by Stieve Adams
Sea, other types of platforms are required.
Even farther out, I see the big tankers of 500,000 tonnes or more to reach the oil harbors in Kuwait, Saudi and Iraq. When they come back, they are low in the water so that from the distance you only see the superstructure. Destination is often Rotterdam or some refinery in Western Europe, Japan or the United States.
The closest is usually a mixture of old and new buildings. Here it is never more than 500 meters to the nearest mosque, the prayer hours seem to come very often, then the speakers shine into the speakers so that it echoes in the surroundings. A new blue and white mosque is newly built and decorated with mosaics. It almost disappears in the shadow of modern offices and apartment houses on 10 to 15 floors. Still there are old buildings here and there. Simple walled white houses with small windows with a lot of junk on the roof. Partly there are roof plants, you can see plastic shine, building materials, beds, real rugs, laundry and much more. Satellite dishes are of course on the roof and air conditioners stand out from the walls. I suspect that it can be very nice and neat inside there.
"No, but hello old boy," I suddenly hear a familiar voice. I put the kebab in my throat and my old friend bites me helpfully in my back so I do not get a stork. Old and old by the way. It was only a week ago that I met him for the first time. Here he smiles down on the chair opposite, wearing khaki and ginger-colored mustache. Our friend from Singapore, Sir Randolph, had found me.
"Excuse old gosse," I say surprised, "I'm really sorry that we left you in the hands of the police in Sumatra. We trusted you to understand, of course, "I flattered.
"I was so very interested in your little adventure so I decided to help you in the future too. Nowadays, I live an event-poor life, unfortunately. Neither whiskey nor girls is as fun as before. Now I wore an adventure in the best Biggest style, and I do not want to miss all butter in Scotland. Actually, old gosse. Would you like to put myself into the prerequisites, so to speak. Well, I understand that it's secret, more or less. It looks like you need some financial backing from the stock market, so to speak. "
"Yes," I stacked in as a short reply when Sir Randolph took his breath.
"Every expedition requires a fanatic leader, good planning and not least money. It seems like you're the good leader, I do not know anything about planning, but because you came out of Shejk Mohammed's palace with a mine like you sold the butter and lost the money, I understand that's where the shoe clings. "
Count's conclusions were like striking his head, speaking in words just like Sir Randolph. It was good to find me in Dubai, actually. When I left Sumatra, I did not have a clue that I was there.
"I have to ask," I said, looking stupid, "how in the world could you find me here?"
"Simple, as my dear Watson as the old boy Sherlock Holmes should have said. I asked at the airports. I've actually been to St. Kitts and turned. It was easiest to follow your dark-tempered friend from the colonies. I could not get hold of her but followed her tight in the tracks here to the Emirates. And when you awoke to our common friend The shejk, I was close to your heels. "
"Take a kebab and hit you down," I offered politely.
"Thank you, I'm already sitting and I would not mind licking a lot of bacilli from this boxing shop."
"I've been sick of a kebab bought at Picadilly Circus in London. Here it is as clean and hygienic as in Sweden. "I say, thinking of Jens, the Swedish chef.
"It's really good, maybe you're going to take the bull at the horns and make a blow on the matter and ... I'm hungry!
"Hi there in the mood, here with a kebab and a pepsi." Sir Randolph licked his mouth and looked like he had missed the breakfast. He would probably have done that when he followed me this morning.
"You would be willing to bet any British pound project?" I ask carefully.
"Do you have any plan?" Is the request.
"Well ..."
"Do you want to hear my?"
"Absolutely"
These short-lived sentences were not similar to Sir Randolph. But he had actually figured out something that could work.
"If we follow your plan, are you prepared to pay the costs?" I ask to make sure we understand each other.
