“Yes sir, I am actually in Paje now, I can come to the hotel anytime.”
“Good,” I said, “will you please stay in Paje. I will call you when I am ready. Please don't take any other fares, I will make sure it’s worth your while. Is that ok?” Hassan seemed to sense the urgency in my voice.
“Hakuna matata boss. Just call me and I will be there.”
“Thank you, Hassan,” I said. “I will call you soon.” I walked out of the hotel and back onto the beach. The sand and the water sparkled in my eyes as I turned left and started making my way back to my hotel. When I arrived fifteen minutes later I was sweating from the heat of the day. I opened the door and went straight to the laptop to see where Richard and Angelique had gone. To my surprise the flashing blue light that was Angelique's car was still showing in the car park of Richard's hotel. I shook my head in disbelief. Had I missed something? It was then I noticed that the computer was no longer connected to the internet. No service. “Fuck’s sake!” I cursed loudly. I unplugged the laptop and moved around the room with it hoping it would pick up a signal but it was futile. The system was obviously down. I put the laptop on the bed and pulled out my mobile phone. The screen showed full signal. ‘I'll phone him,’ I thought. I pulled the red file from my case and found Richard's cell number. I was certain he would be roaming. I dialled the number and stood at the window tapping my foot impatiently for the connection to go through. It took ages and eventually I was greeted by a pre recorded. “The subscriber you have dialled is not reachable. Please try later.” I shook my head in frustration. I knew there was a computer with internet for the guests in the reception of the hotel. I thought there might be a chance that their service would be working and I might be able to locate the car from the tracking device manufacturer's website. I locked the room and took the short walk through the shady gardens to the reception. When I arrived I was told the bad news that the internet everywhere was down. Apparently it was a regular occurrence and there was no telling when service would be restored. As I walked back to my room I was reminded how frustrating Africa could be. The fact was that there was little point in losing one’s temper with it and it was best to sit it out and wait. But that was the last thing I felt like doing. I had started the day out with all the gung ho intention of finally putting an end to the whole nightmare scenario I had found myself in. Only to be felled at the last hurdle by a pair of love birds and a broken internet service. To say I was angry and frustrated was an understatement.
I glanced at my watch. It was 11am. I walked to the window and stared unseeingly at the ocean through the palms and the hibiscus flowers. Where had they gone? I thought. There was no doubt that their relationship was building in its intensity. She had left Carlos house in a hurry the previous evening and had only returned after 3.30 in the morning. That in itself was surely an escalation of things between them. I wondered if there was any point in calling Hassan and trying to drive around the island looking for them. I decided that there would be very little point in doing that. I knew for a fact that apart from being a good fifty kilometres to Stone Town, the island itself was much bigger from north to south. It would be like looking for a needle in a haystack and would probably only serve to spoil my day further.
I lit a cigarette and continued staring out the window. The feeling of helplessness growing all the time. I spent the next three hours pacing my room, checking the internet connection every fifteen minutes. I called Richard's hotel on the hour, every hour to see if he had returned. Each time I called I was told he had not and was asked if I would like to leave a message. I declined. At 2pm I had had enough of being cooped up. I called Hassan and told him to collect me at the reception of my hotel. He arrived within five minutes and a waiter was sent to call me. I picked up my laptop and walked briskly through the grounds of the hotel on my way out.
I hoped to avoid running into the Dutch girls and luckily I made it to the waiting car unseen. “Where would like to go Mr Jason?” Hassan asked as we drove out of the grounds and onto the tar road. “Umm let’s go down to the Eden Beach Lodge first please, Hassan. I need to check something there.” He turned and looked at me as I spoke. A concerned look on his wise old face.
