Spirals

by Scott Bergin

  Robert decided that the only justifiable course of action was revenge. Not against whoever found the ivory. He knew that if he were in their shoes he would take it for himself, as well. Robert wanted revenge on whoever was responsible for this destruction and devastation in the first place. Robert knew that it was most likely a natural disaster, but that didn't mean that no one knew what was going to happen. He knew that someone had to have know of the dangers that existed, and they simply failed to tell anyone. Perhaps they had told someone, and that person just had not listened. Any way Robert thought of it, someone clearly had to be at fault. Perhaps it would even be someone who was supposed to perform tests on the area to make sure it was safe, and they hadn't. Or they had done them improperly. Only one thing was clear to Robert, someone was to blame and would have to pay.

  Robert put his shirt back on, and walked along the catwalk. He didn't bother looking out over the edges and seeing the bodies strewn everywhere. He stared straight ahead and walked slowly along the catwalk.

  "Somebody must have known." He mumbled as he walked.

  "And that somebody will have to pay." He continued to mumble, as he walked down the stairs at the far end of the catwalk. As Robert reached the bottom of the stairs the rotten corpses were all around him, but he paid no attention. He just continued to mumble.

  "Somebody must have known, and that somebody will have to pay." He continued to mumble, as he walked over and around the corpses. As Robert walked past one table he picked up a finely polished tusk. It had two small numbers on it. One indicating its lot number, the other indicating its weight. The tusk was small, most likely from a young elephant. Robert held the pointed end in one hand, and tapped the other end into his open palm. He felt almost like a keystone cop, as he walked along tapping his baton into his hand.

  "Somebody must have known." He said, no longer mumbling. "And that somebody will have to pay." He said, gritting his teeth together in anger. He continued to walk around and over the bodies, slowly working his way back to the front entrance. Upon seeing each body and each tusk he grew more and more angry, and it was reflected in his voice. Robert continued to walk toward Silthe, and upon seeing him again he fell silent. He kept tapping the tusk into his open hand and growing more furious as he approached. He stopped within ten feet of the body and gritted his teeth again.

  "I will kill whoever did this to me!" He shouted, raising the tusk up in one hand. Then he threw the tusk against the side of the truck, and it shattered. Fragments of the tusk fell across the bodies of Silthe and Busanda. The pieces were so small they looked like splinters or snowflakes, not bones.

  Robert walked over to the control panel next to the front door. The body of a worker was slumped up against the wall beneath it. Robert kicked him in the head. Not because he was in the way, but he was more than likely the one who had opened the door. If anyone had discovered this place, it was this man's fault. The body rolled forward and onto the floor in front of him, and Robert kicked it again. This time it was because the body was in the way of the door closing. Robert punched in a few numbers on the keypad, then closed the panel. As the door slowly began descending, Robert ducked underneath it. From the outside he stared back in at the bodies he could see. For an instant he hoped that he would never have to see any of this again, and he pitied the next person to find it. He wondered if someone would even bother stealing the ivory if it meant they had to see, and smell, and touch all that was inside. Robert almost wished that someone else would find it, so the next person to open that door would not be him. He wondered if it would be worth the loss of all the money and ivory, if it meant that he would never have to return to this place again.

  Robert got back into his stolen truck. He turned it around, and headed back. He knew that he would now have to go where the reporters were. That would be the easiest way to find out who was responsible for all this. It meant he had a long drive ahead of him, maybe even several days of driving. He was headed north, to the cause of this destruction. He was on his way to the remains of Lake Nyos.

  Chapter 15

  April 11

  11:15 p.m.

  Bénoué Park, Cameroon

  Gabrielle stood against the cracked open door. She continued to peer out into the empty hallway. Glancing left to right as much as she could through the small slit.

  "I think he's gone." She finally said.

  "Good." Alex replied. Then he walked over to the window, and slipped out it.

  "Do you remember what to do?" Alex asked from outside the window.

