The Perfect Witness (19 page)

“Is that possible?”

“We have a chance. As I said, corruption is rife, and Praland has informants everywhere. But then, so does the Devanez family. For years, we’ve been keeping our eye on Praland and hoping to make a move.”

“And who’s the head of this Devanez family? Sean seemed to think that you were important to them.”

He shook his head. “I’m regarded as something of a loose cannon. But you could say I have the ear of the core group. It’s a structure that’s mobile in nature and right now is headed by the keeper of the ledger. Very efficiently, I would add. The agents are slick, well trained, and completely loyal.” He tapped Dar es Salaam on the map again. “Stanley will call on the local agents to make a smoke screen of misinformation to give us our chance to say good-bye to the Walbergs.”

“Smoke screen? It shouldn’t be that way.”

“No, they deserve dignity and respect and anything else the world can give them. But that’s not going to happen. Not right now. Maybe later.”

“Why would you think that it would matter to Praland if they arranged to be buried here in Tanzania? You said the reason they wanted to do it was only because their son’s remains were there.”

“And are you still skeptical that was the truth?”

She was silent. “No. I think that even you would have a problem being that callous. I was hurting and struck out.”

“Even me,” he repeated. “I suppose I should be grateful that I was included.” He added, “Did it occur to you that I was hurting, too? They were both my friends, Allie.”

“It occurred to me. I tried to look at all sides when I was trying to decide what to do. I don’t want to make any mistakes. It’s too important I give them what they wanted,” she said. “I remembered the night you brought me to them. There was genuine feeling and liking in your expression. Whatever there has been between us, I don’t believe pretense was one of them.” She stopped, thinking about it. “And Lee and Natalie were grateful to you. Natalie told me that she couldn’t resent you because they owed you.” She stared him in the eye. “Why were they grateful to you, Mandak? It was something to do with Simon.”

“Yes.”

“What was it?”

“I shot him.”

Her eyes widened with shock. “What?”

“Simon was Praland’s prisoner. I was friends with Lee and Natalie at the time, and they asked me to help him. The CIA was pressuring me, too. Because I was familiar with the territory and Praland’s operation, there was a slim chance I could get Simon out. The CIA dropped me in the jungle near the palace, and I went after Simon to try to get him away from that bastard.” His face was hard, shadowed. “I could hear Simon screaming as I made my way through the jungle to the palace. Praland had him staked out in the courtyard and was torturing him. He and his men were laughing every time Simon screamed.”

“My God.”

“I’m not going to tell you what they’d done to him. I was too late. He’d been torn to pieces. Simon was hanging on by a thread. He couldn’t live. All he could do was suffer.” His jaw clenched. “And I wasn’t going to let that bastard, Praland, make him suffer one more second. I’d managed to climb up to the top of the wall above the compound. I’m a very good shot. I took careful aim. I killed him.”

She was silent. She could see that scene that he had painted for her, and the sheer horror of it stunned her. “I don’t know if I could have done that. It must have been a terrible decision.”

“It was no decision at all. I couldn’t let the torment go on. I knew that Praland had too many men for me to have a hope of doing anything else. It was the only way Simon would be free and have peace.” His lips twisted. “And I still failed. My second shot was for Praland but he dodged out of the way after I killed Simon. His men were pouring toward the wall, and I had to get the hell out of there. As it was, I spent two weeks in the jungle dodging Praland and his men with a bullet wound in my arm.”

“Did he know it was you who had killed Simon?”

“Not at the time. But it wasn’t long before he found out. He wanted to know, and he dug and mutilated until he found out my name. He was furious at the thought I’d managed to rob him of the pleasure of torturing Simon. He was even more angry at the thought that I’d humiliated him by getting that close, then thumbed my nose at him. He’s never forgotten in the last eight years. I hear from him every time he thinks he’s scored by killing another of the family.”

“I’m beginning to believe I know this Praland very well,” she said shakily. “He’s like a mirror image of the people I grew up with. Though I never actually saw the true violence until the night my father killed Jokman.” She shook her head. “What … did you tell Lee and Natalie?”

