Elephant Dropping (9781301895199) (48 page)

Brian now got
angry. ‘Who asked you to stick around if you don’t like it fuck off
then.’

Doug clenched
his fists staring at Brian. ‘You’re really beginning to piss me
off. I’m in this mess because of your bloody ignorance, and I have
to make sure you get back to Nairobi in one piece so you can clear
my fucking name.’

‘Oh and who
appointed you my keeper?’ Brian shot back.

‘My uncle
Firdus remember him? He now has the ear of the minister of
security, who is very keen to interview you. For all we know you’re
also involved in this bank fuck up!’

‘Don’t be
ridiculous,’ Brian flicked his towel angrily, ‘I’m the one who
discovered it.’

‘Yeah yeah, so
you say, but until you clear your name, I’m stuck with you, and I
would appreciate it if you didn’t try to sell me a self-righteous
dance with your Somali prostitute as well.’

Brian took a
deep breath. ‘Ok listen,’ he began, making an effort, ‘beyond
cracking the computer I have not thought this thing through. But
try to see it from my side, I can’t just toss Lucy out, she may
well go to the cops, as you say, but I think she’s got a good
heart, whatever you may think.’

Doug looked
away. ‘Two or three days and this should all be over, so let’s make
a plan and stick to it ok?’

‘Yes, I only
ask that you try and be kinder to Lucy. Don’t refer to her as a
prostitute, it’s demeaning and unkind, she’s had a rough life so
far.’

Doug sucked air
in through clenched teeth, eyes closed, and muttered under his
breath. ‘Ok.’

Lucy had been
watching them and now sauntered over, in her bikini. ‘Why you
fightin?’ she said.

‘We’re not, we
were just discussing things.’

Doug made an
effort. ‘Sorry sister if I have been rude to you,’ he tried to
sound sincere.

A flash of
triumph in her eyes, she lay down on a sun bed and flexed her legs
languorously, his eyes irresistibly drawn. ‘Mens always fightin,’
she announced.

Brian sat next
to her. ‘We were talking about going to Nairobi.’

She took her
eyes off Doug. ‘Nairobi?’

‘Yes, Doug’s
uncle has spoken to the minister and we can be protected
there.’

Lucy watched
him and waited, a small frown on her face.

‘We think you
should come with us. You can help give information on Evans.’

‘To polices, in
Nairobi?’ she asked incredulous.

‘Yes but good
police,’ he told her.

‘They no good
polices!’

‘I’m going to
get a beer,’ Doug said; he couldn’t bear to listen.

Brian soon
joined him. ‘She’s agreed to come with us.’ Doug looked out to
where Lucy sat on a sun bed. Her body language revealed this was
unlikely. He held back a caustic comment, and instead muttered.
‘Oh.’

‘I have been
thinking, we need to get back to Evans; you did say you would fix
his car.’

‘I wasn’t being
sincere.’ Doug yawned.

‘We need to
keep him sweet, don’t you think?’

‘What
difference does it make now? He won’t be able to drive it in jail.
I presume that’s where he’s headed once this is all over or have I
missed something?’

‘Listen just
make contact with him, keep the pretence up, otherwise he could
report us.’

‘Sorry I don’t
get it - report us to who? Rubia is in jail.’

‘He could alert
Patel and Azizza, and they could escape.’

‘I give a shit
about them and your bank; quite frankly I can’t wait to get the
hell out of here.’

‘I need more
time, I haven’t cracked the password yet. I only get three chances
and if I fail, access to the account will be automatically shut
down until the owner is contacted.’

Doug feigned
interest. ‘And you think Evans might be able to help, is that it?
Listen, my uncle has already paved the way. As I see it, all we
have to do is get to Nairobi, you explain what has happened to your
boss, they pick up Evans and you’re free to fiddle about with your
computer thing. Anyhow didn’t you say those crooks are moving the
money, why can’t you follow that?’

‘The money’s
been moved to a bank in Mombasa in foreign exchange. It’s a
different system entirely, I don’t have the software.’

‘Even more
reason for you to tell your boss, surely he can do something?’

‘In theory
yes,’ Brian agreed.

Doug held his
hands up. ‘So, what’s your worry?’

He didn’t
answer and then said. ‘Please just call Evans.’

Doug shut his
eyes. ‘Ok what’s the effing number?’

‘Thanks, its
upstairs,’ said Brian relieved.

