Cross Country Part 5

Chapter 98.

AROUND MIDNIGHT, ADANNE led me to a small bedroom where I'd be staying in the rear of the house. She touched my arm, came in behind me, and sat down on the bed.I could see she was still in a playful mood, still smiling, a different person from the one who had taken me to Darfur a few days ago, and very different from the suspicious, serious-faced reporter I'd met in her office."They like you, Alex, especially my mother and sister-in-law. I can't see why. I don't get it."I laughed. "I guess I fooled them. They'll catch on to me soon.""Exactly right. Just what I was going to say. So now, we're thinking the same thoughts, I see. So-what are you thinking at this moment? Tell me the truth, Alex."I didn't have a very good answer for Adanne. Well, actually I did, but I didn't want to say it out loud. But then I did anyway."I think there's an attraction between us, but we have to let it go.""That's probably right, Alex. Or maybe not."She leaned in and kissed me on the cheek and held her lips there for a few seconds. She smelled nicely of soap, clean and fresh.Adanne looked up into my eyes and she was still smiling. She had perfect white teeth. "I just want to lie here with you for a while. Can we do that? Just be here together without any more intimacy than that? What do you think? Can we do it two nights in a row?"I finally kissed Adanne back, on the lips, but I didn't hold the kiss for very long."I'd like that," I told her."Me too," she said. "I have love in my heart for you. It's just a crush, I think. Don't say anything, Alex. Don't spoil this, whatever it is."I didn't. We held on to each other until sleep took us both. I'm not sure if it took us farther away or closer together that night, but nothing happened for either of us to regret.Or maybe I would come to regret that nothing happened.

Chapter 99.

THE NEXT MORNING, Adanne was up early, making coffee and fresh-squeezed juice for everyone. Then she volunteered to drive me to my meeting with Flaherty. She was more serious and businesslike now, the way I'd seen her away from her family."Why are you wearing a dumb tie?" she asked. "You look like a downtown lawyer. Or a banker. Ugh.""I have no idea," I told her and smiled. Now I was the one smiling all the time. "It's another Nigerian mystery, I guess.""You're the mystery," she said. "I think so.""You're not alone in that."She stopped the car in front of the bank on Broad Street."Be careful, Alex." She gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. "It is dangerous out there, more than ever."Then I hopped out of the car and gave a wave, and she was off. I decided immediately not to think about her, but thenI was thinking about nothing else but Adanne-her smile, last night at her house, things that we didn't do.Flaherty! I reminded myself. What the h.e.l.l does he want from me?The CIA man was nowhere to be seen, though. I waited about twenty minutes, just long enough to start getting paranoid, when his Peugeot skidded up to the curb.He threw open the door on my side. "C'mon, let's go. I don't have time to waste." When I got in, I saw there was a blue folder on the seat and picked it up."What's this?"Flaherty looked dirty and sweaty and totally stressed out, more weaselly than usual. He pulled away and started driving. Typical of him, he didn't bother to answer my question.So I opened the file. It was just a single photocopied form with a pa.s.sport-size picture of a young boy stapled to it."Adoption papers?""Orphanage records. That's your Tiger. His name is Abi-demi Sowande. Born Lagos, nineteen seventy-two, to wealthy parents. Both of them died when he was seven years old, no living relatives. Apparently little Abi wasn't exactly the picture of mental health. He ended up on a ward for a year after that. When he came out, the old family fortune was gone.""What happened to it?"Flaherty shrugged, and a little smoke from his cigarette got into his eye. He squinted and rubbed at it."Sowande was supposed to get transferred to state care, but somewhere between hospital and orphanage, he disappeared. He was a bright boy apparently. High IQ anyway. He spent two years at university in England. Then he disappeared until a few years ago here. That's it, all I have. No further record of any kind until now. We think he might have worked as a mercenary."I stared at the picture in my hand. Could this boy be the man I'd seen in Darfur? The killer of so many people here and in Was.h.i.+ngton? Ellie's murderer?"How do we even know it's him?" I asked."The dead guy in Sudan-Mohammed Shol? We got a source says he was bragging about doing business with 'the Tiger,' supposedly knew a thing or two about him. It seemed like a long shot, but then someone dug up this record and we got a print match to the crime scene at Shol's. Sweet, right?""I don't know," I said, holding up the folder. "I mean, really, what am I supposed to do with this? Seems a little convenient all of a sudden."Flaherty glared over at me and swerved out of his lane."Jesus, Cross, how much help do you want here?""Help?" I said. I wanted to hit him. "You hang me out to dry, then show up and give me the name of someone who doesn't seem to exist anymore? Possibly a mercenary, but who knows? Is that the kind of help you mean?""This is gravy, Detective. I told you not to count on me from day one.""No, you told me that on day four-after I spent three nights in jail."

