‘So, it means after Friday we’ve got a clear run until we finish.’
‘No, it doesn’t. Just wait. I’ll help her to write a letter to the prosecutor, withdrawing her accusation against Leo. That’s what she wants to do, and she’ll expect it. After getting the ticket and promise of the cash she’ll trust me to hold the letter until she’s gone. No one will know for a few days that she’s gone, let’s say until Monday or Tuesday. That means we have about ten days from now to get things finished.’
‘How come? Once she’s in Sao Paulo she’s out of our hair, and we can take all the time we need.’
‘Shen, I’ve been with you for five years and I still fail to understand your total lack of human emotions. Angela likes Leo, a lot. Don’t you get it? She wanted him before their night together, and after it she likes him even more. The first thing she’s going to do when she gets home is to make sure he’s OK. Is he out of prison, how is he, does he still like her? She won’t stop until she knows he’s out of prison and she can try to forget about what she did.’
‘I see what you mean. She’ll cause a stink when she finds out he’s still locked away.’
‘Of course she will. She’ll spend the weekend with her family and take her father to the hospital, and on Monday or Tuesday she’ll call Leo or me to find out where he is. If she can’t speak to him, she’ll phone Tom Connor or that lawyer, Ackerman, and the cat will be quickly out of the bag. That means we have ten days maximum.’
He said nothing, and she continued, ‘There’s another reason we have to move everything forward. This business with Chillicott, the American general, I don’t like it. My contacts didn’t find any connection between him and Tom Connor or Ed, but there’s no smoke without fire, so keep your eye on them and make sure there’s nothing there to worry about. But whatever might or might not be going on, it’s perfectly clear, we have no choice. We’ve got to deliver the final package to Shanghai by Tuesday 19th. That’s our new drop-dead date. You’ll have to speak to Ed and Sharif tomorrow and get their heads straight. Convince them they’re ready, and get them to persuade Tom to move the schedule up.’
‘What can I tell them that won’t sound suspicious?’
She sighed and looked despairingly at him. ‘I’ll sleep on it and tell you in the morning.’
THIRTY-FOUR
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Sunday, 11 July 2017
BIP Bank Middle East Ltd. Ask for Manager, Indranil Kapoor. Up to 50k available. The text from Jenny was on Coetzee’s phone when he awoke on Ed’s couch that morning. She had received the details from Bill Redman in the train taking her home from London, and sent them on to Marius immediately. He texted back, Only 20k needed. Everything arranged for today. Call you later. It was still only three a.m. in the UK, but he wanted Jenny to be able to tell her sister as soon as she woke up.
Ed called Hatim Ackerman, the lawyer, to tell him he had important news about Leo. He asked him to come round to his apartment and to contact no one on the way. When Hatim arrived, he introduced him to Coetzee then went off to XPC as normal, with an admonishment from Marius to say nothing to anyone about anything at all. ‘Just get on with your testing and keep your mouth shut.’
Hatim watched the video in a daze, then read Angela’s letter. ‘That’s astonishing, Mr Coetzee. I don’t know how you did it, but congratulations, this is guaranteed to get Leo released right away, probably today.’
‘Thanks, Hatim. First off, call me Marius; second, we don’t want Leo released today. Now, please listen carefully.’
The South African gave him detailed instructions of how he wanted events to play out. He didn’t mention their suspicions about Shen and Elodie, nor the possible sabotage going on at XPC, but stressed that Hatim should do nothing to compromise Leo or Angela. The lawyer agreed not to inform anyone at the company about the new situation until they were both safely away from danger. Then Coetzee sent him off to the police station to see Leo, Hatim driving off almost in a daze, wondering how anyone could have achieved so much between arriving last night and meeting him this morning.
Bur Dubai Police Station
‘I understand Marius Coetzee is a friend of yours?’
‘Marius? I haven’t seen him for five years or so, but he’s a very good friend. How do you know him, what’s he done?’
It was ten o’clock on Sunday morning, and Leo was sitting in the prison meeting room with Hatim Ackerman. He’d been brought along by the guard, who for once didn’t hit him. He wondered if it might be due to his demonstration of self-defence with Razza in the shower room.