“The truth. They’d already heard what happened to Simon from the CIA and Praland by the time I managed to get back to the city. Praland made a point of looking them up to brag about all the atrocities they’d done to Simon. He thought it was one way he could get back at me for his humiliation. I went to them and told them I’d killed their son.” He shrugged. “And braced myself for the storm. They didn’t say anything to me. I think they were in shock.”

“Who could blame them?”

“Not me. They came to see me two months later and thanked me. I could see it was hard for them. But they genuinely meant it. It let me see what special people they were.” He paused. “And it gave me a peace I didn’t know I needed. From that time on, we were allies as well as friends.”

“Against Praland.”

He nodded. “The thought of what he’d done filled their lives. They couldn’t stand the thought of the torture he’d inflicted on Simon or the thought of what he was doing to those children Simon was trying to save.”

“So you drew them in to help prepare me to take down Praland.”

“It was a great plan until it all went wrong. Emotion can ruin the most intelligent schemes.”

“You were annoyed with them?”

“Yes. And frustrated.” He smiled. “And a little envious.”

“No way.”

“I won’t try to convince you. You’ve been more tolerant than I would have thought. It might be too much to expect you to accept that I occasionally have mixed and human feelings.”

“It might. You didn’t give any indications that night you were trying to whisk me out that bedroom window.”

“The destination was in sight after eight years. I had to try to close the deal.” He paused. “But I didn’t close it,” he said bitterly. “Just as I failed the night I had my shot at Praland, and I didn’t kill him.”

She stared at him with mixed emotions. Frustration, surprise, even sympathy. “For God’s sake, just listen to you. So you’re not perfect. You did what you could. It sounds to me as if you risked your neck that night to try to save Simon. You’re always telling me not to blame myself. What the hell are you doing?”

He gazed at her for an instant, then chuckled. “I’m glad you believe I did what I could. I thought I was high up on the blame list.”

“Camano heads that list. It took a little while, but that’s clear to me now.” She shook her head. “And, for the rest, Praland is looming right beside him.” She shook her head. “And I’ve never even seen him. I don’t know what he looks like.”

“Allow me.” He took his phone back and accessed another site. “The tall man with straw-colored hair is Praland. The man sitting next to him is Hans Bruker, his lieutenant.” He lifted his shoulder in a half shrug as he handed it back to her. “Or maybe I should call him ‘cobra in training.’ He’s almost as vicious as Praland.”

The two men were sitting on a tiled veranda dressed in boots and dark pants and shirt. Praland was lean and sinewy with a long face and pale gray eyes. He was smiling but without humor, his thin lips pulled back from large, white teeth. Straw hair? It looked more platinum-colored and was long and coarse. Bruker was smaller, chunky, with a plump face and uptilted, dark eyes.

“I didn’t know Bruker existed either,” Allie said. “Praland, Bruker … Lee and Natalie wouldn’t have even been with me if it hadn’t been for Praland. It’s like a complicated chain with all spiked links. The links have nothing do with each other, yet the chain exists.”

“How very deep.”

“Bullshit,” she said wearily. “I’m just trying to work out why this happened. There has to be a reason.”

“Evil.”

“Yes, it’s probably as simple as that. But Lee and Natalie always told me that I should look at both sides of the coin.” Her lips twisted. “Even when it came to a certain Professor Simpson, who was driving me crazy. Funny I should think of him now. He’s so unimportant in the scheme of things.”

“Evidently he was important to you at the time. That’s one of the reasons why I turned you over to Lee and Natalie. I knew they’d furnish you with the kind of normal background training I never could.”

“No, you gave me karate lessons. You would probably have told me to go after Simpson and take him down.”

“Possibly.” He smiled. “If it didn’t interfere.”

“But it would have interfered with the life I was planning for myself.” She paused. “They wanted to keep those plans safe and intact. I didn’t appreciate what they were giving up to let me have my chance.”

“They cared about you.”

“I know that. They said we were a family. Do you know what that meant to me? I’d never had a family. Not really. You may have persuaded them to take me into their home, but they did much more.” She drew a ragged breath. “And now it’s payback time. I have to give back. They wanted the man who killed their son to be given his just punishment? Okay, I’ll do it. I don’t care about your ledger or your fine Devanez family. As far as I’m concerned, it’s all about Lee and Natalie. How convenient that I suddenly have a reason to give you what you want from me.”