Chapter 100.

FLAHERTY ANGRILY FLICKED his lit b.u.t.t out the window and wiped the sweat off his face. "Do you even know why you're not dead yet? It's because everyone thinks you're CIA, and we let them think it. We've been babysitting you. I've been babysitting you. Don't bother to thank me."I clenched my hands several times, trying to cap my anger. It wasn't just Flaherty's arrogance getting to me, or his condescension. It was this entire case. The Tiger was worse than any of the serial killers I had ever arrested-so why was he allowed to roam free here?I looked over at Flaherty. "What is it you do, exactly-for the agency?""I service the copiers at the emba.s.sy," he said, deadpan.Then he lit another cigarette and blew out smoke. "Actually, I'm on record here as CIA. Okay by you?""Fair enough. How about this, then? Why aren't you on the Tiger's case yourself? Why pa.s.s me information instead of running with it? Abidemi Sowande is a murderer. You know that."Something about the debate, just getting it out in the open, I guess, was diffusing the tension in the car. Plus, I was on a roll."For that matter, why in G.o.d's name am I wearing this stupid tie?"For the first time, Flaherty smiled."Ah," he said. "That's one I can answer."

Chapter 101.

AN HOUR LATER, I was in the waiting room at an executive suite on the thirtieth floor of Unilight International's administrative offices in Ikeja. I knew that Unilight was one of the most successful packaged goods company in the world, but that was about it.Glossy pictures of Lubra Soap and Oral Toothpaste hung on the walls, and I was trying to figure out exactly what I was doing here. Flaherty had dropped me out front with a business card and a floor number. "Willem de Bues wants to meet you, and you want to meet him.""Dr. Cross?" A receptionist called over to where I was sitting. "The director will see you now."I was shown down a hallway to a double door, which she opened for me, into a huge corner office with floor-to-ceiling windows.Stranger and stranger. What did a successful multinational corporation have to do with a murder case?A ma.s.sive desk sat at an angle to the door with two comfortable chairs opposite it. A pair of tufted leather couches took up another corner, where two men in dark suits, white s.h.i.+rts, and clubby ties were just standing up."Dr. Cross," the taller of them said. A white man with close-cropped blond hair and heavy-framed rectangular gla.s.ses came over and shook my hand."I'm Willem de Bues." His accent was Dutch-I think. He motioned to the other man. "This is Thomas La.s.siter, an attorney with our legal department.""Nice to meet you," I said, not quite sure yet if that was true or not. How could I know? I half expected to be beaten up and to have my nose broken next."It's our understanding you've been following a local man known as the Tiger," de Bues said, throwing me for a loop. What could this businessman possibly have to do with a killer for hire?"That's right," I said. "I came here from Was.h.i.+ngton, where he had committed a couple of savage murders. Savage by our standards anyway.""Then, we might have something to talk about. Sit down," Mr. de Bues said. It was clear he was used to giving orders."Your reputation as a policeman precedes you, of course. Your record for solving difficult cases.""How about you tell me what this is about first? And why your attorney is here."De Bues's demeanor didn't crack. In fact, he smiled."We'd like to help you find the Tiger. And, given that this is a rather... irregular situation, I want to make certain that I don't say, or offer, anything illegal in this meeting. Is that honest enough for you? Please, sit down, Detective. Sit."

Chapter 102.

