BAMAKO by Aribert Raphael (smart books to read txt) đ
- Author: Aribert Raphael
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âYes. That was almost all there was. Iâve heard also that the authorities were called on the scene to assess the situation. Theyâve discovered an opened container filled with packs of nitro-glycerine. They evacuated the mining village and contacted Hjamal in Dakar.â
âI suppose weâll know the rest when they come back. Did they mention anything about Rasheed?â For some reason Talya was anxious to know what had become of him.
âNo, nothing. Apart for Samirâs no one elseâs name was mentioned.â
âOkay, so, whatâs on the agenda? Oh, did you tell Mohammed about his appointment at the embassy?â
âYes, donât worry. Heâs going to take care of it.â
âAnd what do we do now?â Talya was impatient to get out of the hotel.
âWe? We, my dear Talya, we will go to the airport this afternoon to be there when Samir lands. Thatâll give us a chance to hear everything there is to know first hand, if we manage to talk to him before the police takes him away for questioning.â
âWhat do you mean questioning? Samir is only our pilot. He couldnât be involved inââ
âHeâs a witness,â Hassan interrupted. âWe sent him on an errand and he comes back with injured parties aboard his aircraft. Of course, heâll be questioned. And, I expect, so will we.â
âBut canât the police do all that in the morning?â
âMaybe, weâll see. Now, I think you better get dressed. Although, Iâd say you look good in that bathrobe.â He smiled. âAnd maybe we could go to Les Almadies and have lunch with Mohammed, if you like?â Talya grinned at imagining herself in a bathrobe at the restaurant.
âWhatâs funny?â Hassan raised an eyebrow.
âNothing, nothing, Iâll get dressed and you stay right there. Donât go away now, okay?â
Talya heard him laugh as she trotted to the bedroom to get dressed. She chose a black skirt and beige and black pattern top that she bought the day before on their way to town. It looks very smart. Yet, when she came out of the bedroom, Hassan had other ideas.
âBlack now? Whoâs dead? Or are you my widow already?â
âHassan! I thought you liked it. You said you did when we bought it yesterday?â
âI did, and I do ... but donât you think black is a bit too dark ... I donât know?â
âDark?â Talya looked down at her dress. âBut, HassanâŠâ She retraced her steps to the bathroom to find the mirror that never lied. Silently she asked what it thought. It replied, âYou look just fineâdonât start listening to him.â Talya went back to the living room, and stood in front of her smiling lawyer. âYou just have to grin and bear it. I like it and Iâm not changing.â
âAll right, I know when Iâm losing a case.â He grinned.
While Talya was dressing, Hassan had phoned Mohammed (he was on his way to meet Sir Gillian). They had agreed they would go to the restaurant in separate cars that they had rented the day before. Hassan said that they would meet him there at noon or so.
When she heard of the arrangements, Talya had to ask, âAnd, what are we going to do between now and noon, may I ask?â
âYou can ask all you want, but youâre not getting an answer until we get there.â
âAnd where is there?â she insisted.
âYouâll find out soon enough. And donât you say âbutâ nowâŠ.â Hassan smiled while leading Talya by the arm out of the apartment.
Talya was glad she had worn sandals because the âwhereâ was on Yoffâs beach.
âThis is where I came last night.â They were walking down to the sea. âI thought youâd like to see where Richard died before you tell me who killed him.â
âI seeâŠ.â Talya watched her steps. Why didnât he tell me, this is where he went? âHow can I tell you that, when I donât know myself?â
Hassan stopped and turned to her. âTalya, you know the answer as well as I do, just tell me Iâm right. Rasheed killed Richard, didnât he?â
âI donât know. It seems that way, butââ
Hassan lifted his head to the sky. âPlease, Allah, tell this woman for me that I donât want to hear any âbutsâ right now.â
âYouâve got to hear me out. There are so many things, which tell me youâre right, but theyâre too many pieces that wonât fit in if I were to agree with you.â
âLetâs go to where Richard was found, and then you can tell me what all those things that donât fit in are.â
He took her by the hand, and they walked on until they arrived at a spot, about mid way between where they had left the car and a fishing cove, from where they could see pirogues lying upside down on the sand.
âNow look, there are only two ways to access this beach.â Hassan pointed to both opening in turn. âOne is from where we came in and the other is from the fishing cove.â
Dunes and rocks surrounded the beach, which would have been extremely difficult to climb, especially at night.
âIs anyone staying in the cove at night?â Talya asked.
