The Killing Moon

by Michael Robinson

  With Rob's heart beating with anticipation, soon his palms felt sticky with sweat against the steering wheel. Rob turned off what was left of the highway and made his way through what appeared to be some sort of industrial area. Following the directions for another ten minutes, Rob appeared to be in some sort of plantation, with houses on either side of the road. When they were built, Rob reckoned they must have been worth quite a bit of money, however, now they looked run down, almost a ghetto. Rob noticed there was a couple that were empty and looked like they had been set on fire.

  The phone beeped telling Rob he had reached his destination. He saw the house in front of him, there were three vehicles parked outside. He carried on and drove straight past slowly, taking in as much detail of the location as possible. He saw a corner and turned right and hid in the side street. "This is where everything came into play," thought Rob to himself.

  Once he had parked the vehicle and killed the lights, he took a few more sips of water and sat and thought for no more than five minutes. Rob looked up into the night sky and noticed the moon. It was almost blood red and part of him remembered what he had done to that poor bastard in the park. He had to shut it out of his mind and carry on with his objective. He opened the side door, climbed out of the vehicle and opened the boot. Abass was clearly weakened by the long drive and extremely dehydrated. Rob pulled Abass out of the boot and handed him a bottle of water. Abass quickly ripped open the cap and hurriedly gasped in between mouthfuls, almost finishing the bottle within two seconds.

  Once Abass had recovered, although he was weary, Rob spoke softly. "Now you're going to help me!"

  "Yes, sir, yes, sir, I will!"

  "I want you to ring Mousa and tell him to send his men to Mandera straight away. Tell him another shipment of Westerners has arrived. However, they're only staying for twenty-four hours. Tell Mousa there's four women, three girls under seven and two men. If you do that, I'll let you go."

  Abass was beaten. He could not even contemplate reasoning with Rob. Rob handed over the phone and Abass was more than happy to oblige. Rob listened intensely to every word Abass said to Mousa. When he was finished, Rob took the phone from Abass.

  "I can go now, sir, you said, we had a deal."

  Rob thought for a second: "We do have a deal, Abass, but for the time being I need you to get back in the boot."

  "No, please, sir, I help you, we have deal."

  "Just get back in the boot, and everything will be okay, Abass."

  Begrudgingly, Abass did as he was told. Just before the defeated Abass returned to his cage, Rob noticed a hosepipe in the boot next to the jack. He quickly retrieved it and then shut the boot down on this man responsible for pedalling in children.

  Rob returned to the front of the car. He looked in the glove box, but there was nothing. Instead he looked on the back seat. Again, there was nothing he was looking for. Then he saw in the passenger footwell, on the floor, was an old dusty set of mats. Rob removed it, then exited the vehicle. Tactically, Abass could give Rob away at any point.

  Rob knew there was no way Abass could be trusted all the time he was alive. Rob began to secure the hose to the exhaust pipe. At the same time, he ripped in half the mat from the footwell and placed it round the rest of the exhaust. He then ran the pipe to the back window. He wound down the window slightly in order to feed the hose into the vehicle. Once he was satisfied that everything was secure, Rob turned the ignition and carefully shut the driver's door. Covertly as he could, Rob just walked away, leaving Abass to his fate.

  Chapter Seventy-seven

  Rob walked into the night back in the direction of Mousa's house. It was dark and there was little in the way of street lighting, however the moon lit up the objective. Everything was in Rob's favour. However, was Amelia there? Would he have to go further into Somalia to find her? Not to mention, what type of mental state would the little girl be in? Rob felt in his pocket, and he still had the lion cub teddy bear, it was almost a comfort to him as what it would have been to the little girl.

  Adjacent to Mousa's property was an empty house. Rob took cover near the porch so he could watch Mousa's men. The less men guarding the girl, the easier it would be to deal with. All the time, Rob noticed his breathing, but at the same time, a peaceful calm had come across him, almost as if this was his life's work. The fact was, all Rob had ever known since leaving school was how to kill people. He had learned these lessons well and effectively, and even Rob would admit to himself, at this stage of the game, he was a ruthless killer.

