by Dan Fletcher
“Call Ngiro-are and tell them to get their most experienced squad down there ASAP.”
David ground the gearstick and concentrated on driving hell for leather across the grassland whilst Rashid made the calls. All four wheels left the ground as they careered over the verge and landed with a thump on the dirt track. Koinet moaned loudly in the back seat and then was quiet again.
A few minutes later they reached the t-junction and David wrenched the wheel to the right. The back end of the LandRover slid out as he joined the main track heading east towards Keekorok. David floored the accelerator to correct the skid, metal groaning as the vehicle snaked back into a straight line.
There were going to be serious repercussions once Deputy Director Tanui found out but David didn’t care about any of that right now. He’d screwed up and Haji was dead.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Keekorok Airstrip, Maasai Mara
August 17th, 1996
Keekorok Airstrip was deserted when they got there, a levelled strip of red earth that cut through the bush around it like a knife. The only facilities were a four metre square stone building with a hatch that acted as the ticket booth and a covered waiting area open to the elements. Built for tourists staying at the nearby five star Lodge the airstrip was normally only visited by a few light aircraft each week. David slid the LandRover to a stop next to the shelter and killed the engine.
“Try and get hold of Chege for a sit rep and find out how long the damn plane’s going to be.” The radio operator was staring at the windscreen, mumbling something incoherent. “Rashid snap out of it! I need that sit-rep.”
Everyone had different ways of dealing with death. Rashid’s was to ask Allah for guidance.
He finished his prayers and twisted the dial on the set in his lap, “Yes sir, right away.”
David’s head was spinning as he got out and walked away from the jeep. He thrust his hands in his pockets and stood facing down the runway towards the sunrise. What the hell had he been thinking?
He heard the door open and shut and Damo’s footsteps behind him. His friend stood next to him and shoulder-to-shoulder they stared at the rising sun.
It was Damo who spoke first, “This has turned into a bit of a mess.”
“You could say that,” David nodded, more to himself than at Damo. “Haji would still be here if it wasn’t for me.”
“That’s true,” his friend’s honesty was just what he needed. “But you didn’t pull the trigger, and if the poachers weren’t here then none of us would be either.”
“I still sent him to his death.”
“No, you sent him to do a job. One that, as you said, he signed up for. Haji wasn’t forced into anything.” Damo shrugged, “It’s the risk we all take.”
David could have kissed Damo right then, but fortunately he didn’t get the chance. Rashid shouted at him from the jeep, “I’ve got Chege, sir!”
David sprinted back to the LandRover and grabbed the handset from Rashid through the window.
“Alpha here Bravo, what’s the latest?”
There was a ten second delay and David thought that he must have lost him. Then Chege’s deep voice crackled over the speaker. Right then it sounded like the best thing he’d ever heard.
“Bravo here,” no gunfire this time. “The poachers have retreated back across the border and we’re waiting for the cavalry to arrive, over.”
“Have you taken any more casualties? Over.”
“No, Haji is the only one who didn’t make it...sorry sir.” Chege paused for a second, “I was hit in the arm but it’s nothing serious. Makori is OK, over.”
David forgot procedure, it didn’t really matter now if the poachers were listening in, “Don’t apologise Chege, you were following orders just like Haji. The unit from Ngiro-are should be with you soon. Just stay at the co-ordinates you gave me until they arrive. I’ll see you back at base. This is Alpha over and out.”
He gave the device back to Rashid. There was no point going up there, his main concern now was Koinet’s survival and safety. David thought about going with him to the hospital but his time could be better spent elsewhere, time that he could feel rapidly becoming a precious commodity. Word would already have reached headquarters and maybe even the Deputy Director. If he was right then Koinet’s life could be in serious danger, maybe even his own. David needed to find Gupta and fast.
Chege’s transmission had helped him reach a difficult decision. He was going to have to put his men’s lives at risk again or Haji’s death would be for nothing.
“Damo, I want you and Rashid to escort Koinet to the hospital and stand guard until you hear from me. Nobody apart from medical staff is to go anywhere near him. I don’t care if they’re the Chief of Police don’t let them in without speaking to me first. No matter what anybody says this comes under our jurisdiction. Is that understood?”
Damo nodded, “Nobody goes near him. I’ve got it. Where are you going to be? Just in case anybody asks.”
“I’m heading back to base and then on to Nairobi. I’ll call you at the hospital when I get there.”
Damo frowned, “Nairobi?”
“There are a couple of people I need to see there.” His friend’s expression said that he was abandoning him. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep in touch and send someone along later to relieve you.”
He turned to Rashid but his question was answered by the buzzing of an airplane in the distance. Sure enough a mosquito like speck was heading towards them getting bigger and louder with every second.
“Stash the radio and the rest of the gear in the back but take your weapons with you,” the sight of Damo and Rashid armed with machine guns should be enough to put most people off. But then he guessed he wasn’t dealing with most people.
The drone of the aircraft grew until it circled the airstrip before landing. The plane taxied over to them and the pitch of the engines dropped as it rolled to a stop.
