Sunstroke

by Madge Swindells

  ‘I wanted to invite you to dinner.’

  ‘I think you’re being underhand.’

  ‘Look who’s talking. We have to have this out, Naomi, and it might as well be now. I’ve been checking on you. There was no mention of any other person being involved in your building-society misadventure. I don’t believe this Anselmo con-artist was ever in Australia.’

  ‘Don’t mince words, David. Theft’s theft, not misadventure.’

  ‘The trouble with you is that vour past and your personality are totally at variance with each other. I don’t believe you’re Naomi Hunter. I don’t believe you’ve ever seen the inside of an Australian prison. Who exactly are you looking for? Why can’t you tell me?’

  I remained silent. Looking around, I wondered if I should get up and leave.

  ‘Whoever he is, you said he took something precious from you and left you to take the rap for him.’

  ‘No. I said he stole my money.’

  ‘Naomi, I have a very good memory.’

  My cheeks were burning and I was feeling uneasy. What was David after? Why was he delving into the past?

  ‘I’ve been very busy this afternoon, Naomi. Michel Banski told me that you are here as an Oxfam observer, reporting back on the state of the country’s orphaned children. How does an ex-con get into those sort of circles?’

  ‘Leave it, David, or I’m going. One or the other.’

  ‘Perhaps you’d rather dance than talk.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘Never forget that I’m on your side, Naomi. You don’t have to worry about me. But if I were you I would worry about Michel Banski. If he thinks you have obtained any leads, he might warn those concerned.’

  Clasped in David’s arms I almost forgot who I was supposed to be. He was a superb dancer and, once again, my longing for him surged.

  ‘Hey, Naomi,’ he whispered in my ear around midnight, ‘you’re a hell of a dancer.’

  When he nuzzled my ear with his lips, I thrilled to him and briefly responded, remembering sadly that he was strictly out of bounds.

  ‘David, I’m here under duress. Nothing else.’

  I longed for a chance to be Nina Ogilvie. I had the feeling that David and I would go well together.

  ‘Come on, Naomi. You can’t deny your feelings for me, and you know how I feel about you. Despite our differences we make a pretty good pair. Let’s be friends.’

  ‘Our differences, as you call the gulf between us, are so vast we could be of different species. Furthermore, the carrot-and-stick deal you put to me earlier today is hardly the basis for friendship. I hate being spied on. And you coerced me into coming here tonight, yet you talk about friendship.’

  He stopped in the middle of the dance floor and glared at me. ‘You are absolutely right. I’m at fault and I admit it. I was silly enough to think that we might rise above the circumstances we find ourselves caught up in. Let’s sit down.’

  As we moved towards our table, we heard a loud but distant whistling, which became a shriek. It became even louder. The band stopped playing as the terrible high-pitched scream raced towards us. Then came absolute silence.

  David’s expression changed to one of horror. He hurled me towards the stairs. I fell heavily against the wall, too shocked to think, as David fell over me, holding my ears.

  The sound of the explosion was like nothing I had ever experienced. It hit me like blows to my head and my stomach. I was stunned by the blast.

  Moments later, I was struggling to breathe as thick dust replaced air. It was pitch dark. I was face down on the floor with a dead weight on my back. I couldn’t move. I panicked and heaved and clawed at the floor, trying to pull myself from under the burden. Then, pushing down, I realized that it was David.

  ‘Get off me,’ I yelled, but my voice came tinny and faint as if from a distance. There was a sound like an alarm clock in my ears.

  ‘Get off,’ I sobbed. Sanity returned and so did my hearing. I pulled myself together. Putting my weight on my elbows, I slithered out from under David and felt for his head. My hands became warm and sticky. Blood. Just how badly was he hurt? Cupping his chin in my hands, I yelled at him. ‘David, David. Can you hear me? Are you all right’.

  There was no reply.

  Panic surged. ‘David, speak to me.’ There was a soft groan.

  Then I heard him whisper, ‘Get out, Naomi. Emergency door…’

  When I tried to stand, I began to choke. Plaster was falling around us, and glass was splintering in the distance. I could hear groans and cries for help, but I couldn’t see a thing and each breath of dust choked me. I tried to remember where the entrance was. Somewhere behind the stage, I seemed to remember.

