Facets of Death

by Michael Stanley

  “So what are your thoughts on all this?” Mabaku asked.

  Kubu hesitated. His head was buzzing with ideas, but nothing was clear to him as yet.

  “Well,” he began tentatively, “one thing is the story about the three boxes. Tau said that no one could possibly know which box contained the diamonds, but that’s not really true. If this Peter Tshane was working with one of the second group of guards, he could have put the box containing the diamonds in a particular position—facing the door, say. The guard who collected it would then have known which box had the diamonds, and it would have been easy to see which van picked up that particular box and tip off the robbers.”

  Mabaku finished his biscuit and sipped his coffee before he replied. “Yes, that’s possible, but we know that the security van’s doors weren’t forced open, which suggests one of the transit company people was also in on it.”

  “Then the guard at the mine could have put the box in a particular position to be picked up.”

  “True, but it means there must’ve been two of the mine guards working for the robbers. We certainly have to grill Tshane and the guards who took the boxes for pickup. It also seems likely that if the plan was leaked here at the mine, then it must have been by someone senior or someone close to them. What did you make of the three managers?”

  Kubu was momentarily nonplussed. Was it possible that Mabaku had already identified the guilty party? Had he missed some important slip that had given the culprit away? He didn’t think so, but he realised he’d concentrated more on what they’d said than on how they were saying it.

  “I think Goodman was straight,” he replied after a few moments of thought. “He was concerned about the guards and their families and had warned the others that the plan was risky.” He felt on pretty firm ground about the head of administration.

  Mabaku shook his head. “That could be a clever strategy if you wanted to deflect blame away from yourself. And we don’t even know if it’s true. We need to check his claim with the others, and to find out why they wouldn’t delay.”

  Kubu hadn’t thought about that possibility. He hesitated to offer a further opinion, but Mabaku seemed to be waiting for him to do so. “I didn’t like Chamberlain,” he said after a moment. “He seemed abrupt and quite casual about everything.”

  Mabaku nodded. “I didn’t like him either. But there are lots of more or less honest people I don’t like. We need more than that to make us suspect him of anything. What about Tau?”

  “Tau? The head of security?”

  “Ideal position to pull something like this off.”

  Kubu tried to go through the interview in his head. Tau had been helpful, and he couldn’t think of anything he’d said that didn’t seem reasonable.

  Mabaku waited a few moments, then climbed off the sofa and stretched. “Well, I’m heading to bed. We’ll pick it up in the morning. Turn off the lights when you’re finished here.” With that he headed towards the bathroom.

  Kubu sat for a couple of minutes mulling it over. Somehow, he felt he’d disappointed Mabaku, but he couldn’t see anything that he’d missed. He stood up and tried to estimate how many biscuits he could take without it being noticed. A few in hand, he headed for his bedroom.

  What an incredible first day it’s been, he thought. Starting with the suitcases and now working with the assistant superintendent on the heist. I must go over everything in my mind before I go to sleep.

  But once he settled himself in the comfortable bed, it wasn’t long before he was snoring.

  TUESDAY

  Chapter 29

  The next morning, the three detectives found a café nearby where they could have breakfast. Kubu especially enjoyed his French toast and coffee since he didn’t have to pay for it.

  When they’d finished, Mabaku outlined the plans for the day.

  “We have a lot to do. We need to get to the bottom of the explosion on that plane. Bengu, I want you to talk to the civil aviation people—they’ll be at the airport. Fill them in about the robbery, and tell them about our concern that the fire may not have been accidental. Then visit the pilot and find out what his take on it is. Did he have any warning? Was he concerned about any aspects of the plane?”

  He turned to Samkoa. “I want you to talk to everyone at the mine who might have seen something yesterday afternoon—anything unusual. The gate guards and so on. I’m going to talk to this Peter Tshane and the guards who brought the boxes to the pickup point. We’ll meet up here at noon to compare notes.”

  Kubu had a question. “How will I get around? I don’t know the town at all.”

  “We’ll drop you at the airport. Get someone there to give you a lift to the hospital afterwards. It’s only a few kilometres.”

  Kubu nodded, hoping he could persuade someone to do that. At worst, he could walk the few kilometres, but it was already getting warm and it was only just after eight.

  Mabaku settled the bill, and they dropped Kubu at the entrance gate to the airport. It was obvious from the activity there that an investigation was underway.

  I seem to be specialising in airports, Kubu thought as he walked up to the entrance gate and displayed his badge.

  The man who opened the gate for Kubu introduced himself as Phineas Nari.

  “Let’s go inside,” Kubu said. “I have some questions for you.”

  When they were settled, Kubu pulled out his notebook. “Were you here when the plane caught fire yesterday morning?”

  Nari nodded.

  “Tell me what you saw.”

  For the next few minutes, Nari described what he’d seen, and Kubu wrote down the salient points.

  “Did you see anyone on the airport grounds immediately before that?”

  Nari shook his head. “No.”

