Corruption!

by Elizabeth Ducie

  At his words, Mama D gave a wail and sagged against Suzanne, clutching at her sleeve and gabbling in Russian.

  “Anton, let’s get your mother inside,” said Suzanne, “and then we’ll call the police.” She looked up at him; “unless you’ve already done that?”

  Anton shook his head vigorously.

  “No police. They warned Mama, if we call the police, they’ll kill them straight away.”

  Suzanne heard Charlie groan softly and saw her shake her head.

  “What is it?” she hissed, as they stood on the pavement, waiting for Anton and Mama D to go ahead of them into the apartment.

  “It’s always the same,” said Charlie. “The kidnappers always say the same thing. ‘Pay the ransom, don’t tell the police and your son/daughter/wife/mother will be safe.’ And the family of the kidnap victims always falls for it. But it’s generally a lie. In many cases, the payment of the ransom is followed by silence and the eventual finding of the victim’s body long after the kidnappers have flown.” She bit her lip and shook her head at her sister. “Suzanne, this situation’s going to need careful handling.”

  Once back in the apartment, Suzanne led Mama D into her room and persuaded her to lie down and rest, although both women knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep. Then she re-joined Anton and Charlie in the lounge.

  “Do we have any idea who—?” she began.

  “Oh, yes, we know that,” said Charlie grimly. “Tell her, Anton.”

  “The man said it was a warning. That I needed to keep my mouth shut. To refuse to testify against Boris Lechkov and to say nothing more about the codeine phosphate tablet shipments.”

  “Stefano Mladov,” said Suzanne.

  “Or Michael Hawkins,” said Charlie. “Although I must admit, it’s more likely that Mladov would have the network to do this in Russia, rather than Hawkins.”

  Anton was striding up and down the room talking to himself. Suzanne put her hand on his shoulder and steered him towards an armchair.

  “So if you don’t want to call the police, what do you want to do, Anton?” she asked. “We can’t just rely on them letting them go if you refuse to testify.”

  “I’m going after them!” he said. “I’m going to find them and bring them back.” He threw himself backwards into the chair. “But the trouble is, I don’t know where they’ve taken them.”

  “But there is someone who’ll know!” said Charlie. Taking out her mobile phone, she hit a couple of buttons and put the device to her ear.

  “Mercy, it’s Charlie. Get yourself over here, now! We have a problem!” And without waiting for a reply, she clicked off the call and pushed the phone back into her pocket.

  “Who’s Mercy?” asked Anton curiously.

  “It’s a long story, Anton,” said Suzanne. “We’ll explain it all later. But I think Charlie’s right. At this point, Mercy’s probably the only one who can help us.” If we can persuade her to, she thought, but she kept this to herself.

  Charlie went to check on Mama D while Suzanne gave Anton some background into Mercy’s involvement in all this. She decided against telling him everything that had happened between Mercy and Charlie in Brazil and concentrated on the fact that while she was Michael Hawkins’ daughter, she had a vested interest in bringing both him and Stefano Mladov to justice. “And she’s the one who knows where the pair of them are living,” she finished.

  When the doorbell rang, Suzanne went to answer it and ushered Mercy into the room, just as Charlie joined them again.

  “How’s Mama?” asked Anton.

  “She’s very upset and I doubt if she’s going to sleep, but she’s agreed to stay resting for the moment.”

  Anton went through the morning’s events once more and Mercy agreed with the conclusion it was Stefano Mladov who’d organised the snatch.

  “Which means they’ll be heading for the villa in Fatezh,” she said.

  “How can you be so sure?” asked Anton.

  “Stefano’s a real control freak. He likes to pull the strings and every time there was a hostage situation—and believe me, there were quite a few—his instruction was always the same. ‘Bring them to me. I want to know they’re being held securely’.” She paused and tapped her toe on the floor. “And I reckon that gives us a bit of an advantage. It’s more than twelve hundred kilometres from here to the villa. That’s a two-day drive.”

  “Unless they drive all night.”

