by PJ Skinner
At last, the co-pilot informed them that the President had left Mondongo and that the airport was once again open. The engines started up again and they took off. It was a bumpy flight, and the SDM man beside Sam almost lost his breakfast beers.
They arrived at Mondongo at mid-day to find that the trucks of security men, who should have met them on the tarmac, had left to eat lunch. They stood on the ground with their cargo beside them for ten minutes, while the security guards were radioed to come back. Sam felt very vulnerable. There were a lot of armed men wandering around on the tarmac, and Sam and the SDM men had a safe at their feet. She did not want to die for some crummy bits of broken glass.
Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend in theory, but in practice, she preferred her best friends to be less life-threatening. The troops returned after a short time but Sam was panicky by then. She and her companions got into the jeep that was sandwiched between the pickups full of security men. They set off in a convoy for the bank.
By the time they arrived at the bank an hour later, the staff were all back from lunch. The handover of the diamonds went as planned and soon Sam came out of the bank to find Eduardo waiting for her.
He greeted her and said simply, ‘The General is waiting for you in his house at the beach. He would like you to stay the night with him and his guests.’
Sam was taken aback by the request. She was not big on protocol and she was sure that Black would not have approved of this development. But she did not see how she could turn down an invitation from the brother-in-law of the President. A house at the beach sounded like paradise after Kardo. Besides, she might learn useful things that she could tell Black and garner brownie points, if there were ministers amongst the guests.
‘I would love to come. It would be an honour,’ she replied.
The air- conditioned car felt like chilly heaven compared to the sweltering streets of Mondongo.
‘Can you please stop at the Villa Alice on our way out of town?’ she asked. ‘I don’t have any suitable clothing in my bag for a social weekend.’
‘Of course, my lady, anything for you,’ said Eduardo.
They soon pulled into the cul-de-sac where the villa was located.
‘I’ll be about fifteen minutes.’ She dashed inside. She knew just what she was going to wear on this escapade. She had stashed a bag of more glamorous gear for town in a cupboard, which she now raided for a couple of summer dresses and a swimming costume. No need to look like a geologist all your life.
She had a speedy shower and changed into one of the dresses. She did not have a mirror, but she could tell she had lost a few pounds in Kardo by the ease with which the dress slipped over her hips.
Eduardo looked her up and down with approval when she emerged from the Villa twenty minutes later, her hair still wet and wearing a fitted floral dress. She blushed at his reaction.
They drove down the coast for about an hour. Then they pulled in beside a small jetty opposite a low sandy island with a colonial type house on the shore. Eduardo emptied the contents of the car into a motor boat moored at the jetty. ‘Get in,’ he gestured to Sam.
She hopped aboard, hesitating just a moment as she realised that she would be trapped on an island with lots of people she did not know and a man whose motives she had not figured out yet. However, having worked with men-only crews most of her life, Sam also knew how to hold her own in a house full of testosterone.
Also, she had seen a lot of fresh produce being loaded onto the boat, and the lure of decent food was too much for her. She could not imagine where the General was sourcing fresh food but his brother-in-law probably had something to do with it.
They flew over the top of the waves and soon pulled into an identical jetty on the small island parallel to the shore. Some members of the General’s staff were waiting to help Sam up from the boat and show her to the house.
The General waited on the steps. He gazed at Sam with her windswept hair and flowery dress, as if he were trying to recognise her. A twinkle appeared in his eye. ‘Don’t they feed you in that place?’
‘Not much that I want to eat.’
‘I hope we can tempt your palate this evening. I bought some fresh lobsters. I know you like them. I bought three just for you.’
‘Three for me? I don’t think I can eat three.’
‘I thought you were macha. Don’t let me down now. I’m counting on you.’
Sam laughed. She was going to enjoy herself on a diet of lobster and flattery. The general asked one of the staff to show her to her room and left to entertain his guests. The staffer [? It is not clear who is telling] told Sam that the Ministers for Mining and Petroleum had both come with their wives and that two of the general’s own daughters were also in the party. She was so happy that she would have some friendly women to talk to. The monosyllabic conversations she had in Kardo were wearing her down, despite all her efforts to remain positive.
Dinner was great fun. Sam sat down at the women’s end of the table and joined in the banter with the daughters and wives. The husbands all sat at the other end of the table, trying in vain to have a sensible conversation but failing as the women made merry and flirted with them. Sam managed to eat two and a half small lobsters, which elicited a round of applause.
After dinner, the General invited Sam to have coffee with him at the end of the front balcony looking out over the sea. He offered her a Cuban cigar, which she refused and a cigarette that she did not. They sat looking at the waves breaking on the beach.
‘So how is work?’ asked the General.
‘Oh, pretty tough and lonely,’ replied Sam with a big sigh. She remembered with horrible clarity how close she had come to humiliation with Dirk and the nasty sneering that night they shunned her in the bar. ‘I don’t think they like me very much in Kardo.’ Her voice broke, and she started to cry. Despite her embarrassment at this unexpected turn of events, she was unable to stop. The dam had burst.