  “Do planes burst into flames often?”

  “I don’t think so, but you’d better ask the civil aviation people. They’re looking at the plane right now.”

  Kubu thanked Nari and walked slowly in the morning heat out to the plane. When he was about twenty metres away, a man in a white coat shouted at him.

  “This is an accident scene. Please go back and leave the airport.”

  Kubu felt a little thrill as he took out his police badge. “Detective Sergeant Bengu from the Criminal Investigation Department, Botswana Police, sir. May I talk to you?”

  The man scowled and walked over.

  After the necessary introduction, Kubu explained that the CID was concerned that the plane had been purposefully torched rather than accidentally bursting into flames.

  The man looked surprised. “Why do you think that?”

  Kubu told him about the diamond robbery and their thinking that the airport had been purposefully put out of commission so the backup plan would be implemented.

  The man stared at Kubu for a few long moments. “We’re pretty sure it is a case of arson. Let’s walk back and sit in the shade while I explain what we’ve found.”

  When they reached Nari’s office, the civil-aviation investigator asked Nari to give them a few minutes alone. Then, while Kubu scribbled in his notebook as fast as he could, the man explained what he thought had happened.

  “Aviation fuel, like petrol for your car, doesn’t burn very well if a match is dropped into it. For a good fire, the petrol fumes have to mix with oxygen in the air. It’s really the fumes that burn, not the liquid.”

  “So, if the tanks were full, the fuel wouldn’t burn very well, even if something set it alight. Is that right?” Kubu asked.

  The investigator nodded.

  “How likely is it that the pilot would have taken off with tanks that were not full?”

  “I can’t say,” the man responded. “But we can easily find out.” He stood up, went to the door, and shouted for Nari to come over.

  When Nari sat down, the investigator asked him
whether he’d filled the tanks on the plane.

  “Yes, sir. Mr. Roberts asked me to fill them yesterday. And he checked them this morning before he took off.”

  “Are you sure that the first flames came from the engine and not the fuel tank?”

  “I was quite a long way away, but I think so.”

  “And the second fire?” Kubu asked.

  “I’m pretty sure it was from the fuel tank.”

  After Nari left, the investigator told Kubu that what Nari had said corroborated what they’d found. “It looks to us that an incendiary device of some sort caused the fuel line in the engine to rupture, causing the fuel to catch fire. We think a second device was explosive and ruptured the right fuel tank, causing a big fire that consumed the right wing and the right undercarriage.”

  Kubu thought for a few moments. “How can you be so sure that what happened wasn’t accidental?”

  “Oh, it’s very obvious to an experienced eye: the way the fuel line ruptured; the bent metal plates on the wing.”

  “How long would it take someone to put devices like that in the plane, and how would they activate them? Would they be on a timer of some sort?”

  “The device in the fuel tank would take a few minutes—open the cap and either drop it in or fix it to the wall of the tank. The one in the engine would probably take longer if it was placed in a specific spot rather than just being pushed in. If it was specifically attached to the fuel line, for example, the engine casing would have to be removed, then replaced. It’s not a difficult job but does take some time.”

  “Would it be obvious to someone like Nari?”

  “Oh yes.”

  “Could it be done in the dark?”

  “If whoever did it had a flashlight, it wouldn’t be too difficult.”

  Kubu mulled over what he’d just heard.

  The investigator interrupted his thoughts. “You asked about a timer.”

  Kubu nodded.

  “It wouldn’t make any sense to have one if the idea was to close the airport. The only way that could happen would be to have the fire occur while the plane was on the runway. There’d be no way to predict precisely when that would happen. The devices were probably triggered by radio.”

  “How close would the transmitter have to be?”

  “Not close. All that would be necessary would be for the person to see when the plane was on the runway.”

  Kubu asked a few more questions but learnt nothing new. He thanked the investigator for his time and asked for a business card in case he needed to ask anything else.

  The investigator nodded, handed Kubu his card, and headed back to the plane.

  Kubu immediately went to find Nari.

  “Did you see anyone on or near the airport when the plane blew up?”

  “No. I’m sure I was the only one around.”

  “And nobody during the night?”

  Nari shook his head. “I come on duty at six in the morning. The night watchman didn’t say that he’d seen anything and confirmed that later when I asked him again after the fire.”

  “Most night watchmen I see in Gaborone seem to sleep all night. Could he have missed someone coming into the airport?”

  “I’m sure it’s possible.”

  Kubu felt a pang of frustration. He wasn’t making any headway.

  “Is there anything out of the ordinary that you can remember that happened after the plane landed, whenever that was?”

  “It came in the afternoon before. No problems.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Not really. The only thing out of the ordinary was that a man stopped Mr. Roberts as he drove out of the airport. It looked as though he gave Mr. Roberts something.”

  Kubu perked up. “Did you recognise the man? Or see what he gave Roberts?”

  “Unfortunately not.”

  “What did he look like?”