  "Of course I remember." Gabrielle replied. "Now go." Then she waved him off, and went back to looking out the door. Alex walked along the outside wall until he came to the next window. He cautiously looked in. Gabrielle was right, Thomas was not in his room. Alex slowly slid in the window, and looked around again. It was dark with no lights on, but not too dark to see. The moon was providing enough light to read by near the window, and enough to keep from bumping into furniture in the rest of the room. Alex was afraid that his shoes would make a substantial amount of noise. He decided to get rid of them before going any further. He took off his socks and shoes, and set them gently outside the window. Then he turned his attention back to Thomas' room. Alex had no idea what he was looking for. He just knew that something in the room had to prove that Thomas was not what he claimed to be. Alex walked over to the night stand and opened its only drawer. It made a loud squeak, and Alex froze in his tracks. He was certainly no expert thief. Even his trembling hands were testimony to that. Inside the drawer was a single checkbook. Alex picked up the checkbook. He figured, if nothing else, he could verify where Thomas was from. He carried it over to the open window, in order to read it in the moonlight. Alex opened the checkbook and saw that it had no address on it. It was a temporary checkbook, and it had only a dozen checks in it. Then Alex turned pale white when he read the bank it came from, The First National Bank of Cameroon. Alex also noticed the address, Yaoundé. Almost immediately he realized that Thomas was planning on going into Yaoundé, not to take pictures, but to rob a bank. Alex was shocked. Thomas was planning to take advantage of a natural disaster to rob a bank. Then Alex realized that this was hardly enough evidence. Anyone planning to rob a bank would have to have some type of equipment. If that was what Thomas was up to, that equipment had to be here somewhere. Alex went to put that checkbook back, but upon closing it a small note landed on the floor. Alex picked it up, and tried to make out the difficult handwriting. In the bright moonlight he was able to make out what it read.

  '4 me Catharine nice'

  Alex quickly put the strange note back where he found it. He didn't have time to figure out its meaning now. He put the checkbook back in the drawer, and closed it. Then he knelt down beside the bed, and looked underneath it. There was a knapsack stuffed all the way up under the headboard. Alex reached under and pulled it out. He unzipped the knapsack, though not as quietly as he would have liked to. As he looked inside, his fears about the bank were confirmed. Inside the knapsack was some fancy electronic device, which Alex assumed might be for breaking into a safe. Then he continued to paw through the knapsack, and he felt some clay, still in its wrapper. Alex pulled the clay out and read the side of the package, 'C-4'. Alex realized that the electronic device he had seen earlier had been to open a safe, to blow open a safe. The electronic device was obviously some type of detonator. To Alex's surprise, he could find no weapons. Thomas always carried his Bowie knife with him, but he apparently had no gun. Alex closed the knapsack and put it back under the bed. Then he walked over to the bathroom. The whole time, Alex was still thinking about how strange it was for a bank robber not to need a gun. He looked into the bathroom and saw nothing of interest. The only thing out of the ordinary in the bathroom was the computer. Alex knew that he had neither the time nor the knowledge to gain any information from that.

  Gabrielle continued to peer through the crack in the doorway, starring at the empty hallway. Then she saw something. Thomas was on
his way back to his room. Quickly, she ran across the room and threw herself onto the bed. The bed slammed into the wall. Both Alex and Thomas heard the crash, and both froze. To Thomas it was most likely some playful romping in the next room. To Alex it was the signal he had hoped not to hear. Alex turned and stepped out of the bathroom. He looked over at the door, it was already being opened. Alex knew that there was no way for him to make it to the window without being seen. He frantically looked around the room for an adequate place to hide.

