BAMAKO - Aribert Raphael (red queen ebook TXT) 📗

Talya said to Hjamal. This meeting is getting out of hand.
“Yes, of course, by all means,” Hjamal replied, looking down at the rueful expression on her face. He sat down again, put his briefcase between his legs, shaking his head.
“Let’s go and talk about this…,” Hassan said.
“I’m not finished…!” Mohammed flared.
“Yes you are, for now anyway.” Once again, Hassan grabbed his friend by the arm and pulled him away.
“Let’s go to the terrace, shall we?” Talya suggested to Hassan and Mohammed.
“All right then,” Mohammed said with reluctance in his voice, and the three of them went out.
The wind was up, brushing against their faces. It was refreshing, almost cold. Talya put her elbows on the railing and gazed at the ocean. Her two friends came to stand beside her, the banister supporting their backs. Hassan crossed his arms over his chest. Mohammed looked disconcerted but his edginess told Talya that his resentment of Hjamal was burning a fire of insanity in his mind.
“Listen to me, Mohammed.” She turned her head toward him. “There is no way to prove Hjamal is responsible for Rheza’s abduction. We can’t threaten him with anything at this point. We need to find out the truth first. Then we’ll be able to take action. For now, we’ve got nothing but speculations. I’ll repeat what you’ve said about me a while ago: “…you have a tendency to lose your temper once in a while, which in Senegal may cost you your life.” So, I’ll ask you, as a friend, take your own advice and take it easy, will you?”
“And, don’t display any more antagonism, I pray you. The man is dangerous and you know it.”
“Yes, I know I’m overreacting, Hassan, but I can’t help what I feel.” Mohammed’s voice was shaking. “You know what I mean?”
“I know, but this isn’t the time or the place.” Hassan was visibly upset with his friend’s behaviour.
“Okay then, let’s go back inside and try to relax,” Talya said to both of them.
They walked in ahead and went to sit at the dining room table. Talya returned to her seat.
Ahmed Hjamal had been observing the scene from where he sat. “I’m sorry for what’s happening, Madame Kartz, but really we can’t continue with these discussions with all of these people around.” For once, Talya had to agree with him.
Johan jumped off his stool. “Would you like us to go downstairs for awhile and leave you two alone to sort this out?”
That was the best suggestion she had heard yet that morning. “I think that’s a good idea. Would you mind?”
All at once with a rumble of chairs, her three companions trotted out of the room. Hassan looked back at Talya with pleading eyes. She knew he would have preferred to stay, but she was having none of it.
Rasheed was still locked up in the bedroom so she didn’t have to worry about him for now.
Talya called after Johan before he left and said, “I’ll call the reception when we’re done and you could come back then?”
“Okay. We’ll probably go to the restaurant. Don’t worry, we’ll stay around.” He closed the door and she was left alone to face her foe (or friend?).
Hjamal looked relieved to be able to speak freely now. Talya herself breathed an audible sigh of relief.
70
When the three of them arrived in the hall, Hassan decided it was high time he had a talk with Mohammed.
“Johan, would you mind very much if I took Mohammed aside for a moment? We need to talk.”
“Of course not. I need to stretch my legs anyway. I’ll leave word at the desk so Talya can find us when she’s ready.”
“Thanks, we won’t be long.”
Hassan and Mohammed went to sit on a sofa by the Baobab and Johan went off in the direction of the front desk.
“Mohammed, what’s got into you? What do you think you were doing up there?”
“Don’t start. I’m not a child—”
“No, but you’re behaving like one. Do you remember what we’ve talked about before we left? I thought we’d agreed that you should stay away from this situation.”
“I know, but that was then. And now that I’ve seen, with my own eyes, who we’re dealing with, there was nothing that could have held me back.”
“And you allow yourself to forget about your family, your children, your position just to satiate your desire for revenge?”
“I guess I did. And I would do it again in a minute given the chance.”
“Well then, you’re not thinking straight. You seemed to have forgotten usal-al-figh (the source of Islamic law). You can’t take the law into your own hands; you have to abide by the law of Islam, if not the law of the country. And nowhere does it say that you are permitted to take revenge without being commanded to do so.”
“I know all that, Hassan. I guess I was only seeing this beast, Rasheed, touching Rheza and fury invaded me at the thought.”
“I understand, but even if that were so, it’s not up to you to strike Rasheed and you know that too. Also, you can’t menace the man who appears to be responsible for this offence. And I stress, Hjamal only appears to be responsible because if you listen to Talya, to her every word and the answers she’s getting, you would soon understand what has been happening.”
