some kind of eating place,’ said Mitch. ‘You can just make out a fridge in one corner. And there are cans and bottles. Lots of sounds of cans being opened. Wepicked up a flare that looks to me like a flame from a stove of some sort. From what we can see, the place inside is a dump. They cook, eat and drink without clearing up and throw their rubbish and their clothes on the floor.’
‘Sounds like some of the places I used to live in Newcastle,’ said Gaz, smiling.
Nelson added their information to the plan. Then, ‘Do we know if Justis Ngola is actually in the building?’ he asked. ‘Or are we just watching a bunch of second-grade bandits hanging around?’
‘We think he is,’ said Benny. ‘We couldn’t work out what was being said, but there’s one voice that sounds like it’s giving orders.’
‘How can you be sure?’ asked Gaz. ‘Could just be someone drunk and lairy.’
‘No one talks back to him, though,’ said Two Moons. ‘They all shut up when he speaks.’
‘Might be a good idea if Mitch took a listen to it,’ said Nelson. ‘See if he can make anything out.’
Benny handed the receiver over to Mitch.‘This is it,’ he said.
Mitch took the small machine and began to listen, making notes on a pad. Now and then one voice stood out, clearer and louder than the others. As Two Moons had said, when this voice spoke there were only muted responses and no one seemed to argue with him.
‘That sounds like the boss, all right,’ said Mitch. ‘He’s telling the others what to do. It also sounds like he’s getting phone calls now and then, so I guess he’s got a satellite phone. That’d be the only way he’d get a signal in this jungle. When he got a call just now, he shouted and said: “I don’t care about that. Where’s the money?” At one point he yelled, “If I don’t get the money by tomorrow I’ll kill Mwanga.” And then he says to another caller: “Bring me the money tomorrow and I’ll kill Mwanga right in front of you."’
‘So tomorrow is Big Decision day,’ said Nelson thoughtfully.
‘At least we know Mwanga is still alive,’said Benny.
‘Any clues on where he is?’ asked Nelson.
Mitch nodded. ‘When Mwanga’s name comes up the words “downstairs” and “basement” are used, so I think we can safely say that’s where he is.’
‘It would help to know where exactly in the basement,’ put in Benny.
‘I reckon he must be in a room near the main stairs,’ said Mitch. ‘At one point someone goes to take him some food, and there’s not much time between him leaving and coming back.’
Nelson marked the four rooms on his plan that were nearest the bottom of the stairs. ‘So, let’s assume that he’s in one of these,’ he said.
Tug shook his head. ‘I think you can cut out those two,’ he said, pointing to the two larger rooms. ‘They’re too big. According to what Oba told us, one was a conference room, the other’s a ballroom. Mwanga’s a prisoner. They’ll have put him in a small room, the nearest thing they’ve got to a cell.’
‘Makes sense,’ agreed Nelson. He put a cross bythe two smaller rooms. ‘So, these are our targets. Right, let’s sum up the whole situation as far as getting in.’
The six soldiers began to run through all the information they had gathered, but suddenly they heard the sound of vehicles.
Into view through the trees came a beaten-up open-topped 4x4, and immediately behind it came the jeep last seen at the village, with Adwana and two other villagers in the back. Their hands were tied and their faces bruised and cut from where they had been beaten.
Nelson turned angrily to Mitch. ‘I thought you told them to get rid of the jeep,’ he exclaimed.
‘I did,’ said Mitch. He groaned. ‘They must have thought it was too good to dump.’
‘And now they’re paying the price,’ muttered Benny.
The armed guards ran to meet the two vehicles, shouting and waving their rifles. The vehicles pulled up and
‘Sounds like some of the places I used to live in Newcastle,’ said Gaz, smiling.
Nelson added their information to the plan. Then, ‘Do we know if Justis Ngola is actually in the building?’ he asked. ‘Or are we just watching a bunch of second-grade bandits hanging around?’
‘We think he is,’ said Benny. ‘We couldn’t work out what was being said, but there’s one voice that sounds like it’s giving orders.’
‘How can you be sure?’ asked Gaz. ‘Could just be someone drunk and lairy.’
‘No one talks back to him, though,’ said Two Moons. ‘They all shut up when he speaks.’
‘Might be a good idea if Mitch took a listen to it,’ said Nelson. ‘See if he can make anything out.’
Benny handed the receiver over to Mitch.‘This is it,’ he said.
Mitch took the small machine and began to listen, making notes on a pad. Now and then one voice stood out, clearer and louder than the others. As Two Moons had said, when this voice spoke there were only muted responses and no one seemed to argue with him.
‘That sounds like the boss, all right,’ said Mitch. ‘He’s telling the others what to do. It also sounds like he’s getting phone calls now and then, so I guess he’s got a satellite phone. That’d be the only way he’d get a signal in this jungle. When he got a call just now, he shouted and said: “I don’t care about that. Where’s the money?” At one point he yelled, “If I don’t get the money by tomorrow I’ll kill Mwanga.” And then he says to another caller: “Bring me the money tomorrow and I’ll kill Mwanga right in front of you."’
‘So tomorrow is Big Decision day,’ said Nelson thoughtfully.
‘At least we know Mwanga is still alive,’said Benny.
‘Any clues on where he is?’ asked Nelson.
Mitch nodded. ‘When Mwanga’s name comes up the words “downstairs” and “basement” are used, so I think we can safely say that’s where he is.’
‘It would help to know where exactly in the basement,’ put in Benny.
‘I reckon he must be in a room near the main stairs,’ said Mitch. ‘At one point someone goes to take him some food, and there’s not much time between him leaving and coming back.’
Nelson marked the four rooms on his plan that were nearest the bottom of the stairs. ‘So, let’s assume that he’s in one of these,’ he said.
Tug shook his head. ‘I think you can cut out those two,’ he said, pointing to the two larger rooms. ‘They’re too big. According to what Oba told us, one was a conference room, the other’s a ballroom. Mwanga’s a prisoner. They’ll have put him in a small room, the nearest thing they’ve got to a cell.’
‘Makes sense,’ agreed Nelson. He put a cross bythe two smaller rooms. ‘So, these are our targets. Right, let’s sum up the whole situation as far as getting in.’
The six soldiers began to run through all the information they had gathered, but suddenly they heard the sound of vehicles.
Into view through the trees came a beaten-up open-topped 4x4, and immediately behind it came the jeep last seen at the village, with Adwana and two other villagers in the back. Their hands were tied and their faces bruised and cut from where they had been beaten.
Nelson turned angrily to Mitch. ‘I thought you told them to get rid of the jeep,’ he exclaimed.
‘I did,’ said Mitch. He groaned. ‘They must have thought it was too good to dump.’
‘And now they’re paying the price,’ muttered Benny.
The armed guards ran to meet the two vehicles, shouting and waving their rifles. The vehicles pulled up and
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