CHAPTER TWENTY

 

 

Kojo Selassie pulled up on the roadside outside of Hangzhou Wildlife Sanctuary and turned off his truck. He stretched his back and legs, grunting with satisfaction when his cramped right knee gave loud crack, releasing the tension that had been building in it.

He had been travelling for days now, cooped up in this dirty and temperamental old truck, but the journey was almost at an end. With him were three of Meizhen Chen's soldiers, assigned to protect the valuable cargo of ivory and ease his path through China. They were crude and horrible men, not unlike the ones he left behind in Africa, and Kojo couldn't wait to be rid of them.

His orders were to meet old Liu here at the sanctuary, collect some fabricated paperwork from him, and then use it to load the ivory onto a waiting cargo ship, which was bound for Europe in the morning. Kojo didn't give a damn about the who, what or where, after it left his hands – he just wanted his money. But first, he would settle for one of Liu's ice cold glasses of American beer.

"Stay with the truck. I'll collect the paperwork."

Kojo jumped down from the cab and made his way to the gates. It was late in the evening and the sky was growing broody. Dark clouds threatened to block out a full moon which threw shadows across his path, coating the sanctuary in an eerie white blanket. The muffled distress calls of the caged animals within, added to the dark gothic atmosphere. The whole scene reminded him of a cemetery in some old horror movie.

Kojo had never liked the place, and hoped that this might be his last venture inside its walls. He much preferred the wide open plains of Africa, where the animals roamed wild and plentiful, and the sun was always warm and inviting. If this job finished as he hoped, then maybe he would return there. Far away from the reach of the triads and the unattainable demands of Meizhen Chen. Kojo had no family to concern him, but thoughts of beginning one with his impending wealth, before old age overtook him, were no longer unwelcome at the back of his mind.

Over the years, Kojo had grown used to his solitary and nomadic lifestyle. Seeking his own counsel in times of trouble and worrying of no-one's needs but his own. Of late, he had sought out company where he could; people to listen to his stories and far fetch tales of adventures across Africa and Asia. That was why, instead of heading directly to old Liu's office, Kojo decided to first call into the Medicine Department. He hoped Aiguo might still be there, and they could enjoy a drink together, as he told him about his journey across Africa with the ivory and the perils he faced to get here. Aiguo never spoke much, and Kojo liked that about him, there was never enough room in the conversation for them both to talk.

As he neared the entrance, Kojo could not see the guard. He was always there, day and night, running out to greet him even before he reached the gates. Kojo was almost disappointed at his absence. The guard was gruff but likeable, like a faithful old hound. He wondered where he might be.

The gates were closed, and on peering through the window of the small gatehouse, instead of the ever present guard, Kojo found a triad soldier lounging in a chair. He recognised him from his previous visits to the park and knew him to be cantankerous and lazy. He was asleep, and jumped up from his seat as the door opened, but soon settled back when he watched Kojo enter; balancing on the chairs back legs as he raised his feet again and placed them on the wall, barring Kojo's way.

"You're early. Meizhen Chen said you weren't to linger here, drinking and filling your fat gut. There has been a problem in Beijing and she wants the cargo loaded onto the ship tonight . Lei Wu will meet you at the docks."

The thought of rushing his long anticipated beverage, accompanied by the young man's disrespectful tone, infuriated Kojo. But so close to his goal, he held his temper in check.

"What problem?"

"The butcher has been talking to the police! Lei Wu found him out and was attacked in Beijing Airport this morning. We don't know everything Chang has told them yet, so Lei Wu is returning to the docks tonight to protect the cargo at all costs. Meizhen Chen is coming here to deal with Chang herself! He's locked up in the tiger's cage. Ha! I can't wait to see what she does to him. Have you seen her with a knife? She'll cut him slowly and...."

Kojo brushed past him, kicking the leg of the chair he sat on with his foot as he did so. The chair toppled backwards, sending the man sprawling onto his back. Kojo could hear him cursing as he stormed off towards the Medicine Department.

What his intentions were when he got there, Kojo had no idea. But he wanted to see Aiguo before Meizhen Chen arrived – before she flayed him alive and cut him to pieces. He wanted to speak with him one last time. What had Aiguo said? And to whom? A sense of panic gripped him as he hurried to the rear of the Medicines Department where a lone triad soldier stood smoking at the door.

