“Well, Inspector Mwitu is up, at Prosperity Dam that is, or at least he will be in a couple of hours. With your story and Ana’s disappearance his superiors had no choice but to give him the authority and the men to conduct a search of the place. As you are the main witness and know some of the layout, he wants you to meet him up there. I’m going to drive you up myself. Anything we can do to help find Ana must be our number one priority. I want to leave in five minutes I’m afraid. I’ve asked Raymond to wrap a few bacon sandwiches up for the journey.”
When they arrived at the now familiar yellow barrier it was clear that Mwitu and his men were already there. The once surly guard on the gate almost tripped over in his attempt to let them through as quickly as possible.
They made their way down to the main offices where Harry had come on his first visit. Mr Zhang Wei seemed a shrunken version of the man he remembered. He was at his desk with the Inspector and another senior officer facing him.
“I am sure you remember Harry and of course his uncle Jim who has hosted your Chairman Mr Pang up at Uwingoni. I think the young man’s face tells a story before he even opens his mouth. He came here just two days ago with his friend Ana at the invitation of Mr Pang himself and the fact that he escaped with his life is only down to luck and bravery on his part.”
“I know nothing of this,” said Zhang Wei, sitting up straight and trying to regain some of his authority, “but I do know that the Chairman and his associates in government will be far from pleased with this intrusion today.”
“I don’t think you have any idea of the seriousness of the allegations against this organisation. Not only has a young woman been kidnapped but we believe her to be in a container full of poached elephant tusks. On top of that the Somalis operating under your protection are known members of Al-Shabaab, a terrorist group responsible for some of the most appalling terrorist attacks on our country.”
“I haven’t been protecting any Somalis. I’ve never even met a Somali,” protested Zhang Wei.
“Time and our investigations will determine that. Now I’d like to interview Michael, I gather he’s the Chairman’s nephew. Please arrange for him to join us here as soon as possible.”
Zhang Wei shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his eyes flicking nervously towards the window and the outside. “I’m afraid that will not be possible. He’s not here at the moment.”
“That’s very convenient. Could you tell us where he is then? Something important like a doctor’s appointment in Nairobi I imagine.”
“Yes, yes. That’s exactly it,” stuttered the engineer. “How did you know?”
“Oh, just experience. Would you be good enough to get him on his mobile phone? He does have one of those I assume?”
Harry watched the charade unfolding. It wasn’t his place to say anything unless asked but he could sense the nervousness. Just like some animals in the wild when they sense danger, Zhang Wei’s tongue licked repeatedly round his lips.
“Ah Michael, sorry to disturb you on your way to the hospital but the police are with me at the moment and would like to speak to you. I wonder if… Michael, can you hear me, Michael? Oh dear, Inspector. We seem to have lost the signal.”
“Indeed,” said Mwitu. “One of my officers will be staying in here with you and when Michael rings back, which of course he is bound to do, he will let me know and I’ll be able to talk to him. Meanwhile you are not to leave this office complex.”
“But I’ve got…”
“I’m not really interested in what you have or have not got. I still don’t think you really understand the potential charges that might well be brought against Ching Pang. You will remain here. Thank you.”
The door opened and a sour-faced man stood glaring at the intruders. “Ah Mr Hu I assume. I am Inspector Mwitu of the Kenyan police. You timing is perfect. We were just about to take a look at all the containers you have just a short distance from here.”
Hu’s eyes darted momentarily towards his boss who shrugged helplessly and returned to brushing off some imaginary dirt on his computer keypad.
“Oh and Mr Hu, please make sure you have keys to them all. We’ll be waiting for you outside.”
By the time they reached the containers they had been joined by Sergeant Odika, who had just arrived with a squad of six very determined looking KWS rangers. Mr Hu carried a large bunch of keys and despite the situation he still walked with a swagger. Harry felt a quickening of his pulse as he looked at where he and Ana had been held.
“The purple container with the tusks was the last in the line and I can see already that it’s no longer here.”
The sergeant looked at the ground. “It must have been moved very recently you can clearly see the marks of its imprint in the earth. Tell me Mr Hu what was in this container and where is it bound for?”
“I believe some heavy machinery that was being returned to China as it was no longer needed here any longer.”
Harry couldn’t contain himself, “That’s a complete lie and you know it. It was filled with elephant tusks and my friend Ana was imprisoned in there too, by those cowardly Somalis who work with you.”
Hu almost sneered, “Somalis and elephant tusks. What sort of dream world do you live in young man? There are no elephants near here and Somalia is several hundred miles away.”
Jim laid his hand on Harry’s arm. “Leave it. Just let the professionals get on with their job.”
Container after container was opened. There were engine parts, large amounts of rock samples and all manner of equipment used in dam construction but that was about it. As each one drew a blank, Hu’s arrogance grew and grew. “Perhaps we might find some live lions in this last one Sergeant. You never know.” That too was empty of anything incriminating.
Harry felt totally deflated. “Jim there just has to be something. They haven’t had a chance to move any of these, other than the one with Ana in, and this man Hu is just too cocky.”