  “No, they won’t do that,” she said. “There’s a cabin in the woods about half way along the journey. Chances are they’ll head for there and rest up for the night before finishing the drive tomorrow. So the fact they’ve had a head start may not be too much of a problem for us.”

  When Mercy heard Anton was planning to try to rescue Francine and Lydia on his own, she laughed derisively.

  “Do you carry a knife? Can you shoot a man? Have you ever killed anyone? How do you expect to overpower three of Stefano’s heavies all by yourself?”

  “How do you know?” asked Suzanne.

  “Know what?”

  “How do you know there are three heavies?”

  Mercy blinked and looked at her in confusion for a moment or two before grinning and shrugging. “Stands to reason. You say Francine was standing on the pavement when she was snatched. So she was the main target. Maybe Lydia was talking to her, or maybe she saw what was happening and ran to help, but she’s probably only collateral damage.” Anton looked sharply at her, but Charlie nodded to him. “She’s right,” she said. “Carry on, Mercy.”

  “Well, if Francine was snatched first, someone would have held on to her while someone else grabbed Lydia. So that’s at least two; and there would be a driver as well. They would’ve kept the engine running throughout, ready to drive away at a moment’s notice, whether the kidnap worked or not.” She shrugged and perched on the arm of the sofa. “So at least three in the team.” She looked up at Anton. “You’re not that big, are you, Big Man?”

  Charlie and Suzanne looked at each other and Suzanne could almost hear her sister’s question. She nodded at her and then turned to Anton.

  “We’re coming with you!”

  He looked up quickly.

  “I can’t ask you to do that.”

  “No, you can’t,” agreed Charlie, “and you’re not. But we’re telling you we’re coming too. Francine’s been our friend since childhood, remember. And we’ve both grown to love Lydia in the short time we’ve known her. We’re coming too.”

  Suzanne turned to Mercy.

  “So we just need you to give us some directions and we’ll be off.”

  But Mercy was shaking her head.

  “I’m sorry, ladies, but I don’t think even the three of you are going to be any match for the Mladovs and their gang.” She stood and stretched like a cat. “So I guess I’m just going to have to come with you.”

  Suzanne eyed Mercy with suspicion. Why did she think Mercy knew more about this than she was letting on? Somehow, she didn’t think the woman was half as surprised as the rest of them at the latest turn of events. Nevertheless at this moment she really was the best help they could get. But I’ll be watching you like a hawk, madam, she thought as she walked across to the table. Anton unrolled a map of the region and Mercy started explaining exactly where they were going.

  Chapter 52

  “If only we knew what car they were driving; or had confirmation of the number of men involved. I’d feel a lot happier with a bit more information.” Charlie was striding up and down the carpet, hitting the back of her right hand into her left palm. Suzanne had seen her sister like this on a number of occasions, usually before they headed off to do something adventurous or dangerous. “There must be cameras along the street somewhere.”

  “But that would mean going to the police; and we can’t do that,” said Anton.

  “But Walter could!” said Suzanne, struck by a sudden thought. “He’s working with the authorities, after all. I’m sure if he says it’s part of his inve
stigation, he would get some answers pretty quickly.”

  They phoned Walter Mukooyo who happened to be at the police station reporting back on their progress to his contacts there. Suzanne was reminded they need to brief Walter at some point on what Charlie had discovered in Germany. But that could wait for the moment.

  Once the situation was explained, Walter agreed to find out what he could and get back to them.

  “We’re going to have something to eat and then head off early this evening,” she explained to him. “The traffic will be easing off and we’ll be able to drive faster. Plus we want to wait until they’re all asleep before approaching the cabin.”

  Anton had initially protested at this delayed departure, but he finally agreed with the logic.

  “I’ll be as quick as I can,” said Walter, but if I don’t get an answer before you leave, I’ll phone you as soon as I can. Just make sure your mobiles are fully charged.”