  A red haze lit the room. Fire! It had started on the stage. We could die here. The dark shapes of people stumbling around aimlessly were silhouetted against the glow. Now smoke was added to the dust.

  Emergency door? I hadn’t noticed one. Then I decided that it was probably along the passage behind the toilets. The toilets were next to the bar. And the bar was…? At last I got my bearings. We could move along the wall to the corner and if we kept going, we might make it.

  I bent down and touched David, ran my hands over him. A lump of concrete lay beside his head and another piece was on his legs, pinning him down. Panting and heaving I shouldered it off him.

  ‘David!’ I yelled.

  The room was rapidly filling with smoke and my eyes were burning so badly I could no longer see.

  ‘We’ve got to get out – fast.’

  Wrapping his arms around my neck, I tried to pull him up, but it was impossible. He was too heavy. Sitting him up against the wall, I got into a crawling position and backed into him, pulling him over me, gripping his arms tightly. I tried to stand, but could not. I began to shuffle my knees along the wall, keeping close to it, trying to avoid the panic-stricken survivors.

  ‘Get out, Naomi. Leave me.’ He had surfaced again.

  ‘Shut up and move. Try to help me. If you could hang on to my neck I could use my arms.’

  ‘I think I could stand,’ he muttered.

  Together, we struggled up. Gripping his arm around my shoulder, I stumbled forward and felt his weight lighten slightly as his legs strengthened. Flames were roaring, people were screaming. I needed to pant, but there was no air, only smoke. It was raining plaster around us, and the heat was intense.

  We reached the corner, but ahead of me I could see a mass of bodies pressing against the locked door. They were yelling and hammering against it. The main entrance was engulfed with flames. We’d never get back that way. I sank down against the wall, and David collapsed beside me.

  ‘David. I admire you,’ I croaked. ‘I always have. I don’t know why I’m telling you that. I wish things could be different between us. But now—’

  I heard sirens. The door burst open with a crash. Water smashed into the hall from a dozen hoses. The firemen looked like beings from outer space as they loomed through the smoke.

  I was propelled down the passage to the fresh air and left on the grass. David came next, but he had blacked out again. Nurses and stretcher bearers were moving between survivors under hastily erected arc-lights. The nurse took one look at David and summoned the stretcher bearers. ‘Go with him,’ she said in English.

  *

  The hospital was modern and efficient and the nurses reassured me as I sat outside the X-ray unit. Finally, David was wheeled out and I hurried along behind the stretcher, still coughing, until we reached casualty where they transferred him to a bed.

  A young woman in white hurried in. ‘Don’t worry too much. It looks worse than it is. I’m his doctor, Anna Babic. There’s plenty of stitching to be done, as you can see, and multiple bruising, but the X-rays show there’s no real damage, apart from his concussion. He’s had a bad gash on his head from falling debris, but he should regain consciousness soon. If so, he’ll be able to leave in a few days.’

  ‘He was conscious for a while in the
nightclub.’

  ‘That’s good news. You don’t look too good yourself. Take a shower and have a rest here and we’ll do the documentation later.’

  ‘Naomi,’ David said, when I woke much later, ‘you never cease to amaze me. Thank you. for getting me out.’

  ‘You saved me first. Don’t you remember? You threw yourself over me so that the concrete fell on you, so thank you, too, David.’ I felt embarrassed.

  I sat up and smoothed my hair. ‘I must look a sight.’

  ‘True, but a lovely sight.’

  I looked at him in amazement. Perhaps he still had concussion. I glanced at my watch. ‘I’m glad you’re better, David. I’m leaving this afternoon.’

  His hand reached out and gripped mine.

  ‘How will I find you?’

  ‘You won’t, David. It’s goodbye. There’s no future for us. Better to stop now before we’ve even started.’

  I bent over and kissed him on his lips.

  ‘I suppose you know that I love you, Naomi. One of these days I’ll find out who you really are.’

