The African Diamond Trilogy Box Set

by Christopher Lowery

  One of the officers came over to them. “It’s funny, but we haven’t found a mobile phone. I don’t think I’ve ever searched an apartment without finding one. A cop always has a mobile.”

  “Jamie probably grabbed it when he left. We’ll get after him right away. But we’ve got Lambert’s killer and that’s a good score for the day.” Hendricks sent the man back to his work.

  He said to Espinoza, “It looks as if Jamie topped him for some reason when they got here and then pissed off. He can’t be far. We’ve got a good chance to find him if we put out an alert with one of these photos.”

  Espinoza was less sure than the South African. He remembered the Zimbabwean car that had almost mowed him down outside the building. They were certainly in a hurry to get away. He was also not sure if the young man with Nwosu at the clinic was Jamie. It couldn’t be Leo, he reasoned. If Jenny’s theory was correct, he was with Coetzee. So if it was Nwosu’s boyfriend, why did he kill him and where was he now?

  He said, “Is there any way to find the owners of that Zimbabwean car that drove off when we arrived? It was an old black Mercedes 220, number 294-TCE 87.”

  Hendricks looked at him shrewdly. “You’re very observant, Pedro. If you’re right, that’s a diplomatic registration plate and we have no jurisdiction.” He checked his watch. “Their consulate is closed for the weekend, but even if they were open it would be a waste of time. They’ll be well on their way to Zimbabwe by now and if it was Jamie in the car he’ll get there without any problems. And a few hundred Rand will get them through the border even if we make a fuss. I’m sorry to admit it but there’s not a thing we can do.”

  Espinoza took advantage of the policeman’s assumption, silently praying that Leo was not in the Mercedes. “Whether or not Jamie was in the car, you’re probably right. We now know Nwosu killed Lambert. There was a young man with him at the clinic and now he’s gone and Nwosu’s dead. It seems reasonable to assume that it was Jamie who was with him, but we can check his photograph with the nurse at the clinic. I don’t think there’s anything more we can do here.”

  Hendricks nodded in agreement and gave a few final instructions to the police officers. They went down to his car. Espinoza said, “When do you expect the DNA report from Polokwane?”

  “It might be there when we get back. Why?”

  “I was wondering if they chose the Newtown Clinic by accident or whether there might be a connection.” Espinoza had now found a way to link the two murders. The DNA would identify Blethin and it would look as if he had also been murdered by the same people. Hendricks would be happy to close the dossier on a bent cop and a corrupt doctor if they could be tied together and blamed on Jamie who was probably on his way to Zimbabwe. He might be able to convince him of that. If Leo was safe with Coetzee he wanted to get out of the murder investigation as soon as possible and concentrate on getting him back and tracing the organisers of the abduction.

  “Chance would be a fine thing. I’ll call and chase it up while we’re driving back.”

  Espinoza sat back in the car. So far so good. His suggestion had been accepted without question. His mind turned to the other sore point which was now in the forefront of his thinking. Why were the phones being followed by someone in the UK? That had to be where the abduction had been masterminded. He knew he was still a long way from fulfilling Jenny’s appeal; ‘To get Leo safely back and then to bring the culprits to justice’.

  London, England

  “I estimate that they should arrive in Beitbridge by seven this evening. As soon as I get confirmation I’ll send off the message. It’s Friday so that may spoil their weekend a little, but needs must.” Dudley and Esther had prepared the email with the payment instructions.

  “I have to do some shopping and sort out one or two personal matters.” Esther couldn’t face another long day alone with him. “Do you mind if I go now and we can speak later?”

  He tried to hide his disappointment. “Of course not, there’s no need for you to stay. I’ll call you when I’ve accomplished the task. Perhaps we can have dinner together and discuss tomorrow’s negotiations for the money.”

  “Thank you Arthur, but I’m afraid I can’t join you for dinner. I have another engagement.”

  He said, “Very well my dear, I’ll send you a text message so that you can sleep peacefully knowing that everything is in order.”

  “Good, but you may want to ask for a photograph from Beitbridge. I’m not suggesting that anything’s wrong, but it’s probably a wise precaution.”

