by Chris Ryan
'You could say that,' said Alex, a little curtly.
'We've been on loads of holidays together,' said Ben. 'Our dads shoot together and we've been shooting since we were small. Last summer we went to the Rockies. We were hunting deer and we took a pop at a bear.'
'That was me,' grinned Toby.
Paulo was shocked. 'You shot at a bear? Why? Was it going to hurt you?'
Toby shrugged. 'If it's there, you've gotta shoot it. Law of the jungle and all that.'
Alex looked at their eager faces as they boasted about their brush with danger in the wild. He was perfectly willing to shoot an animal if it was a question of his survival, but to kill it for fun was simply offensive.
Ralph didn't notice Alex's expression. 'I shot a stag in the Black Forest,' he said. 'It was huge.'
'That must have been difficult,' said Paulo, though like Alex he wasn't impressed. 'It's almost impossible to creep up on deer.'
'We had a telescopic sight, of course. Leupold Vari-X Three tactical scope. That's on my dad's gun. He's got a Blaser Lapua tactical rifle. Have you seen them? They're cool. They look really futuristic, all points and curves like my mum's Philippe Starck chairs.'
Alex's mind boggled at the whole idea of designer rifles. 'Er, no, I don't know them,' he said.
'Does your dad shoot, Alex?' asked Toby.
Alex caught Paulo's eye. A smile played across his lips. 'From time to time,' he replied.
'Oh, cool,' said Ralph. He obviously thought he had found even more evidence that Alex was a kindred spirit. 'What's his favourite gun?'
Alex savoured the moment. 'Nine-millimetre Heckler and Koch MP Five.' It was the submachine gun used by all the world's anti-terrorist units, famous for its reliability and precision engineering. Now he'd see whether these boys really knew their guns. Paulo was hiding his face in his hands, digging his nails into his cheeks to stop himself laughing out loud. Alex sat straight-faced, waiting to see if Ralph twigged what it meant if that was your favourite gun.
Ralph didn't. Instead he stood up. 'Hey, guys,' he said to Ben and Toby, 'let's show them something.' He looked at Alex and Paulo. 'Come with us.'
Alex stood up, bemused. Paulo followed.
Ralph led the group into the lodge, through the hall and out to the armoury. It was a large, window-less room lined with tall, locked glass cabinets. Paulo peered into the first cabinet. It held tranquillizer guns, standing upright on their stocks, each secured with fine chain and small padlock. The outside of each cabinet was secured with a more sturdy padlock.
Patrick came in carrying an AK-47, which he took to a long wooden bench in the centre of the room. 'Hi, Patrick,' said Paulo.
Patrick nodded in acknowledgement.
Alex watched, fascinated, as he began to strip it down and clean it. The AK-47 was a gun for serious battles, light years away from the luxury toys used by trophy hunters. Alex noticed that Ralph, Ben and Toby did not acknowledge Patrick at all.
Paulo was peering into a cabinet that held two hunting rifles. 'Look at the dust on those,' he said. 'They haven't been touched for a while.'
'That one's even got rust on it,' said Alex. 'Probably wasn't cleaned last time it was used.'
'They're relics inherited from the previous owners, when the place was a shooting lodge,' Patrick explained. 'We don't use the armoury very much for clients now; only when someone brings something they shouldn't have.' He looked pointedly at the three boys, but they weren't listening.
'Hey, Alex, Paulo, come and look at this,' said Ralph. He had opened one of the cabinets.
Patrick winked at Alex and Paulo and continued to clean his weapon.
Alex and Paulo went over to Ralph. He was holding a long, elegant hunting rifle with a telescopic sight. The woodwork had a dark-brown lustre like antique furniture. It looked expensive – very expensive.
'Isn't it lovely?' said Ralph. 'My dad bought it for me. It's a Dakota Seventy-six Classic, Safari Grade.'
'It's a professional hunter's gun,' said Ben. 'Lovely to use.'
Alex thought for a moment that Ralph was going to offer it to him to hold, like a proud mother with a child, but the boy put it carefully back in its case, resting on its antique walnut stock, and wrapped the security chain around it. Then he closed the case and the outer padlock.
