Dawn of Deception

by Dan Fletcher

  Then they were tearing across the tundra, heading north away from the town. He checked the mirrors and looked back over his shoulder towards the abandoned development but there was nobody following them. His extravagant manoeuvre seemed to have gone unnoticed. David lifted his foot off the accelerator and slowed to a less reckless pace.

  “You’re fucking crazy!” exclaimed Gupta. There was blood running down his face from a cut on his forehead.

  All things considered David was beginning to think that Gupta might be right. But his gut told him that the roadblock was no coincidence. Commander Abasi was stepping up the search for him.

  After a few miles they hit a dirt road and David turned west towards Nairobi, heading for the maze of villages and townships that surrounded the city.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Outside Caitlyn’s Apartment, Nairobi

  August 19th, 1996

  Maliki peered up through the bulletproof glass at Caitlyn’s apartment. It was the only one on the top floor with the lights on.

  His car was parked on the opposite side of the street, next to the park. Beside the sedan that Lembui and Sabore were using. The two GSU officers had joined him in the Mercedes ten minutes earlier and briefed him on Dr Brennan’s movements. Maliki tried not to breath through his nose. Gakere was at the wheel and it was beginning to stink of sweat and testosterone.

  “Turn the AC up!” snorted Maliki. He didn’t want to take the risk of opening the window and lowering the defences of his armour plated sanctuary. He turned and looked at Sabore, “You’re sure that’s her apartment?”

  “Yes, we followed her here after work,” Sabore nodded. “After Dr Brennan went inside we spoke to the caretaker. He confirmed that she lives in apartment 4C on the fourth floor facing the park.”

  Lembui was checking the action on his Glock. There was a loud click from the front seat as the mechanism slid back into place.

  “And nobody fitting Nbeke’s description has been in or out since you arrived?”

  “No sir.”

  Maliki had another thought, “Were the lights on when you got here?”

  Sabore frowned, “No, they came on about twenty minutes after Dr Brennan got home.”

  “Good, Gakere you stay here and keep an eye out for Captain Nbeke. If he shows up let him get inside the building, but don’t let him out. The rest of you are coming with me.” Maliki smiled wickedly, “Let’s go and pay this Dr Brennan a visit.”

  Despite the bravado Maliki was as on edge and the smile turned into a grimace as his face started to twitch. He had been interrupted interrogating the Professor that afternoon by a call from one of the officers sent up to Narok. According to hospital staff the KWS had removed Koinet from his room sometime during the night. There was no trace of the officers or the patient when the nurse went to do her rounds at 6am. Maliki warned the lieutenant who was leading the four-man team not to bother coming back to headquarters unless they found Koinet.

  The Deputy Director had sounded surprised when Maliki called him afterwards. Tanui vehemently denied any knowledge of Koinet or the rangers’ whereabouts. There was of course the possibility that the arrogant bastard was lying to him, but he sounded genuine. By all accounts the Captain had gone off the reservation and taken some of his braves with him.

  At first he had thought that Nbeke was a thorn in his side that could easily be pulled out and forgotten. Now he was beginning to think there was more to it than that. Nbeke and Koinet’s disappearances were somehow connected to Gupta’s. The Captain had also been seen with Bernstein in the Maasai Mara. What was he doing with the meddlesome reporter? He needed to know what was going on. Maybe this Irish woman could give him some of the answers.

  Lembui got out of the front and checked the street before opening Maliki’s door. Staying close to his flanks they waited for a gap in the traffic and then shepherded him across the street. Sabore glanced into the lobby and rang the caretaker’s buzzer.

  “Yes, who is it?” the voice was male and elderly.

  “It’s Lieutenant Kibet, we talked earlier Mr Chigwe,” said Sabore leaning close to the intercom. “Can you open the door please? We need to come inside.”

  Maliki’s men carried fake badges identifying them as regular Kenyan Police. People were generally less scared of the local officers and it helped to cover their tracks when the circumstance required it.

  There was a brief delay before Mr Chigwe replied, “Do you have a warrant?”