“Is everything ok Mr Jason?” He asked quietly. “Not really Hassan,” I replied, “not really.” We drove in silence until we reached the gate to Richard's hotel. As we drove through the boom into the car-park I could see immediately that the car was not there. I called the hotel on my mobile once again and was told that Richard had not returned. “Let’s drive down to Jambiani please, Hassan,” I said. We drove out through the boom and headed south. Eventually we arrived at the point where the big stone wall of Carlos’ property cut into the path of the old road. We turned right and followed it around past the heavily guarded gate and beyond. As we passed it, I had a sudden, uneasy, liquid feeling in my stomach. It was the knowledge that not three hundred metres from where we were, hidden in the jungle, was the cocaine packing factory and the old fresh water caves that had been turned into a storage facility. It still seemed a little surreal in my mind. As if it had been some kind of weird dream.
My fears were growing with every hour of the day. “Where would you like to go in Jambiani, Mr Jason?” Hassan asked, wiping the sweat from his face with his cloth. “Take me to the same place you took me last time please Hassan.” He knew full well there was something badly wrong but kept quiet and dignified as he drove. We arrived to find the resort pretty much deserted. To kill a bit of time, I went inside and sat at the bar near the beach to check if the internet was up and running again. It was still down. I was in no mood for drinking so I ordered a bottle of water and a coke for Hassan. I tried once again to call Richard on his mobile and then at his hotel but it was to no avail. I returned to the cab and we drove around the small fishing village of Jambiani aimlessly for a while. Eventually I decided to head back in the direction of Paje. There was a tense silence as we drove through the oppressive heat of the afternoon. We stopped briefly at the Eden Beach Lodge on the off chance that Richard had returned but he had not. It was 4pm when we arrived back at the car park of my hotel. I knew that Richard had not checked out and at some stage he would definitely return to his hotel. I was in no mood to walk up and down the beach again so I asked Hassan if he would wait close by for a call. He agreed happily and I made my way back to my room. I spent the next three hours in my room. Like before, I checked the internet connection every fifteen minutes and called Richard's hotel every hour. At around 6pm as the sun was setting, I ordered some food to be brought to the room. It was good but I didn't have much of an appetite. It was at 6.45 precisely that the internet service was finally restored and the small icon at the bottom right of the screen showed there was full service. After so long it felt like Christmas had come. I drummed my fingers on the surface of the dressing table as I waited for the tracking program to load and refresh. When it finally did I saw the flashing blue light that was Angelique's car moving down the main road from Stone Town towards Paje. They were in the middle of the Joziani Forest and appeared to be driving relatively slowly back in my direction. Thank fuck for that, I thought, finally. Finally I am going to get to speak to Richard and finish this! With an immense feeling of relief, I called Hassan and asked him to drive to the reception and wait for me to come out. I lit a cigarette and smoked as I watched the blue light move and turn on the map on the screen. As I sat, I imagined the reaction I would get from Richard when I finally spilled the beans and told him what I knew. I was sure he would be completely flabbergasted and probably very upset. I really didn't care at that stage, I just wanted the whole thing to finally be over. Eventually the flashing blue light made the right turn on the beach road towards Paje. I had a good idea but I needed to know exactly where they were going.
The perfect scenario would be that Angelique dropped Richard at his hotel and then went home herself.
That would give me the opportunity to talk to him alone and not have to drag him away from her an
d embarrass him. I didn't really care though. Either way, he was going to be told the whole story that night without fail. A knock came on the door, it was a waiter informing me that the taxi had arrived. I thanked him and told him to tell Hassan that I would be out shortly. After such a frustrating day I realised that the last thing I needed was to lose track of the car again. I prepared the bag I had used the previous evening to carry the laptop with me when I was to leave. I watched the flashing blue light pass my hotel and eventually stop in the car park of Eden Beach Lodge. I sat for a few minutes hoping it would leave, but it stayed put. There was nothing else for it. I packed the laptop away in the bag and headed out towards the reception and Hassan. The night was warm and still as I took the short walk to the waiting car. I slung the bag and its contents onto the back seat and we made our way up the sandy drive, through the gates and out onto the road. “Eden Beach Lodge please, Hassan,” I said staring ahead into the darkness.