  In the event, he reached the apartment just after four o’clock, as the group was eating a light meal before setting off. It was the first time he’d met Mercy and the Jones sisters were amused to see the old wily Walter appear as the two shook hands. Under other circumstances, Suzanne guessed the Kenyan would have been trying very hard to cement intracontinental relations with the Mozambican woman. But as Anton cleared his throat impatiently, Walter’s smile faded, and he became business-like once more.

  “There’s a camera set up just down the street from here,” he told them. “It’s pointing in the opposite direction, so it didn’t pick up the kidnap itself, but we get a good view as the car drives past.” He confirmed there were three men in the car, plus the two women.”

  “Which means they’re reasonably comfortable,” said Charlie. Suzanne had been convinced they would have been bundled into the boot, so to hear they were sitting in the car itself was something to be thankful for, she supposed.

  “And do we know what make of car it is?” asked Charlie.

  “Let me guess,” said Mercy, “it’s a gold coloured Zil.”

  “Yes! How did you know?” asked Walter.

  “Because that’s Stefano’s favourite car. He uses it all the time. In fact I suspect he’s got more than one of them locked away in his garage.” She looked around triumphantly. “So are we all convinced that Stefano is behind this?” There were nods all around the room. This seemed to please her, and she curled up in a corner of the sofa and took no further part in the ongoing conversation.

  The door to the lounge opened and Mama D stumbled in. She was even paler than when Suzanne had last checked on her.

  “Anton, I don’t feel well,” she said. She reached for a chair, but missed and slid slowly to the floor.

  Anton jumped up and ran to her side.

  “It’s fine, Mama. You’ll be fine,” he said, although to Suzanne, his face belied his words. “Come on, let’s get you back to bed.” He put his arm around his mother, lifted her to her feet, and walked her gently into the hall.

  Everyone else sat silently, apparently lost in their own thoughts. Then there was a yell from the bedroom.

  “Someone call an ambulance,” shouted Anton, “I think she’s having a heart attack!”

  Charlie grabbed the phone, then stopped and looked at Walter.

  “What do I do? Is it 999? And how will I tell them. I don’t speak the language!”

  “Let me.” Mercy took the phone from her hand and hit some keys. When she got a response, she spoke rapidly in Russian. Suzanne recognised the street name, but that was about it.

  Within thirty minutes, the ambulance men were at the door. Suzanne showed them into Mama D’s bedroom and then she and Anton left them to it, returning to the lounge. Anton started pacing once more.

  “What can I do? I can’t leave Francine and Lydia to those men. I can’t risk them reaching the villa. But I can’t leave Mama either.”

  “You must stay here, of course, Anton.” This from Charlie. “We can sort out the other problem while you look after Mama D.”

  “But I can’t let you three girls go out on a dangerous mission like that on your own!”

  Suzanne felt a flush of colour to her face and thought of the various situations she’d found herself in during the past few years. But she didn’t say anything. She didn’t have to. Charlie and Mercy were vying with each other to express their views the loudest. Suddenly through the cacophony, there came a sharp clapping of hands.

  “Stop this, now!” said Walter Mukooyo. “Mrs Dimitriov’s unwell. If she hears this noise, it’s not going to help her at all.” Mercy opened her mouth to continue arguing but Walter pointed crossly at her. “No, Mercy, that’s enough.” Then turning to Anton, he continued. “I’ll go with the ladies in your place. You will stay here and look after your mother. No more arguments.” As he turned away from the centre of the room where Anton, Mercy and Charlie were all standing open-mouthed, Walter caught Suzanne’s eye—and winked at her. She suppressed a little giggle and then cleared her throat.

  “Right, it’s getting on for six o’clock. Time to get ourselves together and hit the road.”

  With three women on the back seat—Walter had climbed into the front next to Viktor without asking—it was a bit snug and warm. Suzanne found herself dozing off as they drove through the emptying streets and especially when they left the main road and headed across country. Row upon row of regimented pine trees became soporific after a while. It was going to be even more crowded if—no, not if, when—they rescued Francine and Lydia. But that was something they could worry about later. There were little pull-downs behind the front seats. Not comfortable for long journeys but she guessed they’d just have to take it in turns. Apart from Walter. She didn’t think he’d be likely to give up his front seat willingly.