"Just that old gossip. But since I do not have all the information we need to fine tune it. As I perceived, you have in some way developed the coordinates of the diamond mine, so to speak. You have also recognized the site and should give you a good idea of our chances and the difficulties that can be expected. "
"Joyful, but despite that we failed last time. That's why we were looking for Björn and Jens, but it was obviously a fatal mistake. The best part is that we will quickly get it to the place in question. Where do you have the boat by the way? "
"I have replaced it. I met a crazy American in Singapore who was tired of the Caribbean. We changed a boat, he is somewhere on St. Croix waiting for us. "
"What are we waiting for? If you book tickets then I'll just make a few calls, so we'll see you ... yes, anywhere, Raffe? You will not be bad if I call you Raffe in the future, Sir Randolph is a little well-established now that we work together? "
"If you check out from your hotel, I do the same thing, see you at Duty Free at Dubai Airport in two hours."
Said and done. I rush down to the beach and jump on a bassoon to quickly get to the other side of the creek. During rush hour, it is much faster by boat than by car. Despite building roads for burning life, traffic is becoming increasingly denser and the car queues are getting farther in U A E.
I use the time to make a few calls, just as I suggested to Raffe. First of all, I speak with Valerie's answering machine and tell me I'm on my way with a new employee and new healthy money. Then I call my headquarters and get our best secretary to do some discreet investigations and Sir Randolph. You never know if he is the one he claims to be or if he is an adventurer who sees the chance to get rich in diamonds.
Maria, I can not reach, I trust she will listen when she can.
Dubai Duty Free is one of the world's best treasure free shops. Low prices and well stocked. There we meet again, Raffe and I. He has made tickets with British Airways, of course, to New York. From there, it becomes Continental to St. Thomas, an island in the same area as St. Croix, the US Virgin Islands.
From there, there is a seaplane to St. Croix. We will land in the harbor right next to our nice boat, Sir Randolph claims proudly. There will be many hours in the air and at airports. Probably we will not see the glimpse of a bed bed the next day. It's lucky you can sleep on airplanes.
When I board the plane to London I breathe out for a while before I get worried again. At the moment, everything seems like going on a railing, but I'm looking at me around the plane to see if there are any shady types of Mexican or Thai looks. But everything seems calm, onboard there are only Arabs and typical British.
We change plans in a rugged New York and a hot San Juan and land on St. Thomas without any mischief. There we take a taxi from the airport to the port to board the small seaplane plane with the destination of St. Croix. We land very well in the harbor in Christiansted. A nice place, the capital of St. Croix. The second largest city is called Fredrikssted.
It was late in the evening so we walked the King's street to find a hotel. The gates of the Danish age are still there, although at least 75 years ago the Danes sold the islands to the United States. It was during the First World War that Denmark could have problems defending the Danish colony against the Germans. The islands of the Caribbean during the 19th century cleaned the gold mine and a few people became incredibly rich in sugar cane sugar.
Since slavery has ceased and Europeans learned to grow sugar beet, the West Indies have slumed in and become poor. On many islands it is the former slaves who have taken over, but the US Virgin Islands are part of the United States without being a state. The inhabitants of St. Croix are largely white and Spanish-speaking.
We were about to find a hotel and found Danish Manor. Although Denmark is on the other side of the Atlanti
c, the island is significantly influenced by the former colonial power. It is nice to walk on the narrow streets, many greetings with a cosy "Hello".
At Danish Manor we have a couple of rooms with a view of the harbor. Raffe would contact the port office to take possession of his new boat, but of course it was closed late this evening. Even though we were tired and broken after more than a day on our way, we take a look at the harbor. At the dock for the naval plane there is a cafe, where we sit with our beer and laze us in the cool evening.
When we sit there, enjoy the next flight from St. Thomas. I'm not surprised when a pair of costume-minded gentlemen who appear to be from Bangkok get off. When I look around, there's actually something that can be our Mexican friends at a table in the cafe. It apparently begins to contract. On the other hand, this island is quite Spanish influenced so it may be just imagination. What I do not really understand is if I'm still a hot savage and they think I'll lead them to the treasure. Jens and Björn would be much safer short from that point of view, at least I think. But they may have lost them somewhere.
Not much to do right now anyway, if they do not do any approaches, just sleep out overnight and arrive at the harbor office at seven o'clock in the morning. We managed to persuade the hotel to have breakfast at seven the next morning. We tasted the best of some roasted bread slices when a few dozen
