CONFLICT DIAMONDS: THE START OF THE BEGINNING

by Verner Jones

  Damir told them what he knew about the surrounding Serbian army. The strongest forces were positioned near Ilidza along the highway leading from Sarajevo to Konjic and around the Jablanica area. There were over ten thousand soldiers laying siege to the city and that there best chance to sneak out undetected was through the hills near the ski resort where the winter Olympics were held back in 84. He had heard that there was not a lot of military activity in that region. Toni thanked him, but there was only one way out for them and that was the way he had come into the city and back to the location of the jeep again and they had already formed a plan the night before how they were going to get out.

  They headed across town on foot, an uneasy feeling mingled among them. The thought that they were a target for a snipers scope was never far out of their minds. They reached a gas station that was being manned by an attendant and two soldiers from the Bosnian First Corp. They went to the attendant to buy diesel. A soldier walked over to Stipe who had a ten-litre drum he wanted to fill.

  “What do you want?” His tone sounded firm and demanding.

  “We need to fill this with petrol. Which pump can I use?”

  “Without a blue slip, none. These supplies are for essential vehicle use only. You have to get the proper clearance.”

  “Wait here my friend has the paper with him.” Stipe strode back to his companions waiting outside the filling station.

  “We have a problem. They won’t let us buy fuel without the proper authorization. How much money do you have, Toni?” Toni went into his pocket and pulled out a hundred marks. “Give it to me. I’ll see what I can do.” Stipe split the money in two halves, put one in his pocket and walked back to the soldier still waiting near the pump. He positioned himself between the guard and the petrol attendant giving them a small amount of privacy. Stipe took half the money and began to count.

  “How many blue slips did you need again? The guard watched unflinching as he counted out the fifty marks. Stipe reached into his pocket and drew out half of the remainder and continued counting. He stopped when he had counted all the money in his hand. It totalled eighty marks. The guard was watching him saying nothing. Stipe looked at him and indicated with his eyes to the money. Still no response. Stipe folded the money and picked up his can to leave, the guard hadn’t bitten. As he went to walk away the guard grabbed first his shoulder and then the wad in his hand.

  “I think you have just enough blue slips there. Fill up at the pump at the end of the line. He signalled to the attendant who took the empty can from him and then the guard rejoined his colleague, not giving Stipe another look. Part one of the plan was completed.

  Next they turned back towards Damir's house and picked up Marta’s moped that she had left against a deserted house. They filled it with fuel and started it up. With a little arranging and rearranging of themselves, all three and the fuel managed to sit precariously on the bike. Toni drove towards the exit out of town praying they would not get shot at. They went close to the outskirts of the city and pulled off the road and waited for darkness. When nightfall came they resumed their journey, the bike going flat out was only doing twenty kilometres an hour and sounded as if it was trying for a hundred. In the hillside, some distance away, there were faint clusters of lights where the soldiers were camped. As Marta looked back to Sarajevo she could only see black. In better times there would have been rows of yellow fairy lights illuminating the streets with the signs of some of the bigger and better hotels proclaiming their names in neon, vying with the stars and each other for prominence. Now there was only black. Only one or two pockets of light in a few larger buildings gave the faintest indication that the city had anyone living in it. Marta wondered if she would ever see Sarajevo and her aunt and uncle again.

  The sounds of an approaching vehicle Made Marta crank her head till she could see behind her. It was a night patrol. Marta dug Toni in the ribs and indicated with her thumb to pull off the road. There was no cover for them to hide behind only a slight dip in the landscape that anyone looking at would see three bodies and a bike as easy as a bat saw trees. They switched off the bike and scrambled into the dip and spread themselves as flat as they could. As the vehicle approached alongside it slowed down as if it were going to stop. Marta reached inside her clothing and clasped her gun. The vehicle changed down a gear and carried on its journey. They were starting to climb a steep hill. Marta let the gun rest back in its fold and rolled over on her back and took a deep breath. Toni whispered,

  “We will give it five minutes and start off again. We should be clear then.”

  “Stipe said, “How much farther is it to the jeep?” Toni was unsure. It was difficult to see any bearings to know exactly where he was. All he knew that it was along this road and within the next half hour of travelling and that the only landmark he had for the jeep were three trees around a half demolished, old-stone-farm building, and that was what he told them to look out for. “Well, any idea Toni?”

  “It’s difficult but I think maybe another fifteen minutes should do it.”

  “Right. Well we had all better keep our eyes wide open. It is going to be too easy to miss.” They waited a short time, then Toni led them back to the road and they were on the bike in a minute and heading up the hill. They were all feeling tense and the chill from the night air had started to bight. Marta put her arms around Stipe and held on trying to shield herself from the cold behind his body. She was half sitting on the wire parcel rack, which despite the homemade cushion of a rolled up sweater, dug into her bottom. The tips of her toes shared the footrest with the heals of Stipe’s feet. She had the better deal there as Stipe’s feet were constantly slipping off and he was letting them dangle most of the time instead of pushing for more room on the bar. She guessed his legs must have been aching. Marta had a nice thought about Stipe. She rested her head flat on his shoulder blade and kept her eyes fixed on the roadside looking for the bushes, flicking her eyes up to the horizon every few seconds looking for the landmark. It was the most comfortable she had felt next to a man since her ordeal. They travelled onward; the moped refusing to succumb to its heavy load.

