The Tomb of Hercules Read online

  Sophia nodded. “Your description of him sounded an awful lot like a man who works for my husband, Fang Yi. He takes care of security problems—the unofficial kind of security problems. If he has the pages, he will have taken them straight to him—and since my husband is in Botswana right now, that’s where Fang will have gone too.”

  “So what’s he doing in Botswana?” asked Nina. “I remember he said he owns a diamond mine there…”

  “It’s not just a diamond mine,” Sophia said, “it’s the diamond mine, the biggest in the country as of …well, now. That’s why he’s there. The Botswanan government takes a cut from the sale of every diamond mined in the country, and my husband’s mine has been extremely productive. There’s going to be an official ceremony to mark its becoming the biggest mine—the president will be there, various other bigwigs. I was supposed to attend it with Richard, actually. In my role as the perfect wife.”

  “You’ll still be there,” Nina pointed out. “Just not up onstage with the guest of honor.”

  Sophia shifted in her seat. “It’s a risk, I know. But if we can get to him when he’s not expecting it …” She looked across at Chase, seeming to brighten a little. “Eddie can be extremely persuasive.”

  “Yeah, I know.” Nina sat back, silently having an internal debate before finally coming out with the question that had been on her mind ever since she’d first spoken to the Englishwoman. “So how did you meet Eddie?”

  Sophia glanced at Chase again, as if to check that he was asleep. “From what I gather, it was similar to the way you met him. He told me that he was hired as your bodyguard?”

  “Yeah,” said Nina, wondering what else Chase had told her.

  “He was my bodyguard as well—in a manner of speaking. He was still in the SAS at the time, about six years ago. I told you that my father paid for me to travel the world?” Nina nodded. “One of the countries I went to visit was Cambodia, to see the ancient temples at Angkor Wat and other sites like it. Unfortunately, at that time an Islamic militant group, the Golden Way, was trying to gain attention. The method they chose was to kidnap and threaten to execute a group of British visitors unless their demands were met. I was a member of that group.”

  Nina’s eyes widened. “My God …”

  “At the time my father, Lord Blackwood, was a very important man. He was a member of the House of Lords, obviously, but he was also a former government minister and an influential businessman, with connections on both sides of the House of Commons. The kidnapping of his only child was something that was not going to be allowed to stand.”

  “So the government sent in the SAS to get you? Including Eddie?”

  “Yes. The Cambodians were dithering, they wanted to negotiate, but that fell apart when the Golden Way killed one of the hostages. So the SAS were secretly sent in. Their mission was simple: locate and rescue the hostages … and kill every one of the kidnappers.”

  Nina suppressed a slight shiver. She knew enough about Chase’s military career to be aware that he had seen combat in clandestine missions, and that he could—and would—kill to save the lives of those under his protection. But hearing such a blunt order was something new, and far from pleasant. “Since you and Eddie are both sitting here, I kinda guess they succeeded!” she said with forced levity.

  “They did. But…” Sophia looked over at Chase once more. “The Golden Way had reinforcements nearby, and when the SAS withdrew with the hostages Eddie and I got cut off. We had to get away on our own, through the jungle. It took three days for us to reach safety, with the terrorists after us. Eddie protected me the whole time.” Her expression turned wistful, eyes focusing on something beyond the cabin walls. “He was a hero. He was my hero. And by the time we got back to England, I was completely, utterly, head over heels in love with him. We were married within a month.”

  “Wow.” Nina’s mind was reeling; Chase had never even hinted at such an intense event in his past. She also couldn’t help but feel a sting of jealousy. She and Chase had come through an equally dangerous adventure and also ended up together, but there had been no suggestion of marriage. “So what happened?”

  “My father, for one.” Sophia’s face darkened. “He was absolutely appalled that I would get married without consulting him. Especially since I was the daughter of a lord—you know, that sort of thing just isn’t done!” A single, somewhat bitter, laugh. “He was furious. And he despised Eddie. Never mind that he’d saved my life—he was just some lower-class nobody, a commoner. He wanted nothing to do with him. And because I was married to Eddie, and loved him, he all but cut me off too.”

