Elephant Dropping (9781301895199) (39 page)

‘The downloaded
bank data, what’s your idea?’

Brian spoke
about the loan scheme while he opened the tin and laid out the
crackers.

‘So you knew
things were not right the first time you came down to Malindi?’Doug
asked.

‘Yes and no,’
Brian admitted. ‘I had to get at Evan’s files to be sure. The
profits his bank is making are unprecedented. But I have not worked
in a third world country, there is less red tape and legislation.
Most investors are out to maximise their profits in as short a time
as possible, so large amounts of money flowing in and out are not
unusual.’

‘You mean money
laundering?’

‘I’m sure that
goes on but not in this case, these were - are - legitimate bank
loans.’

‘I don’t get
it, I try to get a loan from my bank to improve my garage, they
make me fill out forms forever. I wait months for a reply and then
get turned down. How does Golden Palm do it?’

‘Banks make no
money on small amounts and Golden Palm have the land title deeds.’
Brian warming to his topic, explained how it worked. Doug feigned
interest, his mind elsewhere as he tucked into the ham.

‘How much money
are we talking about?’ He asked.

‘Last count was
over seven million dollars.’

Doug opened his
mouth. ‘What? Are you trying to tell me, that that shitty little
bank,’ pointing out of the window, ‘has shelled out over seven
million dollars?’

‘Well not
entirely, the NNB bank group has,’ Brian replied a little
defensively.

‘No wonder they
wanted you out of the way, it’s amazing it didn’t happen the minute
you arrived in Malindi.’

Brian frowned.
‘Evans must be involved also, that’s why we saw him driving that
expensive Mercedes.’

‘You saw Evans
- where?’

‘I told you,’
said Brian distractedly, ‘Lucy and I followed him to a house in the
suburbs - she said it wasn’t his house.’

‘So how does
Lucy know Evans?’Doug queried.

‘Evans was with
me when I bailed Lucy out of jail.’

‘Hmmm, she’s
probably screwing him too.’

‘What?’

‘Let’s hope
Lucy isn’t revealing all to Evans.’

Brian looked
thoughtful. ‘No I don’t think so, besides she doesn’t know about
Golden Palm.’

‘You don’t know
anything about her, certainly not what’s in her head. You’re her
latest meal ticket - she won’t care where the money comes from. I’m
buggered if I’m going to be sold down river because of your little
tart.’

‘It’s not like
that - stop addressing her as my little tart.’

‘Yeah, helped
you empty your wallet, how long has she gone for?’ Doug pointedly
looked at his watch.

Lucy called
out. ‘Me I’m here,’ and walked dramatically into the room her hair
piled up in a coiffure set at an impossible backwards angle. She
wore a long golden evening gown and stiletto heels that gave her
six inches in height. She smiled at Brian, dark red lipstick on the
tips of her teeth and exaggerated arched eyebrows over blue eye
shadow. Looking down her nose at him. ‘You like?’

‘Lucy you were
supposed to go shopping,’ started Brian.

She held her
hand up haughtily, turned and waved Alphonse into the apartment. He
carried a cardboard box, the clink of beer bottles as he moved.
‘Your shoppings,’ she announced still holding her pose - an actress
in a Greek soap. Directing Alphonse to the kitchen, she clacked
after him across the tiles.

Doug held his
hand in front of his mouth trying to hide his grin, but his eyes
gave him away.

Brian frowned a
warning at him. ‘You look lovely my dear.’

‘Yes it’s
true,’ she agreed, ‘my hairdress, he from Zaire.’ With red
fingernails she waved Alphonse imperiously out of the kitchen.

Doug got up.
‘Going to check out the pool,’ he announced hoarsely, back turned
to Brian.

Brian joined
Lucy in the kitchen, peering into the cardboard box. ‘What food did
you get?’

‘The shop she
was shut, so I buy beers.’

‘I see and you
went to the hairdresser?’

‘Yes, it’s nice
eh. I’m a ladys for you now?’ she said expectantly.

‘Yes you are.
Listen, I still have things to discuss with my friend, can you find
some sheets and make up the other bedroom.’

‘I not your
houses girl,’ she retorted, stung.

‘Ok, just find
the sheets;’ he said lamely, ‘later I will take you for an ice
cream. Ok dear?’ trying to mollify her.

She scowled.
‘I’m not a child, why is that Dug man here? He not good to stays,
for the polices.’