“Damo,” he leant towards him, shielding his face from the dust that the propellers were kicking up.
“Yes,” Damo and Rashid were propping Koinet up, waiting for the gangway to be lowered so that they could board the six-seat Cessna. Koinet was out cold.
David shouted to be heard over the noise of the engines, “Watch your back!”
*****
He sped through the park, only slowing down to pass the odd jeep of early bird tourists crawling along the tracks in search of the big five. David wished that he were one of the holidaymakers. Taking photographs of the wildlife, oblivious to what was really going on around him. But he wasn’t.
David felt like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. “Assumption is the mother of all fuck ups”, wasn’t that the expression? Haji was dead as a result of his guesswork and Damo was in great peril. Even Caitlyn might be in danger if the wrong person found out that he had been talking to her. He should warn her to stay away from the orphanage for a while.
When he arrived at the command post in Purungat there was nobody there. David started the small diesel generator and managed to get hold of Chege on the radio in his cubicle of an office. They had gone with Haji’s body to the nearest mortuary in Kilgoris about thirty miles away and wouldn’t be back for some time. The bullet had only grazed Chege’s arm but it needed stitching. After dropping Haji off they were going to the clinic there to have it seen to. He thought about phoning the hospital in Narok to check on Koinet but they would only just be arriving.
David switched off the radio set and was writing a note for Chege when the telephone rang. He contemplated not picking it up but he would have to face the music sooner or later. The telephone was an ancient rotary dialler. David picked up the receiver and cradled it to his ear so that he could carry on writing.
“Purungat Outpost.” Maybe it was a call about a missing tourist.
“Is that Captain Nbeke?” The voice on the other end belonged to none other than Deputy Director Tanui and he didn’t sound happy. For a second David nearly changed his mind
and put the phone down.
“Yes Deputy Director this is Nbeke.”
“What the hell is going on up there? I was woken up by Idi Tikolo, he tells me that there’s been some sort of firefight and that one of my rangers is dead?”
There was a pause where David was expected to say something but he didn’t.
“Please tell me that it isn’t true, Captain!”
Why wasn’t he surprised that Tikolo was involved? The greasy bastard would have loved making the phone call to Tanui and dropping David in it, probably the highlight of his career so far.
“I’m afraid it is, sir.” David took a deep breath before continuing. “Ranger Haji was shot by poachers earlier this morning near to Ngiro-Are and died at the scene. His body is being taken to the mortuary in Kilgoris as we speak.”
“That’s not even your territory, what were you doing so far north?”
He swallowed, “I wasn’t there sir.”
“For Christ’s sake, Nbeke!” Tanui was shouting now, “What do you mean, you weren’t there?”
David explained that he split the squad into two teams and what had happened, including Koinet’s capture and being taken to the hospital in Narok. He left out the part about Gupta.
“I warned you about not following procedure and now Haji is dead because you didn’t listen. What am I supposed to tell his family? That you took the law into your hands?”
There was another pause but David knew that this time the question was rhetorical so he stayed silent.
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t have you kicked out of the Service and held up on charges, Captain.”
Right then David couldn’t think of one that Tanui would accept, “I don’t know sir.”
“You’re damn right, you don’t know Nbeke!” the Deputy Director sounded like he might choke on his own words he was so angry. “Consider yourself confined to barracks until further notice. You and your men are not to leave the outpost unless I authorise it personally. Is that totally clear, Captain Nbeke?”
“Yes sir,” David had no intention of following the order but Tanui didn’t need to know that.
“And Nbeke,” the Deputy Director’s voice dropped to a normal level. “Try not to get in anymore trouble will you!”
The line went dead in David’s ear. He replaced the receiver and then yanked the cable out of the wall socket. Anybody who dialled the outpost would get an out of order tone. It wasn’t uncommon for the line to be down for days thanks to the dilapidated phone service, so it should at least buy him some time.
He fetched the radio and weapons from the LandRover and stowed them away in the storeroom. He decided to keep his old Browning and grabbed some spare ammunition from the shelf before locking the metal door. David had a feeling that the handgun was going to come in useful before this was all over.
He left the building housing the office and stores and headed over to the accommodation block. A room with six beds and a latrine next door that hadn’t been working for months, each man had his own spot in the bush to do their business. David stripped off his fatigues, realising as he did that the left hand side of him was smeared in Koinet’s blood. He threw the soiled clothes into the corner and took a towel outside to their wash facilities. A bucket with holes in it suspended from a tree. After three nights in the bush David didn’t care that the water was cold or that he had to keep filling the bucket.
He returned to his bunk feeling refreshed if not invigorated and got dressed into what could almost be considered civilian clothes. Tanned combats and a white t-shirt. David stuffed the ammunition and some spare clothes into his rucksack and took the Browning out of its holster before slipping it into his waistband. He put a sleeveless windbreaker over the top to conceal the bulge and then went out to the LandRover.
