Elephant Dropping (9781301895199)

by Trzebinski, Bruce

  ‘What happened in there?’ He asked Doug.

  ‘Evans is there but he arrived with two whores, and they saw Lucy off. He looks like he is getting pretty drunk.’

  ‘Damn, so what do we do now?’ He asked without much conviction, eyeing up Lucy.

  ‘Miss Malindi here wasn’t much help.’

  Lucy waved her finger at Doug. ‘You, shadap.’

  ‘We could wait here till he comes out,’ Brian stroked her arm.

  Doug frowned. ‘That could take hours, he will be really drunk by then and a good chance he won’t be alone.’

  ‘It looks like we will have to wait for another opportunity.’

  ‘Are you getting cold feet?’

  ‘No, but we seem to be out of a plan right now.’

  ‘Birin thisis no good, let’s go home. I’m sleepy,’ said Lucy.

  ‘I have a plan,’ Doug started the Landrover and reaching past Brian he opened his door. ‘Out. Keep her busy and wait here.’

  Brian got out. ‘What are you doing? Where are you going?’

  Doug backed up the Landrover and drove in through the gates to the night-club The askari frantically waved him down. ‘It full.’

  Doug ignored him and drove to the end of the car park, and backed into the Mercedes, there was the sound of breaking glass as the two vehicles collided.

  The askari ran over. ‘Hey! Hey!’ Looking around wildly for help, anticipating the Landrover would now flee.

  Doug calmly went to examine the damage. The left rear light of the limousine was shattered.

  The askari waved his club at him. ‘You crazy, you drunk?’

  Doug stood looking contrite. ‘No, I’m not drunk, I didn’t see it. I don’t know what happened.’

  ‘I told you the car park was full, you didn’t see me?’

  ‘I was trying to turn round, do you know the owner?’

  The noise and commotion had attracted a crowd; they pointed out the damaged Mercedes and shook their heads at Doug.

  Lucy heard the crash and unable to resist, peered through a gap in the wall. ‘Birin,’ she said in a hoarse whisper, ‘that gowan, he crashed the fat one’s car!’

  ‘What?’ Brian joined her.

  ‘He crashed the benzi,’ she giggled.

  Brian stared at Lucy. ‘What the hell is he doing?’

  She smiled in appreciation. ‘He get fat one to come out!’

  The askari told Doug. ‘This going to cost you plenty, the owner’s a bank manager.’

  One of the onlookers commented. ‘Yes, very expensive.’ Others tittered in glee.

  Doug unfazed asked. ‘Can you send somebody to call him?’

  The askari turned to one of the bouncers. ‘You had better go and tell Evans, you know, the fat one.’

  A few minutes later, a distraught Evans rushed over. The crowd parted giving him room, enjoying his distress. ‘What happened here?’

  The askari told him and pointed at Doug. Evans visibly upset said. ‘I knew it, I knew it. I should have left the car at home.’ He addressed Doug directly. ‘Why did you do this, are you blind?’

  ‘Listen I’m sorry, it was an accident. I am sure we can settle this amicably. Do you have insurance?’

  Evans looked at him in a daze. ‘Insurance, insurance? You crashed my new car,’ his voice rising.

  ‘Yes I agree I did, I’m just asking if you are insured.’

  ‘Yes of course I am,’ replied Evans.

  ‘I’m also insured, so now we have to get a police abstract.’

  ‘Police abstract,’ muttered Evans fingering a piece of red plastic from his shattered rear light. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘It’s like an eyewitness account, a statement from the police to say they have witnessed the accident. This is required by the insurance people before you can make a claim.’

  ‘I make a claim? It’s you who crashed my car,’ Evans sputtered angrily. ‘You pay!’

  Doug held his hands out placating. ‘Yes I will pay, but I must have a police abstract.’

  ‘Okay, so we’d better call the police.’ He stared at his Mercedes and wrung his hands.

  The two girls had followed him out and were trying to console him. ‘It’s okay, he agree to pay, the police, they come and then he can fix it.’

  Doug said. ‘Listen, those cops could take forever and you know what they’re like, they never have any transport. I have agreed it was my fault so there is no dispute. We could drive round to the station, pick up a cop and can get this over and done with as soon as possible, what do you say?’

