The African Diamond Trilogy Box Set

by Christopher Lowery

  Also, the information had to be so important or potentially damaging that she hadn’t contacted the authorities, at least as far as they knew. There had been no official contact from the British Embassy nor from any police or other investigative body. She had simply run away and left her son behind without making any public outcry. There’s some reason that she can’t divulge what’s happened to Leo, he realised. But what is it?

  Since he had no real information to provide, he decided to share it with Nwosu. “I know,” the sergeant replied. “I got the same answer from my contacts in London. Nobody has a clue who the father is, so I’m wondering how we can up the ante with the Voice.”

  Coetzee was thinking quickly. “I’ll go in to see the boy in the morning and get it out of him. He’ll be groggy and I’ll say his father is concerned about him and maybe he’ll talk. We’ll be in an even stronger position with that bloody dictionary quoter. This is going to cost him big time.”

  “Will you need any help with the removal?”

  “Not necessary. There’s Lambert and the doc, and in any case you shouldn’t be seen down there. Keep that polished pate of yours out of the way and I’ll fill you in afterwards.”

  “OK, so we won’t mention it, just get the moving instructions and keep our powder dry. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  London, England

  The man they called the Voice was sitting in an elegant sitting room with two other people. They were having afternoon tea. There were finger sandwiches, éclairs and scones on a cake stand and several small silver dishes with jams, sugar and cream on the table. The china was by Villeroy and Boch, in a pale lemon flowered design.

  “So, the Stewart woman has fled to Spain and she’s with her sister in Marbella. That could be very good news for us. But why do you suppose she ran off, when her son is still in Johannesburg?” The person sitting opposite asked. He was a good looking man, well built with dark hair and a healthy sun tan, obviously not acquired in the English climate.

  “We have no way of knowing of course, but as you say, this is rather an interesting development. It corroborates our premise, if there was ever any doubt about it. Mrs Stewart was most uncomfortable in the police interviews and stubbornly refused to answer any questions about Leo’s father. It would only have been a matter of time before she broke down and she couldn’t risk revealing the truth. She must have decided that she could achieve more from afar than by continuing to be subjected to the police sergeant’s charms.”

  “And her first reaction was to ask her sister for help. Jenny Bishop is the only person she could turn to. This is exactly what we hoped to achieve and she has done it without any prompting from us. It actually removes one stage from the education process we planned.”

  The Voice nodded, “I agree, Mr Slater. Everything seems to point in that direction.”

  “The fact remains that she has escaped and we have no control over her. And we know that the Bishop woman is very practical and inventive and has substantial resources, so we have to be careful.”

  “True,” the Voice replied, “But the important point is that it is she, Jenny Bishop, who has the funds that we are targeting. Ms Stewart has lost her only son and wants him back. Whatever her relationship with her sister, such a moral dilemma involving a young boy cannot be ignored. In any event, from a pragmatic point of view there is very little they can do from Spain. They obviously won’t go the authorities, so their options are virtually non-existent. To hire private investigators, instruct them and put them in place will take time and time is not their friend. I’m sure that she’s already worked out that we know the truth, or at least the most important part of the truth, so she and her sister must be preparing for a demand of some kind. We must be patient for a short while until they are ready to respond as we desire.”

  “I’m being very patient. If I wasn’t, I’d already be making other arrangements. I’m not impressed with the results to date.”

  The third person intervened, “I think we agree that events are moving in our favour. Let’s not waste time on squabbling. Tell Mr Slater about the new safe house.”

  “Of course. As a simple precaution, since we are aware of Mrs Bishop’s reputation and her financial status, we would feel more comfortable if the boy was moved away from Johannesburg. In fact it would be much safer to move him across at least one border to obstruct any enquiries she may instigate locally. We’ve been in contact with our friends in Zimbabwe and they have offered us their hospitality. The country is not a member of Interpol and we have good connections there. For a modest fee we’ve agreed terms on the transfer. The boy will be taken by car and handed over in Beitbridge, just over the border and held safely nearby.”