  Nina couldn’t help but feel a rising anger at the criticism of Chase, even secondhand. “Not meaning to be rude, but your dad sounds like kind of an asshole.”

  Sophia bit back a harsh rejoinder, gathering her composure before speaking more calmly. “He made mistakes; he was wrong about some things. But he was still my father, and he’s no longer with us, so I never had the opportunity to set things straight between us. You didn’t know him, so I’d prefer it if you didn’t criticize him. I’m sure you feel the same about your parents.”

  “I’m sorry,” said Nina, stung with guilt. Sophia was right—she would have reacted the same way.

  Sophia closed her eyes and sighed. “That’s all right. My father passed away three years ago. Much as I try, I still feel some lingering resentment.” She opened her eyes again, resolute. “But my father’s attitude definitely put a strain on the marriage. And it didn’t help when my initial euphoria started to wear off, and I started to see Eddie… as Eddie.”

  “What do you mean?” But she already knew.

  And Sophia knew that she knew, Nina seeing the understanding in her brown eyes. “I married my hero,” Sophia said softly. “But it didn’t take me long to realize that behind the hero… was just a very ordinary man. It was absolutely heartbreaking. But it was also undeniable. And once I realized that, then…”

  “It was over,” Nina finished for her.

  “Yes.” Sophia looked away. “Excuse me.” She got up and walked back down the aisle.

  Nina remained still. She wanted to look across at Chase, but didn’t dare.

  In case the sight of him brought her to the same realization as Sophia.

  9

  Botswana

  Well, hey,” said the towering African woman, arms folded sternly. “If it isn’t Edward Chase.”

  “Tamara Defendé,” Chase replied as he walked up to her. They regarded each other with apparent mutual suspicion for a few moments … before she swept her arms around him.

  “Eddie!” she cried, squeezing Chase tightly, creasing his leather jacket. “Great to see you!”

  “It’s been awhile,” Chase wheezed. “Okay, TD, you can let go now. I need my lungs.”

  Nina and Sophia exchanged glances. “Was it like this for you too?” Nina whispered.

  Sophia nodded. “Mysterious women all over the world? Mm-hmm.”

  “TD,” said Chase, making introductions, “this is Dr. Nina Wilde”—Nina couldn’t help noticing that he had omitted any mention of their relationship—“and Sophia Blackwood. Nina, Sophia, this is a good friend of mine, TD.”

  TD’s curious expression indicated that she knew of Sophia’s past connection to Chase, but she didn’t comment on it. Instead, she shook their hands, her grip strong. “Good to meet you both.”

  “How do you know Eddie?” Nina asked.

  Chase shot her a warning look—more military secrets he wanted to keep, Nina guessed—but TD simply smirked at him before answering. “I’m a pilot, I have my own plane. Eddie and his chums have hired me to fly them to …” She grinned again at Chase, who seemed to have developed a facial tic. “… various workplaces around Africa. You know what his work is like, I’m sure!”

  “Not so much now,” Chase cut in. “I usually sit behind a desk these days.”

  “Oh, what a shame!” TD’s accent was a melodious mélange of West African intonati
ons, hints of French and Dutch blended in. “I hope you’re not getting rusty in your old age!”

  “I’m keeping my hand in,” said Chase, not amused at the “old age” remark. “You got everything I asked for?”

  “In my plane. Come on.” TD jerked a thumb at a battered open-top Land Rover waiting nearby. The temperature was warm, in the midseventies, but not oppressively hot. “I got your parcel as well. I was impressed—I didn’t know you could send handguns by courier flight!”

  “Working for the U.N. has the occasional perk. Like customs waivers and ‘do not x-ray’ stickers.”

  They headed for the Land Rover, Nina at the rear of the little group. She looked TD up and down as they walked. She was not the first of Chase’s helpful international “girlfriends” Nina had met, and while it didn’t seem that his relationships with any of them went beyond friendship, she couldn’t help wondering what it was about him that inspired such loyalty. Especially when he could be so infuriating at times.