  Thomas swung open the door to his room and turned on the light. He looked around the room, and saw nothing unusual. The door closed, and Thomas walked across the room. He walked over to the bathroom, then stopped beside the bathroom door. Alex began to sweat heavily, hiding behind the very same door. All Thomas had to do was close the door, and Alex would be exposed. Alex had no idea what to do if he were caught. It would be impossible for him to come up with an even slightly believable excuse. Alex just wondered if Thomas was capable of killing someone in order to rob that bank. Thomas took off his pants and hung them over the door. Alex jumped as the pants hit the door, but didn't give himself away. A couple of coins rolled out of one pocket and landed on the floor next to Alex. Alex knew that if Thomas were to attempt to get those coins, he would be seen. Alex moved further back against the wall, in case Thomas tried to get the coins. Thomas made no attempt to get them. Alex moved his feet around nervously, and felt one of the cold metal coins sticking to the sole of his right foot. Alex knew he was in trouble. If he tried to move, the coin could fall from his sweaty foot. The noise would surely be enough to get him caught. If he tried to bend over to remove the coin, he might bump the door. If the door moved, he would surely be caught as well. All he could do was to stand motionless for as long as possible, and hope that Thomas went away again. Thomas went into the bathroom for only a brief second, and looked in the mirror. Then he walked back out into the room and laid down on his bed. Alex stared at him from the shadow behind the door. Alex knew that if Thomas got up and shut the light off, he could be trapped for hours. If he went to sleep, Alex would have to wait until he heard snoring before he could try leaving. Alex wondered why Gabrielle wasn't coming to his rescue. She could easily come over and get Thomas to go have a nightcap with her, anything to get him out of the room. Alex felt the sweat dripping off his forehead, landing on his cheek. He wondered if he would pass out from the heat or fear before he got a chance to get away.

  Gabrielle listened as closely as she could to the wall. She heard nothing. At least that meant that Thomas had not yet caught Alex. Though it obviously meant that Alex was trapped as well. Gabrielle got off the bed and crawled out the window. She walked down to Thomas' window, and knelt beneath it. The light from the window was shining just above her, and she didn't dare look in. For the same reason, she didn't dare go knock on Thomas' door. Thomas might ask where Alex is, or might ask to see him. Even worse, Thomas might ask where Alex is, then insist on seeing him. She pictured herself explaining how he is hiding underneath the bed.

  Thomas got up off his bed. Alex watched anxiously, hoping he would not turn off the light. Gabrielle listened anxiously, hoping that he would. Thomas walked into the bathroom and pulled the door shut behind him. Alex bent over and quickly grabbed the coin stuck to his foot. He stuffed it into his pocket as he ran across the room, and dove out the window. Gabrielle looked up just in time to see Alex land on her. The two fell onto the ground, dirtied but unhurt. Alex grabbed his shoes and socks, then motioned for Gabrielle to head back. They quickly got up and scurried to their own window. They climbed inside, and flopped onto the bed. Thomas came out of his bathroom after hearing the noise, but saw nothing. He guessed that it was some type of animal, and went back about his business. He gave the incident no further thought.

  "You are not going to believe what he's up to." Alex began. Before he could get anything else out, Gabrielle had covered his mouth.

  "These walls are paper thin." She explained. "We can't talk about it here."

  "Let's take a walk." Alex whispered back, after she removed her hand from his mouth. Gabrielle nodded in agreement. Within minutes they were relaxing on the patio, underneath the umbrella covered chairs.

  "O.K. What is he up to?" Gabrielle asked, still whispering in case anyone was in hearing range.

  "He is going into Yaoundé to blow up the bank." Alex said confidently.

  "And how do you know that?" Gabrielle asked in astonishment.

  "I found a backpack full of explosives and detonators." He explained.

  "So how do you know that he is going to blow up the bank?" She continued.

  "I also found a temporary checkbook for the First National Bank of Cameroon, in Yaoundé." Alex replied.

  "What is that supposed to mean?" Gabrielle asked.

  "It means that he has already been to the bank to check out what security it has, so he would know what he needs for explosives and tools." Alex explained.

  "That's not possible." Gabrielle insisted.

  "Why not?" He asked. "It makes perfect sense."

  "No, it doesn't" Gabrielle protested. "That would mean that he was in Yaoundé planning this whole thing before the disaster even struck."

  "Maybe he was." Alex said. "Maybe he was planning on robbing the bank, even before the disaster . . . " Alex stopped in mid sentence, he didn't believe it himself.

  "What is it?" Gabrielle asked.

  "No weapons." Alex replied.

