DAKAR: The Savoi Affair (The Puppets of Washington Book 4)

Chapter 8

Chapter 8Talya heard the knock. It had only been two hours since John and Pierre had left. They’d said they would ring her before dinner. Unless they wanted to eat at four o’clock in the afternoon, the visitor was unexpected.

Talya was curious but on her guard. She opened the door.

“Hassan... My God! What are you doing here? Mohammed?” The blood ran up and down her. Seeing them standing there, she could hardly believe her eyes. There was a third man with them. He was dressed in a pilot’s uniform.

“Are you all right?” Hassan’s voice sounded anxious.

“Yes, yes, please, come in, come in.” Talya’s heart was still beating so fast, she wanted to sit down.

“Maybe I should leave you...?” the pilot said.

“No-no, Khalid.” Hassan said to the man. “If Talya doesn’t mind, I think you should stay.”

“No, I don’t mind,” Talya said quickly, “but please, do come in. I don’t want to attract undue attention.”

They all trooped through the passage and Talya directed everyone to the living room. Quietly, as if no one dared speak first, they all sat down. The men looked tired.

When Talya had recovered from the shock and found her voice, she lifted her eyes to Hassan. “You look a lot fitter than when I left you. Who was the medicine man who put you back on your feet so quickly?”

“Why did you do it? Why did you leave?” Hassan’s stare didn’t leave her face.

Sitting beside her on the sofa, he had grabbed her hand and seemed in no mood to releasing it any time soon. Mohammed, on the other hand, was watching Talya as if he had not laid eyes on her in eons. His emotions were painted across his face. He looked happy, relieved, embarrassed and maybe a little worried yet—all at once.

“Before getting into all of this, I think we should introduce Khalid.” Mohammed said.

Hassan nodded. “Yes, you’re right. I’m sorry. Talya, this is Captain Khalid Shaykh Sahab, the person who so graciously brought us to Dakar.”

The man sitting opposite Talya was tall, and although a uniform could be deceiving, this one didn’t fool her at all. Khalid Shaykh Sahab was built like an athlete, his body beautifully sculpted. He had keen, light brown eyes and his bronzed skin was as smooth as velvet. Somehow, Talya was sure he was a Touareg. He had the presence of a man of the desert.

“Captain, I’m humbled by your presence in my house. I’m grateful to you for bringing my friends to Senegal. I hope the chore of escorting them was as pleasurable for you as the joy of seeing them again is for me.”

“Madame Kartz, it is an honour to meet you at the end of this voyage. Bringing our friends to you wasn’t a chore, it was a challenge.” This one is a character. They laughed. Hassan smiled. He looked slightly embarrassed.

“Talya, please, I beg of you, tell us what happened. What made you do this? How did you end up here in this not so humble place?” Hassan was looking around at the décor.

“All in good time, Hassan. First, I want to know if you’ve explained to Captain Sahab what brought him, and the two of you, to Dakar.”

Khalid smiled. “Hassan and Monsieur Fade had no real opportunity to elaborate on the purpose of their escapade.” I really like this man’s choice of words—an ‘escapade’ indeed. “All I needed to know was that they wanted my help. Since I could provide it, I had no choice but to fly them down.”

“Nevertheless, I think Hassan owes you an explanation.” Talya looked pointedly at the man whom she had left only 24 hours ago, then unable to speak coherently.

He returned her gaze and turned to Shaykh Sahab.

“The description I’m about to give you of this case may surprise you. Perhaps, after you’ve heard it, you may not wish to be involved with it any further than what you already are. However, as an attorney, I need to ask you to keep everything you’re about to hear in the strictest confidence.”

Hassan was regaining his composure. He seemed to have regained control of all his faculties. Evidently, the disease had left no visible aftermath.