‘He’s here in Dubai.’
‘What? He’s here, how come?’ Before Hatim could answer, he said, ‘I know. Jenny Bishop sent him, right?’
‘Your aunt, that’s correct. She arranged for him to come last night and he’s already performed a miracle.’
‘I’m not surprised, they’re both miracle-workers. What exactly is it?’
‘We have a signed letter and videoed confession from Angela da Sousa that she made a false accusation and she’s withdrawing it unconditionally.’
‘What? That makes no sense. Why the hell would she do that and then withdraw it?’
‘I don’t know. She doesn’t say why, just withdraws it, but that should be enough to get you released.’
‘So you’ve come to get me out? That’s fantastic news. Shit, I wasn’t expecting that kind of turn around.’
‘Not exactly. For the moment, only you and I and Ed Muire know about this. Angela should be leaving the country tonight and we can’t go public with it until she’s gone, or she’ll be in serious trouble for making a false accusation. We want you to stay in here until tomorrow, then I can present the evidence to the prosecutor and you’ll be out within a few hours. I know what she did was wrong and caused you a lot of trouble and pain, but Mr Coetzee said he’ll explain it all to you himself tomorrow. Apparently she was desperate and naïve and now she’s broken-hearted, but her father’s sick and she has to get back to Brazil immediately. Will you do it?’
Leo pondered for a while. Every day he spent in prison was dangerous and reduced the time he had to find out what was going on at XPC and try to prevent it, but he knew he had no choice. It can only have been about money, he said to himself. Then to Hatim, ‘Can I see the video?’
‘Marius has it and won’t let anyone have a copy for the time being. He’ll give it to me on a flash drive tomorrow morning, to show to the prosecutor. But he showed it to me. It’s extremely emotional, very genuine. I think she really likes you. You’re lucky, she’s a beautiful woman.’
Once again, Leo wondered at the lawyer’s lack of understanding. What’s so lucky about this situation? Aloud, he said, ‘What about the letter?’
‘I’ve got a photocopy here.’ He took an envelope from his inside pocket. ‘Don’t let the guards see it.’
A copy of Angela’s passport was in the envelope with a single sheet of paper dated the previous day, written in a schoolgirl scrawl with a couple of corrected errors. It was addressed to The Public Prosecutor, Ryhad Street, Dubai, and read:
Dear Sir,
On July 9th, I filed an official complaint accusing Leo Stewart of raping me on the night of July 8th. After reflection, I realise that this accusation was untrue. I was a willing participant and the sexual relations were consensual.
I hereby unconditionally withdraw my accusation and wish the complaint to be annulled with immediate effect. I regret any harm or injustice that has been done to Leo Stewart as a result of my actions.
Yours faithfully,
Angela da Sousa
Angela’s signature reminded him of her. It was extravagant and feminine, the A and S in large curling loops around the name. He thought of her flamboyant dance moves, the sheen of her lithe, dark-skinned limbs and the feel of her firm, naked, thrusting body beneath him. It could have been so good, so bloody good.
He took his decision and handed it back. ‘OK, I can manage anoth
er day of this, so long as you’re sure that’s all it’ll be.’
‘I’m positive of that. One more thing. Marius doesn’t think it’s a good idea for you to stay in Dubai, and certainly not to go back to XPC. He didn’t explain why, but I assume you know what he meant.’
Leo was astonished at how much Coetzee seemed to have learned in such a short time. ‘I’m pretty sure I do. What does he suggest?’
‘He’ll also talk about that with you tomorrow. He and I will come for you when the prosecutor agrees to your release.’
‘Do my mother and Jenny know about this?’
‘He’s going to call them as soon as they’re awake.’
‘What about Tom Connor? Does he know what’s happening?’
‘Marius asked me not to disclose any of this to anyone at XPC until you’re safely out of this place. I don’t want to do anything to jeopardise the woman’s liberty, nor yours, so I agreed to his conditions.’