"Where is Chang? I need to speak with him."

The guard flicked his head, indicating the door behind him and wisely stepped aside for Kojo to pass. Inside he found Aiguo, locked in a small cage and bound at the wrists and ankles. He was sobbing quietly, propped up with his back against the bars and his knees to his chin. He was barely recognisable. Bruising to his face had swollen it out of all proportion and blood from various cuts had dried across his head and body, turning his skin red and black. Dirt and straw from the cage floor stuck to the blood in places, giving Aiguo the appearance of a fairy tale monster.

Kojo opened the lock and entered the cage. Aiguo didn't move as Kojo knelt down beside him, but flinched at the sound of his voice when he spoke.

"Aiguo, it is Kojo. What has happened my friend?"

Tears began streaming down his face and it was a long time before Aiguo stirred. The words he spoke were strained, through cut lips and broken teeth. They bit deep into Kojo, filling him with pity.

"I didn't tell them about you, I swear it...only the microchip...please don't let them kill my family!"

"Who did you talk to?"

"Heather Walsh."

Kojo knew the name. The WIA had been dogging his every move for years, getting closer every time; but still they had not caught him.

Even though Aiguo had betrayed him, Kojo could not leave his friend like this. Meizhen Chen would indeed kill him and his family for what he had done; the triads were in a different league when it came to wanton violence. But he just couldn't walk away and leave him to suffer.

Maybe this is what needed to happen. The WIA closing down the triad operation and Kojo slipping away into the night to resume his business in Africa unhindered by Meizhen Chen in the future. But what about his money? The huge sums of cash promised to him might never then materialize. Would that be the price of his freedom?

For another few minutes, Kojo quizzed Aiguo on what he had done. Then, satisfied he was telling the truth, he made his decision.

"Listen my friend, if ever you are caught, I was not here. Do you understand? This I will do for you and no more."

Kojo drew his knife, cutting the bonds on Aiguo's arms and legs and helping him to his feet. He half carried him to the door, then rested him against a wall out of sight of the sentry. He studied the knife in his hand, affirming in his mind his actions before committing to them.

"Hey there!"

The sentry entered the building with a cigarette still in his mouth and hands in his pockets. This made it easy for Kojo, as he grabbed him by the hair and drew the razor sharp blade of the knife across his throat. He placed his foot in the small of the man's back and pushed him away. Blood sprayed across the floor as he fell forwards, where he silently squirmed on the ground and gripped at his fatal wound in a vain effort to hold back the floods of life giving blood leaving his body.

"Wait here for five minutes and then run for your life."

Kojo replaced the knife into its sheath and strode out of the building towards Liu's office. He was aware of the secret cameras hidden in the park and to anyone watching he had done nothing wrong – simply visit the doomed Chang to question him, before collecting his papers from Liu.

When he reached the office, Liu was there, hurriedly burning documents in a fire lit up in the corner of the room. With each handful of papers he fed into the hearth, the flames rose higher. Casting long shadows which flickered and moved with the flames.

"Is this the end then?"

Liu looked up from his work and raised a worried eyebrow.

"I don't know. Meizhen Chen said to destroy all the records. We don't know yet how much they know. The next shipment is still to go ahead though. It is loaded already, except what you have. It is too late to remove it and too valuable to abandon until we know more. Your papers are on my desk."

Kojo lifted the papers, folded them and placed them in his pocket. Then he walked over to the bar and poured himself a drink. His last taste of the cold American brew he thought, so he wanted to enjoy it. He took a seat in one of the chairs in front of the tiger skin rug and watched Liu at the fireplace. He checked the time and wondered if Aiguo had successfully escaped and, if he did, how his life might turn out.

"You should go, Kojo. Meizhen Chen will be here shortly and she is in a fury! Deliver the ivory and that might calm her for now. A small fortune is on that ship and we must see it safely away. Chang only knows of the animals, not where they go to from here. That shipment should be safe, if nothing else is."

Kojo downed what was left in his glass and stood to leave.

"Good Luck."

Old Liu didn't acknowledge his parting comment, he just continued to shove papers into the fire like his life depended on it.