Amanda opened the front door and started to punch in her alarm code. The alarm wasn’t on. She paused, her fingers over the keypad. Amanda hadn’t slept well because of the events at the courthouse. She decided that she’d probably been so tired that she’d forgotten to set the alarm when she left for work. She flipped on the lights, left the sushi on the kitchen counter, and headed toward her bedroom to change. Halfway through her living room, she froze. A slender black man was watching her from her couch.
“Not to worry, Miss Jaffe,” Nathan Tuazama said in his lilting African English. “I have no intention of hurting you.”
Amanda took a closer look at her visitor. His suit was expensive and his shoes were shined. She thought his tie might be silk. This was definitely not the attire of a cat burglar.
“I think you should explain why you broke into my apartment before I call the police,” Amanda said, keeping her voice calm while she scanned the area around her for potential weapons.
The intruder’s lips curved upward but there was something unnatural about his smile. Amanda was reminded of the rictus she’d seen on the faces of corpses in autopsy photos.
“I assure you that Charlie won’t want the police to learn of our conversation.”
Amanda pulled out her cell phone. “I just punched in a nine and a one. If I don’t get a good explanation for this break-in, I’m finishing the call.”
“Please, Miss Jaffe, sit down. I know it must be unsettling to find someone in your home but I won’t be here long and you are perfectly safe. It’s your client who should be worried.”
“If you want to talk to me about my client, I have an office and business hours.”
“Long hours, to judge from the time I’ve spent waiting for you. I’m pleased to see that Charlie has such a dedicated advocate. But let’s get to business. It’s late and you must be tired.
“I am Nathan Tuazama, the director of President Jean-Claude Baptiste’s National Education Bureau.” Amanda felt her stomach roll. “You have heard of President Baptiste?”
Amanda nodded. “Charlie’s also mentioned you.”
“I imagine he has.”
“What do you want with me?”
“President Baptiste would appreciate some assistance with a problem.”
“And that is?”
“Charlie took something that did not belong to him when he left Batanga, something that belongs to President Baptiste. If Charlie was still in Batanga I would be having this conversation with him in the basement of the executive mansion, and the problem would be solved quickly.”
Charlie had told Amanda what happened in the basement of the mansion, and it took every ounce of Amanda’s courtroom training to maintain her composure.
“Unfortunately, I am in America, so I am here to ask you, on behalf of my president, to act as our intermediary and convince Charlie to return what he has taken.”
The box! Tuazama had to be referring to the contents of Charlie’s box.
“Assuming I can get this property to you, what happens to Charlie?”
“Once I have the property, President Baptiste will have no further interest in your client,” Tuazama lied. “Charlie is an insignificant and easily forgettable individual, but he will become significant to me should he try to retain the president’s property. Tell him that. Tell Charlie that he will become someone of great interest to me if I do not get what I want. And tell him I am not a patient man when it comes to my president’s interests.”
“What is it you think Mr. Marsh has?”
Tuazama stood. “That need not concern you. In fact, the less you know, the better off you are. Believe me, you do not want to involve yourself in this business other than as a messenger.”
“How will I contact you to tell you what Mr. Marsh wants to do?”
“Don’t trouble yourself about anything but communicating President Baptiste’s wishes to your client. I know the number of your cell phone. Rest assured, I’ll be in touch soon. It’s been a pleasure meeting you.”
Amanda set her alarm the moment her door closed behind Tuazama. Then she sat down until her nerves settled. Amanda had no idea what Charlie was into but she was convinced that Tuazama had been responsible for the chaos in Charlie’s hotel room. Amanda wondered if Tuazama was the sniper and if he’d missed on purpose to frighten Charlie. He’d certainly frightened her.
HALF AN HOUR later, Amanda was seated on the sofa in the sitting room in Charlie’s suite.
“Do you remember telling me about Nathan Tuazama, the head of Baptiste’s secret police?”
Charlie’s eyes shifted nervously and a sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead.
“I just got a chance to meet him, Charlie. He broke into my apartment.”
“He didn’t hurt you, did he?” Charlie asked with genuine concern.
“No, but he made it pretty clear that he’s going to hurt you unless you return what you stole from President Baptiste.”
“I didn’t steal anything.”
“Then what is Tuazama doing here?”
Charlie looked ill. “He’s after the contents of the box I gave you.”
“And that is?”
“Some diamonds I smuggled out of Batanga,” Charlie answered, his voice barely above a whisper.
“How many diamonds?”
“I don’t know exactly.”
“Guess.”
Charlie looked down, unable to meet her eye. “A lot. I haven’t had a chance to show them to anyone who can tell me what they’re worth.”
“Do the diamonds in the box belong to President Baptiste?”
“No, not really.”
“Then why did Nathan Tuazama say they did?”
“Uh, it’s a law thing.”
“Humor me, Charlie. Pretend I’m a lawyer who might be intelligent enough to understand what you have to say.”
Charlie licked his lips. “Well, in the U.S., women have a lot of freedom. I mean, look at you. You can vote and go to law school. Stuff like that. In Batanga they have all these tribal laws. Husbands sort of own their wives and once they’re married anything the wife owns becomes the husband’s property.”
“They were Bernadette’s diamonds?”
“He treated her like shit, Amanda. He can’t get it up, so he’d take it out on her. When we were in bed, she would cry. I saw the marks.”
“And you took advantage of her and got her to give you these diamonds?” Amanda said, not even trying to disguise her disgust.
“It wasn’t that way,” Charlie protested. “They belonged to Bernadette and she gave them to someone who gave them to me.”
“Who?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“Why can’t you tell me?”
“I can’t tell you that either. Believe me, I would if I could, but I swore I wouldn’t talk about it.”
“You don’t think I’ve earned the right to the information after Tuazama’s visit?”
“Please, Amanda, don’t ask me anymore about the diamonds.”
“Am I in danger, Charlie?”
“If Tuazama thought you knew anything you wouldn’t be here. As long as he doesn’t know I gave you the diamonds, you’re safe.”
“Would Tuazama have the nerve to kill you in the States?” Amanda asked.
“Oh, yeah. This guy is pure evil. I’m not completely convinced he’s human.”
“Do you think he was the sniper?”
“He could have been. I wouldn’t put it past him to miss on purpose to put the fear of God in me. Did you know he was in the courtroom?”
“At the bail hearing?”
Charlie nodded.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t want you involved.”
“Well, I am. You involved me when you gave me the diamonds.”
Amanda thought for a moment. Then she looked directly at her client.