  “And Coetzee and the policeman? What’s the plan with them?”

  “Nwosu is his name. They’re both expendable. As a matter of fact, they are foolishly trying to increase their reward. Silly men. When they get the boy to Beitbridge we’ll ensure that they don’t cause any further nuisance. The same applies to the hotel manager and the doctor. The guard has already been dealt with. It’s not something to concern yourself with.”

  “And what about the nurse?”

  “She knows nothing about our involvement, nor the reasons for the abduction. She’ll be back in Cape Town tomorrow with enough money to keep her drugged and happy for a month or two. Long enough for our plan to run its course.”

  “Just remember, we don’t want any trail, no tracks that could lead back to us. We can’t risk exposure of any kind.”

  “Indubitably. It is our primary concern, you have our word. Once the boy is handed over in Zimbabwe and the South African people are removed, the trail will be completely cold.” The Voice took a sip of his tepid cup of tea. “However, there is one further matter which requires your approval.”

  “What is it?”

  The Voice coughed apologetically. “It’s a financial matter. I’m afraid that we’re about to run a little over budget. Although we will imminently rid ourselves of Coetzee and the policeman, it was necessary to temporarily increase their rewards in order to gain their continued allegiance. The Zimbabwe arrangement has also had an effect on our resources. We’re obliged to request a modest increase in the operating budget.”

  “And how much is a ‘modest increase’?”

  “In order to guarantee full and complete execution of the plan, we think it would be wise to provide access to a further hundred thousand dollars. We are being rather conservative here and the actual requirement will probably be less. But it’s better to be over financed than to run short once again.”

  “A hundred thousand! That’s twenty five percent more. Our profit is shrinking while our risk is increasing.” He stood up and began pacing the room, a worried look on his face. “You’re sure you can’t complete this business with less?”

  “I regret, but I am unable to provide such an assurance. As you know, I have been involved in several sensitive transactions, some of a somewhat similar nature and there are always some, let’s say, non-recurring, unexpected costs. This is one of those occasions and I will endeavour to ensure that there will not be another.”

  “Very well,” Slater said finally. “I’ll get the money, but we’ll share this extra cost pro rata from our participations. You’re in charge of the budget, not me. You need to pay more attention to how my money is spent.”

  The other two exchanged glances and the Voice said. “We agree. Please transfer the funds to the usual account and we will manage it in the most parsimonious fashion possible.”

  “I’ll look after that tomorrow, but this additional investment means we have to begin the completion phase of the programme immediately. We can’t afford to have such large amounts invested for a long period of time. In any case I don’t think we need wait any longer. If she wants her son back she has to face the facts of life and act accordingly.”

  “What are your instructions?”

  Slater continued to pace the room while the others waited sil
ently. Finally, he said, “My decision is that we have to go public tomorrow morning, while time is still on our side. It’s almost forty-eight hours since we took him. That’s the key time period in a disappearance or kidnapping and I’m sure they know that by now, so let’s strike while the iron is hot.”

  “I agree,” said the Voice. “We don’t actually know who the boy’s father was, but they have no way of finding out what we know or don’t know. In any event, it’s most likely that it was one of the Akazu. We’ll obtain a photograph of the boy and send it with the message that he is well and in a safe place and we’ll make further contact shortly. I’ll confirm as soon as it has been carried out. We’ll communicate as agreed, by email. I have the address.”

  “Right. That’s all for today. I’m staying in London for a few days so I can come over if necessary.” Slater went to the door. “Call me on my mobile when you have further news.”

  When the door had closed behind him the Voice said, “Unfortunately, our friend is perfectly justified in his complaint. This business is becoming very expensive, both in funding and potentially in bodies. It’s just as well he doesn’t know precisely what’s happening down there.”

  “We knew there would be some collateral damage. But the prize is worth it.”