‘Yes we know
that, we are trying to make a plan.’

Brian joined
Doug lying on a sun lounger in the shade.

‘What happened,
Miss Malindi chase you away?’

Brian ignored
the taunt, resuming their earlier conversation. ‘If I could access
the bank’s computer I could trace that money.’

‘So, how do you
think you could do that? Float through the bank wall dressed in a
white sheet?’

‘Actually all I
need is the right software, I can upload everything from this
computer,’ Brian said evenly, nodding at the apartment.

Doug looked at
him. ‘You can do that, hack in, as it were?’

‘Yes I know my
way around.’

‘So how do you
propose to get this ‘soft’ whatever.’

‘Evans is the
key, we could pressurise him to give it to us.’

Doug looked
thoughtful. ‘Nah, he is in league with Golden Palm. How much of a
cut do you think he is getting from this deal, and how do you know
your boss isn’t involved?’

‘A substantial
cut judging by that Mercedes - as to my boss I don’t think so. I
would never have been hired if that was so.’

‘What exactly
is your job?’ asked Doug with interest. ‘I mean what does it
involve?’

‘Essentially
I’m an auditor. I check the bank is running its accounts according
to the law. I’m trained as a forensics accountant.’

‘You’re trained
to catch criminals? You’re a cop?’

‘No, I’m an
analyst, I just gather the evidence.’

Doug was
impressed. ‘So given the chance, you could unravel this whole
mess?’

‘I think so,
but I need that software.’

‘What if you
were to call up your boss in Nairobi and explain what has happened.
You could catch Evans and his crooked friends and we would be free
of all this crap.’

‘Ideally yes,
but I could walk into the lion’s den.’

‘I thought your
boss was straight, or at least you think he is?’

‘I do, but
there may be others in the bank in league with Evans, it’s a great
deal of money. This scheme started before I got here and I don’t
know who I can trust.’

‘This software
stuff, is it in the bank, here in Malindi?’

Brian
nodded.

‘If we were to
break into the bank, you could find it?’

Brian laughed.
‘Me a bank robber, this is the wild west!’

Doug didn’t
laugh. ‘Answer the question.’

‘Yes, but I
would still need Evan’s encrypted codes to access the files, and I
have no idea where he keeps those.’

Doug nodded.
‘So it all comes back to Evans. I’m willing to bet he is not
getting that much out of this deal, not with an Indian at the helm.
That Mercedes will only have been a sweetener.’

‘What are you
thinking?’

Doug said.
‘Hear me out, I have not thought this through. We could try and
strong-arm Evans into agreeing to give you the software; after all,
he thinks you’re dead. So we can frighten him. On the other hand,
if we know anything, it’s that he is greedy. If you were to tell
him he would make more money helping us, it might better persuade
him.’

Brian said.
‘You mean trust him? After all he has done?’

‘Look at his
position. You are not dead and already have clear evidence of his
involvement. If you expose his partners it’s the end of his gravy
train and he could end up in jail, and get no money.’

‘You’re right,
but shouldn’t we wait for your uncle in Nairobi to clear things up.
Wouldn’t it be better to lie low for now?’

Doug shook his
head. ‘The more evidence you have, the stronger your position is.
There is no guarantee that my uncle can do anything, and we can’t
just sit around here and wait.’

‘So we just
walk up to Evans and say, “listen you thief, the game is up - hand
over the software or else.”’

‘In essence
yes, but maybe your lady friend can be put to use,’ as Lucy clacked
over towards them now dressed in a bikini and stilettos. ‘She’s
quite a looker,’ Doug’s eyes wandered up and down.

She sat down
beside Brian and gave Doug a cold, never ever look. ‘Hello honey,
we were just discussing that banker Evans. I was telling Doug you
know where he lives.’

‘Yes he has
place nears old town. Why yous want him?’

‘He has
something we need for our work; do you know where this man drinks?’
Doug asked.

She nodded
without looking at him.

‘Do you talk to
him; I mean does he like you?’ Doug tried again.

‘Everyones like
Lucy,’ she informed him.

‘I’m sure, but
this Evans can you talk to him?’

‘Yesis what
yous want me say?’

‘You know your
friend here,’ pointing at Brian, ‘is in a lot of trouble. Some
people are trying to kill him.’

Lucy nodded.
‘Because of moneys, yes I know.’