"WHY WOULD YOU want to help a murder investigation?" I asked. I was genuinely curious."Unilight International has a considerable interest in Nigeria. Our cosmetics and skin-care business alone has grown enough to justify the expansion we have planned in the southeast. This is true of many multinationals, not just the oil companies.""In the Delta?" I asked."Port Harcourt, yes. And, of course, Lagos. Whatever relations.h.i.+p we now have with local factions seems to be irrelevant to some of the Islamic extremist organizations that are now moving into the region.""Are you saying the Tiger is Islamic? Because that's news to me.""No, I have no idea about that. I doubt that he's a religious man. But it's no secret he deals in goods that bankroll these groups - conflict diamonds, lifted crude, that sort of thing. Essentially, he creates inroads for them and makes life more difficult for all foreign corporations. And, as I'm sure you know, Tiger is the local term for 'killer for hire.'""And you want somebody to help you get the killer, or killers, out of your way?"De Bues looked over at his lawyer, who nodded, and then answered. "We want to help with your criminal investigation, that's all. We're the good guys here, Dr.,Cross. Just like you. This is not a 'conspiracy,' like in one of the Bourne movies.""Why not go through the local authorities?"He smiled again, that nonsmile of his. "You condescend to me, Dr. Cross. The political situation, as we both know, is complex here. It is fair to say that civil war is almost inevitable for Nigeria, but war is like fire, yes? Even as it burns something away, it leaves fertile ground."It seemed like every day in Africa, I was falling a little farther through the looking gla.s.s. This conversation was turning out to be no exception. The CIA had directed me to a multinational corporation-or maybe a clique of them-for help in a brutal murder case?I stood up. "Thank you for the offer, Mr. de Bues. I need to think about it."De Bues followed me to the door. "Please, Dr. Cross." He held out a business card. "At least take my number. We do want to help you.""Thanks," I said and left it at that.De Bues shook his head as I walked to his door. "You don't understand, do you? This part of the world is about to explode. And if it does, Africa could go the way of the Middle East. That is the key to your murder case, sir."

Chapter 103.

FRUSTRATED AND CONFUSED more than ever, I took a car service to Adanne's office. Then we drove to her parents' house, brainstorming about the case, Unilight's involvement, and the Tiger's whereabouts.My next stop would be to check local records-schools, hospitals, crime reports-any instance of an Abidemi Sowande from 1981 to the present.Adanne had good suggestions for getting access to state-level information. She wasn't surprised that the multinationals were frightened and looking for help anywhere they could find it."Maybe your murder investigation is heating up," she said. "It feels like it to me.""Yes, to me too."Adanne took my hand and that was a distraction I needed."If you're good," she said, "I might even sleep with you again tonight."I leaned in and kissed her cheek and wondered how much longer I could be good around Adanne."Remember Alex, I know what you're thinking. I'm probably thinking the same thing."It wasn't until we came around the corner onto her parents' street that we realized something Was wrong."Oh, no" she groaned. "Oh, no, oh, no."Adanne stopped her car at the top of the block. At least half a dozen police and fire units were parked at urgent angles to one another in front of her parents' home. Hose lines snaked from the street through the open gate, and black smoke billowed up from behind the wall.Adanne clawed at the seat-belt release until the strap flew away. "My G.o.d, my G.o.d! Oh, my G.o.d!""Adanne, wait a minute," I said and tried to grab and hold her back.But she was already out of the car and running toward her parents' house. She was screaming in a full voice.And then I was running too.

Chapter 104.

I CAUGHT UP to Adanne just shy of the gate to the house. I grabbed her and picked her up. Her legs kicked off the ground and she struggled against me, reaching toward the gate even as I pulled her away from it."Adanne," I said. "You don't want to go in there and see. Trust me, please."The house was still burning but it was mostly a ghastly, black skeleton of itself. From where we were, Adanne and I could see straight through to the back of the property. The roof was already completely gone.The driveway and lawn were littered with smoking black debris. Clearly, there had been an explosion. It looked as though it might have been a firebombing.When I saw two small lumps under sheets on the lawn, I grabbed Adanne tighter and pressed her head into my chest. The bodies had to be the twins, poor little James and Calvin. Adanne knew this too, and she was crying softly in my arms.A police officer ran by and I caught his attention. "How many were inside?"He looked me over before answering any questions. "Are you family? Who are you? Why do you want to know?""This is her parents' house. I'm a friend. She's Adanne Tansi.""Three adults, two children," he said. He looked at Adanne, then back at me, and shook his head no. No survivors.A deep shudder went through Adanne and then she began to sob. She was saying something; maybe it was a prayer. I couldn't make out the words or even the language she was speaking."I need to talk to your commander," I said to the patrolman standing with us."About what?""CIA," was what I said next.The policeman opened his mouth again, but I cut him off. "Just get your commander. Get him over here right now."As he walked away, I spoke softly against Adanne's forehead. "I'm here. You're not alone." She continued to sob in my arms, s.h.i.+vering like she was freezing cold in the ninety-degree heat.I watched the commander approach, a tall, broad-backed man in a dark suit. I couldn't hear anything over the fire crew and the hiss of water jets, but I didn't need to.I knew his face - the flat nose, those round cheeks, that idiotic Mike Tyson squint of his. The last time I'd seen it, he had been dangling me out a hotel window.