Odika seemed to have disappeared and then they saw him again walking down the far side of the first container in the line. He ordered two of his men to clear a pathway down the inside and push the machinery to the centre. He then walked in, taking long slow steps until he reached the end. He repeated the process and then went outside and did the same thing.
“This may be wishful thinking,” he said to one of his rangers, “but something doesn’t feel quite right. Have you got a torch?”
The man searched unsuccessfully through the equipment bag.
“Sergeant please use my phone, it has a good torch on the back. Hang on I’ll just switch it on.”
Harry handed his phone over and Odika and a couple of his men entered the container. Those outside heard much knocking and tapping and some minutes later they reappeared. “Where’s Mr Hu?”
“The last time I saw him he was over to the side those huts talking in earnest to two or three men.”
“Thanks Jim. Corporal will you please go over there and ask Mr Hu if he would join us.”
“Ah, Mr Hu. Please would you arrange straight away for someone from your garage to come up here with an oxy-acetylene cutting kit.”
“They’re all terribly busy at the moment. They’ve got a lot on.”
“I don’t think you understand Mr Hu. This is not a casual request. I want someone up here with that equipment within ten minutes.”
After what seemed an age a filthy yellow pickup appeared, driven by a man in matching overalls. One of the rangers helped him unload a trolley on which were two gas cylinders, coloured hoses and dials, an assortment of welding nozzles and finally a metallic face mask with dark glass across the eyes. All this was wheeled inside the container and Odika issued instructions. While he and a couple of his men stayed inside the welder set to work.
Odika hoped his hunch was right but of course there was no guarantee, however, he had come to learn how devious those involved in poaching were. It had seemed to him with his rather crude method of measuring that the inside of the container
was about a metre shorter than the outside. The wall at the back, despite some crude attempt to paint it the same colour didn’t match with anything else. False walls were not uncommon and if his suspicions were right, what if anything lay behind it?
The welder seemed to be taking an age and every so often when he took a short break, Odika came up to have a look at what progress was being made. He had started about halfway up the vertical upright, working towards the floor. It soon became obvious that where there should have been daylight on the other side there was none to be seen. However, there was no way of telling what secrets might be hidden in the darkness.
A chair was fetched so that the welder could reach the roof. “Right,” ordered Odika, “I want you to cut a metre along the top horizontally and the same at the bottom. With luck we should then be able to peel it back rather like some giant food tin.”
Time crawled but eventually the man stepped back from the wall and removed his mask to reveal a face dripping with sweat. “That should be enough now I think.”
“Go and get me that tyre lever I saw in the back of your pick up. Come on man, hurry up.” When he returned Odika instructed him to start forcing the metal back but soon lost patience. “Stand aside and give me the lever.”
The sound of tortured metal filled the container and with it the unmistakable smell of dead flesh. “Where is Musambi?” There was a shout from the corporal and the youngest of the rangers was summoned. “Go and get your camera. I want everything recorded as proof of what I fear we are about to discover today. I assume it has a flash on it?”
“Yes Sergeant I’ll just get it.” He was back in an instant. “Ready when you are. If this stench is anything to go by I don’t think I’m looking forward to the images I’m going to be taking.”
Odika switched the torchlight on again as he squeezed through the opening. The area to his right was crammed with various shapes covered by large canvas sheets.
“There’s a lot in here,” he shouted back through the opening. “I don’t want to take it outside for the moment. Corporal will you get as much of the junk cleared out of the container as possible. We’ll bring whatever is in here out bit by bit and examine it in as much privacy as this metal box provides us.
He cautiously pulled away the first canvas cover, and although half expecting what he might discover he still found himself recoiling from the both the sight and smell of what lay before him. There piled one on top of the other were the skins of leopards. As he lifted the top one off he could understand the assault on his nose. There had been no attempt to cure the skins and the fat and in some places the flesh of the animal still remained.
Musambi’s camera flashed and the skin was passed out and then another followed and so it went on until the skins of twenty-three leopards lay stacked up in one corner of the container.
Even before he had fully pulled off the covering of the next pile he could see the lion’s mane and the same sickening procession of skins followed. “Right, I’ve seen more than enough already. Let’s get someone else in here now. I need to see the Inspector.”
He eased himself through the opening and heading out into the sunlight found Jim and Mwitu in deep conversation. “Look I have already found enough lion and leopard skins to suggest that this is a large-scale organisation that must range far and wide across the country and even over our borders into Tanzania and Uganda. Do you know what it must take to find twenty-three leopards, let alone successfully poach them? The lion skins are coming out now and we are far from finished.”
“I suggest we put an immediate ban on anyone leaving the site,” responded Mwitu. “I’ll get reinforcements up here straight away. Nearly all the men who work here are dirt poor, just trying to scrape a living for themselves and their families and will be of no interest to us. However, anyone in authority or who seems better dressed than the average worker, we need to talk to. Inspector Kamau, would you be good enough to get back to Mr Zhang Wei’s office straight away and tell him what’s happening and ask him to gather all his managers together in the office. I shall want to speak to them in half an hour.”
