The Carolina Coup: Another Rwandan Genocide? (The Jeannine Ryan Series Book 4)
Page 35
***
At a small commuter airfield near Georgetown, South Carolina, Jacques Guerry parked the rental car.
“Jacques, what are you doing? Where are you going?”
“Not me, us. We’re flying to Atlanta and then to Martinique.”
He handed her two passports. The photos were theirs, but the names were M. and Mme. Devineau.
“Husband and wife? What are you planning? I told you, we are cousins.”
“So what. I’m going to make love to you. I’ve waited all these years, and those passports prove we are married. Besides, I know you like me.”
“Damn it Jacques, don’t be an idiot!”
“Wait, you need to look at this.”
He smiled and drew a paper from his jacket. He unfolded it and handed it to her. She took it and read.
“My God! Jacques, what does this mean?”
“It’s clear enough. You are adopted. The man you called ‘father’ was sterile. He was not your biological father. He and your mother adopted you but were afraid to tell anyone, particularly his older brother, your uncle Roland, my father. They knew he controlled the money and the company. They did not trust him. They wanted to assure you of your inheritance.”
She lapsed silent, stunned.
He took her hand and led her, stumbling, onto the tarmac.
She finally found her voice.
“How long have you known? How did you find out?”
“That’s not important.”
He put his arm around her shoulder.
“Come on, the pilot is ready. We have a connection to make in Atlanta.”
He guided her to the waiting plane.
***
In Arrondissement 2 in Paris, Gironde1, the minister’s close aide, paced about his desk.
His chosen instrument, “le Marteau,” had failed. Gironde1 smashed his hand on the polished desk.
And where was Gutera! The rockets were lost, and the ship la Lutte was ordered back to le Havre. Why hadn’t Gutera contacted him? Where was the Hutu leader?
He smashed his fist again on the walnut desk top.
It hurt.
***
In a motel in Georgetown South Carolina, in far less elegant surroundings, Marcel Dupré kicked the wall of his room.
Duped by that dumb Jacques Guerry!
And his boss, Gironde1, was not pleased with his gullibility. Not at all!
He kicked the wall again.
Damn!
Now his Italian shoes were scuffed!
***
Hours later, as the Airbus left Atlanta to fly over the waters of the Caribbean, Denise turned to Jacques Guerry.
“But what will we live on?”
“I have millions of Euros stashed in the Cayman Islands. SÉGAG had a huge surplus. Think of it as our share of the inheritance. Dear old Alphonse!”
“Jacques, something happened to me. I don’t want money like I used to. I mean, I do, but there there’s a lot I regret doing. I’ve been wrong. About many things!”
“You’ve got the money anyway. Half the accounts are in your name.”
“Dear Jacques, you’ve always stuck by me, even when I was mad at you.”
He laughed.
She gripped the arms of the seat and switched to the more troubling issue.
“You say we are not related?”
“Not genetically anyway. And I want you to know I’m glad. I think I’ve loved you since we were little together.”
She frowned.
“Jacques, you always joke. Get serious.”
He looked deep into her eyes. She turned away. Dear God, he means it.
She thought of all the shared times in their youth. He knows me better than anyone, and he still likes me or thinks he does!
“This is too fast, Jacques, I can’t handle this.”
But he pulled her towards him. She leaned her head on his shoulder and shut her eyes.
Good old Jacques. You always make me feel safe. But love?
She felt his arm tighten about her shoulders.
Who knows? Maybe?
***
******
Chapter 52
Epilogue
All charges against Bill Hamm were dismissed. He and Jeannine Ryan are engaged but have not set a date. Plans are for Aileen Harris to be the maiden of honor. Wayne Johnson will give the bride away. His house on Topsail is available for the honeymoon.
Angelique Uwimana received her Ph.D., but turned down a position at Ryan Associates to return to Rwanda to work with orphans of the genocide. She joined an order of Catholic nuns devoted to the education and healing of child survivors (as well as perpetrators) of the 1994 holocaust.
With much difficulty, Henri Duval accepted Angelique’s decision to remain single for God’s work. He retired to Lyon, France, where he enjoys the cuisine of the region. He and Angelique exchange notes every Christmas.
Paul Mutabazi disappeared. He has not been heard from.
Jack Marino was placed on administrative leave from the FBI. He has since left the government. Stew Marks, with his new partner, Sam Smith, returned to the Joint Terrorism Task Force of the Washington Field Office.
The documents and other items taken from the Torbee Building by Bill Hamm were returned to the National Security Agency by the FBI. At the urging of the NSA, who feared that the publicity of a trial would reveal their ability to read RSA-coded communications, Federal prosecutors did not press charges against Denise Guerry and Guerry Electronic Systems.