Chapter 105.

"ADANNE, LISTEN TO me!" I was already pus.h.i.+ng her back toward the car. "It's not safe for us here. We have to go right now. That man, the policeman, he almost killed me at my hotel."She nodded and seemed to understand, and then we were walking quietly. I got her up the block to her car and into the pa.s.senger seat. "We have to go."When I reached the driver's side, I could see the police commander through the winds.h.i.+eld. He'd picked his way through the knot of emergency vehicles in front of the house. Then he broke into a run, heading straight for us. Two other men came running with him. I thought that I recognized one of them as the other man who'd come into my hotel room and tried to scare me out of the country."Adanne, fasten your seat belt! We have to get out of here. Right now.'"I put the car in reverse and checked over my shoulder. The intersection behind me was too busy; I couldn't wait for the traffic to clear, though.So I changed my mind.I s.h.i.+fted into drive and drove right at the approaching cops. I began to blare the horn, hitting the wheel again and again.Adanne's car was only a little Ford Escort, but I caught the cops off guard. I floored it and stayed the course directly at the men. The "commander" didn't budge from his path.At the last second, I braked hard, but I still struck him. His eyes looked huge with fear-probably the same way mine did when I was hanging out that hotel window.Now I threw the small car sharply in reverse. He took one of the winds.h.i.+eld wipers with him as he flew off and rolled into the street.I backed all the way up to the corner and spun the wheel hard to face the other direction. A horn blared as an Audi wagon clipped the car, nearly shearing off the rear b.u.mper.I picked a direction arbitrarily and punched those four cylinders for all they were worth."Where are we going?" Adanne sat up a little straighter, almost like she was coming out of a trance."Into the city," I told her.If there was one thing Lagos might be good for, it was crowds we could get lost in.

Chapter 106.

"ADANNE?" I REACHED over and held on to her shoulder. "We have to get away from here. The policeman back there-when I was staying in Lagos-he nearly killed me. I'm sure it's the same man. It's all connected somehow, it has to be."Adanne didn't argue with me. She just nodded and pointed to the right."Turn here for the Mainland Bridge. It's the best way, Alex. We'll go through Benin.""Hold on tight, brace yourself!""It's too late for that, way too late."I took the turn-without slowing down. We came out onto a wide boulevard lined with low-slung stucco shops, open lots, and old dusty cars and trucks. A freestanding billboard advertised Grace of Light Church, with an ill.u.s.tration of a woman in a choir robe, eyes on the sky and arms open to G.o.d.But it certainly wasn't G.o.d that I heard next.It was the deafening chop of a helicopter, loud and very close to the roof of the Escort.They'd found us already.They were on top of us, right over our heads."It's the police!" said Adanne. "They'll kill us, Alex. I know things they don't want in any newspaper."

Chapter 107.

I CRANED MY neck to see what was up, literally. The small bird with white struts was almost directly overhead. There were no police markings, and the low alt.i.tude was another bad sign.The pilot was being increasingly reckless and didn't seem to care about the safety of people down on the street, or about his own well-being, for that matter.The Mainland Bridge was still a mile or so off. I scanned the area for any kind of cover-parking garage, construction site. There was nothing obvious, nowhere for us to hide from the helicopter.What was worse, within a few blocks I saw lights in my mirror-red-and-blue spinners, at least three cruisers moving very fast, gaining on us."s.h.i.+t! That's definitely police.""I'm serious, Alex. They'll kill us if they catch us. I'm not being paranoid.""I believe you. But why, Adanne?""Alex, I know terrible things. I'm writing a story about it. I have to tell somebody what I found out.""Tell me," I said.In the next frantic few minutes, that's what Adanne did; she told me secrets that she hadn't shared before. One of the secrets was that Ellie c.o.x had visited her in Lagos. They had shared sources and information. They had talked about Abidemi Sowande-the Tiger. And the group that he worked for."Alex, he is one of the most dangerous mercenaries in the world."I sped up and weaved through the traffic as best I could. But when I checked the mirror again, the police cars were still close. I was a little numb from hearing what Adanne knew about the Tiger and so much more. I still couldn't believe that she and Ellie had met.Suddenly Adanne grabbed my arm. "Alex!" she shouted. "There!"A police car had hopped the curb from a vacant lot on the left and was pulling across our path right now.I jammed down on the brakes - too late.The Escort skidded and caught the cruiser broadside.Our front end folded right in on itself, as if it were made of molding clay. No wonder Ford was losing market share.My chest hit the steering column hard, and I saw Adanne's head smack the winds.h.i.+eld.Already the other police cruiser was right behind us, siren screeching, spinners going like crazy."Adanne?" I sat her up and saw that her forehead was swabbed in red. She raised her eyebrows and blinked several times."You all right?" I asked."I think so. Don't tell them anything, Alex. More people will die. Don't tell them a thing I told you. Do you promise? Alex?"