“I can recognize when confidence is needed, believe me.” Khalid said. “I had an inkling there was more to this than just bringing you and Monsieur Fade to Dakar. So you can rest with peace in your heart, as Allah is my witness, that what you’re about to tell me will remain with me for as long as necessary.” This man is no fool. He’d given his word allowing himself just the right amount of leeway.

Shaykh Sahab then closed his eyes, reclined in his chair and listened.

Hassan was a talented storyteller. Most courtroom attorneys are. No relevant details were left out. When he came to the point where Talya had left early that morning, he turned to her. “Now, the rest is up to you.”

Shaykh Sahab opened his eyes and looked at her as if he was about to devour her every word.

“Captain, what I’ve done since eight o’clock today is quite simple...”

“Madame Kartz,” he interrupted, “before you continue, I’ll ask you to do me the great honour to call me Khalid, if you please?”

“It will be my pleasure, Khalid. I’m thankful for your gesture of friendship and I hope to be worthy of the trust it implies.”

“I’m now ready for you to go ahead with your story, Madame.” His manners were so attuned with Islamic schooling that Talya wondered if a Mullah had raised him.

“Since I’ve left Bamako I’ve started playing chess with my adversary.” Talya began. “Yesterday afternoon, Monsieur Hjamal phoned me and invited me to come to Dakar. However, once I got to the airport this morning, I discovered that his intentions were slightly different—he had ordered the Air Location pilots to drop me off in Kedougou. From there I was to go to the mine site, which I did.” She paused. The three men nodded—they knew she had gone to Sabodala. “Once I was at the site, and since no one locked me in anywhere, I went down to the plant and had a look around. The processing line seemed not to have been running for some time, although I found some small gold bullion in the lab near the plant.”

“And nobody stopped you when you went on your little tour of the property?” Hassan sounded perplexed.

“No. The driver—I mean the man that came with the driver at the landing strip dropped me off in front of the hut at the end of the mining village and told me to wait. Apart from these two I hadn’t seen anyone until I arrived at the other end of the processing line. I hadn’t realized it, but it was prayer time by then and all of the men were praying at the bottom of the lane.”

“How did you get back on the plane then?” Mohammed asked.

“Well, that was a bit of luck. You see, when Pierre and John—those are the pilot and navigator who brought me down—when they noticed that neither Hjamal nor Rasheed had come to meet me when we landed, they contacted Hjamal in Dakar. He told them that I wasn’t supposed to visit the mine alone and to come and get me.”

“So, you think Hjamal didn’t know you were going to the mine?” Hassan asked.

“No, he knew alright, but apparently he didn’t know Rasheed wasn’t there to give me a guided tour as it were.”

“And what happened then? How come you ended up here and not in the room you had reserved?” Hassan’s voice hinted at the touch of jealousy he seemed to display off and on.

“Well, since Pierre and John had been smart enough to call Hjamal and to come to my rescue, so to speak, I told them what I thought they should know about Hjamal and his enterprise. As you may be aware, the jet that came to get me in Bamako does not belong to Minorex. It’s under a leasing contract. Air Location would have had a hard time explaining my planned abduction to the local authorities.”

Talya stood up and went to the bar. “Any of you want something to drink before I go on?”

“No, we’re fine.” Hassan replied.

Khalid looked over the back of his chair. “Hassan was only speaking for himself. If you have some juice, I’ll be glad to have a glass.”

“While you’re serving, I’ll have something, too.” Mohammed said.

“All right then, if everybody is having something I’ll have a glass of juice also.” Hassan said impatiently.

Talya smiled and shook her head. “I thought you’d be thirsty.”

She served everyone their drinks and saw Hassan pull a little canister of pills from his pocket—quinine.

She sat down again and took up where she’d left off. “I would say that by now, Monsieur Hjamal has been advised that I’m in Dakar.” Talya took a sip of her juice and went on, “As to what I plan to do next, I have not decided yet. Several factors will be influencing my approach. First, where is the Dutchman? The man was supposed to contact me days ago. Second, Monsieur Hjamal knows where Rheza McLean and Savoi are, I’m sure of it. I didn’t have time to find out if they were anywhere near the plant when I was there. Or, and I hate to think of this alternative, they’re both in collusion with Hjamal or even being blackmailed into participating in his scheme.”

