Time of the Assassins u-6

by Alastair Macneill

  Vuli pointed to a figure in the distance who was frantically waving a white handkerchief to attract their attention. Nhlapo switched off the siren as he neared the man then pulled over onto the side of the road, bringing the ambulance to a halt a few feet in front of him.

  'Did you call the hospital?' Nhlapo asked after he had jumped out of the ambulance.

  'Yes,' Tambese replied, pocketing the handkerchief.

  'This is such a treacherous stretch of road,' Nhlapo said.

  'Especially at night,' Tambese added.

  'Or in the rain,' Vuli said, completing the password they had agreed with Okoye when he had called them earlier at the hospital. They didn't know Tambese's name and he didn't know theirs. It was a precaution in case any of them were arrested by the Security Police. That way the damage would be minimal.

  'What's the plan?' Nhlapo asked.

  'You get us past the roadblocks. That's all you need to know.'

  'How many are you?'

  'Three,' Tambese replied then put two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly.

  Laidlaw was the first to appear. He was carrying a doctor's black bag which Okoye's wife had lent him. She had a surgery in the city. Vuli gasped in shock when Graham and Sabrina emerged from the undergrowth behind him. Okoye's wife had spent over an hour making them up to look as though they had been involved in a car crash. Their faces and clothes were splattered with sheep's blood and both had discoloured 'bruises' on their faces which she had carefully shaded with an eyebrow pencil.

  'It's make-up,' Tambese reassured Vuli and Nhlapo.

  'It's very realistic,' said Vuli.

  'That's the general idea,' Tambese told him. 'We have to get them through the roadblocks.'

  Graham crossed to where Laidlaw was standing. 'You know what to do?'

  Laidlaw bit back his anger and nodded. Take the car back to the farmhouse and wait for your call. I still say I could be of some use — '

  'No!' Graham cut in quickly. 'We've been through this before, Russ. I need someone I can trust at the farmhouse to call New York in case something should go wrong.'

  'Moredi's there,' Laidlaw shot back.

  'He doesn't know Sabrina and I work for

  UN A CO. You do. If you haven't heard from us by daybreak, call the number I gave you.'

  'And speak to a guy called C.W. Yeah, I know.'

  'Ready, Mr Graham?' Tambese asked.

  Graham nodded.

  Laidlaw handed the doctor's bag to Tambese then looked back at Graham. 'You watch yourself, you hear?'

  'Yeah,' Graham muttered then walked over to the ambulance.

  'What about this?' Sabrina asked, indicating the holdall she was carrying. It contained the three Berettas, three silenced Uzis, the spare ammunition clips and the holsters that Tambese had drawn from the barracks in Habane. Okoye had made the necessary arrangements to have the sniper rifle, silencer and blowtorch left for them near the city hall by a member of the resistance movement.

  Graham looked at Tambese. 'Well, where do we put it?'

  'We can't put it in the ambulance like that,' Tambese replied. 'They'd be sure to see it.'

  'What do you suggest?' Sabrina asked.

  Tambese clambered into the back of the ambulance. 'Pass me the holdall.'

  Sabrina handed it to him. He unzipped it and tipped the contents out onto one of the stretcher beds. Then, pulling back the top sheets on both stretcher beds, he carefully laid the weapons, holsters and clips down the centre of the two mattresses before remaking the beds again.

  'So we'll be lying on them?' Graham said.

  Tambese nodded.

  'It's the first place they'll look,' Graham shot back.

  'Had you been locals, yes,' Tambese replied. 'But you're foreigners. And you're posing as journalists. Those things can make a lot of difference right now.'

  Graham scrambled into the back of the ambulance and sat on one of the beds. 'Why should they make a difference?'

  'Because I'll tell the rebels that you were attacked by government troops outside Kondese. They're sure to see the potential of a major publicity coup if they were to get you the best possible medical care. And that would mean giving the ambulance a free passage to the hospital. It would be too good an opportunity for them to miss.'

  'And if they don't fall for it?' Graham asked.

