
Who let a black spearman escape.
The stewardess approached from the front and he held his glass up and tapped an index finger on it. She nodded, but didnt seem extremely friendly. Probably afraid he would get paralytically drunk on her plane. She with her hair combed back and little red mouth, she could relax; he might be a wife-beating, whore-fucking fuck-up of a policeman, but he could hold his drink, daddio. That was one thing he could do with great, well-oiled skill.
He thought he was white,
And thats not all right.
But what the fuck rhymed with Cape and Escape? All he could think of was rape. Maybe he should start over; here came the stewardess with his next drink.
On his backs not a snake, but an ape.
Sir, are you all right? asked the woman at Budget Rent-a-Car with a slight frown and he said: As right as rain, and he signed flamboyantly next to every fucking cross she made on the document. She gave him the keys and he walked out into the windy evening in Port Elizabeth. He thought he ought to turn on his bloody cell phone, but, first, find the car. Then again, why turn on the phone? He was relieved of his responsibilities, wasnt he?
They had given him a Nissan Almera, thats what it said on the tag on the keys. He couldnt find the fucking car. Suitcase in hand he walked down the rows of cars. The whole lot were white, almost. He couldnt recall what an Almera looked like. He used to have a Sentra, a demonstration model he had bought at Schus in Bellville for a helluva bargain, never had any shit with that car. Jissis, it was a lifetime ago. Here was the fucking Almera, right here under his nose. He pressed the button on the key and the car said beep and the lights flashed. He unlocked the boot and put his suitcase away. Maybe turn on the phone, they might have caught the guy by now.
He had to lean against the car. He had to admit he was a bit tipsy.
YOU HAVE THREE MESSAGES. PLEASE CALL 121.
He pressed the tabs. A womans voice. You have three new voice messages. First message . . .
Benny, its Anna. Where are you? Carla isnt home yet. We dont know where she is. If you are sober, phone me.
What time had Anna phoned? It was sometime in the afternoon that he had switched the phone off. Why did she sound so panicky?
This is Tim Ngubane. The time is now twenty forty-nine. Just wanted to let you know Christine van Rooyen is missing, Benny. Witness Protection called me. She walked out on them, apparently. They kept her in a house in Boston, and shes just gone. Will keep you posted. Bye.
She walked out on them?
Now why would she do that? He pressed seven to delete the message.
Benny, its Anna. I talked to Matt Joubert. He says you have gone to PE. Call me, please. Carla is still not home. We have phoned everyone. I am very worried. Call me when you get this message. Please!
There was despair in Annas voice that penetrated through his alcoholic haze, that made him realize this was trouble. He pressed nine and cut the connection. He leaned against the Almera. He couldnt phone her, because he was drunk.
Where was Carla? Jissis, he had to get some coffee or something, he had to sober up fast. He got in the car. The drivers seat was shifted right up to the steering wheel, he had to feel around for the lever underneath before he could get in. At last he got the car going.
Not so very drunk, he just had to concentrate. He pulled away, must get to the hotel. Drink some coffee. And walk, keep walking until the haze lifted, then he could phone Anna; she mustnt hear he had been drinking. She would know. Seventeen fucking years experienceshe would catch him out at the speed of white light. He should never have had those drinks. He had even packed the bottle. He was ready to start drinking full bore again and now Carla was missing and a suspicion began to grow in him and he didnt want to think of it.
The cell phone rang.
He checked. It wasnt Anna.
Who was phoning him at eleven at night?
He would have to pull over. He wasnt sober enough to drive and talk.
Griessel.
Is that Detective Inspector Benny Griessel? The g was spoken softly and in a vaguely familiar accent.
Yes.
Okay. Detective Inspector Griessel, you will have to listen very carefully now, because this is very important. Are you listening very carefully?
Who is this?
I will ask again: are you listening very carefully?
Yes.
I understand you are hunting the killer of Carlos Sangrenegra. This is so?
Yes. His heart was racing.
Okay. This is good. Because you must bring him to me. You understand?
Who are you?
I am the man who has your daughter, Detective Inspector. I have her here with me. Now, you must listen very, very carefully. I have people who work with you. I know everything. I know if you do a stupid thing, you understand? When you do a stupid thing, I will cut off a finger of Carla, you understand? If you tell other police I have your daughter, I will cut her, you understand?
Yes. He forced out the words with great effort; thoughts were scrabbling through his brain.
Okay. I will call you. Every day. In the morning and in the afternoon, I will call you, for three days. You must find this man who kill Carlos, and you must bring him to me.
I dont know where you are . . . Panic overflowed into his voice, he couldnt stop it.
You are scared. That is good. But you must be calm. When I call you and you tell me you have this man, I will tell y
ou where to go, you understand?
Yes.
Three days. You have three days to get this man. Then I will kill her. Okay, now I have to do something, because I know people. Tomorrow, you think you are more clever than this phone man. So I have to do something to let you remember tomorrow, okay?
Okay.
Carla is here with me. We take her clothes. Your daughter has a good body. I like her tits. Now, I will put this knife in her tit. It will hurt, and it will bleed. But I want you to listen. This is the thing I want you to remember. This sound.
PART THREE
Thobela
41.
I will leave you to it, said Sangrenegra and walked away from him.
Thobela said his name. Carlos. The lone word echoed around the interior of the large room. The Colombian turned.