Mohammed understood the meaning of that last suggestion. He nodded with a rueful look in his eyes.

“Third, I’ll have to face Hjamal and this Rasheed character fairly soon I suspect. Lastly, as soon as the authorities in Bamako have advised the Dakar police that I’ve skipped town, I should expect to be questioned as a witness, because, remember, we have a murder in our hands.”

Khalid had been intent on Talya’s every word. He now sat up and looked at the three of them in turn. “Madame Kartz, I thank you for providing me with the many pieces of this puzzle. I’m not sure yet as to how I may be able to assist the three of you to clear up this mess. However, when I accepted to bring Hassan and Monsieur Fade to Dakar, I became involved.” Directing his comments to Hassan in particular, he went on, “Leaving you now would be offensive to Allah, and really that isn’t something I’m in a habit of consciously doing.”

“Khalid,” Hassan said, “you have a business to run. Maybe you should return to Bamako as early as it’s suitable for you to fly?”

“I appreciate your concern, Hassan, but how could I miss all this fun? I have an idea I’ll enjoy this little interlude very much indeed.” They all chuckled. Khalid had a warped sense of humour, Talya decided. He also had a way of making everyone feel at ease.

“How would you propose to assist us then?”

“Monsieur Fade, to answer your query adequately, I need time to reflect and pray for guidance. We are in an oasis now. It is proper therefore, to account for the past and to plan for the future.”

Turning to Talya once more, he rose. “If you’ll permit me, Madame, I will now retire to my room to meditate on this most interesting quandary.”

Talya got up, indicating her assent for him to leave. “Once again, please accept my gratitude for everything you’ve done so far. The desert will be kind to you. It will open the routes of your future, I’m sure.” Talya was grateful for remembering some of her father’s teachings.

Mohammed, in the meantime, had extricated himself from his comfortable chair and was visibly preparing to take his leave as well. “It was a great relief to see you’re safe and sound.” he said. “Now, if you will allow me, I’ll do the same and go to my room. I’m sure Hassan needs some time alone with you right now.” He winked and flashed a smile at Hassan.

The latter took his friend by the arm, and escorted both men to the door. Speaking in Bambara, Talya couldn’t understand anything of what they said.

Hassan then returned to the living room to face her. “I have something to ask you... Would you promise me never to do this again...?”

“Hassan, I...”

“Let me, please. I know my attitude hasn’t been the best. I also know you had to leave Bamako. However, as your friend, I think I deserved better than a letter telling me to stay in bed while you were preparing to confront a murderer in a game of chess, as you put it.”

“What did you want me to do?” Talya asked. “You were fighting the onslaught of malaria. You were delirious at the best of times. How could I come to you and tell you what I was planning to do?”

“I understand that, believe me, but you wrote, and I quote: “please don’t follow me.” How could you expect me to abide by that plea? You knew very well I would do exactly the opposite.” He smiled. “You did, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I did.” Talya mumbled, lowering her eyes. She had to admit it. She had lured Hassan into following her, and she was pleased to have done so.

As if reading her thoughts, Hassan said, “And, to top it off, you seemed to be delighted with the results. I’m here aren’t I?”

Questions were racing through Talya’s mind: how could I feel the way I do about him? What is happening to me?

He looked down at her. “And now, would you promise me never to do the gallivanting alone anymore?”

“I will, or is it I won’t? I promise.”

“Either will do, as long as you never do it again.” They both laughed.

A knock at the door brought them out of their little bantering. Talya went to open it. Standing on the threshold, Pierre and John looked embarrassed. She invited them in.

“Is it time for dinner already? I thought you were going to ring me.”

As they walked in, they saw Hassan. He was standing by the window.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you had a visitor...” Pierre said.

