Windfall

Chapter 29

Stafford withdrew from the crest of the ridge as Hardin flopped down beside him. 'What is it?' Hardin asked. He was short of breath.

'Gu

'What about me?' said Hunt.

Stafford considered the matter and shrugged. 'That depends on whether you want to get involved. Come if you like.' He peered over the ridge. Gu

'I'll come,' said Hunt.

The three of them traversed the ridge heading north and keeping below the crest, then went over at a place where the jetty was screened from view by trees. They moved fast because Stafford wanted to intercept Gu

Stafford slowed his pace as he neared the jetty close enough to hear the puttering of an, outboard engine. The jetty came into view, half hidden by a leafy screen. He stopped and moved a branch and saw Gu

Stafford whispered to Hunt, 'Did you come from the Lake Naivasha Hotel?'

'No – from Safariland.'

Stafford frowned. That made it unlikely that Gu

Gu

Gu

'By Christ!' said Gu

Stafford was comforted by that. If he had fooled Gu

'I'm looking for a guy in a turban, but I suppose you wouldn't know anything about him.' He raised his hand before Stafford could speak. 'And don't tell me you don't know anything about him. I wouldn't believe you now if you told me that the thing shining in the sky is the sun.'

Stafford shrugged. 'That sounds like Nair Singh, our guide.'

Gu

'My name is Hunt. What am I supposed to be in, Mr Gu

Gu

The reply was characteristically brief and brought Gu

Gu

'I wouldn't call him a Hindu; he might take umbrage because he's a Sikh.' Stafford waved his arm. 'He's back there. Do you want to talk to him?'

'Yeah, I want to ask him if he usually drives a phoney taxi equipped to track a beeper bug,' said Gu

'I know now.' Stafford smiled. 'You've just told me.'

Gu

'Let's ask him,' Stafford proposed. 'I'll lead the way.' He walked away from the jetty and Gu

'That goddamn taxi was in the parking lot when I got back to the hotel this morning,' said Gu

So it had been as easy as that, thought Stafford. Nair had made mistakes; first with the beeper and then not getting rid of the Mercedes. Still, no harm had been done.

They climbed the ridge and went down the other side to the camp site. Stafford shouted, 'Nair!', and Nair got up from where he was unobtrusively lying in the shade of a tree. 'A man here wants to talk to you.'

Nair approached them. 'What about?' he asked i

'Jesus; you know what about!' said Gu

'Do you have something to hide?'

Gu

'I think he has something to hide,' said Stafford. 'For instance, I'd like to know what happened to Henry Hendrix.'

'We've been through all that before." Gu

'Oh, I don't mean Corliss,' said Stafford casually. 'I know what happened to him. But what happened to Hendrix?'

'Hendrix is…' Gu

'Your friend who disappeared in Tanzania.'

'You're crazy! That was Hendrix.'

Stafford shook his head. 'Gu

'Not Hendrix!' said Gu

'Definitely not Hendrix,' said Stafford. 'And proveable.'

'Look, the guy was brought to me in my office. He had everything right; a pat hand. Everything checked out.' He paused in thought. 'I sent an operative to pick him up in Los Angeles. Could he have pulled a fast one on me?'

'What was his name? This operative?'

'A guy called Hardin. Something of a dead beat. I had to fire him.' Gu

Stafford cut him short by raising his voice, 'Come out, come out, wherever you are.' As Gu

Gu

'You've been under a microscope,' said Stafford. 'Every move you've made has been noted ever since you pitched up in London with Corliss and palmed him off as Hendrix. I won't say we've recorded every time you went to the loo, but damned nearly. And Corliss has been singing as sweetly as any nightingale. The jig's up, Gu

Gu

'Where you'd expect him to be – in a police cell. And that's where you're going.'

To Stafford's surprise Nair stepped forward and produced a pair of handcuffs. 'You're under arrest, Mr Gu

Gu