“No time Hassan, we must go, I will tell you later. Please start the car and we go to Eden Beach Lodge now!” As the car drove off and I got my breath, I glanced at him. His chest was rising and falling rapidly as he drove and I saw the sweat running down his temples in the yellow and blue lights of the dash board. I glanced behind me praying that I wouldn't see the lights of the Hummer approaching.
“I want you to drop me just before the hotel please, Hassan. Then I need you to do the same again please. I need you to pass the hotel, drive for a couple of hundred metres and park the car. Like before, if anyone asks you what you are doing you say the car is giving you problems and you are waiting for someone to come to help you fix it. Will you do that for me, Hassan?”
“I will do it, Mr Jason but I don't want any trouble, I am an old man with a family and I don’t...” I cut him off as he spoke.
“Trust me Hassan, it will be ok, I promise, I need you to trust me and do this for me ok?”
“Yes Mr Jason, I trust you and I will do as you ask.” Up ahead I could see the light of the entrance to the Eden Beach Lodge. I told Hassan to slow down and drop me in the darkness. I could hardly drive in in the state I was in at the time. Dressed in black, covered with shoe polish, bleeding and limping. I would go in through the bush to the side and watch Tintin as he arrived. I had a feeling that he would park close to where he had parked before and that would give me the opportunity I needed. So far I had been lucky but I had the distinct feeling that time was running out. I knew that at any second I would see the lights of the Hummer behind me and if I failed that would be the end of Richard and would mean a total and compete failure on my part. I could not and would not let that happen. I picked up my bag, got out of the car, nodded at Hassan and made my way into the bushy jungle that surrounded the hotel. Once again, I was surrounded by darkness and jungle. I pulled the goggles into position and started making my way as fast as I could towards the lights of the car park. It was when I had just become parallel with the main building and Angelique's car that I heard the sound of a vehicle on the road. I turned around, and I knew that Tintin had arrived. As instructed, he drove slowly and calmly as he approached the hotel. He took his time coming through the gate and as I had expected he parked right next to Angelique's car. My heart thumped in my chest as I watched him. He made no movement and simply sat in the driver’s seat watching and waiting. I decided that I would retreat towards the back of Richard's room. It wasn't far from there and I would still have access to the Hummer if I needed.
Slowly and painfully, I moved backwards through the undergrowth. All the while, I kept my eye on the Hummer and the seated figure of Tintin. When I was almost parallel with Richard's room I squatted down to catch my breath and choose a weapon. The panga was extremely effective but it was messy and more importantly it would be noisy. If I cut his throat or stabbed him there would be a lot of fuss and I was too close to the hotel to allow that to happen. I squatted down, opened my bag and retrieved the garrotte. I placed the bag behind me and waited. Five minutes passed. It felt like days to me but still I sat and watched the Hummer and its occupant in the dim light of the car park. All the while, my brain kept repeating the same thoughts. This cannot and must not go wrong Green. You cannot allow this to happen. You must save Richard!
It was then that the door of the Hummer opened and I saw the huge man step out. I watched as he walked around to the rear of the car and stopped. It was as if he was trying to think of a way to carry out the task at hand. Carlos had told him to take him quietly and without any problems. I could almost hear his thought processes. I watched him as he stared at the the front entrance to the hotel and then looked in my direction. It was as if he were weighing up his options on how to get Richard out. Eventually, after glancing around, he made his decision. He walked around Angelique's car and stepped into the very same bushes I was hiding in. I had to remind myself that he could not see me as I watched him carefully pick his way through the foliage towards me. As he came, I moved backwards slowly. I knew then what his intentions were. He was planning on going through the back windows of Richard's room and taking him from there.