“Hakuna matata, Mr Jason,” he replied. A few minutes later we turned off the darkness of the main road and through the boom into the car park of Richard's hotel. I saw Angelique's car parked exactly where it had been the previous night. I told Hassan to park his taxi to the left of the main building. As he parked I turned and faced him in his seat. Once again he wiped the sweat from his brow with his cloth. “Listen Hassan,” I said, “as I'm sure you have guessed I have a bit of a problem on my hands. Now I have to go inside and speak to someone, but hopefully after that everything will be sorted out.” He nodded understandingly. “I might be a while, but please wait for me ok?”
“No problem, Mr Jason,” he replied. As I turned in my seat to retrieve my bag that I noticed the headlights coming through the gate of the hotel behind me. They were large and square and far apart from each other. As soon as I saw them I had a very bad feeling. It was like a premonition, as if I knew very well what car it was and who would be driving it. My fears were realised in an instant as I saw the hulking square mass of the yellow Hummer as it pulled up and parked next to Angelique's car. I froze in my seat. “Just a moment,” I said quietly to Hassan as I watched. It was as I had feared. In the dim light of the car park I saw the huge dark shape of Tintin as he got out of the car. He was talking on a mobile phone and he walked slowly and ominously around the small silver car as he spoke. In my mind I knew who he was talking to and what he would be saying. He had found them. Eventually he hung up and pocketed his phone. I watched as he walked towards the main arched doorway that lead to the lobby. He paused for a moment and then started walking inside. “Shit,” I said under my breath. “Shit, shit, shit. I’ll be back Hassan. Just wait ok.”
I waited until Tintin had stepped into the hotel before I got out of the car. I slung the bag over my shoulder and cautiously walked towards the entrance. Please, I thought, please let them be doing something innocent like having a drink or some dinner. I paused at the entrance to the hotel and saw that Tintin had gone to the reception. He was talking to the same man I had seen in the afternoon and his massive frame towered above the desk as he spoke. The receptionist motioned with his arm towards the right wing of the hotel. Clearly he was giving directions to Richard's room. Tintin nodded and without looking around started off in that direction. When he had left the lobby and turned right I walked in. I tried my best to look like a happy go lucky tourist as I walked in. It was extremely difficult given the chaos that was going on my mind. I walked through the lobby and into the dim lights of the outside area. I could see Tintin walking down the right hand side of the hotel. I decided to head to the relative safety and darkness of the pool bar to watch from a distance. Please let them be in the restaurant or the bar, I prayed as I walked. I arrived at the bar area to find a party in full swing.
For a moment, I hoped that Richard and Angelique would be sitting there innocently enjoying a drink. I could then join them as if by accident and give them being together a semblance of normalcy and innocence. Sadly they were nowhere to be seen and instead there were a group of couples cavorting, drinking, singing and swimming. I chose a dark table and sat down. The music and laughter blared but in my mind there was nothing but near panic as I watched Tintin finally arrive at the door of Richard's room. He paused for a moment and then I saw him knock five times on the door. I could not hear a thing through all the racket but I could see that he had knocked with considerable force. Thirty seconds later I saw the door open and a slightly dishevelled Richard appear in the light. It looked like he had just pulled his shirt on and I saw him smile with wide eyes and try to look normal and innocent. I could not see Tintin's face but I saw him nod a few times and the smile disappear from Richard's face. Then I saw Richard point into the room and shake his head. I could only imagine what was being said but even from the distance I could see that the meeting had turned tense and unpleasant. At that moment I was approached by a waiter who greeted me and asked if would like to order a drink. I shook my head quickly and told him I was waiting for someone and to come back in five minutes. Slowly, and right in front of me, my worst fears were being realised. It was then I saw the slim elegant shape of Angelique step out of the door from behind Richard. She wore a loose green summer dress and sandals. Her hair was in a pony tail behind her head. Again I saw Richard smile and then I saw him raise both hands in a gesture of innocence. I saw Angelique pointing at Tintin and speaking. She didn't seem to be shouting but she seemed determined to get her point across as she spoke.