Chapter 108.

BLUE-UNIFORMED COPS WERE running up on either side of our car. When they threw open the doors and grabbed at us, Adanne came out easily. I was a lot more work for them.When I was finally pulled from the front seat, I came up swinging, crunching a straight right fist into somebody's chin. It felt good.Then two of them flung me down hard onto the pavement. That didn't feel so good. Something popped in my shoulder.Jesus!My arm flew up reflexively, and a wave of pain crashed over me, even as I felt the joint slip back into place. I wasn't sure if I could move the arm again, though. How could I fight them now?The police were yelling on all sides, at least four of them screaming in a mishmash of languages I couldn't understand.Then one of them fired his service revolver into the air to make his point crystal clear.Adanne was shouting too. "I'm with the Guardianl I'm a reporter. Press!"I could see under the car to where she was lying facedown on the other side. There were pairs of black shoes moving all around her. Then a pistol was pointed at her head.But that didn't stop her from yelling at them. "Adanne Tansi! I'm with the Guardian]"She shouted it over and over, not just for them, but for anyone who could hear in the neighborhood. We had already stopped traffic on both sides of the street.With any luck, Adanne had just gone from anonymous suspect to known ent.i.ty. It was a good move - especially given her state of mind after what had happened at her parents' house.I saw two of the cops who were standing over me exchange a look. One reached down to pull my hands back and cuff me. When he did, my shoulder felt like it was being torn in half.Then I was punched and kicked in the small of the back. Everything was getting hazy and surreal again in a hurry. I couldn't let myself black out."Alex!" Adanne's voice came again. "Alex! I'm over here! Alex!"I turned my head to look for her. The heel of a shoe came down on my cheek and temple. But I saw her anyway. The police were dragging her away. Past a standard cruiser-to an unmarked black sedan.Going where?"She's with the Guardlan!" I yelled at the top of my voice. "She's with the Guardian! She's press!"Adanne kicked and twisted, and I tried to roll the two cops off my back.But it was too little too late. Adanne was still shouting when they stuffed her into the black sedan, slammed the door, and drove off in a hurry.

Chapter 109.

A FEVERED VOICE inside my head was screaming for me to help Adanne, but I knew I should think things through before I tried anything.I had no idea, and no way to find out, if the car they had put me in was following Adanne's. I was in a police unit, though. Small and cramped by DC standards. Smelling strongly of tobacco and sweat and somebody's urine. Were these men policemen?I sat sideways on a ripped vinyl seat in back. My hands were cuffed, and a rusted metal security grate was a few inches from my face. My shoulder throbbed and I was afraid it was broken. But that was the least of my worries right now. What I cared about most was Adanne and what was happening to her."Where did they take her?" I asked. The two uniforms in front wouldn't even turn to look at me. I couldn't provoke them."Talk to me. Tell me where we're going," I demanded to know.Then I saw for myself, and it couldn't have been any worse.The first thing I recognized was the signpost at the turn-off for Kirikiri. Then the familiar concrete walls and razor wire crisscrossing the top.Oh h.e.l.l, no.I felt like I'd fallen into some kind of h.e.l.l on earth. Going in here the first time had been bad enough, but heading back when I knew what to expect?It took the two cops and two more prison guards to get me out of the car and inside the jail.I thought they would drag me up to the wards-but we went down instead. Down couldn't be good. Where was Adanne? Was she here too?My feet b.u.mped over stone steps, then onto the compacted dirt floor of a barely lit corridor. It looked and smelled like the cell block upstairs, but when we pa.s.sed through one of the reinforced steel doors, I saw they all opened onto the same enormous s.p.a.ce.There was a low ceiling that dripped some kind of sludge, and a row of retrofitted support columns ran right down the middle of the room. They extended into deep shadows on either side.A blank s.p.a.ce. For torture? Interrogation? Execution?Everything was left to the imagination-on purpose, I was sure.The police and guards left me there, with my hands cuffed tightly behind my back, secured around one of the posts. The column was rusted steel, about four inches thick, and going nowhere. Just like me.I stopped struggling as soon as they walked away. Better to save my strength, I figured.I didn't know who wanted me here-the Tiger? The police? The government?Someone else?A multinational corporation, for G.o.d's sake? Maybe that was it. Anything was possible here.If I was extraordinarily lucky, Flaherty would come looking for me again; and if I was even luckier, he'd be able to find me down here. But that could take days, and then more time to find Adanne.If she was still alive.If they hadn't gotten the secrets out of her.If...if...if...

