Windfall

Brice and Hendriks broke in simultaneously and then stopped, each looking at the other in astonishment. Brice said sharply, 'Why was no one told of this? It's monstrous that Mr Hendriks here should have been kept in ignorance. He's been worried about his cousin.'

'As I said, Henry Hendrix came back,' continued Nair calmly. 'But he was delirious; he had a bad case of sunstroke. In his delirium he talked of certain matters which required investigation and, when he recovered, he was questioned and made a full confession. I am sorry to tell you that the man known to you as Henry Hendrix is really called Corliss and he has implicated Gunnarsson in his imposture.'

'It's a lie,' cried Gunnarsson. "He screwed me the same way as he screwed everyone else.'

'That will be for the court to decide,' said Nair. He studied Brice and Hendriks, both of whom appeared to be shell-shocked, and smiled internally. 'The American Embassy has, of course, been kept acquainted with these developments and agreed that a certain amount of… er… reticence was in order while the matter was investigated. Mr Gunnarsson will have a number of questions to answer when we get back to Nairobi.' He looked at his watch. 'And now, if you gentlemen will excuse me…?'

There was something wrong here which Brice could not fathom. He watched Nair and Gunnarsson pass by and felt obscurely that somewhere he was being tricked. He said, 'Wait a moment. Have you been following Gunnarsson in that Kenatco taxi?'

Nair paused and looked back. 'In the line of duty.'

'Then why did it happen in reverse? Why did Gunnarsson follow you here to Crescent Island?'

'I tempted him,' said Nair blandly.

'Yeah, he suckered me all right,' said Gunnarsson in corroboration.

Suddenly Brice saw – or, rather, did not see – the missing piece, the missing man. If Gunnarsson had come to the. island and the boatman had gone away and had then returned to pick him up, then where the hell was he? Where was the boatman? And if there was no boatman then whose was the other boat? Brice jerked his head at Patterson and stepped forward. 'Look!' he said sharply, pointing at nothing in particular.

Both Nair and Gunnarsson turned to look and Brice, hooked his foot around Gunnarsson's leg and pushed. Gunnarsson went flying down the slope and instinctively put out his hands to save himself. In that he succeeded but the handcuffs went flying away in a guttering arc to clink on a rock, and Brice knew he had been right.

Stafford watched Curtis ghost through the trees to his left and then turned his head to watch Hardin on his right. He knew he did not have to worry about a couple of old pros who knew their business, but Hunt was different; he was a civilian amateur who did not know which end was up, which is why he was directly behind Stafford with strict instructions to walk in the Master's steps. 'I don't want a sound out of you,' Stafford had said. Hunt was doing his best but flinched when Stafford turned to glare at him when a twig snapped underfoot.

Curtis held both hands over his head in the military gesture indicating an order to stop. If he had had a rifle he would have held it, but he had no rifle, which was a pity. He beckoned to Stafford who, after stopping Hunt dead in his tracks, made his way to Curtis in a walking crouch.

Curtis pointed and said in an undertone, 'They've left a man at the boats.' He knew enough not to whisper. Nothing carries further than the sibilants of a whisper.

'Where are the others?'

'Somewhere up the hill. I heard voices.'

Stafford turned his head and gestured to Hardin who crept over. 'There's a guard on the boats,' he said. 'And Nair hasn't decoyed Brice away yet. They're still within hearing distance so they can probably see the boats.'

'Tricky,' said Hardin.

'Would the Colonel like the guard removed?' asked Curtis.

'How would you do it?'

Curtis indicated the water glimmering through the trees. 'Swimming.'

'Goddamn!' said Hardin. 'What about crocodiles?'

'I'd poison a crocodile,' said Curtis solemnly and without the trace of a smile.

'I don't know,' said Stafford uncertainly.

'I've been watching the water's edge from the ridge,' said Curtis. 'I haven't seen any crocodiles." He was already taking off his shoes.

'Well, all right.' said Stafford. 'But you go when I say; and you incapacitate – you don't kill.'

'I doubt if we'd get trouble if he did,' said Hardin. 'We've proved our point and the Kenyans aren't going to be worried about a dead South African agent.'

'Ben, that man there could be an innocent Kenyan brought along just to drive the boat. We can't take that chance.' Stafford went back to Hunt. 'When you answer keep your voice down. Any crocs in the lake ?'

Hunt nodded. 'Usually further north around the papyrus swamp.'

'And here?'

'Could be.'