âNo, not usually, and not until four or five in the morning, when the fishermen arrive.â
âSo, who ever came to meet Richard could have come from either direction?â
âYes, thatâs right. He couldâve come from the road to the beach and left his car where we did or he couldâve gone down to the fishing market behind the cove and park his car there. Either way he couldâve hidden among the rocks waiting for Richard to arrive or he couldâve arrived after Richard was already on the beach.â
âI think Richard was here ahead of his assailant somehow. I donât know why I think that, but thatâs seems to be the way he would do things. In his letter he always appeared to take action and suffer the consequences afterwards.â
âYes, I guess, thatâs a good way to read him. So what do you think now?â
âI think we have to find out why he came here and why he came back to Senegal in the first place, before we could find out for sure if Rasheed killed him.â
âWhy are you so hesitant to point the finger at Rasheed, thatâs what Iâd like to know?â
âWell, there is the fact that Richard never spoke of the nitro to anyoneânot even in his letter, andâŠâ
âYes, thatâs right. I never thought about that,â Hassan said with a frown coming across his brow.
âAnd the other thing is what Hjamal told meââ
âAre you going to drag him and your meeting with him into this again?â
âYes I am. Just listen to me. Hjamal said that Richard used drugsââ
âAnd you believed him?â
âYes I did. It made a lot of sense. Not only do I think he was a drug user, but I think he may have been involved in trafficking. When you look at the connection between the players, you have to conclude that there was more to it than a mining venture linking these people. You know, when I first read Richardâs letter I had the impression of taking a virtual tour of a story. It felt unreal. Not only had that, but his description of the escape attempts seemed unjustified somehow. Here is a young ex-pat. He is on assignment. His company, according to him, turns a blind eye to his renewed calls for assistanceâwhat does that tell you? It says that there was more to Richardâs story than he was willing to reveal. Whatâs more, as I said, he didnât mention anything about the nitro-glycerineâno one would ignore such an item if one wanted to point the finger to his tormentor.â
âI guess Iâll have to read the letter again.â
Hassan sat in the sandâTalya beside himâand they watched the waves dying before them. The wind was gusty but the air was warm and caressing. She thought about Richard. Talya didnât even know him when he was alive and now, she felt she knew him better than anyone did in death. They stayed lost in thought for a long timeâwhen suddenly Talya remembered the time.
âDonât you think we should go nowâŠ? The answer isnât here you know,â she said in Hassanâs hear.
âYes, I think we should.â Hassan got to his feet first and helped Talya up to and off hers. He held her tight in his arms and swirled her around, laughing, as if she were as light as a puppet. Let this moment last a lifetime⊠she wished.
90
They arrived at the restaurant ten minutes late. Mohammed was already sitting at the same table he and Talya had occupied the day before, which seemed eons ago.
Talya strode toward the table. âHi, Mohammed, how are you?â
âHello, my friend. What are you doing here so early?â Hassan asked.
Mohammed ignored him and turned to Talya. âGood afternoon, Talya. Please come and join me ... and let this ingrate eat at another table!â He waved a dismissive hand in Hassanâs direction.
Hassan grinned and sat beside his friend.
Talya took the seat across from them. âSo, youâve heard the news. Theyâre all coming back, arenât they?â
âYes, they are. I went to the mosque this morning when I first heard the report. I gave thanks to Allah for all of us. And then, I went to see the ambassadorââ
âAnd what did he have to add, anything interesting?â Talya asked.
âWell, not much. He was pleased that everyone was okay but he still needs answers. Youâve got to go and see him tomorrow if you can.â
Hassan unfolded his napkin and draped it over his lap. âDonât you think itâs a bit too soon to ask for a report from Talya now when people are only coming back this afternoon?â
âYes, I think so too. But heâs like a general ordering an officer. Youâve heard him? When he wants answers he wants them yesterday.â
âWell, heâs going to have to wait wonât he?â Talya said. âAnd that until I have the answers myself.â
âThatâs what I said, and so weâve agreed that Iâd call him to arrange an appointment as soon as youâre in a position to make your report.â
âThatâs good. Now people, Iâm hungry so letâs order some fish shall we?â Hassan seemed impatient.
He ordered some grilled fish, potatoes and salad for the three of them. No rice this time, Talya was surprised to see.
The lady, who brought the meal, was a stout, cheerful woman. âIâm the cook, and the fish is very fresh,â she declared, lowering a huge tin plate onto a side table. âTheyâre âcaptainsâ today. My husband caught them this morning and Iâve grilled them myself.â She wiped her hands on a towel, which hung from her waistband. âEnjoy your lunch,â she added, departing with a dancing step toward the kitchen.
âThank you,â Mohammed said over his shoulder.
Talya looked at the two fish and wondered how she was going to tackle the beasts without making a mess of everything. Being the only woman at the table, she was supposed to serve the men. At seeing her embarrassment, Mohammed offered to
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