In France, SÉGAG lost the support of a certain government Minister who resigned, purportedly because of financial scandals. Roland Guerry, SÉGAG’s CEO and principal owner, sold the floundering company. Monsieur Guerry retired due to a liver ailment attributed to the excessive consumption of alcohol.
Denise Guerry, aka “Denise Devineau,” married her childhood admirer, Jacques. M. and Mme “Devineau” reside in Martinique and have a boy. His name is not Roland.
The body of Marcel Dupré, the Hammer, was found in the Seine near the Isle de la Cité. In spite of an apparent bullet wound in his back, his death was ruled a suicide.
Fred Middleton still lives on his farm near Dillon. Poaching on his lands has ceased.
Port Superintendant Morris was told to resign or be prosecuted. He chose the former and lives on James Island in Charleston County, South Carolina.
The Carolina cadre of Hutu militants dissolved due to lack of funds and political support.
***
******
Envoi
The house stood alone atop the Rwandan hill. To the front, green groves of bananas filled the long descent to an unpaved road. To the rear and side, coffee plants lined a slope that overlooked the shimmering waters of Lac Kivu where a Pied Kingfisher sat patiently on a branch, watching for ripples that signaled its prey.
Purple Bougainvillea smothered the wall next to a bench where Angelique Uwimana sat. Nearby a pair of nectarine Sunbirds, resplendent in their iridescent plumage, fluttered by a cup-like nest suspended from a small tree.
Angelique looked up as several nuns guided their charges, young adults traumatized as children during the genocide, to their new rooms in the recently acquired mansion. She read the mail. The first letter was from Florence, South Carolina.
Dear Mother Angelique,
I had my first tests in Computer Science last week and my professors said I succeeded. They remember you, and send you their best wishes.
Thank you, my dear adopted mother, and all the nuns for your love and training. My studies with you prepared me well for university here.
In love and thanks, Augustin.
The second letter, was from the nuns’ lawyer in Kigali.
Dear Ms. Uwimana,
With reference to your query concerning the anonymous donor who purchased the Hakizimana estate for your nuns, she permits me to disclose her name: Mme. Denise Devineau, of Martinique. She asks your prayers.
Be assured, Ms. Uwimana, of my conti
nued devotion and respect. Sincerely,
Louis Kamanutsi.
Angelique looked up as a sunbird flew in glistening circles above her. Merci, Denise.
She stared as several more traumatized children, now adult-sized, arrived at the mansion. Their dull blank eyes brought back her own memories.
She clasped her hands and lowered her head.
“Seigneur prends pitié de nous tous! Lord have mercy on us all!”
***
******
About the Author
James E. Mosimann is a retired biostatistician who spent many years at the Computer Division of the National Institutes of Health. He has a Ph. D. in Zoology from the University of Michigan, and a Masters in Biostatistics from the Johns Hopkins University. After NIH, he joined the Office of Research Integrity of the Public Health Service, where he was a scientist-investigator for cases of research misconduct. He has numerous publications and one text. This is his fourth novel.
He and his wife, Barbara Jean, live in Virginia. They have eight children, all adult.
Author’s Note
This is the fourth book in a series that follows the activities of Jeannine Ryan, a specialist in statistical forensics. Like the others, it was a family project. Thanks again to my wife for her support and to my adult children for their assistance. As before, Tom’s many hours of careful reading and editing significantly improved the manuscript, as did comments by Joseph, John, Theresa, Michelle, Mary and Madeleine. Finally Kateri, provided the cover graphics and design.
Note that in Kinyarwanda, the second name does not denote an individual’s family.
Carolina Technical University is an imaginary institution. All characters in this book are fictional (including Charles Hakizimana, his son, Maximilien Gutera, and Angelique Uwimana.) However, Angelique’s character was inspired by the experiences of Immaculée Ilibagiza as described in her book, Left to Tell, 2006, Hay House, Inc. Carlsbad, CA.
Jeannine Ryan’s previous exploits are narrated in three novels: Misconduct’s Deadly Denial, The Assassin Chip, The Prague Plot. This book, The Carolina Coup, is the fourth in this series.
Those wishing to read more about the 1994 genocide may consult Wikipedia’s entry Rwandan Genocide. Stephen Kinzer’s book, A Thousand Hills, 2008, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ, gives a history of Rwanda along with many references. The personal experiences of a survivor, Immaculée Ilibagiza, are told in her book, Left to Tell, 2006, Hay House, Inc. Carlsbad, CA. The frustrations of the United Nations commander in Rwanda at the time, Lt. General Romeo Dallaire, are revealed in his book, Shake Hands with the Devil, 2003, Carroll and Graph Publishers, New York, NY.