by D C Macey
• • •
Sam was sitting on a bench a little way down the road from police headquarters, just enjoying some fresh air. A weekend spent in a rank smelling cell with he didn’t know how many others had made this little moment a treasure he’d value for a long time.
It had not been easy. A white European man alone in a cell full of African prisoners, mostly drunk, many of whom blamed European exploitation for their own poverty. He had become a focus for that discontent and understood it.
He closed his eyes and tilted his face towards the sun, enjoyed its warmth. Though he didn’t understand why he had been released, he was just glad the ordeal was over. He’d think about what to do next in a little while.
A car horn sounded, and he opened his eyes to see an orange Land Rover approaching. He knew there could only be one of those in Arusha and he waved, stood up and stepped forward as it came to a sharp halt in front of him.
Helen jumped out and hurried over. She hugged him hard. After a moment she pulled back, looked at his dirty, unshaven face and then kissed him. ‘Heavens, you smell awful. No more hugs until you’ve had a long shower.’
Then she linked her arm with his and guided him to the vehicle, she pushed him into the rear seats and turned to thank Mr Kasanda who had already explained he needed to go about his business once they were back in the centre of Arusha, as did Angel. She thanked them both, hugged them, kissed their cheeks and then climbed in beside Sam.
‘Let’s go Mauwled, the Mount Meru View Guest House as soon as you like,’ she said.
17.
Monday, 28th October - Evening
Sam emerged from the bedroom. He’d showered, shaved and slept; awoken, showered again and donned clean clothes. Hungry now, he walked into the communal area. Everyone else had eaten but Mama Grace had hung back without a grumble, waiting to cook for him.
As Sam appeared, she swung into action and the sounds and smells of good cooking quickly spread again through the living area, accompanied by faint, though distinct, sounds of disquiet from Mama Grace, restored to her normal grumpy disposition once the cooking began.
With no intention of sharing his bad experience, Sam skimmed over most of what had happened. He did make sure Helen knew how grateful he was. Then he asked about the men who had been in the Land Rover. She explained it all to him carefully: Angel and his solicitor friend Mr Kasanda, the bishop and the box. As she finished, Val appeared to announce Sam’s dinner was ready. Helen crossed the room with him and sat at table while he ate.
‘So to be clear, there is no arrest warrant out for me in Tanzania and no formal extradition request from Kenya?’
‘That’s right. Your arrest wasn’t logged here so the Kenyans don’t even know you’re in Tanzania. And we’ve made sure the chief of police here doesn’t want you to be transferred now. So, you’re as free as anyone else to do as you wish.’
Sam grinned at her. ‘I’m pleased you thought I’m worth so much. But my being locked up has given Ro Su-Ann more time. I wonder if he’s out of the country yet. What do you think?’
‘While you slept I’ve had to field two calls, one from my CIA friend Tracy and one from Rupert Peterson. Neither was that impressed with your being locked up, and apparently, I should have checked with Tracy and got permission before leaving the theatre of operations.’
‘How did you respond to that?’
‘How do you think? I’m sure she’s beginning to think I’m a bad citizen now.’
Sam laughed.
‘After Tracy had finished moaning about my unauthorised trip to Switzerland, she did tell me that they are certain Ro and his lot have not crossed the border into Burundi. So, they must still be in Tanzania along with Bob Prentice and ACE.’
‘I wonder how she knows that.’
‘Not the slightest idea, but that’s what she said.’
‘If ACE is as important as everyone seems to imply, they will almost certainly have reorganised their surveillance assets to bring the main roads between here and Burundi under constant observation. When I was in the military, they had some pretty mean satellite kit. It’s bound to be more sophisticated now. They probably haven’t seen his convoy on the road or crossing the border, which means he’s in the bush, holed up somewhere until the Tanzanian border restrictions are eased.’
‘Well, that has to be good news. There’s still a chance of saving Bob.’
Sam put down his knife and fork and smiled at Val who was approaching with a coffee pot. ‘Please tell Mama Grace that was lovely, the best food since I don’t remember when.’ Val smiled an acknowledgement back.