‘You say he
drinks in a bar. Could you persuade him to follow you somewhere so
we could talk in private to him?’

Lucy snorted.
‘Easy no problem, when you wants thisis?’

‘Do you think
he will be in that bar tonight?’

‘Yes every
nights. Maybe with Indian like you and Arab woman.’

‘I’m not an
Indian, I’m a Goan, but then a Giriama like you wouldn’t know
that.’

‘I’m not a
Giriama,’ Lucy hissed at him. ‘I’m a Somal.’

‘And I’m not an
Indian.’

‘You looks like
muhindi
,’ Lucy dismissed him.

‘And you look
like a Giriama,’ Doug retorted.

Brian
interrupted the escalating hostility. ‘Who is the woman?’

Lucy looked
daggers at Doug. ‘She is with the Indian man or maybe he is
“gowon”.’

Doug ignored
the taunt. ‘They work together?’

‘I see she is
always with him. She likes him too much, but he useless like you,
thin and no power,’ she motioned with her slim forearm rudely.

Doug couldn’t
resist. ‘And Evans, he has the power? Eh?

Lucy arched her
eyebrows. ‘Shuwa he African mans,’ throwing down a challenge.

Doug addressed
Brian. ‘I’m game if you are, it’s not as though he can run to the
cops, and you are still his boss.’

‘Ok,’ Brian
agreed.

*

Later that
evening Doug dropped Brian near the town centre so he could call
his sister. ‘Take Lucy with you, she will keep the other ladies
away from a stud like you. Get it?’ Brian didn’t get it he was
nervous and preoccupied. He pulled his baseball cap lower. ‘Try and
relax,’ Doug punched him lightly on the shoulder.

Lucy and Brian
made their way into the old town. Lucy had insisted that she wear
the high heels and was walking at a foreshortened pace, forcing
Brian to stop every few paces and wait for her, increasing his
anxiety.

At the
telephone kiosk, Brian stood at the window. Two people, a man and a
woman chatted to one another inside the shop, he waited for them to
notice him, they chatted on. Lucy pushed Brian to one side. ‘Hey,’
she shouted, ‘you don’t want customer?’

The woman
ambled over to the window. ‘Yes?’

‘Ahh hello, I
would like to make a phone call to England.’

‘Not possible,’
she said and went back to her conversation.

‘But,’ Brian
protested, ‘I called from here the other day.’

Lucy
interjected speaking fast in Kiswahili, her voice rising.

The woman
answered her patiently and shrugged.

‘The phone no
work,’ Lucy told Brian.

‘Oh shit, is
there another place where I can call?’ Lucy shook her head. ‘What
the hell do we do now?’ Brian asked.

‘Hice cream,’
Lucy suggested amiably.

‘I need to make
a vital call to my sister and all you can think about is bloody ice
cream.’ He retorted irritably.

‘You no speak
to me likey that you fukins bastard,’ she yelled.

Brian alarmed
and aware that people were now looking in their direction
capitulated. ‘Lucy I’m sorry. I’m not angry with you, I’m angry at
the situation,’ he tried to reason.

She stepped
away from him affronted. ‘You, you want to messes with me?’ she
shouted.

‘Please,
please, don’t make a scene now, let’s get an ice cream, good idea,’
he pleaded.

She only glared
at him, aware of the growing audience. ‘Ok and new shoes, yes?’

‘Yes honey,’
said Brian relieved, ‘ice cream, new shoes.’

She took his
arm. ‘Don’t speak with me liki that, ok.’

‘Ok,’ Brian
smiled weakly, amid wide grins and nods of approval from the
onlookers. Later Brian helped her select shoes that were a little
easier to walk in. She left her stilettos in the shop promising to
collect them in the morning.

They joined
Doug in the car park of the Day and Night Club. Brian slid
wordlessly into the cab.

‘I go make
piss,’ Lucy announced and walked into the bar.

‘So how did it
go mate? Speak to your sister?’

‘No, the
telephones are out of order.’

‘Just as well
we sent that e-mail then, eh?’

‘I suppose so,’
said Brian glumly.

‘There’s no
Mercedes in this car park,’ said Doug, ‘I guess if he’s in the bar,
Lucy will spot him.’

‘I’m not at all
sure about this plan.’

Doug asked
mildly. ‘Which part of it?’

‘Involving
Lucy, it will put her in danger.’

‘Oh, so you’re
concerned about her safety are you?’