BAMAKO, Aribert Raphael [read out loud books .TXT] 📗

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“Richard went to his appointment on Yoff’s beach first and waited. He was dressed in ‘an expensive Italian suit’ the police report told us. He probably planned to have an evening out or came back from dinner in town. Either way, he was waiting for Rasheed. When the man arrived, they began talking under the watchful eye of Johan Van Burren. When Johan saw the package that was handed to Richard, he couldn’t hold his peace any longer. He waited impatiently for Rasheed to depart and went to join Richard on the beach. They talked, the discussion heated up and finally Johan took the needle out of the package and told Richard to go ahead and ruin his life. Richard, in need of a fix (as the saying goes), took the needle and injected himself the fatal dose of cocaine.”
Had there been a fly to pierce the silence, it would have been heard across the entire conference room. Talya reclined in her seat before concluding. She was exhausted.
“You see, gentlemen, and Madame McLean, there were several things that bothered me about Richard’s death. First, I looked at the reason for his slaying—to keep him silent about his past, his kidnapping or his alleged torture. No, that was not the entire motive for the murder. There had to be something else, and secondly, the timing of his death—months after he had left Senegal and upon his returning to this country. Why? Was the question I posed over and over again. Richard came back to do a job, on his own, not on behalf of a company but as a consultant. So, why killing him now after all those months had elapsed and the dust had settled?
“I have now presented you with my answers to these questions and an end to what I will remember as The Savoi Affair. As Maitre Sangor will tell you, I have neither power nor any authority to see justice done in this country or in Mali, but I will ask that God be merciful on our souls.”
117
After the rustle and murmurs around the table had died down, James said, “Monsieur Hjamal, I think you can see for yourself the result of your unfortunate association with a criminal, your misplaced trust and your infinitely more dangerous obsession,” addressing his new ‘partner’ admonishingly.
Chief Mubarek then began speaking. “Ladies and gentlemen, I have heard your stories and I have your statements. Monsieur Rasheed is safely behind bars and I will ask Monsieur Van Burren to come with me now to make a statement as a material witness. I will have several questions for you, sir, regarding the whereabouts of the package and hypodermic needle, the injection from which we confirmed killed Monsieur Gillman.”
“Yes, I have the package in my room with the needle,” Johan said, looking down at the cup of coffee in front of him. “I tried to revive Richard when I thought his reaction to the injection looked peculiar—”
“Sir….” Chief Mubarek raised a hand to stop Johan from making any further admission. “I suggest you don’t say anymore until we have time to sort this out. You should come with me now.”
Johan got up and looked down at Talya. He was ready to leave. “Talya, I’m sorry…”
She didn’t answer. She had only pity in her heart for this old friend.
Getting to his feet, Mubarek directed his attention to James. “Monsieur Flaubert, Madame Kartz and Maitre Sangor, I will ask you to remain in town until we clear a few details.”
118
Mohammed and Rheza went home the night of the meeting, but not before alerting the Malian authorities that he was bringing Savoi back to Bamako to face charges of embezzlement and corruption. Once in Bamako, Mohammed intended to draw a plan, with James’s assistance, by which Rheza would recover her funds.
Upon his release, Johan had a long talk with Talya one afternoon before his departure for Amsterdam. He had decided to retire.
Hjamal had been hauled in for questioning on a couple of occasions regarding his involvement in this affair. Upon the dropping of all charges against him, he and James sat for hours, drawing draft agreements and plans with Hassan’s capable help.
As for Talya, when her body stopped aching, she went on joy rides in Samir’s plane. She loved to be in his company. They talked endlessly.
“Do you have anyone waiting for you in Vancouver?” Samir asked unexpectedly during one of their outings amid the clouds and the turquoise skies of Senegal.
“What do you mean—someone like a mother or family?”
“No, and I think you know what I meant. So, do you have someone waiting for you?”
Talya didn’t want to answer, because the thought of her friend, Aziz, not even acknowledging her phone calls or faxes that she had sent to him during the first week she was in Africa, was painful and unwanted.
“I see that there is someone, but someone who has not answered your calls. Am I not correct?” How could he have known that? Talya had not breathed a word of her relationship with Aziz to anyone. She turned her head to her companion who looked straight ahead of him.
“Yes, there is someone who didn’t answer my calls, as you say. But he’s a physician and his patients take most of his time … and …” Talya didn’t want to continue with this conversation.
“I am sorry, I didn’t mean to pry, but I sensed that your thoughts were somewhere else or with someone else today, so I asked. Pardon me for intruding.”
“I thought he was a friend, but I guess I was wrong.”
“There is no need to be sad, Talya. You will soon know the reasons for his silence and maybe those reasons will be good enough for you to remain his friend after all.”
119
Relegated to a more modest room, since her sumptuous apartment was now a crime scene, Talya was reading in bed when Hassan knocked at her door.
He had just come back from a lengthy meeting with James. “May I come in?”
“Sure,” she said, extending her arms out to him, smiling. Again, unwanted tears began rolling down her cheeks.
“Talya, what’s wrong?”
When he was close to her, she put her arms around him in hope that she would feel the need for his love….
“I love you…. Why are you so cold?” he whispered in her ear.
“Rasheed. He’s the reason.” She was scared. All she wanted to feel, all she so desperately needed to feel, seemed held back by the vision of ugliness—the ugliness of Rasheed. She tried not to close her eyes—to look into Hassan’s eyes—to seek refuge in his love, and she feared to turn away, for Rasheed’s face was lurking, waiting for her in the room, over her, staring down at her, uttering ugly words.
“I have only one face looking at me when I go to sleep and when I awake and that’s Rasheed’s face. He is everywhere.”
“Shhh, Talya, it’s all right … I’ll be here when you get back,” Hassan said as he caressed her hair.

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Publication Date: 05-21-2011

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