Алистер Маклин - Time of the Assassins

‘Is it about Mike?’ she asked anxiously.

‘It is Mike,’ Moredi replied with a reassuring smile.

She took the receiver from him. ‘Mike?’

‘Yeah,’ Graham replied.

‘Nice of you to call,’ she said. ‘Where are you? And where have you been for the past two hours?’

‘I’m OK, Sabrina. Thanks for asking,’ came the sharp reply.

She sighed deeply then rubbed her eyes wearily. ‘I’m sorry, Mike. It’s been a long night.’

‘Tell me about it.’

‘Where are you calling from?’

‘The hospital.’

‘Are you hurt?’

‘No, nothing a few hours’ sleep won’t heal. You OK?’

‘I’m fine. What happened? How did you get out of Branco?’

‘It’s a long story. I’ll tell you about it when I see you. Tambese’s also here. He’s just finished questioning Mobuto. We should be with you soon.’

‘Sure. And Mike, it’s good to hear your voice.’

‘Hey, don’t get sentimental on me now.’

She grinned sheepishly. ‘See you later.’

‘Yeah,’ Graham replied and hung up.

She replaced the receiver and looked round at Laidlaw and Moredi. ‘He’s OK. He’ll be coming back with David.’

Moredi put a hand lightly on her shoulder. ‘Now you know he’s OK why don’t you put your head down for a couple of hours? You looked exhausted.’

‘I couldn’t sleep even if I wanted to. There are too many unanswered questions up here,’ she replied, tapping her head.

‘Then how about a coffee while you wait for them to get back from the hospital?’

‘I’d love one, thanks,’ she replied then pointed to the door. ‘I’ll be outside.’

Moredi nodded and left the room. She pushed open the door and walked out onto the porch. The sun was just beginning to creep over the horizon which was bathed in a mirage of orange and gold – the unparalleled beauty of an African sunrise.

‘Exquisite, isn’t it?’

She looked round sharply at Laidlaw who had emerged silently onto the porch, a mug of coffee in each hand.

‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,’ he said, handing one of the mugs to her.

‘Thanks,’ she said then moved to the edge of the porch and sat down on the top step.

‘Do you mind if I sit down?’

‘It’s a free country now,’ she replied without looking round.

Laidlaw sat in the wicker chair by the door. ‘Can we talk?’

She put the mug down and glanced round at him, a look of irritation on her face. ‘Talk? What about?’

‘Look, I know we haven’t exactly hit it off these last few days. And a lot of it’s been my fault, I realize that now. I’m sure I’m not the first guy to have doubted your ability because you’re a woman.’

‘And you won’t be the last either,’ she replied then sat back against the railing and drew her knees up to her chest. ‘But I’ve come to expect it now. It’s all part of being a woman in a male-orientated profession. Not that it bothers me. I’ve got a job to do and I’ll do it to the best of my ability. And if you guys can’t accept that, that’s your problem not mine.’

‘Well, you can count me as one of the converted after tonight.’

‘Hallelujah!’ she retorted.

‘I should have known better than to try and talk to you,’ he snapped, getting to his feet.

‘Then talk to me, don’t patronize me,’ she said, glaring up at him.

He sighed deeply then moved to the railing. ‘I didn’t mean to sound patronizing. I’m sorry. Like you said, you’re a woman in a male-orientated profession. I guess I’m just not used to dealing with that.’

‘At least you’re honest. Most of my colleagues wouldn’t have admitted to that.’

‘You and Mike seem to get along,’ he said.

‘We do, up to a point.’ She smiled thoughtfully. ‘But it wasn’t always this amicable. We’ve been partners for two years now, and it’s only been in the last few months that we’ve started to get along. The first year was a nightmare, an absolute nightmare. All we seemed to do was argue and bicker about every little thing. It got to the point where it was starting to affect our work. That’s when it came to a head. We had to decide whether we could continue working together or whether we’d be better off with different partners. I don’t think the outcome was ever in doubt. We work well as a team. We always have. So we decided to bury the hatchet and get on with the job. We still have our differences, mainly because we’re both very independent. But we’ve learned to live with that.’

‘You care a lot about him, don’t you?’

‘I guess,’ she replied with a nonchalant shrug. ‘He is my partner.’

The evasive answer wasn’t lost on Laidlaw. He decided against pursuing the matter. He leaned back against the railing and folded his arms across his chest. ‘I can’t believe how much he’s changed. It’s hard to believe it’s the same Mike Graham I knew at Delta. You mentioned how independent he is. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I’d never have believed you.’

She shifted round until she was facing him. It was the first time she had ever heard anyone talk about the Mike Graham she had never known, and it fascinated her. ‘What do you mean?’ she prompted, desperately trying to keep the conversation alive.

‘Mike always encouraged a team spirit at Delta. We’d go places as a unit, not as individuals. And he was the worst practical joker I’ve ever come across. You always had to be on your guard when Mike was about. You never knew what to expect.’

‘Yeah?’ Sabrina said with a grin.

Laidlaw shook his head slowly. ‘It’s hard to believe it’s the same man, it really is.’

‘It’s understandable under the circumstances,’ she said, her face serious again. ‘From what he’s told me about them, I get the impression he doted on Carrie and Mikey.’

‘Yeah, he did,’ Laidlaw replied then lapsed into silence.

A jeep appeared on the approach road to the farmhouse. She scrambled to her feet as it turned into the driveway. She could make out two occupants sitting up front but it was only when it reached the courtyard that she realized it was Graham and Tambese. The jeep came to a stop in front of the porch and Tambese killed the engine. Graham was the first to get out.

‘Like the outfit,’ Sabrina said with a grin, indicating the white tunic and trousers Graham had borrowed from the hospital.

‘Very chic, isn’t it?’ he replied, mounting the steps onto the porch.

‘You’ve got a couple of nasty bruises there, buddy,’ Laidlaw said, pointing to Graham’s face.

‘Ngune caught me with a couple of good punches.’

‘Did you get him?’ Sabrina asked.

‘Not personally. He’s under the tarpaulin in the back of the jeep. The army’s going to put the body on public display in Habane.’ He moved to the door. ‘I’m going to change. I’ll be down in a minute.’

Sabrina watched Graham disappear into the house then looked round at Tambese. ‘What happened to Ngune?’

‘I’ll explain everything inside,’ Tambese replied, opening the door for them.

Moredi and Okoye were waiting in the lounge for Tambese. They shook hands and the three of them spoke amongst themselves until Graham returned to the lounge, dressed now in a pair of faded jeans and a black T-shirt.

‘Please, won’t you all sit down?’ Okoye said.

Graham and Sabrina sat on the sofa, Okoye, Laidlaw and Moredi in the armchairs close by. Laidlaw reached down to put his mug on the floor and his hand brushed against Sabrina’s Uzi which was propped up against the wall. He immediately picked up the mug again and put it on the other side of his chair. It made him feel better.

‘How is Mr Mobuto?’ Sabrina asked, looking up at Tambese who had decided to remain standing.