  "What do you mean?" She asked.

  "Thomas doesn't have any weapons." Alex replied. "And no help."

  "Well, maybe the weapons are with whoever is going to meet him there." She replied.

  "No." Alex insisted. "This is the perfect way into the city undetected. If there were more of them, they would be here. I think he is going in alone."

  "That's crazy." Gabrielle insisted. "To plan on robbing a bank alone, with no weapons."

  "Yeah it's crazy all right." Alex admitted. "Unless you know something that no one else does."

  "You're not suggesting that he could have known about the disaster before it happened?" Gabrielle asked.

  "No, I guess not." Alex said. "But what if he was in Yaoundé when it happened. He could have had enough time to plan everything at the bank, and get here before we did."

  "He could have." Gabrielle admitted. "If he drove all night. After all, we didn't leave until the next day."

  "You mean the day after Dana found out about it in London." Alex corrected her. "That was most likely several days after it happened. Who knows how fast the information took to reach London or Yaoundé?"

  "What about the explosives?" Gabrielle asked. "How could he have gotten them so quickly, or at all?"

  "Well, I think it's safe to say Thomas is no photographer." He replied.

  "Then what is he." She asked.

  "Who knows? Someone who deals with explosives, apparently." Alex said. "But after tomorrow, I'll know what his occupation is."

  "What makes tomorrow so different?" Gabrielle asked.

  "Because after tomorrow, Thomas will be a bank robber." He explained, smiling.

  "Where do we go from here?" Gabrielle asked, in the hopes of hearing some grand plan.

  "We follow him." Alex explained.

  "We follow him?" She asked. "That's your big plan."

  "Yes." He insisted. "We follow him, and take pictures of him breaking into the bank. We take pictures of him robbing the bank. Then we get famous for catching a bank robber."

  "Sounds pretty simple." Gabrielle said.

  "Don't worry." Alex assured her. "It won't be."

  Chapter 16

  April 12

  12:20 p.m.

  Yaoundé, Cameroon

  Thomas' modified jeep glided them effortlessly into the heart of the city. They never encountered any police or military personnel. The only problems they encountered were back at the beginning of the trip, putting the jeep onto the tracks. They had also been fortunate enough not to run into any tr
ains along the way, and the cloud had definitely passed through already.

  "This far enough for you?" Thomas asked them. Gabrielle looked at Alex with concern. Alex knew exactly what she was thinking. If they got of the jeep now, they might lose Thomas. Yet if they insisted on staying on the jeep, they might make Thomas suspicious.

  "This is fine." Alex finally said. Thomas slowed the jeep to a stop. Gabrielle hopped out and grabbed her things.

  "Thanks for the lift." Alex said, jumping out. Thomas just nodded.

  "Maybe we'll see you around town later on." Alex said, as he grabbed his stuff out of the back.

  "I don't think so." Thomas replied. With a quick glance back to make sure they hadn't inadvertently taken anything of his, he started along the tracks again.

  "Now what are we supposed to do, mister we'll get off anywhere?" Gabrielle asked.

  "Now we try to follow him." Alex replied. Then he motioned for them to step away from the tracks. Thomas was still in his jeep, several hundred yards down the tracks. His jeep hadn't picked up much speed, and now it was slowing down again.

  "The bank is only three blocks from here." Alex said.

  "Then let's go." Gabrielle replied. She made a motion toward the tracks.

  "No." Alex snapped. "Let's not make it so obvious." He turned and went down a side street, and Gabrielle followed. The street was parallel to the tracks. They jogged along, just short of a run. Alex and Gabrielle reached the street the bank was on, but did not step out into the open road. They stayed back in the side street, out of sight. From behind their dumpster, they could clearly see the front entrance to the bank, but not much else.

  "What makes you so sure he'll use the front?" Gabrielle asked.

  "He'll use it." Alex replied. "Why wouldn't he, there's no one here?" Then they both fell silent, as Thomas walked toward the front entrance to the bank. Thomas walked right past the entrance, still carrying his knapsack over one shoulder.