  Evans looked at Doug doubtfully but could see only earnest appeal on his face. ‘Yes, I suppose that could work.’

  ‘Good, thank you for being so cooperative.’

  Evans looking dazed told the askari what the plan was. The onlookers all smiled in agreement and some of them made to climb in the back of the Landrover.

  Doug told them to get out and opened the door for Evans. He started the engine and as they drove out of the gate, he stuck his head out of the window and hissed into the darkness. ‘Follow me.’

  A startled Brian and Lucy watched the Landrover trundle down the road, and hastily followed on foot.

  Doug drove a hundred yards, slowed down and stopped. ‘So, have you had the car long?’

  ‘What?’

  ‘The car, the Mercedes, have you had it a long time?’

  ‘No,’ said Evans in exasperation, ‘it’s new. Now what’s happening, why are we stopping?’

  ‘Some friends of mine want to talk to you.’ Doug said slipping the gun out of its holster and pointing it at him. Evans looked at it in astonishment his eyes bulging.

  Brian walked up and leaned in the car window. ‘Hello Evans.’

  The Manager gasped and visibly leapt with fright. To his credit he recovered enough to say. ‘Sir we all thought you were dead. It’s a miracle; we read you had got lost at a waterfalls.’

  ‘Yes, I know some people tried to kill me, but thanks to Doug here, I’m alright.’

  Evans looked at Doug and then at the gun worriedly. ‘He crashed my car sir, and now he has a gun pointing at me.’

  ‘Yes, we have a lot of things to discuss and we are going to need your help.’

  ‘Very good sir, you can come to the bank tomorrow, but now I have to go to the police about my car.’

  ‘There is no time for that, move over,’ Brian said and slid in the seat beside him.

  ‘Where are we going?’ Evans asked, now very alarmed.

  ‘Good question. Doug?’ Asked Brian.

  ‘I think we need to bring Evans up to speed, don’t you?’

  ‘What, here in the car?’ asked Brian.

  ‘Yes, as we discussed earlier, but I’m not sure about Miss Malindi here,’ he waved a thumb at Lucy sitting behind them and leaning forward to catch every word.

  ‘Listen gentlemens.’ Evans interrupted in managerial role, ‘I don’t know what it is that you want with me, but we can discuss it in my office tomorrow morning, and I am sure that everything can be smoothed out.’ The two men ignored him.

  ‘Lucy,’ Brian began, ‘can you go back to the bar and wait for us?’

  ‘Why I waits? I go to polices right now.’ She sat back in her seat confidently, crossing her arms and staring out of the window.

  Brian looked over at Doug. ‘I think she has a point, don’t you?’

  Doug muttered. ‘Come on get on with it.’

  ‘Okay Evans. I am aware of the fraud going on in your bank with Golden Palm and you are very obviously involved.’

  Evans protested. ‘Fraud, in my bank? There is nothing like that, Golden Palm are legitimate customers.’

  Brian said sharply. ‘Don’t argue with me. You know those title deeds have been misappropriated. You’ve been very clever about this. I strongly suggest you co-operate with us, otherwise you could find yourself on an attempted murder charge as well.’

  ‘What? Attempted murder, what are you talking about?’

&n
bsp; ‘Yes, you and your partners tried to have me killed.’

  He looked genuinely shocked. ‘I have no knowledge of such a thing.’

  ‘Ok, your partners are probably planning to get rid of you too.’

  Evans stared at him speechless, the pennies slowly dropping. ‘Patel and Azizza, murder me?’ He whispered.

  ‘Yes, nice company you keep, eh Evans?’ Brian agreed.

  ‘Look sir,’ Evans explained, ‘I have nothing to do with this Golden Palm. Mr Patel and Miss Azizza, they’re the ones that persuaded me. If there’s a problem it is all their fault.’

  Brian said. ‘The problem Evans is there is no way you could afford that Mercedes on your salary.’

  Outmanoeuvered, Evans sat miserably between the two men. ‘My car was a gift. What, what do you want to do with me?’

  ‘We need to get into the bank. I need the software for the computers and your master key code.’

  ‘And what do you intend to do with that?’

  ‘I need to get more evidence and if you co-operate, when the time comes I will explain how helpful you have been.’

  ‘And what if I refuse?’