‘OK. He’s usually right. In that case, Hatim, there’s an urgent problem I’m going to be faced with when I get out, and I need to be prepared. Please tell Ed to do everything he can to delay the launch until I can speak to him, and ask him to get hold of my laptop. It should still be in my office unless someone’s taken it. Tell him to give it to Coetzee so I can get it from him, and tell no one at XPC.’ He went to the door, then turned back. ‘And ask Marius to tell Angela I understand, and there’s no hard feelings.’
Hatim left, and Leo was hustled back to the cell. He wanted to finally confide his story to Oskar and tell him he’d be leaving the next day, but he knew it was better to wait until it was certain. So far there had been too many bad surprises.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Coetzee called the bank as soon as it was open and asked for Mr Kapoor, who came on the line immediately and confirmed that he could collect up to $50,000 any time after midday. The South African was impressed, Jenny Bishop obviously had a lot of pull with someone to arrange that in twenty-four hours. ‘I’ll be there at two-thirty sharp,’ he told the banker.
He called Angela. ‘Bom dia, Senhorita da Sousa. How did you sleep?’
Muito bem, Sr Coetzee. I didn’t know you speak Portuguese.’
‘I was with the military in Angola in 1987, trying to help UNITA, but it didn’t work. The war still went on for another fifteen years. All I got out of it was a dozen words of Portuguese and some hand-to-hand fighting experience.’
‘That’s where my dad got sick in the beginning. He was hurt in the war and came to Brazil in 2002, after Savimbi was killed by the MPLA. You were fighting on the same side as him.’
‘We still are. I’ve got good news. I’ll pick you up at two p.m., we’re going to the bank.’
‘They have the money?’
‘They do. Get your bags ready, and I’ll take you from there straight to the airport. Once you’re there nobody can touch you, you’ll be safe.’
‘I don’t know what to say. Muito, muito obrigada por todo. Thank you for everything.’ Then, after a moment’s silence, ‘Have you seen Leo?’
‘I’ll see him tomorrow when he’s released. The lawyer’s already seen him and explained everything. He said he understands and there’s no hard feelings.’
He heard her take a deep breath, then in a tearful voice, ‘Tell him I’ll miss him a lot. He’s a special guy.’
‘I’ll see you at two. Don’t go out until I ring downstairs.’
Coetzee texted Ed’s mobile. Call me from somewhere safe.
A few minutes later, his mobile rang. ‘Hi Ed, everything under control at XPC? Good. Listen, I need you to pick me up at one-thirty to take Angela to the bank and then to the airport. Can you make it? Great, I’ll see you then.’
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
‘Sharif, I’ve been thinking about our talk the other day.’ Shen had walked into the Pakistani’s office with a couple of coffees, trying his utmost to be likeable.
‘Thanks, what’s on your mind?’
‘Well, I just looked through your log sheets for last night and I see you were testing Ed’s final version of Leo’s upgrade connectivity solution. How did it go?’
‘As perfectly as I could have hoped for. Ed needs to improve one tiny piece of code and we’ve got it nailed.’
‘It sounds like we’re about ready to roll everything out to Shanghai, no?’
‘If we had to, I’m pretty sure we could, but I always like to use all the time we have available, it’s safer.’
‘And is the redundancy test still performing?’
‘It hasn’t changed. We’ve still got the shutdown when I trigger it and two minutes later the start-up when I stop.’
‘That’s great. And you’ve said nothing to anyone about it?’
Sharif looked a little uncomfortable. ‘Nothing. But I’m not very happy testing stuff that Ed and Tom don’t know about.’
‘I take full responsibility for it, I already told you so. It’s a really cool concept they’re developing, you’re all going to love it, trust me.’ He finished his coffee and went to the door. ‘Oh, I completely forgot. We saw Angela last night and I think we can get her to withdraw her complaint by the weekend. So Leo should be back early next week.’
‘That’s fantastic.’ Sharif shook his hand. ‘Well done, Shen, thanks for taking that on, it’s great news. It’ll be good to have him back for the launch.’
‘That’s very considerate of you. I’m impressed with your modesty.’ Shen watched the Pakistani closely.
‘How do you mean?’