Chapter 110.

A LIGHT CAME on... two lights actually.Quickly, one after the other.I didn't know how many hours had pa.s.sed. Or what time of day it was. I knew that I hadn't slept.The man I now thought of as the police commander, the one I'd hit with Adanne's car, stood by one of the doors.His hand was still on the wall switch. Two single-bulb fixtures shone brightly overhead. They weren't meant to be easy on the eyes, or the brain, or the soul."Tell me what you know about the Tiger," he said as he strode forward. I noticed he'd changed suits-and that there was a rectangle of gauze taped to his forehead."Where's Adanne Tansi?" I said."Don't make me cross, Cross." The commander chuckled softly; he'd been a jacka.s.s joker the last time too, I remembered. The accent was Yoruban and the voice was calm. Too calm. He had more self-control than I would have thought he should, given that I'd tried to run him over and put tire marks on his ugly face."Just tell me if she's alive," I said. "That's all 1 need to hear from you.""She's alive. Somewhat." He spread his hands. "Now-the killer you chased here? What do you know? Are you CIA? Or are you working with her? The reporter?"At least he wanted something from me. Quid pro quo was better than nothing, I guess."There are lots of Tigers, killers for hire," I said. "You know that. The one I'm after is physically large. He operates internationally, with teams in Lagos and Was.h.i.+ngton at the very least. I believe his name is Sowande."As of two days ago, he was in South Darfur. I don't know where the h.e.l.l he is now." I paused and stared into his eyes."I'm not CIA, definitely not CIA. Tell me where she is."His shoulders barely shrugged. "She's here. At Kirikiri. No need to worry about her. She's close by. Look! Look at that. There she is now. The news reporter is here."

Chapter 111.

A POLICE OFFICER I didn't recognize was pus.h.i.+ng Adanne into the room. She shuffled ahead of him, with a wad of tape over her mouth. Blood streaked both her cheeks.Her braids had been cut short; they stuck out at angles from her head. One of her eyes was swollen shut and colored blue-black. She saw me and nodded that she was okay. I didn't believe it for a second."Now maybe there's more that you can tell me," the commander said. "Something I don't already know about the Tiger. Why did you come here? Not to solve a murder case. Why would I believe that? How do you know Adanne Tansi?"I began to shout at him. "What the h.e.l.l is the matter with you? I'm a cop, just like you. I'm investigating a murder case.It's that simple."The cuffs tore at my wrists. Then the pain in my shoulder turned to nausea. I thought I was going to throw up.The commander nodded once at the cop who'd brought in Adanne. The underling threw a hard uppercut into her stomach. I felt the cruel blow in my own body.Adanne groaned behind the tape and fell to her knees. The dirt on her face was streaked with tears, but she wasn't crying now. She was watching me. Blood from her mouth was turning the tape red. Her eyes were pleading. But for what?"Why are you doing this?" I spit between clenched teeth. I could imagine my hands around his throat. "My friend was killed in Was.h.i.+ngton. That's why I'm here. That's all there is. I'm not part of some conspiracy.""Take the tape off her mouth," the commander ordered.The guard ripped it away and Adanne said, "Alex, don't worry about me."The commander turned to the cop. "Again. Hit her." He turned back to me. "Alex! Worry about her.""Okay!" I cut him off. "The Tiger's name is Abidemi Sowande. He disappeared in nineteen eighty-one, when he was nine years old, turned up in England at a university for two years, and hasn't used that ident.i.ty since."He's murdered a lot of people, here and in America. He uses wild boys. He may control other Tigers. That's all I know. That's everything I have. You know about the diamonds, the gasoline, the illegal trading."The commander kept his hand in the air to hold off the next punch. "You're sure that's it?""I'm sure, G.o.ddammit! I'm just a cop from Was.h.i.+ngton, DC. Adanne has nothing to do with this."He squinted, thinking about it, and then seemed satisfied. His hand came down slowly. "I should kill you anyway," he said. "But that's not my choice."Then I heard another voice in the room. "No, that would be my choice, Detective Cross."