As they left the room Paulo and Alex said, 'Bye, Patrick,' but the others once again ignored him. Was that because he was black or because he was a member of staff? Alex wondered. These kids certainly could learn a thing or two about manners.
'So,' said Paulo as they headed through the lobby towards the pool terrace. 'You don't use that with tranquillizer darts.'
Toby spluttered. 'Good God, no. They confiscated our ammo but we've got more with us.' He lowered his voice. 'We're going to go out by ourselves tonight to drop a real animal.'
'It happens all the time in these places,' said Ben. 'Dad says you can shoot a lion and if they ever find it they blame it on the poachers.'
'Cool, huh?' said Ralph.
'We'd invite you to come with us,' said Toby in a low, conspiratorial voice, 'but you need to have experience to do something like this.'
Two figures appeared silhouetted against the bright turquoise rectangle of the pool. Amber's willowy figure waved to them, limping slightly as she moved down the hall. 'Hey, there's Amber and Hex,' said Paulo. 'There's something I want to ask them.' He turned to Ralph, Ben and Toby. 'Would you excuse us?' Paulo's voice was icily polite, but Alex knew that tone. It usually masked the most ferocious loathing.
Alex and Paulo ran to meet their friends, eager to get as far away as possible from the boys.
'Been making friends?' asked Amber.
Alex caught her arm and steered her back outside. 'We need to do something,' he said in an urgent voice.
'Let's talk about it in my room,' she suggested.
Li walked in from the lobby area. 'You guys still swimming?' she said brightly.
'Something's come up,' said Alex. 'Did you have a nice sleep?'
Paulo thought that instead of looking rested, Li actually looked more tired. She had dark rings around her eyes, which wasn't like her. Had she really been asleep?
But Li had latched onto the urgency in Alex's voice. There was a job to be done. She forgot her worries and professionalism took over.
Paulo also put his concerns to one side. But once this was over he would get her alone and find out what was wrong.
'They're planning to shoot a lion?' said Li. Her eyes were intense with outrage. Paulo and Alex had just described their conversation with Toby, Ben and Ralph.
'I knew they were scum,' said Amber. She spat the words out. 'Worse than scum.'
'How are we going to stop them?' said Hex. 'Shall we tell Patrick or Gaston?'
Alex smiled slowly. 'No, they have enough to worry about and I think we can sort this out. I have a plan. I think it will do very nicely.'
14
LAW OF THE JUNGLE
Hex and Amber were sitting on the ottoman sofa in the lobby, under a large tapestry of a leopard hunting. They had been there for fifteen minutes, watching the entrance to the weapons store.
Although the store was visible from the reception desk, no-one was on duty there and it didn't seem to be watched. It was evening and the phone rang only occasionally. It stopped after a couple of rings, as though it was being intercepted by an answer-phone. Alex, Li and Paulo were in the lounge, keeping an eye on the three boys.
Footsteps approached. Hex grabbed Amber's hand and looked into her eyes. It looked for all the world like two youngsters on a romantic tryst.
'Your eyes,' said Hex quietly, 'are the shade of all the colours of . . .' He paused.
'The rainbow?' Amber finished his sentence. 'What are you on?'
'No, they're the shade of all the colours of plasticine mixed together. Sort of brown.'
'At least it's only my eyes,' said Amber softly. 'Your entire head of hair is that colour.'
Gaston walked past.
He saw them and smiled to himself.
Alex and Paulo appeared in the lobby.
'OK,' said Alex. 'Li is flirting with them in the lounge. What's going on out here?'
Hex answered. 'All clear. No-one's watching the weapons store, and no-one's been by to check on it.'
'I reckon we've got about ten minutes before Li can't stand them any more,' Paulo said. 'Let's do it.'
He was wearing a belt-mounted toolkit, which he took off and unrolled. Inside was a selection of fine probes, like needles. He approached the door and kneeled down. Hex, Alex and Amber stood round in close formation to cover him and to keep watch. Paulo looked at the lock, selected one of the fine probes and slipped it in. Using careful, precise movements, he flipped the tumblers inside the lock and in moments the door was open.
Amber and Hex moved closer to the door and curled their arms around each other, giving Alex cover to slip into the room behind Paulo. Once the boys were in they pulled the door closed and moved into the centre of the lobby.