From the kitchen came the sound of a pan banging. Mama Grace had heard the compliment. Her head appeared round the kitchen door. ‘Don’t you get yourself arrested again. I won’t be working late a second time for nobody.’ The grumpy tone in her voice was contradicted by the warm smile she was beaming towards Sam.
In the corner of her eye, Helen caught sight of Jeanie at the far end of the communal room; she had been sitting quietly on a sofa enjoying a peaceful G and T. At the sound of Mama Grace’s sharp words, Jeanie shook her head, throwing her hands up in despair as the cook broke new boundaries in liberty taking. Then, with a resigned shrug, Jeanie reached forward, took a cheroot, lit it and lost herself for a few moments in a cloud of tobacco smoke.
The room settled down again; smoke dissipated, and Grace retreated back into her domain. With a smile of thanks, Sam took the coffee pot from Val and assured her they could manage themselves. She happily left them to it.
‘So, if Ro has been unable to leave the country, where is he? It’s a big country with lots of wild places to hide in. Did Tracy or Rupert give any hints?’
‘Nothing, it’s all on you I’m afraid. Though Tracy did indicate they were focusing resources.’
‘Well that could mean anything. What about the British?’
‘Rupert was very non-committal.’
‘Huh, he seems to be able to magic fences to sit on out of nothing.’
‘Don’t despair, Mr Cameron, I’ve more to tell you.’ Helen hunched forward, elbows on the table and hands stretched out to squeeze Sam’s.
Sam looked at her expectantly. ‘Oh?’
‘While you had your little break, courtesy of the Arusha Police, I’ve been doing a bit of digging. I spoke with my new friend Angel. Remember when we were in Nairobi and you fell out with the British high commissioner? You said you thought it unlikely Ro would have crossed the border from Kenya into Tanzania on the main road?’
‘That’s right. They must have crossed the border into Tanzania through the bush. It would have been too risky on the main roads.’
‘I told Angel.’ She saw Sam’s look of disapproval at her breach of security. ‘Well, I had to speak with somebody. You’d got yourself arrested. What was I supposed to do?’
He raised his palm off the table, signalling acceptance of her reason.
‘So, Angel suggested that Ro’s best bet would be to get a safari guide who knows this end of the country. And he said he thought he knew where to ask around.’
‘Is it safe for him to do that? Wouldn’t it be better if we did it? The man has to live here after this is all over. Even if he could just point us in the right direction.’
‘That’s what I suggested, but he wouldn’t have us do it alone. Apparently, we visitors get to see the nice cuddly side of Arusha. There’s a dark underbelly too. Angel knows the place, he wouldn’t tell me where to go - I think he was worried I’d go storming in single-handed and get into trouble. So, we agreed the three of us will go together.’
‘That’s brilliant, well done, Helen. Any more of this and I’ll start to think you don’t need me.’
‘Oh, I need you, Mr Cameron.’ She stood, leant over to kiss his forehead, and then ruffled his hair. ‘Come on, we’ve to meet Angel at the Arusha Clock Tower in an hour. We’d better go and sit with Jeanie for a while first.’
• • •
Mauwled had turne
d off the clock tower roundabout into the service station forecourt, coming to a halt beyond the fuel pumps. It was quiet, only one car was filling up and two or three pedestrians wandered past. The streets around the clock tower were fairly well lit and appeared benign.
Sam opened his door and stepped out as Angel appeared. He thrust out his hand. ‘Angel, good to see you again. Sorry I wasn’t up to scratch this morning. But thank you, nonetheless; for getting me out of that mess and for looking out for Helen.’
‘It was a pleasure to be of assistance,’ said Angel as they shook hands, ‘though I must confess, Helen needs little looking out for.’ He laughed. ‘I think if things had gone on much longer it would have been her looking out for me!’
‘Well, thank you. Now, what’s the plan? Where are we going, and do we need the Land Rover, or are we walking?’
