Danger Woman by Frederick Ramsay Read Free Book Online

officials up from the capital and assigned duties in Kasane as well as a “Safe House” for those needing privacy or protection. He would have liked to have a room at one of the lodges, but the director had put an end to that practice when this new facility came online. Modise sent Joseph off to the police post to liaise with Superintendent Mwambe. He dropped his bag on one of the beds in the room assigned to them and found a quiet corner with a desk. He had calls to make, contacts to set up, and plans to implement. Sanderson must be notified of his arrival, too. He had that to look forward to, but first, he needed to check on his agents in the field. He had placed Patience Botshabelo and two other operatives at the Mowana Lodge with instructions to make many notes and listen. She would be first but, as she would not finish her shift until midnight, he would turn his attention to planning what to do with Greshenko. He skimmed the list of other agents placed in the various lodges and likely venues where the Bratva would make their play. It was a thin list. Five people, three women and two men, did not make for much of a task force. Of course there were the local police. They might be useful if he could get Mwambe to stop feeling threatened every time he came to town. He began to call them one by one.
    In an hour he had the locations of Lenka, his nyatsi, and most of the men thought to have been recruited to his service. Noticeable by their absence were Boers. Lenka had learned his lesson, it seemed, from the last time he tried to make his move on the Chobe. At the moment, there were two bearded and angry Dutchmen sitting in the cells in Gaborone who would love to cut a deal by giving up their ex-boss, but were too frightened to speak, believing that Lenka’s reach extended into the jails. They were correct in this, but it would not be the case soon. That left only two Boers to deal with and while they could be mean and violent, they were not known for brilliance of mind. They should pose no real problem. The director said he had a line on the men involved and still in the city, mostly associated with or hanging around the restaurant which they operated and had named Ресtоран , which, when said aloud, sounded like, and in fact, meant, restaurant in Russian. Clever.
    Kgabo called the American at his casino and arranged a meeting. It was time to infiltrate Lenka’s organization and Greshenko was the man to do it.
    ***
    Leo Painter thought he knew all of his workmen. It had taken him nearly a year to train his eye to this new environment he had chosen for himself, where at first one face seemed much like every other. He shook his head at the memory. Chagrinned, he’s had to admit his own ethnocentric view of the world and pay attention to those around him. He had finally done it. Now he stared at a man shirtless and working a hoe in a large hod of newly mixed concrete.
    â€œYuri,” he asked, “who’s the new guy?”
    â€œWhat new guy? I don’t know about any new guy.”
    Leo pointed out the window to the man wielding the hoe.
    â€œOh, him. That’s one of the cop’s people. Modise, you know? He put some people in all of the lodges. That’s one of them.”
    â€œHe’s got someone in all of the lodges? I’m impressed. We’re not paying this guy, right?”
    â€œI’m not and I don’t think you are, so, no. He’s on the government’s expense account. Should I get rid of him?”
    Painter thought a moment. “No. Better to know the devil at hand than the one unseen. Something like that, anyway. If we know who he is, we can watch what we say. Is he the only one?”
    â€œAs far as I know, yes. Lenka will have someone in here, too. He shouldn’t be too hard to spot either. You said you had a plan.”
    â€œI did and I do. We’ll wait for Modise to show up and then spring it on him.
    â€œI don’t