  Rob's calm was suddenly broken when he heard the sound of a squawk overhead. Rob recognised it instantly. It was the sound of a guillemot. Within a second of its defiant cry, the bird landed on the roof of the objective. How it had got this far inland, was anyone's guess, but it was here. In fact, it was almost a spiritual guide telling Rob he was in the right place. Rob carried on watching as the bird sat staring on the roof of Mousa's house straight in Rob's direction. Occasionally, the bird would shout one or two squawks, almost as if they were aimed at Rob, but definitely defiant.

  Within half an hour, four men had appeared at the front of Mousa's house. All four climbed into two of the vehicles that were parked outside, leaving just one vehicle. At the door, Rob saw the silhouette of a tall African. Rob assumed, this must be his target. However, he still did not know where Amelia was. Within two minutes, the vehicles had driven off into the night, and the whole neighbourhood was quiet again, with the exception of the guillemot who was in no way fazed by the sight of four killers leaving the house. Covertly as he could, Rob made his way across the street. As he approached Mousa's house, he looked around for points of entry.

  As he made his way around the back, there was nothing but rubbish in the back yard, and a pitiful looking fence. Carefully, Rob climbed over the fence, and from a distance looked in the windows. The first room was empty, despite the light being on. Covertly, Rob made his way to the left of the house, and again looked through the windows. This time, Rob saw his target. There was a sofa, an old box TV in the corner and what appeared to be a half-naked stoned woman passed out on the floor. At the same time, Rob watched as Mousa smoked what appeared to be a crack pipe. At this stage of the game, Rob did not think there was anyone else in the house. However, to make sure, Rob peered through every other window. Again, he saw nothing.

  Carefully, he made his way to the front door. If need be, Rob would kill the woman too, but for the time being, he would deal with Mousa accordingly. In theory, someone high on crack would be immune to any pain, but it also meant their reflexes were slow. The wooden panels on the porchway creaked as Rob made his way to the front door. Placing his hand on the handle, Rob gently twisted and soon the door became open.

  Chapter Seventy-eight

  The first thing Rob noticed as he entered what appeared to be the hallway, was the noise blasting from the TV set in the living room. Rob looked around for signs of a weapon. Initially, he saw nothing, but moving further into the house Rob found the kitchen. Still conscious of his surroundings, Rob looked for a knife, and quickly found what he was looking for. Then there was the dilemma. Should he kill Mousa first and then look for the girl? Or, look for the girl and then deal with Mousa? Once Mousa was dead and, if the girl was not in the house, Rob would have no idea how to get to Amelia.

  Carefully, Rob left the kitchen, the blade still tight in his fist. As he made his way gently towards the stairs, he saw the living room to his left. Carefully making his way towards the stairs he peered in and saw both its occupants almost passed out. The woman was obviously a prostitute of some kind, and at the same time Mousa didn't seem to take his eyes off the TV screen. He would deal with them both later.

  As lightly as he could, Rob began to climb the stairs, carefully taking one step at a time. Were there other people in the house still? How would he deal with them if they were? Rob began to kick himself. He needed longer to do the recce, but he was here now, therefore he would have to adjust and overcome. W
ith each tread on the stairs, there was a slight creak. The house was obviously showing its age. Slowly, he reached the top of the stairwell.

  The upstairs looked just as much of a slum as the downstairs. Carpets were worn. The walls were dirty. However, there was little in the way of furniture. At the top of the stairs there were three doors to the right. Rob carefully opened the handle on the first door. Inside was a bathroom, again, the filth was evident. As quietly as he could, Rob closed the door. He moved along the corridor, all the time conscious of his footsteps.

  Opening the second door, the room was bare, with the exception of a bed with a dirty mattress. There wasn't even a carpet in this room. However, Rob noticed dirty syringes on the floor. Again, Rob closed the door and made his way towards the third room.

  Slowly turning the handle, the door opened. Amelia was here. The little girl's arm was secured to the bed by a makeshift chain. She was curled up in a ball, but it was obvious that this was Charlotte Beaumont's daughter. She had a bruise on her right eye, and several cuts and bruises on her legs. Rob knelt down beside her. She looked at Rob with fear, and it was obvious to Rob that the little girl was traumatised. With his left hand he held his fingers to his lips and whispered softly, "Amelia, I am a friend of your mummy's, I've come to pick you up and take you home. First of all, I need you to do something for me. I need you to be quiet, just for a few minutes until I come back."