He threw his rucksack onto the passenger seat and climbed in. The gauge was reading around quarter of a tank but he could fill up at the post in Serena on the way. David did a three-sixty and joined River Road, heading north towards Serena. He was going to find Gupta and get to the bottom of this if it was the last thing he did.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
GSU Headquarters, Nairobi
August 17th, 1996
“You’re positive that he’s in Narok?” Maliki listened to the voice on the other end and nodded, “Keep me posted of any developments.”
He hung up and dialled a number but there was no answer. He tried another and got the same result. Maliki slammed the phone down and got up from behind the mahogany desk. He walked over to the window and stared out over the empty parade square. His lip started to twitch and he rubbed at the scars on autopilot. Where the hell was Gupta? Although he didn’t recognise the name Maliki’s gut instinct told him that this Koinet was one of Gupta’s men. If he did work for the old fool then the boy would suffer a similar fate to the one he had in store for Gupta, a slit throat and a trip to the bottom of Kilindini Harbour.
Maliki was tempted to bring the poacher into custody and put him in the cells but decided to wait for confirmation. No point getting involved and making waves if it wasn’t necessary. He needed to speak to Gupta first but the idiot must still be out in the bush.
Maliki’s attention was drawn to the driveway next to the parade square. Tanui’s battered Peugeot passed under the checkpoint barrier and headed towards him. Maliki resented having to come in to headquarters on a Saturday but Captain Nbeke had become a nuisance and needed to be dealt with immediately. The man’s name had cropped up once too often. What was he trying to do, clean up the Maasai Mara single-handed?
He watched Tanui park in the shade of the carport before turning back to his desk. Maliki smiled to himself. The Deputy Director hated being summoned to his office, that’s why he had insisted the meeting take place there.
A few minutes later his phone signalled an internal call, “Sergeant Jozi here sir, I’ve got Deputy Director Tanui with me at the desk. Shall I send him up?”
“Yes Sergeant.” Maliki smiled to himself, “But take his gun and make sure that he goes through the metal detector.”
“Sir?” the sergeant was put out, it wasn’t normal for high-ranking officials to be screened.
“You heard me. Tell him its new procedure.” His smile broadened into a wicked grin.
Maliki heard the Deputy Director stomping down the corridor and somehow managed to put on his poker face before he burst through the door. Tanui looked ruffled and his holster was unclipped and empty.
“First you call me in here for something we could have discussed on the phone and then I’m subjected to a search!” He stood in front of Maliki’s desk with his fists clenched by his sides. “This better be something bloody important!”
Maliki indicated the seat in front of him, “I suggest that you calm down and take a seat Deputy Director. One more outburst in my office and I’ll have you taken down to the cells.”
“You wouldn’t dare!”
“Try me.” Maliki glared at him. “I’m sure I can think of something to charge you with. Negligence and dereliction of duty for starters.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about this Ranger of yours, Captain Nbeke. I hear that he has been causing trouble again, something about gun battles in the Masai Mara and a dead ranger? Bodies everywhere and a poacher in the hospital. You told me that you had this Nbeke under control. What kind of fiasco are you running over there?”
Tanui looked like the wind had been knocked out of his sails, “You know about that already?”
“It’s my business to know what’s going on, to keep my finger on the nation’s pulse. There isn’t much that happens in this country that I don’t get to hear about sooner or later.”
He wasn’t exaggerating. Maliki had an extensive network of spies throughout the government and its institutions feeding him information, including the KWS. The fear of being beaten, arrested and thrown in jail as a traitor was reason enough for most of them to agree to work for him. No
t many refused to cooperate with the head of the GSU. Those that did would be brought in for a session in the basement. If the pain didn’t convince a prisoner to co-operate then their families would be threatened, or tortured in front of them. Eventually they all confessed, or died in the basement the way Konde had.
There was also a growing list of people beyond his legal reach that Maliki bought information from, foreign embassy staff and diplomats who might be missed if they disappeared.
Tanui’s brow furrowed, he was probably trying to work out who was the leak in his organisation. “KWS operations and what my rangers get up to is not really your concern Commander. Why the big interest?”
Maliki played it cool, “When a member of your staff keeps highlighting national problems and giving the KWS bad press then it becomes my business. The President is worried about the effect on tourism. And so he should be. Kenya needs to be seen by the international market as a safe place to travel. How many bookings do you think will be cancelled as a result of this bloodshed?”
“Right now I don’t really care how many people’s holiday plans are disrupted. Ranger Haji’s death may be just an inconvenience for you but to the Service it is a great loss. His family need to be informed and funeral arrangements made.”
“I understand all that and you have my sympathy of course.” Maliki nodded. “But you have to see my point of view. President Moi has made the nation’s security and well being my responsibility. That includes its international image, something that Captain Nbeke seems intent on wrecking. Now what are you doing about the situation?”
“I’ve already confined him to barracks until the shootings can be investigated.”
“That’s not good enough.” Maliki put his elbows on the desk and clasped his fingers together. “I want him sacked and charged with manslaughter. It’s much easier for the public to forget something like this when they’ve got someone to blame. Believe me, it will all blow over quickly once Captain Nbeke is locked up.”