As Doug and
Brian reached the staircase, Lucy appeared looking surly. ‘I need
shops,’ she announced.

‘You need to go
shopping,’ Brian clarified.

‘Yes, that what
I says.’

‘For what, I
don’t understand.’

‘Give me moneys
I need shop,’ Lucy said her voice rising.

Doug shook his
head and went upstairs. Brian looked in Doug’s direction and then
back at Lucy. ‘You look angry, what’s wrong?’

‘No wrongs, I
go shop,’ she gave him a little girl look.

‘Ok, ummm how
much do you need?’

‘Ten
thousands.’

‘What! Why so
much?’

She put her
hands on her hips. ‘You wants me to Nairobi?’

‘I see,’ he
smiled, ‘I can give it to you in Nairobi.’

‘No, you gives
me moneys now.’

Brian fished in
his pocket. ‘I don’t have that much,’ counting through the notes,
‘as you can see.’

She turned away
from him. ‘Go to ATM, you get money.’

‘I can give you
two thousand and go to the ATM later, ok?’

She took the
money, flicking through the notes contemptuously. ‘This nothings,
you get me moneys.’

‘Ok not now, I
have to work,’ he turned away and went upstairs.

Doug raised an
eyebrow in amusement as Brian entered the office, not meeting his
eye.

‘You want
Evans’s number?’ Brian asked unnecessarily.

‘That’s the
idea.’

He called,
getting through to the secretary and waited to be patched through.
‘Evans it’s Doug, the man who bashed your car.’

‘Ahh good, I’m
glad you have called, I went to the police. Hello, Dug are you
there?’

‘Yes, I’m here,
there was no need to go to the police.’

‘Dug but you
told me to go to the police for the abstract, which is what I have
done.’

Doug stalled.
‘Let’s see what I can do, and call you back.’ He put the phone down
and threw his hands up angrily as though it had given him an
electric shock. ‘Shit you and your stupid ideas,’ he stared at
Brian. ‘Evans has gone to the cops and now they need a statement
from me.’

‘I clearly
heard you tell him that he needed to go to the cops.’

‘Don’t play
dumb with me, now what do we do?’

Brian didn’t
answer.

‘Ok this is
what we will do,’ Doug decided. ‘You call him back and tell him
that we are going to fix his car, but he has to let us have it for
twenty-four hours.’

‘Why me and why
would he agree to that?’

‘Because he
wants it fixed, and you’re his boss.’

‘This is
getting complicated, why do we want his car anyway?’

‘Hey - this was
your idea remember - so he doesn’t go back to the cops,’ Doug
tapped his forehead with his index finger, ‘get it?’

‘You just told
me he has already gone to the police?’

‘Yes to get the
police abstract, but the cops need to see me, before they issue the
abstract.’

‘Ahhh I see, we
can’t have that can we. But why would having his car solve
that?’

‘So he thinks
we are fixing it for him, for fucks sakes, and then he doesn’t need
the abstract.’

‘Don’t swear. I
don’t know how things work in this country.’

‘That’s for
sure. Tell him that going through the insurance company will take
too long, and if he leaves the car with me I can have it fixed
immediately, like new, and we want to do it because he has been so
helpful.’

Brian rang and
surprisingly Evans was quite amenable to the idea of them taking
his car, they settled on a time to meet. ‘And another thing, can
you open an account in your name at your bank? We promised you
money and I need to transfer it somewhere.’

‘Oh good,’
Evans said, ‘I can do that but I will put it in my wife’s name,
Rose Njugu it will be easier.’

Brian wrote the
name down. ‘Thank you, talk to you later.’

‘What did you
do that for? Doug asked.

‘It’s just
another way to stall him and make him think we are co-operating.
You can collect the car after work today.’

‘Me? I don’t
think so.’

‘What do you
mean?’

‘I’ve got a car
and I need to speak to my uncle, so you will have to come with me
to collect the Mercedes.’

‘What what if
the cops see me?’

Doug shrugged.
‘Unlikely, let’s just get it over with.’

*

Patel dropped
Azizza back at the house after lunch and then drove through town,
past his old factory. Memories of his childhood flooded in and he
pushed them away, he needed to stay focused, there would be plenty
of time for reminiscing when he was back safely with his family. He
parked his car outside the old town, and set off on foot.