Chapter 112.

A MAN STEPPED out of the shadows, a large man-the mercenary soldier known as the Tiger. The one I'd been chasing."No one seems to know much about me. That's good, don't you think? I want to keep it that way. She writes stories in newspapers, the London Times, maybe the New York Times. You get in the way a lot."He walked over to me. "Unbelievable," he said. "Some people fear you, eh? Not me. I find you to be a funny man. Big joke. The joke is on you, Detective Cross."My body eased just a fraction. He didn't seem angry, and he wasn't concerned about me, but he was huge, and muscle-bound, as fierce as any man I'd ever seen.Then, with his eyes still on me, he said, "Shoot her. Wait. No, no. Give me a gun.""NO!" I yelled.That's all I got out. Adanne's good eye flew open and she found me in this unbelievable nightmare we were sharing.The Tiger took a quick step forward. "Pretty girl," he said. "Stupid b.i.t.c.h. Dead woman! You did this to her, Cross. You did this, not me."Blam.Blam.

Chapter 113.

HE HAD FIRED a police service revolver close to her head. Twice. He missed on purpose, and he laughed merrily at the prank."People find it difficult to believe that a black man can be clever and intelligent. Have you found that to be true, Doctor Cross? How about you, Adanne?"She didn't answer, but she spit at him. "Murderer," she said."One of the best-and proud of my accomplishments."Then he fired a third shot, right between Adanne's eyes. Her body lurched forward, and she landed facedown on the ground. Her arms spread out like wings. Adanne didn't move.As fast as that, as insane, she was gone. Adanne was dead in this horrid jail cell, murdered by the Tiger as the police looked on and did nothing to stop him.Rage poured out of me. There were no words for what I was feeling. A cord tightened around my throat, another around my forehead.Don't worry about me, Adanne had said. She knew they were going to kill her; she knew it all the time.Her killer stood over her and he watched me. Then he grinned. He dropped his trousers, went down on his knees, and committed his final outrage against Adanne."Pretty girl," he growled. "You did this to her. Never forget that, Detective. Never."

Chapter 114.

ALEX, DON'T WORRY about me.Don't worry about me.Don't worry.Night had become morning somehow, and I was still alive. I could see that it was light through the black fabric of a hood they made me wear. What's more, I was being moved.The neck cord kept me oxygen hungry and weak as they dragged me outside. They threw me like cargo into the backseat of a truck or van, a vehicle with a high step and a diesel engine.Then we drove for a long time. I kept my eyes open inside the hood. Still, all I could see in my mind was the last moment when Adanne was alive, and then...The Tiger had killed her, and worse. He thought I was a joke. He said I was no threat to him. Just another policeman. We'd see.If I lived through the next few hours or so.As the ride continued, I prayed for Adanne and for her family. I told them, in my own way, that this wasn't over yet. Not that it mattered to them. But it did to me. I wondered why I was still alive. It made no sense to me. Another mystery.When we finally stopped, car doors opened on either side of me. Now what?Somebody shoved my head down into the seat. The cuffs were roughly removed. Powerful hands pressed into the small of my back and pushed hard. "You go home now. Go.'"I went flying through the air-but only for a few seconds of uncertainty and terror.Then I landed on stone or cement. By the time I'd gotten up and untied the hood, they were gone, out of sight, whoever had brought me here.They had dropped me on a side street next to an official-looking building, the sort of white stone box you might find in downtown DC.I could see through an iron fence and across a manicured front lawn to a gatehouse out front.An American flag flew above it, flapping in a light breeze.This was the American consulate. Had to be. The emba.s.sy was in Abuja. That must be where I was now.But why?

Chapter 115.

