BAMAKO - Aribert Raphael (red queen ebook TXT) 📗

this morning that you had phoned someone in New York and found out your uncle had supposedly swindled quite a few people other than my company. Was that a lie also? Or is it possible your uncle took a flight to New York this morning to try to do what he said he would—to justify the spending of the money?”
Now who’s giving the benefit of the doubt?
Rheza looked up at Talya and shook her head slowly. “You’re very kind to think my uncle’s gone to America to solve the problem. But, I am ashamed to admit it, he’s more likely to have gone somewhere with some of the money he stashed away someplace.”
“Do you know for a fact that he has hidden the money, or has he spent it; on such items as your Mercedes?” Which was probably closer to the truth, but again, Talya had to ask.
“No. I don’t know … I mean I don’t know what happened to the money besides what he bought for me … or for himself.”
“What I don’t understand is what could have frightened you at the villa, since you knew your uncle was in hiding anyway?”
“I don’t know, Hassan, it was the way the house looked, I suppose. All the shutters and doors were closed, except for the back door. Uncle Amadou is such a stickler for locking everything up when he goes away, he wouldn’t have left that door open. I just don’t know…”
Hassan shook his head. “Did you notice if anything was missing, like the stereo, the television set or anything valuable? Did you look at the back door? Was it wide open, ajar or just unlocked?”
“I think ... I think the door was ajar, but everything was there … I think. And, and, when I was in the house I heard a noise upstairs. I remember being afraid because there’d been no other sound, not even the wind outside—there was nothing….”
“What about his wives, wouldn’t they know where he is?”
I hadn’t thought about that, but he is right—what about the wives?
“I don’t know, Hassan, all three live in their house north of the city…”
Three wives—it must be a very expensive household... Talya had to ask, “Could he have gone there?”
“I don’t think so … I think they’re gone visiting their families in Kayes.… I haven’t seen them ever since Uncle Amadou went to the villa. And I don’t think he wants their families to know about what he’s been doing…”
Talya had heard enough. She glared at Rheza. “Okay, we can’t do anything tonight. You should go home and maybe talk to Monsieur Fade. Also, call your uncle’s associate in New York again, and see if he has heard anything. Then, tomorrow morning we’ll decide what we should do next.”
Obviously, Rheza had heard the acerbity in Talya’s voice. She stood up and looked at both of them in dismay.
Hassan rose as well and accompanied her to the door. Talya saw him whisper to her some soothing words, she presumed. Rheza nodded, said “good night,” and walked out.
Soon after Rheza left, her attorney came back to his seat and said, “This woman has been hurt by a member of her family. She is going to have to deal with this in her own way. You shouldn’t be overly concerned by her reaction. I know you’re angry with her but let her be. We’ll see what she does next. Maybe she’ll lead us to Savoi?”
“Perhaps, Hassan—may I call you Hassan?”
“Yes, you may, only if I may call you Talya.”
“Thank you and I much prefer to be called by my first name anyway.” Talya smiled (finally) and drank what was left of her juice. “All I can say is I’ve heard enough lies to last me for awhile. Do you think Savoi has really disappeared?”
“I think from what we’ve heard tonight, we can safely assume your agent has left the country. I’ll try to find out where he is and phone you when I have something to report. I guess I’ll be taking your case after all. As I said before, it intrigues me.”
“Thank you for that. In fact, to tell you the truth, it’s a relief to hear you’ve agreed to help me. But it looks like this is not going to be as simple as all that. So, I’d like to make sure you understand that my company isn’t ready to pay exorbitant fees for investigating an embezzler’s disappearance. We’ll only want to ascertain he’s gone—that’s all. After that we’ll see what we need to do.”
Hassan stood up and shook Talya’s hand. “Don’t worry; I’ll try to be reasonable.” He smiled… What is it that irritates me so when he smiles? …and walked out. Talya stood looking after him and paused for a moment.
15
Hassan got into his car. The night was fine, no clouds looming. The moon rolled on the night sky like an orange on a black velvet cloth. He liked these kinds of evenings. He was longing to go away again; seeing other moons in other skies. It would feel so good to be in Paris or perhaps in Vancouver right now. Madame Kartz (Talya) seemed to be such a fine woman—a little too strict, bossy, perhaps. Yet, didn’t he like those traits in a woman? Hassan thought he would enjoy working with her. Maybe she would take him away from Mali. It was not that Hassan didn’t like Bamako or his family, his friends or even his work; it was just that he felt his future was not here. He didn’t want it to be here. There was so much more to learn some place else. He knew he needed more than Bamako had to offer, and could get more out of life if he were not to stay in this town.