“Do you mean Hjamal has got nothing to do with Rheza’s abduction, that he didn’t know she was held at the mine? I would never believe that.”
“You’re not listening are you?”
“What? What am I not listening to?”
“Just this, Rasheed said, and I quote: “I removed him all right. And I did the same with his stupid niece.” Which means Rasheed took upon himself to take Rheza to the site and Hjamal didn’t know anything about it.”
“So should I just forget about Amadou Savoi as well…? Hjamal knew about him being taken to the mine?”
“No, I don’t think he did. Not for a fact, and here again you have to think about what happened. Why would Hjamal try to take Talya to the mine if he knew Savoi was there? That doesn’t make sense. Hjamal is very astute and extremely calculating in everything he does. So how could he make a mistake like that?”
“Then you believe this is all Rasheed’s doing?”
“I’m convinced of it. Look, if it were not the case, Talya wouldn’t have allowed herself to be left alone with Hjamal. She’s too smart for that. What she’s doing now is planning her next move and getting answers from Hjamal about Gillman’s murder, nothing else.”
“I guess I should have stayed in Bamako. It’s much simpler to deal with irate ministers than it is to deal with this kind of thing.”
“And leave me alone to deal with Talya? You’ve got to be joking!”
They both smiled and sat in silence.
71
At last, Talya was alone with the man she admired somehow—she had to admit it. Something told her this scarred face man had very deep emotions and he was not a criminal. He was a dreamer. He had been out of his depth and he only wanted help to show him how to reach his goal.
“Let me apologize once again.” Talya took a seat beside him on the sofa. “Believe me, I had no idea our meeting would turn out this way.”
“It’s all right, Madame Kartz. Somehow, I knew something like this was bound to happen when family affairs are involved. You’ve lived in Africa long enough to know where families are concerned we can be very defensive and aggressive.”
How did he know how long I lived here?
“Thank you for your understanding, and I hope you’ll be as understanding when I ask you the next question.”
“Please go ahead, we’re here to talk. And don’t worry; I have nothing to hide from you.”
“What happened to Richard Gillman?” Talya was testing the waters. “Apparently, he was taken from Sabodala in July and his body was found only last week. What happened in the meantime?”
“I have absolutely no idea what happened to Richard between July and today. And, I really don’t know how he came to be murdered.”
Talya raised an eyebrow. She didn’t believe him. “How can that be? Richard was in fear for his life when he was working for you. You took his passport away the day he arrived. What’s more, you prevented him from contacting his office…”
“There are many facts you are unaware of,” he interrupted, brushing his gaze by Talya’s face. “Richard was never in fear for his life. He was just reluctant to do his job.”
“I can’t swallow that. Have you read the letter that was found on his body?”
“Yes, the police commissioner gave me a copy before I called you in Bamako.”
“Then, you know he’d been drugged and he couldn’t contact his company. How do you account for that statement?” Talya wanted the truth.
“I don’t have to account for anything, Madame Kartz.” He shot an indignant glance at her. “Maybe you didn’t know this, but Richard was, shall we say an eccentric at the best of times and he behaved strangely most of the time, as if he were drugged.” Drugs. Of course! “I rarely went to the site but every time I did, Richard was muttering to himself and the workers told me his demands were often quite extraordinary.”
Why didn’t Johan mention anything about Richard’s obvious problem?
“Are you saying he was a drug addict?”
“How else would you describe that kind of behaviour?”
“Maybe you’re right, but tell me, why didn’t you send him home then? Or let him leave when he wanted to?”
Hjamal looked uncomfortable, and returned to staring at the floor. “I had paid in advance fifty percent of the purchase price, and a hundred percent of the parts, shipment and installation of the mill. Richard was assigned to accompany the equipment, to assemble the mill and connect it to the existing circuit. When we got the mill, there were parts missing—that mill door was missing—and some were broken. So I had to contact the company in Canada, and I personally transmitted the messages Richard wanted to send.”
“But if you did, why did he have to be rescued?”
He hesitated. “Because the responses I got from the fax I had sent to Richard’s company were at best outrageous. All pieces missing, they said, were to be purchased and shipped at my expense. Apparently they omitted to verify the content of the shipment and they hadn’t insured the parts together with the mill.” He turned his face to Talya and locked eyes with her as if he wanted to make sure she understood his every word. “There was no way I would’ve accepted such a demand. It was unbelievable.” He paused. “And that coming from a Canadian company, it was just incredible. I had already paid for half of the mill. I wasn’t going to pay for the missing items twice. So I wrote back saying I would not allow Gillman to return to his country until they sent the missing parts and the installation of the mill was completed.”