  Maliki’s lip started to twitch and he pushed Sabore out of the way, “Listen Mr Chigwe we only want to talk to Dr Brennan. If you don’t open this door right now we’ll arrest you for obstructing police business.”

  “Oh.” There was another pause before the caretaker continued, “I suppose you’d better come in then.”

  The intercom went dead and the door clicked open. Lembui lead the way and they rode the elevator to the fourth floor in silence. The two bodyguards drew their weapons and released the safety catches before they got to Caitlyn’s apartment.

  Sabore and Maliki stood on either side of the door and Maliki nodded. Lembui kicked at the lock with his boot. There was a loud cracking noise as the wood splintered and the door was flung inwards.

  Lembui charged into the apartment headfirst like a wounded bull, with Sabore and Maliki close behind. The light was on in the lounge ahead and Lembui ran towards it. Over his shoulder Maliki saw a woman appear in the corridor on the other side. She was dressed in a white towelling robe. Her deep red hair pulled back from her oval shaped face in a ponytail. Her skin was flushed and radiant like she had just come out of the shower.

  “What the hell?” her jaw dropped when she saw Lembui running at her. The flannel she was holding fell to from her hand.

  “Police!” shouted Lembui. He stopped a few meters away and aimed the Glock at her, “Get to the floor and put your hands over your head!”

  “You’ve got no right to be here!” she shouted, real anger in her voice.

  Lembui stepped forward and hit Dr Brennan with a punch to the stomach that doubled her over. Then he struck her on the back of the head with his pistol. She fell to the floor with a thump, moaning and clutching her wound. Lembui hardly broke stride and continued on into the room that she had come out of.

  He and Sabore searched the rest of the apartment whilst Maliki stood watching over Dr Brennan, blocking the corridor in case she tried to escape. He needn’t have worried. She took her time to struggle into a sitting position and then touched the back of her head. There was a puzzled look on Dr Brennan’s face as she examined the blood on her hand and realised it was her own.

  “He’s not in the bedroom,” said Sabore returning from the room at the end of the corridor.

  Maliki turned on his heel and walked into the lounge, “Bring Dr Brennan in here, I want to have a little chat with her.” He tried to make himself comfortable in one of the wicker armchairs and crossed his legs. He picked a piece of flint from his trouser leg as Dr Brennan was dragged into the room and shoved into an identical chair on the other side of the glass coffee table.

  “You bastards!” she tried to get up. Lembui pushed her back down with one hand.

  Maliki turned to Sabore, “Go and guard the front door.” Sabore smiled nervously and hurried off towards the hallway. Maliki knew that he didn’t have the stomach for what was coming next.

  “What do you want?” Dr Brennan was holding the back of her head with one hand.

  “Go and check the place for any sign of him,” he dismissed Lembui and waited for him to go off down the corridor. Maliki decided to play it softly for now.

  “I’m sorry about the rough treatment Dr Brennan,” he held his hands out, palms facing up in a gesture of apology. “My associates can be a little over zealous at times.”

  “You’re pigs! Bullies! That’s what you are! There’s plenty of your sort where I come from,” her eyes flickered and there was a lyrical edge to her voice. “Who the hell are you?”

 
Maliki ignored the question, “Why don’t we make this intrusion as brief as possible, Dr Brennan. We’re looking for a deserter from the Kenyan Wildlife Service, a man called David Nbeke.”

  “I’ve never heard of him.” Her gaze wavered for a split-second, “You’ve got no right to come barging in here like this. I demand to speak to a solicitor.”

  “Things don’t quite work that way here in Kenya, Dr Brennan. And I assure you that I am well within my rights. Now let’s cut the crap shall we? You were noticed leaving the orphanage with Captain Nbeke on Saturday and you’ve been seen together a number of times.”

  Her head dropped.

  “So what if I know him?” She looked up at him and thrust her chin out defiantly, “David’s no criminal.”

  “Where is he now?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “When did you last see him?”