  After seven hours’ driving, with just one brief stop half-way, Mercy leaned forward and whispered something to Viktor. He nodded and turned in at the next right-hand junction. At the side of the road was a public picnic site. Viktor pulled onto the little car park, switched off the engine and killed the headlights.

  “We walk from here,” said Mercy.

  Chapter 53

  They told Viktor to stay with the car, but to remain alert.

  “If we call you, it means there’s no longer any need for stealth,” said Charlie. “Just get down to the cabin as quick as you can. Lights on, horn blaring, anything to cause a distraction.”

  “But only if we call you,” said Mercy. “It’s about a kilometre down here, back among the trees,” she told them, then set off along the lane, not even looking back to check the others were following.

  Charlie trotted after her and soon caught up. Suzanne and Walter followed quietly and carefully. At times Suzanne feared they were in danger of being left behind as the other two women faded into the darkness in front of them. But suddenly she realised they’d stopped and were crouching behind a stand of bushes staring out into the darkness.

  As her eyes became adjusted, Suzanne could just make out the outline of a small pine log cabin. It was surrounded on the three sides she could see, by a covered veranda. There was a faint light shining from one of the side windows, but otherwise the whole place was in darkness. Along the side of the cabin was parked an old Zil, its paintwork gleaming slightly in the pale moonlight.

  “That’s where they’ll be keeping them,” whispered Suzanne, pointing to the side where the light shone through.

  “How can you be so sure?” asked Mercy.

  “Because Lydia can’t sleep in total darkness,” she replied. “And she’ll have made so much fuss they’ll have given in and let her have a light.”

  “You three go and see if there’s any way we can get them out, then,” said Mercy. “I’m going to have a look around the other side.” And she melted into the darkness. The next time Suzanne saw her was as a faint shadow moving along the paintwork of the car.

  Leaving Walter to keep watch for signs of movement from the three kidnappers, Suzanne and Charlie crept around
to the side of the cabin, stepped gently onto the veranda and peered through the half-height sash window. Francine and Lydia were sitting on a single divan. They were wrapped in blankets to keep warm and Francine appeared to be whispering reassurances to her companion.

  Charlie rapped softly on the window pane, but got no response. She tried again, slightly louder this time. The two women looked up sharply and a huge grin spread across Lydia’s face. She raised her hand to wave and opened her mouth, but Francine swiftly laid a finger across her lips to silence her. Then the two women slowly stood up and tiptoed across the room. As they did so, Suzanne saw that while Lydia was free, Francine was fastened to the bedstead by a thin metal chain wound around her ankle. It allowed her to move between the bed and the window, but no further.

  Francine unlocked the window but when she tried to open it, it stuck fast. From both sides, they seized hold of the lower frame and tugged upwards. Nothing happened to start with. But then Suzanne felt a movement and suddenly it was free. It flew upwards with a gentle squeak which nevertheless sounded very loud in the silence of the night. Everyone froze and waited for a full minute, then two. But there was no sound from the rest of the cabin.

  Francine helped Lydia climb onto a chair and out of the window. Suzanne hauled her through and held her hand as she led her across the veranda, away from the cabin and into the trees to where Walter was waiting. The young woman was silent and seemed traumatised by the whole experience.

  “Take her back to the car, Walter,” she whispered, “and don’t leave her. We’re going back for Francine.” He nodded and led the young woman gently by the hand through the trees where they soon disappeared from view.

  When Suzanne returned to the cabin, she found Charlie had climbed in through the window and was trying to free Francine. As she watched, her sister wrenched the heavy bedstead off the ground and Francine slipped the loop of chain from around the leg. She was free. The two women turned back to the window but as they crossed the room, Francine dropped the chain with a clatter onto the floor. There was a shout from the other side of the cabin and the door burst open.