He had no idea that there were thick burglar bars. Neither had I the first night I had come to take a look. I kept moving backwards until I was directly parallel with Richard's room and stopped against a tree. Through the goggles I watched the green monochrome scene in silence as the huge man quietly felt his way over and under the branches and foliage. He knew full well where the room was and was steadily coming directly towards me. I knew that I would have to take the opportunity as soon as it arrived. I knew that it would not be easy but it was my only chance to save Richard. I gripped the wooden handles of the garrotte firmly and stood my ground. Everything was again in slow motion and the wait was agonising. He took a few steps and then stopped to look around. On more than one occasion I was sure he could see me as he appeared to look straight at me but the camouflage was working well. Tintin was only metres away from where I stood and I realised that this was it. Within a small area there were three people. One or two of us were going to die that night. Tintin, or myself and Richard. Closer and closer he came and I started to hear his breathing. It was slow and calculated as he moved methodically through the trees. Ten metres from me and I was again aware of the sheer bulk of the man. Through the goggles I could see his pale green eyes as they moved from left to right. Still he came slowly. Five metres away and I knew that I could no longer move and the next time I did would be to make the attack. Three metres away and I was overcome by a strange feeling of serenity. A feeling of acceptance and understanding. I hated the man but it was nothing like the hate I felt towards Carlos da Costa. Tintin paused, and I saw him realise that he was almost parallel with Richard's room. He knew that a few steps more and he would be able to turn left and arrive directly at Richard's bedroom window. My breath slowed to almost nothing and my body froze completely as he started walking again straight towards me.
In the last metres I realised that he might walk right into me and that attempting to get the garrotte around his neck while he faced me could be a problem. Doable, but a problem. My fists clenched like a vices around the handles of the weapon as he took his last step. The man stood less than a metre from where I stood and I could smell garlic on his breath. He stopped in his tracks and stood there looking around. Everything appeared surreal and in super slow motion at that stage. Then the big man turned and faced the window of Richard's room. I knew then that it was time.
In a split second my right hand shot up, and passed to the left over the dreadlocks above his head. The trace wire made a soft whistling sound as it travelled through the air and landed on his throat just above his Adams apple. I jumped up as it landed, as if I was getting a piggy back from him and with all my strength I pulled the wooden handles apart. The crossed wires tightened and dug into the flesh of his neck. There was a crackling, squelching sound as his wind pipe was crushed followed by a dull ticking sound as the tendons in his neck snapped one by one. I pulled tighter and tighter, my legs wrapped around his waist. Instinctively his hands came up to try to free himself, but I pulled harder and I knew there would be no way that he would be able to loosen the wire that was now digging and cutting through his flesh. I pulled with such force my arms burned but I knew that if I loosened my grip for a second it would mean a terrible death for me. I could smell Vaseline on his skin as my face was right up behind his neck. The great man lurched forward and almost stumbled. I thought that I might be flung over his head so I tightened my legs around his waist some more. Then he started to swing from side to side in a desperate effort to fling me from his back. It was to no avail. I was going nowhere. Apart from a few grunts from me and the shuffling sounds of his feet in the dead leaves on the ground the whole episode had been quiet till then. Then the man stood upright and started stumbling backwards. Both of us crashed into the tree I had been standing at. The force of the weight of his body knocked the wind out of me and instantly, I
too was unable to breathe.
I hung on as he stumbled forward and tried once again to shake me loose. I was acutely aware that if I passed out and loosened my grip there was a very good chance that I would wake up dead. I clung on desperately trying to inhale as we floundered. I forced one last burning effort and pulled the wire like it was the last thing I would do. Again the big man stumbled backwards and once again my upper body was slammed into the trunk of the tree behind me. It was at that point that my world turned black. The darkness came from my periphery vision and gradually closed in. The last thing I remember before passing out was a feeling of us both slowly falling to the right and then there was nothing.