‘I think driving would be easiest. It’s not too far, just quicker in the Land Rover.’
Mauwled had been listening through the open driver’s window, and he nodded.
Sam and Angel got into the Land Rover and Helen smiled a welcome at Angel.
‘Can you take us beyond the central market area?’ said Angel.
Mauwled nodded and got underway.
‘What’s at the central market?’ said Sam.
‘By this time in the evening, I’m hoping not so much, it will be a bit quieter. During the day, lots of shops and stalls, but most people will have shut up shop by now. There are some places to eat, bars and nightlife too, not that I would necessarily recommend them to visitors, but I’m thinking it’s where we need to be if we are to find what you want.’
‘And what’s that?’ said Sam.
Mauwled brought the Land Rover to a halt. They were in a different Arusha now. Here the streetlights were positioned further apart. The light given by each seemed a little dimmer, leaving great pools of shadow between them.
Mauwled turned in his seat, a worried look on his face. ‘This is not a place for Helen. She can stay here with me.’
‘I don’t think so,’ said Helen. She reached across and squeezed his arm. ‘Don’t worry, I can look after myself.’
He did not seem convinced but gave a resigned shrug and sat back to wait. Helen noted that he kept the engine running.
Angel, Sam and Helen stood on the road and looked about. Everywhere was quiet. At some point in the past the road had been metalled but much of that had worn away. Now ruts and potholes were the prominent features. Angel led them up onto a walkway that was raised just a little above the road; it served to keep pedestrians, stallholders and their wares out of the water when the rains came. The walkway was also sheltered by the upper floor of each building, which had been built to overhang the walkway. This provided those beneath with shelter from the rains, but equally as important, it served as a sunscreen throughout the year.
They followed Angel along the walkway, passing barred doors and shuttered shop fronts. Occasional glimpses of light and muffled sounds from within made clear that the business owners and their families remained in residence. Nothing was left unattended. Here and there, rough sleepers stirred, stretching out a hand in the hope of receiving something, but Angel kept the group moving. In only a few paces they reached a lane that ran off between buildings. Stepping down into the road, they crossed the little junction then stepped back up onto the next stretch of walkway.
Angel continued in the lead. As they walked away from the junction, the streetlight behind them faded and they moved into the shadowlands. Sam switched into high alert mode, watching for danger; he unobtrusively manoeuvred so he walked on the outside and Helen had the protection of walking between him and the wall.
A moment later, he wished he had not done so. As Angel passed a doorway, shadows shifted from within the recess, emerging as Angel passed and Helen arrived. Sam immediately lunged in front of her, brushing her to the side and reaching out a restraining hand into the shadows. He grabbed one shadow and stretched out his other arm to restrain the second. There were shrieks and cries of fear as Sam momentarily felt some surprise at how little resistance the ambushers put up, but he wasn’t going to take any chances.
Angel turned back and intervened before Sam could inflict any damage.
‘Stop, Sam. Stop!’
Sam’s fist stopped in mid-journey towards the shadow’s head. He turned to look at Angel’s pleading face then turned to look more closely at the shadow. Horrified, he let his hands drop.
Helen pushed past Sam to reach the girls; putting an arm around each one, she tried to reassure them they were safe.
Angel was speaking fast, none of which Helen understood but she saw the fear receding from the girls’ eyes as Angel spoke.
‘I’m so sorry,’ said Sam. ‘I thought they were attacking Helen, I didn’t know they were only girls.’
‘It’s okay, they understand. But perhaps you should give them some money for their pains,’ said Angel.
‘What were they doing out here in the shadows? That was just asking for trouble,’ said Helen.
‘Yes, it was. But these girls must come out - they have babies to feed and are alone in the city or maybe they have husbands who send them out. They are prostitutes; this is not such a friendly place for them. They are used to being hurt, it happens a lot.’
Helen was horrified. In the half-light she couldn’t gauge the girls’ ages, but ‘girl’ was the operative word. She looked at Sam, nodding encouragement as he pulled out his wallet. She turned to Angel. ‘You must do something for these girls, what can you do?’