  Doug interrupted. ‘You will be of no use to us, so we may as well shoot you now.’

  Evans looked at him aghast. ‘But, but what have I done to you? You’ve crashed my car.’

  Doug only smiled and held the gun up, pointing it at him.

  Brian interceded. ‘Listen Evans, whatever happens; you’re going to get caught. It would be much better for you if you co-operate. Don’t forget I’m still your boss.’

  Evans was now completely out of his depth. ‘My boss, but you’re dead? I mean no, sir you’re not. Why don’t we discuss this in the morning, you can come to my office, sir?’

  The two men looked at him, waiting. ‘You can’t do this to me, I don’t care if you shoot me. What you are doing is against the law.’

  Doug laughed. ‘How much did those muhindis pay you?’

  Evans spluttered. ‘Nothing, I’m completely innocent.’

  ‘Bullshit. Listen to me Evans, your boss doesn’t know how things work in this country, so let me put it to you straight. If you help us, we will double the money the others are giving you,’ he held his hand up to stop Brian protesting, ‘and when this all comes out in the wash, you will be a hero for having caught your former partners in this massive bank fraud. How does that fit with you?’

  Evans searched Doug’s face for trickery. ‘Double is not enough.’

  ‘It’s better than nothing,’ he waved the gun in his face.

  Evans swallowed, he got the message. ‘Okay.’

  Lucy broke the tension, clapping her hands in glee and bouncing up and down on the back seat. ‘Yaye, I’m going to be rich.’

  Brian chuckled. ‘Evans, do you have the keys on you?’

  The manager nodded and told Doug to drive past the bank and park down the road. ‘The guards will become curious if they see me in this car.’

  When they got there, Doug gave the gun to Brian. ‘Just in case.’

  Brian and Evans got out and walked back to the bank. Lucy putting on lipstick, called out. ‘Waits me, I’m coming.’ Doug seized her arm as she tried to get out, the lipstick missing her lip and smearing her chin. ‘Eya gowan,’ she snarled, ‘let go,’

  Doug tightened his grip and yanked her roughly back into the car. ‘You stay here,’ he commanded, and then in Kiswahili, ‘nitakuchapa!’ He warned her.

  Lucy glared daggers at him and dug her sharp nails into the back of his hand, drawing blood.

  Doug cuffed her hard across the head with his other hand. ‘Nyamasa! Be quiet,’ he cursed her.

  She spat at him. ‘You fuck shit!’

  Doug, his hand bleeding, reached down and took a short length of rope from under the Landrover’s seat. Expertly he looped this round her wrist and then round her neck. He pulled the free end down between the front seats. The rope tightened and Lucy had no choice but to follow, her head ending up compressed against the back of the front seat.

  ‘If you scream I will knock you out, you little bitch,’ he hissed menacingly in her ear. ‘Behave yourself or I will make sure you end up with nothing, do you understand?’

  Lucy struggled to breath and then nodded in affirmation, her other hand pulling on the rope.

  Doug loosened the rope. ‘Not a sound,’ he warned her.

  She lay back on the seat coughing. ‘You shit,’ she hissed between coughs, ‘go back to gowan.’

  ‘Yeah, and you go back to Somalia.’

  ‘I’m with Birin,’ she told him, ‘not you.’

  ‘I don’t want to fight with you, but if you start fucking me around, I will get rid of you, Brian or no Brian.’

  Lucy looked at him in disgust. ‘You’re a bad man,’ she concluded, trying to untie the rope from her wrist.

  ‘Don’t do that,’ he warned, raising his hand.

  ‘You think me goat to tie up.’

  ‘Shut up, I have already told you once,’ Doug said mildly.

  The two men went inside the bank. Evans locking the door from the inside, confident in familiar surroundings, flicked on lights. ‘Sir we thought you had been eaten by crocodiles.’

  ‘It’s lucky for you that I wasn’t. These people seem ruthless -what made you think you could get away with this?’

  Evans unlocked the door to his office and switched on the air conditioner. ‘It’s not me who owns the title deeds, the bank does, I am just doing my job, sir.’

  ‘Hmmm, what percentage are Golden Palm giving you?’

  ‘Twenty percent,’ Evans lied.

  ‘Of what? Surely not the entire loan?’

  ‘No Sir, only on the interest,’ booting up his computer.

