Recoil

10

It rang and rang, but eventually I got a sleepy ‘What?’

‘It’s Nick – Nick Stone. I need your help, mate. You got Lex’s sat phone number? Or Hendrika’s – you know, the one you gave me?’

He was wide awake now. ‘I told you, we’re quits. I don’t want anything—’

‘Wait, Dave, wait. There’s people in the shit here. Women. Kids . . .’ I couldn’t waste time or battery explaining; I hoped my tone would tell him all he needed to know. ‘I’m with Sam. It’s life and death.’

‘Quits, I said. Fuck off.’

‘Listen, I’m sorry about what happened. I was angry, and I’m sorry. But I’ve got people here who are going to be dead soon unless you help. Somebody’s kids, somebody’s grandchildren, for fuck’s sake.’ I was trying desperately to think of a hook to get him beyond his anger. ‘I’ve got a kid here with RPG fragmentation, Dave. We need help . . .’ I shoved the phone near the boy, who didn’t let me down. Especially once Tim had squeezed his damaged arm.

I walked away slowly, so the whining stayed in the background. ‘I’ve got nine kids here, mate. I don’t want them on my conscience. I’m sure you don’t want them on yours . . .’

There was a pause. I could almost hear his fingers tapping the calculator as he worked out a price per head for the rescue. But he surprised me. ‘I’ll get you the number.’

It was going to take him ages to pull himself out of bed and make his way down to his office. ‘I’ll call back in ten, OK?’

I closed down and hit the ‘numbers called’ register. There was only one. I hit it.

Engaged. Shit, he was still alive. He was phoning Lex, had to be.

I called to Silky: ‘Go next door. There’s paper on the floor, and crayons. I need some quick. Here—’ I threw her the torch.

I tried Standish again, but he was still engaged.

Tim looked at me while he rocked the bag of bones that lay alongside him. He mumbled to the boy, trying to comfort him and apologize to him at the same time.

Silky ran back in with two torn sheets of paper and a crayon.

I took the torch from her and put it into my mouth, then dropped to my knees. As I called Hereford again, I looked at Sunday’s drawings. They showed exactly what Crucial and Sam had said they would. Matchstick men; blood, death, weapons. And after this drama, the rest of them out there would be doing more of the same. But at least they’d have the chance to draw, instead of being face down in the mud.

Crazy Dave answered. ‘I’ve got his Iridium.’

I crayoned down the number. My saliva dribbled down the torch on to the page. I took it out of my mouth as soon as I’d finished. ‘Dave. I’m sorry, mate. Thank you.’

‘Yeah, yeah, right.’ He closed down.

I hit Lex’s number straight away.

Within three rings, he was yelling down the line over the engine drone I knew so well. ‘What you want now? I told you – first light – I can’t do anything until first light. I’m over two and a half hours away, man.’

‘Lex, it’s Nick – Nick Stone. Sam’s mate.’

‘Hey, you survived – good shit, man.’ It was almost like two old friends reunited after years apart. ‘Miles made it too. He’s on his way to the strip. He wants me to attack the mine and wipe out those fucking animals, then pick him up at the strip. We’ll wait for you, man. How long you—’

‘Stop. Whatever he said is bollocks. Do not attack the mine, repeat, do not attack. Sam, Crucial, me – we’re still alive. We’re still at the mine. Standish has fucked off and left us to it.’

‘Bateman and Tooley?’

‘Dead. Standish killed Bateman when he tried to stop him running. We’ve also got two Mercy Flight people here, and nine kids. None of the patrol’s left. We’re in the shit, Lex. We got two stretcher cases and—’

Lex didn’t want to know all the waffle. ‘He killed Bateman and left you?’

‘Shot him down, then did a runner.’

His voice vibrated with anger. ‘He’s just told me you’re all dead.’

‘Well, you can hear me talking, mate.’

‘I was coming in to kill you all at first light, then . . . He’s killing his own fucking people!’

‘Lex, we need you to give us fire support with those twenty-three-millimetres of yours, soon as you can. What’s left of the LRA are going to hit us again, most probably at first light.’

‘Who’s paying for the fuel and ammunition now?’

‘For fuck’s sake! I will. Or have another game of crazy golf with Sam. Whatever, are you going to come or not?’

‘I’ll be there. I’ll need a marker to get me on line and for fire control.’

‘Done. I’ll give the fire-control orders when you’re overhead.’

Lex sounded very calm now, the sort of calm that’s one step away from dangerous. ‘I’m going to call that fucking shit right now and tell him he can rot in the jungle. You never desert men in the field.’

‘Mate, do you use caller ID?’

‘Of course not, man.’

‘So he’ll answer when I call?’

There was a short silence, then he started to laugh.

Standish answered within one and a half rings. ‘Get straight in there and rake the area. Kill those fuckers who killed the team.’

I took a breath. ‘Don’t worry, he’s going to – but I don’t think he’ll be picking you up. In fact, he wants you to rot in the jungle, you fucking shit. And the only reason I’m hoping you don’t is that I want to give you a little something from Bateman.’

The phone went dead.