  ‘I’ll pretend you never said that.’

  Later, when I was safely on the plane reliving our goodbye, I realized how much I longed to see David again.

  Chapter 49

  ‘As Naomi Hunter,’ Father was saying, ‘the successful con, you’ll be trusted. It gives you the right background to penetrate Vittorio Cassellari’s world. If they want your advice, you can give it. When it comes to finance you’re streets ahead of the competition.’

  ‘True.’ This was no time for being modest.

  It was good to be home, however briefly. My next task was to engineer a meeting with Vittorio Cassellari. He had paid Wolf’s Trans-African Development Foundation a million dollars, so presumably he must either know him or know of him. I could see how worried my father was as he briefed me for my role as Naomi Hunter, the rich, unscrupulous woman who had successfully defrauded American investors and was now setting herself up as a money-launderer for Europe’s most wanted hoodlums.

  ‘Between us, we can provide the trappings of wealth you’ll need to convince the underworld that you are a highly successful con-artist.’

  ‘But as a route to Cassellari? I wonder. I was thinking of a more direct route.’

  ‘I don’t agree. Wait for him to come to you. It’s safer. The night you came home from South Africa, you told me that Wolf’s biggest problem was laundering his cash in such a way that it would not lead back to his base.

  Cassellari must have the same problem. Several of his financial advisers are serving long prison sentences right now for laundering his money. Lately governments and banks are tightening up on cash transactions. Running loot around the globe is becoming hazardous. It takes time and expertise. These people need to specialize in their own fields. So who can they turn to? There’s none they can trust and few really know the game. You’re a woman, so they’ll feel they can intimidate you. They won’t fear you might steal from them. You’ll be filling a market gap.’

  ‘I suppose you’re right.’

  ‘Listen carefully, Nina. I’ve done some research on Vittorio Cassellari. You must know what you’re letting yourself in for. He was once a penniless teenage crook. From stealing from warehouses along the Panama Canal, he graduated into heavier crime, but he never saw big money until he turned to drug trafficking. He was first arrested and convicted in nineteen sixty-eight after being caught with cocaine. One of the officers who arrested him was killed shortly afterwards. The others were bribed until all the charges were dropped. This was the pattern Cassellari followed. Arrests were always followed by charges being mysteriously dropped until, in the late eighties, a particularly obstinate Italian prosecutor would not give in. He was murdered. From then on, anyone who confronted or threatened Cassellari was wiped out. He’s responsible for almost a hundred deaths. Be careful. If Cassellari’s gang were to discover that you were connected to British Intelligence or to me, they would kill you without a second’s remorse. They’ll put you through a third degree, particularly over your laundering plans. Be prepared and let me know as soon as he makes contact, but be patient. Even if you wait a month, it’s worth it.

  ‘There’s just one thing that bothers me, Nina, and that is the possibility that Michel Banski warned Cassellari that you had knowledge of the cheque paid into Wolf’s account.’

  ‘I’m sure Banski will keep quiet. It was his error. Why should he publicize his mistakes? He knows I won’t tell.’

  ‘Let’s hope you’re right. You must try to live the role of Naomi Hunter. You’re a rich, successful woman, who’s taken on the world and won. You’re clever, resourceful, shrewd and entirely without scruples. Remember that! Get some glitzy clothes, get into the role, and be careful. Never forget who you’re supposed to be. You’ll be in with some very rough guys. On the surface they’re strictly legitimate. The richer they are, the more you should suspect them, unless they own a couple of oil wells or inherited their wealth. I’ll be checking for you as soon as you send their descriptions over. Be sure to let it fall, here and there, that you’ll do anything for a quick profit, but that you specialize in money-laundering.’

  I had a sudden flash of fear. ‘And how will you know where I am?’

  ‘By nightly e-mail communication wherever you are. Make it a rule. If I don’t hear from you I’ll know something’s wrong. Now, listen. You will need to open a bank account in the name of Naomi Hunter. I suggest Monaco as your base.’

  ‘Makes sense.’

  ‘You’ll need to purchase or rent an apartment, buy a car, and so on. Be ostentatious.’