  The little girl said nothing. It was almost as if there was a distance in her eyes. At that moment, Rob could hear footsteps coming up the stairs. Although the steps were not light, Rob did not think they belonged to Mousa. As the steps were getting closer, Rob braced himself to thrust the knife into whoever it was. At that moment, he heard the bathroom door open. Rob saw his chance and quickly stepped out onto the landing. Just glancing as the little girl looked up at him. Rob could hear the trickle of someone urinating. Then the toilet flushed. Rob quietly placed the knife on the floor.

  From out of the bathroom appeared the stoned prostitute. As she saw Rob, her eyes widened, and she was just about to scream when Rob covered his hand over her mouth and pulled her towards him. The prostitute began to fight. Rob secured a holding around her head. Then, just as he had been taught, he yanked her head upwards and twisted to the right, breaking her neck and severing her windpipe. The body stopped moving instantly and the neck was obviously broken. As delicately as he could, he laid the lifeless woman on the floor. "One down!" thought Rob. Now he had to deal with Mousa.

  He picked up the knife from the floor and went back to check on Amelia. Again, Rob held his finger to his lips and quietly whispered, "Just stay here, I'll be back in a minute." All of a sudden, Rob felt a sharp pain across his back, and he fell to the floor. He looked up and saw Mousa standing there.

  Chapter Seventy-nine

  "You killed my woman, white man! You're gonna die very soon." Rob ignored the comment and tried to pick himself up off the floor, at the same time as trying to reach for the knife. Mousa launched at Rob, almost winding him as he fell back to the floor. Rob could hear Amelia begin to cry, and at the same time punched Mousa several times in the face. Mousa was now on top of Rob. The iron bar which Mousa was holding was now squeezing against Rob's neck. Mousa then began to shout. "I am the Warlord of Somalia, I am a general of all I command. You are the oppressor, for that you must die, white man!"

  Rob looked into Mousa's eyes, the retinas were almost yellow, but Rob could see Mousa was off his face and high on whatever he had been smoking, but Mousa was strong. Rob punched Mousa again and this time connected with his jaw. The force was so strong, Rob saw two of Mousa's gold teeth spit out onto the floor. At the same time, Mousa's mouth began to bleed profusely. Rob felt for the blade on the floor and grabbed the handle. With all his might, Rob thrust the blade into Mousa's right leg. For the first couple of seconds, Mousa felt nothing. Then all of a sudden, he let out a howling cry. Rob twisted the handle of the knife. Mousa stepped back off Rob, dropping the iron bar.

  The knife still hanging out of his thigh. Rob saw his chance. He grabbed the iron bar and with as much force as he could, swung towards Mousa's temple, knocking Mousa out cold. Mousa then fell to the floor. Rob was still not sure if he'd killed him.

  Rob looked at Amelia, the little girl had stopped screaming but was obviously in shock. Rob unchained Amelia from the bed. The little girl almost appeared frightened of Rob and almost fought against him picking her up.

  "Try not to worry, Amelia, I'm trying to get you home safe. I'm a friend of your mummy's, do you understand me?"

  Wearily, the little girl just replied, "Okay."

  Rob continued. "I need you to do something for me now, Amelia. We're gonna go outside, but I need you to close your eyes just whilst I carry you downstairs. I want you to close your eyes and think of your mummy and daddy." It took no longer than a second for the little girl to comply, and Rob wasted no time in carrying Amelia across both bodies and down the stairs into the hallway and outside to where the last vehicle was. The door was open, and Rob placed the weary little girl in the passenger seat.

  He checked the back of the Jeep and found what he was looking for. It was a petrol can. It clinked as he removed it from the boot. Then Rob quickly glanced at Amelia. He didn't know if she would run away, and then he remembered the teddy he had in his pocket. As he handed it to the little girl, he whispered, "I need you to be really good for me, Amelia, will you wait here until I come back, and then we can go and see your mum."