  'Then we're in trouble,' Tambese replied, reaching out a hand to help Sabrina into the back of the ambulance. He told Vuli in Swahili to leave all the talking to him. He also told him to knock on the glass partition when they neared the first of the roadblocks. Vuli nodded then closed the back doors and climbed back into the cab.

  Nhlapo started up the engine then wiped a drop of sweat from his face. 'God help us if they find those guns.'

  Vuli glanced at Nhlapo and shook his head slowly. 'Not even He could help us then.'

  Nhlapo swallowed nervously and did a U-turn before heading back towards Kondese.

  Vuli rapped loudly on the glass partition when the roadblock came into view. Nhlapo instinctively touched the brake pedal when one of the rebels stepped out into the road to wave down the ambulance. Vuli patted Nhlapo's arm reassuringly then reached for the clipboard on the dashboard. It contained details of the 'accident' which Vuli had copied down, almost word for word, from the summary Tambese had compiled before leaving the farmhouse. Ngune had insisted that the ambulance service make a report of any incident that took them beyond the roadblocks on the edge of the city. That was considered no-man's land by the rebels. It was certainly a major victory for the resistance movement. And it was only the beginning, Vuli told himself…

  The ambulance stopped a few feet in front of the convoluted tangle of barbed wire spread across the road. A battle-scarred M4i Walker Bulldog tank stood in the shadows beside a looted corner shop. A man wearing a faded Adidas T-shirt sat on the turret, a kalashnikov rifle beside him. Vuli also noticed the front portion of a Ferret armoured car which was partially hidden up a sidestreet. He knew from a former soldier who was now with the resistance movement that both vehicles were obsolete, and there was a feeling that the M4is dotted about the city didn't have the necessary parts to be used in conflict. They were merely a bluff. But they were all well guarded and all attempts by the resistance movement to capture one had ended in failure.

  The man who had flagged down the ambulance rapped on the passenger window, disturbing Vuli's thoughts. Vuli opened the window.

  'Out, both of you,' the man ordered.

  Vuli and Nhlapo climbed out and another rebel immediately set about checking for any weapons that may have been picked up when the ambulance was out of their jurisidiction.

  'Report!' The man clicked his fingers and held out his hand towards Vuli. 'Give it to me.'

  Vuli handed the clipboard to the man.

  'Americans?' the man said, looking up at Vuli.

  Vuli nodded. 'Journalists.'

  'Open the back,' the man ordered.

  Nhlapo walked round to the back of the ambulance and opened the doors. He had to check his surprise. Graham had an oxygen mask over his face and Sabrina, who lay with head lolled to one side, had a drip attached to her arm with a strip of plaster.

  The man looked from Graham to Sabrina then met Tambese's cold stare. 'Who are you?'

  'Dr Moka,' Tambese retorted. 'I live close to where their car left the road. I was the first on the scene.'

  'They are Americans?'

  'Journalists. Both from New York.'

  'Are their injuries serious?'

  Tambese nodded grimly. 'They were shot at by a government patrol. One of the bullets struck the woman. She was driving. She told me that much before she lost consciousness. It seems as if he struck his head on the windscreen when the car hit the tree. He's badly concussed. They both need urgent medical attention at the hospital.'

  'After we have searched the ambulance,' came the ziy sharp reply as if the man felt his authority was being undermined in front of his colleagues.

 
'The woman is haemorrhaging,' Tambese snapped and indicated the bag of blood connected to the drip. 'She could die if she doesn't undergo surgery within the next hour. And if she does you can be sure I'll hold you personally responsible. Your Colonel Ngune would be crucified by the international press. I doubt he'd thank you for it, do you?'

  A look of fear had spread across the man's face at the mention of Ngune. He looked at Sabrina then spoke in a whispered tone to his colleagues who were congregated around the back of the ambulance.

  'What's the problem?' Tambese thundered. 'I need to get this woman to the hospital now!'

  The man's eyes flickered around the inside of the ambulance then he snatched the clipboard from Vuli's hand and signed the accident report. Tambese sighed deeply. That was the clearance they needed.

  'How many more roadblocks will we have to stop at before we reach the hospital?' Tambese asked, glancing at the man.

  'You won't be stopped again,' came the reply.

