Boss Takes All (28 page)

They were into their second cup of tea when Sue decided that it was time to get down to business.

‘Adam and Andrew Karume, you want to see them, Sonya. I think it's a wonderful idea and so does Charlie.'

‘I must say that it was a bit unexpected. You'll be their first visitors.'

‘Don't they have family or friends close by? I thought they were Kericho men.'

‘Certainly, but everyone around here thinks that they are both dead. They almost were an' all. The police gave them such leatherin'.'

‘Not a good way to persuade men to tell the truth. I can't agree with Charlie about everyone thinking they're dead. Impossible to keep something like this a complete secret. At the moment, they're living in an old tea store.'

‘Sue's put in new beds and a few home comforts. You'd think they were our boys!'

Sonya was puzzled. ‘I understood they were a couple of local criminals.'

‘That's the story. Maria, you must remember them. Paul tells us that they are going to be important witnesses later this year.'

‘I do remember them. Sue, I take it that they know Sonya's coming.'

‘I told them this morning. Come on. Let's go and see them.'

‘Just before we go. Maria and Bertie know that I've agonised over whether to come or not. In the end I decided that I want to find out even a tiny bit more about how it all happened.'

‘Sonya, all I know is that I don't think it's in me to do something like this. Not the right moment for saying this, I know. I hope … There are no words.'

But there were tears. Sonya and Sue, strangers an hour before, embraced with the warmth of sisters.

* * *

The double doors of the tea store were wide open and two young men stood on the threshold waiting. Both were smartly dressed in T-shirt and jeans. The meeting did not begin well. As Sonya, Maria and Bertie got close to the shed, one of the men became agitated. He pointed his arm towards Bertie, letting out a stream of words so quickly that they were almost incomprehensible. One word was clear and repeated several times: the name, ‘Rubai'.

‘My name is Andrew. I come from the New Testament. My brother is Adam, from the Old. I will explain.'

Andrew put his arm around his brother's shoulder and, with a few words in a local dialect, calmed him and then led Sonya and Maria into the stone-built store. He smiled at Bertie.

‘Bwana, forgive my brother. Patrick warned us that if we did not obey him, this Rubai person would find us and hurt us badly. He thinks you are this man.'

A relieved Bertie understood and turned to go. ‘Andrew, I'm with your brother on this. Tell him that I am sorry that I frighten him. I'm no friend of Rubai. I'm glad I've met you. Kwaheri, ladies. I'll withdraw to the garden.'

Inside the store, the furniture was basic but adequate. Though there were wooden chairs, Andrew invited Sonya and Maria to sit on one of the widely spaced twin beds.

‘You are on my bed. Adam loves his bed so much. He spends most of his time here.'

Sonya asked tentatively, ‘You know why we have come?'

‘Yes. And I know you. You are Doctor Simon's lady. You came to our church on Easter Day two years ago. And you are Maria Kabari. Your husband is the kind policeman. We have no mother. She died when we were born. Our father, Joseph, went away to Kisumu. We think he is dead now. Anna looked after us. She was a poor lady. We did not go to the school. Every day she read from the Bible to us. She is dead, too, this four years.'

‘Do you know how old you are?'

‘We think it is seventeen years. We are strong boys, but no one will give us work. We were sitting on the side of the road outside the Shell station on Moi Avenue. Patrick Uchome …'

‘Patrick Uchome? How did you know this man?'

‘The old lady who cared for us lived close by his family's plantation.'

Brother Adam startled Sonya and Maria for the second time. While his brother had been talking, Adam had lain with his back resting against the wall, dozing and seemingly uninterested. Suddenly he took up the story, speaking lucidly and with a good deal of passion.

‘Uchome is a very bad man. He tricked us. He say, “Hey, Karume boys, get over here and pretty damn quick!” There were three of them in that big car coming out the Shell place. Smart fellahs, city folks. “How you like to earn five hundred shillings? Bet you never had so much money in your pocket”.'

When Adam hesitated, Andrew took up the story.

‘And what we got to do for this money? “Easy things. Take you no time. If you do good job, we give you five hundred each. Get in!” Tell you the truth, Memsahib, we were too scared not to get in.'

Adam gently touched his brother's arm. He was ready to continue.

‘That car moved pretty damn fast, but we did not go far. It was coming to evening time. We went into a plantation. The workers were gone home. We stopped outside a hut just like this one. Uchome had a key. We all went inside. “Sit down on the boxes in the corner.” The three of them were talking very quiet. We didn't want to hear their words. When darkness came he told us to get outside and tell him if we saw anyone getting near.'

There was a sudden silence. Both brothers seemed unable to continue. They looked out into the sunshine to avoid meeting the eyes of Sonya and Maria.

‘I remember Anna, the old lady who looked after you. She was a good lady. You said that she read the Bible to you …'

‘Until she learned us to read, Memsahib Maria, and then …'

‘You read to her. Hosea and me read the book every night together.'

‘Someone stole ours.'

‘You shall have mine. It is in the car.' Maria paused and reached out to take the brothers' hands. She began again. There was a kindly wistfulness in her penetrating eyes. ‘Have you noticed how every time God asks one of his prophets and even Jesus himself to do some hard thing, He is somewhere close by, ready to help them? It was hard for Memsahib Sonya to come here today. And now you have a hard thing. If we close our eyes we will understand that He is here, as usual.'

‘There are terrible things.'

‘I know, Adam, and I am ready.'

Adam and Andrew were far from ready to begin the difficult part of their story. They shifted along the bed until their bodies touched. They looked down at the paved floor, at each other and out into the sunshine. The effort showed in brief grunts of pain as if their lips, closed tight, were fighting to keep back the flow of words.