  “Indeed. I’ll call them later to request that. Where are you off to this evening?”

  “I don’t know. An old friend from Paris called me and invited me to dinner. He’s on his own in town, so I agreed. You don’t mind, do you?”

  “Of course not, I have no claim on your time.” Dudley turned away. Foolish old man, he said to himself, she’s not one of my prized possessions.

  “Then I’ll leave you and look forward to seeing you in the morning.”

  He helped her into her coat, delighting as always in the closeness of her beautiful body and fragrant perfume. “Have a lovely afternoon and enjoy your engagement this evening.”

  She turned and waved as she walked away. Dudley forced a smile again then went back into his empty apartment and closed the door.

  Johannesburg, South Africa

  “I’ve sent the DNA analysis to the Newtown Clinic. They’ve got records of all their employees going back ten years. If we get a match we’ll have solved the Polokwane murder as well. And if there’s a link to Nwosu that’s good enough for me. Lambert comes from the UK or Spain and gets murdered by Nwosu. Nwosu then goes after another gang member in Polokwane, comes back after a fight and gets topped by his boyfriend. Some kind of gang warfare ending with the deaths of three gangsters. One of them probably from Zimbabwe. Case closed.”

  They had received photographic confirmation from the nurse at the clinic that it was Jamie who had accompanied the policeman, so Hendricks was feeling very pleased with himself. “It had to be Jamie who killed Nwosu since we have no reports of anyone else being in the building. And it looks like he escaped in the Mercedes and he’s probably safely back in Zimbabwe. My report will blame Nwosu for Lambert’s death and Jamie for killing his boyfriend. If I get good news from the clinic I’m wrapping it up.”

  Hendricks had also called the duty officer at Diepkloof precinct to ask about Nwosu and his current activities. He was told the sergeant wasn’t working on anything except some cases of football hooliganism and had taken a few days off. They were expecting him back on Monday. He decided not to share any information with the man, not until he was ready to make an announcement.

  “Thanks for coming over, Pedro. It might seem a wasted trip for you, but it was a lucky break for me.”

  “What are you going to tell Dewar?” Espinoza asked.

  “I’m not getting side tracked with phone tapping from the UK. Just because somebody was tapping a phone it doesn’t link them to a murder. We didn’t find any phones so there’s no reason to do anything. I’ll tell him we’ve investigated his report and found nothing. He can take it from there.”

  The Spaniard was relieved. If Blethin was linked to the clinic, as he surely would be, the murders would be wrapped up and he could get on with his main task without interference from Hendricks. It seemed certain that it was not Leo who had gone off in the Mercedes so he could concentrate on finding Coetzee.

  Before leaving he asked for Dewar’s number. It would be useful if he needed information in the UK, especially about Lord Arthur Dudley.” He wrote it in his notebook then said, “I might as well stay on for a few days and make the most of the trip. It’s a long time since I visited Joburg.”

  Hendricks was already writing his report so he asked if someone could run him over to the Packard Hotel. It was the only place he could think of on the spur of the moment. Besides, there might still be something to find out there.

  Marbella, Spainr />
  Jenny was at the front door trying to understand Juan’s explanation as to why the water fountain had suddenly stopped functioning when a taxi arrived at the gate. She pressed the remote switch and the car drove up to the house.

  “Patrice. How lovely to see you again. It’s been far too long.” She embraced him.

  “Jenny. You look wonderful. How are you?” He paid off the driver and took his bag into the hall. “I hope you haven’t delayed anything on my account.”

  “Encarni is just about ready to serve the first course, so you’ve got time for a quick aperitif if you like.”

  He followed her out to the terrace. Emma was showing Leticia and Emilio her website. They both jumped up and ran across to him and he picked up the little boy. “Salut p’tit bonhomme. Hello little man. Did you miss me?”

  “We all missed you chéri, but you’re home at last.” Leticia kissed him several times. “You must be exhausted with all that travelling. That’s a very smart suit you’re wearing. This is Jenny’s sister, Emma, she’s a famous writer. She’s been showing us her books on her website. Come and sit down, I’ll get you a glass of wine, nice and cold. It’ll just take me a moment.”