“Not fair, Allie.”

“I guess not.” She looked down at the computer. “I’m trying, but I’m not going to be able to shed the suspicion and wariness overnight. I know I’m going to have to work with you now. But my only protection against you seemed to be Lee and Natalie and the defensiveness that I’d developed.” She pointed to the jungle area outside Dar es Salaam. “I don’t know anything about jungles. I’ll need to know about them, won’t I? Why didn’t you teach me?”

“I couldn’t teach you everything.” He smiled faintly. “As you pointed out to me, you had a life to live. You did very well with what I did throw at you.”

“I haven’t done any physical training for two months. I need to do that.”

“My last report said that you were very competent.”

“I want to be more than competent. I can’t fail because I’m not prepared for Praland.”

“It may not come down to that kind of battle, Allie.”

“And it might. You need to work with me every day while we have the chance,” she said fiercely. “I don’t know anything about this bastard you’re throwing at me. I’m feeling
helpless.
I’m not going to stay that way. I thought I was preparing myself for Camano. Now this Praland has to come first.”

“And you made the decision.”

“No, I didn’t. Lee and Natalie made the decision. They wanted to have him brought down. It’s the last gift I can give them. But I have to be ready.”

“Easy. I’ll work with you. We just may not have much time.”

“It will have to be enough.” Her gaze shifted to look out the window. “And who are we supposed to be meeting in London? You were entirely too vague.”

“Sorry. It’s a habit I’ve had to cultivate over the years. Most of the family prefer not to be identified or even placed at a given location. I generally try to accommodate them.”

“Family? Devanez?”

“Yes.
My
family,” he said quietly. “And they mean as much to me as Lee and Natalie did to you.”

“Do they?” She frowned thoughtfully. “I’ve been thinking of the Devanez clan as some kind of extensive…” She didn’t know what words to use. “It sounds as if they’re pulling strings and trying to manipulate the world to suit themselves. That’s not how I think of family.”

“A family is made up of individuals. They are what they are. The Devanezes just have a different set of challenges.”

“And which Devanez member am I going to have to meet in London?” she asked warily.

“A very important one. Renata Wilger is booked at the Windsor Hotel. She’s been very anxious to meet you for a number of years. I’ve been holding her at bay from coming to Flagstaff and trying to take you away from me.”

“Why?”

“Because she’s the Keeper of the Ledger. I told you there’s always a family member in charge of the gathering of information and keeping records. In this case, she pretty well runs both the operation and the family. Renata Wilger was chosen when she was only a teenager, and she was in charge of it when Praland stole it. She’s been frantic to get it back. She feels that everything Praland has done since he took it is her responsibility.”

“The Keeper of the Ledger. It sounds like some kind of fantasy movie like
Lord of the Rings
.” She made a face. “And I’m not liking the idea of this Renata Wilger wanting to hijack me. I can see why you’d claim the Devanezes as your family. The family traits are beginning to emerge.”

“Give us a chance. We might grow on you.”

“I doubt that. But I have to give you a chance. I’ve been backed into a corner. I have no choice.”

“No, you don’t.” His lips tightened. “But I’ll make it up to you. I’ll keep my promise, Allie.”

She didn’t reply.

He muttered a curse. “And I’ll find a way to keep you safe.” The words were vibrating with power, and his entire body was taut, every muscle corded and sparking with intensity. She could feel that vibration in her wrists, in the palms of her hands, in the swelling of her breasts. She had to force herself to look away from him.

He sounded as if he meant what he said, but she couldn’t count on anyone but herself. He’d made it clear he was loyal to the Devanez family, and his whole concentration and effort had been to bring her to this point to help them. She was as alone as she’d always been before Lee and Natalie.

Her gaze returned to the map. “Do you have a floor plan for this palace?”

“Yes.” He took out his phone. “I’ll send it to your e-mail. I bribed a servant to get it for me when I was trying to free Simon. I’d even had him dig a tunnel from the outer wall to the dungeon.” He added bitterly, “But I never got a chance to use it. Praland had Simon on display in the courtyard when I heard his screams.” He was sending the e-mail. “It should still be pretty much the same.”