  “At the orphanage on Saturday,” she glared back at him with glowing eyes but a single blink gave her away.

  Maliki let it go for the time being, “Where was Captain Nbeke going when you parted company?”

  “He didn’t say.”

  “Come now,” he tutted. “Do you really expect me to believe that? Aiding and abetting a fugitive is a criminal offence, Dr Brennan. You really don’t want to end up in one of our prisons. Let’s just say that they are not a suitable place for a woman such as you.”

  “I told you, I don’t know where he is.”

  Maliki smiled thinly and shook his head.

  “Are you fucking Captain Nbeke, Dr Brennan?”

  She jumped to her feet, hands clenched into fists by her sides, “What business is that of yours?”

  Maliki grinned back at her. She had real spirit this one and was quite stunning. The robe had opened slightly during the struggle with Lembui to reveal the pale skin between her breasts. There was a rush of blood and stirring in his pants. He would enjoy breaking her. He stood up and slapped her so hard across the face that the force jerked her head and torso to one side. The stinging sensation in his palm only aroused him further and Maliki swung his arm back to do it again.

  Dr Brennan’s reaction almost caught him off guard. Instead of backing away or collapsing into the chair she picked it up and used it as a weapon. As she swivelled back towards him with it in her hands he raised his right arm to block the attack. The leg of the chair hit his arm and broke. Maliki ignored the pain and lashed out with his other fist, catching her on the cheek. Before she had the chance to recover he pulled the knife from the sheath strapped under his armpit in a back handed stabbing move.

  The blade sank deep into the Irish woman’s hip. She squealed out in agony and dropped the chair. It shattered the coffee table and sent shards of glass across the floor.

  Maliki yanked the knife out and thick arterial blood spurted from the wound. He was overcome with rage and stabbed again but somehow she got an arm in the way. The knife jarred in his hand as it glanced off bone and she let out another howl before collapsing to the floor. She curled into a foetal position and tried to cover her head with one hand whilst feebly attempting to stem the flow of blood from her side with the other.

  That was when Sabore and Lembui came running into the room from opposite directions.

  “I told you to guard the door!” he snapped at Sabore. The veteran was staring down at Dr Brennan’s crumpled form. Sabore turned towards him with his mouth open as if about to reply but closed it again when he saw the look on Maliki’s face. He shrugged and went back to his post.

  “Get this bitch into the bedroom!” Maliki returned his attention to Dr Brennan.

  Lembui leant over and grabbed a handful of hair to pull Dr Brennan to her feet. Her attempts to resist useless as she was dragged kicking and screaming down the corridor. Maliki stayed near the edge to avoid the trail of blood as he walked behind them.

  Lembui stopped underneath the light in the middle of the room and pulled Dr Brennan upright, pinning her arms behind her back. Maliki held the knife to her throat and stared into her eyes. The blade was razor sharp, he applied some pressure, just enough to break the skin and leave a shallow cut.

  “Put her on the bed and then find something to tie her other hand with,” he undid the bow and yanked the chord from around her waist but kept the knife against her neck. “We’re going to have some fun making this bitch talk.”

  She spat in his face and Maliki’s lip started to spasm as the phlegm dripped down his cheek. He wiped it away and then cleaned his hand on her robe.

  “You really shouldn’t have done that, Dr Brennan,” he said quietly and then punched her hard in the temple. She slumped forward in Lembui’s arms, her head hung limply to one side and her eyes shut.

  Biceps bulging under his suit jacket Lembui bundled the unconscious Dr Brennan onto the bed. Maliki sheathed his knife and tied one of her arms to the wooden bedstead using the belt. Lembui found a scarf to tie the other.

  Maliki slapped her face but she barely stirred. He struck her again, harder. Dr Brennan groaned but her eyes stayed closed. She was semi-conscious, muttering the odd incoherent word.

  “Go and get some water to wake her up with,” snapped Maliki, standing up beside the bed.