‘Just that you’ve worked your ass off for almost three years to bring this project through, but Leo’s going to get most of the credit for it when he gets back. I think it’s a nice gesture to wait for him, that’s all.’ He saw the expression in Sharif’s eyes and turned to go. ‘See you later.’
Sharif sat down at his desk again, conflicting emotions running through his mind. He looked at the calendar on his laptop, Today’s Monday. I’m sure we could get finished by Sunday. That’s five full days. I’ll have lunch with Ed and see what he thinks.
Shen went down to the lab, where Ed was running tests. ‘How’s it going? Sharif told me we’re in good shape.’
Ed overcame his surprise; he’d never seen him in the lab except for special occasions, demos, etc. ‘It’s looking good. I’m cleaning up a couple of things Sharif asked for, but really picky stuff, nothing major. We’re basically done with the solutions, it’s mostly front end, cosmetic stuff now.’
They talked for a few minutes, then Shen went upstairs to talk to Tom Connor. He was now convinced they could meet Elodie’s new timeframe. I’m sure Sharif’s taken the bait. Now let’s see how Connor reacts.
Shortly after Shen left, Ed’s mobile rang. It was Hatim. He listened for a moment. ‘OK, I’ll do what I can, but there’s a lot of pressure to get everything wrapped up asap. I’ll get the laptop right now.’ He made sure that Shen had gone upstairs and walked swiftly across to Leo’s office. The computer was still sitting on the desk, and he took it with the connector cable, shoved them into his document case and locked it. He didn’t know what was going on, but he was starting to enjoy the cut and thrust of the game.
THIRTY-FIVE
Ipswich, England
Sunday, 11 July 2017
Jenny was up at seven and saw Coetzee’s text. She forwarded it straight on to her sister. The house phone rang almost immediately.
‘Is it really true? Is Leo being released tomorrow?’
‘It looks like it. Coetzee seems to have lived up to his reputation.’
‘And you’ve lived up to yours. Leo and I can’t thank you enough, Jenny. I can’t believe that’s the second time you’ve saved my son for me. It was a brilliant idea to get Marius to go up there, and how on earth you managed to send that money and have it available for him on a Sunday I don’t know. I could never have managed it in a thousand years.’
‘All credit to Bill on this occasion. He called in a few favours
and it was “Hey presto, money’s there”.’
‘And I owe you another $20,000. My God, I’m going to have to sell an awful lot more books. What happens next? Is there anything I can do?’
‘Marius is calling shortly, and I’m sure he’ll give us our marching orders. I’ll patch you in when I get the call.’
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Tom Connor was catching up on paperwork after his half day off when Shen came in to see him. ‘Thanks for convincing me to go home yesterday. I crashed out for ten hours. Guess I didn’t know how exhausted I was with all this crap happening.’
‘Well, you’ll feel even better when you hear my news.’
‘News about Leo?’
‘Yes. Angela came to our apartment last night, and I’m pretty sure we can get her to withdraw her accusation within a few days.’
‘That’s terrific. How did you do it? Money?’
‘If you can authorise a cash payment of $20,000, she’ll sign a letter of retraction.’
‘I can do that today without any problems. Why wait?’
‘She wants to leave on Friday, and knows she’ll be in trouble with the police for making a false statement. She’ll hand over the letter just before she flies out.’
Tom gave him a worried look. ‘That means Leo won’t be back until Sunday at the earliest. That’s getting a bit too close for comfort.’
‘I’ve talked with both Sharif and Ed about that, and I’m certain we can finish the job even sooner than planned. They’ve been testing Leo’s programmes since yesterday morning and there isn’t a problem in sight. Ed is prettying up some of the quick-fit patches that Leo wrote to prove his theories, but that’s just cosmetic. Sharif is incorporating them into the final design as we speak. The expectation is we’ll be finished by Friday, so my vote is we deliver the goods to Shanghai this week. After the warning you gave them yesterday about Leo being off for a while, they’ll be very impressed with our performance. What do you think?’
Tom liked the sound of that. ‘If we’re ready, then why not deliver? I understand the psychology. Let me think it over, Shen. We’ll talk with the guys tomorrow and see where we are. Thanks for the update.’
The African Diamond Trilogy Box Set Page 133