  Again, the only reply was, "Okay."

  Rob continued, "Can you promise me you'll wait here?"

  And as she held her teddy bear, she looked at Rob and replied, "I promise."

  Rob returned to the house with the petrol can, and wasted no time in returning to where Mousa fell. He quickly doused Mousa in petrol, and at same time Mousa began to groan as he came around. Rob did not want Mousa getting away. With what was left of the chain attached to the bed which held Amelia, Rob secured Mousa. Hopefully, the chain would hold until Mousa had burnt to death. Mousa began to plead. "White man, don't do this."

  Rob just ignored him. Rob then removed the blade from Mousa's thigh and carried on dousing petrol around the room. Then, he grabbed Mousa's hand and held it up to the wall. Mousa looked at Rob, wondering what was coming next. Within a second, Rob thrust the knife into Mousa's hand, the force was such that the blade stuck into the wall, with Mousa's hand attached. With a howling scream, Mousa cried.

  Rob closed the door behind him leaving Mousa doused in petrol chained to the bed and pinned to the wall. Rob began to slowly make his way down the stairs, running petrol throughout the house. In the living room, Rob found the lighter. Also, a set of keys for the Jeep. Rob torched the petrol at the foot of the stairs and the flames wasted no time in reaching their objective. Soon, Rob could hear Mousa's screams in agony as the flames burnt into his body. Rob felt nothing as the fire did its work.

  Rob quickly made his way to the vehicle and saw Amelia cuddling the teddy bear. Rob wasted no time in getting inside the Jeep, however, once inside he quickly looked to the top of the house. The guillemot was still there, however it was getting ready to fly off. Almost in a goodbye, it squawked one more time at Rob, then it flapped its wings and flew off into the night.

  Rob put the car in reverse. For a second, he stopped and continued to listen to the screams, and then as he turned the car, he put it in first and put his foot on the gas. Part one of his objective was complete. Now it was time for part two. But how the hell was he gonna get Amelia safely out of Africa?

  Chapter Eighty

  It didn't take long for the boffins at GCHQ to track Rob's location. Abass had been under suspicion for some time, given his connection to the missing girl. As such, his phone was being tracked, along with his phone calls. As soon as it became apparent Abass's phone was heading towards Somalia, GCHQ tracked it and it didn't take them long to realise the connection to Rob.

  Twelve hours after Rob had seized the girl, satellit
e images over Somalia picked up the damage Rob had done. It showed the extent of the severity of the fire done at Mousa's hideout. They continued to track the phone and it was obvious Rob was heading north. Just as Sergeant Nott had suspected.

  This was all music to Elizabeth Price Jones's ears. Not only had the child been rescued, but politically it could be a great coup for the government, as long as it was handled correctly. In the meantime, the Home Secretary contacted the PM to keep him abreast of what was going on, on the ground.

  All Rob had to do now was make his way to the Mediterranean without any problems. It was obvious to all concerned, that a man of Rob's skills should easily be able to make his way to the Med with their being few obstacles in his way. All the Home Secretary had to do now was wait. However, she knew full well it was not a done deal.

  Chapter Eighty-one

  As Amelia and Rob headed north, the little girl said nothing, which was hardly surprising given what she'd been through at such a young age. However, Rob did not know how to be with children generally, so all he could do was to not engage with her for the time being. She needed time to process what she had been through. Also, she had to know that Rob was not her enemy. Ultimately, Amelia had to trust Rob.

  Eight hours into the journey, the little girl had not slept, but tiredness was beginning to catch up with Rob. Initially, after he had freed the little girl, he was completely wired, as if he'd had too many cups of coffee. However, now, several hours into the journey, Rob struggled to keep his eyes open. It was another two days’ drive north west to Sudan. The main thing for Rob, was to cross the border into Ethiopia. He still had his passport and his medication, but most importantly of all, he still had the US dollars that he had stolen from the bent copper's house and changed at Newcastle Airport. It was these US dollars that were going to get them both home. Rob looked across at Amelia. She'd fallen asleep. That was good, it meant she could rest.