There was a shout from the container, “Sergeant, please come quickly.” Odika strode back into the container and there in a large wooden box up against the wall was the unmistakable sight of three large rhino horns laid out neatly on top of a bed of straw. He picked one up, dark grey in colour it had a surprisingly thick base and he could see where the chainsaw cut with chilling accuracy between that and the rhino’s nose, every extra piece of weight representing an extraordinary value. He knew that such was the demand in the Far East; a kilo was worth more than the same weight of gold or cocaine. “There are five identical boxes in there, we’ll get them out now but I fear it’s going to be grim news.”
“Get me Headquarters straight away Corporal. This is far too big for us to deal with alone. I need to speak to the Deputy Director Security, even if he is in an important meeting. Oh and by the way where’s Mr Hu?”
Everyone scanned round the containers and buildings but there was no sign of Hu or indeed the men he had been talking to. Everyone had been so intent on the container that he had slipped away unnoticed.
“Did anyone see in which direction he went?” asked the Inspector.
Harry was thinking back to their first visit. “This is only a hunch but further up the track there was another turning, also protected with a barrier and I remember Michael Cheng telling me that is where Hu’s base was.”
“Thanks Harry that’s as good a guess as anything and there is nothing more we can do here right now. We’ll leave that up to KWS although I will see whether I can borrow a couple of their heavily armed rangers, just in case. Can you come with us and direct the driver. That is of course providing you keep well out of the way should there be any trouble.”
“I’ll come too if I may,” said Jim. “I feel such anguish just standing here. I simply need to be away from this place.”
Ten minutes later two Land Rovers sat, engines idling at an unmanned barrier.
“I know nothing more than his base is up there and it is off limits to everyone except the chosen few.”
“Thanks Harry. You and Jim stay here with one of my men and the vehicles. We don’t want to advertise our arrival. We will see you soon. Jim, you have my number, call me if I haven’t got back to you within half an hour.”
Mwitu and his men disappeared round the corner fanning out as they went. The lone policeman left behind seemed understandably disgruntled and decided to base himself in the hut used by those who usually manned the barrier.
Harry and Jim sat in one of the vehicles. It was ironic that in many ways there was so much to say and talk about and yet the last day or so had overloaded their minds and it was difficult to know where to begin. Being silent, although painful, was an understandable place to be.
Strangely it was Jim who spoke first. “You know Harry, you devote your whole life to the wild animals of this beautiful country with all its wonder and magic and to see what came out of that container almost made me cry. We all know this goes on but the scale of killing now is truly horrifying. People wonder what might be left for their grandchildren, I seriously wonder what’s going to be here, in even ten years’ time!”
“I know Jim. I felt much the same and I’m a complete new boy. But just at the moment I simply can’t get Ana out of my head. I know there’s a nationwide alert out for that purple container but Kenya’s a big place. If they only travel at night who’s even going to see the colour? We’re not the police so what can we do? Just being up here and thinking of her on her own in the dark, rattling down roads to goodness knows where, fills me with useless rage. Yes we assume she’s heading to Mombasa but who knows? They might stop on some remote part of the coast and load her and the tusks into a couple of dhows. There are so many possibilities and all of them harrowing.”
The sound of gunfire cut through their thoughts, not just individual shots but prolong bursts. “Fingers crossed that’s us ta
king them by surprise Harry, not the other way round.”
The policeman was out of the hut looking up the track and then they heard it, through the shots, the unmistakable sound of a vehicle being driven at speed. “Are the keys in the ignition Jim? I know this is a police Land Rover but if we can drive it across the barrier, there’s no way anything can drive out of this narrow entrance.”
They leapt forward, Jim’s foot hard down on the accelerator and as he spun the wheel, they slid across the track just as the other vehicle sped round the corner. They recognised the blotchy camouflaged markings on the Land Rover immediately, as the driver tried desperately to alter course at the last second but the steep sides meant there was nowhere to go. The front wheel hit a large boulder and with the sound of tortured metal they were forced halfway up the bank, the vehicle flipping onto its side as it did so. Then slowly it slid back onto the road, its rear wheel stopping against the very boulder that had propelled it there in the first place.
Remarkably the passenger door opened up towards the sky and a familiar figure, AK-47 in hand seemed to propel himself out of the vehicle. Seeing Jim and Harry, his face twisted with loathing, he raised the gun as they crouched down behind the cover of the police Land Rover. Two shots rang out clearly and as they glanced nervously from their hiding place, they saw the man clutching his chest, as his weapon bounced drunkenly on the rocky surface.
The policeman advanced towards him, rifle raised but already it was obvious he would never be a threat to anyone again. Cautiously approaching the upturned vehicle, he pointed his gun through the open door and peered in. The driver, his head still bleeding from the impact of the crash, stared up at the gun barrel and groggily hauled himself out of the door. The policeman gestured for him to lie face down, his hands behind his back, face next to the ever-widening stain in the ground as his comrade’s life slowly drained away.
Harry stood up and looking down at his would-be executioners with their filthy army trousers and feet that somehow still clung to flip flops, felt nothing but contempt.
Tusker Page 24
