Windfall

Footsteps were heard climbing the stairs and a man appeared. His hair had been burned away and blisters were beginning to show on his face and the backs of his hands. Stafford said curtly, 'Out!' and he climbed up into the room. Hardin moved forward holding the pistol.

'Anyone else down there?' demanded Stafford. The man shook his head dumbly, and Stafford said, 'We'll make sure. Give it another long squirt, Alan.'

'Nee, man, nee' the man shouted. 'Jy kan nie…' His words were lost as Hunt turned on the burner in a long sustained blast. He turned to run but was stopped at the door by Hardin with the pistol. The burner stopped and then things began to happen so fast that Stafford was bemused.

Hardin dropped as though pole-axed as someone hit him from behind. He dropped the pistol which went off as it hit the ground and the bullet screamed past Stafford so close that he ducked involuntarily. When he looked up suddenly Hendriks and Brice were in the room and Hendriks held the pistol with the silencer. 'Everyone freeze,' he said. 'No one move.'

Brice looked at Hunt lying on the floor, his hand still on the blast valve. 'What in hell is happening?' He looked at the scorched man. 'What happened to you, van Heerden?'

'I was down there and they turned that… that damned flame thrower on me.' he said. 'Things are burning…'

Hendriks gave a choked cry. He thrust his pistol into Brice's hand and ran forward to the trap door, kicking the burner aside as he went. He clattered down the stairs and disappeared from sight. Hardly had he gone when a hand clamped on Brice's wrist from behind and twisted it sharply. Brice screamed as his arm broke and Curtis appeared from behind him to catch the pistol as it dropped.

Stafford expelled a deep breath. 'Get up, Alan,' he said. Hunt got to his feet and turned around. 'See to Ben.' He was about to step forward when there was a muffled thump and the building shook. A dense column of smoke tinged with flame at its centre shot out of the basement through the open trap, and van Heerden screamed, 'It's going to blow up!'

Something fell and hit Stafford on the head and he knew nothing more.

Chapter 32

'These grapes are not bad,' said Stafford appreciatively. 'Thanks.'

'It is customary to bring grapes to hospital,' said Chip and hitched his chair closer to the bed. 'It is also customary for those who bring them to eat them.' He took a couple of grapes from the bunch and popped them into his mouth. 'When are they letting you out?'

'Another week.' Stafford touched his bandaged head. 'There's nothing broken, but I get double vision when I'm tired. The doctor says it's concussion and all I need is bed rest. How's Nair?'

'He's all right. They took the bullet out of his leg and he's on the mend. He's in a room down the corridor.'

'I'll pop in and see him.'

Chip smiled slightly. 'The population of this hospital has gone up since you began operations. Hardin had concussion like you; Hunt is having a skin graft on his legs – he got scorched.'

'The Sergeant?'

'Nothing wrong with him. He's a real tough one. He'll be coming in to see you soon.'

'All right,' said Stafford. 'What happened?'

'Curtis got Hardin out then went back to help Hunt get you out. Brice got himself out. Hendriks and Miller were both killed.'

'Miller?' said Stafford interrogatively.

'The man in the basement.'

'Oh! Brice called him van Heerden.'

'Did he?' Chip was interested in that and made a note of it. 'His passport was in the name of Miller. A British passport.'

'He spoke a few words of Afrikaans when he was under stress. What did you find in the cellar?'

Chip looked at him oddly. 'Don't you know?'

'I don't know a bloody thing,' said Stafford. 'You're my first visitor.'

'When Nair rang to tell me what you were doing I rounded up some men and commandeered an army helicopter from Eastleigh because I wanted to get to you fast. I thought you were tackling something bigger than you could handle. We were putting the helicopter down next to the building with the dish antenna when it blew up. The helicopter nearly crashed.'

'Blew up!' said Stafford, startled. 'In God's name, what was down there?'

'We've had our forensic people looking at the bits and pieces that are left. Apparently there were a lot of explosives, commercial gelignite for the most part. They say that didn't blow up – it needs a detonator – but it burned hot and that set off the rest of it. They had a small armoury down there, rifles and ammunition, hand grenades and so on.'

'That wouldn't be enough to blow up a building.'

'That's right,' agreed Chip. 'The damage was really done when the fire got to three Russian SAM-7 rockets. We think there were three but it's difficult to tell now.'

'Rockets!' Stafford rubbed his jaw. He was thinking of that hot, blue flame driving heat into the basement. Talk about playing with fire!