  “If the plan actually works, of course I concur. But that still remains to be seen. In the meantime, no more expensive mistakes or bodies left lying around or he’s liable to withdraw his support.”

  “The plan will work, don’t worry. Once we’re out of SA it will be different. The trail will be cold and we’ll be half way home.”

  “I hope you’re right. Now we have a little over an hour to prepare for our call to Nwosu. It’s an important call so let’s have a brief rehearsal and you can make your comments ahead of time.”

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  Marbella, Spain

  “Hola, Pedro, Que tal?” Jenny shook hands with Espinoza and he greeted her warmly.

  “You look wonderful, Jenny. You haven’t changed at all in the last couple of years. Younger, if anything.”

  “If you remember, I was under a bit of stress at the time. But thank you for the compliment. How is your renewed family life?”

  “As you English say, ‘so far so good’. I suppose it was José Luis who told you all my family secrets. He talks far too much, even for a retired lawyer.”

  “If he didn’t, you might never have managed to save Leticia’s and my life, so you shouldn’t complain.”

  He nodded modestly, “And how is Leticia? And Emilio, of course, he must be…., four years old now.”

  “They’re both away on holiday with Patrice, I suppose you know they’re going to be married? Come into the living room and have a coffee and we’ll catch up.”

  Over coffee they talked about some of the people who had been involved in the Angolan diamond affair. She hadn’t seen José Luis, her previous lawyer since he had retired the year before, but Espinoza told her that they lunched together occasionally. “I think he’s regretting his retirement,” he confided to her, “He seems bored. How are you getting on with Javier, his replacement?”

  “José Luis finished up everything to do with the will and the properties before he retired, so we haven’t needed a lawyer, except for trivial things like permits and other Spanish paperwork. Patrice helps us as well. He’s a banker, quite knowledgeable about financial and legal matters. So, we’re managing just fine.”

  Espinoza finished his coffee and pushed away the cup and saucer. “Well, Jenny. I think it’s time to tell me why I have the pleasure of seeing you again.”

  It took Jenny a half hour to summarise the events of the last few days in her precise, unemotional manner. Espinoza asked few questions. He was used to adding two and two to get five or six. On hearing of Leo’s extraction from Kigali to London, he said nothing, just raised his eyebrows and gave an admiring nod. He did the same when she described Emma’s escape from South Africa.

  After looking at all the evidence Emma had compiled, he commented, “It’s likely that one of the gang is a doctor. Even a very experienced nurse wouldn’t necessarily have the proper training to administer drugs. It’s quite complicated to put people out for a specific time, depending on their age, weight and other factors. They wouldn’t want their victim to succumb just when they were at the moment of maximum risk.”

  He thought for a moment. “Has there been any contact from the abductors? Any ransom note or message?”

  “Nothing. But I suppose it’s because they’re still investigating what happened to Emma.”

  “Nwosu can find that out quite easily. It won’t be long before we hear something from them. So, when can I meet Emma?”

  “Right now. She’s had a bath and a sleep and she’s busy answering emails upstairs. I want her to keep occupied as much as possible to stop her from dwelling too much on what happened. She’s holding up well, but you can imagine the worry and distress she’s feeling. Leo is her only child, in fact her only relative, apart from me. She’s emotionally shattered, so please go easy on her.”

  “I promise to be less of a policeman, more of a friend.”

  Once the introductions had been accomplished, Espinoza said, “Jenny has told me the whole story and it seems certain your son has been abducted. I’m sorry. But I know something of your sister’s strength of mind and I’m sure we can work together and bring Leo back. My limited abilities are at your service if you think I can help.

  Emma just nodded and he went on, “Tell us what you’ve discovered, Jenny.”

  “Well, I’m pretty sure that Rwanda is the key to this whole episode,” she said. “I don’t know why yet, but I think I’ve found the origin of the problem.”