At a shop with
suitcases and bags on display, he bought two canvas hold alls and
two matching suitcases. Next, he went to a spice shop and bought an
assortment including cloves and nutmeg, and three packets of ground
coffee.

In the car he
split open the coffee packets and poured the contents into the
canvas bags. He put the suitcases into the boot of the Landcruiser
side by side, they were a perfect fit. Then he rang the new owner
of his factory.

‘Hello Farook,
it’s me Patel.’

‘Ah yes, what
can I do for you. Have the police caught you yet?’Farook
teased.

Patel laughed
it off. ‘Very funny,’ and countered, ‘hired any more crazy rockets
yet?’

‘He was a
strange one,’ agreed Farook, ‘now what can I do for you my
friend?’

‘I’m moving
stuff and need to use my old driver for a few days.’

‘Ok, when do
you want him?’

‘Can he come
round to the house on Saturday morning? I should be done with him
by Monday afternoon.’

‘Hmm so long,
are you moving the entire house?’

‘Ha ha, by the
way you can collect the title deeds from my lawyer’s office on
Friday. He also has the details of where you are to send the
money.’

‘Oh, are you
planning to go away?’

‘No just a
short holiday to catch up with the kids. I should be back at the
end of this month,’ Patel lied smoothly.

‘Have a safe
trip if I don’t see you before then, let’s go out for a curry when
you get back.’

‘Ok thanks,’
Patel hung up. He then rang his former driver on his mobile and
explained what he needed done.

‘No problem
sir, does the car have petrol?’

‘I will make
sure the tank is full, enough for your journey.’

At the house,
Patel removed the spare tyre, took out the rear carpet and undid
the cover over the fuel tank. Then he undid the bolts holding the
driver’s seat, set the seat to one side and undid the cover over
the second fuel tank.

Taking the
canvas hold alls he pushed them into the empty compartments trying
them for size, they fitted perfectly. Retrieving the bags he placed
them on the ground in front of the rear wheels driving back and
forth slowly several times. Azizza came to watch these strange
antics. Patel unfolded the canvas bags and examined the interior,
the coffee grains now firmly embedded in the fabric.

‘What are you
doing?’

‘I love the
smell of ground coffee.’

‘You always
drink tea.’

‘Yes’ he said,
‘but, coffee has a much better smell.’

Azizza walked
over, puzzled. ‘You’re not making any sense.’

‘Dogs,’ Patel
said, as he busied himself emptying the other spices over the space
where the carpet would lie and partially secured the cover to the
tank.

‘You’re
carrying some dogs?’

‘No my sweet,
customs men employ specially trained dogs, and coffee is the thing
they can’t smell through.’

‘I see, that’s
very clever, I didn’t realise how strange you really are,’ Azizza
said, shaking her head.

Patel smiled
and then wiping his hands with a cloth, he turned to her. ‘A
strange man with many talents, eh?’

‘What’s the
point in having the two cars?’

‘One is a gift,
in fact I haven’t charged you for the expense, you see I’m really a
very nice man.’

Azizza snorted
in derision. ‘I’m sure when your mother first saw you she said, “Oh
my God, what have I done”.’

Patel laughed.
‘Actually I was my mother’s favourite.’ He hugged her clumsily as
he pushed past her into the house. This rare show of affection
unnerved her; she had so yearned to touch him, but had kept her
arms by her side in surprise.

Patel busied
himself with the two suitcases, throwing his clothes into them,
bunching them up so they took up more room filling each case in
turn.

‘Are those also
gifts, or do you always pack that way?’

Patel didn’t
answer, but concentrated on his task, shutting the cases and
snapping the clasps shut. He smiled at her. ‘I’m just popping out
to get fuel won’t be long.’

Azizza watched
him drive out, unanswered questions on her mind, what was he really
up to? She could hardly bear the thought that in a few days he
would be gone, out of her life, acknowledging miserably that she
would do almost anything to stay with him.

Patel pulled
into a filling station, despite setbacks everything was going
smoothly. Looking at his reflection in the driving mirror he winked
and smiled at himself smugly.

His smile
turned to concern as he spotted something in the mirror and spun
round. There was Evans’ Mercedes driving slowly past the station,
but, it wasn’t Evans driving. It was a white man whom he recognised
with a shock was Brian Nicholls! ‘Ayyyyyee,’ Patel exclaimed
fearfully as he felt his stomach contract as though in a vice. What
in the hell is Nicholls doing in Evans’s car?