I awoke gasping for air. It came in loud whooping rushes and felt like it would never be enough. I realised that I was lying down behind the still body of Tintin. My left leg was pinned under the weight of his torso and the handles of the garrotte were still in my fists. We lay there like two lovers spooning, as I caught my breath and listened for any sounds. Apart from my wheezing, which was gradually abating there was nothing but the constant whistling of the cicadas. I loosened my grip on the handles of the garrotte and the great weight of the body in front of me was still. In the struggle my goggles had been flung from my face. I felt around for them, found them and pulled them on. Then I removed my left leg from under the dead weight of the man and kneeled at his side. I reached over to his right shoulder and pulled him so he lay flat on his back and I looked at his face. The wire of the garrotte had sunk so deep into the flesh of neck it was no longer visible. His mouth was wide and gaping in a silent scream and the capillaries in and around his terrified eyes were ruptured and bloody. It was a grotesque sight but I had succeeded. I was alive and the big man was dead. I leaned over and began to remove the garrotte. I had to lift his head as I did it and I saw the now dark wire as it came from an inch below the flesh of his neck. As the wire came free from around his windpipe I heard and smelled the last breath that had been trapped in his lungs for so long. Garlic. I had given Richard a reprieve. For how long I had no idea. Tintin and Carlos were a tight and personal operation and from what I had seen at the house, there were very few others. I guessed that eventually Carlos would decide that Tintin had run into problems and would wait to find out what had happened. It was decision time again. There were two priorities. The first was to get rid of Tintin’s body and the second was to get Richard off the island and safely back to London. I could hardly knock on Richard's window with my face all blacked up and tell him the news, so I stripped off the shoes, the jeans, and the torn tracksuit. I stuffed it all in the bag and removed my torch. Using the night vision goggles I started making my way towards the beach. My plan was to head slightly to the right so I would emerge on the beach in a dark area away from the hotel grounds. It took a good few minutes but eventually I arrived. I put the goggles and the torch in a safe place and made my way to the water. I stood knee deep and started to wash the polish from my face and neck. The salt water stung the deep scratches on my arms and shoulders. I didn't mind the pain as it brought home the seriousness of the situation I found myself in. Until then it had all been a bit of haze.
When I was satisfied I had removed the majority of the polish and blood I walked back to the where I had left the goggles and the torch. My plan was wander into the front of Richard's hotel from the beach and walk straight to his door and knock. The ocean was calm and peaceful in the moonlight as I walked.
It betrayed the savagery of the evening so far. I arrived at the left wing of the hotel where Richard's room was and walked straight up the beach and onto the tiled walkway that lead past the rooms. As I walked I scanned the place for any sight of a guard but it seemed the place was deserted. I paused and took a deep breath as I reached Richard's door. I wondered how he would take the news of Angelique's death. More so I wondered how he would react to seeing his friend Tintin lying dead only a few metres from his room. I knocked firmly on the door three times. There was a pause, followed by a shuffling sound from the inside.
“Yes, who is it?” came the voice from behind the door. “Richard it's Jason, open up please.”
“Jason?” came the reply. I heard the door unlock from the inside and the sound of the light switch. Then the door opened and Richard stood there wearing only shorts. He had a confused look on his face as he put his glasses on and blinked at me.
“Jason what are you...?” His sentence was cut short as I lunged forward and pushed him in the chest with my left hand. With my right, I slammed the door shut behind me. He stood there with a startled, confused look on his face, his glasses sitting at an awkward angle on his nose.
“What's going...?”
“Listen to me Richard!” I said as I gripped his bare shoulders and looked him in the eye. “I am not who you think I am. I was hired by your father Gareth Lewer- Allen to follow you. I’ve been following you for a while now “
“What?” He said with a mixture of fear and confusion on his face.
“That's right, Richard I’ve been following you since London. I followed you to Cape Town and then here to Zanzibar. I am no friend of yours do you hear me? I am here doing a fucking job!” He shook his head in disbelief and I knew that the next bit of information I would give might send him into a panic. “Shut up and listen to me Richard!” I said, almost shouting. I gripped his shoulders harder and looked into his now terrified eyes.