“Don’t worry, this is a friend. He’s my solicitor.” Turning to him, Talya called, “Maître Sangor...?” Hassan turned and walked toward the two men.

“Let me introduce Pierre Masson, and John, whose last name I don’t know; the two people who brought me to Dakar.”

“Gentlemen, I’m pleased to meet you,” Hassan replied, extending a hand, “I was glad to hear you’d rescued Madame Kartz from Sabodala and brought her to her intended destination.” The men shook hands.

Pierre smiled. “But it wasn’t all our doing actually. I didn’t like the way we had dropped her off and left her to go to the mine without a proper escort. And it’s actually Monsieur Hjamal who told me to get a vehicle and get her back from the mine site.”

“Did he give you any reason for asking to bring Madame Kartz back from the mine?” Hassan asked.

“No, he only sounded surprised that Monsieur Rasheed didn’t come to meet her when we landed. He said he was going to find out where he was.”

“You mean he doesn’t know where Monsieur Rasheed is? I find that hard to believe.” Talya said. She then extended an arm toward the living room. “But let’s not stand here. Come in and have a seat...”

“Thank you.” John said, speaking for the first time since entering the room.

They sat opposite Hassan and Talya.

“Would you like a drink?” She noticed they looked quizzically at the four nearly empty glasses on the table.

“No-no, Madame Kartz, we’re fine. Thank you.”

“Well, tell us what’s happening then. Have you been able to get in touch with your company and what did your boss have to say?”

Pierre began, hesitating, “It’s a complicated situation for us. Our contract runs out in three weeks’ time. Monsieur Hjamal owes us some money, or I should say he owes the company. So, legally we could stop providing air services as of tonight.”

“But... There must be a but?”

“Oh, yes, there is a but, Madame Kartz. Although we followed Monsieur Hjamal’s instructions, we should have left you at the mine site...”

“But you called him...” Talya cut in. “And he’s the one who told you to bring me back...?”

“Yes, he did. But now our boss doesn’t want to continue working for him.”

“So..., I don’t see the problem...” Hassan said.

“But, Maître, we accepted to follow his instructions even after we knew he was a suspect in a murder case—”

“And that could be construed as you two—and your company—being accessory after the fact or even conspiring in a planned abduction.”

“Yes, Maître, that’s exactly what our boss said.”

“Alright then..., let me ask you this: when did Madame Kartz tell you Monsieur Hjamal was involved in a murder case? Was it before or after you were at the mine site?”

John and Pierre looked at each other. “It was after we took off from Kedougou.” Pierre replied.

“Well then, you have nothing to worry about. You had no knowledge of Monsieur Hjamal’s involvement before the aborted abduction happened. No one could accuse you or your company of any wrong doing at this juncture.”

The pilot and navigator appeared quite relieved now. “I should think our attorney would see things the same way you do, Maître, but our boss will only be happy when the money owed to the company is paid in full.”

“Of course, that’s what you’d expect from any business man. But you need to tell your boss he’ll never see any money, unless he fights for it. Regrettably, it seems to be the way Monsieur Hjamal operates.”

“Yes, I’ve no doubt of it.” Pierre rejoined. “When I talked to Monsieur Hjamal this afternoon, he said he wouldn’t pay a cent of the money owed unless we take him to Paris next week, supposedly to meet with his banker. He’s even threatened to take us to court.” Pierre nodded almost imperceptibly. “Can I ask you to do us a favour, Maître?”

“Sure, anything. Since you brought Madame Kartz to safety, how could I refuse?”

“Well, if you could, would you come to my room and make the call with us. I think Jack—that’s our boss—needs to hear all this from you. We’re only two pilots and we don’t usually get involved with such things.”

“Of course, I’ll be glad to do it.”

“Madame Kartz, I’m sorry... we’re sorry.” John began to say.

“Please don’t be.” Talya said, waving a dismissive hand.