‘Not so much. There are a thousand and more scattered around, and for everyone we save, another comes along. My church aids those that come for help, but many won’t come. If they are from Christian backgrounds, they are frightened of the Church’s condemnation. If they have tribal religions, they are just generally suspicious and frightened.’
‘Well, Angel, I want you to sort these two out, okay? And I’ll see what I can do to support you in helping other girls.’
An engine purred on the street immediately behind them. Helen turned to see that Mauwled had spotted the commotion and, anticipating trouble, had quietly driven up beside them. She gave him a reassuring wave.
Angel spoke rapidly to the two girls. With Sam’s money in their hands they were happy to stand and listen. They were used to beatings and worse from bad men, men who would try to steal their money too; this was proving to be a good night.
When Angel had finished speaking, the girls were smiling, real smiles. They pressed their hands together and inclined their heads towards Angel and he stretched out and touched each of their foreheads in turn. The girls then smiled to Helen and Sam before hurrying away into the night.
Angel watched them go. ‘I’ve sent them home. With your cash they won’t need to work tonight and that makes them happy. And I’ve told them to come to my church in the morning. I will have some work for them, so they don’t have to do this again, and that made them very happy.’
‘Thank you, Angel. That was awful. I’ll have to speak with you about how we could do something about this. We could start a programme, maybe?’
‘That would be a wonderful thing and I look forward to talking about it, but perhaps we should fix the problem we came here for first? The place we want is just ahead. You will be safe with me. My church is around the corner, and I am well known in this street. Though not in the bars,’ he ended with a chuckle and led them a few steps on before pushing open a door to let light flood onto the walkway. He entered; Helen and Sam followed him in.
Several unshaded electric bulbs were strung across the ceiling, casting a harsh light that hurt as they came in from the outside. The noise that had spilled out as the door opened faded away when the bar’s occupants saw the newcomers. White men were infrequent visitors, white women never called here.
As their eyes became accustomed to the light, Helen peered round. Most of the drinkers recognised Angel and clearly wondered what he wanted; those that weren’t
looking at him were looking at her with a very real interest. Finally, Angel spotted the man he was looking for, sat at a table with a couple of cronies. Before walking across, Angel looked over at the trestle table bar, raised four fingers towards the barman and called for four bottles of beer.
The man who Angel wanted had watched their progress towards him. When they arrived, he waved his friends away. He wiped the rough planked tabletop with his sleeve, and then swept out an expansive arm, inviting the three to join him. They sat just as the barman arrived with the beers, which he placed on the table in front of them.
Angel distributed the drinks. Helen took hers and had a sip, as did Sam, while the man they had joined looked at Angel with steady expressionless eyes. Then he shifted his gaze to Sam and Helen, lifted his beer bottle and tilted it towards them in a salute as his face broke into a smile. Helen mirrored his actions exactly, and Sam nodded. The man reached over and touched his bottle against Angel’s. ‘Thanks,’ he said. ‘Who are your friends?’
Helen noted his well-formed English.
‘This is Abe. Abe, these are my friends who need an answer to the question I asked yesterday. I got a message that you had an answer.’
Abe drank from the bottle and then looked keenly at Angel. ‘I may have. It’s been difficult to find what you wanted and very expensive.’
‘Abe, why does everyone want money from me. Isn’t it enough to be serving God’s purpose?’
Abe leant back and laughed theatrically. ‘Angel, you serve God’s purpose for us. I have a family to keep. Now, I think what I have will help you. What will you give me?’
‘Twenty dollars,’ said Angel.
‘I was thinking a thousand, and that would be cheap. It’s good information.’
Sam leant forward a little to interrupt the discussion. ‘Abe, good to meet you, I’m Sam.’ He stretched across the table and shook Abe’s hand. ‘Angel has done well bringing us together with you. But I think you’ll understand that if we are to give you even a little more than twenty dollars I need to know something about you.’