  Jenny watched her run quickly off to find Encarni in the kitchen. What a performance, she thought. She’s as nervous as a kitten. I wonder why?

  “I’m pleased to meet you Emma. Jenny never told me her sister was so attractive. Brains and beauty, I see.”

  “French charm. He says it to every woman he meets.” Jenny joked. Patrice glanced swiftly at her. He didn’t seem to appreciate the joke.

  “Santé. It’s wonderful to be back home again. Sorry, Jenny, I mean your home, but still wonderful.” Patrice settled back on a settee with Emilio on his knee and Leticia beside him.

  “I hear you’ve been running about a lot these days. Business must be good. Making fortunes for your clients, I suppose.”

  He glanced at Leticia. “We’re still trying to make up the fortunes we lost for our customers two years ago. This is a very volatile year so it’s a hard slog, but we’ll get there in the end.”

  “I didn’t know you looked after clients in the UK? Aren’t Spain and South America your stomping grounds?”

  He took a sip of wine. “I go there a lot, actually. I can’t stop my clients from moving around and London is very often a hub for their travel. It’s easier for me to meet a Brazilian when he’s in the UK than to fly down to Sao Paulo.”

  Leticia put her hand on his knee. “Jenny, I’m sure Patrice is much too tired to talk about his work. Let’s forget about business and relax.”

  Why is she protecting him? Jenny wondered. “I beg your pardon, Patrice. I’m just fascinated by your jet-set life style. Did you know that I called you to come for lunch yesterday, because I thought you were here, but you’d already rushed off to London. I don’t know how you do it.”

  Before he could respond, Leticia interrupted. “We’re neglecting poor Emma. Have you heard from Leo? When is he coming over to see us?”

  Jenny was still looking at Patrice. He moved nervously on his seat and turned to Emma. “I forgot all about Leo. Sorry, I wasn’t thinking. Where is he?”

  “He’s in Estepona, staying with Nigel Dean’s family. He’s a school friend. I’m expecting him back for the weekend.” Emma managed the moment calmly, trying to work out what Jenny was up to. Why is she deliberately setting out to irritate him?

  “They’ve just returned from South Africa, you know, from the football.” Leticia was still keeping the subject away from her fiancé.

  “Of course, I remember, the trip of a lifetime. Lucky boy, he must have loved it. I wish I’d been there to see Iniesta’s goal, it almost made me want to be Spanish, beating the Dutch like that. When did you get back?”

  “I’ll just make sure Encarni hasn’t set the kitchen on fire,” Jenny said and went into the house. What on earth is going on? It was like a sparring match out there. Leticia is worried about something. Something to do with Patrice, but she can’t pluck up the courage to tell me about it.

  Another thought jogged her memory; their conversation the previous day. The words came back to her. Leticia hadn’t said, ‘I heard you talking about it’, she’d said ‘ We heard’. Patrice also knew about their trip. Espinoza had been right. The list of suspects had been tripled, not doubled.

  Jenny was confused again and she didn’t like it.

  It was one hundred and fourteen hours since Leo had been taken.

  FIFTY-NINE

  Johannesburg, South Africa

  Espinoza’s mobile rang just as he finished unpacking his case in the Packard Hotel. A very satisfied Chief Superintendent Hendricks announced that the murdered man in Polokwane had been identified as Dr Ernest Blethin, a consultant on the Newtown Clinic medical team. “And the bullet that killed Nwosu was fired from a Makarov PM semi-automatic pistol. That’s standard issue to the Zimbabwean hard men and that’s good enough for me. You’ve closed this case for me in half a day, Pedro. I owe you. How can I repay you?”

  Espinoza had been waiting for this opening. “You can help me with the European part of my case, Johannes. I need to identify the connection with the people over there. Can you possibly check Blethin’s DNA with another data base in Europe?”

  Hendricks confirmed he’d be happy to do so and took down the details. He could now get his case written up and wait for the plaudits from his superiors and the Johannesburg press contingent. He thanked Espinoza again and rang off with a rare feeling of fulfilment.