All around me the party continued and no one took any notice of the drama that was unfolding nearby. It was at that moment that I thought I would take a walk over and attempt to diffuse the situation. Perhaps if I pretended to have been with them all day it might give them being together some credibility in Tintin's eyes. I got up off my seat and started to walk around the pool towards them.
At that moment I saw Tintin raise his left hand in front of Richard's face as if to say ‘no more.’ The smile left Richard's face once again and Tintin took Angelique by the arm gently but firmly and they both left together and walked towards the lobby. I watched helplessly as they left and saw Richard staring after them as they went. Richard scratched his head in confusion and then shook his head. He stood there as they walked and then closed himself in the room and was gone. I followed Tintin and Angelique from a distance. It was clear he was under instructions to return her to Carlos and nothing would stop him. I could see her protesting and gesturing at Tintin but he kept his vice-like grip on her arm and shook his head as he walked. As they approached the lobby and the reception she seemed to gain some composure and walked without protest. I waited in the semi-darkness until they had both exited the front of the building and turned left towards the parked cars. I casually walked through the well lit lobby and paused at the entrance to see what had transpired. What I saw filled me with fear. Angelique's protests had started again and the last I saw was her being forced into the front seat of the Hummer and the door being locked. Tintin moved quickly around the car and got in the driver’s seat. The vehicle started, reversed quickly and was gone in a cloud of dust and sand. It had happened. Everything I had feared had just happened right in front of my eyes and at the time there was little I could have done to prevent it. I looked to my right and saw Hassan staring at me with a worried look from the window of the cab. Although he knew nothing of what had transpired he could clearly tell from the alarm on my face that something was badly wrong. I was suddenly faced with a terrible decision. Was I to ignore what had just happened and go back to Richard's room to confront him? Tintin had been sent to find Angelique and not Richard so he was more than likely safe where he was.
I watched as the lights of the Hummer disappeared south down the beach road towards the big house. What the fuck are you going to do now, Green? I thought. I had no idea the sort of relationship Carlos had with his wife but I was under no illusions. He was an extremely dangerous and violent man. Richard is safe where he is Green. For fuck’s sake you have to go and check if she is safe as well. This is a fucking ni
ghtmare! I turned and looked at the lights of the lobby behind me and then back to the road in front. If Angelique had been allowed to drive herself home I might have considered leaving it.
But she was taken by force and her car left behind. My mind was made up. I would go to the big house to check on Angelique. Once I was sure that she was safe I would go back and confront Richard about the whole shit show. I had no choice. I had to go and see that she was alright. I ran towards the the car and noticed again the worried look on the face of Hassan as I jumped in the front seat. “Hassan,” I said with urgency in my voice, “I need you drive towards Jambiani and I need you to drive as fast as you can. This is very important, ok?”
“No problem, Mr Jason I have seen you have been very, very worried all day,” his voice was shaking as he spoke. We reversed and drove through the gates before taking a left turn. I was mildly surprised by the speed at which he drove the rickety old car. The road was dark and completely deserted. “Now you are going to see some unusual things and I am going to ask you to drop me in an unusual place, but I need you to trust me Hassan.” He nodded as he drove and the sweat ran down his temples in the light of the dash board.
“There are some very bad people behind that big wall. Now I have been sent to find out about these people. I have come all the way from England to find out about these people. Do you trust me Hassan?” I asked loudly.
“I trust you Mr Jason,” he replied. “Right. I am going to change my clothes and I am going to ask you to drop me near that big wall, ok?”
“Ok,”
“Then I want you turn around and drive a few hundred metres and wait for me on the side of the road. If anyone asks you why you are there, you tell them you are having trouble with the car and you are waiting for someone to come and help you fix it. Do you understand?”
The Jason Green series Box Set Page 30