  Maybe that was it, she thought. He never stayed around long enough to drive them mad.

  TD certainly stood out among the others. She was easily over six feet tall, her height increased by a pair of chunky-heeled cowboy boots. And she dressed to draw the eye, wearing a pair of shorts that were only an inch of material away from qualifying as hot pants and a cutoff shirt that exposed her well-toned midriff. Her long hair was braided, the strands flowing down her back through a red baseball cap with its top cut out. Nina had no doubt that she attracted a lot of male attention—and also that she could handle it on her own terms. TD’s sole piece of clothing that could be described as “modest” was a faded denim jacket—under which, Nina was certain, was hidden a holstered gun.

  They climbed into the Land Rover. TD drove them across Gaborone airport, her hair flapping in the wind. “You didn’t give me a lot of time to prepare for you,” she told Chase. “Twenty-four hours—it was tough!”

  “But you managed it, right?”

  “Of course! Have I ever let you down?”

  “Only romantically,” Chase said, smiling.

  TD laughed. “But the media passes, they were the hardest part,” she continued, serious again. “I would never have been able to get them without the information you gave me—not without a much bigger bribe than I could have managed at such short notice, anyway. How did you get it?”

  “That was my doing,” said Sophia. “I still have friends within my husband’s company, and some access to its computer network. I was able to set things up for you.”

  “Well, thank you! I always like it when someone makes my life a little easier—especially on a job like this!”

  They reached a hangar section, windblown old structures housing light aircraft. TD pulled into one of the buildings. “This is my plane,” she said proudly.

  Nina wasn’t sure that the plane actually was anything to be proud of—the twin-engine aircraft, its fuselage painted a time-scoured taxicab yellow, looked at least forty years old. “Oh, don’t worry,” TD told her, correctly reading her expression, “I take very good care of her, and in return she takes very good care of me!”

  “Piper Twin Comanche,” Chase added. “Small enough to land pretty much anywhere, even on bush strips—and big enough to carry a team and their gear. And this one’s got a few extra tricks in case we need to make a quick getaway. Which after we have words with Yuen, I think we might need to.”

  “Try not to kill President Molowe in the cross fire,” TD warned as she unlocked the plane’s hatch. “I voted for him.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll be careful. I’ve already got a death sentence on me in two African countries; I don’t need another one.”

  “You’ve got what?” Nina yelped.

  “Nothing to worry about,” Chase quickly assured her.

  She spotted something on the aircraft’s wing. “Is that—is that a bullet hole?”

  “Nothing to worry about!”

  TD flew them some 450 miles north by northwest from Gaborone. Their course took them over the vast desert plains and dry bushlands of the Kalahari before they descended towards a private airstrip fifty miles west of the town of Maun.

  Chase sat in the copilot’s seat. Nina looked over his shoulder in amazement at the view to the north. Beyond the dusty desert was a vast swath of vibrant greenery stretching over the horizon.

  “The Okavango Delta,” TD piped up. “Biggest inland delta in the world. And a huge wildlife reserve, as well. If you weren’t here on business, I’d give you a tour!”

  “Maybe later,” said Chase. “Besides, you’ve seen one pissed-off hippo, you’ve seen ’em all.”

  TD smiled, then spoke to somebody on the ground over her headset to receive final landing instructions. The plane banked, turning westwards. The distant beauty of the delta was replaced by …

  “Bloody hell,” muttered Chase. “That’s an eyesore.”

  “I’m afraid environmentalism and diamond mining don’t mix,” Sophia said.

  Nina couldn’t agree more. Ahead, growing rapidly as the plane descended, was Yuen’s diamond mine, a colossal crater gouged out of the earth. Nina could make out yellow vehicles moving up and down the long paths spiraling down to the base of the giant pit; she did a double take when she realized they were still miles from the hole. The trucks were enormous, in keeping with the terrifying scale of the mine itself.

  Beyond the pit were numerous warehouselike buildings and cylindrical towers, all on the same massive scale. The whole complex of pit and support buildings spanned over a mile, and the distant fences around the mine suggested plenty of room for expansion.