Sonya and Maria held hands and stared blankly at the whitewashed wall beyond the brothers' bed, waiting patiently, trying to shut down their active, vivid imaginations. When the words came, they gushed out in a pained duet as if they were actors checking their lines in a speed recitation of perfectly remembered lines.

‘Memsahib, the big man opened the back of that car. I screamed.'

‘We both screamed. The naked man was lying very still.'

‘But he was not dead. His arms and legs were tied and they rolled him roughly and we saw his face.'

They broke off, this time in an effort to hold back tears.

‘Mama Sonya, it was Doctor Simon. They took the cloth from his mouth and cut the ropes.'

‘They pushed him into the room, kicked him. He made no noise. They screamed bad words into his face.'

‘Then they argued. Uchome was angry with the other men. “You were paid to finish the job.”'

‘“Uchome, we have done our part. We are going back to Nairobi now and we are taking the car. And if you are wise, you will say nothing to Rubai!”'

‘That was the name. Paul said that this was the name we must remember when the time comes. Rubai.'

Maria wanted to be sure she had understood.

‘So the men went away in the car and left you with the doctor and Uchome who is a fat man?'

‘Yes.'

‘And you did not try …'

‘Mama Maria, Uchome had a gun. He shouted at us. “Damn you! Down on your knees in that corner. And damn you, Rubai!” He was very scared.'

‘He kicked the doctor in the back. I still remember the noise as he hit the ground.'

‘It was very quick. Uchome stabbed the doctor in the back two, three times.'

‘Uchome screamed like a frightened child.'

‘It was finished.'

‘Uchome breathed heavy. Then he was calm. He said: “Now we wait. Then you will earn your money.”'

‘Much time passed. “You have one more job.” Please, Mama, it was … the hands. We cannot speak this thing!'

‘I know. I know. Sonya, darling, shall we leave these boys in peace?'

‘Maria, a strange thing has been going on. You would understand it better than me. All the time we have been in this room listening, I have heard another voice.'

‘Simon.'

‘A whisper in harmony with the boys. I heard the voice but no words that I could catch with my mind. Maria, I feel so sorry for these boys. When this is all finished we will help them.'

Adam, calm again, had heard Sonya's words to Maria.

‘Memsahib Maria, perhaps you will believe us. Uchome told us that we must hurt the doctor's hands.'

‘We told him that he could shoot us, but we would not do this thing. He shouted and put the gun to our heads. We did not do it.'

‘“Then you must carry this lump of meat and dump him where I tell you. Pick it up. Now!”'

Adam checked with his brother before he spoke again. Andrew nodded.

‘By the light of the two candles burning on the floor, we saw the blood on the doctor's back, dried hard now. Andrew's words gave me courage. “We can do honour to this good man. We will carry him gently. Adam …”'

‘I said: We will tell ourselves that we are carrying Jesus himself, from the cross to the tomb.'

‘There was no heaviness in this man. He was a handful of grass in our arms.'

‘We moved quickly. Uchome followed with his gun in his hand.'

‘We came to the place, near the gate of a big plantation. “Throw him down.” We put him down gently.'

‘“You like him so much, you can join him. The cops will find you all in one place. I like it. Neat!”'

‘Andrew threw a handful of earth and stones into the fat man's face and we ran into the plantation and hid in the tea bushes. In the morning the early workers found us. They saw the blood on our hands …'

bi, can you see the boys in the car behind?'

‘They've caught up now, Boss.'

‘And you do know where this place is?'

‘My sister lives in the army camp. Married to an officer. She says to park by the police station. This … hospital is next door. She says the army boys call it “the loony bin”.'

‘The local MP, the man we have come to meet, would not approve. But Simon Nyache has a tender heart.'

‘No, Papa, he is just getting soft in his old age. Why does he make such a fuss about this place?'

‘Ask him yourself, Reuben. I think he wants to show us around. “Sorry, Mister Rubai. I cannot come to the city. It's my day for visiting my boys.” My boys! Maybe you have a point, Reuben.'

‘Nakuru South can certainly do with some young blood.'

‘The McCall kid is about your age.'

‘So you think he could win.'

Abel was amused by his son's demonstration of childish annoyance.

‘Son, when you are in the public eye, you need to develop a tough skin. Tenderness is a fine thing in a parent but not in a leader. Lies, rumours, you learn to live with them. You have to know your people. Take this Simon. Is he a solid citizen or a traitor to the cause, to his people here in Nakuru South?'

* * *

‘Simon, you look surprised. Something tells me that you didn't expect me to turn up today. Well, here we are, ready for the grand tour of Gilgil and district. And we would like to meet some of your people. Simon, do you realise that in the last ten years, you have submitted twenty requests for grants “to improve the lives of hundreds of forgotten citizens.”'

‘Abel, is there also a record of how much money was given to help the helpless?'

Simon had been talking with the duty sergeant in his office when the Rubai party entered the police station. He was surprised but not intimidated by the mass arrival. He put on a convincing show of affability.

‘Abel, Reuben, surprised, not at all, but I was beginning to get anxious that there might have been an accident.'

‘No accident, but we are a little behind schedule. But I am looking forward to meeting some of your friends. Perhaps we could start at once.'

‘Homer, in here. Look after the place while I help to escort our distinguished guests around next door.

‘I must explain, Abel, Reuben, that we have the sergeant with us as a precaution. Some of our boys can become agitated when they see a group of strange men on their … territory. Women never seem to trouble them. I can't explain that one, I'm afraid.'