He backed out of the parking lot and drove through the city toward his house. Then he remembered what he had promised to do: look into Savoi’s disappearance. Where is that idiot? He turned the next corner down an alley and took the main boulevard southward in the direction of his friend’s place, Mohammed Fade.
When Hassan reached his destination, the lights shone everywhere in the house. The man was sitting outside on the bench where he usually sat of an evening for all the years Hassan had known him. He parked the car, got out and walked toward Mohammed.
The latter could see Hassan’s face under the streetlights. He looked worried about something. What was his friend up to?
“Hi. Mohammed, how are you?” Hassan sat beside him.
“Fine, my friend, what about you? You look worried? What’s happening?”
“I don’t know what’s happening. That’s what’s worrying me.”
“Well, first let me get you some tea…. Then you’ll tell me what’s on your mind.”
That was a ritual between the two men. When Hassan visited Mohammed, he would ask for some tea to be brought out to them and they would drink the steaming brew sitting on the bench and talking about the events of the day. This time was no different. Mohammed called for the tea and whence it came, they began talking.
“I got a call from Madame Kartz this afternoon…”
A loud whistle from Mohammed interrupted him. “Do you mean the woman actually called you?” It was as if he wanted to hear again what he couldn’t bring himself to believe.
“Well, yes and no. I called her first. But she rang me back twenty minutes later.”
“Then what happened?”
“She said she had organized a meeting with Amadou Savoi and invited me to attend.”
“Are you saying that she talked to Amadou?”
“No, she didn’t. She called and got Touré on the line. You know the clerk in their office? She gave him an ultimatum to say that if Amadou didn’t show up for the meeting he wouldn’t get his next paycheque.”
“Are you telling me, that didn’t bring Amadou to the table?”
“Yes. Rheza showed up instead.”
“What? Why? Why would she go to the meeting?” Mohammed was astonished.
“Now don’t get excited. I’ll tell you what happened.”
Hassan went on to tell his friend about Rheza’s deceit. He also mentioned what he had promised to do when he left the Grand Hotel. Mohammed pondered for a few moments. What Hassan revealed about his niece’s dishonesty and further involvement in this affair, left a bitter taste in Mohammed’s mouth, and it worried him.
“I think what you should do is to go to the villa as soon as you can, and see for yourself what’s happening out there. It may be nothing but as Rheza said, the back door being opened does not sound like Amadou.” Mohammed, then, while gazing at his friend for a moment, shook his head and started laughing.
“What’s funny?” Hassan was quite unprepared for Mohammed’s unexpected hilarity.
“Well, I’ll tell you. Amadou Savoi, you’ve never met him have you? He must be the biggest con artist on this side of the desert. Usually, people wouldn’t go after him when they’ve been swindled. It costs too much to go to court, but you know all about that. Now, finally his sins have caught up with him. Someone is going to clean him out. You must admit that’s a sweet prospect.”
“It sounds as if you’ve been taken for a ride also?”
“Oh yes, I have, I surely have, but that’s another story. And yes, I’d like to see him pay for his crimes. He has hurt a lot of people and it’s about time he’d be stopped.”
“But he is family, he is a brother?”
“The black sheep of our family, you mean? And it’s a real shame to have a brother the likes of him.”
Hassan talked with his friend for a little while longer and then decided to go home. It was late and he was hungry. He would go to Savoi’s villa as soon as he could. Mohammed had given him directions how to get there. It sounded like a secluded place, the perfect hideout.
Driving back to his house, Hassan could not stop thinking about Talya. What was it about this woman that attracted him? He wanted to return to the hotel, find her and talk to her. That’s nonsense. He had nothing more to say to her right now. If he did, she would be offended, he was sure.
Once at home, he took a shower, ate the meal the housekeeper had left for him and sat at his computer intending to write a few letters. He looked at the blank page on the screen and couldn’t type the first word. Talya was there. She was infiltrating his thoughts. He decided it was no good trying and went to bed instead. All the while Talya was still there, ever present in his mind. He didn’t fall asleep until first light.
16
As Talya climbed the stairs up to her room, she couldn’t help feeling that something was very wrong—woman’s intuition perhaps? She didn’t know what Rheza had seen or not seen in that house. She, too, was a woman with feelings. She had sensed something awful. She had felt threatened somehow.