‘If you haven’t found a body, then you have to assume Bakker is alive. And if Bakker is alive, someone’s holding him.’ Alasdair ‘Mac’ MacKenzie’s eyes lazily followed his girlfriend Baz around their shared room in Le Monde Guesthouse as she threw clothes into an open suitcase on the floor. He should have been packing too, but he’d stopped to take a quick call from Ginger Jameson.
‘What makes you say that?’ said Ginger.
‘He’s missing. You’re in Lash. It’s not like when a bloke goes AWOL in Blighty. At home it’s just a matter of working out which bar he’s holed up in or who he’s shagging. But Lash… no bars, no girls – there’s literally nowhere he could be. Ergo, someone’s got him.’
Baz held up two bikinis, one Dayglo orange, the other a multicoloured tropical print, each somehow smaller than the other.
‘Both,’ mouthed Mac. They were heading out to Dubai for two weeks R & R. Hot sand, cold beer and afternoon sex. Mac couldn’t wait.
‘Yeah, that’s what I reckoned, too,’ said Ginger. ‘I’ve got the local cop shop searching the city for him, but it’s not looking good.’
‘They’ll probably be less than useless. Have you seen the governor?’
‘Going over to his office in a minute.’
‘Good. He’ll have ears on the ground, and if you’re lucky he’ll know who’s got your man. If you’re even luckier, he’ll broker a deal to get him back – but it’ll depend on his relationship with whoever’s holding Bakker. I take it you haven’t had a ransom demand yet?’
‘Nothing.’
‘Listen, when they get in touch with you, the first thing to do is to demand a proof-of-life video. No point paying a ransom for a dead body.’
‘That’s part of the problem,’ said Ginger. ‘Well Diggers hasn’t got bloody K&R insurance.’
‘Christ, what sort of cheapskates are they? If you’ve got no ransom, you’re not going to get the guy back. Not unless one of the governments steps in with the cash.’
‘How likely is that?’
‘Not likely, but I think the EU might have some sort of secret slush fund for cases like this. Get your boss to put out feelers – there’s an EU delegation up here he can talk to.’
‘Cheers. I’ll tell him to get on it.’
Baz looked at him and tapped her watch meaningfully. Javid was supposed to be taking them to the airport in forty minutes and Mac hadn’t even started packing. He nodded at her. Time to wind up the call.
‘Thing is,’ said Ginger, ‘I could do with a hand on this. Someone who’s had a bit of experience in dealing with hostage situations.’
‘Sure, mate. Always at the end of the line for you. Call anytime.’
Baz glowered at him, and he gave an apologetic shrug.
‘Actually, I asked my boss. I’ve got budget for you to come down here, a bit more hands-on, so to speak. Given you’re between contracts, it’ll be a nice chunk of extra dosh.’
Two weeks of sun, sea and sex, or two weeks in Lash sorting out Ginger’s problem?
Mac sighed. ‘Any other time, Ginger, I’d jump on it. But I’m just off to Dubai with Baz. Haven’t had a proper break in over a year.’
There was a pause. Then, when Ginger spoke, Mac could hear an undercurrent of desperation in his tone. ‘I gotta tell you, Mac, I’m floundering here. I need this job to work out for me. Just a few days should sort it out. Then you’ll be on your way to sunny Dubai.’
‘Let me call you back.’ Mac hated what he was about to do.
‘There’s a Louis Berger flight to Lash taking off in a couple of hours…’
‘I’ll call you back.’
Baz was standing at the end of the bed, glaring down at him and shaking her head.
‘Don’t do it, Mac,’ she said, her voice barely louder than a whisper. He knew how much she’d been looking forward to this holiday. Their first holiday together as a couple.
Mac rubbed a hand over his mouth and chin, as if it could stop him from saying what he was about to say.
Baz’s eyes filled with tears. ‘Bastard,’ she said, but without real venom.
‘I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, love.’ Mac got up from the bed and pulled her into a hug. ‘But I’ve got to go, just for a few days. Ginger’s a mate and he’s in trouble. One of the guys he works for has been kidnapped. A man’s life is on the line.’
Baz sniffed and nodded her understanding.
‘Listen, it should only take a couple of days, and I’ll get the next LB flight back here and come straight on to Dubai. You go ahead – you can do the shops without me trailing around behind you. We’ll still have the better part of a week and a half.’
‘I’ll stay here till you get back. Then we’ll go together.’
‘Whatever you prefer,’ said Mac. She knew the score. She’d been out here in Afghanistan for as long as he had, covering the war on terror as a reporter for the Baltimore Sun. When your mate needed you, you dropped everything – even your first holiday with the hottest girl on the planet.
‘I’ll rearrange the tickets and the hotel,’ she said, ‘so let me know soon as you can when you’re flying back up.’
Mac called Ginger back.
‘On my way, so secure a seat on that flight.’
‘Thank Christ,’ said Ginger. ‘You take off at midday. I’ll owe you for this, big time.’
‘Yes, you bloody will, you bastard. See you this afternoon.’
Fourteen days until his new contract started. Four days in Lash, ten days in Dubai. That was plenty long enough for a holiday.