“Angelique is dead, Richard,” I paused to gauge his reaction. There was none. “Angelique is dead, Richard. Do you understand? Carlos killed her, Richard. He knew about you and her and so did I, you fucking idiot!
There was nothing I could do, if there was I would have, believe me!” His mouth hung open and he began to shake his head from left to right. “No, no, no,” he said quietly. “No, no, no, no!” His voice grew louder until he began wailing as he repeated himself. His face turned from disbelief into the realisation that what I had said was all true. He stumbled backwards with me still gripping his shoulders. A look of terror crossed his face and his head fell backwards, his mouth opened wide and he let out a wail of anguish. “Nooooooooooooooo!”
It was too loud and there was nothing else for it. I slapped him hard on his right cheek and the glasses flew from his face. I shook his shoulders and guided him backwards towards the bed so he could sit. The slap had stunned him and he sat there looking at me with a blank unseeing look on his face. I picked up the glasses and helped him put them on, then I pulled up a chair and sat down in front of him. I reached forward and held his shoulders again. “She’s dead Richard, I saw it happen. There was nothing I could do. I would have saved her if I could have Richard, I'm sorry.” He sat there with his mouth still open and stared at me blankly. “Get up and look at this Richard.” I growled as I pulled him to his feet by his right arm. I dragged him to the back window and pulled the curtains open with my left hand. I dug the torch from my pocket and shone it into the darkness outside. The body of Tintin lay where I had left it not six metres from the window. Richard stood there staring at the lifeless body for a few seconds while the enormity of the situation sunk in. I swung him around and gripped him by the shoulders again. “That is Tintin, Richard. He’s dead as well. I killed him. Do you understand?” He nodded and I saw tears welling up in his terrified eyes.
“Carlos killed Angelique and he sent Tintin here to get you. Luckily I was able to stop that happening Richard, but if you stay here for one minute longer than you have to, you are a fucking dead man! Do you hear me? You are a fucking dead man!” He started panting uncontrollably as he stood there staring at me. “Don't make me slap you again, Richard!” I said with my finger pointed at his face. This seemed to jolt some sense into him and again he nodded at me. “There is no time to talk now Richard, you listen to me, ok? I want you to pack your stuff and get ready to check out of the hotel. You don't leave this room or make a fucking sound. You wait here until you get a call from me and then you walk with your bags to the reception and check out. Do you understand?”
He nodded.
“I am going to get you off this island Richard. If you do as I say, there is a chance you will live to see tomorrow morning but believe me, if you don't do exactly as I say, there is a very good chance that you will die tonight. Do you understand?” Again he nodded.
“I want you to lock the door, wash up, pack your stuff, and sit here calmly. If you hear any noise outside the window that will be me ok? I will call you. You walk to reception, check out normally and I will be waiting for you in a car outside. Is that understood?”
“Yes Jason, I understand,” he replied in a stunned, deadpan voice. “Good. Now I'll be watching you Richard, and if you step one foot out of line, or do anything other than what I've told you to do, so help me I'll come and sort you out myself. Understood?”
“Yes Jason,” he said, “I understand”
“Good” I said, “now get to it.” I walked out of the room and closed the door behind me. He was in a state of shock, but I was sure that I had stressed the seriousness of the situation to him sufficiently. As I walked towards the reception I caught the eye of a guard who was seated near the bar area. I gave him a casual wave as I walked. My ankle throbbed painfully. The reception was deserted and I made my way out and across the car park to the boom and guard house. There was another security guard sitting in the guard house. He was fast asleep and I ducked under the boom and made my way out onto the tarred road without any hassle. To all intents and purposes, I was a wandering tourist, probably drunk, trying to get back to my own hotel. The walk to Hassan's waiting car took a few minutes through the darkness and again he was surprised to see me arrive at the passenger door. “Mr Jason, are you ok? You have changed again.”
The Jason Green series Box Set Page 32