  Toni lifted his left hand off of the handlebars and pointed. “I think that’s the trees just up front.” Stipe didn’t hear what he said but followed his eye down Toni’s arm and saw the landmark. A few minutes later they were scrambling along the roadside looking for the bushes, until Toni called out,

  “Over here. The jeeps over here.” Marta and Stipe joined Toni. Stipe found the petrol cap and started pouring the petrol into the tank. Toni fumbled under the back seat and pulled out his assault rifle and spare uniform and put on his own tunic top, then carried on pouring the gas while Stipe changed. After a few tries of the key it started and they clambered inside. Toni gave his rifle to Stipe.

  “Do you know how to use one of these?”

  “Yea, I’ve done my basic training don’t worry.”

  “Well let’s just hope we don’t have to use it. Let’s go get our diamonds.” Toni steered the jeep onto the road and they started towards the cross roads and the road north to the big house.

  8

  A Serbian patrol found him slumped up against the steering wheel of a vintage Mercedes salon, and they probably wouldn’t have stopped to check the vehicle except that the commander was a classic car enthusiast and the sight of such a rare car half in a ditch grabbed his curiosity. When they opened it up the man was barely alive. His tunic was covered in blood and when the soldier checked his pulse it was racing. The soldier saw three puncture wounds, one either side of his shoulders, and one in his arm. He turned the head of the man, and then recognizing the face, his actions became urgent.

  “Get down here fast and give me a hand. It’s Sergeant Zoran in here.”

  Another soldier leapt from the armoured personnel carrier and came to his aid. They lifted Zoran out of the car and strapped him on top of the APC. In double time they turned and headed back to base camp. The officer radioed ahead that they had
found Sergeant Zoran and that he was badly wounded and to alert a medical team to deal with him when they arrived. The driver gave his ETA as twenty minutes. He wondered if Zoran would last that long.

  They pulled to a halt close to where the medical facility was and two medics were waiting with a stretcher to take him inside. Zoran's face was pale and lifeless. His corporal came up to the driver of the APC and they started talking. When he learnt it was Zoran who was being rushed into the hospital he could not believe his luck. ‘Maybe he would peg it and be off of his back forever,’ he thought. Then he turned and started to walk away disgruntled, and reached for his cigarettes. ‘Not Zoran, he was too tough and mean to leave this life without a fight.’

  After two hours of emergency surgery and several transfusions of blood and plasma, they managed to stabilize Zoran. A helicopter was summoned and he was transferred to the main hospital in Montenegro where he underwent further surgery and then transferred into a special care unit. After three days Zoran opened his eyes for the first time that he could remember, looked around the room and asked the nurse standing in the corner if there was any chance that she might get him a large whiskey. She said maybe in a couple of month’s time and Zoran seemingly contented, dropped back into his drug-controlled slumber. He was on the mend.

  The next day Zoran opened his eyes and was able to take in his surroundings, though everything was blurred, he knew he was in a room with white walls and a lot of medical instruments. He tried to push himself upright to get a better view, but both shoulders seemed locked solid and wouldn’t respond to his desire for them to sit him up straight. He tried again and a searing pain shot across his chest making him gasp. The nurse came into the room carrying a white, surgical tray, and placed it at the side of the bed.

  “Good morning Mr. Jovanovich. How are you feeling today?”

  “Awful. Where am I?” he mumbled.

  “You are in my special care so don’t worry. You were injured during some fighting. You sustained wounds to your shoulders and arm, but I think that you are going to make a satisfactory recovery.” The nurse took his arm and injected a painkiller into the intravenous drip attached to him. “There, that will make you feel better.” Zoran went to say that he thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, but was asleep again before even the thought had fully materialized in his head. The next day when Zoran woke all his senses were reading normal and his vision had cleared. He looked around at his surroundings. There were three other beds in the room. He was alone except for another person who was at the far end of the room being attended to by a young, dark-haired nurse with very wide thighs. Zoran watched her until she finished and started towards his bed.

  “Ah Mr. Jovanovich. Are you going to stay with us today? How are you feeling this morning?” The nurse picked up his chart and was scrutinizing it as she spoke.

  “I’ve got a dull throbbing in my arm and I’m starving.”

  “Both good signs Mr. Jovanovich. I think you can try some soup and scrambled eggs. I’ll have them brought up to you?” She checked his vital signs and scratched something on his chart and replaced the board at the foot of the bed. “How long have I been in here nurse?”

  “You came in just over a week ago.” Her attention was focused on him. “You were badly wounded. To be honest you are lucky to still be with us Mr Jovanovich, but I am happy to say that you are going to make a full recovery.”

  The memory of how he was wounded came back to him for the first time. He could see Popovic firing at him from on the stairs, having by some miracle evaded the shots he had fired. He remembered all the money and the diamonds and knew that Popovic had probably stolen them all from him. The nurse was still talking in the background when her words made him forget Popovic and pay attention to her.