  Espinoza took out the jigsaw puzzle he’d drawn in the airport and ticked off three points on his list. He wasn’t there yet but he knew he was starting to move in the right direction. He checked his watch. It was three thirty, two thirty in Marbella. He called Jenny.

  She saw his name and walked away from the others on the terrace. “Hello Pedro, we’re all here, about to have lunch. What’s happening?”

  He quickly related the morning’s news and waited for her reaction. Jenny was too clever for him to waste time with long explanations.

  “So Nwosu murdered Lambert and Blethin and now he’s the latest victim. I would like to say I’m sorry, but it wouldn’t be true. If it was his boyfriend who did it then it’s a kind of poetic justice I suppose. And if he’s now in Zimbabwe then the whole team in South Africa is accounted for. Hendricks must have been impressed. It sounds as if your detective skills are just as sharp as ever and the whole plot is unravelling, thank heavens. But where are Coetzee and Leo in all of this? We’re no nearer to finding the real culprits behind it all.”

  “Wait, Jenny. There’s another development that I don’t yet understand. Someone called Lord Arthur Dudley has been tracking phones from London, that’s how we found Nwosu. I’m looking into that now. It may lead us to the brains behind the abduction. I don’t know where Coetzee is yet, but if he has Leo safe, as we believe, then we must be very close to the final chapter.”

  Jenny was thunderstruck. “What? You mean there might be an English aristocrat involved in the scheme? That’s what Emma said. So your theory could be right, that this whole business was organised from England. How did you find out?”

  He briefly explained about EzeTracker and Detective Inspector Dewar. “The tracking has been going on for several days, apparently.”

  “I simply don’t understand how all these people found out about me and Emma. It means that Emma’s secret might be in jeopardy. I can’t tell her about this, she’ll go to pieces. I need to think about it.”

  “Please call me if you get any ideas, I’ve checked in at the Packard Hotel for now. I’m sorry it’s still so unclear.”

  “I have to go. The others will be wondering what’s going on. I’ll call you later, Pedro.”

  Slipping his mobile into his pocket Espinoza went downstairs to get something to eat. They might even have a decent glass of wine, he hoped.

  Geneva, Switzerland

  Sam Bensouda opened his briefcase and placed the bundle of pap
ers on the desk in front of him. In French, he said, “I think you’ll find that to be exactly one hundred and fifty thousand dollars”.

  “I’ll just check if you don’t mind, Monsieur le Prince.” Eric Schneider counted out the hundred and fifty bearer bonds, face value one thousand dollars. He held one up to the light and examined it carefully, nodding appreciatively.

  “They’re the same as the last batch I brought to you. I haven’t just printed them this morning.”

  Schneider smiled, “Excellent work if you did so, Monsieur.” He picked up the phone and called someone in. “When do you need the amount credited?”

  “I need to make a payment of a hundred thousand with today’s value. Can you manage that?”

  “I’m sure we can meet your requirements, as always. Come in!” A young man of Asian extraction came into the conference room. “Nadeem, kindly take these straight down to Mister Advecht in the bond trading department on the second floor. Ask him to confirm them to me immediately.”

  The man left and Schneider pulled out a spotless white handkerchief and blew his nose enthusiastically. He turned back to Bensouda. “Let me serve you coffee while we wait for confirmation of the credit transaction, then you can give me your transfer instructions.”

  “What is the discount commission?”

  “The same as on the last occasion, Monsieur.” He took a bank statement from the file in front of him. “There it is. I hope it’s satisfactory to you.”

  Another thousand dollars down the toilet, Bensouda thought. “Fine, as long as the transfer is done today.”

  The phone rang and Schneider said, “Excellent. Please process the transaction immediately with credit to account number Rabat 671-32. That’s right, thank you.”

  “Now, Monsieur le Prince, do you have the account details for me for the transfer?”

  Bensouda lit up his mobile phone and found the email he’d received earlier from Jolidon. He copied the account details onto the note pad on the desk.