Solo

buried with full military honours in Port Dunbar.’
    Felix shook his head cynically. ‘How were we to know? You meet a man who says he’s Gabriel Adeka. How could we know that it was the younger brother, Solomon? He had a shaven head and a small goatee, just like Gabriel. Solomon was dead and buried – who’s going to be suspicious?’ Felix nodded, almost as if he had to convince himself of the elaborate nature of the subterfuge.
    ‘I bet you didn’t see much of him,’ Bond said.
    ‘No, that’s true. There were some initial meetings – “Gabriel” was unwell, we were told – this Colonel Denga was the frontman. Very efficient. Very precise.’
    ‘Part of the team.’ Bond lit another cigarette. ‘I’m pretty sure this was how it must have happened. Gabriel Adeka was lured into a kind of collaboration with Linck and his aid plans for Dahum. At some meeting an unsuspecting Gabriel would have been killed – probably by one of Kobus Breed’s buddies and the body disposed of – buried under fresh concrete in the Bayswater office. Breed is Linck’s enforcer – he would have arranged everything. Maybe he’s his partner, for all I know. I bet you it was Breed who saw other opportunities for AfricaKIN and its “mercy flights”. Maybe Linck was in on it.’ He shrugged. ‘Clearly he’s a man who likes to make a profit, one way or another.’ Bond spread his hands. ‘But we’ll never know now, thanks to Agent Massinette.’
    Felix wasn’t going to follow this line of speculation, Bond saw. He shook his glass, making the ice cubes spin.
    ‘So, just to be on the safe side, to keep their control, they turned Solomon into a junkie,’ Felix added, nodding to himself again.
    ‘Absolutely perfect control,’ Bond said, adding more gin to their glasses. They were halfway through the bottle. ‘Linck and Breed were running things now. They didn’t want their Adeka brother changing his mind in any way.’
    ‘So you reckon Linck wasn’t a prisoner at all,’ Felix said.
    ‘No. Why would a prisoner dye his hair and grow a beard?’ Bond posed the question. ‘That little ploy was Linck’s escape route, or so he hoped. Kobus Breed was the mastermind. So Linck would have had us believe.’
    ‘Why didn’t he just run for it? Why did he surrender to you?’
    ‘You answered that. While he was alive he still – just about – owned Zanza Petroleum. Linck must have known that the whole AfricaKIN cover would be blown. Better to present himself as a victim along with poor Gabriel Adeka. You said the leases were all legal. He might have been able to pick up where he left off. He could have claimed some sort of negotiating position, at least.’
    ‘Except he hadn’t reckoned on you – the fact that you knew both brothers.’
    ‘Linck didn’t know that. And Massinette blew him away the moment he saw him.’ Bond clicked his fingers. ‘Just like that. I wonder why . . .’
    ‘I think I may be able to answer that question, now.’ Felix nodded. Bond could see clarity was visiting him, also.
    ‘OK,’ Felix continued, ‘one more thing. I can now understand how the real Gabriel Adeka could be made to disappear in London. And suddenly reappear in Rowanoak Hall. Solomon was “dead” – you’d been to his funeral. How did he get to the US?’
    ‘It was something Blessing told me – Aleesha Belem. She reminded me that there had been another plane that last night at Janjaville – a DC-3. She said Breed and Linck flew out separately on the DC-3 while everyone else was on the Super Constellation. I didn’t see that, of course – I was minding my own business bleeding to death.’ Bond smiled, wryly. ‘I suspect there were a few crates loaded on the DC-3 at the last moment. One of them would have contained Solomon Adeka, drugged and comatose but very much alive and ready to assume his new identity. Gabriel was dead – long live Gabriel. You weren’t going to ask any difficult questions – even if you had any – because you were so very pleased to welcome him and AfricaKIN to the US. I wonder why? Sorry to repeat myself . . .’
    ‘Follow me,’ Felix said and strolled on to the veranda. Bond joined him. Just below the edge of the veranda was a long row of cars and trucks and utility vehicles. All new and each one with the logo of an oil company on its side. Shell, BP, Texaco, Elf, Agip, Esso, Mobil, Gulf.
    ‘Take a look,’ Felix said. ‘Every oil company in the world wants to stick its