  “ A few months of convalescing and physiotherapy and in time with your new prosthetic fitted you will be as good as new. Now get some rest and I will be back shortly with the doctor.” The nurse turned and left the ward leaving Zoran confused. What did she mean new prosthetic? I haven’t lost any of my limbs. I can still feel all my toes and fing… Zoran raised both his shoulders and stared in horror at his left arm that was missing from the elbow down. A prolonged growl, like a wounded tiger, roared from deep within his gut as he stared at his missing limb. “I’m going to fucking rip your head off Popovic you bastard.” He let his arms fall to the bed and turned his head away unable to look any more at his deformed image. Consumed with hatred, he let his face fall on to the pillow and stared at the wall. And his mind started to whir and plan how he would find Popovic, reclaim his diamonds, and then kill him slowly and painfully.

  9

  They reached the house in the middle of the night and parked the jeep a safe distance away. The drive was slow and tiring. With only his sidelights switched on Toni’s eyes were strained and bloodshot from concentrating on steering the vehicle. They decided to sleep in the car until the early morning gave them some light to reconnoitre the place and be sure it was still empty. It was too black now to see anything and if they approached at the crack of dawn they could still catch anybody in there by surprise.

  The chirping of the early morning songbirds woke Marta. She sat upright and instinctively looked around her for any signs of danger. Not seeing anything untoward, she roused the others.

  After wiping the sleep from their eyes and massaging muscles back into their original shape, Toni took another rifle from the back of the jeep threw it to Stipe and picked up his own weapon.

  “You’ll need this. Work your way up to the right of the house and I’ll go to the left. Keep each other in sight and we will go in through the front and do a sweep of the house.” Stipe nodded his approval. “Marta, come up to us in ten minutes if you don’t hear any gunfire.” Marta agreed and they advanced towards the house leaving Marta guarding the jeep. They reached the house. There were no other vehicles in sight and the house emanated a deathly stillness. It felt the same as Toni’s first visit; only there was a smell of rotting corpses seeping through the splintered openings. He was sure no one would be staying in there under those conditions.

  They entered the house quickly and silently, swiftly passing through all the downstairs rooms. It was the same as he had left it. Toni started up the stairs with Stipe close behind him. He passed the two bullet holes in the wall that had been meant for him and then froze. Toni raised his rifle up to his chest in preparation to fire quickly if needed and stared at the empty space where Zoran had laid.

  “The hell man, he’s fucking gone.” Toni said in a subdued voice.

  “What’s up? Who’s gone?” Stipe pushed.

  “Fucking Sergeant Zoran. I knew I should have finished him off. Come on. Let’s be quick and check the other rooms.” They raced up the remaining stairs and swept through the bedrooms. There was nothing else living in the house only the two of them and the occasional waft of decaying flesh caught on the breeze blowing through the blown-out windows. Zoran was nowhere to be seen. Toni called Stipe into the room where the safe was. He exhaled heavily as he looked at the upturned desk exactly as he had left it. Stipe joined him.

  “This is it, Stipe. It’s all underneath that desk, just as I told you.” They looked at each other for a moment then Stipe threw his rifle onto a mattress, Toni dropped his gun on the floor and they ran over to the desk. They pushed it to one side and pulled back the rug ignoring the corpse of streetwise number two. Toni glanced at his dead comrade and grimaced that it could easily have been him lying there. He took the corner of the rug and pulled it over him. He knelt down, and taking the keys out of his pocket, inserted them into the locks and opened the safe. He stood up and pulled the door open, letting it drop back onto the floor. It was all there just as he had replaced it. They looked at the money for a moment then they heard Marta calling them from downstairs. Stipe offered his hand to Toni and he clasped it in a triumphant bond.

  “We’ve got it Stipe we’ve got all of it.” “We sure have. I’ll go and get
Marta and find some bags to put it all in, then we can get out of here as quick as possible.”

  “Right.” Stipe stood up full of jubilation and ran to the top of the stairs. Marta was in the hall looking up.

  “Yahoo Marta. We’re rich girl. Come up and give us a hand to get loaded. See if you can see any bags around to put it all in.” Stipe ran back into the room and Marta ran for the stairs, buoyant and bubbling inside, the trepidation she felt earlier being temporarily suppressed. When Stipe entered the room Toni was dancing around with the necklace fastened around his neck, the earrings clipped onto his ears, a wedge of money folded lengthways in his mouth and a wad of money in each hand.

  “How’s this for a smile.” muttered Toni striking a pose, the money in his mouth looking like a pair of exaggerated lips.

  “You big tart.” Marta entered the room and saw Toni acting the fool. He tilted his head to one side and said

  “What do you think Marta does it suit me?” Marta laughed at Toni looking ridiculous and they all joined in together; Toni spitting the money from his mouth over the floor as his laughter released the grip on the notes. Then Toni walked up to his two friends, arms outstretched and embraced both of them. After a moment they parted, the initial flush of finding the safe now spent. Marta looked at the necklace and fingered the jewels, the prospect of a new beginning dulled her surroundings and the presence of the dead bodies.