Inside the weapons store, Alex and Paulo lost no time. Paulo went straight to the cabinet where Ralph's gun was stored and got to work on the padlock. Alex opened a second toolkit on his belt and took out a slimline torch and an instrument like a fine nail file.
Paulo took care of the lock in moments. He looked at the gun in the case. He wouldn't have to bother with the second padlock and the thin chain. He could do what he had to without moving the gun. He opened the bullet chamber with the lever on the side of the gun, above the trigger.
Alex shone the torch in and handed Paulo the file. Paulo squinted into the narrow hole. He was looking for the firing pin. When the trigger was pulled, the firing pin rammed into the base of the bullet and detonated its explosive charge, sending it down the barrel at high velocity.
Paulo located the firing pin and smiled. He took the file from Alex. He had adapted it specially, making a rasping edge on the end, so he could slip it into the narrow hole like a plug. Paulo had also made a hole in the top of the file, so that he could thread another file in which would form a T-shaped bar to use as a handle. He slotted the second file into the hole, grasped the handle and twisted the file like a corkscrew, round and round.
Li was enjoying herself keeping the boys amused. The lounge had a pair of french windows that led out to the back of the building, into the floodlit yard where Moya's pen was. She persuaded Ralph, Toby and Ben to come out with her to look at the baby elephant. They didn't seem at all interested in Moya, but they were eager to keep Li's attention – and would have followed her anywhere she led.
She went and leaned over Moya's fence. The baby elephant came trotting over to her, ears forward. 'This is Moya, she's an orphan,' said Li. 'Isn't she adorable? But she might die because someone shot her mother.'
'That's sad,' said Ralph, although Li knew he really couldn't care less. 'But she's being looked after here, isn't she?' he went on. 'I mean, she'll be all right now.'
'No,' said Li. 'She needs her mother's milk. Look.'
Li put down her hand to stroke the baby elephant. Moya turned her head, drew Li's finger into her mouth and sucked, as she had done with Paulo earlier. 'Gaston just gave her her night feed but she's still ravenous. Look at her. She's skin and bone.'
Ralph was looking at the baby elephant. 'If she's that bad she'd have just died in the wild anyway. I know she's cute, but she's got to be strong to survive.'
'Yeah,' said Ben. 'The law of the jungle.'
'Anyway,' said Ralph, 'she can't know her mother's gone. My dad's dog didn't know its mother had died; we just got another dog and it soon got on with life.'
Moya, curious about her new visitors, tried to reach towards Ralph with her trunk. But she was still not quite in control and biffed him on the ear.
He yelped and stepped back, clutching the side of his head. 'That hurt!'
Good for you, girl, said Li to herself.
'Anyway, what's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?' said Toby. He smiled, trying to ingratiate himself.
'Just seeing the sights,' said Li. 'Do you know, we saw an elephant kill a poacher today. The poacher was trying to shoot its friends. It went for him. Turned his Land Rover over and trampled him.' She watched Ralph, Ben and Toby carefully to see how they reacted. They looked uncertain. It would do no harm to embellish the tale. 'His head went pop like an egg.'
She had their undivided attention. She decided to get a little closer to the bone. 'I've heard that lions can creep up on you without you even knowing. The first you realize is when they jump you. And then you haven't got a chance. Patrick said he saw a tourist with his insides on the outside. He was staying in a safari lodge in Kenya and had gone out to shoot a lion. Big cats always go for your entrails first.' She had made the story up from start to finish, but it was too good an opportunity to miss. Another gruesome detail sprang into her head. 'He screamed in agony for twelve hours before he died.'
Ben was the first to speak. 'Yeah, you've got to be prepared to kill or be killed,' he said. His voice took on a rough edge. 'That's part of being a hunter.'
Ralph and Toby agreed vociferously. 'Yeah, yeah.' They nodded in unison.
'It's the risk you take,' said Ralph.
'Hunt hard and hunt often,' added Toby. 'You don't get a trophy by quitting.'
'But why do people shoot these animals?' asked Li. 'It's pointless. You can't eat a lion.'
'It's the sport, the thrill of the chase.'