The General reached out and put his hand over hers. He waited until she could control her sobs. He handed her an immaculate handkerchief, its pristine whiteness a testament to the quality of his laundry staff.
Sam blew her nose into it. ‘I’m so sorry,’ she said. ‘I wasn’t expecting that.’
‘Neither was I. My charm does not often have such a catastrophic effect on young ladies.’
‘Do you mind if we don’t talk about Kardo?’
Sam missed the fleeting look of irritation that passed over the general’s face.
‘What would you like to talk about?’
‘Well, I hope it’s not an imposition. You told me that you were in Cuba with Castro and Che Guevara. Do you mind telling me about it?’
‘Not at all. You realise that Imelda, who you were talking to this evening, is the daughter of my Cuban wife Carmen’?
‘No, I didn’t know that.’
The general excused himself for a minute and returned with two large glasses, a bottle of scotch and some more cigarettes.
‘We may be here for a while,’ he said.
***
The next morning, Sam stayed in bed and was served a sumptuous breakfast with coffee that she could almost stand a spoon in. She had no hangover, perhaps due to the quality of the whisky or all the food she had eaten.
The Minister of Mines had been impressed that she spoke Portuguese, even if her grammar was a bit ropey. She had noticed that he kept trying to steer the conversation around to the production in the mine. But Sam had been careful to keep her answers vague like Jim had told her before.
The truth was that no one knew about production figures except Black, Fred and Jim. Only Black knew about the bottom line. As far as she could remember, she hadn't gone into any details at all. Not even after a couple of whiskies with the General. The last part of the evening was a little murky, but she did remember him escorting her to her room and kissing her goodnight on the cheek. She blushed again as she remembered bursting into tears. No wonder they thought she was useless an
d weak at Kardo. The water pipes at Kardo were less leaky than poor old Sam.
***
Downstairs, the three men were having a quiet breakfast.
‘I don’t think she knows anything,’ said the Minister of Mines.
‘I’m sure that she doesn’t know anything about diamond production,’ said the Minister of Petroleum. ‘Did you get anything out of her, Fuego?’
The Minister of Mines snorted.
General Fuego ignored him.
‘No, I didn’t. She burst into tears when I tried to find out more about the Kardo operation. I think she’s not as senior as we imagined.’
‘I thought she was Black’s direct employee. How come she doesn’t know anything about the diamond production numbers? I’m sure she must see the figures?’
‘Gentlemen, as we are well aware, Mr Black is paranoid. I don’t think his girlfriend knows his first name.’
‘What is his first name?’
‘I don’t know,’ the general deadpanned.
‘So, did you get anything out of her or not, Fuego?’
‘I don’t know what you mean,’ he replied and winked. Both of the other men guffawed.
‘You dog, Fuego; I knew you weren’t interested in production. She is kind of cute, though, in a gringa sort of way.’
‘The President is going to kill me.’
They all mused on this as they drank their coffee.
***
The General crossed from the island with Sam in the boat. He insisted on driving her back to Mondongo by himself, at a never less than hair-raising speed. Sam tried not to focus on Eduardo, but she could see him wincing in the back of the car. When they reached the centre of town, they stopped at a little coffee shop near the Gemsite office and Eduardo stayed with the car.
The site not only had milky coffees made from UHT milk but also Portuguese custard tarts. The General ordered six, telling Sam that if they did not eat them all, she could take one on the flight as a snack. He asked her how she came to work for Gemsite and proved to be such a good listener that Sam found herself telling him about the Dirk debacle. She was so desperate for someone to talk to and she didn’t think talking about Dirk was a Gemsite secret.
The General waited for her to stop speaking and smiled gently at her. ‘Ah, my dear, you have made the mistake of choosing a younger man. In my opinion, you should look at someone a little more mature.’
‘You mean vintage, like a good wine?’
‘That’s exactly what I mean.’ He gave her a mischievous smile and told her that he had to go.
Sam refused a lift to Villa Alice and kissed him goodbye.
‘See you soon,’ he said.
After the General had left, Sam walked around the corner to the office. She knew she would find someone on duty and she needed to know when the flight was due to take off for Kardo.
To her surprise, it was Pedro who came to the door. He had a face like thunder.
Sam was miffed that he did not notice her dress. ‘So, Pedro, welcome back. Did you enjoy your break?’
‘I see you’ve been busy while I’ve been away.’
‘Busy? What do you mean?’
‘Are you the General’s whore now?’ He was purple with rage and quivering with the fury of a man who imagined himself scorned.
‘How can you even ask me that? Are you on drugs?’
‘Don’t play the innocent with me. I saw you cosy up to him in the café.’
‘I was having a coffee, and I didn’t cosy up, not that it's any of your business. Who do you think you are anyway? The sex police?'
‘I thought we had an arrangement.’
‘An arrangement?'
‘You know what I mean.’
‘No, I don’t think I do. What arrangement?’
It was becoming clear that Pedro was suffering from a dangerous fit of jealousy. He must have attached far more importance to their flirting than she had. She stood her ground with her hands on her hips.
