“Have you done it?” hissed Yusuf.
Bashir again pressed the nozzle down. He retracted his arm and looked at the can, then violently shaking it, causing some of the wetter cow manure to fly off. He tried again. “It’s not working… it won’t spray. The solution won’t come out.”
“Here, come and get my can!” Yusuf called out from the other side of the wooden rails.
Two of Mainway’s employees were bringing a pen of sold cattle from the pavilion back to the holding yards. One looked up at the sound. “Hey, you hear that?”
“Someone over by the far pen?” replied the other man.
“Yeah, I reckon. You go ahead and pen these heifers, I’m going to go have a look.”
“If you catch any dirty bastard with his pants down, use your stick and whack his pecker off.”
“Yeah!” The first man climbed up on the railings next to him for a better look. Scanning over the backs of the cattle in the individual pens, his expert eye noticed one group facing in one direction, their attention focused on something in particular. Grabbing a hand rail above he pulled himself up onto the narrow plank walkway running the length of the outside cattle yards. He noticed two men, one in the yard itself. You dirty perverts, he thought. “Danny,” he yelled down to his workmate. “Go get help, there’s two of them and one’s in the yard. “HEY YOU! What the fuck d’you think you’re doing with them cows?”
Yusuf was handing over the second can when a loud voice barked out, obviously directed at them. Both men froze; they knew they’d been caught. Yusuf was the first to run, his flight spurring Bashir, who leapt up the wooden rails, sending muck flying in all directions before jumping to the ground and hurtling after Yusuf. They ran as they had never run before, bouncing off parked cars, gravel spraying up from their feet, towards the only place of safety they knew, the Ford Explorer.
Bomani watched as the boys ran towards him. In his chaotic flight to the Ford, Yusuf tripped tumbling head first, the palms of his hands taking the brunt of the landing on the gravel parking lot. Without wasting an iota of time he regained his feet and continued the remaining few yards to the vehicle. He yanked open the door and flung himself into the rear seat. Bashir was close behind. Bomani gunned the Ford, sending dust and gravel into nearby vehicles.
“Did you do it? Did you carry out the mission?” Bomani yelled as he spun the steering wheel. “Speak to me!”
Panting with adrenalin-inspired exhaustion and trying to retain his seat in the fast turning vehicle, Bashir told him the can had failed to spray and they had been discovered. He cringed, anticipating the reaction. There was an ominous silence.
The Ford shuddered as it left the gravel and over the guttering onto the seal road. Bomani put his contingency plan into effect, following the directions from the GPS unit on the dashboard. He didn’t speak to his traveling companions, his face expressionless. The coldness and continued silence made the two young men uneasy. Bashir glanced towards Yusuf, who had tucked himself up in a ball. Hugging his legs and leaning against the door, he gazed into the distance.
Chapter Eighteen
The report was marked urgent. It was handed to Director Hall who placed his glasses on and read the information sent from the Police Commissioner of New Jersey. The news was bittersweet. Removing his glasses he rubbed his forehead, pressing his thumb hard into the spot between his eyes as if he had a powerful migraine, which at that moment he didn’t. Not yet. Hall dialed the number on the report for Mainway’s Auctioneers.
“Mainway’s Auctioneers, Josie speaking, how may I help you?”
“Josie, my name is Allan Hall, Homeland Security. I believe your employer is a Mr. Bill Lomas. May I speak to him please, this is an urgent matter.”
“I’ll just have someone page him for you, one moment please.” Josie laid the phone down on her desk. For a few seconds she stared at it, trying to fathom out if the call was legitimate or not. Homeland Security phoning here! Josie knew Big Bill had called the number on the email he received about suspicious behavior so she wouldn’t have been surprised to see or hear from the local police. But Homeland Security! Josie stood up and walked to the door, where she leaned on the frame and looked around for Big Bill.
On the other end of the line a loud thudding came through the receiver. Director Hall heard the phone laid down on presumably a desk, then a screech of a chair on what sounded like wooden floorboards. “Bill, over here, you’re wanted on the phone.”
That’ll be their paging service, he surmised.
“Tell ’em I’m busy and take a number,” yelled Big Bill.
“Think you ought to take it, Bill, the guy said he was from Homeland Security.”
“Homeland… what the… I better take this, boys,” Bill said to a couple of the auction staff.
Big Bill stepped into the office and whispered to Josie, “You sure? Homeland Security, not Inox police?
“That’s what he said,” Josie whispered back.
Clearing his throat, Big Bill picked up the phone. “Howdy, Bill Lomas, what can I do for you?”
“Bill, my name is Director Allan Hall, I understand you had a bit of a skirmish a short while ago. Tell me what happened.”
“Yessir, of course.” Big Bill reached for a chair; he needed to sit down for this. “Well, two of my boys caught this cow botherer in one of the yards out back.”
“Cow botherer?”
“Yeah, you know, one of those people who… well, just like the email said, we were to look out for suspicious behavior and some Arab blokes in our yards with our cows just didn’t seem right, if you know what I mean.”
“Arab men?”
“Yep, that’s what the boys said, there were two Arab-looking men and a getaway driver. What the hell is going on… I mean maybe once in a blue moon you might get a cow botherer, but two together…”
“Mr. Lomas, were they seen doing anything and I don’t mean screwing cows, were they doing anything else?”
“Well, they didn’t actually see anything. All the Arab in the yard had time for was trying to reach out and touch the cattle.”
“Anything in the man’s hands?”
“Boys didn’t say. I can go ask them if you like?”
“Later. What about the car they drove, did you get a description?”
“Sure did, it was a green Ford Explorer, older model. Didn’t get the plates though.”
“Now think hard, Mr. Lomas, anything else your boys noticed? No matter how small.”
“Well now… when you say small… There was something — a couple of spray cans. They were definitely outta place, you know — so we figured they must have been dropped when Joe and Danny spooked ’em.”
Hall shut his eyes, this time he could actually feel a pain in his head coming on. Spray cans. It sounded as if it was already too late and the infection had been released. “Describe the cans.”
“The boys told me they just chucked ’em in the bin. Deodorant — which is a joke — they were covered in muck and stunk something awful.”
“Mr. Lomas, this is very important. I need you to do exactly as I say. Lock down the auction now. Not a single animal leaves, not… a… single… animal. Do it right now, tell the lady with you to give those instructions to your employees. You remain on the phone.”