  'Thank you,' Tambese said. 'That might just make the difference between life and death for this woman.'

  The man told Vuli to close the doors. Tambese slumped back in his chair as the doors slammed shut and wiped his hands over his face. Neither Sabrina nor Graham moved even though they had heard the doors close. The ambulance started up and the siren was switched on again as soon as it pulled away from the roadblock.

  'We're clear,' Tambese said.

  Graham immediately sat up and pulled the oxygen mask from his face. He winced as he massaged his spine. 'Jesus, my back's killing me.'

  Sabrina peeled the plaster off her arm and grinned at Tambese. 'I don't know what you said to him, but you sure sounded mad as hell.'

  'My mother died in the back of an ambulance,' Tambese said after a thoughtful pause. 'I guess I was just reliving those emotions.'

  'I'm sorry,' Sabrina said apologetically.

  'It was a long time ago,' Tambese replied.

  'Have we got free passage into the city?' Graham asked, breaking the sudden silence.

  'Clear all the way,' Tambese replied then wagged a finger at them. 'I told you they would fall for it.'

  'What did you say to them?' Sabrina asked.

  Tambese translated the gist of the conversation.

  'Using Ngune's name seems to have done the trick,' Graham said when Tambese had finished.

  'It certainly helped. His minions are terrified of him.'

  'I can believe it,' Sabrina said grimly.

  Vuli pulled back the glass partition and gave them a thumbs-up. 'Where do you want to be dropped off?' he asked Tambese in Swahili.

  'Go to the hospital,' Tambese told him. 'We'll take it from there.'

  Vuli nodded then closed the partition again.

  'What about the ambulance men?' Sabrina asked. 'Won't Ngune take it out on them?'

  'They'll go to ground after this. The resistance movement will have them smuggled out of Kondese.'

  The ambulance slowed down and Tambese peered through the glass partition, his hands cupped on either side of his face.

  'What is it?' Graham asked anxiously.

  'We're nearing the hospital,' Tambese replied without looking round at him.

  "Thank God for that. What now?'

  'Get ready,' Tambese answered then pulled open the glass partition again. 'Go round the back,' he said to Nhlapo in Swahili. Til tell you when to stop.'

  Nhlapo nodded as he swung the ambulance into the driveway. He switched off the siren. Graham and Sabrina discarded their blood-splattered clothes to reveal black jumpsuits. After tugging a black woollen hat over her head, Sabrina took a tube of camouflage cream from her pocket and squeezed a little onto her palm then tossed the tube to Graham. He rubbed the cream over his face and hands then offered the tube to Tambese who grinned good-humouredly and waved him away. Graham shrugged, poker-faced, and dropped it onto the bed.

  Tambese stripped off to his black jumpsuit then peered through the partition again, watching for the line of refuse bins that Okoye had told him to use as a landmark to disembark. He knocked on the glass when they came into view and told Nhlapo to pull over. Graham handed out the weapons then divided the clips into three piles on the bed. They loaded their weapons and slipped the spare clips into the pouches on their belts. After bolstering his Beretta Tambese knocked lightly on the partition. Nhlapo peered out of the driver's window and gave Vuli the thumbs-up sign.

  Vuli looked about furtively to make sure there wasn't anyone about then opened one of the doors and gestured to them to get out. Tambese ushered Graham and Sabrina out of the ambulance then jumped nimbly to the ground and Vuli immediately closed the back door again.

  'Get rid of the clothes and wipe the ambulance down for fingerprints,' Tambese said to Vuli.

  'No need, we're going to torch it anyway,' Vuli replied. 'Those were our orders.'

  'Well, thanks for your help.'

  'Good luck,' Vuli said with a quick smile then looked around again. 'Go on, a porter could come out here at any time.'

  Tambese hauled himself over the low wall where Graham and Sabrina were already waiting for him. 'The city hall's a couple of hundred yards down the road,' he whispered. He looked the length of the deserted street then turned back to them. 'Ready?'