Pedro was not finished. ‘How could you be such a fool? Do you really think a five-star General has the slightest interest in a two-bit gringa like you? Are you an idiot? Your only value to him is as a spy. Black will be livid when he finds out. You will be fired for sure.’
‘I haven’t done anything wrong. I don’t have any access to useful information. Anyway, he didn’t ask me anything about diamonds. Why would Black want to fire me?’
But even as she said it, she knew he was right. She had been foolish to accept the invitation. But the temptation of good food and company was too strong after the weeks of misery at Kardo. She did not have any information for them. But why else would they invite her to the island? It’s not like she was a friend of the family or anything. The Ministers did seem to ask a lot of questions that she could not answer about production and operations at the mine. The General had even engineered that private chat with her to talk about Kardo. But she had ruined his plans by bursting into tears. It was all clear to her now. Another humiliation for Sam. Was she so naïve when she thought no one would mind if she went to the island if she did not have anything to tell?
She decided on damage limitation. ‘What are you going to do, Pedro? You're the only one who knows. Please don’t tell anyone. I don’t even like the general.’
‘I thought you liked me.’
‘I did. I do. I didn’t feel I had any choice. I was practically kidnapped. How could I fancy an old man like that when I had you here in the office?’ She touched his arm to lower the tension.
Pedro appeared to be mollified by this. He moved closer to her and lifted up her chin.
‘I was thinking about you on my break. I thought we would be a couple when I got back. I brought you a present. Sorry I over-reacted. Maybe if you come back to the Villa Alice with me, we could fill in the time before the flight. We could have a couple of beers and hang out in my room.’
Sam was trapped. She knew he had her backed into a corner. If she refused, he would take revenge, and if she did not, he might blackmail her from now on. She played for time.
‘I thought the flight was at six o’ clock? Maybe we could do it next time I’m in town with more time. We could do dinner?’
But Pedro was not to be denied.
‘No fuel. It is delayed until eight. Come on, I’ll give you a lift right now. You look hot in that dress by the way.’
‘Okay, I need to repack my things anyway.’
‘I’ll take off your dress for you.’
***
When Sam and Pedro arrived at the airport, there was no plane on the tarmac. An aircraft taxied up half an hour later. Then the tanks were filled with diesel for delivery to Kardo. The cover was then taken off one of the engines for maintenance or repair work. Sam looked at her watch and sighed. How much longer is this going to take?
She and Pedro sat in the mini-van in a cloud of mosquitoes until late evening when the cover finally went back on. There was no point trying to drive back to Villa Alice in one of Mondongo’s appalling evening traffic jams. Sam avoided speaking to Pedro by pretending to sleep through all this but on leaving the mini-van, she had to kiss him goodbye.
‘See you soon I hope,’ he said.
‘Not if I see you first,’ she muttered under her breath. She got on the plane, clutching the lurid pink teddy bear that Pedro had given her at the house, which proved that he had no idea who he was dealing with. There was nothing Sam hated more than fluffy toys, above all pink ones.
Sam had plenty of time to think on the cold cargo plane to Kardo. She felt dirty and used. How could she get herself in such a horrible situation? It was bad enough feeling forced to have sex with Pedro, who went at her like a battering ram and with about as much emotion. His pride restored, at least he had been magnanimous and had driven her to the airport.
Aside from that horrible memory, which she would expunge as soon as she could, she knew in her heart that Pedro was right. What would a general want with someone like her? A mere geologist? What had she be
en thinking? Why was she so bad at reading people’s motives?
It was another disaster, and she was not sure she could trust Pedro to keep it to himself. She did not want to imagine what a fit Black would have if he found out. He might have a stroke and die. Although she doubted that there was much hope of that.
She decided that Pedro should be kept at arm’s length on her next visit to Mondongo. It seemed likely that he might again demand payment for his silence.
This job was a bloody nightmare and was getting worse by the day. The only person in the country that Sam could trust was Jorge, and maybe Black. In a strange way, she thought she might grow to like Black despite his despotic ways. She shifted in her seat, trying not to focus on her bruised pride and nether regions. At least things could not get much worse and with the one hundred percent bonuses that were about to be paid, she could afford to cut the contract short if things did deteriorate.
The plane arrived at Kardo with a big thud that almost wrested the fuel tanks out of their bindings. Sam imagined being hit in the back of the head by one of them.
A driver appeared out of the gloom and ferried her home.
IX
A few days later Jim handed over control of the project to Ewen Mackenzie, head of the Gali project. Ewen was a tall taciturn Scot with white blonde hair and blue eyes in a well-used face.
Jim had told Sam that he was a big hit with the ladies. But Ewen did not try charming her. In fact, he did not direct a phrase her way all day. She felt left out.
Ewen took over Jim’s radio and his car, which Sam had been expecting to do. Ewen already had a car and a radio from Gali where he was general manager like Jim. Sam had been looking forward to bombing around the project without having to hitch a lift with someone who had a pickup, checking on things and hanging out. Now, she had to stay in the office or go with dour Ewen.
Why couldn’t he bring his own car? What was she going to do while Jim was away? Worse still, what was going to happen when Black arrived? She was dreading the arrival of the boss and she was not alone.