SOMETHING WAS GOING on here at the consulate. Something big. And dangerous-looking. Hundreds of people were gathered in the streets outside the front gates. Actually, it looked like there were two separate crowds. Half of them were lined up like they were waiting to get in. The other half, on the opposite side of a concrete barrier, were demonstrating against the United States.I saw hand-lettered placards that read US PAYS THE PRICE,and DELTA PEOPLE, DELTA RULE, and NO MORE AMERICANS.Even from a distance, I could tell it was the kind of scene that could turn ugly, or violent, at any time. I didn't wait around for that to happen.I walked around the corner, and leading with my good shoulder, I started pus.h.i.+ng through the crowd. People on both sides grabbed at me, either because I was cutting in line or, maybe, because I looked like an American. The shouting on the street side blocked out any other noise around me.One guy got hold of my s.h.i.+rt. He ripped it all the way down the back before I knocked his arm away.The s.h.i.+rt didn't matter to me. Nothing did anymore. Once again I wondered why I was still alive. Because they thought I was CIA? Because I had friends in Was.h.i.+ngton? Or maybe because they finally believed I was a cop?I made my way to the main gate. Standing there, filthy and barefoot, with no pa.s.sport to show, I told the double-chinned marine who got in my face that my name was Alex Cross, I was an American police officer, and I had to speak with the amba.s.sador right away.The marine didn't want to hear it, not a word."I was kidnapped. I'm an American cop," I told him. "I just witnessed a murder."Out of the side of his mouth the marine muttered, "Take a number."

Chapter 116.

I WAS GOING more than a little crazy now, but I had to hold my emotions in. I had stories to tell someone, information to give, Adanne's secrets to share with someone who could make a difference.I got several minutes of healthy skepticism at the gate before I finally convinced a marine guard to call in my name. The response came back right away: Bring Detective Cross inside. It was almost as if they were expecting me. I wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not. Given my recent history, probably not.The consulate lobby, with its metal detectors and bulletproof gla.s.s on all the windows, felt like an urban police station. People were lined up at every desk and window, most of them clearly agitated, waiting to be seen.All the American accents-and a portrait of CondoleezzaRice presiding over the room-played tricks with my mind about where I was, and exactly how I had gotten here.Once inside, I was met by a nonmilitary escort in an off-white suit. He was "Mr. Collins," a Nigerian of some unspecified position here.Unlike the marine who'd brought me this far, Collins was friendly and animatedly answered a few questions as we walked."There's been at least one rebel attack in Rivers State today," he explained, gesticulating the whole time. "Much bigger than we've seen before. The government won't admit to it, but the independent media is calling it the beginning of a civil war."The populist buzz on the first floor gave way to crisp offi-ciousness and hushed conversations on the second.I was taken straight to the amba.s.sador's consular suite, where I waited outside his office for several minutes-until a dozen men, black, white, and four who looked Chinese, walked out all at once. Each of them appeared somber and nervous. No one met my gaze, or perhaps no one was in the least interested that I was sitting there barefoot and in rags.Mr. Collins politely held the door for me, and then he closed it from the outside.

Chapter 117.

AMBa.s.sADOR ROBERT OWELEEN was tall and willowy, almost too thin, a silver-haired man of maybe sixty. He stood behind his large antique desk flanked by American and Nigerian flags. Two aides stayed where they were, on a small couch in an alcove off to one side."Mr. Cross." He shook my hand, unsmiling. "My G.o.d, what happened to you?""A lot. I won't waste your time. I'm here about a man, a killer, known as the Tiger. It's a matter of Nigerian and American security."He swept my words away in the air. "I know why you're here, Mr. Cross. I've been getting all kinds of pressure from Abu Rock about you.""Excuse me-Abu Rock?""The capital. It seems that the only one who wants you in Nigeria is you. The CIA has actually saved your life here, haven't they?"Now I was a little dumbstruck, to add to my general numbness and dizziness about what had happened recently. The American amba.s.sador knew about my presence here? Was someone taking out billboards about me or something?"We're sending you home today," Oweleen continued, with finality in his voice.I looked at the floor and back at him again, trying to keep it together. "Sir, the man I'm chasing is a ma.s.s murderer. He may have government ties here. He's definitely involved with the police in some mysterious way. If I could just have a chance to reach my CIA contact in Lagos-"He cut me off. "What exactly do you think your authority is, Mr. Cross? You're a visitor in this country, nothing more than that. You can take this up with the State Department if you wish. In Was.h.i.+ngton.""He needs to be stopped, sir. Yesterday he murdered a reporter for the Guardian named Adanne Tansi. I saw him kill her. He murdered her entire family. He's responsible for at least eight deaths in Was.h.i.+ngton."Finally, Oweleen exploded. "Who the h.e.l.l are you? I never even heard of you until three days ago, and now I'm taking time out for this? Do you have any idea what's going on here?"He waved his hand at the plasma TV on the wall. "Turn that up."One of the aides pushed a b.u.t.ton on a remote-and then I watched the TV in shocked silence and with dread.