  The Twin Comanche made a bumpy landing, taxiing to the end of the runway and being directed into a large parking area off to one side. There were already numerous other aircraft on the ground, ranging from small chartered props to corporate jets. It was clearly a major event.

  With equally major security.

  Chase, Nina and Sophia—TD remained in the plane—were met at a cordon by a group of unsmiling armed men. Private security, not Botswanan armed forces. It took Chase only a moment’s observation to tell that they had military training. Their stance, alertness and hold on their weapons a dead giveaway. As he approached, he deliberately relaxed his own stance, trying to look as undisciplined as possible as he shambled up to the checkpoint with two heavy bags of equipment.

  One of the guards held up a hand, his companions subtly shifting position to cover the new arrivals. “Good afternoon, welcome to the Ygem diamond mine,” he said mechanically. “May I see your visitor passes and identification, please?”

  Sophia spoke for them, aristocratic accent to full commanding effect. “Good afternoon. I’m Sophia Black, from the CNB news bureau in Cape Town. This is Ed Case, my cameraman, and Nina Jones, my sound engineer.” She gave the guard the documents that TD had obtained.

  He checked them against a list on a clipboard and made an approving noise. “Thank you,” he said, returning the documents. Another man ran an electronic wand over their bodies, detecting innocuous items like keys and coins. The first man went through their luggage. “Can you switch this on, please?” he asked of the bulky video camera he took from one of Chase’s bags.

  Chase obliged, the camera coming to life. The guard peered through the viewfinder to be sure, even opening the tape door to check inside. “Camera, battery packs, spare tapes, boom mike, sandwiches,” Chase said, pointing out each item in turn. “Hey, you mind if I get some footage of you guys? You know, for background color?”

  “Yes, I do mind,” the guard told him firmly. As Chase repacked his gear, the man looked through Nina’s little backpack, finding only the binder. He flicked through the first few pages of her handwritten notes with no interest, then returned it and went on in a bored voice, “It is the policy of the Ygem diamond mine to remind all visitors that diamond theft is an extremely serious offense, which will be punished by the full force of Botswanan criminal and civil law. Thank you, you can now enter.
Please wait over there for the bus.” He pointed to some covered benches beside the nearby road, where other people were already sitting.

  “Cheers, mate,” Chase said, picking up his bags. “Ed Case?” he hissed to Sophia as they walked away. “Very bloody funny. Makes me sound like a nutter.”

  “Just my little joke.”

  “At least they got us in,” Nina said.

  “Yeah, I suppose.” Chase put a hand on Sophia’s shoulder. “Good work.”

  She smiled. “Thank you.”

  After a few minutes, a bus pulled up, and those waiting—all members of the international press corps—boarded. Chase took a seat near the back of the bus, and Sophia sat down next to him. Feeling slightly left out, Nina settled in the row behind. A few minutes later, another small group of people boarded, and the bus moved off.

  Once he was sure that nobody was watching, Chase took the long tubular boom mike from his bag and pried it open to reveal that it was hollow, his disassembled Wildey pistol and its holster crammed inside. He quickly reassembled the big gun, then donned the holster, slipped the weapon into it and put his leather jacket back on to hide it.

  “I thought you were trying to cut down on shooting people,” said Sophia.

  “Well, it’s kind of like a diet—you know, you stick at it for a while, then …” Chase joked, before his face hardened. “And after what happened to Nina, somebody deserves to get shot.”

  Nina said nothing, somewhat affronted that it had taken him this long to remember she was with him.

  The bus slowed. Looking ahead, she saw they were approaching a checkpoint, a high corrugated metal fence topping a berm of bulldozed earth running off in each direction. But that wasn’t what seized her attention. “Tanks?”

  “Must be here as part of the presidential guard. Bit of a show of force to let everyone know how seriously they look after their diamond mines,” Chase observed. The two tanks in mottled brown desert camouflage flanking the gate were Leopards, a relatively old German design long since superseded in the West by more modern weapons, but still formidable.