  “Hard to say from a distance. But I’d say he was older and wore a jacket. Nothing else stuck out.”

  Again, Kubu felt frustration welling up. He’d established that the plane had been sabotaged but hadn’t learnt anything about who was behind it or how they’d planted the devices.

  “Can you give me a lift to the hospital, please? I need to speak to Roberts, but I don’t have a car.”

  “Sure,” Nari replied. “Follow me.”

  Chapter 30

  While Kubu was at the airport, Mabaku used the office of someone at the mine who was on leave. The major’s PA assisted him by contacting the guards he wanted to see.

  He started by checking in with Director Gobey and learnt the bad news about the third security guard and the good news about their first lead to the robbers’ vehicle. Just as he finished his call, there was a tentative knock on the door.

  “Come in,” he called out. The man who entered was big—perhaps two metres tall and broad with it. He walked up to the desk.

  “Security Officer Tshane. They said you wanted to see me, sir.” He stood stiffly, as if at attention.

  Mabaku pointed to the chair in front of his desk, and Tshane lowered himself into it.

  “I’m Assistant Superintendent Mabaku. I’m investigating the robbery yesterday. You are Peter Tshane? You were with Eddie Tau yesterday afternoon?”

  Tshane nodded. “Yes, sir. I was with him. But I know nothing about the robbers. Nothing at all.”

  “How did you know he wanted you?”

  Tshane looked confused and shook his head. He looked down at his hands.

  “I mean, how did you know Tau wanted you to help him at the plant?”

  “His secretary phoned and asked for me to come.”

  “So he asked for you?”

  He nodded. “I usually help him with the diamond deliveries. Because I’m strong and carry the boxes. That’s why. Otherwise, I have nothing to do with the diamonds.”

  “You met him at the plant?”

  “Yes, we met outside and then went in through security together. Then he asked one of the men there to bring us the box for delivery to Gaborone.”

  “Go on.”

  “Well, then Rra Tau unlocked a side room, and we went in there with the diamonds. I was surprised.”

  “Is that unusual?”

  “Yes. Normally, I just pick up the box, Rra Tau checks it and locks it, and then we take it out to the vehicle. That’s what we always do.”

  “Rra Tau hadn’t told you what you were going to do?”

  “No, I thought it would be the same as always.”

  “What happened when you went into this room?”

  “There were two more boxes there. I thought they were also full of diamonds, but Rra Tau opened them, and there was gravel inside. Just ordinary bits of rock. He told me to get a bag from the cupboard. It had more gravel in it, and we topped up the two boxes of stones until they weighed the same as the one with the diamonds.”

  “How did you know that?”

  “There was a scale there.”

  “Did you do the weighing?”

  Tshane shook his head. “Rra Tau did it.”

  “But you saw the weight?”

  “No, I poured in the gravel while Rra Tau checked the scale.”

  So only Tau had known the weights. Mabaku made a note of that.

  “And then?”

  “Rra Tau checked the box with the diamonds—looked inside—and then locked all three boxes.”

  “Did you see inside the box?”

  Tshane nodded but didn’t meet Mabaku’s eye. “Diamonds. Lots and lots of diamonds.”

  It all seemed reasonable, but Tshane’s manner bothered Mabaku. He seemed to be telling the story truthfully, but there was also an undercurrent of nervousness.

  “All right. What happened then?”

  “Then Rra Tau asked me to tak
e the three boxes and put them together for collection any way I liked.”

  “How did you put them?”

  “Just next to each other.”

  “And which was the box with the diamonds?”

  Tshane hesitated. “I think it was the one nearest the door.”

  “You don’t know?”

  “They all looked the same…” Again, he looked down at his hands as he answered.

  “And then?”

  “We left. Rra Tau locked the door, and he took me to the canteen, and we drank coffee together.” He shook his head. “I didn’t understand. Normally we take the box, and I carry it to the loading bay. Then I put it in the vehicle, and another guard and I climb in the back. Then the van is driven to the airport, and we load the box on the plane. We never just leave the box behind and drink coffee!”

  “Did you ask Rra Tau about it?”

  “He said other guards would move the boxes for us, but he didn’t explain what it was all about. After about ten minutes, we went out to the loading bay, and the boxes were on the ground waiting to be loaded. Two other guards were waiting with them. Then Rra Tau told me I could go.”

  “Which was the box with the diamonds? Tell me the truth!”

  Tshane swallowed. “I…I don’t know. I suppose it was there. How could I know?”

  Mabaku leant back in his chair. Everything Tshane had said agreed with what Tau had said. And there seemed to be nothing untoward about what he’d done. So what was upsetting the man then?

  “Rra Tshane, is there anything else you want to tell me? Anything that may help with the inquiry into the robbery? We expect your full cooperation.”

  “I’ve told you everything! There’s nothing else.”

  But why doesn’t he look at me when he says it? Mabaku wondered.

  “Thank you, Rra Tshane. I will probably have more questions later.”

  Tshane climbed to his feet and left without another word.