  ‘That’s no small change Evans. So you admit you’re involved?’

  ‘I’m just doing my job Sir, the title deeds are genuine.’

  ‘Evans, you’re being paid to look the other way.’

  ‘Yes, but now you will give me forty percent, won’t you?’

  ‘Let’s see,’ Brian said thwarted by the manager’s denial, ‘hand me the software.’

  Evans held back. ‘But your friend, the man, he said...’

  ‘Yes, I know what he said, but unless I can trace Golden Palm’s account, there won’t be any money. Give me your access code.’

  Evans sat down in a chair next to Brian and said earnestly. ‘Mr Nicholls sir, you are asking me to do something illegal, I could lose my job over this.’

  Brian shut his eyes and said slowly. ‘Evans what is it that you don’t understand about the situation you’re in?As things stand right now you’re going to end up in jail. I have enough evidence as it is of your complicity, don’t you understand?’

  ‘Yes, but sir, Dug said you would double my fee.’

  ‘Your fee! You’ve been robbing your own fucking bank.’

  ‘No sir, that is not true, I have explained everything.’

  Brian barked. ‘Enough! Give me the access code.’

  Evans read out the number as Brian tapped it in. A moment later the window opened on the accounts. He scrolled through until he got to the loans section, and then whistled softly as he read the figures on Golden Palm. ‘Jesus, they have been busy.’ He went to the accrued interest. ‘I don’t see any transfers here. Where have Golden Palm been sending their money?’

  ‘Oh it’s all been on a cash basis,’ Evans said casually.

  ‘Cash?’

  ‘Yes sir. We calculate the interest due, and deduct it from the new loans and the rest is paid out in cash.’

  ‘They have been walking out of the bank with cash?’

  ‘Yes sir, well Azizza has. Patel does not do any banking.’

  ‘Oh what? They can’t be sitting around with that much in cash.’

  ‘The landowners don’t have bank accounts,’ Evans explained helpfully.

  Brian rolled his eyes up. ‘God give me strength. They must be banking it somewhere. What other banks are there in
Malindi?’

  ‘There is the CNB bank sir.’

  ‘What dealings do you have with them?’

  ‘Not much sir, we have taken lots of clients from them.’

  Brian ignored this statement. ‘Do you have an empty disk?’

  Evans reached into a drawer, pulled out a few disks and handed them to Brian. He started to make copies. ‘So how have you been getting your cut?’

  ‘They pay me in cash sir.’

  ‘And do you bank that cash?’

  ‘No. Patel still owes me a lot of money; he says that it is better with him as it’s earning interest.’

  ‘So they must have banked it. You think he will pay you?’

  ‘He gives me money when I need it.’ Brian looked at Evans and shook his head in wonder at his childlike faith.

  ‘What is it sir?’ Evans asked.

  ‘Nothing, I had not thought they would take all the money in cash, this poses a problem for us.’ Brian finished making his copies. ‘Write down the access code - and don’t think about changing it in the morning,’ he warned him.

  Brian pocketed the disks. ‘Ok, let’s get out of here.’ They walked back to the car. ‘Will Azizza come to the bank tomorrow?’

  ‘Yes she comes in everyday at around ten.’

  ‘You must on no account reveal that you have met me. As far as you and everybody else is concerned I no longer exist.’

  ‘No problem sir. When do I get my money?’

  Brian stopped, and then walked on. ‘When I find it,’ he replied.

  At the car, Lucy reached out and pulled Brian to the door. ‘You have money?’ Looking for a bag and disappointed, she let go and pointed a finger at Doug. ‘He hiti me because I no fuck him.’

  Doug said. ‘Miss Malindi here wanted to follow you.’

  ‘She said you hit her is that true?’ Brian demanded.

  ‘I admit we had some problems,’ he held up his scratched hand by way of explanation. ‘Did you two get what we need?’

  Brian nodded coldly. ‘I didn’t expect this of you.’ He joined Lucy and put his arm around her protectively.

  ‘You not real man,’ she told him,’ if you real man, you kills this gowan shit,’ she nestled against him.

  Evans stood outside unsure what to do. ‘Get in,’ Doug told him.

  He got in, looking at Lucy. ‘This woman is a very bad liar.’

  ‘You stupids,’ she said.