Алистер Маклин - Time of the Assassins

The ambulance stopped a few feet in front of the convoluted tangle of barbed wire spread across the road. A battle-scarred M41 Walker Bulldog tank stood in the shadows beside a looted corner shop. A man wearing a faded Adidas T-shirt sat on the turret, a kalashnikov rifle beside him. Vuli also noticed the front portion of a Ferret armoured car which was partially hidden up a sidestreet. He knew from a former soldier who was now with the resistance movement that both vehicles were obsolete, and there was a feeling that the M41s dotted about the city didn’t have the necessary parts to be used in conflict. They were merely a bluff. But they were all well guarded and all attempts by the resistance movement to capture one had ended in failure.

The man who had flagged down the ambulance rapped on the passenger window, disturbing Vuli’s thoughts. Vuli opened the window.

‘Out, both of you,’ the man ordered.

Vuli and Nhlapo climbed out and another rebel immediately set about checking for any weapons that may have been picked up when the ambulance was out of their jurisdiction.

‘Report!’ The man clicked his fingers and held out his hand towards Vuli. ‘Give it to me.’

Vuli handed the clipboard to the man.

‘Americans?’ the man said, looking up at Vuli.

Vuli nodded. ‘Journalists.’

‘Open the back,’ the man ordered.

Nhlapo walked round to the back of the ambulance and opened the doors. He had to check his surprise.

Graham had an oxygen mask over his face and Sabrina, who lay with head lolled to one side, had a drip attached to her arm with a strip of plaster.

The man looked from Graham to Sabrina then met Tambese’s cold stare. ‘Who are you?’

‘Dr Moka,’ Tambese retorted. ‘I live close to where their car left the road. I was the first on the scene.’

‘They are Americans?’

‘Journalists. Both from New York.’

‘Are their injuries serious?’

Tambese nodded grimly. ‘They were shot at by a government patrol. One of the bullets struck the woman. She was driving. She told me that much before she lost consciousness. It seems as if he struck his head on the windscreen when the car hit the tree. He’s badly concussed. They both need urgent medical attention at the hospital.’

‘After we have searched the ambulance,’ came the sharp reply as if the man felt his authority was being undermined in front of his colleagues.

‘The woman is haemorrhaging,’ Tambese snapped and indicated the bag of blood connected to the drip. ‘She could die if she doesn’t undergo surgery within the next hour. And if she does you can be sure I’ll hold you personally responsible. Your Colonel Ngune would be crucified by the international press. I doubt he’d thank you for it, do you?’

A look of fear had spread across the man’s face at the mention of Ngune. He looked at Sabrina then spoke in a whispered tone to his colleagues who were congregated around the back of the ambulance.

‘What’s the problem?’ Tambese thundered. ‘I need to get this woman to the hospital now!’

The man’s eyes flickered around the inside of the ambulance then he snatched the clipboard from Vuli’s hand and signed the accident report. Tambese sighed deeply. That was the clearance they needed.

‘How many more roadblocks will we have to stop at before we reach the hospital?’ Tambese asked, glancing at the man.

‘You won’t be stopped again,’ came the reply.

‘Thank you,’ Tambese said. ‘That might just make the difference between life and death for this woman.’

The man told Vuli to close the doors. Tambese slumped back in his chair as the doors slammed shut and wiped his hands over his face. Neither Sabrina nor Graham moved even though they had heard the doors close. The ambulance started up and the siren was switched on again as soon as it pulled away from the roadblock.

‘We’re clear,’ Tambese said.

Graham immediately sat up and pulled the oxygen mask from his face. He winced as he massaged his spine. ‘Jesus, my back’s killing me.’

Sabrina peeled the plaster off her arm and grinned at Tambese. ‘I don’t know what you said to him, but you sure sounded mad as hell.’

‘My mother died in the back of an ambulance,’ Tambese said after a thoughtful pause. ‘I guess I was just reliving those emotions.’

‘I’m sorry,’ Sabrina said apologetically.

‘It was a long time ago,’ Tambese replied.

‘Have we got free passage into the city?’ Graham asked, breaking the sudden silence.

‘Clear all the way,’ Tambese replied then wagged a finger at them. ‘I told you they would fall for it.’

‘What did you say to them?’ Sabrina asked.

Tambese translated the gist of the conversation.

‘Using Ngune’s name seems to have done the trick,’ Graham said when Tambese had finished.

‘It certainly helped. His minions are terrified of him.’

‘I can believe it,’ Sabrina said grimly.

Vuli pulled back the glass partition and gave them a thumbs-up. ‘Where do you want to be dropped off?’ he asked Tambese in Swahili.

‘Go to the hospital,’ Tambese told him. ‘We’ll take it from there.’

Vuli nodded then closed the partition again.

‘What about the ambulance men?’ Sabrina asked. ‘Won’t Ngune take it out on them?’

‘They’ll go to ground after this. The resistance movement will have them smuggled out of Kondese.’

The ambulance slowed down and Tambese peered through the glass partition, his hands cupped on either side of his face.

‘What is it?’ Graham asked anxiously.

‘We’re nearing the hospital,’ Tambese replied without looking round at him.

”Thank God for that. What now?’

‘Get ready,’ Tambese answered then pulled open the glass partition again. ‘Go round the back,’ he said to Nhlapo in Swahili. ‘I’ll tell you when to stop.’

Nhlapo nodded as he swung the ambulance into the driveway. He switched off the siren. Graham and Sabrina discarded their blood-splattered clothes to reveal black jumpsuits. After tugging a black woollen hat over her head, Sabrina took a tube of camouflage cream from her pocket and squeezed a little onto her palm then tossed the tube to Graham. He rubbed the cream over his face and hands then offered the tube to Tambese who grinned good-humouredly and waved him away. Graham shrugged, poker-faced, and dropped it onto the bed.

Tambese stripped off to his black jumpsuit then peered through the partition again, watching for the line of refuse bins that Okoye had told him to use as a landmark to disembark. He knocked on the glass when they came into view and told Nhlapo to pull over. Graham handed out the weapons then divided the clips into three piles on the bed. They loaded their weapons and slipped the spare clips into the pouches on their belts. After bolstering his Beretta Tambese knocked lightly on the partition. Nhlapo peered out of the driver’s window and gave Vuli the thumbs-up sign.

Vuli looked about furtively to make sure there wasn’t anyone about then opened one of the doors and gestured to them to get out. Tambese ushered Graham and Sabrina out of the ambulance then jumped nimbly to the ground and Vuli immediately closed the back door again.

‘Get rid of the clothes and wipe the ambulance down for fingerprints,’ Tambese said to Vuli.

‘No need, we’re going to torch it anyway,’ Vuli replied. ‘Those were our orders.’

‘Well, thanks for your help.’

‘Good luck,’ Vuli said with a quick smile then looked around again. ‘Go on, a porter could come out here at any time.’

Tambese hauled himself over the low wall where Graham and Sabrina were already waiting for him. ‘The city hall’s a couple of hundred yards down the road,’ he whispered. He looked the length of the deserted street then turned back to them. ‘Ready?’