  ‘Clever,’ I said. ‘Very clever.’

  Father smiled briefly. ‘Because it’s publicized that you have millions of dollars tucked away, all kinds of people will try to interest you in various get-rich-quick schemes. Most of them will be outside the law, but you’ll keep your money to yourself and captain your own ship.

  ‘Now, Nina, here are some addresses. You have already called the Aiglon Estate Agency who have three properties to show you.’

  ‘When did you do that?’

  ‘When you were in Sarajevo. Buy the most ostentatious and hopefully it will be the most expensive. It will be bought by your trust company, which is called Thornton Fidelity Trust, and the initials, TFT, will be printed on the trust cheque account. The account will remain in London.’

  ‘But do we have this much money, Father?’

  ‘We’ll manage. Frequent the best hairdressing salons, gamble nightly at the casino, oh, and you have been accepted as a member by the Monaco Sports Club. Your fees are paid in advance. It’s a very good place for you to make contacts. I have an informer there, by the way. And then there’s the casino, which is a famous money-laundering venue.

  ‘The Monaco Mercedes agency has a brand new white convertible awaiting delivery. You ordered it from New York. Shop around for a good local designer and make sure your clothes are noticed and that they’re designer stuff. None of your tweed suits. Got that?’

  ‘Absolutely.’

  Why was Father’s voice so hoarse? I asked, ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘The truth is, I’m beginning to worry about you. Be careful. Trust no one. Look here, Nina. I don’t usually take charge as I have this time. You’re more than capable of handling this type of thing. The way you got to see Michel Banski was very clever. Well done! But in this case I know you, and I know you’ll fight shy of wasting money. That’s not the way Naomi must operate. You must never lose sight of who you’re supposed to be.’

  ‘Don’t worry, Father.’ I crouched beside his chair and put my arm around his shoulders.

  For the first time, I felt the loneliness of this sad, controlled, clever man, who was playing such a crucial role in the quest for my son. His grandson, I corrected myself. I thought how he had taken on the role of adviser, leader, supporter, healer, spending hours each day at his computer, engaged in research for me, how he never complained about his disability.
For the first time I recognized the tragedy of a man who could not easily show his love, but who loved nonetheless.

  ‘I love you, Father,’ I said.

  ‘Of course you do,’ he said briskly.

  ‘I can’t help remembering those terrible days and nights when I grieved for my baby. I endured by hanging on to hope against all reason. Suddenly reason is on our side and I can see the way ahead. Thank you, Father.’

  ‘We’ll get there, Nina, I promise you.’

  Chapter 50

  Dressed in a beaded Valentino black lace cocktail dress, I arrived at the Monte Carlo casino and, as usual, made first for the cashier and then the bar. A month had passed since I had begun to spend alternate nights there, waiting to be ‘discovered’. Sooner or later, I’d meet the big boys, I felt sure. I knew that large sums of dirty cash were laundered regularly through gambling.

  Officially, management claimed that their strict surveillance made it impossible for the Mafia to get a hold on the casino, but the truth was that this tiny state’s closeness to Italy made it particularly vulnerable. With luck I, too, would be pulled into organized crime.

  Armed with a glass of tonic water, I entered the hallowed fount of Monaco’s wealth and marvelled at the way in which the panelled walls, thick velvet curtains and chandeliers had achieved a hushed, almost holy atmosphere. Sounds were muted and controlled, and the guests reacted by assuming grave, awed expressions as they placed their bets, i paused at the main roulette table where a swarthy-faced, hawk-eyed man was peering intently at the revolving wheel as if it had some special secret that he ought to be able to unravel.

  To me, gambling is strictly for fools. I have never felt any sort of fascination for roulette, baccarat or chemin de fer. If I win I feel guilty, and if I lose I feel much worse, so either way there isn’t much in it for me. Nevertheless, I had to wait there, so I hung around, placing an occasional bet, admiring the winners, trying not to look too bored, and continually reminding myself that I was Naomi Hunter. Naomi might have thrilled at the opportunity to pit her wits against mindless chance but for me it was one big yawn.