  Lembui’s wide face remained impassive as he walked off towards the kitchen. Maliki stripped out of his clothes as he waited for him to return. He took the knife back out from its sheath and went over to the bed. Using the tip he prised open Dr Brennan’s robe carefully so that her breasts were exposed and played the knife over them. She stirred but didn’t wake. He grabbed her face and squeezed his thumbs into her cheeks so that her mouth opened. Dr Brennan’s eyelids flicked open for a second but her eyeballs were rolled back in their sockets. They closed again as Lembui returned with a pan full of water.

  “Throw it over her,” Maliki grinned at Lembui and took a step back from the bed. “Let’s find out what she knows and then you can have a turn.”

  His bodyguard’s usually stoic face cracked into a grin as he doused Dr Brennan’s head and torso with the water. She woke up spluttering and coughing. Lembui carried on emptying the pan into her open mouth as she gasped and choked for breath until she threw up some of the water.

  After a few deep intakes of breath she turned her head towards them. Her dazed eyes focussed on Maliki, widening in fear as they dropped down his naked torso to the knife. Then she screamed and started writhing wildly on the bed, trying to pull her hands free from their constraints. He covered Dr Brennan’s mouth with his free hand to silence her. She tried to knee him in the balls but Maliki deflected the move easily with his hip.

  “Hold her legs down!” he barked at Lembui.

  Maliki waited for her legs to be pinned down and then straddled her, one of his knees sitting in the blood seeping from her hip. Keeping one hand over her mouth he dragged the knife across her chest. Tracing a line from above her right nipple between her cleavage and ending below the other breast. The blade left a gash in its trail.

  Maliki kept his hand over Dr Brennan’s mouth to muffle her screams and leant forward so that their faces were inches apart. He held the tip of the knife near to the corner of her eye and pricked the skin. A single red bead emerged like a clown’s macabre teardrop. His penis was now rock hard and pressed against her navel. He could feel her coarse pubic hairs rubbing the tip.

  “You’ve got spirit Dr Brennan and I like that, makes all of this a bit more interesting. But believe me you will talk. Everybody does.” He watched her pupils dilate, “It’s simply a question of how much you can take.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi

  August 19th, 1996

  Avoiding the major routes took much longer than David expected. It was dark by the time he pulled into the deserted supermarket car park a few blocks from the airport. Guessing that Commander Abasi must have an APB out on the LandRover he had smothered the licence plates with a mixture of oil and dirt to conceal them. The vehicle was caked in dust and mud so
to the casual observer the registration wouldn’t appear out of the ordinary. But still he knew that if they stayed in the jeep it was only a matter of time before they were caught.

  After using the last strip of gaffa tape to silence Gupta he shouldered his rucksack and locked the jeep. Ten minutes later he was walking along Airport North Road with his head down, avoiding looking into the headlights of the vehicles as they left the terminal.

  David doubted that the airport was being watched. Abasi wouldn’t be expecting him to try and leave the country. But he could still feel his heart beating rapidly in his chest as he walked into the brightly lit foyer. He spotted the Avis sign and walked over to the desk.

  “I’m afraid that all we’ve got available at such short notice is a Mitsubishi Colt,” the immaculately groomed representative straightened the bit of tie showing above his red waistcoat and smiled sympathetically. His long jet-black hair was pulled back and tied in a tight bun on the top of his head.

  “That will do fine,” David smiled back. “How much is the deposit?” He winced at the amount.

  After withdrawing the last of his savings from the Barclays ATM machine across the foyer he completed the paperwork. Reluctantly handing over the 30,000-shilling deposit plus a week in advance.

  “You can’t miss it sir, its white,” the Asian desk clerk handed him a worn set of keys. “If you have any problems with the vehicle please call the number at the bottom of your hire agreement.”

  Something told David that the agent was expecting the call but he thanked him politely and left the terminal. As promised the two-door Colt was easy to find. It was the oldest most battered looking vehicle in the lot. A common model and colour in Kenya it would help them blend in with the crowd.

  The engine coughed a bit when he turned the key but surprisingly started first time. A few minutes later he was back outside the supermarket, parked next to the LandRover.