  “But I was only in Rwanda for about two months, I’m sure nobody even knows that except for you and a few friends. It was almost sixteen years ago and I was an insignificant nurse who adopted an unknown baby from some poor unimportant girl who died. I don’t see the connection.”

  “Wrong, Emma. I don’t think Mutesi was an unimportant girl, or I should say, Leo was not an unimportant baby. I’ll tell you my thesis and then we’ll talk about it. You remembered that Mutesi was in the house of a man called Jean-Bousquet, right?”

  Emma nodded, “I think that was the name.”

  “The housekeeper had said he was an important, wealthy politician involved with a radio station. And the house was in Ruhondo, which is just outside of Ruhengeri, in the north western part of Rwanda. That’s where President Habiyarimana and all of the Akazu leaders lived. They were the Hutu people who ran Rwanda and who wanted to get rid of the Tutsis. I don’t know whether the genocide was really a deliberate political strategy, but it certainly seems to have been motivated by hatred and a desire to eliminate the Tutsis and it was instigated by the Akazu.”

  “So you think this man, Jean-Bousquet was a member of the Akazu?” Espinoza was making notes.

  “Well, there’s a wrinkle, but I think I’ve sorted it. Let me show you exactly how I did the research.” She took her iPad and opened Google. “I’ll put in Akazu, Radio Station, Rwanda. Look, the radio station was called Radio-Télévision Libres des Mille Collines. Now, watch this.” She highlighted the link. “See, Individuals associated with the station, third one down, Jean-Bosco Galaganza. See what they say about him? He was a Rwandan diplomat and the chairman of the executive committee of the radio station. Not Jean-Bousquet, I admit, but very close.

  “Now I’ll put in Rwandan genocide, Jean-Bousquet. There’s no one at all of that name, but it shows René Bousquet, who was indicted for war crimes committed when he was a senior member of the police during the Vichy government in France. He was a friend of Mitterand and that’s the only connection, because of Mitterand’s support of Habiyarimana and France’s refusal to acknowledge the genocide.

  “Now I’ll cross check with the name Jean-Bosco, Rwandan genocide. There are two names, Jean-Bosco Uwinkindi and Jean-Bosco Galaganza, both involved in the Rwandan genocide. Uwink
indi was Pastor of the Pentecostal Church in Kanzenze, which is in Kigali, so I think we can rule him out. Strangely enough,” she added, “After all these years, he’s apparently just been arrested on genocide charges. You wonder what goes on in these international courts. Not much, by the look of things.” She shrugged her shoulders.

  “Galaganza, however, is once again described as a Rwandan diplomat and the chairman of the executive committee of Radio-Télévision Libres des Mille Collines. Look at his photo, tall, slim, with a moustache and glasses.

  “In 2003 he was sent to prison for thirty-five years by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. I printed out the sentence of the court, listen; ‘Galaganza and the other heads of the radio station conspired to exterminate the civilian Tutsi population and eliminate members of the opposition. The components of their plan included the broadcasting of messages of ethnic hatred and incitements to violence, the training of militias and distribution of weapons to militiamen, and the preparation and diffusion of lists of people to be killed.’”

  She shuddered. “He was not a nice person and he was definitely a member of the Akazu, it’s well documented everywhere you look. And we know that all the Akazu members came from Ruhengeri, which is near Ruhongo, where Mutesi was held. I can’t actually find evidence that Galaganza lived there, but there isn’t another man called Jean-Bosco, member of the Akazu, politician and head of a radio station, so it has to be him. And the clincher is in the records of the trial. It says he fled Rwanda in 1995 and was brought to justice in 2000. That’s what Mutesi said, he left in November 1995. I’m absolutely sure he’s our man. He ticks all the boxes. I’ve copied out all the relevant extracts here.” She opened up her notes.

  “Impressive research. If I was still in the force, I’d hire you immediately, Jenny.” Espinoza reached for the iPad and read the items one by one while the two women talked.

  “What do you think, Emma? Might you have got the name wrong after all this time? Could you have confused it with René Bousquet?”