'Sport?' Li snorted. 'Anyone can kill something if they've got a gun and a great big telescopic rifle. It's hardly sport. You don't even have to get very close.'
'It still takes skill,' said Toby. 'Like being an assassin.'
'Except the animal can't shoot back.'
Outside the weapons room, Amber and Hex still lounged by the door. Amber kept an eye on the corridor and Hex watched for people coming through the main entrance.
Hex saw a figure heading towards the entrance from the drive. 'It's Patrick,' he hissed. Amber caught the urgency in his voice.
Music filtered through from the lounge. Amber leaned close to Hex and whispered in his ear, 'Dance. He won't hang around if he thinks we're having a private groovy moment.'
She started to dance, her hips swaying with the pulse of the beat. Hex caught her hand and twirled her around. She laughed in surprise.
'OK, Mr Smooth,' she said, her smile wide and dazzling. 'Try this.'
She did an extraordinary movement, which Hex could only describe as a body pop with a ripple. First her hips shifted, then her entire body shimmied as though her midsection had been replaced by rubber. Well, if she could do it with a bad ankle . . . He gave it a go.
Amber spasmed with laughter. 'You look like the funky gibbon. Let it go – get into it. Like this.' She did the incredible movement again.
Hex jigged one hip up and then the other. Amber shook her head.
Patrick had stopped and was watching them. Amber started to feel slightly on edge. Had he noticed something about the weapons store?
Hex had noticed too. They would have to talk to him. Making it look as though he'd only just seen Patrick, he said to Amber, 'I think someone wants a word with us.'
'Sorry to interrupt,' said Patrick and smiled awkwardly. His eyes were serious. 'Joe's back. I just thought you'd like to know.'
'How's Tessa?' said Amber and Hex simultaneously.
'She's had another operation to drain and disinfect the wound. They're worried she might lose her leg because of the infection.'
Amber gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. She felt sick.
Hex was equally shocked. 'If there's anything we can do . . .' he began.
Patrick nodded. For a moment he couldn't speak. He moved away, nodding. 'See you later,' he said. He was obviously very fond of Tessa, thought Amber.
He walked to the foot of the stairs, where he turned and stopped, his foot on the bottom step.
Amber's heart was in her mouth again. Amid the shock of Patrick's news, had th
ey betrayed what was going on in the weapons store? Did it even matter now? Professionalism, she reminded herself quickly. Of course it mattered. They had a worthwhile job to do.
Patrick said, 'Joe wanted me to apologize for being such a terrible host and to thank you for all your help so far.'
Hex nodded numbly. 'It's a pleasure.'
Patrick walked heavily up the stairs. He never gave the weapons store a moment's thought.
Once he had gone, Amber and Hex stood still. Amber circled her bad foot, looking at it with concentration.
'How is it?' said Hex.
She put her arms around him and buried her face in his shoulder. 'I'm OK – but poor, poor Tessa,' she said simply.
In the weapons room, Alex's torch illuminated the wood on the gun's stock and fore end, the polished grain and the cross-hatching carved into it for grip. Without doubt it was a beautiful piece of equipment, like the dashboard of a Rolls-Royce.
Paulo, still filing away, glanced at Alex. 'Do you think that's enough?'
'A bit more, just to be on the safe side,' said Alex.
Paulo filed a little more, then withdrew the corkscrew and looked into the hole. He smiled. 'That firing pin is now well and truly useless. It looks no different, but if they pull the trigger, nothing will happen.' He blew into the hole to disperse the dust, then handed the tool to Alex.
While Paulo closed the cabinet and locked the padlock again, Alex checked to make sure they had not left any trace of their work. He wiped away some fingerprints on the cabinet. Then they went to the door and knocked once.
Outside, Amber and Hex had been listening for the knock. Amber went to the end of the corridor and checked: it was clear both ways and so were the stairs. Hex did the same at his end: no-one coming in from outside. He went back and gave two distinct raps on the door. A moment later it was pulled open and Alex and Paulo came out. Paulo pulled the door shut and kneeled down by the lock. Alex stood with Hex and Amber, as though he was chatting to them. The three of them provided Paulo with cover while he re-locked the door with his probes.
He straightened up. 'We'd better go and rescue Li from those creeps.'