  They both nodded then followed Tambese down the embankment to the pavement where he paused to listen for any approaching vehicles. Silence. He led them across the road then they ran, doubled over, to the nearest doorway. The city hall, which spanned the length of the adjacent block, was an ugly, oblong-shaped building dating back to the early nineteenth century when the country was still part of the French empire. Tambese was about to break cover again when they heard the sound of an approaching engine. They ducked into the doorway and lay flat on their stomachs, their Uzis held at the ready. A black Toyota pick-up drove past with two men in the front and a third in the back, his arms resting on the top of the cab. A Sterling sub-machine gun was slung over his shoulder. He held a wine bottle in his hand. The truck continued to the end of the road where the driver idled the engine for a few seconds while he decided which turn-off to take. Then he accelerated sharply and the tyres shrieked in protest as the truck pulled away and disappeared up a sidestreet.

  Tambese scrambled to his feet and scanned the street before giving Graham and Sabrina a thumbs-up sign. They sprinted the hundred yards to the front of the city hall and were still trying to catch their breath when they heard the sound of an engine in the distance. Tambese pointed to a cluster of shrubs against the side of the building and they ducked down behind them only seconds before the truck came back into view.

  The man in the back shouted something to the driver who pulled the jeep over and stopped in front of the city hall. The man got out and threw the empty wine bottle into the gutter. The driver shouted angrily at him as glass splinters peppered the side of the truck. The man grinned at the driver and held up his middle finger contemptuously then walked unsteadily towards the bushes.

  Sabrina instinctively shrunk further away from the approaching figure and backed into someone's arm. Then she noticed that Graham, who was the closest to her, was crouched with both arms folded across his chest, cradling his Uzi. It hadn't been his arm. She turned her head very slowly, very reluctantly, and looked to see whose it was. A body was entangled in the bushes behind her. The face, which had been shot away at close range, was seething with hundreds of writhing, squirming maggots. She felt a scream rise in her throat but Graham clamped his hand roughly over her mouth before any noise could escape from her lips. He had seen the body when she backed into it and had anticipated her reaction. The man, who was urinating onto a nearby bush, didn't hear her muffled cry above his uneven whistling. When he finished he returned to the truck, still whistling to himself. The driver immediately started up the engine and pulled away from the kerb. Within seconds silence returned to the deserted street.

  'You OK?' Graham asked, putting a hand lightly on her arm.

  Sabrina nodded guiltily.


  Tambese led them a short distance away from the body. It had been decided that he and Sabrina would break into the building while Graham checked the area for the nearest manhole cover. They would meet up again outside in twenty minutes' time.

  'Down!' Sabrina said sharply as a pair of headlights swept into the street.

  They ducked out of sight and moments later a jeep came into view. It sped past the city hall and shot through a red light before disappearing up a sidestreet.

  'Is that all they do?' Graham asked, tentatively getting to his feet again.

  Tambese nodded. 'It's very effective, as you've seen. You don't know when they're likely to appear. And if they're hunting resistance fighters, they'll drive without their lights on. But that won't happen around here.

  The resistance movement confine their attacks to the outlying areas of the city.' He looked at Sabrina. 'Ready?'

  'Ready,' she replied.

  'Synchronize watches,' Tambese said. He waited until the second hand reached the twelve on his watch. 'Ten forty-two,'

  'Check,' Graham said.

  'Check,' Sabrina added.

  'Twenty minutes,' Tambese said to Graham then disappeared round the side of the building.

  Sabrina followed him and they kept low as they passed a succession of windows overlooking the spacious garden. The grass was now ankle-high and the beds riddled with weeds.

  Tambese stopped beside a steel ladder which was bolted against the side of the building. He crouched down and looked behind a nearby bush for the holdall Okoye had said would be left there by the resistance movement. He unzipped it and checked the contents: a portable oxyacetylene blowpipe, insulated gloves, a canister of carbon dioxide, a De Lisle carbine, a torch and a length of coiled rope. He handed the torch to Sabrina then slung the rope over one shoulder, the Uzi over the other, and climbed up onto the flat roof. He surveyed the surrounding streets then beckoned to Sabrina who shouldered her Uzi and climbed to the top of the ladder where Tambese was waiting for her. She ignored his outstretched hand and jumped nimbly onto the roof.